2002 Holden Astra Reviews - Page 6 of 13

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20th May 2005, 06:48

I have a 2002 Astra Equipe and have just booked it in for my 60 000km service. I have been quoted at $720 from my Holden dealer which I thought was a bit too much too. I was told it is around $420 for changing the timing belts and $300 for the "normal" service.

I called the family mechanic (non-Holden) for their advice. They said it would cost around that much and I would be better off taking it to Holden to have it done. They said they had another car at the moment having its belts changed and it was at 100 000km. I've been checking a few Astra reviews and I think it's pretty standard to have them changed every 60 000km - more frequently than a lot of other cars. But going through my owner's manual, it says that only in the 1.8L engine that it needs replacing that often.

6th Dec 2005, 22:25

I own a 1999 Holden Vectra 2.2, and I too was told I had to replace the timing belt at 60000km. At first I thought it was an April fools joke, but after hearing the stories of horrendously expensive engine damage if I chose to ignore this issue, I reluctantly replaced the belt at 80000km. It's just another example of Holden fitting cheap poor quality parts (Holden builds the engine in Melbourne).

20th Feb 2011, 14:53

From what I have read it is VERY important that the Astra's timing belt is replaced on or prior to 60,000km (though I thought it was 80,000km).

Further advice I have read is that if you look to buy a car and this belt has not been changed on time - walk away.

2002 Holden Astra TS Equipe 5 Door 1.8L petrol from Australia and New Zealand

Year of manufacture	2002
First year of ownership	2002
Most recent year of ownership	2004
Engine and transmission	1.8L petrol Manual
Performance marks	8 / 10
Reliability marks	9 / 10
Comfort marks	7 / 10
Dealer Service marks	4 / 10
Running Costs (higher is cheaper)	8 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)	7.2 / 10
Distance when acquired	15 kilometres
Most recent distance	31000 kilometres
Previous car	Mitsubishi Lancer

Summary:

Excellent quality car all-round

Faults:

Like other reviews I have read, the rear brakes made a horrible noise in reverse. This was fixed under warranty at the 15,000 km service.

Rattle in the center radio/clock display. This is quite annoying, but only occurs on roads which are not perfectly smooth.

Fog light bulb blew very early, and was rarely used.

Left front passenger door has a bolt loose around the hinge. The special star shaped head on it means that I cannot simply tighten it myself.

General Comments:

Interior is nicely finished and simple. Seats are a little flat and feel like you are sitting on them rather in them.

Car handles and rides very very well.

Steering feedback is excellent for a small car with power steering, and is not too light.

The larger 15 inch wheels on the Equipe and CD make for better handling and also look a lot better than the 14" wheels on the City.

Cruise control is one of the best I have used on any car and very simple to operate.

Air conditioning takes a while to get going on a warm day, but once it has been on for a while, it is quite fine.

Nice little engine, revs nicely at high revs without to much effort. Sufficient power to zip around the city and is superb on the highway for a small car. I run my car on synthetic oil and use high octane fuel (Optimax etc.) and it runs noticeably better.

Gearbox is a little slow and does not allow for really quick changes if you want to have a fang. 1st gear synchro sometimes does want to go into gear at the lights and needs to be aligned by using 3rd or 5th.

Holden servicing personnel need a lot of attention. Very poor service from two separate service centres and will not return to either of them. Both times I was charged for work that was not carried out! I think some of these people assume that most people know nothing about cars and take advantage of it.

All round an excellent car for the money and would highly recommend it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th November, 2004

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10th Mar 2006, 01:11

Same reviewer here, for a follow up:

Car has now done 52000km, 2 tyres have just been replaced and the other two are only a couple of thousand kms away (yes they were regularly rotated.

Just recently had the ignition barrel jam up, sprayed extensively in the barrel with WD-40 seems to have fixed it for now, though it does not sound like an uncommon problem, though very frustrating!!!

Boot on the hatch seems to squeak a bit now!