1996 Vauxhall Omega Select 2.0i from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A bargain for what we got

Faults:

The starter motor failed within 4 days of having the car. We were stranded on the motorway.

The central locking system went after 2 weeks. Could not close the door it sprang back open (It was 11pm at night in January, freezing conditions). Drove home holding the door shut.

The dealer (not Vauxhall) who we bought the car from, rectified the problems and the car has been fine ever since.

General Comments:

As a whole, without the teething problems, the car is lovely, smooth to drive, comfortable all round, excellent extras, and it managed 38mpg.

The best part is the select sports mode which pushes you back into your seat when used, great for overtaking.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th September, 2000

7th Apr 2001, 05:06

I have a '96 Omega and have had the same problem with the central locking freezing up on a couple of occasions. Do you know what Vauxhall did to solve the problem for you? I found that after running the engine for a few minutes with the heater on full it defrosted and all was okay, but it is something I'd like to avoid in future. Thanks.

4th May 2001, 01:31

My 96 Tourer also suffers from locks not working properly at low temperature... anyone know the fix?

27th May 2002, 02:28

This is not a very big problem, but you alone can't solve it. This can happen when you wash the car (the water leaks between the window and the rubber and...). I've went to a service and get my door locking system and window system oiled. This can be a way to solve this thing.

1996 Vauxhall Omega GLS 2.0i petrol from UK and Ireland

Faults:

Battery suddenly died, this put the stereo in a mode where it thought it had been stolen and it would not accept the CODE. Three new stereos were fitted before everything worked again.

Engine has always had bad piston slap on cold starts.

General Comments:

Headlights too dim on dip.

Car is underpowered for acceleration but top speed good.

Aircon makes the windscreen steam up when car re-started even in summer.

Nice comfy cruiser.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th September, 1998

13th Aug 2001, 00:12

I live in United Arab Emirates and I have an Omega 3.0 GL Auto 2000 model. It faced the same problem with the battery (after 27300 miles/exactly after 1 year), so I went to the dealer who complained about the hot weather in the Gulf area (UAE & Saudia Arabia). The battery was replaced by the dealer under the warranty. Ohh, I remembered that the CODE was required to switch on the radio and it was OK after entering the CODE.

1996 Vauxhall Omega GLS 2.5 turbo diesel from UK and Ireland

Faults:

Wrong exhaust fitted when new.

Squeaky seats.

General Comments:

Great car, good to drive, smooth and very quiet.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th June, 1998

1996 Vauxhall Omega CD 2.5 turbo diesel from UK and Ireland

Faults:

The air con packed up in the summer but it was fixed pretty quickly.

General Comments:

A very comfortable car, after 30,000 miles I still find it hard to remember that it is a diesel (fuel economy averaging 36mpg helps jog the memory).

Things I like are the comfort, the ride, the performance and the handling. It is a very good tow car.

Things I don't like are the two tone plastic dash, bad reflections on sunny days on the inside of the windscreen and the headlights are poor (both dip and mainbeam) though I understand that Vauxhall now fit more powerful ones.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 23rd November, 1997