1993 Vauxhall Senator CD from UK and Ireland - Comments

Timing belt broke, leaving me stranded.

Auto transmission (twice) at vast expense.

Cylinder head gasket.

Myriad of minor electrical faults including stereo, central locking, dashboard lights etc.

Lovely when it works, costs an arm and a leg when it goes wrong.

Does 35+ mpg on a motorway.

I acquired my 1990 24v cdi in April 1996. For 2.5 years I had nothing go wrong on it at all. It was really superb and king of the road. 130mph on M5 with loads to spare! However, in 1998, things started to go wrong. admit my timing chain / belt snapped and caused me to have recon engine at 146k which was disappointing. I then stupidly overheated it by leaving rad. cap off (LED dash was difficult to read in sunlight!) and cooked the head so by then it was getting expensive. In addition, I had to have a completely reconditioned gearbox. In summary, a great car but be prepared to spend if things go wrong!!!I still have the beast on the driveway but have bought a 1.9TD Xantia which is very economical but too sensible by half! I plan to give the Senator a blast this summer so watch out drivers in SW!

Senator has quite a following by all accounts. Had mine for two years, nothing major gone wrong, do keep it well serviced.

Only faults are the air con. but not going to fix this due to cost and besides, up here in the north of Scotland, air con would only be used for perhaps two weeks in any summer we might be lucky to have.

The power steering has a problem, there is no full assistance at low speed, it's been suggested that the speed sensor module may be at fault. Would like to know where this component is located.

Otherwise, a very fine car and capable of 37 m.p.g. plus, although normally averages 33.5. Don't know any other three litre to rival the Senator for economy. My former Volvo 360 2ltr. could only manage 25 at best.

Fast? well, have managed to half fill my license with six of the best thanks to a Gatso.

Interesting to read comments on main line Vauxhall service garages, sad to say my experiences are similar to those of many Senator owners.

Regards to all Senator owners.

Ally Forbes Inverness.

The speed sensor for the power steering can be by-passed, giving beautifully light steering at all speeds.

I agree that these cars can be expensive when they go wrong. I have two 3-litres (a 12v and a 24v), but they are maintained to perfection and consequently when they do malfunction, don't cost much to put right - and surely nobody buys such a car in the expectation of not having to spend anything on it. Yes, items can cost a lot, but usually far less than the equivalent part for a BMW or Merc (example: set of plug leads for 24-valve Senator - £85; ditto for Merc 500 - over £500. Nuff sed.)

I have had Sennies for 4 years now and they have proved to be generally as reliable as would be expected from this class of car. Due the age of even the newest cars, there are bound to be bits wearing out and because of the amount of goodies these could be expensive.

My cruise failed, £15 from breakers (239 + VAT from Vauxhall), core plug corroded through, £1 + fitting. I have accumulated £1400 of spares at a cost of £55 from a breaker and this include 2 alloy road wheels.

Constant on time maintenance and good oil help, but mine has 155 000 on the odometer and feels as though it will do another 155 000 too.

Gordon.

A sensible approach to maintenance will ensure a lifetimes worth of reliable service from one of these beauties. Change the oil, watch the temp gauge and remember a timing chain will not fail without rattling first. keep your ears open and you'll be fine.

A well maintained 24V Senator is simply one of the best cars on the road... period.

Every police force in the country can't be wrong.