2000 Vauxhall Tigra Chequers review from UK and Ireland

Water pump replaced under warranty.

Cam belt replaced under warranty.

ECU replaced under warranty.

Whole braking system replaced under warranty.

Recalled due to seat and seat belts problems.

Both side check straps replaced due to door misalignment.

Went back first week I had it due to the wheels needing balancing (small problem).

Dash light illumination stopped working.

I wanted a Tigra for 3 years and finally saved enough money to buy one 7 months ago. The car looks wonderful, it is Aruba Blue and has spoiler etc and is the Chequers model so all the interior matches.

I have spent over £1000 putting audio equipment in the car and more money having a separate alarm fitted. I had a separate alarm fitted due to hearing bad stories about Vauxhall ones. Anyway, I have been lucky becuase all the work so far has been under my year's warranty, but it started me thinking... if the car has had over £3000 worth of warranty work done 7 months after buying it from brand new, what will it be like in a years time?

The car is still not completely fixed anyway. I have a vibration through the brake pedal and steering column on braking, which Vauxhall cannot fix. One month after buying my car I scratched my alloy wheel on the curb... I did not curb it, I was pulling off the curb and did not pull the car far enough into the road and the back wheel slipped down and scratched the spoke of the wheel, taking off the surface of the alloy.

Vauxhall are accusing me of smacking the curb and replacing the whole wheel, which I didn't as I had it reconditioned, I have been told that there should be a batch number on the alloy that they should be able to check with their records to prove it is the original wheel.

Anyway Vauxhall are refusing to do anymore work on the car and I have now got to take the car for a geometry check to prove I have not bent the rear axle.

If I had bent the rear axle the car would be crabbing and pulling which it isn't. The car has been driven by a mechanic who is not Vauxhall and he said that the car drives in a perfect straight line.

For the meantime I have been left with the car vibrating worse since it went into the garage for the 12th time since new.

I am absolutely gutted, I love that car to bits, plus it was quite a nice step up from a Rover Metro.

Anyway, the other day I thought I might change the Tigra, get another new one... maybe I just have the bad egg. They have now since then stopped making Tigra's and I wonder why. A young gentlemen that works for Vauxhall actually said to me that they stopped making them because they have had so many of them back. Well after reading this web site I AM NOT BLOODY SURPRISED!!!

I will see anyway once I have had the geometry checked. I know it isn't the axle because I have not curbed the car, but hey don't worry Vauxhall, I have all the time in the world to keep bringing my car back to you!