1999 Vauxhall Zafira Elegance from UK and Ireland - Comments

Further to my comment of the 28th dec (1.6) we checked the oil and it was very very low! Topped it up and car is now purring! Have been on the motorway since and no probs so fingers crossed no more dashboard lights!!! Had it serviced and it stalled on the way home but hoping that's the extremely cold weather we're having. In future we will check the things we can ourselves instead of automatically running to the garage!! Looks like the new EGR was money wasted.

Have bought a V reg 1.6 Opel Zafira (originally badged for Ireland with 85K on the clock) Engine management light has been on most of the time we have had for the past five months. General symptom loss of power once warned up. The independant garage that we bought it from has been very methodical in tracking down the source of the problem under their warranty...

The garage has replaced free of charge and labour the following items!

Radiator,

Airconditioning radiator

Next visit Oxygen sensor 1

Next visit catalytic covertor

Next visit Lamba sensor

Next visit Idle valve

Next visit Oxygen sensor 2

On each occasion an item was replaced we were assured that would be the final time they'd need to see it! In total they have test driven it 450 miles in post fix tests.

Having replaced all these items under their warranty it failed again and had to go back. Over the Christmas period they had it for five days and finally found out that the problem turns out to have been a partially blocked breather pipe. Needless to say the owner was very sorry. We don't mind though because he has replaced so much of the engine!

We love the car, very practical small 7 seater.

Moral of the tale, if you have a Zafira with an EMU light problem, get the garage to check the breather pipes!!!

Update posted 9th January 2009. Driving car today and EML now on permanently along with ABS and traction light, still some spluttering and momentarily loss of power. Phoned local garage for diagnostic testing due to lack of confidence with Vauxhall garage from the other day. Will let you know what I'm told when take it in on Thursday 15th.

Update.

Taken to garage and it was the throttle body, which they cleaned, but it was still not perfect so they changed the air mass meter, still have traction and ABS light on, so will be going back into garage for these problems to be rectified.

Can anyone help me?

I have a Vauxhall Zafira Design '07'. I have had constant problems with it. I hate it, hate it, hate it and after spending 13k on I expected something "safe".

At present I can't turn the service light off, was ripped off by Vauxhall for the parts, refused to let them service it too. Does anyone know how to do this as I have been told that if I don't it will start going into 'safe mode'?

This is the worst thing I have ever bought, I have tried to give it back but they are having none of it. Wish I had used the money to buy a BMW, at least they know the meaning of after sales customer care!

Try this..

Service light reset Vauxhall 1999 onwards

1. Turn ignition off.

2. Hold trip computer reset in.

3. Turn ignition on.

4. Still holding trip reset, wait for three dashes on the display.

5. Turn off ignition.

6. Release trip reset.

7. Turn on ignition to confirm service light has gone out.

03 Zafira 1.6 Club, low miles, car misfiring and seems to be no logic as to when it happens.

One of the spark plugs was very black and sooty, so replaced all 4 plugs, just to have the plug soot up again shortly after, have also..

Cleaned then replaced EGR.

Replaced coil pack and added a fuel additive to try and clear possible blocked injectors, and still the car is still misfiring. If I ever find the solution, I will let you know.

Causes... mechanic and auto spark has looked at the car, and told me plug 4 is misfiring, which I knew already.. they came up with the following possible causes:

Coil pack.

Sticky valves (which are common with Zafiras).

Blocked injector (s).

I have a 52 plate Zafira. The light with spanner has been coming on after few minutes of driving for months. Just ignored it as has had the ignition reset and a new chip in the key; being a women I thought that was the problem.

Now I start it, but when put it in gear to drive, I have a major loss of power, so I sit revving the life out of it for 5 minutes, then it seems OK.

From reading all previous comments, it sounds as though this is just the start of my problems.

My husband has taken it to our local garage who are friends. They said they had a Meriva come in, and it was the air flow sensor which cost £53 and was pretty much a one screw job! So am going to buy one of those and get my husband to fit it. Just nervous that this is not going to work as the car is on finance, so I am stuck with it. Wonder if it is covered by our mechanical insurance that the finance company sold us, but has so far been of no use???

Heather.

Oh my God, everyone here seems to be having same issues, thank God I came across this site. I was just about to buy a Vauxhall!!

Everyone seems to have same problem and it's not on Parkers guide.

I used to love Vauxhall because it was British car (but now it's American) so you can expect!!! I tried to keep a Vauxhall 5 times in my life, but you know every single time ended up spending a lot more than expected. But same time a Vauxhall Cavalier is one of the best cars though..

So now I have no choice but to buy Toyota (even though I don't personally like to buy Japanese cars).

So if you have Vauxhall please sell, even if you lose money because it'd never be eco-.

Thanks.

Gutted. Mine has started doing the stuttering and stalling. Had my 53 plate 1.6 for nearly a year now. I love this car.

So far has stalled twice after reaching the peak of a hill, and once when I was leaving the motorway. All this has happened over the last 3 weeks. On the motorway I managed to kind of bump it off as I was moving, and at the top of the hill (the same hill on way home from work) it wouldn't start for a minute or two. Not sure what to do now. Might just trade in and cut my losses. Don't want to go down the road of spending hundreds or more, as it seems if I take it to the garage, they won't know the answer to the problem. Temperature of car and oil and water were fine.

Will post back with any developments... or any new info would be much appreciated.

Thanks, Richard.

I posted on here around six months ago due to problems with my Zafira Elegance (2000). We bought it on 15 Feb '08, and by 21 Feb it was in the garage with the engine management light on and misfiring!

They replaced the DIS pack and spark plugs, but a month later it went back - they cleaned the spark plugs as they said they were dirty!!! Another month later it needed a new airflow meter, and three months after this the spanner light kept coming on - it was drinking oil like there was no tomorrow - the garage had it for four weeks over the summer and couldn't find out why it was using so much oil - we did have a valve replaced though.

Got it back early September, and apart from having to top the oil up about every 10 days, it was as good as gold - it even passed its MOT in October with flying colours!!

Then on Christmas Eve, the spanner light came on again - we topped the oil up, but hey presto, driving to parents on Christmas Day the engine management light came on - it went in the garage 29th December and we were told more valves had gone, there was a gasket leak and other major problems with the engine - it would have cost £1500 to repair (on top of the approx £3000 we'd already spent in less than a year) or £1900 for a new engine!

That was it, we parted company there and then - I have to say it's a massive relief in a way and I will NEVER buy another Zafira as long as I live - I've learnt my lesson. I'm now driving our Astra Estate, which we've had three and a half years and has only once let us down. When it comes to replacing it, I think I will (very carefully!) look at a Megane or Xsara Picasso.

I'm a recent Zafira owner, a 52 plate with 70k miles. I am experiencing the spluttering every now and then. Usually when slowing rather than accelerating.

I have no dash lights on, but did take it for the obligatory Vauxhall 30 minute health check. There was a log of an 02 sensor, but the technician said it was an old code. I have just run a bottle of fuel cleaner through it, which seemed to be doing the trick until today when it drove like a complete donkey on the school run.

Sitting here now debating what to do next. I have the RAC card sitting in front of me, but guessing they will advise like a lot of you have mentioned, every sensor ever made for the flaming thing.

Any suggestions.?? Cheers, Shawn.

I have been reading so many of these reviews and today I think I've solved it - not good.

I have a Vauxhall Zafira Club 02 plate 1.6 with 50k on the clock. My engine management light has been going on and off for about 6 months, took it to my local garage who have put it on their machine twice for me free of charge and it shows misfire!

In the last 4 weeks it has got worse, now drives at 10 miles an hour, light still going on and off, cuts out at every give way if it gets to it!

Had a coil pack, EGR valve and new battery done just recently. Grudgingly put it into Vauxhall - cost £65 for diagnostic and they have told me I have sticky valve, it will cost between £800 to £1500 to get it decoked (?) in other words take the head off and clean all valves out, gutted to say the least!

I hope this helps others out there seemingly very common. I've had not one problem in 3 years with this car, thought I'd get more that that out of it for the money I paid. Who has £1500 lying about to fix their car!

Updated post.

Mine started spluttering again today. Kind of kangaroo jumped for 20 minutes driving. Took it to the garage and he plugged it in (by which time it had stop spluttering) and the plug in showed nothing. He thinks it's the cat but he's not sure. Told me to run it till it go's. thankfully he didn't charge me for the plug in (you can get them on ebay for £20 anyway).

So on we go... let's see when it stalls again. Hopefully not on a dangerous junction with my kids three kids in the back and a 50 ton arctic racing towards me.

I love my petrol 2005 Vauxhall Zafira. The design is great, but we have just started to have power loss on motorway with 60k on clock. It's down right dangerous, and Vauxhall need to be answerable for it. Will try the cheapest options suggested on this site, but then will get rid. Any suggestions for a people mover that is as small and well designed?