Total failure of starter motor after 20000 Kilometres. Almost 1 week delay in obtaining replacement part.
Pinhole leak in radiator at about the same time. Part available in this instance and repaired immediately by dealer.
Ongoing problem with bad rattle from dashboard, which has never been resolved.
Ongoing problem with bad creaking from drivers seat when going over bumps or undulations. This has never been resolved.
Bonnet release fails to work intermittently. Two attempts at repair, but I have now given up on this.
At 550000 Kilometres the rotors and brake pads (both front and rear) need replacing. This repair will cost over $1000.00 as brake wear is considered normal.
This car is nice to drive at highway speeds, being quiet and sure-footed.
At low speeds first gear is almost impossible to engage, unless the car is almost stationary. At these speeds second gear has no torque making the car very unpleasant to drive in "stop-start" traffic.
The car body feels very tight, strong and rigid. This is backed up by good results in European crash testing of this vehicle.
Dealer service is terrible (Melbourne Eastern suburbs). All services were subject to 2-4 week delays. Some of the earlier services were subject to even longer delays and I was coerced not to record any faults if I wanted to get the car serviced in a resonable time. Parts are not readily available. I had to wait a week for the starter motor and brake rotors are continually in short supply.
I have been told that it is normal for the brake system (rotors and pads) to wear out every 50000 Kilometres. This is totally unacceptable.
While I have a 2002 model Astra and do not have anywhere the number of kilometers you have, I too have a niggling doubt on the build quality aspect. Overseas reports specifically the UK don't rate the reliability of these cars as very high. I have had problems with rear brakes -the infamous caliper redesign, and trim noises that should not be present in a new car.
The lack of reporting these problems, especially the brake problem ie don't complain and they won't fix it demonstrates the reluctance by Holden not to admit any quality issues which may affect sales.
Would like to agree about ongoing needed repairs. Have had to replace the brakes twice - 1999 Astra - and was also told this is normal. Never had to do this with my previous cars. Also up for another $1000 plus at present with problems with starter motor and sensors in the electronic component. Not impressed, although still enjoy driving the car itself.
3 Dec 2003.
I've had my 98TS Astra since new and for the most part have had few problems. I did however have what I consider to be premature rear brake pad wear resulting in replacement at around 50'000k at the time I thought it was ur reasonably expensive at a cost of $240.
My car now has been driven 100000k and the bigger problems... or should I say more expensive problems are appearing. My car started to surge badly and apon investigation by Holden I was told the EGR valve is unserviceable and will cost in excess of $700 to replace...yikes
Further to this they (holden) reported that my timing belt and associated pullies need replacing, possibly the water pump as well at a whopping $1200 plus dollars. I must say these parts would eventually need replacing however the cost is prohibitive and has made me evaluate whether I need to keep a car that is so expencive to repair.
I am selling my Astra with regret. Problems. The headlights throw a wide angle of light high above the bonnet and this reflects off rain causing a distracting effect. I have never seen another beam like it. Simply bad design there. Under warranty the harmonic balancer came off and took out the radiator. Still under warranty the engine runs roughly. The fault is intermittent and despite 4 attempts impossible to fix. The brakes and calipers work well, but are soft and wear out after 40-50,000 km. Do not hang a bunch of keys off the ignition lock. This can damage the lock (expensive as we found out). The key transmitter failed (expensive). The alternator now has a noisy bearing ($500 we are told). The WORST feature is the computer control. Only GMH have access to this so there is no effective competition for service. We are told "the computer says XXX has failed" so we have to replace it. It seems as if all they can do is respond to a computer screen. Too bad if the computer can't spot the rough engine after 80,000 km of rough engine driving. The car has just cost about $2000 in the last couple of months despite careful service. At 90,000 km it is a liability. If quality components were used I would keep this car for ever as it is a dream to drive (but a nightmare to maintain).
I am a female who brought the 2001Astra thinking all problems would be detected and and fixed by holden. Think again from day one I had a howling noise from the rear and when brakes were applied they scrapped. This continued until today, I was told this was normal. Then one week after my 45000 service the squealing is impossible to put up with holden say they won't replace the calipers"a name I'm very familiar with now"unless I pay for new brake pads as well. Even though I have been complaining from day one about this problem. I will now offload this car to an uneducated holden buyer as holden take no responsibility for their reputation.
My Wife owns a 2000 Astra City with 73,000 k's and compared to my VW Golf 2001, the Astra is very low interms of reliability... engine noise and steering virations, plus poor quality buit, I wouldn't recomend this motor vehicle re-baged by Holden to anyone!!
I have owned 2 (new) Astra's since early 2001. The first being a 2000 Hatch 1.8L 5 Speed. I loved this car, it performed well, it was quiet, and it was an absolute dream to drive.
At 70,000 kms I traded it in on a 2002 TS Sedan Auto. While the car looked good it wasn't quite the same as the earlier hatch and left me quite disappointed. Rough idling which is still present today, squealing brakes since new, and that ugly black brake dust present on the alloy rims which appears after 2-3 days of driving after cleaning it off.
I stopped taking the vehicle to the Holden dealer network for servicing as I did not find them very responsive with my concerns and also because the vehicle ran out of coolant 1 month after a service. This was due to evaporation as there are no leaks present, filling the coolant reservoir myself has contained the problem. It seems a bit strange that if the fluid levels were checked only a month prior, the rate of evaporation must be phenomenal.
Overall I like the Astra, but due to resale value and other experiences I would certainly be looking at a Japanese alternative in the future.
Up until today I have been very pleased with my 2001 Holden Astra.
I bought the vehicle secondhand from a friend 12 months ago. It had only done 55,000kms.
I know my friend had problems with a burnt out starter motor six months before I bought the car, but had it and the ignition switch replaced.
Well guess what - 18 months later I too have a burnt out starter motor. There was absolutely no way of knowing there was a problem until I got out the car and smelt burning electrics. The next day the car could not be started.
An hour ago my car was towed away.
What I want to know is how am I going to avoid this happening again?
I have just returned from 2500 kms trip and was amazed at the consumption; I was getting 6 litres to the 100kms and I wasn't going slowly.
I had to have the rear brake replaced at 60,000 kms - that surprised me. The guy who fixed the car said it was normal with these cars manufactured in Belgium.
I am now asking myself, after seeing many negative blogs about the Astra - can I afford to keep it? And as a journalist can I keep my mouth shut about it - I don't think so.
I to bought a 2002 Astra CD sedan, after being a Toyota driver for 10 years. Am I disappointed, with the drive and road holding, no. With the reliability and cost to repair, yes. I've had rear brake calliper problems, rear electric window winder problems, a rattle in the dash that I can't trace, and other small, but niggly problems that just take the shine off an otherwise lovely car (Try smoke coming out the engine bay in heavy traffic because the oil filler cap came loose). To those that have rear brake problems, I offer this advice, don't use the dealer. Ask around your local brake calliper repair shops, I had both rear callipers serviced in a day at a fraction of the cost the dealer was going to charge. And the locals comments, "We do this all the time for the dealer down the road". So Holden do know about it, they are just not willing to fix the problem. I do all the serving myself as I refuse to pay the excessive service cost of the dealer for sub-standard workmanship. Will I keep this car? Probably not when the lease is up. What will I replace it with; I'll definitely be looking through at my previous car's dealer showroom. Enough said!
I own a 2001 Astra CD. I experienced no problems until the car had done 73000 klms when the brake pads needed to be replaced. On replacing them myself as the dealers cost was far to high for something that I was familair in doing I was then shocked to find the disks were all in need of replacement due to what I would regard as excessive wear in relation to klms and other vehicles I have owned. Handling and performance I was very pleased with along with the cars general build quality. But at 91000 klms further expensive troubles rared their ugly heads, after driving from my home on the far south coast to the outskirts of Sydney I suddenly found as I went to take off from the lights the car had absoulutely no power and "could have been dragged off by a bicycle", the "spanner" light and the traction control light had come on. I then pulled over to the kerb and turned of the engine. After a short time I restated the engine and everything appeared to have returned to normal. This happened a number of times on the way home so I took it to the dealer where I had bought it, they had it for a day cleared the codes, charged $43 and said it was right now. I only travelled a further 30klms before the same thing happened again. Fed up I took the car to another dealer who first came to the same conclusion as the first for the same costs. It then broke down again after a similair number of klms. On further inspection the second dealer discovered the the crankshaft and camshaft sensors had developed an intermittent fault and needed to be replaced at a cost of approximately $600. The transmission module had also developed faults and would also have to be replace at a cost of $1072,What about labour whew???!!! What's going to breakdown next, the car has to go!!!
My 2000 Astra CD has approximately 70,000 kms on it and I am experiencing problems at the moment with the battery not holding the charge. I have to jump start it and sometimes after the jump it will continue fine for a week or 2 or sometimes only a couple of days, think it may be early signs that the alternator is on it's way. Apart from that she's a good reliable car... so far. I am a bit scared now after reading about the brake pads etc going at around 75,000kms - oh well, just another bump in the road!!
I have a 2000 Astra CD and recently have been experiencing a few problems. I bought the car last February with 62000kms and it had a new starter motor installed by the previous owner. It now has 74000kms. Last week I needed to replace my timing belt, tensioner kit, water pump and front brake pads all at a price of $1200. the battery now seems to be not working all the time and has VERY low charge when starting! this car is starting to cost me quite a bit of money, but the car itself, apart from an unidentifiable chime from holden, when going over over bumps runs really well. Shame about the ongoing problems after 70000kms.
I bought my Astra CD hatch (new) in 2001. It has been a very good car, however some of the problems affecting other owners have also affected me.
At 30,000km, the Holden service center advised me it would be a 'major' service. After they assessed the vehicle, they told me the total cost of the service was going to be approx $1300.00. They claimed the discs had worn out and the brake pads needed replacing ($600 discs, $350 pads, the rest was routine servicing) they also claimed this was due to my driving.
I explained I had owned previous vehicles (Japanese and Swedish) and none of these vehicles had encountered this problem. I refused to pay the costs and demanded to speak the General Manager of the dealership. In short they replaced the discs for free and I went to my (now) local mechanic who purchased and installed pads for $65.00!! He also advised me this would stop the brake dust (which it did).
The servicing at Holden is rubbish, since taking my car to my local mechanic it runs perfectly and costs far less to service - approx $200.00 each time. I am having a 90,000km service this Friday.
I recommend trying alternative servicing centers as Holden will replace parts which wear prematurely with the same quality of parts. This means you will have the same problem in the near future. Holden claim you should always use Holden parts, but why would you pay 3 times the price for a 'genuine' Holden part which wears out twice as fast!
I also have a window which rattles, caused when the windows were tinted by dealer at time of purchase. 2 dealers failed to fix the problem (in the early days) and I have given up on it. Otherwise I love this car, it rides and handles beautifully.
I to have a Holden Astra Hatchback 1997. Now getting up to 90.000km on the clock. I have had to change the brakes pads etc a few times now, the water pump exploded about 70.000 kms and the holden dealer never mentioned the recall regarding cambelts, but we had that done at the same time. Huge bill. Also today I got told the ERG system is stuffed so that is going to be a biggie.
I chose a 2nd hand 2002 TS astra City hatch over a Mitsu Lancer with full bodykits. This is solely because the astra has a more powerful engine, 2 airbags and 4 disc brakes. I've driven it for nearly 2 years now, and it has done about 60,000 kms. After installing my subwoofer, some rattling began in the door trims. After dismantling it myself, I found that there is a piece of black hard styrofoam mounted right behind the trim. Probably for noise reduction. However, after removing them (left n right door), all rattling from the door trim ended.
Now the only noise I'm left with, is the annoying squeak from under the driver's seat. Another thing is what i'd like to regard as the 'disease' on the top portion of the headlights. It's a whitish flake that plagues the outer surface of the lights. The plague on my right headlight has spread downwards into the middle portion of the light, spreading the light-beam higher. I've been pulled over once by a cop for that. I guess I'm gonna get a new set of headlights and a racing bucket seat. Other than that, i'd give thumbs up to OPEL (not Holden) for creating a car that safe, drives and feels like a BMW, but only hurts your pocket by one third.