Vauxhall Insignia
Part one: Problems galore with our high-mileage auction buy.
Here at CM we’re never afraid of a challenge and rarely reluctant to take on a car with a high mileage. So when editor Knowles spotted a 2011 Vauxhall Insignia Elite Sports Tourer for sale at the Measham branch of British Car Auctions with over double the average mileage, he was keen. (And slightly nervous – Ed). Having followed several other lower-mileage Insignias in the week before Christmas, where the bidding spiralled out of control, we were hoping we were going to be more fortunate.
The Insignia was launched in 2008 as a replacement for the family-sized Vectra. Sales began the following year with a saloon and estate (Sports Tourer) and continue to date. There’s a range of petrol engines, including an 140bhp 1.4-litre turbo, more conventional 1.8- and 2.0-litre fourcylinder units and a 2.8-litre V6. In the diesel range, there are just two turbocharged common rails: a 1.6- and 2.0-litre CDTI. Most Insignias are front-wheel drive, but there is also a four-wheel drive Country Tourer.
The Insignia we were bidding on has the 2.0-litre CDTI 160 ECOFLEX four-cylinder engine. In the days before the auction, we checked the car’s MOT history online and discovered that it had covered almost 65,000 miles ( just over 20,000 miles per year) at its first test in June 2014. Every subsequent MOT saw the recorded mileage increase by around 30,000. It failed its MOT in 2015, due to the headlamp aim being too high, and 2017, due to the offside rear brake pad being less than 1.5mm. Otherwise, advisories concerning tyre wear had been recorded, but seemingly resolved with new tyres.
The supporting documentation from BCA explained that there were two previous owners, two keys and no service data. As we discovered with our Mercedes-benz E320 project, service books are often missing, but dealerships can usually access the records. In the case of our Merc, a telephone call to a local dealership revealed the car had been regularly serviced and, for £16, we could get a replacement service book with all of the stamps.
Take it to the limit
After we’d set a price limit of £2000, bidding on our Insignia began at £1000, rising steadily in £100 increments. When we hit £1800, all other bidders dropped out, so we were £200 below our limit. With fees and VAT added, the total price came to £2070. Just over six years ago, this Insignia would have cost almost £30,000.
With only three days to go before the Christmas break, we needed to assess the Insignia. With Rob Hawkins in Leeds and the car almost 100 miles away in Measham, north east of Birmingham, the quickest solution was to take a train from Leeds to Derby for £32, then a taxi from Derby to BCA at Measham for £35. There were cheaper alternatives but they would have taken much longer.
During the taxi journey from Derby to Measham, we noticed the M1 northbound had been closed due to an overturned vehicle. This resulted in tailbacks on the M1 and five or six miles of queueing traffic on the A42, which led to Measham. An alternative route home via Derby was needed.
Luckily, the Insignia we had purchased is the Elite model, which includes a built-in sat-nav that receives up-to-date traffic information. It also has Vauxhall’s Onstar system that’s described as a personal connectivity and service assistant, with a central call centre that can help find a destination, has the ability to act as a Wi-fi hotspot and, in the event of an accident, alert the emergency services. The Elite version includes a high specification of accessories, such as dual-zone climate control, front and rear parking sensors, electrically-adjustable front heated leather seats, Xenon headlights and electric folding door mirrors. Even the rear tailgate opens and closes electronically.
Upon arriving at BCA Measham, the keys were handed over and the huge car park searched to find the Insignia. Before starting the engine, the engine oil and coolant were checked. The oil had been overfilled as the reading on the dipstick was a little over the maximum level, while the coolant was up to the maximum mark on the side of the expansion tank. There was a sticker on the offside inner wing indicating that a Dayco timing belt had been fitted in June 2017, when the mileage was 153,209. Maybe our Insignia had been regularly serviced after all.
One twist of the ignition key revealed there wasn’t enough power in the battery to turn over the engine. Fortunately, BCA had jump packs at the ready, so it wasn’t long before the engine was running and the Insignia was heading for Leeds.
Heading north along the backroads to Derby to avoid the queues on the A42 and M1, a couple of minor concerns arose. First, there was a low amount of fuel in the tank, which calculated a 65-mile range that soon dropped to below 30. This could mean there was less than a gallon of fuel in the bottom of the tank! Also, the tyre pressures were detected as being low at the rear and imbalanced across the front. So, a fuel station was needed.
There was also a third dilemma: what if the battery hadn’t recharged itself in the short journey and was still flat? Stopping to refuel and check the tyres required the engine to be switched off.
When the range dropped to 25 miles, the Insignia displayed a warning on the dash and offered to provide directions to the nearest fuel station. There was no option but to fill the tank and hope the battery had been sufficiently recharged.
Parking the Insignia strategically at the pump so that it could be pushed out of the way, we put in enough diesel to make it to Leeds and a token was purchased for the tyre inflator. Having crossed all fingers and toes, the engine started again, so we manoeuvred it to have the tyres checked and correctly inflated to 32psi at the front and 35psi at the rear.
Setting off again, all we needed to do was find the A38 and head north to junction 28 of the M1. The Insignia’s sat-nav guided us through the centre of Derby, warning of traffic problems and often recalculating the route to avoid congestion. At times its map would highlight a road that was congested, only to find in reality, it had cleared.
On the A38 out of Derby, the opportunity to drive the Insignia at 70mph finally arose. The results were disappointing. There were lots of induction leaks and a distinct lack of power whether the engine was revved reasonably hard or not. It was feasible to reach 70mph in fourth, fifth or sixth gear, but acceleration was hesitant. At 70mph, the Insignia seemed to run out of steam.
Equally worrying was the handling. The front tyres seemed to wander at times and the car’s cornering ability was far from positive and predictable. Hopefully a good set of tyres, four-wheel alignment and a thorough inspection of the suspension should improve matters.
The final problem to be identified at high speed was a rumbling nearside rear wheel bearing. It created a deafening drone at 50-70mph. Luckily, with roadworks, congestion and traffic calming covering most of the M1 from junction 28 to Leeds, the traffic was flowing at around 45-50mph.
Despite the lack of power, wandering tyres and noisy wheel bearing, the Insignia still seemed like a bargain project car. Such problems are usually relatively easy to fix.
Low oil pressure
However, the next problem to arise wasn’t so straightforward. With less than two miles to go, we were queuing at traffic lights and the low oil pressure warning appeared on the dashboard, instructing us to switch off the engine. With the car facing downhill, the sensible solution was to coast it down and off a side road. However, once the car was moving in second gear and on overrun, the warning disappeared. Maybe there was an issue with the oil pickup pipe and the oil in the sump, which only arose when the car was facing downhill? This happened again at home when it was parked on a section of driveway that faces downhill. Once the car was moved, the warning didn’t appear again.
However, then this seemingly superficial oil pressure problem appeared when the Insignia was parked on level ground. Carefully moving the vehicle forwards and backwards a few metres didn’t clear the warning, so the engine was switched off. Fearing a major oil pressure-related issue, we didn’t want to take the gamble and potentially kill the engine. After speaking with parts supplier Autovaux (our project sponsors), we learned that the 2.0-litre CDTI engine can suffer from failure of a seal for the oil pick-up pipe. Could this be the cause? And had we been lucky in getting the car home?
Autovaux explained that it sells lots of induction pipes for our engine, which can suffer from pinprick-sized holes that lead to induction leaks. Fortunately, the turbo and induction system on
our Insignia appears to be relatively straightforward to access and replace. The turbo is mounted at the front of the engine bay with induction pipework leading to a front-mounted intercooler.
So, our Insignia has been sitting on Rob’s driveway for the Christmas holidays while we assessed the low oil pressure problem. Aside from which, the noisy wheel bearing is not only deafening but, after raising and securing the nearside rear corner and spinning the road wheel, there was also a worrying grinding sound.
Plan of action
After consulting various mechanics, a plan of action was needed to save the Insignia before potential damage could be done to the engine. If we’re lucky, the oil pressure problem could be down to a faulty pressure sensor, so testing the oil pressure with a separate gauge is a good starting point. However, if the pick-up pipe seal that Autovaux described is a common problem, it may be worthwhile renewing it anyway. And if we want to be scrupulous, it may be worth renewing the oil pump. So, we’ll get the Insignia lifted to our local garage next month and make a start on restoring the oil pressure.
In the meantime, we’ve tried to look into the history of our Insignia. First, we contacted our local Vauxhall dealership, Evans Halshaw, to see if the vehicle had any main dealer service history. Unfortunately, the company cannot access the records for all dealerships, but did manage to identify a recall issue. It concerns one of the struts for the rear tailgate, which needs to be replaced. We’ll be booking the car in with them for this work and they’ve also offered to give it a free vehicle health check, which could be interesting!
The mystery of the missing service records led us to Vauxhall’s customer care helpline. Sadly, it couldn’t help. Looking at the V5C, the previous owner lived in the Sheffield area, so we contacted Perrys of Rotherham and Pentagon of Sheffield, but they hadn’t touched the car. All that Perrys could find through Vauxhall’s service records was from 2013, when it received a second service at Slaters of Colwyn Bay in Wales (the first owner lived in north Wales). Apparently our Insignia had a number of minor issues to resolve under warranty, including problems with the electronic tailgate, the tyre pressure monitoring system, the headlights and the heated seats.