PROJECT PRAISE
My eyes lit up when I saw the new Insignia project in CM (February 2018 and onwards). I currently have a 2011 2.0 SRI CDTI hatchback in the same colour as your project. This is my second Insignia in 12 months – my first one came to a nasty end two months ago, when a Volkswagen Golf hit it at 50mph from the rear. My current one is on 99,000 miles and runs great. However, not everyone enjoys their car as much as me.
As mentioned in your Editorial, engine seizure is common on the 2.0 CDTI. Many fellow members of the Vauxhall Insignia Owners Group and Vauxhall Insignia Misfits believe this problem is a result of interrupted DPF regenerations. If you turn the engine off mid-regen, it’ll dump excess diesel into the sump and with 20,000 service intervals that diesel could be in the sump for many miles. Over time, this eats away at a small inexpensive seal on the oil pick-up pipe, causing a loss of oil pressure. Some owners get the ‘oil pressure low’ message on the dash on the first cold start of the day, but ignore it as the it clears itself after a few seconds. That is the first sign that the seal is letting go. Unfortunately, the seal is not easy to replace on some vehicles, requiring the gearbox to be split from the block to get access to two sump bolts, whereas in some vehicles you can access the bolts by turning the engine over to reveal two slots in the flywheel. This might be worth covering in your project as it could save the engine (Hopefully,
this will be covered in the next issue – Ed.) Other common faults are leaking EGR coolers – a replacement costs £40 from Vauxhall and takes about 1.5 hours to replace. Glow plugs can also cause issues – some are only a few quid to replace, but some are sensor units and can cost £80 or more each. Discs and pads can cause some confusion – as a rule, manual hatchbacks have the smaller 296 and 292 discs, while automatic hatchbacks and most estates (manual or auto) have the bigger discs and the rears are vented on some models. However, the biggest talking points among members of the owner groups is the dreaded DPF. Knowing how to spot a DPF regeneration is essential: 1000rpm idle speed and a fuel consumption of 0.4 on the instant mpg screen, although you may not notice this at motorway speeds. You might consider fitting an LED to alert you of a DPF regen. Dave Hughes
Glad to see you have a Vauxhall Insignia as your new project car. I own a 2010 model, but in SRI trim and without the ECOFLEX engine. To be honest, there’s not a great difference between the two engines, although you have a final drive ratio of 3.09 whereas my SRI has a ratio of 3.55.
The 18-inch wheels with 245/45 R 18 tyres were standard for the Elite and 19-inch wheels with 245/40 R 19 tyres were an option. I don’t think the stop-start was introduced into the Insignia until 2012. The overfilled sump may have been a way to disguise the fact that the oil pickup pipe seal has failed, increasing the level of the oil above the seal to stop it sucking in air. Parking on a slope may be enough to uncover the seal again and allow air to be pulled into the pump.
The Elite is a lot of car for the money, but the model can be a bit flaky at high mileages. Thankfully mine has not suffered any serious faults, except for needing a MAP sensor and EGR clean about once a year, but then it only has 27,000 miles on it. Ray