Re Vectras, need your advice

[Kitto]

My mum needs a car and she kinda likes this vectra JS CD 11 v6 2.5 litre. The price is ok but when I looked at an online review site a load of people had really panned them. Can you please shed some light on their reliability or pro's and cons for me? Thank you :)

[IgottaLS1]

My mum needs a car and she kinda likes this vectra JS CD 11 v6 2.5 litre. The price is ok but when I looked at an online review site a load of people had really panned them. Can you please shed some light on their reliability or pro's and cons for me? Thank you :)

I had a JS Series 2 CD. Are you sure its a Series 2, they had a 2.6L V6, Series 1 had the 2.5L. The Series 1 had a number of problems, but these were all sorted by the Series 2.

Mine was a very nice car, the CD model was like a mid-size Calais - it had all the goodies. The 2.6L was a very good engine, had a decent note and plenty of go. Drove from Sydney to Adelaide and Brisbane a few times and it was very comfortable on the long trip.

The only problem I had with mine was a leaking power steering pump at 30,000km which was fixed under warranty. Hardly rates a mention after the things my SS has been back for...!

To sum it up, if I had to give up the SS for some reason, I'd go back to one for sure.

[Kitto]

Ta, not too sure about that now, the guy is selling at as a js cd 2 with a 2.5..... It's a 99 model if that helps..?

[IgottaLS1]

Just looked it up. 2.6L came out in late 2000, series 2 started in 1999 - sorry for the dud steer.

[Fnomna]

We're also looking at getting one of these - probably a JSII CD hatch auto.
Some sites say they're a bit unreliable. Is this mainly just the earlier models?

And also say Holden changed the timing belt change period from 120,000km to 60,000km without telling people. Anyone got an owners manual and can see what theirs says?

[Carby]

Wouldn't touch them - expensive and difficult to work on. Both the 2.5 litre V6 and the 2.2 litre 4 had problems with belts - they are very narrow and prone to breaking with the resultant valve/head damage to follow.

Very Nice car to drive - but bit of a time bomb. As an alternative and also quite classy - a SAAB 9-3 - great safety and reliable 4 cylinder.

[Toddler78]

my mum has one as it goes fine NOW but before......

apartently they are prone to going though crank angle sensors, more so then the VL were. MY mum had about 3 go in a 6 month period, she would be driving along and as soon as she took her foot off the throttle it engine would stall didnt matter if she was traveling at 10km or 80km. still a bit dangerous. There were other electrical gremlins causing the issue as well in the end Holden head office got involved and gave my mum a hire car for the entire time it was in the workshop geting fixed which was just short of 2 months. so obviously holden knew there are an issue with them

apart from that nice car to drive

[blackbettyhsv]

My mum needs a car and she kinda likes this vectra JS CD 11 v6 2.5 litre. The price is ok but when I looked at an online review site a load of people had really panned them. Can you please shed some light on their reliability or pro's and cons for me? Thank you :)

hey dude I got my wife a 2003 ZC vectra cdxi 3.2litre manual see picture, weve had it 1 1/2 years now, the only problem we had was the cig lighter was stuck in, got fixed under warranty. the best part with it is the seat warmers, should be standard in all cars, we dont use the heater much. sunroof, 17 inch wheels, leather seats,{better leather than my R8} dual zone climate, airbags, abs all standard, and the list goes on. 145 kws, the V6's only had the timing belt replacment time changed back to 120,000 so I found out when 60,000 service was done. we get a lot of looks with this car some people mistake it for a statesman. I have a 4 page write up on this model if you want to read up on it just send me a pm. it does'nt have the performance & aggression of my R8, but it does beat it for luxurys & quality. the other issue I have,[and I will get bagged for this again] is when the VE ute comes out I have to sell the vectra or my R8. the more I think about sitting in a nice black ute with 20 inch wheels lowered with big exhaust, I think the vectra will be staying in the stable. one more thing the vectra are not the only car running around with timing belt issues, some people seem to pick on them it seems, anyway hope this is of some help you.http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p98/blackbettyhsv/black007.jpg

[Kitto]

Thanks for the help, I will go and look at this car anyway and keep my eyes open for any other good ones that pop up, I'm not in a rush to buy just yet.

[Fnomna]

Interesting feedback there blackbettyhsv.
(And nice manual 'photoshopping' there BTW! :rofl: )

[planetdavo]

Most peoples complaints relate to the 4 cyl, re sensor failures, less so the V6's. Timing belt issues are more an Astra complaint than an Vectra complaint.
Main thing I can input is that the V6 models, like almost every other front wheel drive V6, have the motor packed in so tightly that labour usually adds up a fair bit to work under the bonnet.

[SLE355]

ZC's are ok but i wouldnt touch a JS Vectra personally.

[nickb1969]

Ive had four UK spec Vectras-1.8Ls,2.0 Gls,2.6 Sri,3.2 Gsi.All were very reliable apart from the four cylinder models(MAF sensor decided to give in at around 50,000 miles £190.00)both V6 engines totally reliable,but a bit thirsty.Last one covered 98,000 miles.No cam belt problems,just suspension bushes needing replacement.If the monaro was'nt sitting on my drveway I would have another.

[German Statesman]

Wouldn't touch them - expensive and difficult to work on. Both the 2.5 litre V6 and the 2.2 litre 4 had problems with belts - they are very narrow and prone to breaking with the resultant valve/head damage to follow.

Very Nice car to drive - but bit of a time bomb. As an alternative and also quite classy - a SAAB 9-3 - great safety and reliable 4 cylinder.


The cambelt service was changed to 60k & is a $1300 job in the ZCs - forget what it is in the earlier ones but changing the idlers is also a must. Check the service history (a must) and bear in mind its now an 8 year old car so age will start to play a part in its reliability.

As for Saabs - friends don't let friends buy chunks of poo.

[GPT]

I,ve found JS Series to be a bit of a lottery.It seems 50% of these are good,and the other 50% duds.

Problem is you don't really know which one your buying.

[lowriding]

The cambelt service was changed to 60k & is a $1300 job in the ZCs - forget what it is in the earlier ones but changing the idlers is also a must. Check the service history (a must) and bear in mind its now an 8 year old car so age will start to play a part in its reliability.

As for Saabs - friends don't let friends buy chunks of poo.

cambelt is 120k in ZC V6 . The 4cyl ZC are chain i think.

[German Statesman]

cambelt is 120k in ZC V6 . The 4cyl ZC are chain i think.

Unless there was a change mid-model run, I think you're mistaken. All V6 ZCs were cambelt change @ 60k up until Jan '06 when I left the dealer group...

[Fnomna]

This is where I saw the belt issue mentioned. Not sure if it's just JS or includes some ZC too?
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20988480-643,00.html


"There was a change in owner's manuals to conduct timing belt changes at 60,000km as well as 120,000km but again, owners should follow instructions of their specific handbook.

"There have not been any issues with regards to this change. As mentioned, we can look into your reader's specific issue if he can provide his rego.

[German Statesman]

This is where I saw the belt issue mentioned. Not sure if it's just JS or includes some ZC too?
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20988480-643,00.html

Yes, i remember the article and the stink it created - it relates to the decision by Holden to move the cambelt change on the V6 engines forward to 60k from 120k as they were experiencing belt failure with catastrophic results under 100kms (warranty work). The belt became a change at 60km then every 60 afterwards (60, 120, 180, etc).

This is the one downfall with this model - to do the belt change properley, the idler pulleys also have to be changed and I believe it comes as a complete kit now - the service was $1300 if I remember rightly, close to when the tyres and brakes needed replacing too making for a gigantic bill if they all co-incided. :smilesandbanana::bawl::soap:

[SLE355]

$1300 is nothing compared to R+R heads to replace bent valves!

[Fnomna]

Hi all. Well we've added another Holden to the stable.
We saw a silver JSII V6 hatch and thought it was pretty good and bought it. Only thing is it didn't come with the owners manual. Just a quick question - how does the cruise control work. In the short time I've driven it (will mostly be the missus' car) I could see the R and S buttons but didn't seem to do anything.

Do you have to be above a certain speed too? I know in my VT it's 40km/h+.

Anyone know where I can get an owner's manual? Cheers.

[XmFoRdFaLcOn]

We have a JS Series II CD 2.5L Auto Hatch and its a very nice car to drive. Parts are ridiculously expensive, theyre a very difficult car to work on and most parts have to be imported ( been there and done that ) Our timing belt snapped 2 weeks after my gf bought it at 90,000k's, causing massive damage. Took Holden 8 weeks to order parts and work out how to attack it. The manager ( a fairly good mate of my old mans ) admitted to us that his mechanics were "unsure" of how to put it back together. Other than that it needed work done in the rear suspension ( any vectra/astra with over 100,000k's will need this done )

If you ever need a waterpump done ( very common ) it will set you back around 2k for holden to do it. Its an engine out job and they have both a mechanical pump and electric.

Overall a nice car but so expensive to repair.

[Berlina5.7]

They are a surprisingly reliable car, but can cost a fortune to fix.(eg; clutches require dropping the subframe to get the transaxleout, much labour time) Front brakes last about 30,000k's(rears a bit longer) and usually requires discs and pads, but they do pull up very well. V6's tend to suffer from leaking heat exchangers, which looks like iced coffee in ur coolant bottle. But keep em serviced right and cambelts changed every 60,000. Manuals are the hot tip, they go like a shower of shh..! Good luck with it..