Holden Astra Problems

THE car should not roll backwards if the torque converter is working properly, though the ZR engine does need a lot of revs. Take it back to the dealer and get them to check the operation of the automatic, but also try holding the car on the brake -- perhaps with your left foot when you are stopped -- so it has more pulling power when you accelerate on a hill.

Holden has changed the service interval for the cam timing belt to 60,000km. They experienced some failures of the belt and the belt tensioner, which are both replaced at the service. Holden dealers know of the problem and are supposed to contact owners to advise them of the change. I would take the car to your dealer and have them check it out.

Your need for a 1998 or later model for $10,000 makes things difficult. I would recommend you try a Nissan Pulsar N15 which was introduced in 1995 -- it's well built, reliable and has good resale value.

There have been problems with the timing belt breaking on the Astra engine, and the service interval has been cut from 120,000km to 60,000km. And there have been problems with the belt tensioner. Some have lost pressure and failed, and the belts have then broken.

Your Falcon would have tested about 13 litres/ 100km when new. For comparison purposes, the Commodore V6 would return about 11.5 litres/100km, the 3.5-litre V6 Magna about 10.5 and the Camry closer to 13. Clearly, on that basis the Magna is the car for you.

This is not unusual with the Astra which, like all European cars, chews through brakes, both pads and discs, quickly. It seems unusual that both front and rear discs should need replacing at such low kilometres, and at the same time. You'd normally expect the front discs to wear faster than the rears, but I have heard of similar cases with the Astra. You could try taking it up with Holden as a warranty claim, but I think you'd find they consider disc rotors as consumable items not covered by the warranty.

It's not uncommon to have to replace disc rotors on today's cars and your experience with the Astra is well known. European carmakers, remembering that the Astra comes from Europe, tend to use hard pads for increased braking performance, but they wear the disc rotors quite heavily and will eventually need to be replaced. But, before you rush out and buy Holden-supplied discs, check with your local brake service outlet becasue they will have locally sourced rotors that will not only be cheaper, but will also last longer when fitted with softer pads.