WHO THINKS IT'S TIME FOR ACTION?

14127 Views 74 Replies 24 Participants Last post by paulfs68, Sep 3, 2015

wilma08

Discussion Starter · Oct 25, 2013

2

With all the complaining about the DPF and some othier niggles regarding the Antara do you not think it is time for action as you feel that Vauxhall Customer Care and the garages are not fit for the purpose in fixing your problems.

Then why not collate how many people have problems with the DPF system and how often it is happening and contact Watchdog giving the Antara Owners Club Forum giving a section with all the details in regards to Vauxhall customer care and the garages with your problems and concerns to what is happening showing how big a problem it is and also giving details of people that have corrected the problem due to getting a new sensor fitted (showing that vauxhall are not listening and the garages are not interested ). As for mannp he could give a list of his problems informing watchdog that vauxhall just do not care even with a lifetime warranty,.
The club could also let them no that some people are looking at throwing in the towel as they say and getting ride of their car, I am sure that watchdog would listen with the club having quite a lot of members and that it is not just a one off problem

Well what do you members with the DPF problems think

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Off Road Doc

· #2 · Oct 25, 2013

I dont think there is any real complaint about the DPF to be honest. If you were to contact every single person that owned an Antara I think you would find that the majority would be working as it was designed to do. You can trawl through different manufactures forums and you will find the same complaints about the DPF systems used in their cars.
Iam not saying there are not any problems, Mannp for example clearly has something wrong. However, where the real complaint lays on the basis of what people have said as I dont have any experience with, is with Vauxhall itself and their ever failing in dealing with customers. In Mannps case what would Vauxhall lose by replacing the pressure sensor to see if it eradicates the problem or give him a lone of another Antara for a few days so he can compare. This for me is were the problem is and most deffinately needs sorting if they want to hold on to customers.

TheCoosTail

· #3 · Oct 25, 2013

Count me out. Don't think it has an issue as such and that it's doing what it is meant to do. Is it worse than other manufacturers? I doubt it. Does it work differently? Probably. Can I live with it? Yes. Good luck though.

♠ChumBucket♠

· #4 · Oct 25, 2013

There are many problems here- One is VX retailing a vehicle that is engineered & designed for one purpose then basically saying that it has to be driven for a different one because of the DPF- the car is fitted with a "city driving" start/stop system, hill descent feature, four wheel drive etc etc- a contradiction in itself!! The official MPG figures I know are industry standard & meant for comparison or a guide BUT the DPF makes them impossible to even get near & the more often the car regens the worse the figures become. Does the car have DTRLs or an "auto" feature? No one seems to know.

People are obviously having problems with the DPF. No doubt a proportion of these will be down to lack of knowledge/information but I also believe many are not from what I've read. Mine regens every 500 miles regardless of how or where it's been driven & I view this as the absolute minimum amount of miles that should be deemed "acceptable"! That's one full regeneration per tank of fuel, give or take a few miles. Anything less than this & the car becomes not fit for purpose in my honest opinion.

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Dave47

· #5 · Oct 25, 2013

I also agree, with the above and to be honest after almost 18 months of ownership I do not have a problem with the dpf system. Yes I have had the dreaded light on once, but of my own making in that I spent a couple of weeks doing very short runs a good blast down the motorway cleared it. I also do not have a problem with my dealer as they have bent over backwards to sort out minor niggles and my spare wheel issue. Where I do agree is that vx's customer service is terrible and they should also be more honest with the mpg figures, but then from past experience so are many other manufactures, the only exception I have ever found is Lexus who are outstanding but the 4x4 is a tad more expensive than the Antara.

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wilma08

Discussion Starter · #6 · Oct 25, 2013

I to do not have any problems with the DPF I don't even know when it doing a regeneration only once after that I have never noticed and by all means I am not one of those dippy people my car has done 6015 miles since new on 9 May 2013 .
I think with the amount of people who are complaining about the car then something should be done, what do you moderators think? Especially help for ManNp who seems to have a real problem, so perhaps we could help a fellow member, if I am spelling things wrong sorry had an eye operation and I am like a pirate lol argh argh .

♠ChumBucket♠

· #7 · Oct 25, 2013

I would certainly offer my support to any action/petition that anyone here drew up!

VX could be proved wrong & incompetent on the DPF issues via this forum alone!!

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Inchindown

· #8 · Oct 25, 2013

I really feel for the people who are having problems with their DPFs, regardless of the reason. As I have never had any problems with mine it's hard to imagine how frustrating it must be when your dealer and VX wont accept there is any problem.
I had a regen this morning, bang on schedule, andthe distancesince the last one was 525 miles. Took about 15 miles to clear and had very little effect on my average MPG.

My VX dealer has always given me excellent service and I've had several VX cars from them over the last 18 years or so. Not really had much contact with VX customer service, so that's never been an issue with me.

I do like to keep a record of when I get regens, just in case I do get some DPF problems. At least then I can show them I've always been getting more than 500 miles between regens.

So good luck with the watchdog thing, but I fear there will not be a coherent enough case for them to take on.

wilma08

Discussion Starter · #9 · Oct 25, 2013

Do you think its a waste of my time then inch ?

Dave47

· #10 · Oct 25, 2013

Inchindown said:
So good luck with the watchdog thing, but I fear there will not be a coherent enough case for them to take on.

Perhaps the dpf case for the Antara may be difficult to substantiate, but if as other people are saying this is a common problem on all modern diesels then may be an appeal to other groups could produce enough of a groundswell to make the powers that be take notice.
It's a similar situation with spare wheels, most modern cars do not have them, it saves money, saves space but more importantly saves weight and gives better mpg.

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JR123

· #11 · Oct 25, 2013

I have never had the DPF light come on the dash, but I do know when a regen is taking place without looking at the mpg display. My car gets quite rough, a little loss of power and find changing from 1st to 2nd can be a bit jerky.

Should the cars be getting so hot when the regen takes place, has this caused issues responsible for recent fires mentioned on here? No one mentioned to me when I bought it that regens could result in intermediate oil changes being required, is this acceptable? The mpg figures (like most manufacturers) are a joke as they are done over a couple of miles in test conditions and not the real world - I always deduct 15 to 20% when looking at them. The DLRs simply don't exist as far as I am concerned, but VX will say they do and that they don't need to be nice modern LEDs. Would agree on VX customer service, my experience has been they blame dealerships as they sold you the car and to take up all issues with them, simply not good enough!

having owned a Leon FR which had DPF issues I can certainly sympathise with those having issues. I ended up selling that car after 18mths as it lived in the garage. That car was sound but kept suffering from faulty sensors.

Everyone I know who has had DPF issues regardless of make, have always had them resolved by getting sensor changed, this for me should be the starting point for VX and anyone who can demonstrate an issue should have the changed with out any questions being asked as they are not expensive.

I think watchdog is a good suggestion but whether it will get anywhere with them previously being made to look silly by Fiat (I think) I am not sure. It can't do any harm.

Do VX care about the issue, probably due to reputation etc. Are they willing to fix the issue, probably not as a recall and re-design fix will be very costly for them. Also, the lifetime warranty ends when the cars are sold so probably banking on plenty of work for dealerships to sort the problems in the long run.Edited by: JR123

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Inchindown

· #12 · Oct 25, 2013

wilma08 said:
Do you think its a waste of my time then inch ?

I wouldn't go as far as to saythat Wilma. It's just that, going by the various problems I've seen reported here, there just doesn't seem to be a consistent set of problems. That is certainly the case with the DPF.

I think at the least you would need isto get one, or more,cars formally examined by a qualified independent motor engineer to see if they can identify any specific problem with the DPF system. For many of us on here, the DPF is working as it should. Unless you can show that some people are having real problems, rather than just not understanding what the DPF is and what it does, then all you have is a bunch of people having a moan about their cars.

Whether you could put together a caseabout the bad customer service is something that would depend on getting documented cases from individuals which contained all the details of the experiences people have with VX.

It certainly might be useful to write to Watchdog with an outline of the problems. They might then provide guidance on what they would need to take the case on. I've never contacted Watchdog, so I have no idea how they select subjects to take further.

Writing to them certainly couldn't do any harm.

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wilma08

Discussion Starter · #13 · Oct 25, 2013

Inchindown said:
wilma08 said:

Do you think its a waste of my time then inch ?

Click to expand...

I wouldn't go as far as to say that Wilma. It's just that, going by the various problems I've seen reported here, there just doesn't seem to be a consistent set of problems. That is certainly the case with the DPF.

I think at the least you would need is to get one, or more, cars formally examined by a qualified independent motor engineer to see if they can identify any specific problem with the DPF system. For many of us on here, the DPF is working as it should. Unless you can show that some people are having real problems, rather than just not understanding what the DPF is and what it does, then all you have is a bunch of people having a moan about their cars.

Whether you could put together a case about the bad customer service is something that would depend on getting documented cases from individuals which contained all the details of the experiences people have with VX.

It certainly might be useful to write to Watchdog with an outline of the problems. They might then provide guidance on what they would need to take the case on. I've never contacted Watchdog, so I have no idea how they select subjects to take further.

Writing to them certainly couldn't do any harm.

Well I could do that , I just feel that so meany seem to moan and not do anything about it , Mannp seems to be the only one the car is a good car and like any other car it has its problems, I understand about the expense of diesel but big cars take a lot of money to run no matter what one it is, and I understand if there is a problem with the DPF and costing more diesel, but if you look at forums with diesel they all seem to have the same issue.
The issue is customer care and like there garages they just don't know their product enough to understand when issue arise.

Off Road Doc

· #14 · Oct 25, 2013

I know where you are coming from Wilma, too many people like to moan and do nothing about it. Its like they say once the horse has bolted its too late to shut the door !!......Meaning if some people ( not the one or two with genuine problems) had did a little more research into the Antara or any other modern diesel with DPF , before they bought it,then we wouldnt have so many moans about it....As with most forums, most people only look to them if there is something wrong with their car.
As I said on my previous post, the complaints, if any is with VX customer services and aftersales care. I have had no experience with them as I have had no problems other than a few squeaks. But if there is a trend or a genuine lack of help from VX then yes this needs sorting and highlighting. If anything aftersales is more important than sales as you would want people to keep coming back. Another issue is the training of so called mechanics and technicians, why is there such a variation in their description and knowledge of how the DPF works?.Is this VX or is the training down to individual dealers or franchises?....If the latter then why are they not investing in training?...The trouble with collating information is trying to differenciate between genuine problems and experiences and those that just like to moan !!

Edited by: Off Road Doc

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piddy

· #15 · Oct 25, 2013

To say all cars are the same is a bit misleading.
I pawned my Antara for a newMondeo 2litre TDCI Titanium X Estate for my wife.This vehiclehas now covered 4,000+ miles and we haven't got a clue as to whether the DPF has regenerated or not..I think it must have but it doesn't let you know when it does

I bought a 3 litre Touareg for myself and that has now done 2,500 miles and again I haven't got a clue if it has done a regen or not.

As for tackling Vauxhall, forget it, you are wasting your time.

Although I have posted on here about " some " of my encounters with VX, I haven't posted everything that went on as most people would not believe me.

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mannp

· #16 · Oct 25, 2013

Wilma and other members, many thanks for the support.Yes I do have an issue with the DPF and I was planning to remove it, but after joining this forum i decided not to after taking advise from other forummembers. I have tried the nice quiet approach with the dealership and VCC and i have also tried the screaming and angry approach with dealership and VCC and neither have worked so far. I will continue contacting VCC to try resolve the problem as long as iown the car.
I do wish i did a bit more research on the car before i purchased it but its to late for that now.
I have just took the car back from the dealership after 2 days of them seemingly checking the DPF system and as you are all aware the dealership reported that nothing was wrong with the system. I was hoping for once that the DPF light would start flashing fairly quickly after leaving the dealership but that hasn't happened as yet.

On the question of contacting Watchdog, yes we could but i believe that we need to find out how many Antaras have the problem (if any apart from me) but until then i will go and refit my RaceChip and enjoy my Antara the best i can.

I will be writing to VCC tonight and try take the problem further up the chain of command at VCC.

For Wilma's sake i need to be positive so,
I had a towbar fitted and its tows my wee trailer with no problem at all, i am also looking for a set of side steps so if anyone out there has a set to sell them i'm yer man.
Again many thanks for the support.
Phil..

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JR123

· #17 · Oct 25, 2013

Fingers crossed they have fixed it and just said there was nothing wrong to save face.

I got my side steps off ebay, had to alter the brackets slightly to get the fit how I wanted them to look but nothing major and I managed to fit them with out any ramps / jacks on the drive. To demonstrate how easy fitting was, I did it with a slipped disk in my back, which I have just had surgery to correct.

So far nearly 6 months no rust or tarnishing, but can't comment further until after the winter. They also provide excellent protection from the careless idiots in car parks who go around whacking peoples doors

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antara184

· #18 · Oct 26, 2013

I had a re-gen today, the first one I have noticed in 9900 miles. It may have had more, I haven't noticed. What I did notice was the terrible mpg and the car just lost most of its power, not good going onto the A1 from the slip road. It went on for miles and miles, in the end, and having nearly used up the £30 of diesel I had just put in it, I pulled into a lay by and switched it off, restarted and it didn't do it for the rest of the day.

My main gripe is with the utter blatant lies that vauxhall seem to get away with. One example...

Page 13 of the downloaded brochure (100% zoom)

(Sensing features. The Antara driver
environment is packed with clever ideas
helping you concentrate on the road
ahead. On SE Nav activate the rain-sensitive
wipers and they'll switch on
automatically when it rains. Automatic
lighting control does the same for the
headlights when it starts to get dark.)

No, they are on all the time as soon as you start the engine. That isn't the lights coming on automatically when it gets dark as Vauxhall imply. That statement above is fact that Vauxhall are full of

and no-one seems to care, trading standards certainly couldn't care less.

I also have no DRL's no matter what Vauxhall say, all I have is two 'on' switches, the only difference is one makes the dash lights come on when it gets dark, the other they are on all the time too.

The other gripe, or annoyance is the aftercare or as Vauxhall call it, 'customer service' Err where is it? Did it ever exist? I've never found it. All cars have problems, I accept that even new cars break down but it is the way in which that problem is dealt with which makes all the difference. Again, Vauxhall couldn't care less. They treat us with utter contempt and think we're all stupid and beneath them.

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Inchindown

· #19 · Oct 26, 2013

antara184 said:
I had a re-gen today, the first one I have noticed in 9900 miles. It may have had more, I haven't noticed. What I did notice was the terrible mpg and the car just lost most of its power, not good going onto the A1 from the slip road. It went on for miles and miles, in the end, and having nearly used up the £30 of diesel I had just put in it, I pulled into a lay by and switched it off, restarted and it didn't do it for the rest of the day.

My main gripe is with the utter blatant lies that vauxhall seem to get away with. One example...

Page 13 of the downloaded brochure (100% zoom)

(Sensing features. The Antara driver
environment is packed with clever ideas
helping you concentrate on the road
ahead. On SE Nav activate the rain-sensitive
wipers and they'll switch on
automatically when it rains. Automatic
lighting control does the same for the
headlights when it starts to get dark.)

No, they are on all the time as soon as you start the engine. That isn't the lights coming on automatically when it gets dark as Vauxhall imply. That statement above is fact that Vauxhall are full of

and no-one seems to care, trading standards certainly couldn't care less.

I also have no DRL's no matter what Vauxhall say, all I have is two 'on' switches, the only difference is one makes the dash lights come on when it gets dark, the other they are on all the time too.

The other gripe, or annoyance is the aftercare or as Vauxhall call it, 'customer service' Err where is it? Did it ever exist? I've never found it. All cars have problems, I accept that even new cars break down but it is the way in which that problem is dealt with which makes all the difference. Again, Vauxhall couldn't care less. They treat us with utter contempt and think we're all stupid and beneath them.

I've had 12 regens since the car was new and I have never had any loss of power. The reduced MPG during a regen is only temporary and goes back to normal pretty quickly. My regens have taken between 12 and 20 minutes at the the most.

Any loss of power like you describe is not down to the DPF in normal use. There are many reasons quoted in the manual for the car going into limp mode when there is a problem, So not sure if your loss of power is a sign of some other problem.

I have to say I find all the kerfuffle about DRLs a little amusing. I have no problem with how the headlights work. They work exactly the way my previous Volvo XC70 worked, so to me they are normal. It's also worth remembering the Antara is not required to have DRLs fittedat all, as it was type approved before the DRL rules came in.

Edited by: Inchindown

antara184

· #20 · Oct 27, 2013

It definitely lost power when it went into re-gen mode and it wasn't limp home mode either. The engine also felt and sounded awful and at the same time the car was doing 9.9mpg for nearly fifty miles at 70mph! £30 worth of diesel just like that, all to save the environment!! How can anyone with common sense think that is in any way a good thing? Except the fuel companies and the treasury! Anyhow, I couldn't care less about DRL's BUT...I was told the car had them, so where are they? I had a Volvo and as you the headlights were on all the time, no where was there an auto position on that light switch, a '0' and an 'on' but the 'on' was so the dash lights came on and the main beam switch stayed in the on position when selected. I also know the Antara doesn't have to have them.

I was never informed that the Volvo had auto lights that came on when it got dark, Vauxhall did (See above post) Volvo never told me the car had something when it didn't. Volvo always made me a coffee when ever I walked in. Volvo always made me feel like I was a valued customer even if they hated me, Vauxhall seem to think of customers as an annoyance. But my main gripes are the lies I was told, "Yes sir the Antara has DRL's" "yes sir the Antara has lights that come on automatically when it gets dark" "Yes sir the mirrors fold in when you lock the car"

I want someone to take Vauxhall to task over the blatant lies.

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