Vauxhall Zafira Owner Reviews: MPG, Problems & Reliability

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Bad wind noise on motorway, clunky gear change. Eats tyres for a pastime. Very poor fuel economy. Rear wash has packed up for no reason.

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No Red thumbs down

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This is the worst car I have ever owned. Bought second hand at what I thought was a bargain price of £1600 with about 130,000 on the clock - I've owned a few diesels over the years so didn't think this was particularly high mileage for a diesel. Well I was very, very wrong. The car looked great in black and during the test drive I was impressed with the acceleration and driving position. However, from the start it never started properly - always took a couple of goes, I think this was a fuel pump problem. Sometimes the central locking worked, sometimes not. I'd had it a week and the EGR valve was clogged up - hundreds of pounds to sort, then it was the exhaust/ brakes/ flywheel / clutch .. every month something else. Very poor car, maybe OK for the first few miles but then an absolute disaster. Have poured money into it - well the starter motor / crank sensor, some other sensor has gone now - was rescued the other day and towed to garage. Its not coming back. Good Riddance!

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No Red thumbs down

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Be wary of buying a high-mileage example - mine was a disaster. I bought it with 120k on clock. Diesel engine, says I, it will surely be ok up to 300k. How wrong was I? The turbo, EGR, DPF were all clogged, the sump was clogged not to mind anything else. It was repaired at extreme cost by a highly qualified mechanic, but to his and my horror the same thing is wrong with it 9 weeks later, even after the oil had been changed at 1000 and 2000 after turbo etc was replaced. 3000 later and its gone again, and is also vibrating like mad at 70mph. I've been advised that this is probably pressure plate in the flywheel, so another massive repair bill. It's going to a new home now because I cant justify the excessive repair bills. This is the only car I've had in 34 years that has cost me this amount to repair. It was definitely not worth the hassle or expense.

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No Red thumbs down

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Bought this car has previous Zafira for7 years no major problems. Noted that boot space is limited when all 7 seats are up but didn't use 7 seats so had large boot. Used car for carrying numerous items, even a cement mixer. Would recommend.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Absolutely shocking had the car 18 months did 10,000 in it since owning it had mot service and 2 recalls 1month after second recal car broke down and needs a new engine at a cost of £4000!! With no help from Vauxhall. Would never buy another vauxhall ever again and would never recommend buying one. Car has no temperature gauge or warning likes to say there is a fault with the car!

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No Red thumbs down

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Terrible cars. I've had mine 3+ years. Bought for £6000 from Lloyds auto lease. 44000 miles on clock. I've spent a good few thousand on this car. Everything on it brakes. Turbo, egr, PDF, 3 cam belts. All wiring looms. A/c unit. Door locks broke in back. Suspension. Exhaust. Gearbox. Clutch. Several oil leaks. Water pump. All pumps. New battery. Not to mention 3 recalls over cars setting fire. All the usual stuff on top. Brakes, tyres, seat belts, alternator, glow plugs. Absolute nightmare. I lost one job down to its unreliability. It's on 77000 now and after its latest recall they've told me egr, dpf, exhaust, gearbox, glow plugs,brakes, suspension, and oil leak need fixing. I only did mot last month and passed with no advisories. In my opinion this car was very poorly made. I've still got a year and a bit to pay on my car and it's knackered. If you drive this car slow or not that often it's supposed to break. But if you drive it fast and often it breaks. I do a lot of motorway driving.

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No Red thumbs down

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This car, so far, has been great. I have had no problems at all. I like how it drives and performs. It's a basic load carrying vehicle that should be properly maintained just like any other car. Too many people think just an MOT is all they need. Very practical vehicle, take care with blind spots at the front pillars. Many other makes suffer the same problem. Simple petrol engine, no turbo or DPF. Seems well put together.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Lovely car - it's totally practical. Great for large families and we've had ours 15 years and covered 72,000 miles. Been a real workhorse over the years. The car turns inside out to give maximum storage area. It's great on long journeys and fuel consumption is good. It has never cost more than the MOT and tyres and windscreen wipers. Never failed an MOT. Recently experiencing electrics problems but she's getting old. Would buy Vauxhall every time. Next it's a Mokka. Old girl going into retirement now.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Reliable, solid, does what it was purchased for. Repairs to suspension on three occasions, damage likely caused by humps / potholes and the last case sand ingression from getting stuck in dunes. Not the best handling car in heavy snow and ice either, but then the reccommendations were essential travel only. Three sets of headlamp bulbs required from new, other than that about five other bulbs. Internal power plugs suffered failure after break in allowed rainstorm into vehicle in first year (repaired), dead locks made life for opportunist thief difficult, broke glovebox open, stole free resussitation mask! Noticeably heavier usage of oil than previous vehicles owned, though not excessive. Vision forward side areas rather restricted, you can hide a car from your vision in the right circumstances, let alone a bike or pedestrian. Radio CD player failed last year. Fuse for wash wipe & rear door solenoid fails a lot, put larger fuse in, all functioned fine since. Air conditioning failed after 6 years requiring new pump and recharge. Paintwork on bumper always facing sunside blistered after 5 years, redone. Tyres a bit more expensive than I was used to, not excessive use just more expensive mid range. Windscreen replaced once due to grit strike. Gear stick leather very worn, otherwise little wear and tear to show internally. Bodywork has seen no work other than break in repairs and aformentioned bumper touch up, has a few door strike marks from careless third parties but otherwise also little wear and tear. Has just suffered all forward lamps failing after 2" of snow melt over it - necessitating its first ride home on a recovery truck due to time and location failure was discovered, will be interested to find out why.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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The 1.6 is not the best. It drinks the oil as well as petrol.Tthe engine could do with another gear as it screams when accelerating at 4,000rpm to get up to 50mph. No temp gauge so you got no indication how hot your engine is running at. I have had mine for 2 week & now put it up for sale - very costly to run. Avoid this model & the 1.8 petrol, they both have no acceleration in low gears.

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No Red thumbs down

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Excellent car great for driving whole family about in, auto gearbox is really good if you are in traffic. Sports mode is useful if you are in a hilly area or fully loaded comfortable on long journeys a great car only done 55k miles and still drives as brand new. Would recommend this type of car to anyone with a family or dogs or need space for luggage .

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Yes Green thumbs up

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This is the 150 bhp version with an auto box. It has plenty of poke especially if the sports mode is used. Has upset some german cars from the lights. It's a bit weird driving at 1st as the throttle is drive by wire and has a fraction of a second delay throttle response that takes some getting use to. The main problem with this car so far is the particle filter gets blocked if you don't drive it like you stole it once a month and/or use a cleaner it the fuel once every 4 tanks of fuel. Fuel consumption is not great I would have expected 40+ mpg but have never seen that even crusing at 55-60mph on the motorway. It's always around 35-39mpg what ever condition I drive in. Would have liked the fast clear wind screen that Ford have as the car mists up easily. Had the car from 8,000 miles now has 42,000 on the clock serviced at Vauxhall main dealer every 18 months as only do 6,000 a year and they are about the same as a good non-franchised dealer plus I get a discount as I belong to the service club. The bigest problem that was done under warrenty was the particle filter malfunctioned destroying the catalytic convertor. Apart from that just replaced the rear shocks (did that myself as easy job £40) as one was seeping. And replace front disc and pads myself with sloted and dimple type as old one worn out at 30k + for better wet braking. I will replace the rear discs early next year. Battery was replaced with a Bosch Gold a couple of years back.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Nice car with constant niggling faults which, it would seem, are 'incredibly' difficult to diagnose e.g. Temperature light flashing on/off, breakdown service unable to find problem as no faults showing.....garage unable to find problem as no fault showing.... and this is not the first difficulty by any means. I find the whole thing very hard to take. Otherwise it is good to drive, comfortable and versatile. I would NOT buy another one.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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In a sentence; although dated, it is far better quality throughout than expected, has surprised us with the ride comfort and quality and is absolutely outstanding value for under £10,000 new. Purchased new/first owner as a run-out model now the Zafira Tourer has replaced it, for £9970 (with 1.9% finance) in Power Red with cruise fitted for stalk/clutch switch part costs of £41, paid £46 for genuine rubber mats x6, plus £21 for safety pack to fit in boot lid off ebay. For a German (Bochum factory) built 7 seat people carrier with 5* NCAP safety, curtain airbags, ESP+ and a lifetime warranty it is unbeatable. Briefly: zero issues, creaks, quality issues or problems so better than expected, drives much better than expected, truly outstanding paint quality and external finish that shames Mercedes and BMW, quality Continental tyres, superb bassy stereo with steering wheel controls, good ventilation with lots of vents, excellent stalks and controls, RDS time-zone adjusting clock, logical controls and ergonomics throughout. On the road it is very quiet and pliant with Focus like cornering and immense brakes backed up with the EBA/ABS/ESP+ etc, so feels very secure to be in with kids; ours both love it. Returns 40ish mpg at 8p litre cheaper than diesel, £175pa tax. Minus: driver's seat needs more rearward travel, no curved/blindspot end on nearside mirror, manual rear door child locks seem old fashioned as cannot be over-ridden from driver's seat, hard front seats, high sills, 6/7th seats bit of a faff to put up as the other 5 need pulling forward first, no curtain or side airbags for seats 6/7, poor location of 12v socket under handbrake, 5th gear far too low (over 4,000 rpm at 80mph) and 1.6 unit needs lots of revs to overtake or tackle hills but does go when caned into VVT rev section, no MPG display on Exclusiv spec, tiny boot with all seats in use, no spare wheel (cost option), no headlight switch for UK-EU mode so nasty beam blocker stickers needed, back window always filthy due to shape of car, front lower lip spoiler easy to catch on poor lanes or city kerbs, seats 3/4/5 seatbelts holsters "flop" as opposed to rigid/fixed belt holsters in most new cars-the kids take ages to put belts on needing both hands to do so, feels dated now compared to new stuff, especially the lack of cubbies and storage-but at least it's tried and tested now after 9 years production and has no DPF like the diesel. All in all, we'd buy it again in a heartbeat, as for under 10k new nothing will touch it, especially with the lifetime warranty, it has well exceeded all of our expectations of it and is a better quality product than we imagined. We use as a five seater with a huge boot for 90% of the time and it really works as a car for all reasons - probably why we see about 8 of them per mile travelled!!! If you need a strong, safe family car and aren't doing over 12k per year so petrol works for you and plan to keep it for ages (you will get crucified on depreciation in first few years), these 1.6 run-out models are highly recommended while they last. As of April it seems most 1.6 115bhp are sold out and only 1.8 120bhp are left-these cost £100 more to tax for first year and £200 every year instead of £175, plus on the "real MPG" site are reported as mid 30s mpg being as opposed to 42mpg-but if they have a much higher 5th gear (not sure?) it would make me choose one. Since buying, two people we know have bought the same as us, same colour and love theirs too. We plan to keep the car for many years and use it locally as a second car (we have a school run/shopping hack) and for long haul regular European trips so depreciation is not a worry. I really wish it was branded as sexier Opel as has I have never liked the daft Vauxhall badge, branding or image at all and it is built as an Opel, in an Opel factory with Opel on the VIN plate and just looks ridiculous when in Europe. Cool Germanic lightning badge or mongy mythical creature with a flag badge? First new car we've had out of 9 new cars that has not needed to go back to dealer for any issues from new which is praise indeed as I am super fussy with creaks and quality issues. 10/10 so far (if I look past the badges!)

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Well.... It's a brilliant car but with one minor fault. The thing that you lift up has broke off because of Vauxhall's clumsy design

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Yes Green thumbs up

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These cars are absolute garbage. DPF constantly blocks. 2 in 8,000 miles. Gearboxes are particularly poor. Less than 100k and needs refurbished, found examples online of gearbox failures at less than 60k!!! How Vauxhall have managed to sell this vehicle is beyond me. The majority of people buy these vehicles for school runs and shopping. Shorter runs are no good, as you need to run it on the motorway or dual carriageway once a week at 70mph in 4th gear to burn off the soot in the DPF. Had a Zafira A before this, lovely car, good mpg, great runner no problem whatsoever. How does a smaller engine, with longer/more gears use MORE fuel????(35 mpg zafira B, 45ish zafira B) This car is not fit for purpose and vauxhall should be taken to court by fair trading for this vehicle! Given it one star because there isn't an option for zero stars

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Nightmare! Purchased this car from Drive Vauxhall in Bristol 2008 for £8,500. Regular service by Vaxhall . there was only 56,000 on clock then problems changing gear . Left with Vauxhall Filton who told me £4,000 to fix. Clutch gone and gear box plus slave cylinder.. Heartbroken.. Feel very let down by Drive Vauxhall whom I had trusted had sold me a decent car.

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No Red thumbs down

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no problems considering age

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Yes Green thumbs up

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

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No Red thumbs down

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Has so far been very reliable.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Difficult to give an objective answer on such a new vehicle.

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No Red thumbs down

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No Red thumbs down

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Never missed a beat so far

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Yes Green thumbs up

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No Red thumbs down

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No Red thumbs down

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computer system unreliablr no one found actual fault, but has cost me 1600 upto now.

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No Red thumbs down

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No Red thumbs down

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No Red thumbs down

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never had problems with this car

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Replaced vacuum pump and EGR valve

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No Red thumbs down

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No Red thumbs down

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No Red thumbs down

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no problems at all?

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No Red thumbs down

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Easy to drive , suits the family when we go on long trips

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Starts every time but bit sluggish to drive in the mornings with the cold weather

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No Red thumbs down

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Yes Green thumbs up

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Smooth and efficient drive

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Yes Green thumbs up

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always needs repair to front suspension arms etc

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No Red thumbs down

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Its new so no issues

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Yes Green thumbs up

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No Red thumbs down

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Brand new car with less than 500 miles at present, therefore fully reliable.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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It always starts ok and has not let me down so far (touch wood).

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Yes Green thumbs up

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not owned it for long so unable to say weather it is reliable

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No Red thumbs down

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Engine management light keeps coming on, but otherwise runs ok.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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No Red thumbs down

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

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No Red thumbs down

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Yes Green thumbs up

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No Red thumbs down

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only just broken down since new

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Just mot'd, passed but warned about roll bar drop libks

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Apart from a sensor failing on the fan/temperature it has been trouble free motoring

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No Red thumbs down

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Very good mechanically. No breakdown in 10 years

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Yes Green thumbs up

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No Red thumbs down

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No problems yet

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No Red thumbs down

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Have had the car less than 2 months. I have replaced the turbo as was faulty before I bought the car.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Has had a few problems, required new ECU, aircon needed fixing to the body after shearing belt, and brake system failed.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Yes Green thumbs up

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after initial problems with fuel pump, replaced twice on warranty, no further problems

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Yes Green thumbs up

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I have had no problems with it

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Yes Green thumbs up

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No Red thumbs down

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Over the 80000 miles I have owned the car it has never broken down always started first time and the engine has never skipped a beat.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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NEVER LET ME DOWN, YET.

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No Red thumbs down

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Never missed a beat and never had anything wrong with it

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Plenty of room. Starts first time..better on long journeys

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No Red thumbs down

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solid-no problems so far

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No Red thumbs down

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the car has been exce;;ent and has not let me down mechanically however the strap that is on the tailgate to enable me to shut it has come off

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Yes Green thumbs up

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No Red thumbs down

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has not let me down in 18 months. no problems to mention

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No Red thumbs down

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Apart from consumables (tyres etc) there have been no problems

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No Red thumbs down

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Mostly reliable, but had a few problems with suspension and tracking.

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No Red thumbs down

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Na

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Yes Green thumbs up

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wheelchair and kids

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Yes Green thumbs up

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NEVER HAD A PROBLEM

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Yes Green thumbs up

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dpf filter is a major worry

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No Red thumbs down

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Never got back ache in this car on long trips

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No Red thumbs down

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good so far

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Yes Green thumbs up

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No problems - takes awhile to warm up.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Annual service. No other problems.

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No Red thumbs down

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Yes Green thumbs up

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

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Nothing major to report. One temperature sensor went and costs Ł15 to replace and fitted by myself.

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No Red thumbs down

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I have had no problems with the vehicle apart from uneven wear on the rear tyres. this seesm to be a problem associated with this vehicle, "possibly" dependant upon the make of tyres fitted

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No Red thumbs down

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Ive had vauxhalls for years never let me down and good cars to drive

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No Red thumbs down

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No faults whatsoever

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Not much more to tell, it's not super reliable but not awful either

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No Red thumbs down

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both rear tyres have puctures, gagarge where purchased woul;d not replace.

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No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

starting , road holding , braking

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Vauxhall Zafira owner reviews

"The Vauxhall Zafira offers practicality, flexibility and value in spades for a family on a budget"

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