[cameron66]

Just to kick this off, with my most annoying gripe..lol

I only have the small display on my model as it's just the Exclusiv with the Plus Pack. As you know all the intrument illumination is red including the displays.

Anyone else noticed that the centre display seems a lot too bright. Yes I know you can turn it down, but if you do so, (only when lights on anyway) the small milage info display under the dials then is way to dark and becomes almost unreadable.
Could have done with a level control for each, or at least VX should have had less brightness on the centre display so that only the text lit up, its so bright it tends to light up the whole of the panel with a horrible cheap looking red glow, with no way to balance them up.
It looks really horrible IMO, like a cheap crappy Amstrad clock radio display.

The larger centre display fitted to the Tourer looks really bad IMO, again miles too bright so the whole panel lights up instead of just the text, being much larger it looks even worse.

Obviously those lucky people with the coloured Nav screens are probably okay I assume.

[icemann3016]

I don`t like the lack of option to play movies on DVD navi. I am quite happy with the rest.

[martin99]

Small Gripes are:

The worst design for driver storage of this size of car :mad:
Rear lights don't come on when in heavy rain (On auto) you have to manually do it and the display lights up moaning that you have turned the auto lights off. (Previous cars I have had would turn on dipped beam and rear lights when wipers went on):(
They claim the "driving" lights are LED to save fuel but they are standard filiment type:confused:
Long unseen overhangs front and rear make parking a pain :rolleyes:
No indication of the speed for cruise control while it is off ;) Would have preferred to have a speed limiter as well :eek:
Tailgate dumps too much water in the boot after a downpour :confused:

[lewisburglin]

I don`t like the lack of option to play movies on DVD navi. I am quite happy with the rest.

Give it time mate. This will happen :D

[cameron66]

Small Gripes are:

The worst design for driver storage of this size of car :mad:
Rear lights don't come on when in heavy rain (On auto) you have to manually do it and the display lights up moaning that you have turned the auto lights off. (Previous cars I have had would turn on dipped beam and rear lights when wipers went on):(
They claim the "driving" lights are LED to save fuel but they are standard filiment type:confused:
Long unseen overhangs front and rear make parking a pain :rolleyes:
No indication of the speed for cruise control while it is off ;) Would have preferred to have a speed limiter as well :eek:
Tailgate dumps too much water in the boot after a downpour :confused:

I agree the front storage capacity is very poor indeed.

Have to check out those rear lights when on auto, I assumed the rear lights came on too when in the default Auto mode.

Yes it would have been better perhaps to have had the Led driving lights, though it would make no difference whatsoever to the fuel.

Re. Parking... well I got the dealer to put a decent set of VX AutoWatch rear sensors on mine which work great, and have since bought a cheap set off Ebay with the intention of fitting them to the front. However I doubt I shall fit all 4 sensors, 2 should be sufficient for the front, just need to get round to colour code them and fit them, could do with a dash switch which lights up when turned on or try and rig up some automatic method of switching them on. I'm not bad at parking, even in tight spaces, but sensors do make it much easier.

Re. The water in boot from tailgate issue does not seem as bad as the vec-c was, probably due to the fact that the rear wiper is parked in a vertical position I suspect. As long as you dont open it too fast...lol

Would also have been nice to have had a sliding cover over the centre console cupholder.

[cameron66]

I saw one comin towards me with daylight runnng lights on it, i have to say they didn't seem that bright nor that large, so i wonder if they're really worth having??:confused::confused::(

On seeing the reflection of mine in shop windows, they did'nt seem too bad to me, the auto does turn on the headlights instead if the weather is heavily overcast and there's a drop in outside ambient light, reverting back to sidelights when the weather gets brighter.

[lewisburglin]

RE: the daytime running lights, if you have the adaptive front lights (zenons) fitted you get a double strip of LED super brights, if you have the standard halogen lights i.e fitted to Exclusive, SRI and SE as standard you only get the typical 12volt filiment type bulbs in the side lights. Mine (when I get it) will be fitted with the standard however I plan to get onto superled's website and replace the side lights bulbs with LED's. :D

[cameron66]

re. Daylight running lights.

Personally I think it may have been better to have had that Auto position on the light switch as one that was actually switchable, like when you turn the lights on normally. IOW not have it as the default, I know you can flick it to the left to knock the auto mode off, (cancel auto mode) but AYK it defaults back to auto mode when the car is next run.

TBH I actually think in good bright conditions daylight running lights are not really required or necessary. I assume VX have done it like this to comply with the new EU changes which I believe come into affect next year where all vehicles have to have them on in daylight.

[martin99]

Would also have been nice to have had a sliding cover over the centre console cupholder

There is a cover on the SE

[Happy42]

Hi Folk's :)

I have the Elite and can't really complain so far.

I have the LED's and are very bright, rear lights come on when in auto mode, front and rear sensors fitted and a must as without - it's a large car to judge !

Instrument panel at night is white with a nice touch of the red speed indicator arm/ rev arm sending a glowing red dot onto the actual dial.

When digital display for speed is chosen in Instrument panel then speed of car is shown wether in cruise or manual.

Have the sliding cover over central console and don't store too many things in the front, using a memory stick now when in the past would have stored lots of CD's. Interior of glovebox is a strange shape to be honest. Small compartment to right of steering wheel fits the sunglasses holder nicely ;)

Living in Scotland we get more than a fair share of rain :D and haven't had the water getting into the boots when opened - I have the saloon and the water gets dropped onto the back window then filtered down the sides.

My issue is waiting for the cable to be available so I can connect the Bluetooth already fitted to the Elites but without the cable !! Why !!

Still love my car (-

Cheers :)

[Amos]

The only thinks so far on the tourer, the auto drop mirrors drop to low when reversing, reversing sensor sound in the is not very load from the back or I’m going deaf?, and in the boot when you have cover over there is no light on the under side in the dark you cant see in the boot & no home button on sat/nav like my old vectra had.

[Mr Elite]

[QUOTE=Happy42;77582]My issue is waiting for the cable to be available so I can connect the Bluetooth already fitted to the Elites but without the cable !! Why !!
QUOTE]

I agree with everything you have said about the Elite.
Mine is fitted with bluetooth and it is the best handsfree I have had although initially some fiddling with my Blackberry to get it to stay linked. What is the cable you mention?
Very happy with the car.

[Amos]

I had problem with my nokia 5800 on bluetooth but i updated my softwere on the phone and works great know

[QUOTE=Happy42;77582]My issue is waiting for the cable to be available so I can connect the Bluetooth already fitted to the Elites but without the cable !! Why !!
QUOTE]

I agree with everything you have said about the Elite.
Mine is fitted with bluetooth and it is the best handsfree I have had although initially some fiddling with my Blackberry to get it to stay linked. What is the cable you mention?
Very happy with the car.

[Happy42]

Hi Guys :)

Long story but I cancelled my order for my Elite hatch with bluetooth for a Saloon with Sat Nav but no bluetooth due to the length of time I would have had to wait for the hatch.

I thought I would have to order the full bluetooth kit, but it turns out that the bluetooth is fitted but just not connected. Cable I require is the loom to connect the bluetooth to the audio - so the engineer at the dealer told me.

Cables are not yet available to order but I keep chasing.

Good to hear the handsfree on the Insignia is good.

:D

[geegee]

re. Daylight running lights.

Personally I think it may have been better to have had that Auto position on the light switch as one that was actually switchable, like when you turn the lights on normally. IOW not have it as the default, I know you can flick it to the left to knock the auto mode off, (cancel auto mode) but AYK it defaults back to auto mode when the car is next run.

TBH I actually think in good bright conditions daylight running lights are not really required or necessary. I assume VX have done it like this to comply with the new EU changes which I believe come into affect next year where all vehicles have to have them on in daylight.

I AGREE WITH YOU, IT'S ANNOYING TO HAVE TO SWITCH THE AUTO LIGHTS OFF EVERYTIME YOU START THE CAR DURING THE DAY ESPECIALLY IF IT'S BRIGHT AND SUNNY, REALY SHOULD OF PUT AN OFF BUTTON, FEEL LIKE A DIV DRIVING WITH MY SIDE LIGHTS ON DURING THE DAY SOMETIMES LOL

[Happy42]

Sorry guys

I have to disagree, I have the LED's and even in sunny days you see the lights before the car. As a safety measure I'm all for this, helps pedestrians, other road users etc see the car.

I do agree however that the models fitted with the standard bulbs for the daylight running lights are a bit on the dull side and could do with being brighter (-

Cheers :)

[Melbury]

:(Just to kick this off, with my most annoying gripe..lol

I only have the small display on my model as it's just the Exclusiv with the Plus Pack. As you know all the intrument illumination is red including the displays.

Anyone else noticed that the centre display seems a lot too bright. Yes I know you can turn it down, but if you do so, (only when lights on anyway) the small milage info display under the dials then is way to dark and becomes almost unreadable.
Could have done with a level control for each, or at least VX should have had less brightness on the centre display so that only the text lit up, its so bright it tends to light up the whole of the panel with a horrible cheap looking red glow, with no way to balance them up.
It looks really horrible IMO, like a cheap crappy Amstrad clock radio display.

The larger centre display fitted to the Tourer looks really bad IMO, again miles too bright so the whole panel lights up instead of just the text, being much larger it looks even worse.

Obviously those lucky people with the coloured Nav screens are probably okay I assume.
Clock-radio is just what it is, I fully expected a DAB in this Exclusiv but even worse the clock is losing 3 or 5 mins, even after resetting which can only be done with radio on. This may be due to the way it is wired as if the radio is on without the engine running and then during starting the power is momentarily lost from the radio. Also I am missing my favourite stations now because of no DAB.

[sofuse]

I specified the Sight and Light pack on my Exclusiv which includes the tunnel detection with automatic headlight activation.
Unfortunately, it's very sensitive and will switch the headlights on even going under a bridge or a motorway underpass!
I think for the UK there should be an option to switch it off since we don't tend to have the numerous long tunnels that exist in mainland Europe.
The automatic lighting also seems to be unpredictable in general, not coming on when you think it should and going off when you think it shouldn't.

[cameron66]

I specified the Sight and Light pack on my Exclusiv which includes the tunnel detection with automatic headlight activation.
Unfortunately, it's very sensitive and will switch the headlights on even going under a bridge or a motorway underpass!
I think for the UK there should be an option to switch it off since we don't tend to have the numerous long tunnels that exist in mainland Europe.
The automatic lighting also seems to be unpredictable in general, not coming on when you think it should and going off when you think it shouldn't.

Absolutely agree with you. In fact your post is interesting because my exlusiv was ordered with just the Plus Pack to get the 18" alloys and front fogs.

I did'nt order the Sight and Light pack, but I think it may already be on the car (or part of it), due to the fact that mine behaves similar to yours.

ie. if I go into any slightly darkened area it will, in addition to sidelights, (perhaps the whole range does this as standard) it will switch on headlights too, trouble is, I've noticed its not so quick to turn them off afterwards when in bright sunlight. TBH I think a lot of this stuff adds complication and is not that useful even if it worked properly, when I get too idle to switch on my lights when I judge it necessary (not some computer) then its time for me to quit driving...LOL

Vx should really have included options in the config menu's to disable features if you dont like them IMO. features I like have been missed out, features I dont like cannot be disabled. :(:(:(

Does the Light and Sound pack include 'Automatic Dipping of Headlights' ?
which mine does not have, if so... how do you find that works ?

[sofuse]

Does the Light and Sound pack include 'Automatic Dipping of Headlights' ?
which mine does not have, if so... how do you find that works ?
No, I don't have the auto dipping headlights. I'm not too sure how reliable they would be.

One other thing I've noticed is that if you switch the engine off, your daytime running lights will also switch off, but if it gets darker your headlights will still switch on! So unless you remove the key completely, the auto lighting function is still active

A great way to flatten your battery if you're not careful.

[cameron66]

No, I don't have the auto dipping headlights. I'm not too sure how reliable they would be.

One other thing I've noticed is that if you switch the engine off, your daytime running lights will also switch off, but if it gets darker your headlights will still switch on! So unless you remove the key completely, the auto lighting function is still active

A great way to flatten your battery if you're not careful.

Re. the auto dipping reliability... yes I was thinking that myself which why I asked if they were included in that light sound pack, from what I've seen so far I think we are better off without them..LOL

re. Auto lightling, I was'nt aware of that, but not surprised, though I'd imagine most users remove the key anyway.

TBH I think all this auto-lighting business is just more to go wrong, and would be better if they had incorporated a option to disable it.
It annoys me how the light sensor affects the red LED display too, its often way too bright and looks tacky when its overbright.

Its called progress matey...:D or its supposed to be.

BTW, I notice that the daylight/sidelight running bulb is actually a large wedge push in bulb which has 2 filaments. I removed it earlier today to check what type of bulb it was, and it has the following markings on it. Exactly as it appears on the bulb.

Toshiba
12v 21/5W
W21/5W
E2 217
W8 ZR

Thats all the markings on it. so it looks like it uses the 21-watt filament when running lights are on, and the 5-watt one for sidelights.

I was looking for better replacement for it, as it looks very yellow now alongside the white xenon headlight bulbs I fitted, but I've been unable to find a upgraded white light replacement for it.

On the subject of bulbs, I paid £52 for the VX protection kit, which comes with a spare set of bulbs. In reality its just a VX generic bulb set, half the bulbs dont even fit the Insignia, ie. only got a spare dipped H7 bulb (no mainbeam H1 bulb) none of these new sidelight/daylight running bulbs at all in the kit, whether any of the others fit anything I've no idea.:(

[Happy42]

Hi Folks :)

I must be the odd one out as I love the auto lights :eek:

I have the elite which perhaps makes the difference with the daylight running lights being Led's.

Auto-mainbeam works a treat - as soon as the camera picks up the front lights or the tail lights of a car infront then straight away the lights convert back to dipped. Speed of change is only a fraction of a second slower than I would do manually.

These are the best lights I've had on a car, the additional cornering lights are also a neat touch.

I don't mind the lights staying on at night when engine stopped and key still in as it assists passengers when leaving the car to see the way forward etc.

re the clock losing time - do you have an option to recieve automatic updates to time ? I have on the DVD800 Sat Nav system and clock hasn't lost any time in 5 weeks.

Cheers (-

[sofuse]

I've so far only seen one Insignia with the LED running lights and they do look good. Much better than the low-rent tungsten bulbs that are standard. I would have liked them, but I couldn't really justify the extra cost.

I'm really surprised that Vauxhall designed this car with so few LED external lights. At the rear, apart from the central brake light, all are filament bulbs. None of the indicators is an LED.

With more and more cars using LEDs for stop and indicator lights especially, cars like the Passat, you'd think Vauxhall would have used them more.

[cameron66]

Due to the warm weather the grandchildren decided to wind down the rear windows, and the amount of drumming noise it generated inside the car was too much to stand, (like your ears about to explode) So opening the rear windows is a big no no.

I read somewhere that VX/Opel had spent 900 hours in wind tunnels trying to ensure it was a aerodynamic shape. Did no-one try it with the rear windows wound down? :(

[martin99]

Due to the warm weather the grandchildren decided to wind down the rear windows, and the amount of drumming noise it generated inside the car was too much to stand, (like your ears about to explode) So opening the rear windows is a big no no.

I read somewhere that VX/Opel had spent 900 hours in wind tunnels trying to ensure it was a aerodynamic shape. Did no-one try it with the rear windows wound down?

I don't think they wind tunnel test with the windows open & surely having AC in the car means even the hottest gran kids cool down :D

[cameron66]

I don't think they wind tunnel test with the windows open & surely having AC in the car means even the hottest gran kids cool down :D

They obviously dont test with windows open. Yes I agree that's what climate control is for, but try telling the kids that...lol though in this case he did eventually close them at my insistance, though he was'nt happy. :D

Funny enough the front windows are actually quite good when down some way, very little noise. :) The rear one's however are a big no no, teririble on the eardrums.:(

[Happy42]

Hi Mate,

Would this not effect most cars ? I know that in all my previous cars depending what speed you're doing depends on air pressure inside car when windows are open and how much it plays havoc with your ears :D

Seems fine at lower speeds ;)

Cheers :)

[2.0 vectra]

if the rear ones are making a noise try opening the front ones a touch , should sort it .

[cameron66]

I've so far only seen one Insignia with the LED running lights and they do look good. Much better than the low-rent tungsten bulbs that are standard. I would have liked them, but I couldn't really justify the extra cost.

I'm really surprised that Vauxhall designed this car with so few LED external lights. At the rear, apart from the central brake light, all are filament bulbs. None of the indicators is an LED.

With more and more cars using LEDs for stop and indicator lights especially, cars like the Passat, you'd think Vauxhall would have used them more.

I wonder if those LED running lights can be retro fitted to none LED equiped Insignia's. I know you may be able to buy 3rd party ones, but one also has to bear in mind that they consist of 2 filaments, a 5watt for the sidelights, and a 21watt for the daytime running lights. You would also need a resistor to fool the bulb out circuit.
It would be nice if one could buy the genuine VX LED version and just plug it in. :):):):):)

I've not yet seen a LED version of the Insignia, do they use a totally different lamp housing compared to the standard headlamp housing. ?? or is it simply a special LED type bulb that plugs in. ??

Though the original headlamp bulbs are decent enough, I upgraded mine to the higher performance ones, same wattage but give a brighter and whiter light, only trouble now, is that those original sidelight R580 W21/5W bulbs look really yellow now.
Sadly there does not appear to be any white light versions to swap them out, other than some PIAA versions which are stupidly expensive, though that may be only option.

[sofuse]

I've not yet seen a LED version of the Insignia, do they use a totally different lamp housing compared to the standard headlamp housing. ?? or is it simply a special LED type bulb that plugs in. ??

I believe they are completely different headlamp housings, though I haven't seen one up close. The running lights seem to consist of a kind of V-shaped LED bar.

There are pictures on Vauxhall's website of the bi-xenon healight units and going by those, I would say they are totally different.

What are the PIAA versions you referred to?

[cameron66]

I believe they are completely different headlamp housings, though I haven't seen one up close. The running lights seem to consist of a kind of V-shaped LED bar.

There are pictures on Vauxhall's website of the bi-xenon healight units and going by those, I would say they are totally different.

What are the PIAA versions you referred to?

I thought the LED lamps would probably be different.... ah..well. :(

The PIAA versions I mention are these.

http://www.priracing.com/product.php/2649/0/piaa-mirror-white-t20-double-580-large-capless-27-8w--pair-

Quiet expensive at £27+ On searching these seem to be the only ones which might do the trick, (not found any cheaper as yet) there actually 8watt and 27watt so will be a touch brighter anyway besides being whiter. I've been thinking about ordering a pair. I think the fitment type is the same as that fitted as standard.

[cameron66]

Well I've just took the plunge and ordered 2 of these, it seems they are a little pricey as there not a common bulb, (at least not if you want a white light)
A google search revealed that quite few new Fiat 500 owners are replacing their standard sidelight/running lights with these, seems it uses the same bulb as the Insignia.
Just hope the fitting and size is the same.:)

Just cost me £30-73 with postage, I only paid slightly more than that to upgrade all the other 4 headlight bulbs. Just hope they last a long time..LOL

I fitted some xenon white sidelight bulbs to my old vectra, and difference was amazing, looked really good, only thing was they were only about £4.

The question is... is it worth paying 30-quid just to get a brighter, whiter side light and daylight running lights.... I'll let you know after I've fitted them when they arrive. I would'nt buy any just yet anyway until I've confirmed they do indeed fit okay.

I suspect these are exactly the same ones at almost half price. (Found after I posted)
http://www.part-box.com/product_info.php?cPath=909_51_56&products_id=264

[geegee]

Well I've just took the plunge and ordered 2 of these, it seems they are a little pricey as there not a common bulb, (at least not if you want a white light)
A google search revealed that quite few new Fiat 500 owners are replacing their standard sidelight/running lights with these, seems it uses the same bulb as the Insignia.
Just hope the fitting and size is the same.:)

Just cost me £30-73 with postage, I only paid slightly more than that to upgrade all the other 4 headlight bulbs. Just hope they last a long time..LOL

I fitted some xenon white sidelight bulbs to my old vectra, and difference was amazing, looked really good, only thing was they were only about £4.

The question is... is it worth paying 30-quid just to get a brighter, whiter side light and daylight running lights.... I'll let you know after I've fitted them when they arrive. I would'nt buy any just yet anyway until I've confirmed they do indeed fit okay.

I suspect these are exactly the same ones at almost half price. (Found after I posted)
http://www.part-box.com/product_info.php?cPath=909_51_56&products_id=264

cam are you a mod freak?lol:D i always go by the statement; if it's not broken dont touch it! 30 squid's abit much for just side lights lets hope they last longer

[cameron66]

cam are you a mod freak?lol:D i always go by the statement; if it's not broken dont touch it!

No definately not!, I do a lot of night driving, and like to have good lights on the car. Changing a set of front bulbs (a 5 minute job) can hardly be called modding. same rated bulbs, just a bit brighter and whiter, thats all!.

We have a holiday home in France and being retired travel over quite a lot, usually driving through the night, to take advantage of cheaper tunnel prices, and less traffic of course, The bulbs that came out of the car have gone into my spare bulb kit which is a legal requirement over there.

IOW.. no matey, no modder here. LOL, leave that sort of thing to the younger folk.:D

[cameron66]

Fitted those PIAA So called Whiter look Lamps to the Daylight Running Lamps today. I suspect because of the blue glass the brightness is actually down a fraction, but may be my imagination. but they are certainly Whiter, with no hint of yellowing at all, so yes they probably look better but was hoping they would be a little brighter than originals, though they certainly could'nt get any whiter.

Couple of pics taken in daylight today, so a little difficult to see, but what you can see looks a whiter light to me, instead of the original yellow.

A Plus for the Insignia for a change is the fact its a real doddle to change the bulbs on the Insignia,( The fronts anyway) compared to the Vectr-c, not so much as a scratch, nothing. Change the whole lot in less than five minutes. I like the way the plastic sealing caps hold on too, just turn ani-clockwise to remove. Thought i had better say something positive about it for a change.

[lewisburglin]

looks so much better already mate. get some early night pics! ;-)

[geegee]

Fitted those PIAA So called Whiter look Lamps to the Daylight Running Lamps today. I suspect because of the blue glass the brightness is actually down a fraction, but may be my imagination. but they are certainly Whiter, with no hint of yellowing at all, so yes they probably look better but was hoping they would be a little brighter than originals, though they certainly could'nt get any whiter.

Couple of pics taken in daylight today, so a little difficult to see, but what you can see looks a whiter light to me, instead of the original yellow.

A Plus for the Insignia for a change is the fact its a real doddle to change the bulbs on the Insignia,( The fronts anyway) compared to the Vectr-c, not so much as a scratch, nothing. Change the whole lot in less than five minutes. I like the way the plastic sealing caps hold on too, just turn ani-clockwise to remove. Thought i had better say something positive about it for a change.

were did you get them from cam and what are they called? looks realy nice thinking of getting them now

[martin99]

Cam
Thanks for the details - you are a star.
Changed the running lights to your suggested "white" lights and wow they are so much better. Makes a real difference and so white!:cool:
Also done as you changed the poor headlight bulbs and used Osram +90% Nightbreaker again what a difference.(-
Pushed the boat out and changed the rears to high intensity and the yellows to chrome. They flash yellow but look white when off - looks cool
Rear lights better intensity - well still undecided on that but the fronts are a must for all Insignia drivers
Thanks again Cam

[icemann3016]

Fitted those PIAA So called Whiter look Lamps to the Daylight Running Lamps today. I suspect because of the blue glass the brightness is actually down a fraction, but may be my imagination. but they are certainly Whiter, with no hint of yellowing at all, so yes they probably look better but was hoping they would be a little brighter than originals, though they certainly could'nt get any whiter.

Couple of pics taken in daylight today, so a little difficult to see, but what you can see looks a whiter light to me, instead of the original yellow.

A Plus for the Insignia for a change is the fact its a real doddle to change the bulbs on the Insignia,( The fronts anyway) compared to the Vectr-c, not so much as a scratch, nothing. Change the whole lot in less than five minutes. I like the way the plastic sealing caps hold on too, just turn ani-clockwise to remove. Thought i had better say something positive about it for a change.

I`d give a hint for replacing these headlights with the ones used with xenon and diodes for DRL. I dunno what`s the price for that but would look awesome. You can fit normal bulbs into the xenon slot using a converter.But your version looks really awesome mate. I was thinking to install chrome bulbs for the direction showing lights (euh.. blinker... i dunno the english word :P ) The result is no orange thingy in the middle :P

[cameron66]

I`d give a hint for replacing these headlights with the ones used with xenon and diodes for DRL. I dunno what`s the price for that but would look awesome. You can fit normal bulbs into the xenon slot using a converter.But your version looks really awesome mate. I was thinking to install chrome bulbs for the direction showing lights (euh.. blinker... i dunno the english word :P ) The result is no orange thingy in the middle :P

I agree with you, in 2009 all modern cars should now be fitted with proper xenon lights and Led DLR lights across the whole range. If they want to save money then cut out things thats not so useful such as the electric drivers seat for example on the basic models. Afterall, how often do you need to adjust it once your've set it up.

Those White DLR lamps I fitted are certainly whiter but they dont appear quite as bright as the original yellow looking bulbs.

On the basic models they could also have forgone the auto lights, and given us a USB/Ipod socket instead which would have been more useful IMO.

[cameron66]

The power of the google spiders. possibly like the other threads on here??
I have just done a google search & it brings up this post, so it would be nice to know who's viewed it, could be some vaux staff??;):D:D:cool:

Link.:) (http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=Insignia+-+Things+you+dont+like+about+it.&btnG=Google+Search&meta=&aq=f&oq)

Absolutely! :D

One would like think that VX/Opel may be interested what their customers think, but in reality I'm beginning to wonder.

I read somewhere that Google keep their databases for up to 25 years, so theoretically you can probably locate almost any posting that anyone's ever made by using the appropiate search parameters. Its a fact that no-one should regard lightly, when making a posting, as many a posting has come back to haunt the author at a later date...lol

IMO as long as one is truthful and does not exeragerate then some good may come from it. I too think that there's always the remote possibility someone out there may listen to what customers have to say about their products. I certainly think it be most stupid and costly to ignore their opinions.
Or is it all just wishful thinking.:D

[martin99]

I just wish that instead of having that xxxx designer do a video telling us how the curved flashes on the car are mirrored inside to give a feeling of spacial awareness (WTF):eek: they saved the money to put him in an Insignia and told him to try and use it as a family / rep / real life car and he would have put some f@*#~[= stroage in the car

[cameron66]

I just wish that instead of having that xxxx designer do a video telling us how the curved flashes on the car are mirrored inside to give a feeling of spacial awareness (WTF):eek: they saved the money to put him in an Insignia and told him to try and use it as a family / rep / real life car and he would have put some f@*#~[= stroage in the car

Must agree with you there matey, the front storage especially is very poor for the size of the car. When I had the front overhead lighting panels off a few days ago to fix a bit of creaking I noticed that the top one does nothing and is really just a blank. They could easily have put a sun-glasses holder there in its place, like the vec-c. It would'nt have given much extra storage but every bit helps.

[icemann3016]

When i asked the dealer why above the driver`s seat there is no sun glasses box as in my Astra H but a handle they told me it`s because of curtain airbag safety precautions. Anyway you can buy such thing... here it costs about 10 Euro.

1 question. is the front storage cooled? I`ve double checked but didn`t see anything that could be able to ventilate the front storage. If it has no ventilation from the air cond. that`s SO POOR. What made me wonder if it has or not is because once i left a bottle of coke that was fitted in the middle bottle holders and was hot to cool down inside and it didn`t. But yesterday i put in a chocolate that i took from the fridge and it remained cool for 2 hours while i was driving.

[cameron66]

My Insignia's front bumper has never fitted perfectly along its joint with the body since I've had the car. Passenger side is fine, but the drivers side has always had a gap of around 3 to 4mm where looking closely you can actually see the plastic clips at the back. It also sticks out about 2mm from the body.

Not noticable to most people passing, but you can see it. Anyway, the dealer had a go at religning it the week I had the car, without much sucess, and this week they tried a second time.

It seems the way it is now, is the best they can get it, so it looks like I'm stuck with it. :(

In fairness to the dealer, I looked at several of their Insignia's and 4 of them were almost as bad as mine in the same place on the bumpers.
Looks to me as though the front bumper is about 3mm wider than the body, and so springs out slightly. Tolerances in the plastic moulds when made I suppose.
No big deal, but a little annoying its not possible to get better alignment... ah well.. at least they tried. .

[PRO-INSIGNIA]

Cameron,
Do you know if the dealer fitted the new clip which came out as a rework last week for customers that complain about the front bumper fit? I did mention this to you in another post.

[thermalactivity]

You probably have found this site already but will any of these LED bulbs fit?
http://www.superbrightleds.com/festoon.html

[cameron66]

Cameron,
Do you know if the dealer fitted the new clip which came out as a rework last week for customers that complain about the front bumper fit? I did mention this to you in another post.

Dont think he did. I did mention what you had stated, but they seemed to know nothing about it.
In fact it looked exactly the same to me, so I'm wondering if they actually tried. They knew nothing about any extra clips anyway.:(


I might try again at some point perhaps at a different dealer, see if they can do any better.. Its no big deal, but a little niggle which should be possible to make look a bit better I would have thought.:)

[PRO-INSIGNIA]

I will try and find a rework number next week for you to quote next time you take it in to the dealers.

[cameron66]

You probably have found this site already but will any of these LED bulbs fit?
http://www.superbrightleds.com/festoon.html

Are you referring to replacements for the Daytime Running Lights. ?

If so... the type of bulb is a R580 type fitment, which is a large wedge type bulb. I checked a few Led bulb replacement online companies but was unable to locate anything that would do the job, none was listed with this type of fitment.

The other problem is that the origninal DLR bulbs also have 2 filaments.
1 is used for the normal side lights and is 5-watts, the other filament which is used for the actual DTRL is 21-watts, so you would need a led bulb with those characteristics, and it need to be the right fitment of course. with 4 contacts where it pushes into the holder. ie. R580 5w/21w Wedge type bulb.

The diameter needs to be right too, as the original bulb ony just goes through the hole in the lamp holder. If it's much larger it wont go through the hole in the lamp lens

Thats why I ended up fitting a pair of those PIAA R580 bulbs, which are very expensive at around £30 and though nice and white, they are not quite so bright as the original bulbs. ie. the blue glass has the effect of reducing light output slightly, probably why they are rated at 8-watt and 28-watts, but even with that slightly higher rating they are still not quite so bright. IMO
IOW they do look pure white light, but are less bright.

Shall have keep an eye on these Led bulb companies and see if they bring something out that will do the job, but not seen anything so far.

So keep looking for a R580 fitting..lol

[cameron66]

I will try and find a rework number next week for you to quote next time you take it in to the dealers.

That would be absolutely fantastic matey if you could.... cheers.:)

[PRO-INSIGNIA]

Cameron,

The rework number for Insignia front bumper fit is 09-FR-47, the dealer has to add a fixing clip Part Number 93168435. This rework was released on 28/7/09 so there is no excuse about your dealer not knowing about it. Good luck with getting it sorted.:D

[cameron66]

Cameron,

The rework number for Insignia front bumper fit is 09-FR-47, the dealer has to add a fixing clip Part Number 93168435. This rework was released on 28/7/09 so there is no excuse about your dealer not knowing about it. Good luck with getting it sorted.:D

Thats superb Matey. I'll print it off, and get them to sort it out.:)

This little thing really is more noticable than even the slight paint mis-match, as that only shows up in certain lighting, so not bothered about that, but it would be nice to get the bumper alignment better.

Can't thank you enough matey.:)

[cameron66]

This pic shows the drivers side bumper to body joint which I'm not too impressed with, give you some idea what I'm talking about, it actually looks worse than the pic shows it to be. Remember they have tried to improve this twice now. Honestly would you be happy if this was your brand new car. Hopefully with the clip mod mentioned above they may be able to do something. :D

[cameron66]

Cameron,

The rework number for Insignia front bumper fit is 09-FR-47, the dealer has to add a fixing clip Part Number 93168435. This rework was released on 28/7/09 so there is no excuse about your dealer not knowing about it. Good luck with getting it sorted.:D

Well my dealer checked out the rework number you supplied above, but checks revealed nothing, so I will ring VX on Monday to see what they say.

AAMOI matey, how did you locate this info, what was the source ?

[PRO-INSIGNIA]

It was provided to all the dealers in a Weekly news letter dated 27th-31st July. The dealers access these news letters via the web and Vauxhall Messaging system for dealers. Sorry mate the dealer is letting you down!! Talk to the Service Manager of the dealer and quote to him the rework number I gave you. Tell him you are the customer and should not be telling him there is a rework for your bumper, he should be telling you. :mad:
Look at your picture of the problem and yes the clip shoud fix this.:D

[Gorfinkle]

Word of caution with the LEDS

Some LEDS are wired up with the positve terminal on the outside of the bulb. (as i found out) so if the buld don't work, they you have to do some rewiring to get them to work.

Also there is a Wattage issue, Indicators for instance for one complete side it's 47 watts intotal (21 front, 5 side, and 21 rear) when you fit LEDs the wattage drops and the system thinks you have a bulb fault, the way round that is to get the right wattage LED's or fit a relay.

[cameron66]

It was provided to all the dealers in a Weekly news letter dated 27th-31st July. The dealers access these news letters via the web and Vauxhall Messaging system for dealers. Sorry mate the dealer is letting you down!! Talk to the Service Manager of the dealer and quote to him the rework number I gave you. Tell him you are the customer and should not be telling him there is a rework for your bumper, he should be telling you. :mad:
Look at your picture of the problem and yes the clip shoud fix this.:D

Thanks matey, I'll try another dealer, and if no joy will raise a case number with VX and see what they have to say.

Thanks again.

[cameron66]

Thanks matey, I'll try another dealer, and if no joy will raise a case number with VX and see what they have to say.

Thanks again.

I popped into another dealer today, and they had no issues locating the fix, and printing the procedure out. So they have ordered 20 of the Clip Kits, as they have a few cars themselves which would benefit from this fix too, and are going to ring me as soon as they come in, so mine can be done.:)

You can guess which dealer I shall be giving my business to in future.

From my personal experiences with the main VX Hereford Dealer I was using, I simply cannot recommend them. Not been good from day 1.:(

Thank you again matey.:)

[PRO-INSIGNIA]

Cameron,
Glad you have found a dealer that knows what they are doing and are willing to help.
How do you put someone elses "quote" in your Post on this Forum?
I see you do it all the time but I cant seem to find a way myself. Perhaps I am just stupid!:confused:

[mitch1408]

How do you put someone elses "quote" in your Post on this Forum?
I see you do it all the time but I cant seem to find a way myself. Perhaps I am just stupid!:confused:

On the bottom right of the post you want to quote, click the quote button!

[PRO-INSIGNIA]

On the bottom right of the post you want to quote, click the quote button!

I think I have got it!!!

Thanks mate

[cameron66]

This is what i like, Name and shame them!!

Its a tough life out there & if no-one shouts back, they'll carry on as normall.

I say pull the socks up, or be prepared to lose business.!:D:D:D

I'm sure you will have noticed that although I have had many reasons to be dis-gruntled with this main Hereford VX dealer

I have tried to fair by not publicly shouting this main VX Hereford dealers name every time I've made a posting about issue's with the car since I picked it up brand new on May 29th with excess milage on it for a new car, and of course the fact it already had several stone chips on it, including a couple of marks on the brand new alloy wheels.

I also never mentioned this Main VX Hereford Dealers name when they failed to fix a creaking dashboard, or when the engine mount fractured, and I had to go on holiday with the airbox unsecured. I also very generously never mentioned this Main VX Hereford Dealers name when I complained about the very poor fitting front bumper.
I also never mentioned this Main VX Hereford Dealers name when they
failed to improve the bumper alignment despite trying twice.

Even when I managed to find the work fix numbers and part number for some enhanced extra securing clips that VX/Opex had released on the 28/7/09 to effect a Rework field fix for the bumper mis-alignment issue, (courtesy of a kind forum member) and this Hereford Vauxhall dealers employee on their service desk stated they were unable to find any such thing, concluding that such a mod did not exist. If it did, they could not find anytng. I still did not mention this Main Vauxhall Hereford Dealers name.

What amazes me is that when checking out this same VX Rework number with another dealer, they found it within 2 minutes, and the parts ordered so the car hopefully can at last have its front bumper aligned properly.

As for this un-named MAIN HEREFORD VAUXHALL DEALER The less said the better!, and a BIG THUMBS UP FOR THE MAIN VAUXHALL KIDDERMINSTER dealer.

[essixash]

I'm sure you will have noticed that although I have had many reasons to be dis-gruntled with this main Hereford VX dealer

I have tried to fair by not publicly shouting this main VX Hereford dealers name every time I've made a posting about issue's with the car since I picked it up brand new on May 29th with excess milage on it for a new car, and of course the fact it already had several stone chips on it, including a couple of marks on the brand new alloy wheels.

I also never mentioned this Main VX Hereford Dealers name when they failed to fix a creaking dashboard, or when the engine mount fractured, and I had to go on holiday with the airbox unsecured. I also very generously never mentioned this Main VX Hereford Dealers name when I complained about the very poor fitting front bumper.
I also never mentioned this Main VX Hereford Dealers name when they
failed to improve the bumper alignment despite trying twice.

Even when I managed to find the work fix numbers and part number for some enhanced extra securing clips that VX/Opex had released on the 28/7/09 to effect a Rework field fix for the bumper mis-alignment issue, (courtesy of a kind forum member) and this Hereford Vauxhall dealers employee on their service desk stated they were unable to find any such thing, concluding that such a mod did not exist. If it did, they could not find anytng. I still did not mention this Main Vauxhall Hereford Dealers name.

What amazes me is that when checking out this same VX Rework number with another dealer, they found it within 2 minutes, and the parts ordered so the car hopefully can at last have its front bumper aligned properly.

As for this un-named MAIN HEREFORD VAUXHALL DEALER The less said the better!, and a BIG THUMBS UP FOR THE MAIN VAUXHALL KIDDERMINSTER dealer.


LOL sorry that was just too good :) (-

[lewisburglin]

Haha! Like it Cameron. So im guessing your saying don't go to Hereford VX!>LOL

[essixash]

Here's a Q for all you guys, how do you tell the 140 bhp, apart from the 160bhp ones??
Just by looking at the body??:):):confused::confused:

Pass.........???

[thermalactivity]

Here's a Q for all you guys, how do you tell the 140 bhp, apart from the 160bhp ones??
Just by looking at the body??:):):confused::confused:

my astra 150 has the TI of the CDTI written in red and the 120 was plain silver. i think the Insignia 160 has the TI written in black??

[mitch1408]

Cam,

I LOVE reading your posts!! Keep them coming!!

Just a quick question, which dealer did you get your car from? you dont ever seem to have mentioned them!! lol :D

[mitch1408]

Here's a Q for all you guys, how do you tell the 140 bhp, apart from the 160bhp ones??
Just by looking at the body??:):):confused::confused:

Not to be too picky but its 130PS and 160PS not 140! sorry! :eek:

Also PS is pafensake (might be spelt differently) which is the metric for BHP. The conversion from PS-BHP is PS/1.013. Making the 130PS 128BHP and the 160PS 157.9BHP.

Just a little bit of useless info that was using up space in my head!!:D

[cameron66]

my astra 150 has the TI of the CDTI written in red and the 120 was plain silver. i think the Insignia 160 has the TI written in black??

Yes, I believe I read somewhere too that the 160 Ti is in black, and the 130 has no color paint at all. I think it would have looked better keeping the Ti red like on the vec-c's dont you think.

Just for the record... my lowly 140 petrol has nothing on the righthand side at all. :(:(...LOL Looks like buying one of those go faster chrome Turbo badges I saw on a 1.8 petrol a few days ago. Wonder how much faster it goes.:D


Those conversions are actually quite interesting matey, I wondered how they got away with those numbers... VX cheating a bit I think...lol

[PRO-INSIGNIA]

Here's a Q for all you guys, how do you tell the 140 bhp, apart from the 160bhp ones??
Just by looking at the body??:):):confused::confused:

Badging is a follows;
CDTI=140BHP
CDTI=160BHP
:D

[thermalactivity]

I think it would have looked better keeping the Ti red like on the vec-c's dont you think. Looks like buying one of those go faster chrome Turbo badges I saw on a 1.8 petrol a few days ago. Wonder how much faster it goes.:D

Yes I agree I would have preferred the TI to have been in red as its harder to spot the black! And even more so now that the 130 is just missing the T in black!

Cameron buy yourself a Nova Turbo 16v badge as they usually add 50BHP (49.35PS) at the wheels!

[cameron66]

Cam,

I LOVE reading your posts!! Keep them coming!!

Just a quick question, which dealer did you get your car from? you dont ever seem to have mentioned them!! lol :D

I purchased my car from Baylis Vauxhall Ltd, Hereford, in case I never mentioned previously :D

[PRO-INSIGNIA]

Yes I agree I would have preferred the TI to have been in red as its harder to spot the black! And even more so now that the 130 is just missing the T in black!

Cameron buy yourself a Nova Turbo 16v badge as they usually add 50BHP (49.35PS) at the wheels!

You could always put the red CDTI badge from the Astra 150 diesel on the back of your Insignia. Its the same size badge and is only stuck on.:D

[cameron66]

(-:cool::cool:(-
Ta for the info, i can keep my eyes open now, so i know which one i can beat, I did pass one up the M5 yesterday,,,,

In my Mk1 Astra 1300:D:D:D:eek:
He must have been breaking it in??;);)

No point me looking... :(:( unless I spot one broken down at the side of the road. :D:D Only one's I ever seem to pass are parked up.:(:(

[nrg]

My insignia is going to the dealers on Tuesday for the following:

Sort out the creaking noise from the centre console (around the gear stick) this is driving me mad.
Hopefully a ECU update to sort the fuel consumption, getting around 33-34 mpg town, and mixed 40 mpg with 80% motorway (2.0 diesel 130)
Sort auto lights, again driving me mad staying on far too long on sunny days after a tunnel etc and too sensitive.

[cameron66]

My insignia is going to the dealers on Tuesday for the following:

Sort out the creaking noise from the centre console (around the gear stick) this is driving me mad.
Hopefully a ECU update to sort the fuel consumption, getting around 33-34 mpg town, and mixed 40 mpg with 80% motorway (2.0 diesel 130)
Sort auto lights, again driving me mad staying on far too long on sunny days after a tunnel etc and too sensitive.

I hope your dealer is far better than mine matey, I still have your first and last issues, also problems with the hydrolic Cam pulley adjusters or something like that which causes loud noise when starting after leaving standing over night (1.8vvt) something to do with the oil draining back. Loads of small issues that have been outstanding for 3 months despite going into the dealers several times. I was actually going to sell it and have a BMW, but today I've phoned both the BM dealer and the VX dealer who was going to buy mine back and put them on hold for a couple of days.

I simply cannot decide what to do for the best, luckily I had not yet payed over the 1k order deposit, I think frustration is the best word to discribe how I feel, I'm so indecisive lately, its becoming ridiculious.

TBH I'm sure if all the issue's I've had with this Insignia had been fixed properly I'm sure I would'nt want to dump it.:)

Sorry nrg you were the victim of another one of my rantings...(-:D

[cameron66]

Something else I noticed recently, is that the mat black finish is coming off on the front airvent slats, especially around the outside of the slats about 1/8" deep towarsd the centre of the slats, most of them seem to be affected to varying degrees, but quite noticable if you happen to have the slats turned downward so they are visible.

Only fix is replacing all the front airvents, anyone else noticed this, I'm assuming its been like this from new as its something that you never really touch.

I've seen this rubbery mat finish come off on previous cars, and thought they may have improved on it by now. I dont think this finish is going to be very durable at all. You can see bits of it starting to lift away so I'm worried about wiping them in case it gets worse.

BTW, the dealer pointed out to me that trims, and trim finishes are only warranted for 12mths, not 3 years.

The dark area's are where the finish has come off or it was'nt on in the first place, BTW the vents are not as dirty as the picture portrays, in fact they are reasonably clean, so probably the effect of the flash.

I'm sure my car was the prototype they used for all the experimentation.:(

[cameron66]

Anyone else noticed that all the pedals including the clutch and Brake pedals are made of plastic. :eek:

[essixash]

lol man u are way too picky. I cant see anything on the air vent?

[cameron66]

lol man u are way too picky. I cant see anything on the air vent?

I assume you mean you cannot see anything on the pic I posted, in which case yes your right the camera does not pick it up very well, but several of the vent slats have visible indications of the finish peeling off.

In any event its no longer relevant or concerns me, as the car has been sold.:)

[john57]

I assume you mean you cannot see anything on the pic I posted, in which case yes your right the camera does not pick it up very well, but several of the vent slats have visible indications of the finish peeling off.

In any event its no longer relevant or concerns me, as the car has been sold.:)

Sorry to hear that Cameron, but I hope you have better luck with your new car. Still a BMW, is it ? (-

[cameron66]

Sorry to hear that Cameron, but I hope you have better luck with your new car. Still a BMW, is it ? (-

Yes it is. the dash seems quite dated after the Insignia, but I can live with that, just too many issue's with the Insignia, you cant say I have not had patience with it. Perhaps I can start enjoying life again now. (-

[lewisburglin]

Yes it is. the dash seems quite dated after the Insignia, but I can live with that, just too many issue's with the Insignia, you cant say I have not had patience with it. Perhaps I can start enjoying life again now. (-

Did you sell it back to the dealer Cam? Its a shame your dealer let you down like that.:(

[Slider]

A real shame looks like you were really unlucky, but really appreciated the information you have provided give me lots of things to look out for. Fortunately no real worries to date.

[essixash]

Oh Cam thats a right shame :( really sorry to hear that mate

[Rockh]

Hope the Beemer is slightly more reliable. :)

Mine has developed a problem with the CID, off to the dealers on Tuesday for them to have a look and then god knows how long till they can replace it.

[cameron66]

Thanks guys for the good wishes. Had a phone call from a friend 30mins ago to tell me the CIM unit in his Insignia has decided to pack up, the dealer thinks thats what it is anyway. Every symbol on his intrument display is staying on permanently, and car refused to start. Apparently he had to be recovered by the RAC early this afternoon in Stafford, and his dealer cant give him a courtesy car until Monday, but the RAC have supplied him with one until then.
Its simply not good enough at all.

I'm out of pocket quite a lot of money, about 2.5k loss in 12 weeks, but worth paying to get rid of it. Its just been one thing after another, and when the gearbox went kaput last weekend, that was the last straw.

I certainly hope you guys are more fortunate. I've spent a hour this afternoon writing a strongly worded letter to VX, not that it will do me any good now, but it made me feel better. Time to move on.(-

[Vectra-Arctic]

This is my opinion.

I just don't like the look of the Insignia, and I wouldn't buy one.

[PRO-INSIGNIA]

I'm out of pocket quite a lot of money, about 2.5k loss in 12 weeks, but worth paying to get rid of it. Its just been one thing after another, and when the gearbox went kaput last weekend, that was the last straw..(-

What was the sympton with the gearbox Cam?:confused:

[cameron66]

What was the sympton with the gearbox Cam?:confused:

I noticed it first with difficulty going into 6th, like there was something across the gate preventing the lever coming back into position. It was like this a couple of times on the first day I had it, because I nearly took it back, but it went okay and TBH since then I actually thought it was one of the smoothest boxes I had used. Then while stationary when selecting first, it was dropping me into reverse without even pulling the catch up... frightening..lol I ended having to pull away in second.

A couple of other owners on another forum have had similar experiences with theirs too apparently, and last I heard they were using courtesy cars until it was sorted. In all cases the dealers were saying it was the gear cables, saying they had likely stretched, and had ordered new one's as they said they were not adjustable. Personally I doubt thats the case, have you seen how thick those cable are, they are massive.
I just think the cars jinxed, at least mine is. I just regret I did'nt reject it within the first couple of weeks, in fact I should'nt have drove it away on day-1. It would have saved me much worry and hassle, and a lot of money.

The problem is... if you dont reject the car almost as soon as you receive it you have little chance afterwards getting a refund, like our friend Mark with his Insignia in this thread. Make sure you read towards the end, after reading, post your comments 'What would you have done in his place' Edit... Just noticed you have to register on there now, but only take a couple of seconds and well worth reading of Marks expereince with his Insignia.

http://www.insignia-enthusiast.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=45&st=0&start=0

He's had numerious major problems like 3 replacement DMF Clutch flywheels within 4 months, plus other issues. His dealer had his car longer than he did.
VX are refusing to pay-up and the last I heard it was going to court, not sure if its been settled yet, as I've not checked the thread for a while, last I heard he had rejected it and refused to have it back, and had since bought a Rang Rover Discovery or something like that.

I am one of the most patient and amiable guys you will meet and TBH often vunerable in the sense I dont argue my corner when it comes to the crunch, but in this instance it was starting to get to me. In fact it was at my wifes insistance that it had to go, as I think she could see it was starting to affect my health. My health is not too good anyway and I as I've stated before I did'nt really fancy having to go down the route of rejecting it totally and possibly going to court to fight to get my money back. I can do without all that hassle, the last 3 months have been bad enough. They will of course take them back if your prepared to take a big hit in the pocket which I was, just to see the back of it.:(

The thing is... if I had not had all these problems, I'm sure I would be on here praising it up, because there was so much I liked about the car. I just feel I've been forced through no fault of my own to lose 2.5k on the car in just 12 weeks of ownership, and of course I've had to dig into the old savings to buy the beemer. The sons been telling me to get one for ages, he's a keen BMW fan, he's got a 330i coupe auto with folding metal roof thingy, superb car to drive, but quite pricy, certainly more than I would pay for a car. So if its turns out in time to be another duffer I shall blame him...lol :D

[para999]

still getting used to the car but a couple thing i have noticed is how noisy it is for a diesel compaired to other diesel motors. i think additional soundproofing would help.

the sat nav display is too bright.i know you can change it to night/day running and you can dim the display but if you dim it it dims the rest of the display lights as well which i don't want.

[cameron66]

still getting used to the car but a couple thing i have noticed is how noisy it is for a diesel compaired to other diesel motors. i think additional soundproofing would help.

the sat nav display is too bright.i know you can change it to night/day running and you can dim the display but if you dim it it dims the rest of the display lights as well which i don't want.

I think both the diesel and petrol versions are a little noiser than they need to be, and would benefit from more sound proofing, even the vx mechanic commented that he thought they had not used enough sound proofing on the models.

I did'nt have the Satnav version, but the centre display was far too bright compared with the rest of the displays, and AYS if you turn it down you cannot see the others. Could have done with balancing the display levels more evenly.

[rosco]

I think both the diesel and petrol versions are a little noiser than they need to be, and would benefit from more sound proofing, even the vx mechanic commented that he thought they had not used enough sound proofing on the models.

I did'nt have the Satnav version, but the centre display was far too bright compared with the rest of the displays, and AYS if you turn it down you cannot see the others. Could have done with balancing the display levels more evenly.

I got the 1.6 and its xxxxxx quiet with only the turbo really being heard.

As for the satnav the brightness on it seems to be fine on my my10 model. even compared to the instrument panel

[mitch1408]

Having only sat in mine in the dealers for 5 mins or so, I found loads of things I loved but a few I didnt.

I didnt like the phone holder in the centre, especially as i dont intend buying the cradle for it, it just takes up space i could put to better use. I also didnt like how flimsy the USB / AUX ports seemed, they moved ever so slightly but not as if it were intended! Also the surround for the AFL camera seemed very flimsy and loose fitting, it moved a good few mm and had no resistance when doing so!

Hopefully all of this is because its not had its Pre delivery Inspection yet, but only time will tell ....... 95 hours to be exact!! ;)

[thermalactivity]

I got the 1.6 and its xxxxxx quiet with only the turbo really being heard.
As for the satnav the brightness on it seems to be fine on my my10 model. even compared to the instrument panel

i agree with rosco on both points - my 160ps diesel is also quite quiet and ive adjusted the sat nav brightness so that it now doesnt blind me at night though isnt too dim during the day - if you still arent happy then it also has an auto day/night setting!

[Rockh]

i agree with rosco on both points - my 160ps diesel is also quite quiet and ive adjusted the sat nav brightness so that it now doesnt blind me at night though isnt too dim during the day - if you still arent happy then it also has an auto day/night setting!

I've got mine set to night mode, prefer it that way and after 2 days at the dealer I've got a working screen so I can actually see what I'm listening too. They even washed it, with a bucket of mud :( , my 5 year old can do a better job of washing the car.......They did a better job with the vacuum.

[hackjo]

The name.

[Melbury]

The name.
Yes! so how did we fall for it? Some call it their Insigmea and some 'the Ziggy'.
Maybe some will soon just remove that word from off the boot.
Think I'l just stick with it though!

[chris66]

Yes! so how did we fall for it? Some call it their Insigmea and some 'the Ziggy'.
Maybe some will soon just remove that word from off the boot.
Think I'l just stick with it though!

i've got a Cavalier badge you can have. would be a mk6 or 7 by now;)

[hackjo]

i've got a Cavalier badge you can have. would be a mk6 or 7 by now;)

You can't beat the Cav!

Insignia is OK - the reason why I don't like it is because a lot of people seem to use it as an opportunity to criticise the car saying it has a "xxxx" name.

Don't know what else they could have called it though! :)

[cameron66]

It would be interesting to have been around the table, when they did a research on what to call it, & the options they came up with.;);)


Maybe we oughta have a suggestion thread (a serious one) to see what folk think they could have called it??:)

Insignia means " a symbol of personal power" according to the wilkipedia site.

Also, if you recall that the Royal Mail changed their name briefly a while back to 'Insignia' and then spent further millions on renaming their vehicles back to The Royal Mail again later... plonkers.

Personally, I did'nt have any issue with the name.... just the car...lol(-

[mallyd]

As someone that doesn't have an Insignia (2 Chevettes, a Cav mk2 sri and half an xe powered kit car) I'll reply as an independant :D

I drive a new Laguna (I work for Renault UK . . . .) and typically don't like the auto lights . . they never come on/off when we would put them on, the auto handbrake and smart key card are brilliant, the stereo is over complicated and you can't silence the traffic news easily or switch it off without going through numerous Nav screens.
As for LED Day running lights, I think they look very smart and can understand the safety implications etc, but don't see the point in bringing attention to myself from a mile away when I'm sat at 85-90 on the motorway!

But it does make you laugh when you think about progress, I've got my Sri or Chevettes on the drive that you have to put the key in the lock, apply and release the handbrake manually and heavans above . . .switch the lights on and off :D The only time I use cruise control is through average speed cameras (which is often given my 2000 miles a week average) . . . and you don't complain when your in the older cars you just live with it.

I think the Insignia is a stunning looking car, and having served my time on Vauxhall's years ago am clearly a fan

[chris66]

As someone that doesn't have an Insignia (2 Chevettes, a Cav mk2 sri and half an xe powered kit car) I'll reply as an independant :D

I drive a new Laguna (I work for Renault UK . . . .) and typically don't like the auto lights . . they never come on/off when we would put them on, the auto handbrake and smart key card are brilliant, the stereo is over complicated and you can't silence the traffic news easily or switch it off without going through numerous Nav screens.
As for LED Day running lights, I think they look very smart and can understand the safety implications etc, but don't see the point in bringing attention to myself from a mile away when I'm sat at 85-90 on the motorway!

But it does make you laugh when you think about progress, I've got my Sri or Chevettes on the drive that you have to put the key in the lock, apply and release the handbrake manually and heavans above . . .switch the lights on and off :D The only time I use cruise control is through average speed cameras (which is often given my 2000 miles a week average) . . . and you don't complain when your in the older cars you just live with it.

I think the Insignia is a stunning looking car, and having served my time on Vauxhall's years ago am clearly a fan

i had cruise control in my Cav mk2 on most of the trip to Birmingham last week. the return spring on the throttle broke and it was ticking over at 3500 to 4000 revs. superb! pootling along at 80 on its own. lovely drive it was.:D

[stephen florida]

When I get my car in a couple of days , I hope i will have nothing to say in this thread "Things you don't like about it"

steve
www.bookmyvilla.com

[Vectra-Arctic]

Insignia means " a symbol of personal power" according to the wilkipedia site.

Also, if you recall that the Royal Mail changed their name briefly a while back to 'Insignia' and then spent further millions on renaming their vehicles back to The Royal Mail again later... plonkers.


It wasn't Insignia it was Consignia.

[afisher]

When I get my car in a couple of days , I hope i will have nothing to say in this thread "Things you don't like about it"

steve
www.bookmyvilla.com

I'm with you on that

[hackjo]

i had cruise control in my Cav mk2 on most of the trip to Birmingham last week. the return spring on the throttle broke and it was ticking over at 3500 to 4000 revs. superb! pootling along at 80 on its own. lovely drive it was.:D

Legendary! -)

[hackjo]

No idea's or input on what you think could have been on the table, when they came up with Insignia then??:confused::confused:
No-one has an idea of what would have been there own preference, such as Vectra-d?:eek:

It's a tricky one isn't it? I suppose "symbol of personal power" is a good description of what they're trying to do with the model.

Vectra wouldn't have been a good choice because of the baggage - perhaps a number or letter designation i.e. SD1 or XF (Rover and Jaguar models respectively)

[cameron66]

It wasn't Insignia it was Consignia.

Think you may be right matey.... knew it was something like that...lol(-

[mallyd]

Its not uncommon, I used to be an Ops Manager at a leasing company and jumped cars every two or three days for 4 years (unless I found something I really liked) and I have never been in any car that the kids could have the windows down and you wouldn't have air resonating around the interior. The reality is - if the kids want air open the front windows and they'll soon have more than enough! Also worth bearing in mind that once you hit 36mph the resistance caused by open windows to the airflow has a far more negative effect on your mpg than putting the aircon on!

[essixash]

As someone that doesn't have an Insignia (2 Chevettes, a Cav mk2 sri and half an xe powered kit car) I'll reply as an independant :D

I drive a new Laguna (I work for Renault UK . . . .) and typically don't like the auto lights . . they never come on/off when we would put them on, the auto handbrake and smart key card are brilliant, the stereo is over complicated and you can't silence the traffic news easily or switch it off without going through numerous Nav screens.
As for LED Day running lights, I think they look very smart and can understand the safety implications etc, but don't see the point in bringing attention to myself from a mile away when I'm sat at 85-90 on the motorway!

But it does make you laugh when you think about progress, I've got my Sri or Chevettes on the drive that you have to put the key in the lock, apply and release the handbrake manually and heavans above . . .switch the lights on and off :D The only time I use cruise control is through average speed cameras (which is often given my 2000 miles a week average) . . . and you don't complain when your in the older cars you just live with it.

I think the Insignia is a stunning looking car, and having served my time on Vauxhall's years ago am clearly a fan


I have the auto lights on my Insignia and they arent anything like u describe on the laguna. Im really chuffed i opted to have them. I was a little disappointed with the auto wipers at first but then i realised i didnt have them switched on properly :o lol so all good with them now too. My dad used to have the Laguna Estate and i agree the stereo was so complicated. The Insignia has the beauty of having all the extra's and gadgets but they are easy and obvious to use :)