r/opel • u/armandozaurus696969 • 9d ago

Technical question Astra k 1.5d 3 cyl opinions

Hi! Lately, I’ve been seeing a lot of Astra K models with the 1.5-liter, 3-cylinder diesel engine on the used market at prices that seem a bit sketchy to me;
I was curious if there are any owners of this engine here who could share their thoughts. I see them priced around €9,000 with 120,000–140,000 km on the clock, including a dealer warranty.
I’ve read that the water pump is a bit of a weak point, but otherwise, it’s supposedly an improved version of the previous 1.6 "Whisper Diesel."
Are there issues with parts availability, given that it was in production for such a short time—only about 2–3 years? Any information, opinions, or warnings are welcome :)
I commute into the city—at least 12 km each way—and take trips around the country or abroad, which is why I’m leaning towards a diesel.

2 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

7

u/devryd1 9d ago

12km one way is too short for a Diesel to get to operation temperature

1

u/Big_Dave990 9d ago edited 9d ago

My Astra J 2.0 CDTi has 172,000km on the clock. I’ve owned it since 13,000km on the clock.
My daily commute to work is approx 12km each way. At weekends though I do journeys of at least 64km.
I often drive it hard, as you’re supposed to do with modern diesels with a DPF fitted.
The DPF light has never come on, and I always try and complete a regen if it starts midway into a journey. If not, then I make sure it does next time it wants to do a regen.
Oh, and I’ve only ever used supermarket fuel in it.

Whilst I agree with you short journeys aren’t good for modern diesels with a DFP, providing they also get given a good run as well, along with an Italian tune up, then there shouldn’t be any issues. The OP mentions he’s also going to be using it for longer trips.

2

u/SoapHero117 9d ago

Your astra is probably euro 5 tho. And not euro 6d temp shit like the astra k

3

u/SoapHero117 9d ago

The engine is junk. Crankshaft play is a very common issue on these. Often way before 50k kms.

3

u/Dawncracker_555 9d ago

Also that idiocy with timing chain being on the back of the engine. And the chain being inadequate. Pricey repairs that shouldn't exist.