Vauxhall Ampera

KELTICKNIGHTT · 16-02-2019 11:17pm

Talked to garage who who services Vauxhall ampera as they said have the equipment to device both the petrol engine and ev side there. They in wexford about 90 mins drive from me which is cool. Couldn't a garage so far in cork who does the same.partner likes the ampera better than any other hybrid out there. Looks like a choice between Vauxhall ampera or bmw i3 rex but like ampera better for many reasons. Looks like by end of summer we be getting ampera

KELTICKNIGHTT · 17-02-2019 8:38pm

Hi guys
As I'm new to all this ev stuff.can I charge the ampera with domestic 3 pin plug. Have a outside socket on shed which is on its own 30amp Breaker but would have to run a electric lead to from of house from outside socket on shed ???

slicedpanman · 17-02-2019 10:21pm

Yes you can use the standard 3 pin socket... Assuming that the car comes with a granny cable.

We've a charger and an outside socket. If the missus is charging her leaf I get relegated to the std socket.

Alkers · 17-02-2019 11:51pm

Simona1986 wrote:

3 pin soc

KELTICKNIGHTT wrote:

Hi guys As I'm new to all this ev stuff.can I charge the ampera with domestic 3 pin plug. Have a outside socket on shed which is on its own 30amp Breaker but would have to run a electric lead to from of house from outside socket on shed ???

You'll need an extension flex that is rated for 10a continuous which can be difficult enough to find and expensive.

KELTICKNIGHTT · 18-02-2019 1:07am

Simona1986 wrote: »

Simona1986 wrote:

3 pin soc

You'll need an extension flex that is rated for 10a continuous which can be difficult enough to find and expensive.

I see electricauto is selling a extension cable that goes onto granny cable but it's 370 euros. 1 look around to if I cn get better price

zilog_jones · 18-02-2019 11:11am

KELTICKNIGHTT wrote: »

Won't be till summer time when I buy. I look at bringing ampera from North or UK mainland then . From what I see here not too much vrt on ampera.

Uhh you know about this Brexit thing, right?

KELTICKNIGHTT · 18-02-2019 12:24pm

zilog_jones wrote: »

Uhh you know about this Brexit thing, right?

Who doent

zilog_jones · 18-02-2019 12:52pm

Depending on what way it goes, you may have to pay VAT and import duty on a used car imported from the UK. I'd say it's unlikely you won't.

ELM327 · 18-02-2019 1:29pm

Sterling will plummet in all likelihood though, more than compensating for the above.

KELTICKNIGHTT · 18-02-2019 1:36pm

zilog_jones wrote: »

Depending on what way it goes, you may have to pay VAT and import duty on a used car imported from the UK. I'd say it's unlikely you won't.

Who knows what happen with this brexit .but if worse case then I be looking bmw i3 rex or Outlander phev.
If UK leaves with no deal then UK will go into recession then who knows what deals will come.
Think there's alot of twists and turns with this brexit yet.

ELM327 · 18-02-2019 2:22pm

+1
No one knows what will happen, it's uncharted waters.

I for one still believe it will not happen at all, they will extend article 50 and call a second referendum or election and then cancel.

But this is not the politics forum and I digress. It's possible that if there is a no deal brexit that cars first registered before the date of exit (ie registered 28/3/19 or before) will not be subject to VAT on import as they were already purchased in the EU and VAT paid.

KELTICKNIGHTT · 23-02-2019 4:19am

We got charging points fitted near my work so I'm sorted.think I get zappi charging point for home charging.

KELTICKNIGHTT · 24-02-2019 1:47am

been looking at reviews of vauxhall ampera and lexus ct200h

i keep liking the ampera but only thing worries me if there a problem with transmission but in trouble as no support unless the garage in wexford can fix it.
like the ampera as the petrol engine doesn't run the wheels only genie which is big plus to me and says a range of 370 plus miles between the battery and petrol in ampera.
i read the ampera is same size as insignia.
the ampera or lexus ct200h or outlander phev will work perfect fort me as i can charge close to work and i get granny setup till i grt grant and put in zappi charge at home so wouldn't use petrol except the long trips i do few times a month.
so i think i be changing sooner than i planned in summer i say.

zilog_jones · 25-02-2019 10:36am

The CT200h isn't a plug-in hybrid...

KELTICKNIGHTT · 25-02-2019 12:58pm

zilog_jones wrote: »

The CT200h isn't a plug-in hybrid...

I be getting either ampera if I can source if not mad money to bring in and if I can't then be Outlander phev.
Want to have plan in place to charge at home.
Many companies out trying to make big money installing a home charging point. Some of them a mad.

Been a learning curve the last couple months when I decided go hybrid route.

Is there a timing belt in petrol engine in ampera or timing chain .if timing belt .When it get change and any idea how much to change.

n97 mini · 25-02-2019 1:22pm

KELTICKNIGHTT wrote: »

Is there a timing belt in petrol engine in ampera or timing chain .if timing belt .When it get change and any idea how much to change.

Chain

garciasa · 01-03-2019 1:17pm

Hi guys,
I'm looking to buy an Ampera.

Tomorrow I had to go Kildare to have a look the only I've seen in Ireland, but it's gone, yesterday someone bought it... Who of you guys have bought it? hahaha

I live in Wexford, so Can anyone tell me where is the garage/person can do the service (electric) to this car in case I've got any issue?

I hope sooner be the owner to share experiences...

Alkers · 01-03-2019 1:43pm

garciasa wrote:

I live in Wexford, so Can anyone tell me where is the garage/person can do the service (electric) to this car in case I've got any issue?

Ryan's Automotive in Enniscorthy confirmed to me they can do it and have one customer with one for the last 3 or 4 years. I never used them in the end, I'm based in Dublin.

garciasa · 01-03-2019 1:52pm

Simona1986 wrote: »

Ryan's Automotive in Enniscorthy confirmed to me they can do it and have one customer with one for the last 3 or 4 years. I never used them in the end, I'm based in Dublin.

Thank you very much

Cardenkelly · 24-03-2019 12:48am

garciasa wrote: »

Hi guys,
I'm looking to buy an Ampera.

Tomorrow I had to go Kildare to have a look the only I've seen in Ireland, but it's gone, yesterday someone bought it... Who of you guys have bought it? hahaha

I live in Wexford, so Can anyone tell me where is the garage/person can do the service (electric) to this car in case I've got any issue?

I hope sooner be the owner to share experiences...

i have one, bought up north last month. vauxhall have no one to service it on their books but lucky for you they accept an independent in WEXFORD (new ross) you can email me
tridentatlive.ie with any questions. mick

Cardenkelly · 24-03-2019 12:51am

garciasa wrote: »

Hi guys,
I'm looking to buy an Ampera.

Tomorrow I had to go Kildare to have a look the only I've seen in Ireland, but it's gone, yesterday someone bought it... Who of you guys have bought it? hahaha

I live in Wexford, so Can anyone tell me where is the garage/person can do the service (electric) to this car in case I've got any issue?

I hope sooner be the owner to share experiences...

better to import from uk. better roads and cheaper. my vrt was only 520e
on the ampera i got

Cardenkelly · 24-03-2019 1:02am

KELTICKNIGHTT wrote: »

I be getting either ampera if I can source if not mad money to bring in and if I can't then be Outlander phev.
Want to have plan in place to charge at home.
Many companies out trying to make big money installing a home charging point. Some of them a mad.

Been a learning curve the last couple months when I decided go hybrid route.

Is there a timing belt in petrol engine in ampera or timing chain .if timing belt .When it get change and any idea how much to change.

hi mate-i have an ampera i imported. cheaper in uk by a long way and driven on better roads. as for which you buy depends on what you may want from the car. the amp is a sports car and as a 6'2" guy im comfortable in it buy miss the room i had in my merc jeep.
also it only seats 4 as opposed to the outlander which can hold a tribe

but jeeze is it quick and i adore the dash graphics.
i got my electrician to run a cable from the fuze board to a sealed unit, cost 120e. do not run a granny on a commom house cable as its not safe
to draw power over the length of time a car needs. it heats up very quickly !!!

Cardenkelly · 24-03-2019 1:58am

KELTICKNIGHTT wrote: »

Who knows what happen with this brexit .but if worse case then I be looking bmw i3 rex or Outlander phev.
If UK leaves with no deal then UK will go into recession then who knows what deals will come.
Think there's alot of twists and turns with this brexit yet.

hi keltic charles hurst in lisburn sells them on a regular basis. its where i got my ampera. would save on the petrol and ferry cost of importing from uk.
im sure they'd be happy to email u when one comes in

KELTICKNIGHTT · 24-03-2019 2:16am

Cardenkelly wrote: »

hi keltic charles hurst in lisburn sells them on a regular basis. its where i got my ampera. would save on the petrol and ferry cost of importing from uk.
im sure they'd be happy to email u when one comes in

Cheers. I give them a call. Do you do straight buy iff them

Cardenkelly · 24-03-2019 2:57am

KELTICKNIGHTT wrote: »

Cheers. I give them a call. Do you do straight buy iff them

hi mate, yes it was a cash buy. i transferred direct into their a/c which took 2 hours. they wont do hp for southern customers as we're FOREIGNERS, lol

KELTICKNIGHTT · 24-03-2019 3:00am

Cardenkelly wrote: »

hi mate, yes it was a cash buy. i transferred direct into their a/c which took 2 hours. they wont do hp for southern customers as we're FOREIGNERS, lol

I heard that. I be doing it in late summer. I see what's around for ampera. I be looking at 2013 upwards. Was told not to buy 2012 model .

Cardenkelly · 24-03-2019 3:01am

KELTICKNIGHTT wrote: »

Cheers. I give them a call. Do you do straight buy iff them

talk to Adam 00442892665270. as they no longer have an electrical mechanic
to service, they now accept independent contractors. check you have one close to you before you buy. what part of the country are u living??

Cardenkelly · 24-03-2019 3:05am

KELTICKNIGHTT wrote: »

I heard that. I be doing it in late summer. I see what's around for ampera. I be looking at 2013 upwards. Was told not to buy 2012 model .

no dont because all the quirks were fixed on the later model. also try get an electron over a positif as its similar price but fully loaded. fkn dream car it is,
drives better than my merc 300e i blew up.!!

KELTICKNIGHTT · 24-03-2019 3:09am

Cardenkelly wrote: »

talk to Adam 00442892665270. as they no longer have an electrical mechanic
to service, they now accept independent contractors. check you have one close to you before you buy. what part of the country are u living??

I'm in cork . I found a garage in cork that servce ev and hybrids. Plus there a garage in wexford which is only a good hour drive away

KELTICKNIGHTT · 24-03-2019 3:11am

Cardenkelly wrote: »

no dont because all the quirks were fixed on the later model. also try get an electron over a positif as its similar price but fully loaded. fkn dream car it is,
drives better than my merc 300e i blew up.!!

Ampera a nice piece of kit from all the reviews and owner reviews .pity weren't many sold here.

Cardenkelly · 24-03-2019 3:13am

KELTICKNIGHTT wrote: »

I'm in cork . I found a garage in cork that servce ev and hybrids. Plus there a garage in wexford which is only a good hour drive away

yes ryans, ten min from new ross. very good he is too. he trains others on ev cars. and he will charge up your car b4 u leave too.!!

Cardenkelly · 24-03-2019 3:19am

KELTICKNIGHTT wrote: »

Ampera a nice piece of kit from all the reviews and owner reviews .pity weren't many sold here.

i love the fact ive got the only one round here in tipp. i get so many questions on it. its a very pretty sporty looking car. its low profile so very nippy but speed bumps are a problem. gotta go slow over them. if u want to test one b4 buying ill give u a run so u can be sure u like it. right im off to sleep. !!!!!

KELTICKNIGHTT · 24-03-2019 3:19am

Cardenkelly wrote: »

yes ryans, ten min from new ross. very good he is too. he trains others on ev cars. and he will charge up your car b4 u leave too.!!

Sent Charles hurst a email asking to let me know when they get ampera in stock again.i drop a message if I get one.i was talking to my electrician and he quoted me 130 e to setup a changing point if I buy.

KELTICKNIGHTT · 24-03-2019 3:21am

Cardenkelly wrote: »

i love the fact ive got the only one round here in tipp. i get so many questions on it. its a very pretty sporty looking car. its low profile so very nippy but speed bumps are a problem. gotta go slow over them. if u want to test one b4 buying ill give u a run so u can be sure u like it. right im off to sleep. !!!!!

Cheers.might take you up on that so see what it's like before I buy.cheers for info

n97 mini · 24-03-2019 9:09pm

Cardenkelly wrote: »

better to import from uk. better roads and cheaper. my vrt was only 520e
on the ampera i got

They're all UK imports. Electricautos imports them directly. You'll possibly pay more but you'll get a clean car and a warranty.

n97 mini · 24-03-2019 9:14pm

Cardenkelly wrote: »

no dont because all the quirks were fixed on the later model. also try get an electron over a positif as its similar price but fully loaded. fkn dream car it is,
drives better than my merc 300e i blew up.!!

Btw, the reg plate usually has no bearing on the model year. There are plenty of cars on 2015 plates that are 2012. Easy way to tell is 2013 has a full armrest in the back, 2012 doesn't. Or the 10th digit of the VIN. C=2012, D=2013.

gunnerfitzy · 10-04-2019 4:44pm

Another Ampera for the club.

Picked it up in UK yesterday. MY13 with 63k miles. Looks about 50% electric miles, 50% ICE. FVSH - remainder of Voltec warranty in place.

So much nicer ride than the i3.

Any advice from current Ampera owners welcome.

Alkers · 10-04-2019 5:31pm

gunnerfitzy wrote:

Picked it up in UK yesterday. MY13 with 63k miles. Looks about 50% electric miles, 50% ICE. FVSH - remainder of Voltec warranty in place.

Congrats, well wear!

unkel · 10-04-2019 5:58pm

Looks good, well wear!

coolisin · 10-04-2019 9:38pm

enjoy well wear, looks good in that picture.

slicedpanman · 10-04-2019 10:01pm

Congrats... Looks great in black

Btw a few posts back I was asking if anyone was having issues with their radio sticking with an FM channel. Mine kept moving away on its own.

I recently had my 12V battery replaced and have not had the issue once since. So possibly 12V related

gunnerfitzy · 11-04-2019 6:57am

slicedpanman wrote: »

Congrats... Looks great in black

Btw a few posts back I was asking if anyone was having issues with their radio sticking with an FM channel. Mine kept moving away on its own.

I recently had my 12V battery replaced and have not had the issue once since. So possibly 12V related

I’m going to check the health of the 12v battery to see if there is any sign of it deteriorating. No note of it being previously changed in the service documentation. Halfords stock a compatible battery so first sign of a problem and I’ll change it.

n97 mini · 11-04-2019 9:16am

gunnerfitzy wrote: »

I’m going to check the health of the 12v battery to see if there is any sign of it deteriorating. No note of it being previously changed in the service documentation. Halfords stock a compatible battery so first sign of a problem and I’ll change it.

Halfords sell a compatible Yuasa battery, YBX9027. Make sure it's that one. Others will fit but they're not AGM. It's also special order... Took about 4 weeks to arrive.

gunnerfitzy · 11-04-2019 1:07pm

n97 mini wrote: »

Halfords sell a compatible Yuasa battery, YBX9027. Make sure it's that one. Others will fit but they're not AGM. It's also special order... Took about 4 weeks to arrive.

That's the one I was looking at. Didn't know it would take that long to arrive though. If there is any indication of the current battery being on way out I'll just change it.

n97 mini · 11-04-2019 3:53pm

gunnerfitzy wrote: »

That's the one I was looking at. Didn't know it would take that long to arrive though. If there is any indication of the current battery being on way out I'll just change it.

In my case there were a couple of screw-ups too. Deliveries arrived with no battery, had to be chased up etc. In fairness the staff in the Liffey Valley shop were very good for keeping me updated.

Have you an OBD dongle? With Torque you can find the battery voltage. If it's below 12v with the car off (try it first thing in the morning) it probably needs to go. A multimeter will work too, but obviously you'll have a bit for faffing to do.

If the battery that's in there is a Delco, it's probably the original one.

gunnerfitzy · 11-04-2019 3:58pm

n97 mini wrote: »

In my case there were a couple of screw-ups too. Deliveries arrived with no battery, had to be chased up etc. In fairness the staff in the Liffey Valley shop were very good for keeping me updated.

Have you an OBD dongle? With Torque you can find the battery voltage. If it's below 12v with the car off (try it first thing in the morning) it probably needs to go. A multimeter will work too, but obviously you'll have a bit for faffing to do.

If the battery that's in there is a Delco, it's probably the original one.

I have an OBD dongle and Torque - never thought of using it to check the voltage, would have been messing with a multimeter! Cheers!!

Soarer · 12-04-2019 2:38pm

gunnerfitzy wrote: »

I’m going to check the health of the 12v battery to see if there is any sign of it deteriorating. No note of it being previously changed in the service documentation. Halfords stock a compatible battery so first sign of a problem and I’ll change it.

I've a 12V trickle charger if you want to borrow it.

Might extend the life of the original one for a while.

gunnerfitzy · 12-04-2019 8:14pm

Soarer wrote: »

I've a 12V trickle charger if you want to borrow it.

Might extend the life of the original one for a while.

Cheers. Must take a proper look at the battery over the weekend.

slicedpanman · 13-04-2019 6:36am

Just to add to the things to note on low 12V...
So aside from the radio randomly changing channels my other grip was the charge port door. It didn't open properly at all. I'd have to press the button on the remote and and the same time give the door a gentle pull.

Since sorting the battery - it pops wide open on key fob button press.

So, unless I'm imagining all this

, 2 signs of low 12v; random radio issues and charge port door not opening

Cardenkelly · 19-04-2019 1:57pm

slicedpanman wrote: »

It's too far and too much hassle from Limerick for me, I'll take my chances

Hi there, Vauxhall have no one up north now to service and informed me that if an independent mechanic has the necessary courses done, my warranty is still valid. I had work done in Ryan’s Enniscorthy. I’ve convinced my mechanic mate to do the course as he’ll have a monopoly in the Tipperary area.

Vauxhall Ampera

Comments