The standard letter from Vauxhall

Dear XXXXX,

I was pleased to learn that you have ordered a Vauxhall Zafira.

However I am sorry to learn of the concerns that you have heard about the thefts of the spare wheels and can certainly appreciate your frustration and concern.

The Vauxhall Zafira has always met all European safety and security standards, and from a design point of view there is no fault with the affixing bracket.

The bracket does what it is designed to do, and although the wheel needs to be held securely to the vehicle, it also needs to be fairly easily accessible to the vehicle user as soon as required.

Whilst not widespread, we have become aware that Zafira spare wheel thefts have become prevalent in certain areas of the country.

Our Product Department has been advised of a security device called a K-Lok Series 19 available from a company called Osprey Products. The device can be seen on their website www.ospreyproducts.co.uk and the company can be contacted on: 01263 735865. We understand that the K-Lok Series 19 is suitable for vehicles of various manufacture with externally held wheels.

Although not evaluated by Vauxhall, it is thought to be theft proof.

Please be assured that we will continue to work closely with the police and other security companies in an effort to combat vehicle theft and theft from vehicles.

Regards

XXXXX

The Zafira is a good all round family car

Based on the Vauxhall Astra chassis, there are quite a few similarities between the two cars, such as the general driving ride and the quality of the car as a whole.

There have been a few problems that general users have seen with the cars, such as:

• The engine cutting out when idle.
• The In car radio not functioning correctly.
• A squeaking noise from the brakes after only 10,000 miles or so use.
• Spare wheel thefts.
• A necessity to keep refilling the oil on diesel models (1 litre every thousand miles or so).
• Small storage space.
• Strange engine noises which can not be located or fixed.

Saying this, however. The car is very practical and does have some very good points. The innovative ’Flex 7’ seating system makes it very easy to switch the car from 5 to 7 seats without too much hassle.

Other nice features include easy access to the car thanks to the wide opening doors, ideal for families with small children, and an anti-stall device. Designed to stop the car from stalling a low revs.

The car is generally very good and although a minority of owners have had some problems, it represents extremley good value for money and provides a great means of getting the whole family from one place to another.