Insignia 2.8 4x4 260

[tw1ce]

Hello mates,

Any 2.8 260hp owners out there? I plan on getting one so I wanted to know if this engine is good, does it have any problems? How reliable it is and how is the fuel consumption? It's a 59 plate with 100k miles on it. Any suggestions?

[0011728]

Don't know about the engine but the Haldex 4x4 on the early cars is suspect and very expensive to repair / replace (much more than the cost of your vehicle being a 59 plate) so ensure you get a warranty that covers the Haldex.

[ilunn]

I would also check the road tax cost per year it could be in the £540 bracket so you could use to barter the price down.

[marko301]

Hi,
2000rpm has a 2.8t. He may be along shortly to help you with your inquiry.

[2000rpm]

Don't know about the engine but the Haldex 4x4 on the early cars is suspect and very expensive to repair / replace (much more than the cost of your vehicle being a 59 plate) so ensure you get a warranty that covers the Haldex.

I agree with this.
Be wary of Haldex on earlier cars. It needs servicing every 3yrs/20k even though it's not mentioned in a service schedule.
Also be wary of timing chains in earlier cars, due to a dodgy batch of chains.

Both the above can be very expensive to fix.

Personally, I'd look for a 2011 or later one but very few were built after 2010 as most people went for the VXR and the 2.0T (250) replaced the 2.8T (260) in the Elite trim level.

Fuel consumption actually matches the official figures, unlike most cars that don't even get close. So 15mpg in rush hour, 20mpg in flowing town traffic, 35mpg on longer runs.

[VXRoads]

Hi, I have a 2.8t estate and agree with 2000rpm comments above.
No doubt it is thirsty around town but on a run it will make mid 30s with still a bit of fun on the way!
V6 is super smooth in my opinion if a little slow on the change down, though better in Sport mode.
I've had mine for 2.5 years and done about 12k miles so not massive mileage, it's been good I think, just battery change, front pads (done myself....really easy), common coolant expansion tank issue (done myself, really easy).
I've also fitted a tow bar and electrics which was straight forward.
Car is really comfortable and loads of space!
Let me know if you need any other info.

[tw1ce]

Thank you guys for your replies! I was away busy with work and I just managed to sit and get some time to reply.

I've found few insignias in the 5500 range. Sadly but warranty is not an option on them. Two of them being the 2.8 (2009) with around 100k on the clock. 2000rpm, I'm not afraid of servicing it every 20k as I'm of finding replacement. If it's only servicing oil and filter that's good but if there are many customers with broken Haldex on them I would be worried for sure. Is it only the timing chain dodgy on that engine?

Are some of the horror stories about the auto transmission true or it is a good one? Friend of mine also told me someone changed 3 turbos on it and had a leaking exhaust manifold.

I really look forward buying this car as I believe it's very fun to drive since the other engines seem much slower.

P.S I'm looking at a 1.4T Insignia with Cosmo package too (same price more miles), manual and no 4x4 which makes your pocket safer but I think we all know the difference in the pleasure, even tho that pleasure could be very costly.

[2000rpm]

...... If it's only servicing oil and filter that's good but if there are many customers with broken Haldex on them I would be worried for sure.....

The problem appears to be that the haldex oil quality degrades with time and mileage and the haldex oil filter clogs up which then kills the haldex pump and the haldex soon follows.
Servicing the diff periodically greatly reduces the risk of failure but as it's not in the service schedule and as most people try to get away with spending as little as possible on maintaining their car, there are a lot of neglected haldex units which fail. Probably once in the life of the car it might benefit from a new haldex pump as a precaution.
Other manufacturers with similar haldex units that don't specify a service interval also end up with high failure rates similar to Vauxhall.
Would you run your engine without periodic oil and filter changes? Would you never change the brake fluid? Would you never change the water pump?

During the first couple of years of production there were also some cars with incorrectly manufactured seals in the haldex which leaked, causing the haldex to fail.

Is it only the timing chain dodgy on that engine?

Again, in the first couple of years of production there was an incorrectly manufactured batch of timing chains which also affected VXR/OPC models.

..Are some of the horror stories about the auto transmission true or it is a good one?.....

What problems have you heard about? Plenty of other manufacturers have very unreliable auto boxes and having to replace clutch (and DMF) on manual transmissions seems very common for most manufacturers so whichever transmission you choose could cost money or might be perfectly reliable.

.... Friend of mine also told me someone changed 3 turbos on it and had a leaking exhaust manifold...

Not something I've heard of. No more risk of a problem than any other manufacturer. Also the 2.8 engine doesn't coke-up like many other engines because it's port injection rather than direct injection.

...I really look forward buying this car as I believe it's very fun to drive since the other engines seem much slower....

The car doesn't feel as quick as it is which I suspect is due to only being lightly turbocharged therefore power delivery is more linear rather than boosty. However, because the engine is quite large it's happy to spend most of its time quietly creeping about with rpms barely above idle.
With 98+ octane fuel the engine is designed to uprate to 280PS/400Nm, with 95 octane it's the official figure 260PS/350Nm.
The auto 2.8 is more of an executive express than a sports car; it seems designed for swift smooth progress without drama.