Vectra Spewing Black Smoke: Fuel System Crisis

Hey there, I had almost identical issues with my '07 Vauxhall Astra (gas engine) last summer. Black smoke, power loss, and terrible fuel economy, sounds exactly like what I went through. Turned out it was definitely a faulty fuel injector. Took it to my regular mechanic, and they diagnosed it with their diagnostic tool. One of the injectors was completely clogged and misfiring, causing all those symptoms you described. They had to replace the defective injector and clean the entire fuel injection system. It was quite a serious job because a bad injector can actually damage your engine if left unfixed. The repair took about a day and a half because they wanted to test everything properly afterward. Since then, my car's been running like new, no more black smoke, power's back, and fuel consumption is normal again. If you want I can recommend my mechanic. They're specialists with Vauxhall fuel systems and do honest work. Hope this helps!

Thanks for sharing your experience! That's really helpful to know it was the injector causing all that trouble. Been a while since your repair, do you remember roughly how much it set you back? Also, has everything stayed running smoothly since then, or have you had any other issues pop up?

Hey again! Yeah, absolutely, happy to share more details! After getting the injector fixed last summer, I've had zero problems with it. The car's running perfectly smooth now, and the fuel economy is back to normal. The functional limitation of the injection system that was causing all those headaches is completely sorted. The total bill came to 515.00 € for replacing the defective injector. Might sound a bit steep, but considering how much better the car runs now and how it's stopped wasting fuel, it was totally worth it. Plus, you really don't want to mess around with injection problems, they can cause some serious engine damage if you leave them too long. My mechanic did a really thorough job, and I haven't had a single issue since. No more black smoke, no more power loss, nothing. It's like driving a different car! Let me know if you want my mechanic's details, they really know their stuff when it comes to these issues.

Thanks so much for all the info! I bit the bullet and took my car to your recommended mechanic yesterday. You were spot on, it was indeed a faulty injector! They did a complete diagnostic and found two injectors were actually playing up. The whole thing cost me about 800€ for replacing both injectors and cleaning the system, but wow, what a difference! Took it for a test drive this morning and it's like I'm driving a new car. No more black smoke, engine's running smooth, and the power's back. Even the check engine light's gone off. Your mechanic was great too, super professional and explained everything clearly. They even showed me the old injectors and pointed out what was wrong with them. Really glad I didn't put this off any longer. Thanks again for the recommendation, you really helped me dodge what could've been a much bigger (and more expensive) problem down the line! Catch you later!