Black Smoke & Stalling: Insignia Diesel Crisis

I had a similar issue with my 2012 Vauxhall Astra 2.0 CDTi last summer. The symptoms were exactly like yours, black smoke, stalling, and terrible response when accelerating. Turned out the fuel injector cable was damaged, and one of the plugs was completely worn out. Got it fixed at my local Vauxhall specialist. They had to replace the entire wiring harness for the injector system and two faulty plugs. It wasn't a quick fix, took them nearly two days to sort everything out. This was actually quite serious because damaged cables can mess with the fuel injection timing and potentially wreck your engine if left unfixed. My advice? Don't wait on this one. Find a certified Vauxhall specialist, it's worth it for diesel injection system issues. The guy I went to had proper diagnostic tools and fixed it right the first time.

Thanks for sharing that, it definitely sounds like what I'm experiencing with my Insignia! I ended up getting mine fixed a couple months back after it started giving me grief. Just curious, do you remember roughly how much you had to pay for the repair? Also, has everything been running smoothly since then, or have you had any other issues pop up? My mechanic mentioned I might need to keep an eye on the EGR valve too.

Hey there! Thanks for asking. Yeah, since getting it fixed at the Vauxhall specialist, my Astra's been running like a charm! The total bill came to 95.00 € for sorting out that faulty cable and plug, honestly, I was relieved it wasn't more expensive, given how much trouble it was causing. The best part is that those fuel composition errors I was getting completely disappeared after the repair. It's like having a different car now, no more black smoke, smooth acceleration, and the engine's purring like it should. Haven't had a single problem since then. About the EGR valve, mine's been fine so far, but it's definitely something worth monitoring. These diesels can be a bit finicky with their EGR systems. Keep an eye on your exhaust smoke and if you notice any rough idling, that might be your EGR starting to play up. Just make sure you stay on top of regular maintenance and you should be good. Let me know if you need anything else!

Thanks a lot for the detailed follow-up! Really glad to hear your Astra's running well now. I actually just got back from the mechanic yesterday, finally bit the bullet and took it to a Vauxhall specialist you recommended. Turns out it was pretty similar to your issue, faulty injector wiring and some worn-out components. The whole thing set me back about 110€, which wasn't as bad as I'd feared. They sorted it out in about a day and a half, and I've got to say, the difference is like night and day! No more black smoke, the engine's responsive again, and that annoying check engine light is finally off. They did mention keeping an eye on the EGR valve, just like you said. I'll definitely stay on top of the maintenance this time, learned my lesson about waiting too long! Really appreciate all your help and advice. Sometimes it just takes someone else's experience to give you that push to get things sorted properly. Take care!