Metal in Oil: Vauxhall Insignia's Engine Crisis Deepens

Had similar issues with my 2011 Vauxhall Astra 1.6T. The symptoms matched yours exactly, power loss, rough idle, and that worrying valve noise. Took it to my regular mechanic last month. Turned out the valve servomotor was completely shot, and it was messing with the variable valve timing. The metal in the oil was definitely a red flag. The fix wasn't quick, had my car in the garage for three days. They had to replace the servomotor and clean out the entire variable valve timing system. This was pretty serious stuff since metal fragments had gotten into places they shouldn't be. They also had to flush the oil system thoroughly to get rid of all the metal particles. My mechanic said if I'd kept driving it like that, I could've ended up with major engine damage. These symptoms aren't something you want to ignore on an Insignia (or any car really). Best get it checked ASAP by someone who knows Vauxhalls well, these timing issues can get much worse if left unchecked.

Thanks this sounds exactly like what I'm dealing with! Good to hear you got it sorted. I'm actually planning to take it to the garage this week. Just curious, do you remember roughly how much you ended up paying for all the work? And has everything been running smoothly since the repair, or have you noticed any other issues popping up?

Hey again! Yeah, I'm happy to update you, I actually just got my Astra sorted last month, and it was exactly what I suspected. The total bill came to 405€ for fixing the valve servomotor that was causing all that trouble. Since getting it fixed, the car's running like a dream, no more jerking, weird noises, or power issues. It's honestly like driving a different car now! The mechanic confirmed it was definitely an error in the camshaft adjustment that was causing all those symptoms we discussed. I'm so glad I got it sorted when I did, apparently, these things can get really expensive if you let them go too long. I've put about 2,000 km on it since the repair, and everything's been spot on, normal fuel consumption, smooth idle, and the engine's purring like it should. Best money I've spent on the car in ages, to be honest. Definitely worth getting yours checked out ASAP if you're seeing the same issues. Let me know how you get on!

Wanted to update you all on what happened with my Insignia! Finally got it sorted last week, and what a relief. Took it to a specialist Vauxhall garage that someone recommended to me. You were spot on, it was indeed the valve timing system causing all the drama. Cost me a bit more than yours though, came to about 580€ in total because they had to replace a few extra bits that had gotten damaged. But honestly? Worth every penny. The car's running like new now, no more scary noises, power's back to normal, and it's not drinking fuel like a thirsty camel anymore. The mechanic was actually really decent, showed me all the damaged parts and explained everything clearly. Even gave me some tips about preventive maintenance to avoid similar issues in the future. Much better experience than my last garage nightmare! Thanks everyone for the advice, especially about getting it checked quickly. You probably saved me from a much bigger repair bill down the line. Time to enjoy my smoothly running car again!