Car Model Guide/ Opel/ Astra/ J/ 2.0 CDTI

2.0 CDTI A20DTH

The diesel almost every Insignia and many an Astra carries. It's strong and cheap to run, and two things decide whether it's a bargain: the timing chain, which is a wear item here rather than a lifetime part, and a particulate filter that punishes short journeys.

Overview

The 2.0 CDTI is the A20DTH diesel version of the Opel Astra hatchback (J), sold 2009–2015 with 160 PS and manual or automatic. Demands diligence at level 3. The same timing-chain wear and particulate-filter sensitivity as the Insignia, on a cheaper car where the repair hurts more. 3 failure modes are recorded against its engine, gearbox, chassis and shared components. Prices on this page are illustrative placeholders rather than a sourced market sample. See the methodology for how the bands are derived.

Opel Astra hatchback (J) · photo 2012 Opel Astra (AS) 1.4 Turbo 5-door hatchback (2015-07-10) 01 by OSX · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Power160 PS

Torque350 Nm

Years2009–2015

Fueldiesel

DriveFWD

EnginesA20DTH

Biggest risks

Ranked by probability × repair cost. 3 recorded in total.

52Demands diligence

Timing chain stretch€900–€1,600checkable
DPF clogging and forced regeneration€250–€1,800partly checkable
EGR cooler leak€400–€1,000partly checkable

Risk level −22 · Likely spend vs price −26 · all issues →

System by system9 systems reviewed · 7 with no recurring fault reported

Engine⚠ attentionTiming chain stretch, €900–€1,600.

Fuel system✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

Intake & air✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

Cooling✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

Emissions⚠ attentionDPF clogging and forced regeneration, €250–€1,800.+1 more in this system

Transmission✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

Electrics✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

Suspension & brakes✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

Body & interior✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

Pre-facelift or facelift, this engine spans both

The same badge either side of the changeover. Bands are split at the facelift year from the generation record.

Phase	Years	Low	Average	High	Good buy	What differs
pre Pre-facelift	2009–2011	€1,000	€1,800	€3,100	€1,400	The specification the car launched with.
LCI Facelift (LCI)	2012–2015	€1,100	€1,950	€3,400	€1,550	Revised trim and engines; New 1.6 turbo petrol

Known issues, ranked by expected cost

Faults recorded against this engine, its components and its chassis, ranked by likelihood × repair cost. Costs are indicative ranges with a stated labour basis.

Timing chain stretchA20DTH 2.0 CDTI€900–€1,600

A rattle from the front of the engine for a second or two on cold start, and eventually a chain or timing fault code. The chain and its guides wear rather than lasting the life of the engine. Extended oil intervals and short-trip use bring it on sooner, and on a car of this value the repair is a large share of what it's worth.

Check: Arrive to a stone-cold engine and listen through the first few seconds. A rattle that clears as oil pressure builds is the fault, and it should price the car.

EnginecommonDetectable at viewingevidence: documented120–200k km

DPF clogging and forced regenerationDPF€250–€1,800

Warning light, limp mode, oil level rising above the maximum mark from fuel dilution. The filter needs sustained hot running to regenerate. A car used for short urban trips never completes a regeneration cycle.

Check: Read the DPF soot load and the distance since the last regeneration on a scan tool, and check the engine oil level and smell it for diesel. Ask what the car was used for. A short-trip city diesel is the wrong car regardless of mileage.

EmissionscommonPartly detectableevidence: documented120–250k km

EGR cooler leakEGR cooler€400–€1,000

Coolant loss with no visible external leak, white smoke, sweet smell. The EGR cooler cracks internally and leaks coolant into the intake. BMW recalled affected diesels over a fire risk from glycol deposits igniting.

Check: Check coolant level and look for unexplained top-ups in the service history. Verify the recall was carried out. It's free and searchable by VIN.

EmissionsoccasionalPartly detectableevidence: manufacturer120–250k km

Ranked by probability × repair cost, not by how loudly a failure is discussed. Inherited from the engine, gearbox, chassis and shared components, each written once.

Pre-purchase inspection

The same issue records, reordered into the sequence you can actually check them in: cold start, static, drive, paperwork.

3 checks · saved in this browser ·

1Cold startYou get one. If the engine is warm when you arrive, come back another day.

Timing chain stretchArrive to a stone-cold engine and listen through the first few seconds. A rattle that clears as oil pressure builds is the fault, and it should price the car.

2PaperworkOn these cars the folder is most of the value.

EGR cooler leakCheck coolant level and look for unexplained top-ups in the service history. Verify the recall was carried out. It's free and searchable by VIN.

3OBD scanMandatory. A seller who refuses a scan has answered the question.

DPF clogging and forced regenerationRead the DPF soot load and the distance since the last regeneration on a scan tool, and check the engine oil level and smell it for diesel. Ask what the car was used for. A short-trip city diesel is the wrong car regardless of mileage.

Mileage and servicing

What the odometer does and doesn't tell you here, plus the service items whose neglect causes the expensive failures above.

Cold-start chain rattle and journey history decide the car, exactly as they do on the Insignia.

Service item	Interval	Cost
Timing chain A wear item, and costly against this car's value	listen at every cold start	€900–1,600
DPF regeneration Short-trip use blocks the filter	regular longer runs	€400–1,100 if blocked
Engine oil Chain wear follows oil condition	on time, correct spec	€90–140

What to pay

What this engine sells for, against the median of every engine in the chassis. All figures are illustrative placeholders. See the basis chips.

median €1.9k

€1k€1.4k€3.4k

Cheapfind the reasonGood buyif it checks outFairnormal moneyOverpricedneeds justifying

Asking price (€)Mileage (km)

Enter an asking price to get a verdict against this variant's band: cheap, fair, good buy or overpriced.

United States vs Europe

1 EUR = 1.08 USD · 2026-07

🇪🇺 Europe · EUR€1,400band €1,000–€3,400

🇺🇸 United StatesNot sold2.0 CDTI A20DTH was never a US-market car

What that meansNo US band exists to compare. Any car you find there's a private import, parts and specialist knowledge are thinner, and the price says more about import cost than about the market.

US figures are the EU band converted at a stated rate. No US market differential is modelled: we hold no sourced US asking prices, and inventing one would be worse than saying so. What the comparison does show for real is availability. Most of this range was never sold in the US.

ModelOpel Astra 2.0 CDTI
ChassisJ
EngineA20DTH
Years2009–2015
MarketCentral EU
Windowrolling 12 months to 2026-07

Good buy at or under the marker · Median asking price · bar spans the 10th to 90th percentile · dashed line is the j median, all 2 engines

Good buy isn't the same as cheapest. The good-buy figure assumes the known failure items are either done with receipts or verifiably not yet due. Full breakdown by facelift phase →

Buyer notes

Our judgement, kept separate from the records it's built on.

Our read, not a record

The 2.0 CDTI gives the Astra more performance than it really needs and very low running costs. It's the same engine as the Insignia's, so it brings the same two questions, a timing chain that stretches and a particulate filter that resents short journeys. But the difference is that the Astra is worth less, so the same repair bill lands harder. Buy the documented one and it's cheap, capable transport.

Everything above this line comes from the issue and specification records. This paragraph is our judgement on top of them. See how we reach it.

Full specification

Manufacturer figures for this engine and body, as recorded in the variant and engine data.

Engine code	A20DTH 2.0 CDTI
Configuration	I4, turbocharged · 1956 cc
Fuel / injection	diesel · common rail
Model years	2009–2015
Facelift phase	Sold either side of the 2012 facelift, 2009–2011 pre, 2012–2015 LCI
Power / torque	160 PS · 350 Nm
Transmissions	6-speed manual · 6-speed automatic
Gearbox families
Drivetrain	FWD
Economy (real-world)	4.8–6.2 l/100 km mixed
Markets	EU