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7246

General Car Chat / Re: Volkswagen Passat 2.0 TDI BlueMotion Tech SE 5dr

« on: 17 August 2016, 20:32:59 »

You could save at least a third on the tyres with no effort.
Geometry check can be managed for a lot less.

Is the steering idler at fault, or is it the wishbone bushes/any of the three trackrods?
Rear subframe bushes are about £30 and 90minutes work.
Brake pipes a tenner for the bits and some time.
£100 for a secondhand tail light?? that's more likely to be somewhere between free and  £20.


Cambelt is £100, but you've put it off a year already, would another couple of months matter?
I've never bought into the Thou shalt buy only camcover gaskets anointed by the holy hand of Vauxhall and from then on only touched by the hands of thirty-year old Essex virgins; my Elring ones are still good after 2.5 years and over 20k miles which isn't bad considering they were part of a £12.50 head gasket set.


The problem with buying another used car is that you have no idea how much expensive stuff it will need in the next few months

7247

General Discussion Area / Re: Working For computers?

« on: 17 August 2016, 14:34:09 »

So today we have spent about £60 manhours trying and failing to resolve stuff. Marvellous. .

Anyone else waste vast amounts of time on technology?

Frustrating time wasting is one of the ways that you know it is technology.


There are many others, but the worst for me are devices where even simple functions are accessed by complicated sequences of just three buttons. It's like trying to play jazz with your toes, on a saxophone shoved up your arse.

7248

General Discussion Area / Re: Shaving

« on: 17 August 2016, 08:53:52 »

I went back to standard double-edged blades a couple of years ago because I'm allergic to the marketing wank of the cartridge blades. There's no noticeable difference in the results, each blade lasts for several shaves, and they're so cheap I'm not tempted to keep using one that is worn out.

7249

Omega General Help / Re: Auxilary Belt

« on: 17 August 2016, 08:46:27 »

Just to add to DBG's breaker bar(extra long 15mm spanner in my case) tip: route the belt around the grooved pulleys, release the tensioner, and slip the smooth side of the belt onto the water pump pulley.

7250

Omega General Help / Re: Brake Pipe Replacement

« on: 16 August 2016, 21:23:15 »

Does anyone know the length of the front to rear pipes and what fittings are on each end?

I would like to order replacements before removing the originals if possible.

Thanks.

You'll be making new ones from the same 3/16" cunifer tubing that every European car has used for decades. It's sold everywhere in 25foot coils, which cost about a tenner and will replumb most of the car. You'll need metric fittings(they're M10x1mm pitch, but no one will ask beyond metric), which cost a few pence each. A few each of male and female will do.


This job will require a flaring tool, and a tube cutter and small pipe bender will make it much easier.

7251

General Car Chat / Re: aux belt tensioner

« on: 15 August 2016, 14:58:49 »

It's easier to repack the bearing with hm grease.

Interesting comment, Biggriffin. I have suffered two tensioner bearing siezures, most embarrassing. Would you recommend greasing the bearings as a service procedure, say every 40000 miles, like cam belt change intervals? I take the tensioner off changing a V6 cam belt, greasing it then would be trivial.

It is.
For the few seconds it takes to pry the seals off and add a smear of grease, there is no reason not to do it.

7252

Omega General Help / Re: DIY aircon recharging

« on: 15 August 2016, 11:17:09 »

It would be a way of making a leaking system 'work' long enough to sell the car.
Otherwise, why would you bother? It's not even any cheaper than doing it properly.

7253

General Car Chat / Re: The Omega Replacement conundrum.

« on: 15 August 2016, 10:14:18 »

Way I always think about it, is when you see the deals "Only £299 a month"

I always think, £299 is a feking expensive month in Omega ownership, those only come around a couple of times a year tops. 

I hope such an expensive month would only occur every three or four years! The most I've spent in one go was £240 at MOT time. That was for two tyres, rear brake discs/pads/shoes/fitting kit and the cost of the MOT.

It might need £100 occasionally, but what car doesn't?

7254

General Car Chat / Re: aux belt tensioner

« on: 15 August 2016, 09:59:29 »

It doesn't fit.

Take it back & get your money back.

From memory a genuine one is £35 from a VX dealer.

Second that, get the correct part - if the belt breaks it could take the cam belt with it 

Isn't a 2.2 diesel chain driven?

But you are all correct, the pulley should just bolt on with no alignment issues. The part  the OP has been supplied is wrong and he should return it.

7255

Omega General Help / Re: rear wheel bearing ..... I think

« on: 14 August 2016, 20:58:31 »

You need to find a better garage.


I've done three wheel bearings, in the street, in about two hours(each)without ever using a hammer or undoing the balljoint. You should be aware that you car should have an alignment check as they will have altered the rear camber and toe settings.


This is not a difficult job, despite Vauxhall's efforts to make it so.

7256

Omega General Help / Re: Rear brakes?

« on: 14 August 2016, 20:50:59 »

Back to the pins Nick whats wrong with a pin made from rod with a reduced dia at one end and a hole to put a "hair pin R " for retention.

Nothing, there are millions of Girling calipers that are retained like that. I suggest a heavy knurl because the part is already in the lathe and it's easy to do. Cross drilling a small diameter is a pain, and requires a second setup however you do it.

7257

General Car Chat / Re: Omega replacement??

« on: 13 August 2016, 23:21:35 »

Ah yeah, I remember now, yes you're right. It is supposed to blink but the one I had wouldn't do it.  Presumably because the ECU was fnarked.  Good ol' Toyota engineering.


Lexus LS400s.  They probably sold 1 for every 100 bmws sold.

I bet it outsold its BMW competitor, the 7series, by quite a large margin.

7258

Omega General Help / Re: Rear brakes?

« on: 13 August 2016, 21:51:39 »

Or if you want a heavy duty spring then just strip your rear blind machanism 

Mine's an estate. No blind. Not unless I drink far too much cognac.

7259

General Car Chat / Re: Omega replacement??

« on: 13 August 2016, 20:27:41 »

I find the LS400 not being OBD compatible and therefore hard to work on comment odd, as it applies to all of its competitors including Omegas. In 12 years of recovery work, the only LS400 I saw needed a new battery, and the only time I took an IS200 to a dealer was for a knackered ignition lock. If you break a big Lexus, you'll sell the engine and gearbox for engine swaps(they're quite popular in '50s American pickups) plus the CD changer and maybe the instrument cluster. The rest of it, you just throw away because nobody needs to buy it

Err no. The Omega 3.0 is capable of displaying fault codes through the dash. Very slowly admittedly, but at least gives you half a chance. Omega 3.2s are OBDii.
BMW E38 & E39 are also readable with a cheap connector adapter.

So what? They only sold 4 in the UK. Doesn't prove a thing.

Not if the engine won't bloody run proper you can't!  Look on a Lexus Forum and look at what real Lexus owners are actually repairing left right and centre whilst nostalgically telling everyone that their cousin's brother's cat once had one that did 500k on one oil change.

LS400s display blink codes just like lots of Japanese cars from the eighties onwards. Even a low production specialist car like an NSX does. It takes a bit of wire. Sounds like the Omega paperclip to me.


Sold 4 of what? Both LS and IS Lexus are everywhere?

7260

Omega General Help / Re: Rear brakes?

« on: 13 August 2016, 20:15:53 »

I am glad I got you thinking. Now we have to think about the clips. Do any other car maker have a similar system but at a better price. I also wonder if Opel charge the same price as GM. Do we have any friends in Germany.

Nic mentioned yhis stuff once   

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=steel+banding&biw=1440&bih=766&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjRhInlhr_OAhVELMAKHW8HB-AQ_AUIBygC#imgrc=_

Yes, that's what I was thinking of. But anyone who receives heavy stuff on pallets throws long lengths of it away, so it shouldn't be hard to find a couple of metres for nothing. A little shaping and a pop-rivet or spot weld and you're done.