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[Tick Tock]

I thought I'd post in here, even though it's not a help request, but generally the place where you would find them mentioned on the V6.

For the grand sum of £8 I fitted cheap cam cover gaskets back in 2014, and all appeared to be well with them until a few months ago. Not so much a leak, but a slight misting of oil residue appearing around the gaskets, and I was having to top up the engine oil level usually about once a month, and noticing the occasional stinky burnt oil smell. I've known about the dribble on the oil pressure switch for some time, but it's not top of the list.

I spent hours giving the breather system a full deep clean, and finding blocked pipes in the process. Since then the smell has gone, the gasket areas are clear of oil, and I haven't had to top it up for well over 2 months. There's an obvious correlation there, and thought it would be a change to mention something good about the Omega's Achilles heel, and the use of cheap gaskets.

[laney101]

i never buy genuine... and never have issues.. think ones on this one are victor reinz and been perfect for couple years

[Keith ABS]

IIRC, Reinz made the gaskets for GM?
Someone will be along shortly to say no

Keith ABS

[Andy B]

IIRC, Reinz made the gaskets for GM?
Someone will be along shortly to say no

Keith ABS

They certainly did for the straight 6 Senator/Carlton

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

I looked at my GM pollen filter today and it says MANN FILTERS along the edge of it, which surprised me slightly.

[Nick W]

IIRC, Reinz made the gaskets for GM?
Someone will be along shortly to say no

They might have been made by Reinz, but they will have been made by underpaid 12 year olds, in unlit leaky sheds, using shredded used condoms poured into fake moulds carved out of potatoes. You know, like all parts that aren't delivered by the GM supply angels.

[Bigron]

Cum again?

[andyc]

MANN have been making all sorts of filters for the motor trade for years.

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

I know, but I had the impression they were an ECP level brand rather than oem GM.

[henryd]

I looked at my GM pollen filter today and it says MANN FILTERS along the edge of it, which surprised me slightly.

Gm probably don't make filters nor do many other car makers,mostly bought in and rebranded,Mann is good stuff

[laney101]

90% of parts on any car may be branded ford, gm , vauxhall or whatever but are made by another company..

ie air filters are mann.. on vauxhalls

however this thing of GM only for certain things is rubbish.. very rarely do i buy a gm part unless it cost effective ie their own oil on trade club is mega cheap and very good stuff same as their oil filter.. air filter i buy copys... fuel filters copys... rocker gaskets buy victor rainz orr payen.. if covers are ok.. and torqued correctly i never head issues.. my car on 132k and it fine short journey mostly also..

BELTS and cambelts .. just use gates kits very high quality or continetial never had issues.

as long as the product good quality it will be fine.. no point buying just because says GM on it your buying a name as made by someone else.

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

Buy A.N. other air filter and then compare the surface area with a genuine GM version. Just one example of why, over the last 10 years  or so, experience on OOF has led to some pretty firm conclusions on when to use genuine parts and when theres no need to bother  .

[laney101]

mine had gm in it... swapped for i think mann own.. was pretty much identical size shape ..

physical size and surface area is less to worry about than the quality of the material it made from... less surface area you would say means less cleaning but not if paper better.

a lot more ot it than that air filter better because it bigger..

i now run courtney sport air filter and their a lot smaller compared to oem.. but can reused washed etc...


if you have trade card most service items it is just worth buying from vuaxhall as so cheap... if no trade card i would not worry...  just make parts that you heard off from CES, EURO, Local motorfactors will all be fine.

[TheBoy]

In the pattern market, there is good, there is crap, there is stuff in the middle.

Compare a genuine GM air filter to a Halfords air filter, and anyone can visibly see the difference. Granted, the Halfords one was about 50p cheaper than the GM trade club one, but that was more than negated in fuel to pick it up.


What Nick W fails to accept is there are times when GM is better, there are times when pattern is better, and there are times when they are so similar (or it doesn't really matter), and you buy on cost/convenience only.  Brake pads are a prime example of where GM are better - if you want a cheap, sub £20 set of front pads, you'd be soft in the head to chose anything else than GM, as they are far superior to anything sub £60-70. Exhausts are an example of where pattern is better than GM.

As a club, we are uniquely placed to know what works where.


As for poor laney101, Courtney are a bit like Mercedes Benz. They lost any ability to design anything years ago, and shift stuff using no longer working ideas from the 80s to unsuspecting punters.

[TheBoy]

I did once post up pic of gm v Halfords air filter, but doubt lappy has enough electricity....   ...which means time to get out of the bath

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

Your Courtney sport filter will probably knacker your MAF at some point by the way.

[Nick W]

In the pattern market, there is good, there is crap, there is stuff in the middle.

Compare a genuine GM air filter to a Halfords air filter, and anyone can visibly see the difference. Granted, the Halfords one was about 50p cheaper than the GM trade club one, but that was more than negated in fuel to pick it up.


What Nick W fails to accept is there are times when GM is better, there are times when pattern is better, and there are times when they are so similar (or it doesn't really matter), and you buy on cost/convenience only.  Brake pads are a prime example of where GM are better - if you want a cheap, sub £20 set of front pads, you'd be soft in the head to chose anything else than GM, as they are far superior to anything sub £60-70. Exhausts are an example of where pattern is better than GM.

As a club, we are uniquely placed to know what works where.

I do accept it. But in thirty odd years of working on stuff, common service items like plugs, filters, oil, gaskets, bearings, belts etc are simply not worth worrying about. I buy them when I need them from convenient suppliers who have them in stock. Always have. None of the five air filters I've fitted to my car have had any noticeable differences between each other or the (black and hairy) GM one that was on it when I bought the car. I took a chance on the pattern cam cover gaskets as they came in the head kit; if they had proved unsatisfactory I would have put another hour into replacing them with better. If they failed tomorrow, four years after fitting them I would consider I've more than had my money's worth.


We're talking about mass-produced cars that share many consumable parts with many others; not 'production' runs of 3 that were handbuilt from unobtanium.


I also think that this car has more genuine parts on it than all of the others I've owned put together. Most of those are because it wasn't worth the time and effort finding that they're only available from GM. Or are things like cam sensors, which I do believe are worth the small premium over branded pattern.

[laney101]

no need to poor laney101 me... my car runs great .. and just flew throuh yet another mot ... yes it may affect maf .. But when.. (2 years?) prove it was the filter and not age or just time for the maf to go ahaha..

car is 14 years old on original maf and its fine. it will go one day anyways .. i know filters can affect it but personally never had it happen fiesta had k and n oil performance filter on for 30k and no issues...  dads insignia v6 runs courtney air filter and no issues thus far with that either.

courntey filter been on a year now on omega runs better with nice little note change i have to say and can take it out clean it and re use it ..

as said use pattern rocker gaskets how long you expect them to last?? if half price of gm ones but last 2/3rds of the time still worth it.. i get what people say you may have to change slightly more frequently but certain things it fine it really is.. also things like air filter if running a normal one i change every year regardless of millage on each service (now i dont due to courtney) but if you buying a gm one and doing 4000 miles a year you either leave it in for another year.. or buy cheap one but replace each year? car will still run fine ..  may affect performance by like 0.000001% but whatever
 
as said i dont have issue with patten parts other makes etc my car always has run spot on .. still pulls a 7.4 0-60 .... only air filter and 3.0 cats mod from std. (car a 3.2)

[TheBoy]

laney101 - if you have the facilities for live data, try to keep an eye on long term fuel trims for both banks as part of your monthly quick check over.

The failure mode of 2.6/3.2 MAFs is normally a gradual failure, which is difficult to feel from the drivers seat until it gets to the point that its not running right.

If you see both banks drifting at all from 0% on the LTFT, suspect MAF (but check for air leaks etc as well), and look at changing it then


I'd suggest similar for all V6 owners not running LPG (as that oftern buggers up all trims ), but given you are using a (presumably) oiled filter, you suspectable to faster failure, as you're already aware.


Anything Courtney still sucks though

[TheBoy]

I do accept it. But in thirty odd years of working on stuff, common service items like plugs, filters, oil, gaskets, bearings, belts etc are simply not worth worrying about. I buy them when I need them from convenient suppliers who have them in stock. Always have. None of the five air filters I've fitted to my car have had any noticeable differences between each other or the (black and hairy) GM one that was on it when I bought the car. I took a chance on the pattern cam cover gaskets as they came in the head kit

But you frequently claim that pattern is always the way to go.  Which is fine if that works for you.


The point we seem to disagree on is there are times that pattern isn't worth the effort/money/time.  And thats they point we frequently seem to cross swords over.  My point being, as a community, we have a wealth of knowledge specifically about this car about what works and whats not so good - be it pattern or GM.

Do you think my car has nothing but GM on it?  Of course it doesn't.

Granted, I use GM often out of convenience if the price is right, and pattern is no better, as the dealer will deliver at a time convenient to me, and its always a genuine part.  ECP etc will deliver at a random day a week or so later, and its been shown time and time again that a lot of the stuff isn't what it claims to be - only a month ago I was returning stuff because it clearly wasn't the branded part I'd ordered, despite want it said on the plain label attached to the sealed polythene bag it was in. Downside of living in the arse end of nowhere, everything not delivered is a 20+ mile round trip, thus adding £5-6 if its a special journey. I use Halfords, again for convenience - esp as there is one almost across the road from where I work.

Other factors and outlets are available, obviously, but similar applies with regards to convenience.

[laney101]

good top tip duly noted cheers.

i shall keep an eye on live data.. as said it may wear it out quicker but i only doing now 5-7k a year so it original maf and if last another 2/3 years still ok in my book... hopfully next year going standalone management do away with maf (woop woop)

cheers for info on checking fuel trims

laney101 - if you have the facilities for live data, try to keep an eye on long term fuel trims for both banks as part of your monthly quick check over.

The failure mode of 2.6/3.2 MAFs is normally a gradual failure, which is difficult to feel from the drivers seat until it gets to the point that its not running right.

If you see both banks drifting at all from 0% on the LTFT, suspect MAF (but check for air leaks etc as well), and look at changing it then


I'd suggest similar for all V6 owners not running LPG (as that oftern buggers up all trims ), but given you are using a (presumably) oiled filter, you suspectable to faster failure, as you're already aware.


Anything Courtney still sucks though