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76

General Car Chat / Re: So what have you done to your car today?

« on: 24 January 2017, 12:55:06 »

Fitted a new starter motor to my 1999 2.5 CDX Omega.

Like many before me I am no spring chicken and working under the car is not as easy as it used to be. 

Can hardly walk now!!!!

77

Omega General Help / Re: Spark plug question

« on: 03 November 2016, 10:07:45 »

Bought a set of 6 plugs on Trade Club from my VX dealership last week.

These were also "Champion" brand and made in France (with a ref number RC100DMC4 on the plug).

These came in a GM (Adam Opel AG) branded box with GM part number 95519055.

Looks like a new (cheaper?) supplier.

78

General Car Chat / Re: So what have you done to your car today?

« on: 11 October 2016, 20:56:02 »

Just fitted an "Eternal" full exhaust system to my PFL (1999) 2.5 Elite. Went on really well and for the price it is a steal.

79

Omega General Help / Re: Eternalcar exhaust system - not good

« on: 17 June 2016, 18:22:36 »

I ordered an Eternal exhaust a couple of weeks ago via ebay for my V6 Elite.

Initially they "lost the order" but that was quickly sorted out by using the ebay message service to their "customer service" and the replacement came arrived within 48 hours.

The outer packaging looked similar to yours (a sort of coffin shape) but the box had more parcel tape to keep it together. The exhaust itself was well protected by plenty of thick paper padding and bubble wrap and tape.

The only "damage" I could see was to the ends of a few tubes which needed reforming using pliers. The hangers and welding of the clamshells and rear box with double tail pipes looked ok to me.

I have now fitted the system which was easy (apart from the usual sheared of studs at the catalyst to the old centre section pipes). It hangs well on the car, no leaks and sounds ok. I have fitted a couple of stainless exhaust tips to jazz it up a bit.

Only time will tell if it is durable but for the price it was a bargain?

80

General Car Chat / Re: So what have you done to your car today?

« on: 13 June 2016, 20:09:54 »

Fitted an Eternal 2.5 V6 exhaust system to my Omega Elite. Good fit and looks well made.   

81

Omega General Help / Re: Clamshell or cylindrical exhausts?

« on: 08 June 2016, 16:27:49 »

Just finished fitting one of the eternal exhausts to my V6.

The centre boxes I removed where the "clamshell" type and the eternal ones supplied were also the "clamshell" type.

The eternal exhaust system is a good fit and looks well made (only time will tell).

The only problem I encountered when fitting the system was due to sheared off bolts at the cat to middle section joint. I had to drill all four of these out in situ. What a pain!

82

General Car Chat / Re: Torque wrench

« on: 25 June 2015, 10:35:06 »

I have a Halfords 10-70Nm and a Norbar (do they still exist?) 30- 150Nm.

Both where bought a many years ago and have had plenty of use without any problems.

83

General Car Chat / Re: What Car Did You Pass Your Test In.

« on: 25 June 2015, 10:28:20 »

I passed in 1976 in a bright yellow Triumph Dolomite Sprint. 

This was the instructors car and he used it for all my lessons.

84

General Discussion Area / Re: Armed Forces day - vulcan flypast

« on: 22 June 2015, 12:04:57 »

The Vulcan and an escort plane flew low over my house at Malmesbury, Wiltshire yesterday (Sunday).

I think it was on it's way south to an air show at Weston-Super-Mare.

Fantastic sight and fantastic noise.

85

General Car Chat / Re: JAGUAR S-TYPE

« on: 31 May 2015, 13:30:56 »

Your Jaguar Dealer will tell you the gearbox is a "sealed for life" item on the Ford sourced gearboxes and needs no oil change.

This is rubbish!! Make sure you have a filter and oil change at 80,000 as indicated in Elite Pete's post.

I do believe that Jaguar have now changed their minds on "sealed for life" gearboxes. Probably due to the massive warranty claims they have had in the past?

86

General Car Chat / Re: JAGUAR S-TYPE

« on: 29 May 2015, 17:16:16 »

I run both a 1999 S type 3.0se (V6) and two similar aged Omegas 2.5 and I have owned them for several years.

I regular service them using genuine GM or Jag parts and the service parts are similarly priced but Jaguar don't have a "trade club" but you can usually get the VAT taken off if you ask!!

The Omegas are used for "day to day" runs whilst the S type is mainly used at weekends.

Over the years the Omegas have proved to be very reliable whilst the S type does tend to have higher maintenance costs and can throw weird electrical glitches and disturbing warning messages without warning. The battery needs to be in tip top condition at all times and I now use one of those "smart" chargers to monitor the battery when the car is not in use. A low performing battery is the usual cause for 99% of these glitches and warning messages.

I have never had any major problems with the engine and gearbox and suspension repairs are no different to the Omegas. Post 2003 cars are regarded as having the better front suspension but the rear is still the same.

The S type is a heavy cars with quite complex suspension which uses a number of unique bushes. However, there are plenty of spares now available from ebay and third party suppliers. Don't forget the Jaguar dealers. They can be quite competitive at times but some parts are now becoming "NLA" (no longer available) or on a long lead times! It also eats tyres when driven hard and they are not cheap. Pirelli P Zeros on mine!

The BIG problem with my S type is rust. I have had to replace both the sills on mine and unless you can do this yourself it will be a car killer. The only source of genuine sills is Jaguar and the last time I priced these up they were around £400+ each. Luckily you can get a pair of basic folded steel sheet repair panels for a fraction of this cost thanks to ebay.

The S type is a great car to drive with plenty of performance and it is a nice car to be in and as the second hand costs have nose dived into the "banger" territory it can be a fantastic bargain. However, buyer beware. If not correctly maintained and with comprehensive history it could be a money pit but can't all bargain basement cars?

87

General Car Chat / MOT Time

« on: 15 May 2015, 11:15:19 »

Another pass for the Omega, with no advisories, a paper certificate and a paper emissions print out. Result

88

Omega General Help / Re: drainage

« on: 02 March 2013, 10:32:31 »

A quick and simple tip if you are using a hose pipe to unblock the drain plug.

I have made a guard from thin plastic sheet (hard type) that simply slots over the pollen filter. It then protects the filter from any water over spray.

However, even with this guard in place you still need to watch carefully that you don't totally flood the area.

89

General Car Chat / Re: Number of Omega's on the road these days?

« on: 28 February 2013, 15:35:14 »

I am sure the rising cost of petrol will be a factor.

My two 2.5 V6 Omega's only get a run out at weekends now and filling them up makes a hefty dent in the wallet.

I now use a 1997 1.5 Honda Civic to go to work. At an average mpg of over 40mpg it is a no brainer.

90

General Car Chat / Re: Woohoo! Another years ticket on the old girl

« on: 28 February 2013, 15:29:46 »

It's a nice feeling. Well done