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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