Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Car Chat => Topic started by: chrisgixer on 12 May 2015, 00:05:07
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recomended with long term ownership in mind. Ie best reliability for the least cost.
(Tc) = available on Trade club. http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=90491.0
Engine;
Sensors.
Without exception, buy genuine. (Tc) There will always be the odd genuine GM item suffer early failure, that's the nature of manufacturing. Likewise there will be the odd report of pattern lasting a half decent amount of time. But without doubt, by far the most reliable results come from genuine. Don't be tempted by sensors listed as genuine by sellers on eBay. Normally Chinese shite, which is worse than just pattern shite.
Spark plugs
GM. (Tc) made by Bosch. By far the best value for money especially on trade club.
Ngk. But expensive when compared to the trade club price.
Filters.
GM. (Tc) By far the most reliable in oil filter fit. Greater area in the air filters. Do use the carbon filters to keep the face lift particulate sniffer happy. For the minimal extra cost of GM filters it's not worth messing about with. Plus they are cheaper than most other pattern parts on trade club.
Gaskets.
Cam cover gaskets and o-rings. Black goo.
Known quantity are GM. Reliably give the best life, compared to the factory fitted items. There are some pattern ones on test, courtesy of Dbug, for the v6's but until they fail we dont know their life span. Yet.
Auto box gaskets both sumps. GM or Jpat are cheaper.
Sumps are grey goo (Tc) , as is the oil cooler cover plate, and breather box behind pot 5. Part number in the oil cooler guide.
Steering and suspension;
Wheel bearings. Oe supplier are Fag, koyo available from All German parts. Link in parts section. Also comes with the all important dust cap. (Pattern do not) Mention Oof for discount.
Wishbones
Lemforder or Merle from Agp.
Atp via eBay. Cheaper option. But obviously cheaper construction. But they are the only cheapo eBay type pattern wishbone where the maker(or supplier) is prepared to put their name on them.
GM are good, but considered very expensive given the life of alternatives.
Steering idler
GM only (Tc) Not cheap at £110 retail, but at the time or writing no other reliable part is known to the forum.
Lemforder used to be reliable but lately they have all failed within a couple of months. Although more recently there have been better reports. So maybe they had a bad batch. If it doesn't tighten up solidly and click off to 60nm send it back.
This part can play havok with the steering if it fails, not worth messing about with.
Bushes.
Front wishbone front bush.
GM, give best results out of the rubber ones ime. There are also Lemforder and Merle heavy duty from All Germamn.
However, by far the most reliable option is to fit poly by powerflex. Very slight increase in firmness, but by far the best improvement in accuracy in steering. But do need re greasing periodically.
Rearward wishbone bush. Again, best result from GM (£14 each) Merle HD and Lemforder fractionally less durable.
Roll bar bushes.
GM. Never fail. Never give trouble. Cost about £3
Poly by powerflex. Probably not worth the bother.especially as they need greasing. Minimal benefit.
Rear subframe bushes. (Donuts)
Lemforder or cheaper Febi for rubber ones. Links in the guide iirc
Pedders for poly. They are for Monaro, but fit, with rare reports of the bush tightening into the captive nut home. Link in parts section. Good upgrade. But does firm up the ride.
GM (Tc) are too expensive given the life of those above.
Drop links
GM (Tc) known to be most reliable, however
Merle HD and Lemforder also last well.
Atp cheaper option.
Track rod ends.(Tc)
GM most reliable.
Good results from Delphi. 60k so far.
Atp cheaper option.
Centre tie rod.
GM but very expensive. Nobody seems to make the ball joint boots. Used would be far better than the utterly appalling pattern items available.
Shocks
GM give best results. (Tc)
Bilstein. (B4 primarily. Take 30mm lowering)
Sachs. All German.
Springs.
GM (Tc) (mv6 Lsc na ) best results but expensive.
Sachs Agp
Irmscher or Eibach for 30mm lowering but add 10mm of cushion pads to bring the back up to 20mm lowering or the rear camber is excessive.
Kyb (only known self levelling supplier apart from GM ) cheaper but prone to rust and breakage.
Rear of rear subframe bushes.
No longer serviced by GM.
Please advise if you know of a supplier.
Pm Taxi Al.
Exhaust.
Cat back system.
Eternal via eBay shop. Face lift not listed but pre face lift fit with longer tips added.
GM (Tc) fit well but at £300 on trade club for a poor alternative to the clam shell design of the original, they really should not shed their packing and block the system.
Fluids;
ATF
Dexron III Fuchs Titan 4000
PAS
Dexron II
Coolant.
GM concentrate. (Tc)
Oil
GM (Tc) 10w40 semi synthetic. Dexos2 5w30 fully synthetic.
Brakes;
GM (Tc) front axle service kit includes 2 discs and 4 pads. (Paint the discs with heat resistant paint to get the best out of them.
Agp. Meyle do a pre painted option iirc
GM. Oe pads. (Tc) Expensive at £70 on Tc . But give less dust and better feel and life. Riveted shims.
Trade club pads. (Tc) £14 a set. Best value. Dusty slight squeal in some instances.
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Any further gents?
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ATF I have used Carlube for top ups, Chris. Absolutely no issue having used it about 10k miles ago.
Same with Carlube diff oil to top up. Need a spec?
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I've been happy with Pagid rear discs and pads, Discs don't rust but only where the pads have had contact, Minimal dust from pads. Overall i like them.
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As with the tyre thread, probably need at least two members to agree , having experienced the full life of the part. :y
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I'd disagree about GM being the best droplinks, have got through two pairs on two cars and they both failed around 20K. Current Meyle HD just done 43K with no issue in 15 months on one car and 10K on other car which doesn't get used so much.
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I've been happy with Pagid rear discs and pads, Discs don't rust but only where the pads have had contact, Minimal dust from pads. Overall i like them.
I'll second that :y
Running then on my back end now :y
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I'd disagree about GM being the best droplinks, have got through two pairs on two cars and they both failed around 20K. Current Meyle HD just done 43K with no issue in 15 months on one car and 10K on other car which doesn't get used so much.
Second this too, Meyle have lasted much longer than GM's. Better made :y
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I like this list...Mainly the under car stuff. Suspension/Steering Etc;Owing to, If you go wrong and go out buying rubbish suspension/Steering parts and then after a Costly setup At WIM.Then X amount of miles later you are out to replace the cheap parts again And end up going around in circles..
But Then. Lets take say the springs This is just a example.. And i only picked springs owing to everyone Knowing what they look like..Top of the list.. VX Springs...Bottom Being them KYB Ones..
ColinMcrae only gets 5K out of the VX ones Where Miss Daisy Got 20K out of the cheap and nasty ones. See what im getting at. ;D ;D
So Some members may Knock A part owing to there driving style Where others Take it slow and Crawl over speed bumps and corners..
So Surely on some Suspension/Steering parts Genuine or Cheapo Deteriorate To some degree Depending upon how the car is driven. :y
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I like this list...Mainly the under car stuff. Suspension/Steering Etc;Owing to, If you go wrong and go out buying rubbish suspension/Steering parts and then after a Costly setup At WIM.Then X amount of miles later you are out to replace the cheap parts again And end up going around in circles..
But Then. Lets take say the springs This is just a example.. And i only picked springs owing to everyone Knowing what they look like..Top of the list.. VX Springs...Bottom Being them KYB Ones..
ColinMcrae only gets 5K out of the VX ones Where Miss Daisy Got 20K out of the cheap and nasty ones. See what im getting at. ;D ;D
So Some members may Knock A part owing to there driving style Where others Take it slow and Crawl over speed bumps and corners..
So Surely on some Suspension/Steering parts Genuine or Cheapo Deteriorate To some degree Depending upon how the car is driven. :y
Exactly :)
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I got less than 40k from Delphi TREs (sold as OE by that dishonest outfit in Yorkshire >:()
Boge make saloon self levellers. That's whats on tunnie's 3.2
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I got less than 40k from Delphi TREs (sold as OE by that dishonest outfit in Yorkshire >:()
Boge make saloon self levellers. That's whats on tunnie's 3.2
No, that's a lie, I kept them back to flog on egay, but melted them before I had chance :-[
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Got normal Boges in :)
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I like this list...Mainly the under car stuff. Suspension/Steering Etc;Owing to, If you go wrong and go out buying rubbish suspension/Steering parts and then after a Costly setup At WIM.Then X amount of miles later you are out to replace the cheap parts again And end up going around in circles..
But Then. Lets take say the springs This is just a example.. And i only picked springs owing to everyone Knowing what they look like..Top of the list.. VX Springs...Bottom Being them KYB Ones..
ColinMcrae only gets 5K out of the VX ones Where Miss Daisy Got 20K out of the cheap and nasty ones. See what im getting at. ;D ;D
So Some members may Knock A part owing to there driving style Where others Take it slow and Crawl over speed bumps and corners..
So Surely on some Suspension/Steering parts Genuine or Cheapo Deteriorate To some degree Depending upon how the car is driven. :y
Exactly :)
Firstly, these are not recommendations from any one particular member. Certainly not just from me. However they are my understanding of the last few years and posts of what's been recommended before on here as a known quantity to others, as a result of collective trial and error.
For instance a member posts "these new TC exhausts are shite compared to the factory fit" another posts up about eternal on eBay. We all try them. We are all happy with them, given the design/fit/cost/life etc compared to what Colin Mcray and Miss Daisy where using before. Call it collective development perhaps? But you can be sure if Colin Mcray is happy to buy a part, you can be sure it will last for Miss Daisy.
Secondly, there does appear to be an element of reinventing the wheel each time somebody asks for a recommendation or another part is suggested over another. As a result the info is in danger of getting lost under a heap of posts for shite from Ecp or Autovaux. Companies known to be either economical with the truth or chasing a bottom line so tight there's no quality left in the parts.
If recommending something to others on here you really need to be certain of the life of the part before somebody else goes out and buys it. "Oh I got this off eBay" isn't a recommendation. It's an item purchased blindly based on cost alone. Only once the life of the part is understood can it be recommended with any justification. Or not, as the case may be.
Thirdly, it's important to keep that line of communication open about what works. Something a bit lacking lately. And is why it's good to see the comments above on updated opinions and life spans of the parts involved.
I guarantee the life of and and use of an omega will be greatly improved as a result. I know this because mine was. Because TheBoys was. VxlV6's was. Tunnies was. Terberts,Pauls,TaxiAl,Jamesv6cdx,DarthLooney,MarksDtm,Jimbob and so on and so on had good results with these parts and from their experience with these parts.
It's not a random thought plucked out of thin air, it's years of OOF experience. It just needs an update. That's all :y
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This is a very useful list, thanks for taking the time and trouble ,this bulks it all together and helps less knowledgeable folk like me :y
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I've been happy with Pagid rear discs and pads, Discs don't rust but only where the pads have had contact, Minimal dust from pads. Overall i like them.
I'll second that :y
Running then on my back end now :y
I'll third that, :y
But on the front. :y
GM front discs along with camcover gaskets are overpriced.
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I've been happy with Pagid rear discs and pads, Discs don't rust but only where the pads have had contact, Minimal dust from pads. Overall i like them.
I'll second that :y
Running then on my back end now :y
I'll third that, :y
But on the front. :y
GM front discs along with camcover gaskets are overpriced.
How do they compare in cost? And mileage?
The fact they do trust will help on both counts :y
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I've been happy with Pagid rear discs and pads, Discs don't rust but only where the pads have had contact, Minimal dust from pads. Overall i like them.
I'll second that :y
Running then on my back end now :y
I'll third that, :y
But on the front. :y
GM front discs along with camcover gaskets are overpriced.
How do they compare in cost? And mileage?
The fact they do trust will help on both counts :y
£88 for pagid discs and pads. No TC.
The cost of camcover gaskets is criminal......... >:(
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No it's not.
You have to bear in mind the alternative. Expensive for what they are, but the alternative a destroyed ignition system.
Think of it as an investment.
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Spark plugs I'd agree with, but other opinions vary...
http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=130106.msg1666211#msg1666211
Re : Steering Idler...
Agreed : DO NOT FIT ANYTHING OTHER THAN GM. Yes it's a rip off, but better once than twice!
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Found these Meyle parts on german ebay plus £12 extra for shipping, good value :-\
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/390962222201?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/390962222201?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT)
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There's always a risk with eBay. It allows copies to enter the supply chain. Or out of date stock to be shifted. Or whatever.
Ask your self why is it on eBay, not through a retail outlet for more money.
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There's always a risk with eBay. It allows copies to enter the supply chain. Or out of date stock to be shifted. Or whatever.
Ask your self why is it on eBay, not through a retail outlet for more money.
true nough, that weakening Euro does look tempting ;)
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There are specific NLS items that I keep an eye on Ebay for. But they must be brand new in original packaging and the seller must have a good star rating for me to buy.
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I like this list...Mainly the under car stuff. Suspension/Steering Etc;Owing to, If you go wrong and go out buying rubbish suspension/Steering parts and then after a Costly setup At WIM.Then X amount of miles later you are out to replace the cheap parts again And end up going around in circles..
But Then. Lets take say the springs This is just a example.. And i only picked springs owing to everyone Knowing what they look like..Top of the list.. VX Springs...Bottom Being them KYB Ones..
ColinMcrae only gets 5K out of the VX ones Where Miss Daisy Got 20K out of the cheap and nasty ones. See what im getting at. ;D ;D
So Some members may Knock A part owing to there driving style Where others Take it slow and Crawl over speed bumps and corners..
So Surely on some Suspension/Steering parts Genuine or Cheapo Deteriorate To some degree Depending upon how the car is driven. :y
Exactly :)
Firstly, these are not recommendations from any one particular member. Certainly not just from me. However they are my understanding of the last few years and posts of what's been recommended before on here as a known quantity to others, as a result of collective trial and error.
For instance a member posts "these new TC exhausts are shite compared to the factory fit" another posts up about eternal on eBay. We all try them. We are all happy with them, given the design/fit/cost/life etc compared to what Colin Mcray and Miss Daisy where using before. Call it collective development perhaps? But you can be sure if Colin Mcray is happy to buy a part, you can be sure it will last for Miss Daisy.
Secondly, there does appear to be an element of reinventing the wheel each time somebody asks for a recommendation or another part is suggested over another. As a result the info is in danger of getting lost under a heap of posts for shite from Ecp or Autovaux. Companies known to be either economical with the truth or chasing a bottom line so tight there's no quality left in the parts.
If recommending something to others on here you really need to be certain of the life of the part before somebody else goes out and buys it. "Oh I got this off eBay" isn't a recommendation. It's an item purchased blindly based on cost alone. Only once the life of the part is understood can it be recommended with any justification. Or not, as the case may be.
Thirdly, it's important to keep that line of communication open about what works. Something a bit lacking lately. And is why it's good to see the comments above on updated opinions and life spans of the parts involved.
I guarantee the life of and and use of an omega will be greatly improved as a result. I know this because mine was. Because TheBoys was. VxlV6's was. Tunnies was. Terberts,Pauls,TaxiAl,Jamesv6cdx,DarthLooney,MarksDtm,Jimbob and so on and so on had good results with these parts and from their experience with these parts.
It's not a random thought plucked out of thin air, it's years of OOF experience. It just needs an update. That's all :y
Yes i agree 100% with that one and always go along with the parts recommended on here,But do you agree that two different driving styles will give two different outcomes for the life of a suspension/steering conponent
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If they did by a noticeable amount, they probably wouldn't get the recomendation. Tyres will obviously.
But as said, if they are good enough for Colin Mcraes....
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Here is another one then..... How long will i get out of a pair of wishbones from Vx if bought tomo
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Here is another one then..... How long will i get out of a pair of wishbones from Vx if bought tomo
60-120k miles... Same lottery as with the original ones :-\ quite a gamble at £290 each...
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If we mention wishbones, I can safely recommend the 'build your own route' - with a decent old pair, and add on the Vx bushes and possibly ball joints too.
My wishbones were second hand, but looked as-new. Changed both bushes, preventative extra coat of paint, left the ball joints.
As TaxiAl states, between 60-120k, so many many years.. except on my 'as new looking' wishbones' the ball joints didn't last a week on the car! Showing a clear difference between original and some pattern part quality. A pair of dealer overstock genuine GM balljoints sorted that out nicely. She now runs on what are effectively genuine Vx wishbones, for about 1/3 the price :)
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Here is another one then..... How long will i get out of a pair of wishbones from Vx if bought tomo
Not enough to warrant the ridiculous price. Hence the other options listed.
You seem sceptical Big? And note, not too many can be bothered to go through the ins And outs given the eons of online time discussing these. They are historical recommendations based on first hand experiences. That's all there is really. I can't answer all the questions as to why and wherefore other than, it's worked well for me and others
But be assured, I and most long term oof members wouldn't ever recommend something that wasn't tried and tested.
I sort of did once, proclaiming Falkens to be good in some respects. What an oops up that was. ::) ;D luckily only I suffered from it as far as I know.
If your looking for cheap shite, ask for cheap shite recommendations. Then you'll get eBay, Ecp, etc ...although done options do work from there, but odds are...,
Moral is to ask on here imo. Or to save members banning out the same answers and then having to fight yo justify there reply each time, just read this thread.
See? :)
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Here is another one then..... How long will i get out of a pair of wishbones from Vx if bought tomo
Not enough to warrant the ridiculous price. Hence the other options listed.
You seem sceptical Big? And note, not too many can be bothered to go through the ins And outs given the eons of online time discussing these. They are historical recommendations based on first hand experiences. That's all there is really. I can't answer all the questions as to why and wherefore other than, it's worked well for me and others
But be assured, I and most long term oof members wouldn't ever recommend something that wasn't tried and tested.
I sort of did once, proclaiming Falkens to be good in some respects. What an oops up that was. ::) ;D luckily only I suffered from it as far as I know.
If your looking for cheap shite, ask for cheap shite recommendations. Then you'll get eBay, Ecp, etc ...although done options do work from there, but odds are...,
Moral is to ask on here imo. Or to save members banning out the same answers and then having to fight yo justify there reply each time, just read this thread.
See? :)
Sorry Not meaning to come over that way at all. :-[ :-[
On the first post i was Just Really asking Do Suspension/Steering part Deteriorate Depending on how the car is driven,Thinking surely it Does.
Weather being genuine or not.
And the reason for asking the wishbone one was:-There was a couple of posts on here some months ago,One was about buying Used Omegas.
And i remember Taxi Al pointed out that when buying a used omega, Once it gets to a certain amount of miles.. it enters into a window In which suspension parts are going to be needed.Think it was 60k.70k not sure.
And the other post was Where the op had put up a link of some new pattern part wishbones And was told they would be ok for 20K..
And my thoughts were,What a lot of trouble to go through Knowing that in about 20 Thousand miles time,It all wants doing again.
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Yes but when you can buy two wishbones, two drop links and two track rods for little over a quarter of the price of ONE GM wishbone (£75 delivered for the last set purchased from ATP), safe in the knowledge that it will potentially last a third of the time for an eighth of the cost... it becomes much better value than you might think, hence the recommendation :y
Ah yes, but what about set up costs I hear you ask... There is a reasoned argument for having the geometry checked once a year regardless... although most people only bother after changing critical components...
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Yes but when you can buy two wishbones, two drop links and two track rods for little over a quarter of the price of ONE GM wishbone (£75 delivered for the last set purchased from ATP), safe in the knowledge that it will potentially last a third of the time for an eighth of the cost... it becomes much better value than you might think, hence the recommendation :y
Ah yes, but what about set up costs I hear you ask... There is a reasoned argument for having the geometry checked once a year regardless... although most people only bother after changing critical components...
Putting that aside it does look like build you own method mentioned above looks a Nice way to go Knowing you are hopefully done for 60 000.
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I get you now ::) ::) ..So fit the 20K junk..Then refurb your old wishbones
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Assuming of course that they are in a fit state to refurbish, but yup :y
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I get you now ::) ::) ..So fit the 20K junk..Then refurb your old wishbones
There's arguments, or rather various sides, to pretty much any aspect, or any part you care to mention.
But if you think I'm going into that each and every time there a quetsion on the ins and outs of a ducks arris Mr Bt, you are mistaken. That's what the search is for old boy! ;D
As said, there are reeeeaaams of conversations repeated over and over on the same old subjects. NOW, IF YOU WANT....! You could go find some, and post the links copied and pasted into the list in post 1. That would be helpful. I guess...?
What do you think? :)
...also, generally speaking, if there's a part here that turns out to be shite, oof members would very much like to know. As said about GM drop links earlier.
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Btw, cheapo bones are not constructed the same way as GM ones. For instance the inner circumference of the bush void metalwork is dove Tailed on the GM ones. The welding is better and more structurally supported.
This is NOT the case on the Atp ones and those of similar price. That's why they are cheaper. If refurbing, refurb the GM ones that come off if possible, or save those to be re furbed next time. But whatever you do, ffs dont bin them. :y
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Spark plugs I'd agree with, but other opinions vary...
http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=130106.msg1666211#msg1666211
I've used these NGK spark plugs (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NGK-6-Pack-Spark-Plugs-c-BKR6EK-2288-X-6-/271231974958?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&fits=Car+Make%3AVauxhall%7CModel%3AOmega%7CCars+Year%3A2000%7CPlat_Gen%3AB%7CCars+Type%3A2.5+V6&hash=item3f26af7e2e) for the last few years. If you don't have TC then these are a good alternative at a decent price. :y
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Spark plugs I'd agree with, but other opinions vary...
http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=130106.msg1666211#msg1666211
I've used these NGK spark plugs (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NGK-6-Pack-Spark-Plugs-c-BKR6EK-2288-X-6-/271231974958?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&fits=Car+Make%3AVauxhall%7CModel%3AOmega%7CCars+Year%3A2000%7CPlat_Gen%3AB%7CCars+Type%3A2.5+V6&hash=item3f26af7e2e) for the last few years. If you don't have TC then these are a good alternative at a decent price. :y
I hope that price is for 6 Tigger! ;D
£74.88 on spark plugs? ...is a good price! :o Have you gone completely oppsing mental?
:o
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Spark plugs I'd agree with, but other opinions vary...
http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=130106.msg1666211#msg1666211
I've used these NGK spark plugs (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NGK-6-Pack-Spark-Plugs-c-BKR6EK-2288-X-6-/271231974958?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&fits=Car+Make%3AVauxhall%7CModel%3AOmega%7CCars+Year%3A2000%7CPlat_Gen%3AB%7CCars+Type%3A2.5+V6&hash=item3f26af7e2e) for the last few years. If you don't have TC then these are a good alternative at a decent price. :y
I hope that price is for 6 Tigger! ;D
£74.88 on spark plugs? ...is a good price! :o Have you gone completely oppsing mental?
:o
Of course! ::) I'm probably tighter than our Lord Opti! ;) but only through necessity you understand! :'( ;D
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Spark plugs I'd agree with, but other opinions vary...
http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=130106.msg1666211#msg1666211
I've used these NGK spark plugs (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NGK-6-Pack-Spark-Plugs-c-BKR6EK-2288-X-6-/271231974958?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&fits=Car+Make%3AVauxhall%7CModel%3AOmega%7CCars+Year%3A2000%7CPlat_Gen%3AB%7CCars+Type%3A2.5+V6&hash=item3f26af7e2e) for the last few years. If you don't have TC then these are a good alternative at a decent price. :y
I hope that price is for 6 Tigger! ;D
£74.88 on spark plugs? ...is a good price! :o Have you gone completely oppsing mental?
:o
Of course! ::) I'm probably tighter than our Lord Opti! ;) but only through necessity you understand! :'( ;D
Out of interest, how much do you think GM plugs are ? Retail?
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I get you now ::) ::) ..So fit the 20K junk..Then refurb your old wishbones
There's arguments, or rather various sides, to pretty much any aspect, or any part you care to mention.
But if you think I'm going into that each and every time there a quetsion on the ins and outs of a ducks arris Mr Bt, you are mistaken. That's what the search is for old boy! ;D
As said, there are reeeeaaams of conversations repeated over and over on the same old subjects. NOW, IF YOU WANT....! You could go find some, and post the links copied and pasted into the list in post 1. That would be helpful. I guess...?
What do you think? :)
...also, generally speaking, if there's a part here that turns out to be shite, oof members would very much like to know. As said about GM drop links earlier.
No Thanks :y
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many thanks for this info, will add it to the service schedule requirements list available in the guides section on this site :)
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Spark plugs I'd agree with, but other opinions vary...
http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=130106.msg1666211#msg1666211
I've used these NGK spark plugs (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NGK-6-Pack-Spark-Plugs-c-BKR6EK-2288-X-6-/271231974958?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&fits=Car+Make%3AVauxhall%7CModel%3AOmega%7CCars+Year%3A2000%7CPlat_Gen%3AB%7CCars+Type%3A2.5+V6&hash=item3f26af7e2e) for the last few years. If you don't have TC then these are a good alternative at a decent price. :y
About £2 per NGK plug, which is roughly what I expect to pay over the counter. It is about half retail, but who pays that?
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Spark plugs I'd agree with, but other opinions vary...
http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=130106.msg1666211#msg1666211
I've used these NGK spark plugs (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NGK-6-Pack-Spark-Plugs-c-BKR6EK-2288-X-6-/271231974958?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&fits=Car+Make%3AVauxhall%7CModel%3AOmega%7CCars+Year%3A2000%7CPlat_Gen%3AB%7CCars+Type%3A2.5+V6&hash=item3f26af7e2e) for the last few years. If you don't have TC then these are a good alternative at a decent price. :y
I hope that price is for 6 Tigger! ;D
£74.88 on spark plugs? ...is a good price! :o Have you gone completely oppsing mental?
:o
Of course! ::) I'm probably tighter than our Lord Opti! ;) but only through necessity you understand! :'( ;D
Out of interest, how much do you think GM plugs are ? Retail?
Good question! :y I did buy GM plugs from the dealer once and they were £3.00 - £3.50 each IIRC but I'm not sure. :-\ It was a long time ago and I've been happy with the NGK's :y
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Fair do's then. :)
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Just browsing through this thread, and sorry to bump it up again.
I was interested in Bigtimes comments on wishbones, and Chrisgixer will back me on this as he saw firsthand. I have posted this before, and its my opinion only....do not shortcut on your safety. A failed wishbone bush nearly cost me and Christine our lives on the M4.
After needing new bushes, I was fitted with some nondescript ones. After a short while the car was checked after I complained about wandering, Faulty wishbones, (spongy bushes) for which I was reimbursed. I then asked for Lemforders, but I later found, I was fitted with Delphi. They were only on for a period of months, when the bushes collapsed. Chris came over and took pictures of the bushes and published them on here.
I then had Poly front and GM rubber rear fitted, to the Delphi frames, with no problems at all since....and been through two MOT's.
I drive carefully...my boy racer days are long gone, and as Chris says in an earlier post...I bet my Omega's are still around long after most have been turned into bean tins :y
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Can only second that. Going from one car with completely knackerd bushes, to another with 'brand new' re-made ones (Poly front, GM rear, GM balljoints) I can honestly say that's the best day's work I've ever done on a car in my life, you feel it every time you drive. And as you say - it's safety. Considering the cost (I made mine for less than £50 a side) really really worth doing. :)
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recomended with long term ownership in mind. Ie best reliability for the least cost.
(Tc) = available on Trade club. http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=90491.0
Engine;
Sensors.
Without exception, buy genuine. (Tc) There will always be the odd genuine GM item suffer early failure, that's the nature of manufacturing. Likewise there will be the odd report of pattern lasting a half decent amount of time. But without doubt, by far the most reliable results come from genuine. Don't be tempted by sensors listed as genuine by sellers on eBay. Normally Chinese shite, which is worse than just pattern shite.
Spark plugs
GM. (Tc) made by Bosch. By far the best value for money especially on trade club.
Ngk. But expensive when compared to the trade club price.
Filters.
GM. (Tc) By far the most reliable in oil filter fit. Greater area in the air filters. Do use the carbon filters to keep the face lift particulate sniffer happy. For the minimal extra cost of GM filters it's not worth messing about with. Plus they are cheaper than most other pattern parts on trade club.
Gaskets.
Cam cover gaskets and o-rings. Black goo.
Known quantity are GM. Reliably give the best life, compared to the factory fitted items. There are some pattern ones on test, courtesy of Dbug, for the v6's but until they fail we dont know their life span. Yet.
Auto box gaskets both sumps. GM or Jpat are cheaper.
Sumps are grey goo (Tc) , as is the oil cooler cover plate, and breather box behind pot 5. Part number in the oil cooler guide.
Steering and suspension;
Wheel bearings. Oe supplier are Fag, koyo available from All German parts. Link in parts section. Also comes with the all important dust cap. (Pattern do not) Mention Oof for discount.
Wishbones
Lemforder or Merle from Agp.
Atp via eBay. Cheaper option. But obviously cheaper construction. But they are the only cheapo eBay type pattern wishbone where the maker(or supplier) is prepared to put their name on them.
GM are good, but considered very expensive given the life of alternatives.
Steering idler
GM only (Tc) Not cheap at £110 retail, but at the time or writing no other reliable part is known to the forum.
Lemforder used to be reliable but lately they have all failed within a couple of months. Although more recently there have been better reports. So maybe they had a bad batch. If it doesn't tighten up solidly and click off to 60nm send it back.
This part can play havok with the steering if it fails, not worth messing about with.
Bushes.
Front wishbone front bush.
GM, give best results out of the rubber ones ime. There are also Lemforder and Merle heavy duty from All Germamn.
However, by far the most reliable option is to fit poly by powerflex. Very slight increase in firmness, but by far the best improvement in accuracy in steering. But do need re greasing periodically.
Rearward wishbone bush. Again, best result from GM (£14 each) Merle HD and Lemforder fractionally less durable.
Roll bar bushes.
GM. Never fail. Never give trouble. Cost about £3
Poly by powerflex. Probably not worth the bother.especially as they need greasing. Minimal benefit.
Rear subframe bushes. (Donuts)
Lemforder or cheaper Febi for rubber ones. Links in the guide iirc
Pedders for poly. They are for Monaro, but fit, with rare reports of the bush tightening into the captive nut home. Link in parts section. Good upgrade. But does firm up the ride.
GM (Tc) are too expensive given the life of those above.
Drop links
GM (Tc) known to be most reliable, however
Merle HD and Lemforder also last well.
Atp cheaper option.
Track rod ends.(Tc)
GM most reliable.
Good results from Delphi. 60k so far.
Atp cheaper option.
Centre tie rod.
GM but very expensive. Nobody seems to make the ball joint boots. Used would be far better than the utterly appalling pattern items available.
Shocks
GM give best results. (Tc)
Bilstein. (B4 primarily. Take 30mm lowering)
Sachs. All German.
Springs.
GM (Tc) (mv6 Lsc na ) best results but expensive.
Sachs Agp
Irmscher or Eibach for 30mm lowering but add 10mm of cushion pads to bring the back up to 20mm lowering or the rear camber is excessive.
Kyb (only known self levelling supplier apart from GM ) cheaper but prone to rust and breakage.
Rear of rear subframe bushes.
No longer serviced by GM.
Please advise if you know of a supplier.
Pm Taxi Al.
Exhaust.
Cat back system.
Eternal via eBay shop. Face lift not listed but pre face lift fit with longer tips added.
GM (Tc) fit well but at £300 on trade club for a poor alternative to the clam shell design of the original, they really should not shed their packing and block the system.
Fluids;
ATF
Dexron III Fuchs Titan 4000
PAS
Dexron II
Coolant.
GM concentrate. (Tc)
Oil
GM (Tc) 10w40 semi synthetic. Dexos2 5w30 fully synthetic.
Brakes;
GM (Tc) front axle service kit includes 2 discs and 4 pads. (Paint the discs with heat resistant paint to get the best out of them.
Agp. Meyle do a pre painted option iirc
GM. Oe pads. (Tc) Expensive at £70 on Tc . But give less dust and better feel and life. Riveted shims.
Trade club pads. (Tc) £14 a set. Best value. Dusty slight squeal in some instances.
I see there is a member in Car Parts, bits For Sale & Wanted Looking for some springs.So is it a case of,us mv6 owners, Only choice is to use Main dealer :-\
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It's worse than that for MV6 springs - they're NLS, so no longer available.
So only option is second hand. Or Eicbach, or any other aftermarket sports spring. :(