Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Car Chat => Topic started by: 2boxerdogs on 12 March 2017, 16:36:08
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Chatting with a pal in our local yesterday & of course the car topic came up ,his worst was a Rover 2000 mine a Rover Montego estate don't think a week passed without something going wrong with it.
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Way back in the mists of time (around 1980) I once owned a Datsun Cherry. Unreliable sack of shit.
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My first Vectra C... a year old '55 plate facelift diesel Estate with 10k miles on it... only had it 6 months but it suffered every single fault that they were known for...
Closely followed by a brand new Seat Altea, although most of the trouble with that car was the supplying dealer failing to acknowledge faults. A change of dealer helped with the car, but their work was contemptible.
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Mk1 '65 Cortina Estate, dreadful to start, body made from bean cans, and yet the only car I ever sold for a profit!
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Not really had an unreliable car.
I *have* bought cars with pre-existing conditions, including Project TB2 (Traaaackkkktooorrr!) and the current Zafira. But I can't class them as unreliable as they were bought with problems. In fact, the Zafira is stubbornly reliable, dispite the abuse it gets. It just lacked power.
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Not really had an unreliable car.
I *have* bought cars with pre-existing conditions, including Project TB2 (Traaaackkkktooorrr!) and the current Zafira. But I can't class them as unreliable as they were bought with problems. In fact, the Zafira is stubbornly reliable, dispite the abuse it gets. It just lacked power.
I wouldn't call a car that you have to park up and beg a lift every farts end reliable.
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SWBMO's Shitroen C3.
60 plate, bought 3 yrs ago with just over 20k on the clock, and now just turned 30k.
It's had .... a new thermostat, new engine temp sensor inc the modified loom to it, new cam sensor, new water pump, oil leak to thè variable cam sorted, new battery. And it stalls ....despite having the update to the auto gearbox software, it still stalls when cold at the same point. It seem the fix is two new solenoids fitting inside the 'box ...... I'm reluctant to spend more money on it.
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Not really had an unreliable car.
I *have* bought cars with pre-existing conditions, including Project TB2 (Traaaackkkktooorrr!) and the current Zafira. But I can't class them as unreliable as they were bought with problems. In fact, the Zafira is stubbornly reliable, dispite the abuse it gets. It just lacked power.
I wouldn't call a car that you have to park up and beg a lift every farts end reliable.
Its the only time it let me down, and it was a problem of our making (we'd disconnected the fuel system, then couldn't get the bugger to bleed afterwards).
The stubborn PoS is annoyingly reliable otherwise.
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My (brand new) '96 3.0 Elite estate was my worst car, suffering the following in the 18months I had it from new and took it to 50k miles:
Alternator whine from audio system from new - Vx eventually paid a specialist auto electrician to sort it.
Drivers door handle often wouldn't open properly - endangering fingernails!
Rear door glass demister motor noisy - remember that useless feature on early Elites
Powersounder ingress of water - causing alarm to go off
Frayed cable on auto levelling rear suspension - wrongly routed in factory
Dealer lost some bolts when some engine work was done - had a courtesy car for 3 weeks whilst replacements were sourced
Failure of climate module - another long wait as none available
Really not too good for a £30k car in 1996 was it!
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Brand new BMW M140i. Great when it worked. Total sack of sh!t on balance :-X
Other cars have been pretty reliable.
1989 1.3 escort pop - bullet proof despite reaching an oil consumption of 1pint/hundred miles- smoked like Del Boys van! ;D
1997 1.4 Astra hatch - needed fettling at the side of the road when I drove it through 2' of water. Also snapped a clutch cable, but nothing else from 76k - 113k when I scrapped it due to encroaching tin worm.
2002 2.0D rover 45 - split IC hose and a failed battery between 40(ish)k and 90k.
2001 Saab 9-5 aero wheel bearing replaced in 50k of use
2001 Mondeo TDDI bought with a knackered dmf- otherwise no problems between 80 & 130k
2004 x-type 2.5 v6 - failed lambda sensor and a/c compressor leak (which I never fixed before selling) ran it for around 50k
2001 Saab 9-5 aero - ignition cassette (and a real thirst for oil). Otherwise a cheap year of motoring despite taking it from 160-190k
2003 omega - passenger side door lock, ignition key jamming issue, busted glove box catch, temp sensor, otherwise only service items (I think).
On balance, having never spent >£2,200 on a car until the Bimmer, I'd conclude I've got off pretty lightly. Either smart buying, or more likely- good luck.
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BMW 325 TDSE, closely followed by an Cosworth 2.9 24V Ford Ultima
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My first Omega was my most troublesome car. Unbeknown to me at the time, I bought it with just about every common Omega issue.
Once I discovered this place, it slowly came back round to being a good reliable car.
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My first Omega was my most troublesome car. Unbeknown to me at the time, I bought it with just about every common Omega issue.
Once I discovered this place, it slowly came back round to being a good reliable car.
Now you're just being silly. ;D
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I was going to say a Hillman Imp but I got rid of it after six months of trouble.
The worst was a Vauxhall Viva HB. Went round Europe in it in 1980. Did 3000 miles of which about half were with a misfire. It was so bad at one point in the Alps that I wanted to set fire to it at the top of one of the passes. (I didn't) . The brand new front pads fitted just before the trip vanished (burnt away or just wore away - who knows?) before we left the Alps. Did 200 miles without once touching the brake pedal. Very very luckily had pads off a scrapper in Geneva to continue the journey. Pulled up home and the master brake cylinder failed.
I sold it with that fault detailed and the buyer drove it away! The misfire went as soon as we were back on UK soil and didn't re appear for a couple of weeks. The carb butterfly spindle was worn and under fierce acceleration ! the spindle moved to end of slot giving the misfire.
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Citroen GSA: not enough space to detail all of the problems, but sufficew it to say that NOTHING was easy to work on and most garages refused point blank to work on it! :(
Ron.
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I guess I'd have to say my Alfa 166 3.2 V6. Mainly electrical problems in case you were wondering ;D
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I guess I'd have to say my Alfa 166 3.2 V6. Mainly electrical problems in case you were wondering ;D
That is not a car that is unreliable. It's an Alfa. That is a car with character. :y
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Bloody 950 Fiesta Pop, triggers dam broom that engine was and if you set the tappets they would be noisy again within two weeks.
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I guess I'd have to say my Alfa 166 3.2 V6. Mainly electrical problems in case you were wondering ;D
That is not a car that is unreliable. It's an Alfa. That is a car with character. :y
Oh, it was certainly a character. Wipers would suddenly stop when it was pissing down, headlights would choose to light up the three feet in front of the bumper and no further until you switched on and off.
Dark, wet nights were a hoot. ;D
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I guess I'd have to say my Alfa 166 3.2 V6. Mainly electrical problems in case you were wondering ;D
That is not a car that is unreliable. It's an Alfa. That is a car with character. :y
Oh, it was certainly a character. Wipers would suddenly stop when it was pissing down, headlights would choose to light up the three feet in front of the bumper and no further until you switched on and off.
Dark, wet nights were a hoot. ;D
If you can laugh about it now then 'it's character'
It sounds as though your 166 was a naughty little rascal. ;D ;D
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I remember taking it to the garage to trade in. I chose a bright, dry day. ;D
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I remember taking it to the garage to trade in. I chose a bright, dry day. ;D
I'm sure it's new owner would have been very happy......(so long as it didn't piss down) :)
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I remember taking it to the garage to trade in. I chose a bright, dry day. ;D
I'm sure it's new owner would have been very happy......(so long as it didn't piss down) :)
It was a stunner in the sunlight, pearlescent blue with red leather. It was only when you actually wanted to go anywhere it became a problem.
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My first Omega was my most troublesome car. Unbeknown to me at the time, I bought it with just about every common Omega issue.
Once I discovered this place, it slowly came back round to being a good reliable car.
Now you're just being silly. ;D
In my imagination... (https://youtu.be/bMCXx5k01Tg)
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Bloody 950 Fiesta Pop, triggers dam broom that engine was and if you set the tappets they would be noisy again within two weeks.
Couldn't find the tappets under all the sludge and jelly on Emma's one. ;D
.. and that was the 2nd engine. First one put punched a fist sized hole in its' block a couple of years earlier. That was before I introduced the concept of regular servicing, mind, and god knows they needed that. ::)
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Bloody 950 Fiesta Pop, triggers dam broom that engine was and if you set the tappets they would be noisy again within two weeks.
Couldn't find the tappets under all the sludge and jelly on Emma's one. ;D
.. and that was the 2nd engine. First one put punched a fist sized hole in its' block a couple of years earlier. That was before I introduced the concept of regular servicing, mind, and god knows they needed that. ::)
I had a mk2 Escort that did that years ago, the pistonless con rod was hanging out the side of the hole :o, tried to inform the Recovery Man when he turned up, but he having none of it and insisted on doing the basic tests for a not starter, like checking Battery Voltage, Diss Cap and looking at Coolent level etc. ;D
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Bloody 950 Fiesta Pop, triggers dam broom that engine was and if you set the tappets they would be noisy again within two weeks.
Couldn't find the tappets under all the sludge and jelly on Emma's one. ;D
.. and that was the 2nd engine. First one put punched a fist sized hole in its' block a couple of years earlier. That was before I introduced the concept of regular servicing, mind, and god knows they needed that. ::)
I had a mk2 Escort that did that years ago, the pistonless con rod was hanging out the side of the hole :o, tried to inform the Recovery Man when he turned up, but he having none of it and insisted on doing the basic tests for a not starter, like checking Battery Voltage, Diss Cap and looking at Coolent level etc. ;D
Yes, a mate of mine had that. His car was sitting in a puddle of engine oil and there were bits of big end embedded in the tarmac but no! "We can fix 90% of cars at the roadside, don't you know?". ;D
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Bloody 950 Fiesta Pop, triggers dam broom that engine was and if you set the tappets they would be noisy again within two weeks.
Couldn't find the tappets under all the sludge and jelly on Emma's one. ;D
.. and that was the 2nd engine. First one put punched a fist sized hole in its' block a couple of years earlier. That was before I introduced the concept of regular servicing, mind, and god knows they needed that. ::)
That was a common problem with all of the smaller OHV engines in FWD applications, especially in Escorts. Downgrading the crank from 5 to 3 main bearings is the probable reason. Quite why they did that is a good question, as the RWD equivalent is next to impossible to blow-up.
None of my cars have been expensive(the £1500 I paid for the Omega is the most I've ever spent), so they all arrived with expected issues, Omega included. I expect my stuff to work, so every one of them has had the issues fixed as they became problems. This is really just delayed maintenance.
Aside from the rotten headgaskets on the Omega, most of my car problems have been caused by lending the car to my sister; she's the only person I've ever met who could break a cambelt(on a 2.0l Pinto :o ) in a petrol station!
Alfas do NOT have character. They are just shit in every respect.
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Bloody 950 Fiesta Pop, triggers dam broom that engine was and if you set the tappets they would be noisy again within two weeks.
Couldn't find the tappets under all the sludge and jelly on Emma's one. ;D
.. and that was the 2nd engine. First one put punched a fist sized hole in its' block a couple of years earlier. That was before I introduced the concept of regular servicing, mind, and god knows they needed that. ::)
I had a mk2 Escort that did that years ago, the pistonless con rod was hanging out the side of the hole :o, tried to inform the Recovery Man when he turned up, but he having none of it and insisted on doing the basic tests for a not starter, like checking Battery Voltage, Diss Cap and looking at Coolent level etc. ;D
Yes, a mate of mine had that. His car was sitting in a puddle of engine oil and there were bits of big end embedded in the tarmac but no! "We can fix 90% of cars at the roadside, don't you know?". ;D
Well yer see, have faith, they used to carry most spares for the old Kent Engine, ;D, but you always knew you where in trouble when after 20 mins the Recovery Man sighs goes to the van and returns shaking a can of WD40 ;D