Omega Owners Forum
Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: tampon on 15 September 2008, 13:23:01
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Hello there, i have been lurking on here for ages, finally I have got a omega ( picking it up on Saturday )
I think I got a steal :
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=130254089101&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=003
2lt, cdx with leather 95k, facelifted for under 800 notes. Has no tax but sure that can be sorted v quickly as it has 6 months MOT.
Basically, just wanted any thoughts and particularity anything I should look out for before handing over the folding?. I have had a long conversation with the guy and he says everything is tickidy boo and if I am not happy then I can walk away.
Any particular problems or faults i can look for easily ?
Cheers :y
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well it looks o,k, as long as the car is better than the blokes english ;D,i dont know much about the petrol versions but im sure someone will come on here & give you a check list,,,best of luck [but not mine of coarse :D]
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Welcome to the forums!
looks like a fair bargain.
there are a couple of 'common' fault with the miggies but nothing that serious I dont think. check your heater bypass valve for coolant loss as from what I can tell that is number 1 on the failure list. small black plastic thing with 3x 1" hoses and one tiny vacuum pipe.
on the V6's it resides at the very back of the engine behind the plenum underneath the wipers. pig to get to if it needs replacing but cheap enough.if it's leaking it will be all pinky-white and crusty.
give the exhaust a good looking over as if it has not been replaced already it will be getting towards the end of it's life (8 yrs old u know). expect a £300 bill if that all needs replacing.
check the brake disks for wear - that'll put you back £100-£150 to replace all the brakes - it did me :S
you wouldn't automatically think it but check the tyres. if a car costs less than £800 and all 4 tyres need replacing then you're looking at £80 each for decent ones. that could put the total price up over a grand.
also on the tyres check for wear and the extreme inside and outside edges. 3 inches of wear on the outside means bad toe adjustment (cheap) or wishbone replacement (fairly cheap) 2-3 inches of wear on the inside means camber out of alignement. expect to pay £85 for that to be set up - plus a trip to west london to get tony at wheels-inmotion to sort it for you. It has been known for badly adjusted camber to cause blowouts at high speed (not that you'll be going this fast but I heard of one bloke blowing out 2 front tyres simultaneously at 120mph)
other than that just check what you'd always check... before starting the engine turn the ignition on and switch off EVERYTHING that makes noise, fans, stereo etc. then start her up with the bonnet up and your window down so that you can listen clearly for any knocks and rattles. check all electric windows work, electric mirrors, electric seats etc etc. everything electrical that moves needs to be tested as they are going to be most prone to wear and failuer and will likely cost more to replace.
don't discount the car if you find stuff wrong with it, just factor in the cost of fixing (if the problems bug you enough) and add that on to the price and decide if it's still a bargain.
oh and congrats on finding the car that you will come to measure all others against! Looks very very shiny!
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Does this sound plausible..?
I'm bought this car couple of weeks ago as ideal working horse because is very big and comfortable. My boss change his mind and he will suply a company car for me.
I would quiz him hard to make sure its not -' I bought the car 2 weeks ago and just found out its a pile of ....'
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Welcome to the forums!
looks like a fair bargain.
there are a couple of 'common' fault with the miggies but nothing that serious I dont think. check your heater bypass valve for coolant loss as from what I can tell that is number 1 on the failure list. small black plastic thing with 3x 1" hoses and one tiny vacuum pipe.
on the V6's it resides at the very back of the engine behind the plenum underneath the wipers. pig to get to if it needs replacing but cheap enough.if it's leaking it will be all pinky-white and crusty.
give the exhaust a good looking over as if it has not been replaced already it will be getting towards the end of it's life (8 yrs old u know). expect a £300 bill if that all needs replacing.
check the brake disks for wear - that'll put you back £100-£150 to replace all the brakes - it did me :S
you wouldn't automatically think it but check the tyres. if a car costs less than £800 and all 4 tyres need replacing then you're looking at £80 each for decent ones. that could put the total price up over a grand.
also on the tyres check for wear and the extreme inside and outside edges. 3 inches of wear on the outside means bad toe adjustment (cheap) or wishbone replacement (fairly cheap) 2-3 inches of wear on the inside means camber out of alignement. expect to pay £85 for that to be set up - plus a trip to west london to get tony at wheels-inmotion to sort it for you. It has been known for badly adjusted camber to cause blowouts at high speed (not that you'll be going this fast but I heard of one bloke blowing out 2 front tyres simultaneously at 120mph)
other than that just check what you'd always check... before starting the engine turn the ignition on and switch off EVERYTHING that makes noise, fans, stereo etc. then start her up with the bonnet up and your window down so that you can listen clearly for any knocks and rattles. check all electric windows work, electric mirrors, electric seats etc etc. everything electrical that moves needs to be tested as they are going to be most prone to wear and failuer and will likely cost more to replace.
don't discount the car if you find stuff wrong with it, just factor in the cost of fixing (if the problems bug you enough) and add that on to the price and decide if it's still a bargain.
oh and congrats on finding the car that you will come to measure all others against! Looks very very shiny!
The exhaust has been replaced in the last year, I will have a look for the pink crusty thing.
I am lucky as i have a few mates at my rugby club to do any servicing and such so it seems as long as the electricals are good other stuff is sortable for decent money.
Way I figured with this car is if it explodes after a year it was cheap luxury motoring. If it goes through the next MOT easily then it is a steal ( I only planning on doing 6-9000 miles a year tops )
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Does this sound plausible..?
I'm bought this car couple of weeks ago as ideal working horse because is very big and comfortable. My boss change his mind and he will suply a company car for me.
I would quiz him hard to make sure its not -' I bought the car 2 weeks ago and just found out its a pile of ....'
Thats is why i am asking here for any particular things I need to know.
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Good point earlier about tyres and exhaust.
I would make sure you drive it thoroughly and check the auto box is behaving.
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Good point earlier about tyres and exhaust.
I would make sure you drive it thoroughly and check the auto box is behaving.
Cool so pink crap in the coolant part, the exhaust should be good as it has been changed ( will check though ).
Tyres I feel are just one of those things, as long as they are legal I will be happy ( all you can expect for 770 quid really ).
Auto box, good point, what kind of things should I look for ? any little tests I should do ?
Cheers guys, this is the stuff I need to know.
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Hi,
Before buying the car check those
http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1152602457
http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1164279437
http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1162323406
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I am no autobox expert but check it changes smoothly, no delay in pick up, that the lights by the selector aren't flashing randomly..
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I am no autobox expert but check it changes smoothly, no delay in pick up, that the lights by the selector aren't flashing randomly..
Cheers, i take it random flashing lights signify soething bad then ?
also where's best place to get a decent grill for the front of this mother ?
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These are very common on here. I've had them all on mine. I don't know if they all/any apply to a 2 litre.
Drivers door central locking motor sometimes wont unlock door.
Glovebox lock and handle breaks.
Alarm keeps going off due to failure of power sounder battery.
Bad wear on inside edge of front tyres due to bad camber setting (This will trash new tyres in about 6000 miles, turn the steering to full lock and have a good look).
Does anyone know if you need to check for blown cam gaskets in a 2 litre?
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These are very common on here. I've had them all on mine. I don't know if they all/any apply to a 2 litre.
Drivers door central locking motor sometimes wont unlock door.
Glovebox lock and handle breaks.
Alarm keeps going off due to failure of power sounder battery.
Bad wear on inside edge of front tyres due to bad camber setting (This will trash new tyres in about 6000 miles, turn the steering to full lock and have a good look).
Does anyone know if you need to check for blown cam gaskets in a 2 litre?
i think the head gasket is quite common on the 2ltrs so this could be why he is selling it - check all the warning signs of this - oil in water / creamy oil filler cap etc
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Looks very clean and a bargain, but strange it isn't taxed if he has been using it.
Check every switch inside actually operates and check all locks work. .
Bend down and look along paintwork on the side of the car for any nasty ripples and have a look for any paint overspray on window rubbers
Make sure all dash lights come on when the ignition is switched on .
As already said check oil on dip stick is it clean or milky.
View it in daylight!
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Looks very clean and a bargain, but strange it isn't taxed if he has been using it.
Check every switch inside actually operates and check all locks work. .
Bend down and look along paintwork on the side of the car for any nasty ripples and have a look for any paint overspray on window rubbers
Make sure all dash lights come on when the ignition is switched on .
As already said check oil on dip stick is it clean or milky.
View it in daylight!
It is taxed but he wants to charge me more than the value of the tax to keep it on, seems to think he is adding value by not getting me to run to the post office. All he has done is left himself the hassle of getting a refund ( for a month less than I would have paid for it )
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If you find a little fault that he has not mentioned get him to throw the tax in as well as a good will gesture!
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Tenner off for a new front number plate to start with....and get haggling with the tax!
Unless its a hidden swan neck towbar - there's your get out clause as its mentioned in the listing ;)
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Ok so I am going in to look at it, if some electrical things don't work and I am ok living with those then let them slide. Same with tracking, check tyres out but if they are wearing unevenly then will get it sorted after for less than £100.
If the gearbox is funny then walk away, same if there is mayo in the oil.
Anyone know roughly what it would cost to fix a head gasket ( I have mechanical mates who I would bung a few jars to for doing it ), just rough idea just incase it is breaked and I want to knock it off the price.
Sound like a plan boys ?
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normally once a head is removed its very advisable to have it skimmed & pressure tested,[alloy head?] as you say your mates can do the gasket but do they have the facilities to skim etc, mind you itll probably be o,k but you are right to be cautious & look at the "what ifs", another thing people do to stop it overheating is to leave the top of the expansion bottle loose so it relieves the pressure of the compression escaping into the water jackets, if you are a member of the AA it would be worth paying them to check it over if your not 100% happy.,,,best of luck ;)
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another thing to check...
the little box on the right of the steering wheel - it's like a mini glove box...
mine WILL NOT STAY CLOSED it's probably not a costly problem but it is incredibly irritating and it would mean tracking down a motor in a scrap yard with the same interior to get a replacement. It'd take me a day end-to-end to actually replace it. if this one has a similar annoyance, don't discount it - use it as a haggling point, you cannot underestimate how irritating it is to have a little glove box door fall on your knee every 45 seconds...
re you mentioning that you have friends in the motor trade.... DO NOT TELL THAT TO THE SELLER!!! it will drastically undermine your haggle-power :)
Good luck buddy, I hope you come home with a shiny, good nick, classy & comfy motor :)
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another thing to check...
the little box on the right of the steering wheel - it's like a mini glove box...
mine WILL NOT STAY CLOSED it's probably not a costly problem but it is incredibly irritating and it would mean tracking down a motor in a scrap yard with the same interior to get a replacement. It'd take me a day end-to-end to actually replace it. if this one has a similar annoyance, don't discount it - use it as a haggling point, you cannot underestimate how irritating it is to have a little glove box door fall on your knee every 45 seconds...
re you mentioning that you have friends in the motor trade.... DO NOT TELL THAT TO THE SELLER!!! it will drastically undermine your haggle-power :)
Good luck buddy, I hope you come home with a shiny, good nick, classy & comfy motor :)
That's what Gaffa Tape is for!! ;)
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normally once a head is removed its very advisable to have it skimmed & pressure tested,[alloy head?] as you say your mates can do the gasket but do they have the facilities to skim etc, mind you itll probably be o,k but you are right to be cautious & look at the "what ifs", another thing people do to stop it overheating is to leave the top of the expansion bottle loose so it relieves the pressure of the compression escaping into the water jackets, if you are a member of the AA it would be worth paying them to check it over if your not 100% happy.,,,best of luck ;)
I pretty sure one of them will, he is a mechanic for the aston martin race car base in surrey, the other one does volvo main dealer and police car stuff. Surely one of them would have those facilities.
Where would I find the pieces I needed if the head gasket is blown( and roughly how much ) if that was the case ( have to excuse my mechanical numptyness ).
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http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VAUXHALL-HEAD-GASKET-SET-2-0-LTR-16V-VECTRA-ETC-X20XEV_W0QQitemZ140261628991QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item140261628991&_trkparms=72%3A1090%7C39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
£23.50 incl postage.
genuine vauxhall parts would be preferable and probably come to around the £50 or £60 mark. the problem with head gkt failures is not the price of the gaskets but the fact that they can take 10 hours of labour to fix. if you have mates rates available then you should be ok.
does your astin martin race buddy want a fun project supercharging an x30xe???? ;D
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http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VAUXHALL-HEAD-GASKET-SET-2-0-LTR-16V-VECTRA-ETC-X20XEV_W0QQitemZ140261628991QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item140261628991&_trkparms=72%3A1090%7C39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
£23.50 incl postage.
genuine vauxhall parts would be preferable and probably come to around the £50 or £60 mark. the problem with head gkt failures is not the price of the gaskets but the fact that they can take 10 hours of labour to fix. if you have mates rates available then you should be ok.
does your astin martin race buddy want a fun project supercharging an x30xe???? ;D
This place is great, ask and you shall recieve.
Thanks for that, yeah 10 hours is quite a while to ask for a few beers, probably have to be a big night out on my then.
So even if there is mayo in the oil then I could still get it fixed for a £150, would anything else be breaked if the gasket went or is it a case of once that is sorted then the engine is fine ?
If you are serious about the supercharging I can ask him if you like ?