Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.

1

General Car Chat / Re: Headlight restoration attempt

« on: 16 July 2024, 17:33:42 »

Does it really matter how long it takes? As long as he is happy with the end result, it can take as long as it needs to. The super human people that can do this headlight restoration job, or strip down and renew a full suspension job in only 'x' mins / hours, including having brew, getting it on with the missus (or boyfriend or whoever floats your boat) are not sending the right messages out to OOF members that may not be handy with the spanners or tools etc and working on their own cars as others like to think they are.
Encouragement to do their own jobs and advice when it goes wrong should surely be what it's all about - not 'it only takes me 'x' minutes to do this job', which generally is a load of bo##ocks anyway).
Take your time and long as you need to to do the job right and to your own satisfaction....

Thank you, I am a complete novice and have a LOT to learn but really willing to get stuck in and work on my car. It ended up taking me around an hour and half just on one side, but the result was absolutely fantastic and everyone who offered advice really helped me. When I get round to it, it will definitely take me half as much time to finish everything off. This forum is full of people willing to help others out, and that's what makes OOF great for those trying to learn and work on their cars.   

2

General Car Chat / Re: Headlight restoration attempt

« on: 16 July 2024, 13:01:32 »

This link may be a read to you. 

https://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=90643.0

Thank you, it appears i may just need to stick at it a bit longer, and really take my time. I shall have another go at it tomorrow for a good few hours if needed and hopefully get it done.

A good few hours?


It's a 30minute job, from start to finish, by hand, in the dark, in the street, including drinking the beer.


The important thing to remember for any polishing process is to start with a grit that's coarse enough to remove the damage, removing those marks with progressively finer abrasives. Missing out grades isn't a shortcut, especially when your desired finish is a bright, shiny, scratch-free surface on clear plastic.

Tell me your secret mate, while I am definitely not in a rush, it takes me about 30 minutes to gather everything I need, fanny around, tape everything up as needed and then actually start. Although I will admit half of that is down my extreme disorganisation. 

3

General Car Chat / Re: Headlight restoration attempt

« on: 16 July 2024, 11:54:32 »

I use the 3M kits designed for use in a drill, and find they work well with minimal fuss and effort.  You must keep it wet though.

Manually doing it with wet and dry, again keeping it wet, has been done by a few less idle than me on here with great effect.

If you are near me (Buckinghamshire/Oxfordshire/Northamptonshire border), I'd be more than happy to use one of my kits on your Corsa.

Thank you for the offer is much appreciated, but definitely would like to try this myself. If I can't even do a simple job as this, god help me if I ever decide to try something more challenging on my car. 

4

General Car Chat / Re: Headlight restoration attempt

« on: 16 July 2024, 11:52:06 »

This link may be a read to you. 

https://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=90643.0

Thank you, it appears i may just need to stick at it a bit longer, and really take my time. I shall have another go at it tomorrow for a good few hours if needed and hopefully get it done.

5

General Car Chat / Headlight restoration attempt

« on: 15 July 2024, 13:25:21 »

I have recently been trying to attempt to restore the faded headlights on my Vauxhall Corsa, as with age they have clouded and started to have a yellow hue. To my dismay, after following tutorials and even buying a kit, I have managed to make them worse. They have this even more horrible cloudiness, that just will not go. I used ( in order) 600, 1500 and 3000 grit sandpaper and then a heavy duty polishing compound applied with a cloth. I would use a drill head attachment to apply the polishing compound, however the one I have isn't up to the job and buying a new one for this small job would be a waste. I will say that the surface is not visibly smooth, and still has light scratches present, could this be an issue?  Any help or suggestions would be more than welcome. I would put an image up but can't for the life of me work out how to.

6

Omega General Help / Re: Is it worth it?

« on: 25 June 2024, 23:10:04 »

They are cheap enough to buy, and you will struggle to find anything more comfortable if almost any (sensible) money.

Any you buy will likely have rust issues.  That will need fixing, and if you can't weld yourself, might mean its a non starter.

Front suspension on Omegas does wear quickly, and the car is sensitive to geometry setup.  So you will be fitting polybushes to the from arms, and potentially looking at replacing the shocks.  Again, if you are having to pay somebody else, it can get very expensive very quickly.  After any suspension work, you need to do a full geometry check, to reset the camber and everything else - this usually costs about £35 plus £35 per adjustment (but worth every penny on an Omega.

Its likely the front brake discs will be shot - they massively corrode the outer bit of the inside face of the discs, like many other Vauxhalls (and others), but thats a trivial and inexpensive job to DIY.

Fuel economy isn't the best - these are old cars now. And most will get hit with the ULEZ charges if you live near places implementing that tosh.


But if you are prepared to do the work required, and its not a rust bucket underneath (rear of sill, along the sills, the front legs near the front wheel) and presentable on top (rear wheel arch rust, tailgate rust on estates), they are generally easy-ish to maintain, and there is a wealth of knowlege on here.

Thank you for your response. I am happy to attempt any repair or work on the car just short of an entire engine swap, I will likely make mistakes but that is apart of learning and these are hardly 2024 plate cars straight off the factory floor, and as you mentioned there are huge resources on here and on the internet regarding these issues. I will definitely try to avoid the thoroughly rotted sheds, as repairing heavy rust will likely not be in my skillset for the foreseeable future. Thank you for your help.

7

Omega General Help / Re: Is it worth it?

« on: 25 June 2024, 23:03:08 »

A good example of an Omega is a great car still.  But, as others have intermated , finding one without terminal rust is the real issue.

As someone who at 17 in 1970 bought a £30 Austin A40 that had an MOT, but was an absolute rust bucket, but had no mechanical knowledge, I know what you are facing as a youngster.  However, with a lovely uncle, who was retiring as the Chief Mechanic for the London section of the GPO with their green Austin vans, i quickly learnt how to keep my rust bucket going mechanically - removing the head, replacing valves and tappets, with a clutch replacement - along with going to night school for car mechanic lessons, I kept it on the road until I had a brand new Company Ford Escort two years later.

Times have changed - my God they’ve changed in terms of the MOT and the cars were built then - and as a youngster the costs have gone through the roof.  For instance even as a female very young driver, the insurance cost me just £30 per year. Petrol was also around just 6 shillings per GALLON 
But, if I was to be a youngster again I would still buy a cheap, but relatively sound car car, to run for a year or three,  whilst also learning car mechanics, then after go for a newer model for a longer period IF you can afford it. Also with driving history building your insurance should gradually reduce.

But after all said and done, as much as I love Omega’s as a mature lady , I would NOT recommend one for anyone under 25, especially if they have no mechanical experience.  Instead go for a great modern hatchback, with a 1 to 1.5 litre engine.  MUCH cheaper to run, and should not give you the worry and headaches of running a 21+ year old Omega, with even a smaller 2.2 litre engine.  I would stick to your Corsa or similar.  (My two lads had them before getting bigger cars later)

In addition, if you choose that car wisely, when you come to buy another more modern car, you should be able to trade it in .  No sensible dealer will now give any trade in value above what it is worth in scrap :'( :'(

Sorry if I have broken a dream to own an Omega, but you must be realistic in not taking on an “old persons” car!!!

All the best in your decision making



Thank you for your response. If I were to purchase an Omega it would not be for daily use, I am lucky to not be required to drive for work. This gives me space to work on the Omega and take my time to learn and make repairs, which I must admit I am looking forward to doing. I have undertaken some light work on my current car (Corsa Mk D), and I did thoroughly enjoy that, so an Omega would be a step up and would allow me to really get stuck in and learn more. You do bring up good points about about running costs, but unless I absolutely can't avoid it, I don't plan to take it to any garages, but I do have friend/ family connections which would make doing so cheaper. Thank you for your reply and I have taken your suggestions on board.

8

Omega General Help / Is it worth it?

« on: 25 June 2024, 13:33:37 »

Hello everyone. My question is, is it worth purchasing an Omega in 2024? I am young and have been driving for only a few years so the 2.2L engine version will be the only viable one in terms of insurance wise, combined with the high cost of road tax and inevitable repairs, is it viable to take one on in my case?. Despite this I have always loved Omegas and I am desperate to drive and own one, so I don't mind spending money and a bit of my time on one, however this does have to be within reason, and I would ideally like the car to be working more then it doesn't. I am aware that buying the right car in the first place is most of the battle, but I have limited mechanical knowledge and not really a large amount of money to spend on an Omega once I own it. I would like to state again that I would be willing to put in effort and time and a bit of money, but with their age is it worth it anymore to keep them running for a decent amount of time? Thank you for any help.