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[fatboyfat]

Hi,not a happy camper today.Got the car checked this morning and needs a new exhaust,brake pipes front to rear both sides,front discs and the rear axle and engine leak oil.Garage said anything upto a £1000,£500-600 if cats need replacing and labour for brake pipes.Daft question but should I persist or attempt to get £800 back for what I paid.I am truly gutted because the car is great to drive and in every other respect is brilliant.Someone say summat nice please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't want to spend a grand now and find that it is turning into a money pit.sorry,just really down right now.God knows how much it will cost to get the oil leaks sorted.damn,damn and thrice damn.

[gwa]

Sorry to hear your news   .... What year is the car?

[Alex Wood]

How inclined are you to do some of these jobs yourself?

Exhaust: usual form is that everything bar the downpipes and integral cats is rotten, genuine Vauxhall system from the cats back is a good bet if you're in Autobahnstormers or another VBOA-affiliated club, which gives you a trade discount card.

Front discs: not a big job and again the trade discount will get you Vx discs and pads for reasonable money.

Brake pipes: I tend to make them with a cutting and flaring kit when my Monza needs them but if it was the Omega I spose I'd go for the genuine items, don't know how much they are but again it's not a specialist job and should be easy enough for anyone competent with a ramp or a pit.

All the above are common whatever the car and they're not showstoppers.

Engine oil leak: kinda depends where it's leaking from and how badly, need more info on this! Most common on the V6 is the rocker cover gaskets being blown out by excess pressure due to the breather system getting cacked up, causing oil to leak past the gaskets.

Diff: if it's just a case of a bit of oil weeping out, I'd be inclined just to get hold of some diff oil and top it up once in a while for now, no point in fighting on too many fronts all at once!

EDIT: just occurred to me, who inspected it? Unless it's actually failed an MOT on brake pipes and discs, they might be the kind of jobs you can give yourself a couple of months to organise and spread the cost.

[unlucky alf]

ooooh that is nasty, can you do any stuff yourself??, perhaps ask around to see if any mates know of anybody that does "beer money" jobs, brake pipes aint that bad to do as are the discs, you should be able to buy brake pipes pre-made to fit your car, just a matter of 2 nuts & a bit of gentle bending,who was this garage? it wasnt a "quik" company so to speak , another option is to find a mobile mechanic who are more realistic with their prices, get the oil leaks sorted last as they aint MOT issues, perhaps you might have some OOF members that can assist you nearby, ive had cars fail MOT`s on brake pipes when all they needed was a wire brushing off so a 2nd opinion might be required,,,,good luck

[fatboyfat]

thanks guys for your sympathy.It's a P plate 1996.If there is anyone nearby who could give me another opinion as regards pipes and leaks that would be great.They showed me the pipes and to my untrained eye didn't look too bad.The exhaust is putting me off and i don't have access to any ramps or a pit.Whilst fairly practical on most other things would feel really insecure doing brakes especially.Thanks again and heres hoping cos i can hardly see to write through the tears

[Welung666]

If the pipes don't look too bad just gently wire brush them off and paint on some protectant such as waxoyl. The discs and pads are easy peasy and I'm sure someone with a trade card could help you out in getting them cheaper. Exhaust you could pick up off fleabay and just pay the local tyre/exhaust fitter to fit them, then concentrate on the leaks afterwards.

[fatboyfat]

just been looking on e-bay and there is an exhaust shop on there that do exhausts from the cats to the back. £155 delivered.If the pipes from engine to cats are ok and they come away alright then only looking to replace that,£155 + fitting,maybe do it myself with advice!!!!??(don't get carried away).If break pipes on a second look are not too bad then with a brush over and a bit of waxoyl can maybe get by for MOT.Discs and padssaw those for £50 delivered from Germany.Hopefully £210 and fitting maybe it's not the end of the world as i know it.Thanx all for advice and raising my spirits,at least for today.

[Lizzie_Zoom]

just been looking on e-bay and there is an exhaust shop on there that do exhausts from the cats to the back. £155 delivered.If the pipes from engine to cats are ok and they come away alright then only looking to replace that,£155 + fitting,maybe do it myself with advice!!!!??(don't get carried away).If break pipes on a second look are not too bad then with a brush over and a bit of waxoyl can maybe get by for MOT.Discs and padssaw those for £50 delivered from Germany.Hopefully £210 and fitting maybe it's not the end of the world as i know it.Thanx all for advice and raising my spirits,at least for today.

So much is quite easily sorted, with only the brake pipes a really difficult task.  If you can avoid it so much the better, but if they really do need replacing for safety sake, then they should be done.  If that is the case I recommend you jack the car high enough for you to work comfortably underneath ( I used large wooden blocks progressively to build up the height under the usual axle stands when I replaced all the pipes on a Toyota), then you will find it is a fairly straight forward job if you take your time and use genuine Vx Omega pipes.

The oil leak does sound like failed cam cover gaskets, but it could be from any part of the engine, so what was said about where the leak was?

If it is the cam covers it is an awkward and frustrating job as I am currently finding with wiring left unconnected or damaged, but the actual task is quite straightforward if you follow the guides on this Forum.

If you cannot do all this work yourself, and with the value of your car worth less than the cost of repairing it, it could be cheaper to buy another good example, slightly later model Omega that are now to be found at silly low prices!  THat may be the cheaper and easier option for you. 8-) 8-) 8-)

Hope this helps to bring some practical advice and help at what must be a very bad time, as us with any car seems to have every so often!!

[Pete Elite]

  Hi,
     I've just fitted the 2 centre sections on my 96 3.0L saloon which i got from eternalcar in the link below for £79.90 delivered so adding the back box would add £31.95 + probably £5 P&P to the above and are well made, fit fine and sound ok.

 You will need(if saloon) part #s 17232,17233 & 17238.

     http://eternalcar.com/index.php

[Bandit127]

 Hi,
     I've just fitted the 2 centre sections on my 96 3.0L saloon which i got from eternalcar in the link below for £79.90 delivered so adding the back box would add £31.95 + probably £5 P&P to the above and are well made, fit fine and sound ok.

 You will need(if saloon) part #s 17232,17233 & 17238.

     http://eternalcar.com/index.php

Yep, just got 2 centre sections and back box for my 3.0 for £116 delivered from Eternalcar. Look for the Opel Omega B, it's the same car as the Vauxhall Omega.  

P.S. local friendly exhaust place will probably fit it for £30 or so. There are not that many jobs I am prepared to pay someone else to do - but £30 for replacing an exhaust IS one of them.

[tmx]

hmm

brake pipes are very easy and cheap to fix just get replacement copper pipes and they shouldnt corrode again

brake discs mintex front and rear discs and handbrake pads £120 off egay easy to fit yourself very easy!!!

oil leak well thats to be expected with a car of that age just keep your eye on the oil level and see if there is any oil down the plugs then its rocker gaskets £60 all in

join autobahnstormers if you dont posess a trade card! £20 and it will of paid its self off with the savings in prices

Garages like speaking through there arses especially when it comes to V6 vauxhalls

[fatboyfat]

Great help everyone many thanks.Feeling a bit better now with your advice.As always money tight and every bit of advice and pointers are gratefully received.

[Marks DTM Calib]

Yet to personaly see any Omega brake pipes that REALLY need replacing....seen a few with white salt crystals on.

ALL so far have proved to be fine following a  good clean......and then grease up to safe guard for the future!

[Welung666]

If you do end up changing the brake lines can I suggest you get them made up in Kunifer and not copper. The copper pipes get very brittle after a few years of exposure and can snap quite easily.

[fatboyfat]

Got to say that what the guy showed me yesterday looked more like salt deposit and general crud rather than major deterioration.prob wouldn't bought car but tavelled all way from Leeds to South London,took family 5:00am train(cheap fare) on the description of it not having any outstanding issues.Would have cost £150+ to get back on train so took a punt on maybe not being too bad.Wasn't too bad until we hit the motoway and then the 5lbs of Gun Gum blew out.
As before thanx for all your replies.