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[Stoph]

Currently searching for an Omega... must be diesel but then it gets a bit vague...although must be manual..saloon or estate not too bothered......
Tell you what I need,let me know which you would go for!
Use is 70% commuting/ 20% open road cruising and 10% fully loaded with 1600kgs of caravan on the back...
I presently have a 1997 525TDS which has done 165k and is past its best, new car budget is upto 3k and have fond memories of an Omega I had 6 years ago.. Annual mileage will be around 12000....
My original thoughts were to find a nice DTi... never driven one but power and torque figs/gearing should mean dont have to rev it too much for reasonable go... particularly with a chip... current 525 goes well but only if you have at least 2000 revs on... other halfs Primera DCi pulls strongly from 1200rpm in any gear and I like that... its just not big enough to pull the caravan!
Speaking to a ex VX mechanic this morning who reckons the DTi suffers from timing chain problems regularly and the only omega to buy would be one with a BMW engine.... now on paper the dti is as quick/lighter at the front which should help the handling a bit and quite a bit  more economical... so which is it to be??? would be interested in comments on reliability between the 2 options as well as pulling power at 50-60 in top gear for when the vans on the back, thats where the 525 struggles a bit as it doesnt really come on song till 65 in top...and I dislike having to constantly change down to 3rd on a motorway...Also some 'average' fuel consumption figs in the real world would be useful...
Have just spotted that 'ElitePete' is only 5 miles up the road... that could be handy once I'm sorted!!
Looking forward to your comments and advice.. by the way like petrol as a fuel but not the consumption figures... for petrol fun I'll get the motorbike out!!

Chris

[tunnie]

If you want a newish car, has to be DTi, BMW unit was discontinued in the Omega in 2000.

Usual Vx bull! Timing chain issue is down to poor servicing.

Change the oil regularly there should be no problems.

[vc009]

DTI does have a history of failing fuel pumps. ive seen about 3 in the past having the same issues.

[NiallyV6CDX]

For towing the 2.2DTi is probably best, thanks to it's slightly stronger torque delivery at low revs (peak arrives at 1500rpm) so that would mean less gear changing and less need to rev, and therefore probably better fuel economy too. That said, for normal driving, personally I would choose the BMW stright 6, for its lovely smooth 6 cylinder yowl (actually, I WAS looking for a 2.5 TD originally, but couldnt find any that weren't tired and neglected or overpriced, so went for the 2.5 petrol instead), free revving nature, and of course if 130bhp isnt enough, 160-170 bhp + similar torque gains can be achieved with chipping and other very simple modifications. Also I'm guessing you have had a good experience with your BMW reliability wise? So you would know what to expect. But as tunnie said the newest ones are now at least 8 years old.
Handling wise I doubt there is a huge difference...my V6 petrol handles as well and my old 520i, and rides better, so a big engine up front doesn't spoil anything.
Saloon v estate, just a matter of taste I suppose, though an estate may be worth a bit more and easier to sell. Most of this is totally subjective and down to invididual tastes and needs.

[Stoph]

thanks so far folks... Torque at 1500rpm is what I'm after Nially... think I must be getting old! 525 makes a lovely noise when singing and revs far better than a big 6 cylinder diesel should but the gearing is so high its almost unusable on 40-60mph a-roads... overtakes become 3rd gear affairs or even second at times and then it just looks like your trying too hard!!
Lack of low down torque is all the more apparent with caravan attached as 50mph is only 1700 revs... so 400rpm short of where the go starts... so thats 4th to maintain speed and 3rd for acceleration again...
I think the low down torque of the 2.2Dti may suit me better... but if they have reliability issued then maybe not... but then even the BMW engine goes wrong if not looked after I suppose...  :-/
keep replies coming... particularly interested to hear from any other closet caravan fans on towing experiences with either lump..
Thanks

Chris

[tmx]

well known problem with dti diesel vauxhalls is injection pumps just search google

[zirk]

Having owned a couple of BM 325 Td's and an Omega 2.5 TD, I think I'd probably go for the 6 pot.

Bear in mind though the Omega going to be down on power output compared to your 525 (BM 145 bhp ish from memory). However if you source a Manual Omega it can easily be chipped to bring in line with the BM power output (£70 ish from some Members on here).

I know the old BM 2.5 TD engines are old hat now but both my 325 Td's were over 200K miles and still running strong.  

[Lazydocker]

I was looking for a TD estate when I got mine... Ended up with a 3L saloon but I can honestly say I'm not disappointed!

Admittedly I had to lay out £750 for LPG to get similar economy figures (£ for £) to the TD but as a tow car it is phenomenal! It drags my van with no effort whatsoever and leaves things standing on the hills. As for handling... I don't think there's a lot in it TBH... The weight difference of the engines will make very little difference compared with having the suspension set up correctly

[Seth]

Mine suits me fine, particularly now it's been chipped by the lads on here.

In un-chipped form, they're 130 BHP, and performance is disappointing. Apparently, the chip sends it back to BMW spec of 163 BHP. It's now very good, suits us fine, and locally attains a proven 33 mpg. When towing our 22' caravan, I find that it's slightly lack-lustre in the lower rev range, but kept 'on song' it'll pull like a train. I've modified my driving technique to largely overcome this.

Service intervals are 4500 miles max, but due to our annual mileage of around 5000 with a lot of shortish journeys, I do an oil/filter-change every 2500.

Bearing in mind the age of these cars, you could pick up a real corker for relatively little outlay, or end up with a lemon that'll sting your wallet!
Good luck mate, whatever your choice ..... !

[TheBoy]

The 2.5TD engine you know well in BMW form I guess. Bear in mind, the one fitted to Omega is detuned, so needs chipping back up to beemer std.

If you are looking for a post 2001, it will have to be 2.2DTi in UK, as the Y25DT engine (BMW's common rail variant of the M51 engine) was never fitted in Vauxhalls, only Opels.

The 2.2DTi does seem to have lots of small issues, mostly based around piss poor servicing, and vauxhall's desire to please fleet managers.  Blocked pressure sensors, blocked EGRs, and worn turbos being the most common (and all due to poor servicing).  Like the BMW one, the chains also wear prematurely if poorly serviced.

[Omegatoy]

where do i start? most oofers know we
 towed a 2 ton caravan around spain for six months with our td  5473 miles start to finish in oxfordshire with the van on 28.4mpg ,
mine is chipped and a couple other bits done to it, and it starts to pull hard at  1500rpm(blanking the egr brings it in a bit quicker tho) but agree with you about full power being around 1800/2000rpm all td are geared with a 3.45 diff which is lower than the petrol as far as i know, so that helps put the torque band nearer where you need it when towing,
2.2dti i have only met when repairing them  :-/usually in a vectra or zafira,
they really do have issues with the inlet gumming up and assorted sensor and driveability issues(pump) ,though not all are afflicted some people love them and you cant blame them for that,
think you would do better to take a test ride in both and see what you think to be honest? horses for courses, each to his own, and your car your rules comes to mind!!
bet that didnt help really!!!

[NiallyV6CDX]

Mine suits me fine, particularly now it's been chipped by the lads on here.

In un-chipped form, they're 130 BHP, and performance is disappointing. Apparently, the chip sends it back to BMW spec of 163 BHP. It's now very good, suits us fine, and locally attains a proven 33 mpg. When towing our 22' caravan, I find that it's slightly lack-lustre in the lower rev range, but kept 'on song' it'll pull like a train. I've modified my driving technique to largely overcome this.

Standard BMW output is 143 BHP

[platty]

Mine suits me fine, particularly now it's been chipped by the lads on here.

In un-chipped form, they're 130 BHP, and performance is disappointing. Apparently, the chip sends it back to BMW spec of 163 BHP. It's now very good, suits us fine, and locally attains a proven 33 mpg. When towing our 22' caravan, I find that it's slightly lack-lustre in the lower rev range, but kept 'on song' it'll pull like a train. I've modified my driving technique to largely overcome this.

Standard BMW output is 143 BHP

In the 3 series yes, but in the 5 series it was 163bhp

[waspy]

Having never owned a TD i can't comment on them. I have a DTi & it's good, very good. I like the low down torque they deliver & it's a very good town driver, infact it's a good all rounder
I've had mine remapped & i haven't found a 2.2 petrol that can keep up yet

[Martin_1962]

Mine suits me fine, particularly now it's been chipped by the lads on here.

In un-chipped form, they're 130 BHP, and performance is disappointing. Apparently, the chip sends it back to BMW spec of 163 BHP. It's now very good, suits us fine, and locally attains a proven 33 mpg. When towing our 22' caravan, I find that it's slightly lack-lustre in the lower rev range, but kept 'on song' it'll pull like a train. I've modified my driving technique to largely overcome this.

Standard BMW output is 143 BHP

In the 3 series yes, but in the 5 series it was 163bhp

M51 was 143bhp in both 3 and 5 series - my dad worked for a VERY GOOD BMW dealer at the time and the most powerful car they had in was a 535 turbo with 700bhp and a top speed around 200.

The mechanics were skilled and BMW GB are shitheads for closing the place down .

I will NOT retract that statement as my dad and a few of his friends lost their job and one of the original 4 BMW dealers was shut down (simply for fixing cars Cheltenham dealer broke)