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[CyNick]

Hi all..

Not sure if this is the right place to post this.. and I hope somone will move it if necessary 

Firstly, an apology to those who think it seems strange that a grown man can't make a decission.. But under different personal circumstances the decission would be easy..

I'd like to have some feedback and comments on a dilema (while I wait to have the parts priced!!)..

Repair or break?     (Deal or no Deal    )

Some of you will have seen a post about a MV6 with a broken cam tensioner bolt.

I'm currently struggling to make a decission about what to do..

The bolt has snapped and it looks like the vehicle will need quite a wedge spending to put it back on the road..

Is it worth it I ask myself??

Positives
Low milleage 86K,
Nice black leather
Minor body blemishes - supermarket dings stone chips
I've had it 5 years and it's not been driven hard in that time.
The previous owner spent whatever Vauxhall robbed off him every time it went in for service..
New exhaust
New discs
New dis pack
New tyres
3 sets of alloys (incl originals)
Has been reliable.
Omega V6!!

Negatives.
11 years old
Cost of the job
Future problems
Resale value !!!

Can I have some feedback please??
Will the car really be the same after having the engine removed and second hand heads (probably from a higher mileage motor) fitted??
If it were your car what would you do??

My main problem is that it is sat on someones drive at the moment and I'm ashamed to say I've stalled on making the decission - and a big thank you to that person for being patient 

[V6 CDX-er]

How handy are you with the spanners? Could you get the heads off and back on again yourself?

So long as second hand heads have been machined and cleaned up properly, I can't see any problem fitting them. The question is, how much more money could you afford to throw at the car?



And no the argument for breaking it.....

Again, are you handy with the spanners? Could you remove everything yourself, including the engine? How much of a return are you likely to get from breaking the car? Would it be enough to afford you another tidy MV6? Would you have the space to do break it, (considering that it is sat on someone elses driveway, I'm guessing not).

Without knowing the answers to these questions, I couldn't really advise what to do.

[NF]

I think we all knowingly waste more money than the Omega is worth,  I would repair it as you know the history of the car and if you replace it with another Omega you may need deep pockets to get to where you are now

[CyNick]

Thanks..

I'm handy enough to break anything!!   


Fixing it would be someone else's job.. 


This is really a question of head over heart..
It would be a shame to break the car!! - but would I be happy driving it again after such major work??

[CyNick]

I think we all knowingly waste more money than the Omega is worth,  I would repair it as you know the history of the car and if you replace it with another Omega you may need deep pockets to get to where you are now

This true.. but where to draw the line   :-/

[NF]

Since I have owned mine I have replaced exhaust (cats back), disc's and pads all round, oil cooler, cambelt kit, couple of tyres, aircon condenser and regas, probably paid out more than car is worth several times but each job that gets done brings the car nearer to original condition.  I know the car is not worth much but I just like it very much.

[Andy B]

The actual resale value doesn't really count, it's what it's worth to you or what you'd have to spend on a similar 'new' replacement. I spent my car's resale value and more on just fuel earlier this year when we went to France, but I've had the car for about 7 years and know what's been done & what's likely to need doing.
If you can't do the spannering, then scrapping might be the cheapest option, but as said, a couple of heads won't cost that much & really aren't difficult to fit .... honest. 
You can ask here if you get stuck on anything.     

[CyNick]

The actual resale value doesn't really count, it's what it's worth to you or what you'd have to spend on a similar 'new' replacement. I spent my car's resale value and more on just fuel earlier this year when we went to France, but I've had the car for about 7 years and know what's been done & what's likely to need doing.
If you can't do the spannering, then scrapping might be the cheapest option, but as said, a couple of heads won't cost that much & really aren't difficult to fit .... honest. 
You can ask here if you get stuck on anything.     

Thanks for that,
But fuel is just fuel and has to be used anyway.. and it's not just the cost of the heads though is it.. By the time you've bought bolts and the gasket sets, not to mention yet another cam belt kit.. and the services of OOF expert..

.. and who's to know what the "new" head is like??

[Dishevelled Den]

Considering this....


Low milleage 86K,
Nice black leather
Minor body blemishes - supermarket dings stone chips
I've had it 5 years and it's not been driven hard in that time.
The previous owner spent whatever Vauxhall robbed off him every time it went in for service..
New exhaust
New discs
New dis pack
New tyres
3 sets of alloys (incl originals)
Has been reliable.
Omega V6!!

.......and weighing up the cost of replacement with another vehicle against the probable reduced cost of having this car repaired, would it not be more reasonable to stick with what you have?

[blue_dream]

Hi
   If you can, i would repair, ok you need to found some area to store the car, im having the same problem of this myself,then if you can take your time, in taking bits of, take pictures to make sure when going back but its the thought that you have done the job which will cost alot less then taking it to a garage, parts are not that expensive now, go on give it a try. 

[Osprey]

Agreeing with Andy B here.  The resale value of Omegas is low because of the whims of fashion – they just aren’t trendy.  So if you were going to sell your car any time soon, breaking sounds like the more cost effective option. 

On the other hand if you want an Omega to drive and enjoy, and it is a cracking good car in so many ways, then repair sounds like the way to go.  Why?  Because you've got a good'un - whatever Omega you buy you will have to spend at least £500 to sort out the gremlins they always come with, and you would be unlikely to find one of that age with such a low mileage and good service history as yours.  Whereas your car is pretty well sorted apart from the heads.  In fact the only minus points yours has are the fact that it has been serviced by Vx and the fact that it hasn’t been driven hard (why not, BTW?).   

Changing the heads yourself sounds more daunting than it really is.  Haven’t done an Omega but have done others and it is just a matter of plodding on methodically, doing one thing at a time – and I’m no mechanic, just a DIY tinkerer. 

If you intend to get repairs done in Kidderminster I believe you are not too far from OOF expert help anyway.  I dare say you could reduce costs by doing some of the preliminary strip-down work yourself.  If you want to move the car home, there are various people on the forum who can help as well. 

Just my 2d worth. 

[Welung666]

but would I be happy driving it again after such major work??

I'll not take that personally

Just flip a coin Nick and no best of 3, 5 etc. 

[Welung666]

Agreeing with Andy B here.  The resale value of Omegas is low because of the whims of fashion – they just aren’t trendy.  So if you were going to sell your car any time soon, breaking sounds like the more cost effective option. 

On the other hand if you want an Omega to drive and enjoy, and it is a cracking good car in so many ways, then repair sounds like the way to go.  Why?  Because you've got a good'un - whatever Omega you buy you will have to spend at least £500 to sort out the gremlins they always come with, and you would be unlikely to find one of that age with such a low mileage and good service history as yours.  Whereas your car is pretty well sorted apart from the heads.  In fact the only minus points yours has are the fact that it has been serviced by Vx and the fact that it hasn’t been driven hard (why not, BTW?).   

Changing the heads yourself sounds more daunting than it really is.  Haven’t done an Omega but have done others and it is just a matter of plodding on methodically, doing one thing at a time – and I’m no mechanic, just a DIY tinkerer. 

If you intend to get repairs done in Kidderminster I believe you are not too far from OOF expert help anyway.  I dare say you could reduce costs by doing some of the preliminary strip-down work yourself.  If you want to move the car home, there are various people on the forum who can help as well. 

Just my 2d worth. 

It's no longer in Kidderminster, it's quite happy sitting on my drive stopping me getting in my garage via the front

[Psychoca]

I personally would repair...  Getting the replacement heads isn't too bad, especially if you get from a reputable person...

Once fitted with replacement gaskets, cam belt and such, you will have a healthy car once more...  I would think it would work out much cheaper too than buying a replacement car and the pitfalls that will come with it...

[alcutler]

  :)Flog all the good bits and wiegh in what's left - then buy my 2.0 16valve estate with only 40k on clock - nice simple economical engine - with full service mystery and 1 owner from new