Omega Owners Forum
Newbie Area => Newbie Welcome Area => Topic started by: jimatMK on 27 October 2006, 22:04:50
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Hi All,
My name is Jim and I am a new member.
I have just purchased my first Vauxhall since the 1970's. Since then I have always driven Fords. My last car was a Ford Granada Scorpio 24v Cosworth.
But I thought I needed a change so I bought this week an Omega MV6 Elite 3.0 2000.
Its done 50k miles and I would like your advice on a few aspects.
As far as I know the cambelt hasnt been changed so that is my first job to be done. I have had a quote from my local Vauxhall dealer of £320. Do you advise to have this done at a main dealer or would it be OK for a smaller garage to do the work for a cheaper price?
The car was fitted with Satnav from new but only has the original CD-ROM. So I want to update to the latest disc but have been quoted £95 by Navteq.Is there a cheaper way of doing this? Does anyone else supply these discs cheaper?
Any info will greatly appreciated.
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Hi Jim, and welcome.
Omega 3.0L MV6 is a very nice car indeed... and yours is a 2000 with only 50k miles :y
As for the cambelt, I had mine done at a Vauxhall dealer for £320, so the price is about right, though you should be able to haggle it down.
It is not a terribly complicated job, and any good garage can do this provided they had done this before and have the correct tools (locking kit).
It is also not beyond the competent DIY mechanic, many people on this forum have done it themselves and even produced a DVD which is available to purchase for the modest sum of £3.
A few important notes about the cambelt:
a. It’s not the actual belt that fails, but it’s tensioner. Therefore both the cambelt AND tensioner must be replaced – they would usually come as a kit anyway.
b. The bad news is that if the tensioner fails, it will cause serious engine damage, including 16 to 20 bent valves and possibly scarred pistons, which means a new engine unless you intend to rebuilt it yourself (the parts themselves are expensive enough, but if you add garage labour costs a rebuilt would be prohibitive).
c. The even worst news is that Vauxhall quietly reduced the replacement interval from 80k/8y to 40k/4y because the tensioners were failing early, however there have been reports here of tensioners failing even as early as 36k! Your car is 10k and 2 Years over the limit - I would seriously suggest that you do not drive the car until you get the cambelt kit done.
d. One last point is that the proper locking kit is absolutely essential – it can be hired for £10-£15, or someone here might even lend you one – but don’t embark on the job unless you have it, and definitely don’t entrust the job to any garage that doesn’t have it! The timing will never be right without the locking kit.
Once you sort out the cambelt, seat back and enjoy the ride… it’s a fabulous motor!
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Incidentally, it would be either MV6 or Elite, but not both at the same time...
The Elite had more gadgets, but the MV6 had lowered sports suspension.
Some ex-plod MV6s were wrongly regsitered at Elites, but it would be surprising if yours was an ex-plod as it only covered 50k in 6 years and has the SatNav option - unless it was some top brass privatemobil? If it is a manual then it is more likely to be ex-cop.
You might get a newer version of the SatNav CD on eBay, others here may be able to advise, I don't have SatNav myself >:(
;D
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Hi,
Thanks for the replies. Useful info for me
I shall probably use a main dealer to the cambelt as I dont realyy trust smaller garages .
My log book says the car is an MV6 but there are Elite badges on both front doors.
So how can you tell which model it is?
The chap who sold it to me said it was originally owned by a Vauxhall director who had the MV6 made to elite specification. But I wouldnt know if this is true. Does that make any sense?
Jim
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OK...
Standard features on Elite (if you have ALL of them then the car is likely to be an Elite):
Sunroof
Electrical rear parcel shelf blind (going up-and-down)
Automatic Transmission
Xenon self-levelling headlights
Self levelling pneumatic rear shock absorbers
Heated seats (both front and back)
There are more, but if your car is missing any of these, it is NOT an original Elite.
The MV6 would have lowered suspnesion, and sports front seats with side support and extendable tigh support section.
Also, while the wheel and tyre sizes are the same for Elite and MV6, the wheel design is different. I will look for a couple of pictures and post them here so you can compare.
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Hi Jim
If your going to do the cam belt and tensioners its also worth having the water pump done at the same time :y
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(http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/9552/seats1gt3.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
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As for the 'ex-vauxhall director', it seems that there are more ex-directors' cars in the UK than there have ever been live directors in Vauxhall! ;D
This is a common sales pitch, right after the little old lady driver.
Who is the previous owner? Was it originally registered to Vauxhall Motors?
Either way, 2000 with 50k miles is a good car, regardless of the previous owners...
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Not unheard of to have the MV6 upgraded.
When you switch on the sound system do you get those lovely words come up on the display "Bose Sound" ? :D
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Hi Guys,
I am worried now that I have bought an Elite instead of an MV6!!
The log book says its an MV6. Does that mean it is or may not be. It has leather seats but no thigh section. It does says Bose when radio is switched on and interior trim is wood.
What do you think? Is it an Elite?
Jim
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In my opinion it is probably an Elite… not a bad catch at that! Sorry if you were after the sportier version, but a facelift Elite with 50k is NICE…
The MV6 would have lowered stiffer suspension with LSD, while the Elite would have standard-height self-levelling pneumatic suspension.
Try parking next to another Omega (any Omega – GLS/CD/CDX/Elite – just not MV6) and see how the suspension height compares.
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Welcome to the site :)
Knowing your local dealer - presumably Crownhill Vauxhall/Evans Halshaw - I would not trust them to check the tyre pressures, let alone something as important as the cambelt. They are without doubt the most incompetent Vauxhall dealer I have come across for servicing. Even the service staff have come up to me apologising for the poor service, and apologising for the service manager - their boss - for lying to me.
It really is quite an easy job to do, and its probably worth doing water pump at same time.
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Off topic replies have been moved to [link=http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1162113376]This Thread[/link]
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Ok self leveling suspension - when you start car and engage gear on the box and move through gears whilst stationary to you feel the rear of the car rise and fall slightly? If so its self levellng
If you have an elite rather than an mv6 its a better model - well so the elite owners think :P - mv6 for sporty elite for every concievable extra - arguably the elite is more desired so no bad "mistake"
erformance wise i dont believe theres any difference - and lsd is limited slip differential - fitted to the mv6
hope this helps :y
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oh and the bose sound system - which is available as an upgrade but on elite as standard i think is the best sound system in the omega - and possibly one of the best car sound systems you can have :)
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Welcome to the Site JimatMK :y
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Hi JimatMK and welcome
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Welcome to the site JimatMK
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Hello and Welcome :)
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it may have been a common thing at the time, as mine is a 2000 model year elite - but shows on the logbook as a MV6. However, it has all the elite bits & pieces so I'm pretty certain that's what it is. Incidentally, to my knowledge, the LSD (limited slip differential) was only available on the manual version of the MV6.