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[moerome]

Ever since seeing the writing on the wall of having to start taking care of my '99 Catera (3.0V6) myself,  research and personal interaction with others have revealed some wicked revelations.

Let me say at the outset, regardless of the bad press and criticism here in the U.S., this is one of the nicest cars I've had in quite a while (Previously, I had a '91 Honda Accord SE and '93 Acura Legend).  The cost for parts and repairs here in the U.S. for the Catera (Omega B) borderlines along economic rape.

Maybe it's the geograhical location I'm in (Southeast U.S.), or it could be a general concensus (or both). If it's the location, then I should have kept my butt in Minnesota (Midwest U.S.) and avoided moving to the Southern region (not much of an option since it was a job transfer).

The town I live in has a Cadillac dealership.  However, within that dealership, there's only ONE mechanic who has been trained on working with the Catera.  When I'm forced to take the vehicle in to be looked at (because I can't figure it out myself), there seems to be a gross amount of hesitation of wanting to work on the car.  Even when I talk to the mechanic, asking questions (the answers I've already learned from reading this forum), he acts reluctant to talk let alone answer the question(s).  He eventually answers the questions I pose, but with a hint of, "Why do you want to know that?"

Unfortunately, I've had no success scavenging around for area mechanics that I can trust and talk to on a level and honest basis.

I've heard comments about how the car is a German piece of s***, it wasn't manufactured right, GM (General Motors) made a big mistake partnering with Opel on the car, and so on.  It just irks me to no end on hearing that.  That's when I come back with the long line of U.S. manufactured cars that proved over and over again to be pieces of s*** themselves.  And, how nowadays, here in the U.S., you see a bulk of Mercedes, Hondas, BMWs, Toyotas, Nissans, Kia's, Hyundai's etc. out the on the road vs. American cars.  As a matter of fact, they will be building a Toyota plant in the area I live within the next 3 years!!!

If it wasn't for this forum (and the Cadillac Catera forum), I would be at the mercy of this dealership where they could easily sell me pratically any part at an astronomical price.  In my past two trips to them, I've kept them honest by going in there knowing what the heck I was talking about, and asking some sidebar questions that they couldn't answer which forced them to do some research.

My challenge now is to find someone in this area who can install certain components (if I can't do it myself) when I get them at a reasonable price.  Both forums have provided some great referrals on parts and components, and I appreciate that.  

Maybe I should see if I can get an assignment overseas and bring the Cat over.  I'm sure I'd have no problems having it maintained to it's maximum operating capacity.  

Sorry for the venting, but I had to get this out of my system.  Cheers.

[Auto Addict]

An entertaining read, we've got dealerships over here that don't understand the beastie we love.

[Andy B]

...... there's only ONE mechanic who has been trained on working with the Catera.  ..... Cheers.

That's probably one than over here then!!   The trouble these days with all cars, not just Omegas/Cateras, is that generally mechanics have no knowledge of how to mend a car if their electrickery laptops/Tech II can't tell them what the problem or fault is. That's why when all else fails they'll want to replace a perfectly good ECU
I should have taken some service items with me when I went to Florida last year!   I wanted to bring a set of dark tinted Catera glass home with me.

[Tony H]

So it sounds like its not just Vauxhall dealerships that attempt to bend you over the workshop bench and shaft you for as much as they can when you take your car to them for repair
Good luck with your quest to find a good independent garage

[STMO123]

Basically, an engine is an engine, is an engine. Unfortunately, there are always going to be w@nkers who either know exactly what your car needs but want to rip you off, or haven't got a clue because they're sh1te mechanics.
I have left myself in some sticky situations in the past, including being barred from garages, for telling these idiots exactly what I think of them.
I WONT change my position on this and, if they cant do a decent job for decent money, f*ck em.

[Chopsdad]

Basically, an engine is an engine, is an engine. Unfortunately, there are always going to be w@nkers who either know exactly what your car needs but want to rip you off, or haven't got a clue because they're sh1te mechanics.
I have left myself in some sticky situations in the past, including being barred from garages, for telling these idiots exactly what I think of them.
I WONT change my position on this and, if they cant do a decent job for decent money, f*ck em.

Don't beat around the bush - what do you really think  

[moerome]

Is it fair to say that there's a conspiracy against Omegas/Cateras both here and across the pond?

[STMO123]

Is it fair to say that there's a conspiracy against Omegas/Cateras both here and across the pond?

Only with main dealers (in my experience) They just cant be arsed, and want to make their money from doing £300 "services"

[moerome]

Is it fair to say that there's a conspiracy against Omegas/Cateras both here and across the pond?

Only with main dealers (in my experience) They just cant be arsed, and want to make their money from doing £300 "services"

That's for sure.  Same is true for some small garages.  When I was going through my episode with the crankshaft position sensor, this one garage wanted to charge me $165USD just for the sensor itself.  I did a little research and got an OEM sensor for only $45USD.  Hence, the proof of my initial hypothesis of "economic rape".

[ClarCE]

Is it fair to say that there's a conspiracy against Omegas/Cateras both here and across the pond?

Only with main dealers (in my experience) They just cant be arsed, and want to make their money from doing £300 "services"

That's for sure.  Same is true for some small garages.  When I was going through my episode with the crankshaft position sensor, this one garage wanted to charge me $165USD just for the sensor itself.  I did a little research and got an OEM sensor for only $45USD.  Hence, the proof of my initial hypothesis of "economic rape".

Rip off Britain has a pretty checkered history with dodgy dealerships and garages, I don't know anyone who doesn't have a strory to tell.  I personally lost over £7000 on an Astra Coupe I bought through Network Q (Main Dealer of Used Vauxhalls) -I won't go into it, but you just wouldn't believe what they did.  So I gave up with Vauxhall and went to Land Rover, and what a joke that turned out to be.  Now back with Vx, doing it myself and HAPPY!  

[Andy B]

.....
  I personally lost over £7000 on an Astra Coupe I bought through Network Q (Main Dealer of Used Vauxhalls) -I won't go into it,...

Oh! Go on!  

.....
 but you just wouldn't believe what they did.  

We will.

[ClarCE]

Maybe when I've got a spare hour  

[RossPhim]

Maybe somebody should organise a Tupelo, Mississippi, cambelt party.  

Maybe a wee bit difficult logistically.  

[Markjay]

...GM (General Motors) made a big mistake partnering with Opel on the car...

GM did not partner with Opel, they own both Adam Opel AG in Germany and Vauxhall Motors in the UK (since the 1930' if I remember correctly).

And they do this sort of thing all the time, i,.e, re-badging cars between subsidiary marks. Specifically for Opel / Vauxhall, the Opel Kadett E / Astra Mk II was sold in the States as Pontiac LeMans between 1998 and 1993. They even had the LeMans GSE which was essentially the Astra GTE, with a 2.0L engine. What is even stranger is that the Pontiac LeMans was not actually made in the US or in Germany, but it was made for GM by Daewoo (at the time GM had a share in Daewoo but did not own it yet). To confuse things further, Daewoo also made their own version of the Kadett E / Astra Mk II which they called the Nexia...

Needles to say that the Pontiac LeMans flopped, as much as the Astra GTE Mk II was a nice car, it was nothing like the original 'French Connection' LeMans of the 1970'...

[TheBoy]

as much as the Astra GTE Mk II was a nice car, it was nothing like the original 'French Connection' LeMans of the 1970'...

I had one of them in my younger days - an 8v 2.0l MkII GTE, in the usual white.  Nice torquey engine, but absolutely no front end traction, and it would only slide around corners.  Mrs TheBoy liked it, and it wasn't a bad car (though I always said it was a 'girls' car), but bless her, she couldn't close the tailgate (she's not too tall, and the strong struts it needed to hold up the weight of the ironing board that Vx decided to bolt to tailgate meant she would have to jump up and hang off the tailgate to close)...