Some VX220 questions
Discussion
I've had a look around VX220.org.uk, after becoming really interested in a VX220. I've seen some nice examples, around 10k for an 02ish plate, which got me interested.
Now, the thing that concerns me is reliability. I'd like owner's thoughts on this. I don't want to be forever spending out on the car, but a niggle here and there (no more than £200 a year) wouldn't bother me too much. I've read about loads of awful problems though, especially paint bubbling and engine mounts going. How do you go about ensuring you get a good one? Will most 02 plates be sorted already? If so, how can you tell?
Now, the thing that concerns me is reliability. I'd like owner's thoughts on this. I don't want to be forever spending out on the car, but a niggle here and there (no more than £200 a year) wouldn't bother me too much. I've read about loads of awful problems though, especially paint bubbling and engine mounts going. How do you go about ensuring you get a good one? Will most 02 plates be sorted already? If so, how can you tell?
I have an '02 VX220 which I got 6 months ago and it has cost me nothing in repairs. I actually miss fixing cars now! My previous car (1992 MX5) needed parts replacing all the time (age not quality related). Ownership is quite boring at the moment!!
It's quick, handles well, but it's a pain in the arse to get in and out of for everyone I know and not very practical everyday.
I love the idea of the car being light, no sound proofing, noisey, bumpey, no comforts atall, built for me to make a comprimise, just not sure I love the car
Mike
It's quick, handles well, but it's a pain in the arse to get in and out of for everyone I know and not very practical everyday.
I love the idea of the car being light, no sound proofing, noisey, bumpey, no comforts atall, built for me to make a comprimise, just not sure I love the car
Mike
Edited by T5SOR on Tuesday 8th January 19:43
PulseTurbo said:
You don't love it because you're not fixing it? :O Crazy! My ideal car that is... I'm a bit concerned about all the issues I've read about though.
Maybe I am crazy! 
I wouldn't worry too much about the issues. The engine mounts do break at 30-40K but they can be upgraded when changed. I have no issues with paint bubbling, although if i did ChipsAway are very cheap. Don't let the little things put you off 
They are very good fun cars. I'm just waiting for the summer
Edited by T5SOR on Tuesday 8th January 19:49
How much to replace every single engine mount? (I'd just do it straight away, or keep the money stashed away to do it).
Paint bubbling is a bit of a major issue though, as someone like chips away couldn't sort a problem like that, could they?
Also, do they leak? I've read a few reports that they do, but I'd be putting a hard top on. Would it leak through that?
Paint bubbling is a bit of a major issue though, as someone like chips away couldn't sort a problem like that, could they?
Also, do they leak? I've read a few reports that they do, but I'd be putting a hard top on. Would it leak through that?
PulseTurbo said:
How much to replace every single engine mount? (I'd just do it straight away, or keep the money stashed away to do it).
Paint bubbling is a bit of a major issue though, as someone like chips away couldn't sort a problem like that, could they?
Also, do they leak? I've read a few reports that they do, but I'd be putting a hard top on. Would it leak through that?
I think I saw the upgraded engine mounts for £15 each somewhere. They are not expensive at all. Obviously fitting will cost unless you do it yourself (not THAT hard, jack the engine up and remove the old ones)Paint bubbling is a bit of a major issue though, as someone like chips away couldn't sort a problem like that, could they?
Also, do they leak? I've read a few reports that they do, but I'd be putting a hard top on. Would it leak through that?
I have used ChipsAway several times and they can repaint a whole panel if required. Think the hourly rate is £60 (3 hours very max)
Not had a problem with mine leaking (left outside every night). The turbo roof seals fit onto the N/A and are supposedly better.
Mike
Edited by T5SOR on Tuesday 8th January 20:00
I have owned an 03 plate VX220 turbo for a year and a half. It lives outside and is used every day. I love it.
I have had to do some fixing other than routine servicing.
Side engine mounts (more related to age than mileage and they all go eventually)
Fix window mechanism
Fit water ingress shield on top of engine. (not necessary if you don't keep the car outside for long periods)
Replace coolant header tank. (they are not UV stable and only seem to last a couple of years)
Refurb wheels due to corrosion.
The side engine mounts are less than 100quid for the pair and are easy to fit, only took a couple of hours.Front and rear mounts are much less common failures as long as side ones get replaced as soon as they fail.
I think the clam bubbling is the most scary issue, simply because vauxhall dealers seem to know nothing about the Vx220 and generally make a pigs ear of removing and refitting. Im sure if you went to one of the better dealerships (Thorney Motorsport for example) it could be fairly painless.
TBH, you should be able to find a VX that has already had the clams replaced. Mine had before I brought it and the previous owner actually said it looked better than when it left the factory;-)
Routine servicing is easy, I have even done the cambelt myself (routine service item at 4 years) and suprisingly it was relatively easy - (I did a fiesta one a while ago that was harder and took longer)
Radiators can also burst but I have not experienced that one personally.
Mine has never leaked since I have owned it.
Hope this helps.
I have had to do some fixing other than routine servicing.
Side engine mounts (more related to age than mileage and they all go eventually)
Fix window mechanism
Fit water ingress shield on top of engine. (not necessary if you don't keep the car outside for long periods)
Replace coolant header tank. (they are not UV stable and only seem to last a couple of years)
Refurb wheels due to corrosion.
The side engine mounts are less than 100quid for the pair and are easy to fit, only took a couple of hours.Front and rear mounts are much less common failures as long as side ones get replaced as soon as they fail.
I think the clam bubbling is the most scary issue, simply because vauxhall dealers seem to know nothing about the Vx220 and generally make a pigs ear of removing and refitting. Im sure if you went to one of the better dealerships (Thorney Motorsport for example) it could be fairly painless.
TBH, you should be able to find a VX that has already had the clams replaced. Mine had before I brought it and the previous owner actually said it looked better than when it left the factory;-)
Routine servicing is easy, I have even done the cambelt myself (routine service item at 4 years) and suprisingly it was relatively easy - (I did a fiesta one a while ago that was harder and took longer)
Radiators can also burst but I have not experienced that one personally.
Mine has never leaked since I have owned it.
Hope this helps.
Edited by ronbot on Tuesday 8th January 20:08
I wouldn't want to do ANY of the work on the car myself, so I guess it'd work out fairly expensive for me.
I'd have to try and find one with the clams replaced. How expensive to replace generally?
For all the stuff you've mentioned, what would be the cost to get a garage to do it?
There seems to be a lot wrong with the car. Probably what is causing the low residuals then!
I think I'd need something more reliable
I'd have to try and find one with the clams replaced. How expensive to replace generally?
For all the stuff you've mentioned, what would be the cost to get a garage to do it?
There seems to be a lot wrong with the car. Probably what is causing the low residuals then!
I think I'd need something more reliable
running costs are very low on the vxt, im on nearly 4 years now and the only real payouts have been tuning etc. normal service is 150-200, DONT let vauxhall replace your standard pads as you will get ripped off (buy some aftermarket pads for much cheaper and give better performance)
Bubbling paint is a fault in the fibre glass so if you suffer this problem the clam is replaced for FREE under warrenty (6 years i believe )
Engine mounts are hit an miss, my 03 vxt is on 55k and not had one fail yet.
coolant/header tank, yes these will die as they are not UV stable, but the easier option would be to fit a sun shield to protect it from the sun http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vauxhall-VX220-VXT-Opel-Spee...
water ingress shield on the boot lid are only really needed on vxt's and were fitted as standard from about 04 onwards (03's could have it fitted under warrenty)
windows can be hit an miss, some are bone dry, some leak. there is a great guide to re-allign the windows or use a specialist to sort it.
The rads are the only main thing that can die (replace with a full alloy one and it wont die again)
wheels can be crap, main thing i would suggest to stop them corroding is dont use any type of wheel cleaner on them as they just cant cope.
think thats about it
Bubbling paint is a fault in the fibre glass so if you suffer this problem the clam is replaced for FREE under warrenty (6 years i believe )
Engine mounts are hit an miss, my 03 vxt is on 55k and not had one fail yet.
coolant/header tank, yes these will die as they are not UV stable, but the easier option would be to fit a sun shield to protect it from the sun http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vauxhall-VX220-VXT-Opel-Spee...
water ingress shield on the boot lid are only really needed on vxt's and were fitted as standard from about 04 onwards (03's could have it fitted under warrenty)
windows can be hit an miss, some are bone dry, some leak. there is a great guide to re-allign the windows or use a specialist to sort it.
The rads are the only main thing that can die (replace with a full alloy one and it wont die again)
wheels can be crap, main thing i would suggest to stop them corroding is dont use any type of wheel cleaner on them as they just cant cope.
think thats about it
Edited by Joe-turbo on Wednesday 9th January 04:45
Edited by Joe-turbo on Wednesday 9th January 04:49
They're great, i'm using mine as my daily driver at the moment, doing about 2k a month in it. Apart from routine servicing and consumables i've not had any problems with it.
Unlike an S1 K-series Elise, they don't suffer from head gasket failure, the engine in the VX is bombproof, the N/A is the same 2.2 as in a vectra and they last for years in those, so in a lighter car they're great.
One thing to know about the VX N/A is that the clutch has a high biting point, when you first drive one, it'll feel like it's worn out but TADTS
Unlike an S1 K-series Elise, they don't suffer from head gasket failure, the engine in the VX is bombproof, the N/A is the same 2.2 as in a vectra and they last for years in those, so in a lighter car they're great.
One thing to know about the VX N/A is that the clutch has a high biting point, when you first drive one, it'll feel like it's worn out but TADTS
as silent says, the clutch does take a bit of getting used to, one thing to add to that though, if you do suspect the clutch has a prob it could be an idea to check the clutch spring is still in place, occasionally they ping off, makes an awfull noise (like the bottom of the car has fallen off lol)
(If you get upside down and look in the footwell you will see a spring attatched to all the pedals apart from the clutch)
very cheap to replace, again, i think the newer ones are made better.
(If you get upside down and look in the footwell you will see a spring attatched to all the pedals apart from the clutch)
very cheap to replace, again, i think the newer ones are made better.
Edited by Joe-turbo on Thursday 10th January 02:10
I budget £1500 per year to run mine excluding insurance road tax etc. not saying it will cost that every year, but when something goes wrong it is very expensive in terms of labour and vx specific parts to fix - so far in 18 months i have prob spent just over 2k to keep it on the road.
from memory:
blown rad +700
engine mounts +200
3 pairs tyres +600
2 services +650 (incl 4th yr service)
geo +150
misc parts +100
The next two years may cost nothing for me but a service, but the money is there in case.
you could not run a vx on £200 a year unless you were skilled in fixing cars and willing to take the huge hit you will get come time to sell with no service history. I would be wary of a vx with no receipts / history if i were a buyer
just my tuppence
from memory:
blown rad +700
engine mounts +200
3 pairs tyres +600
2 services +650 (incl 4th yr service)
geo +150
misc parts +100
The next two years may cost nothing for me but a service, but the money is there in case.
you could not run a vx on £200 a year unless you were skilled in fixing cars and willing to take the huge hit you will get come time to sell with no service history. I would be wary of a vx with no receipts / history if i were a buyer
just my tuppence
vxsmithers said:
I budget £1500 per year to run mine excluding insurance road tax etc. not saying it will cost that every year, but when something goes wrong it is very expensive in terms of labour and vx specific parts to fix - so far in 18 months i have prob spent just over 2k to keep it on the road.
from memory:
blown rad +700
engine mounts +200
3 pairs tyres +600
2 services +650 (incl 4th yr service)
geo +150
misc parts +100
The next two years may cost nothing for me but a service, but the money is there in case.
you could not run a vx on £200 a year unless you were skilled in fixing cars and willing to take the huge hit you will get come time to sell with no service history. I would be wary of a vx with no receipts / history if i were a buyer
just my tuppence
Where the fcuk have you been going for those prices?? the labour rates must be high, £150 for Geo is over twice what Pheonix or Top Gear charge.from memory:
blown rad +700
engine mounts +200
3 pairs tyres +600
2 services +650 (incl 4th yr service)
geo +150
misc parts +100
The next two years may cost nothing for me but a service, but the money is there in case.
you could not run a vx on £200 a year unless you were skilled in fixing cars and willing to take the huge hit you will get come time to sell with no service history. I would be wary of a vx with no receipts / history if i were a buyer
just my tuppence
Yes if your unlucky it could cost you but alot of the cost is labour because altough the cars are sipmle you need alot of work to get at the bits eg the radiator new all alloy rad £235 fitting 6+ hours as the front clam has to come off. But there's no reason any competent local mechanic can't do it for a low labour rate.
Edited by Winstar on Thursday 10th January 20:14
PulseTurbo said:
Fair enough. I'm certainly not looking for something that's going to cost anything near that figure per year to keep. Thanks for the advice.
The costs above are the worst you could pay, if you go to a normal garage or even some of the smaller VX specialists the costs will be half.Edited by PulseTurbo on Thursday 10th January 13:51
For instance plans/horizon/et al charge between £40 and £70 for a geo setup, that's a one time thing if you want to set the car up for better handling, it's more tuning than repair.
I had an n/a for nearly 2 years and absolutely nothing went wrong with it.Buy one with good history and you cant go wrong.Models from 2000-2003 will have probably had most things repaired that could have gone wrong anyway,so just be thorough when checking the history and receipts.
The bubbling issue is hit and miss,if you buy an early model and it doesnt have any paint bubbling issues then its either been sorted already or not going to be affected at all.They do have a 6 year body work warranty if this was to happen,although the car would be away for some weeks for the clam to be changed.
Ive owned my current vxt for almost a year now and other than changing the battery and a new poly v-belt nothing has gone wrong with it(touch wood).I dont think any sports car is a 100% reliable but in my experience the vx's are amongst the most reasonable sports cars to run with very good reliability in general.
The bubbling issue is hit and miss,if you buy an early model and it doesnt have any paint bubbling issues then its either been sorted already or not going to be affected at all.They do have a 6 year body work warranty if this was to happen,although the car would be away for some weeks for the clam to be changed.
Ive owned my current vxt for almost a year now and other than changing the battery and a new poly v-belt nothing has gone wrong with it(touch wood).I dont think any sports car is a 100% reliable but in my experience the vx's are amongst the most reasonable sports cars to run with very good reliability in general.
as i said, after 4 years of ownership my only real big payouts have been tuning.
My tuned 03 VXT is on 55k miles and have only had 2 things die
my rad died at about 25k, replaced under warrenty (sohuld have got a all ally one)
coolant tank had died a couple times (£25 plus fitting) i now have a cover to protect from uv rays so shouldnt die again.
i still have original engine mounts/ball joints/ toe rod ends etc etc etc.
(i had both clams replaced under warrenty too due to bubbles)
My tuned 03 VXT is on 55k miles and have only had 2 things die
my rad died at about 25k, replaced under warrenty (sohuld have got a all ally one)
coolant tank had died a couple times (£25 plus fitting) i now have a cover to protect from uv rays so shouldnt die again.
i still have original engine mounts/ball joints/ toe rod ends etc etc etc.
(i had both clams replaced under warrenty too due to bubbles)
Hello everyone! Thought I'd pop my head in here!
Ant, I'd only consider an S2 with the Toyota engine. I know the K-Series engine in the Lotus is better, but I still wouldn't want that at the back of my mind all the time. And an S2 with a Toyota engine is very expensive (or I can't find a cheap one). If I went for an Elise, it'd be a 111S, as they seem to be cheapest. Plus they look really good.
Joe, I think the VX220 looks a bargain second hand, but they are perhaps better being owned from new, so you can get all these niggles sorted out within the warranty period. I'd like that safety net, which is why I'm now looking at something a lot more boring, but more reliable. I'm only really looking for a car to spend £200 on servicing a year and not a lot on top.
All this said, I'm not slating the VX220. It's the ideal car if you know what you're doing with cars, or you can spare the money. Neither of those are me. I would however consider a VX220 if I can find one that has had ALL the work specified in this thread done, as long as it's not an over inflated price due to this. Main thing I'd be looking for would be uprated engine mounts and an alloy radiator, since the other's aren't too major. I'll keep my eye out.
Ant, I'd only consider an S2 with the Toyota engine. I know the K-Series engine in the Lotus is better, but I still wouldn't want that at the back of my mind all the time. And an S2 with a Toyota engine is very expensive (or I can't find a cheap one). If I went for an Elise, it'd be a 111S, as they seem to be cheapest. Plus they look really good.
Joe, I think the VX220 looks a bargain second hand, but they are perhaps better being owned from new, so you can get all these niggles sorted out within the warranty period. I'd like that safety net, which is why I'm now looking at something a lot more boring, but more reliable. I'm only really looking for a car to spend £200 on servicing a year and not a lot on top.
All this said, I'm not slating the VX220. It's the ideal car if you know what you're doing with cars, or you can spare the money. Neither of those are me. I would however consider a VX220 if I can find one that has had ALL the work specified in this thread done, as long as it's not an over inflated price due to this. Main thing I'd be looking for would be uprated engine mounts and an alloy radiator, since the other's aren't too major. I'll keep my eye out.
Gassing Station | VX | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff