Summary thread? GT W12
Discussion
Hi
I have been missing a GT in my life.
I am not particularly well off, but the clock is ticking.
Should I have deep pockets ? Is it all a myth ?
Say a 2010 with 30k miles on it for £40k fsh, should I be walking away ?
Is there a thread here summarising ownership , pitfalls, I dont need positives haha, I know them ?
Thankyou
I have been missing a GT in my life.
I am not particularly well off, but the clock is ticking.
Should I have deep pockets ? Is it all a myth ?
Say a 2010 with 30k miles on it for £40k fsh, should I be walking away ?
Is there a thread here summarising ownership , pitfalls, I dont need positives haha, I know them ?
Thankyou
Having had the same itch I owned a GT Coupe for 10 years. Here is what I learned.
Always have £5,000 set aside for the unexpected.
Some independent garages are just as good as a main dealer, and half the price.
There are thermocouples in both exhaust manifolds. If one goes wrong, the engine will stop. Anywhere, Any time. Any speed. It does not fail to safety.
Convertible hoods are prone to tearing at the rear passenger side corner.
Stick with the tyres quoted in the handbook.
Satnav and phone connectivity will be crap.
Don't scrimp on servicing.
If you are lucky, you can expect it to cost £3,000 a year to run.
Go through the service history of the car you want to buy very thoroughly.
Good Luck!
David.
Always have £5,000 set aside for the unexpected.
Some independent garages are just as good as a main dealer, and half the price.
There are thermocouples in both exhaust manifolds. If one goes wrong, the engine will stop. Anywhere, Any time. Any speed. It does not fail to safety.
Convertible hoods are prone to tearing at the rear passenger side corner.
Stick with the tyres quoted in the handbook.
Satnav and phone connectivity will be crap.
Don't scrimp on servicing.
If you are lucky, you can expect it to cost £3,000 a year to run.
Go through the service history of the car you want to buy very thoroughly.
Good Luck!
David.
Scrump said:
Buying guide here:
https://www.pistonheads.com/features/ph-buying-gui...
Sadly, that buyers guide, like many of the magazine articles on the subject of buying and running an older Continental GT, appears to have been written by yet another armchair expert who has never actually worked on one.https://www.pistonheads.com/features/ph-buying-gui...
For example “… the spark plugs are tricky to reach and replace as the engine is so densely packed into the bay.” is abject rubbish: anyone who is the least bit capable can change all 12 plugs in two hours.
The guide fails to get to grips with the actual causes of, and cures for, water ingress, which aren’t the least bit complicated.
Worse still it doesn’t even mention the vacuum system which is the bane of many owners’ lives (but won’t be as bad for the OP who’s looking at a 2010 car).
Nor does it mention the alternator coolant leak issue.
In my experience though the worst problem of all is that below the shiny paintwork, wood, leather and luxury is a car which has been mass produced by VW, and consequently every unnecessary expense has been spared.
One might argue that it was this change in direction which saved the Bentley brand, for continuing the tradition was unsustainable, and I concur, but it is hugely disappointing to find a brand which claims such ongoing excellence to be putting cars together so shoddily.
...and I’ve had the engine out of mine, so I am speaking from a position of (bitter) experience.
Edited by ColourRestorer on Sunday 21st August 22:39
ColourRestorer said:
In my experience though the worst problem of all is that below the shiny paintwork, wood, leather and luxury is a car which has been mass produced by VW, and consequently every unnecessary expense has been spared.
One might argue that it was this change in direction which saved the Bentley brand, for continuing the tradition was unsustainable, and I concur, but it is hugely disappointing to find a brand which claims such ongoing excellence to be putting cars together so shoddily.
...and I’ve had the engine our of mine, so I am speaking from a position of (bitter) experience.
I don’t think Rolls Royce is any better. In fact you don’t need to scratch the surface quite so deeply to find the Germanic underpinnings and plastic componentry.One might argue that it was this change in direction which saved the Bentley brand, for continuing the tradition was unsustainable, and I concur, but it is hugely disappointing to find a brand which claims such ongoing excellence to be putting cars together so shoddily.
...and I’ve had the engine our of mine, so I am speaking from a position of (bitter) experience.
But if that is what’s necessary for both of these makers to survive I am OK with it.
Wonderful cars to drive, fantastic engine and gearbox, sumptuous interiors, let down massively by the quality of much of the rest of the components and terrible design/packaging.
Anyone who has spannered on one of these will tell you, they are quite literally one of THE worst cars to work on. The quality of much of the VAG parts is junk, plastic clips break as you look at them, bolts are poor quality, the packaging is ludicrous, to remove a headlight requires the bumper and wings be removed, even a headlight bulb requires this though its rumoured that some have managed it with much hand cutting and cussing to do it without. There are inaccessible vacuum pipes and solenoids all over the engine bay which cause all sorts of gremlins, so overcomplicated, perhaps necessitated to meet emissions but it adds so many problems. In the last 14 months/7k miles, I have spent 9k on my now 50k mile 2008 Flying Spur.
At the weekend the hinge broke on the powered bootlid. £1050 for a new one just for the part. I've changed the front n/s air damper (a common problem particularly on this corner) arb links, sparkplugs which requires removal of the intake manifold, the air filters, some sensors which are screwed onto the manifold via a stupidly difficult to reach screw, coilpacks, EGT sensors, coolant sensors, done a couple of oil changes, front brake pads, tyres, bonnet struts (4nr) the list goes on. There is so much on these and so much to go wrong, part prices are horrendous, you get outright raped by VAG. There are 2 ecu's, mounted under the scuttle plate, virtually open to the elements, hundreds of little control boxes communicating with one another, they need keeping on a tender most of the time, especially if not used daily...
But then you drive one, and when they are working well they are sublime. The engine truly is a wonderful lump, such a shame that the packaging of it makes it impossible to get to much in the engine bay and that it has so much peripheral junk attached to it. If only they used hard lines instead of vacuum hoses, and mounted sensors in easy to access locations, but no thought has been given to those who have to work on it. Even specialists hate working on the things, particularly those accustomed to working on old school Bentleys!
Mutton dressed as lamb, kind of, if you can afford to pay someone else to look after it and you are prepared to swallow the ongoing costs, because there is always something around the corner...I'm falling into the trap of "I've done so much already no point bailing out now as I love driving it" then something goes wrong, like this hinge, which really felt like the last straw at the weekend, I've since ordered a replacement, I feel like I should sell it because how long will it be until the next thing happens, but then I can't bring myself to. My Father owned mine before me, from 14k to 43k miles, he only ever did brake pads and oil changes, he used to nurture the car and it didn't do many miles a year. When I did the plugs, it was the first time they had ever been done in 14 years so I guess I have copped a fair bit of catch up maintenance, then again, it's driving better than it ever has.
Other considerations are it costs £630 a year to tax, mine is a second car and that's a lot of money for something that isn't being used. Sadly my commute to work is too long to justify the mpg, also a pre 2010 car will require a diet of SUL as it's not suitable for E10.
Some food for thought, it's a frustrating experience, VAG could have eradicated a lot of it if they had put a bit more care into the design and didn't skimp on cost on so many components, and if they priced parts sensibly rather than differentiating them enough from other VAG products that they could slap on a huge Bentley tax. A boot lid panel is £5k, a door is £5k it's just absurd pricing.
Anyone who has spannered on one of these will tell you, they are quite literally one of THE worst cars to work on. The quality of much of the VAG parts is junk, plastic clips break as you look at them, bolts are poor quality, the packaging is ludicrous, to remove a headlight requires the bumper and wings be removed, even a headlight bulb requires this though its rumoured that some have managed it with much hand cutting and cussing to do it without. There are inaccessible vacuum pipes and solenoids all over the engine bay which cause all sorts of gremlins, so overcomplicated, perhaps necessitated to meet emissions but it adds so many problems. In the last 14 months/7k miles, I have spent 9k on my now 50k mile 2008 Flying Spur.
At the weekend the hinge broke on the powered bootlid. £1050 for a new one just for the part. I've changed the front n/s air damper (a common problem particularly on this corner) arb links, sparkplugs which requires removal of the intake manifold, the air filters, some sensors which are screwed onto the manifold via a stupidly difficult to reach screw, coilpacks, EGT sensors, coolant sensors, done a couple of oil changes, front brake pads, tyres, bonnet struts (4nr) the list goes on. There is so much on these and so much to go wrong, part prices are horrendous, you get outright raped by VAG. There are 2 ecu's, mounted under the scuttle plate, virtually open to the elements, hundreds of little control boxes communicating with one another, they need keeping on a tender most of the time, especially if not used daily...
But then you drive one, and when they are working well they are sublime. The engine truly is a wonderful lump, such a shame that the packaging of it makes it impossible to get to much in the engine bay and that it has so much peripheral junk attached to it. If only they used hard lines instead of vacuum hoses, and mounted sensors in easy to access locations, but no thought has been given to those who have to work on it. Even specialists hate working on the things, particularly those accustomed to working on old school Bentleys!
Mutton dressed as lamb, kind of, if you can afford to pay someone else to look after it and you are prepared to swallow the ongoing costs, because there is always something around the corner...I'm falling into the trap of "I've done so much already no point bailing out now as I love driving it" then something goes wrong, like this hinge, which really felt like the last straw at the weekend, I've since ordered a replacement, I feel like I should sell it because how long will it be until the next thing happens, but then I can't bring myself to. My Father owned mine before me, from 14k to 43k miles, he only ever did brake pads and oil changes, he used to nurture the car and it didn't do many miles a year. When I did the plugs, it was the first time they had ever been done in 14 years so I guess I have copped a fair bit of catch up maintenance, then again, it's driving better than it ever has.
Other considerations are it costs £630 a year to tax, mine is a second car and that's a lot of money for something that isn't being used. Sadly my commute to work is too long to justify the mpg, also a pre 2010 car will require a diet of SUL as it's not suitable for E10.
Some food for thought, it's a frustrating experience, VAG could have eradicated a lot of it if they had put a bit more care into the design and didn't skimp on cost on so many components, and if they priced parts sensibly rather than differentiating them enough from other VAG products that they could slap on a huge Bentley tax. A boot lid panel is £5k, a door is £5k it's just absurd pricing.
NITO said:
Wonderful cars to drive, fantastic engine and gearbox, sumptuous interiors, let down massively by the quality of much of the rest of the components and terrible design/packaging.
Anyone who has spannered on one of these will tell you, they are quite literally one of THE worst cars to work on. The quality of much of the VAG parts is junk, plastic clips break as you look at them, bolts are poor quality, the packaging is ludicrous, to remove a headlight requires the bumper and wings be removed, even a headlight bulb requires this though its rumoured that some have managed it with much hand cutting and cussing to do it without. There are inaccessible vacuum pipes and solenoids all over the engine bay which cause all sorts of gremlins, so overcomplicated, perhaps necessitated to meet emissions but it adds so many problems. In the last 14 months/7k miles, I have spent 9k on my now 50k mile 2008 Flying Spur.
At the weekend the hinge broke on the powered bootlid. £1050 for a new one just for the part. I've changed the front n/s air damper (a common problem particularly on this corner) arb links, sparkplugs which requires removal of the intake manifold, the air filters, some sensors which are screwed onto the manifold via a stupidly difficult to reach screw, coilpacks, EGT sensors, coolant sensors, done a couple of oil changes, front brake pads, tyres, bonnet struts (4nr) the list goes on. There is so much on these and so much to go wrong, part prices are horrendous, you get outright raped by VAG. There are 2 ecu's, mounted under the scuttle plate, virtually open to the elements, hundreds of little control boxes communicating with one another, they need keeping on a tender most of the time, especially if not used daily...
But then you drive one, and when they are working well they are sublime. The engine truly is a wonderful lump, such a shame that the packaging of it makes it impossible to get to much in the engine bay and that it has so much peripheral junk attached to it. If only they used hard lines instead of vacuum hoses, and mounted sensors in easy to access locations, but no thought has been given to those who have to work on it. Even specialists hate working on the things, particularly those accustomed to working on old school Bentleys!
Mutton dressed as lamb, kind of, if you can afford to pay someone else to look after it and you are prepared to swallow the ongoing costs, because there is always something around the corner...I'm falling into the trap of "I've done so much already no point bailing out now as I love driving it" then something goes wrong, like this hinge, which really felt like the last straw at the weekend, I've since ordered a replacement, I feel like I should sell it because how long will it be until the next thing happens, but then I can't bring myself to. My Father owned mine before me, from 14k to 43k miles, he only ever did brake pads and oil changes, he used to nurture the car and it didn't do many miles a year. When I did the plugs, it was the first time they had ever been done in 14 years so I guess I have copped a fair bit of catch up maintenance, then again, it's driving better than it ever has.
Other considerations are it costs £630 a year to tax, mine is a second car and that's a lot of money for something that isn't being used. Sadly my commute to work is too long to justify the mpg, also a pre 2010 car will require a diet of SUL as it's not suitable for E10.
Some food for thought, it's a frustrating experience, VAG could have eradicated a lot of it if they had put a bit more care into the design and didn't skimp on cost on so many components, and if they priced parts sensibly rather than differentiating them enough from other VAG products that they could slap on a huge Bentley tax. A boot lid panel is £5k, a door is £5k it's just absurd pricing.
It's almost as if they want only newer Bentleys on the road and for them to remain elite. Anyone who has spannered on one of these will tell you, they are quite literally one of THE worst cars to work on. The quality of much of the VAG parts is junk, plastic clips break as you look at them, bolts are poor quality, the packaging is ludicrous, to remove a headlight requires the bumper and wings be removed, even a headlight bulb requires this though its rumoured that some have managed it with much hand cutting and cussing to do it without. There are inaccessible vacuum pipes and solenoids all over the engine bay which cause all sorts of gremlins, so overcomplicated, perhaps necessitated to meet emissions but it adds so many problems. In the last 14 months/7k miles, I have spent 9k on my now 50k mile 2008 Flying Spur.
At the weekend the hinge broke on the powered bootlid. £1050 for a new one just for the part. I've changed the front n/s air damper (a common problem particularly on this corner) arb links, sparkplugs which requires removal of the intake manifold, the air filters, some sensors which are screwed onto the manifold via a stupidly difficult to reach screw, coilpacks, EGT sensors, coolant sensors, done a couple of oil changes, front brake pads, tyres, bonnet struts (4nr) the list goes on. There is so much on these and so much to go wrong, part prices are horrendous, you get outright raped by VAG. There are 2 ecu's, mounted under the scuttle plate, virtually open to the elements, hundreds of little control boxes communicating with one another, they need keeping on a tender most of the time, especially if not used daily...
But then you drive one, and when they are working well they are sublime. The engine truly is a wonderful lump, such a shame that the packaging of it makes it impossible to get to much in the engine bay and that it has so much peripheral junk attached to it. If only they used hard lines instead of vacuum hoses, and mounted sensors in easy to access locations, but no thought has been given to those who have to work on it. Even specialists hate working on the things, particularly those accustomed to working on old school Bentleys!
Mutton dressed as lamb, kind of, if you can afford to pay someone else to look after it and you are prepared to swallow the ongoing costs, because there is always something around the corner...I'm falling into the trap of "I've done so much already no point bailing out now as I love driving it" then something goes wrong, like this hinge, which really felt like the last straw at the weekend, I've since ordered a replacement, I feel like I should sell it because how long will it be until the next thing happens, but then I can't bring myself to. My Father owned mine before me, from 14k to 43k miles, he only ever did brake pads and oil changes, he used to nurture the car and it didn't do many miles a year. When I did the plugs, it was the first time they had ever been done in 14 years so I guess I have copped a fair bit of catch up maintenance, then again, it's driving better than it ever has.
Other considerations are it costs £630 a year to tax, mine is a second car and that's a lot of money for something that isn't being used. Sadly my commute to work is too long to justify the mpg, also a pre 2010 car will require a diet of SUL as it's not suitable for E10.
Some food for thought, it's a frustrating experience, VAG could have eradicated a lot of it if they had put a bit more care into the design and didn't skimp on cost on so many components, and if they priced parts sensibly rather than differentiating them enough from other VAG products that they could slap on a huge Bentley tax. A boot lid panel is £5k, a door is £5k it's just absurd pricing.
It's the modern way. Things just aren't designed or built to last, there is no longevity in the products. We have always bought new cars and kept them for a long time. I don't think it's something they purposely engineer into modern cars, rather a consequence of value engineering. Going forwards I guess I'll just have to adapt or not bother with luxury cars.
It seems the modern model is to pay monthly and keep changing every 3-4 years, it's incredibly wasteful, as the cars become more complicated and therefore less reliable with age, the secondhand market/appetite for them will start declining also, which will result in even higher monthly payments!
It seems the modern model is to pay monthly and keep changing every 3-4 years, it's incredibly wasteful, as the cars become more complicated and therefore less reliable with age, the secondhand market/appetite for them will start declining also, which will result in even higher monthly payments!
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