Thinking about creating a thread of my experiences with my car. I would be hoping to update it every couple of days or something and think it might give prospective owners an idea of what it's like to own one of these beauties.

I dont want to start it and then get a barrage of 'whats the point in this thread?' posts.

My car is much the same as anyone elses, it's a high mileage 20VT that has the same issues seemingly as a lot of cars on here. I'll just note whenever I do any maintainence and take pics of how things went. Is this the best forum for this BTW?

Let me know, peeps.

Cheers for correcting me, I thought it may be in the wrong place.

No problem , I think it's a good idea incidentally

Cool, I'll start it some time today with current thoughts on the car as it is now, having owned it roughly 3 weeks now.

OK, having owned the Coop for a couple of weeks now, initial thoughts.

Very quick car, most impressed, but the clutch is very near the end of it's life. It may be covered by warranty even though work colleagues are very doubtful about this. I'm going to scan my warranty document and send it to Motormech to see if they think they can claim on it.

The car seems to have a lot of the familiar Coop issues.

Damp in the boot/rear seat area, as indicated by a small bit of mould. I cleaned the boot carpet last week, and I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of this was caused by the car standing before I bought it.

The drivers side wiper is rubbing on the bonnet.

The paint isn't at all in good nick. This was the same on my Mk2 Uno Turbo, but time and and effort got this sorted.

The turning circle is, indeed, awful. My huge Lexus GS300 could turn on a sixpence compared to the Coop.

It needs a really good valet inside. I used to be a car valeter so this isn't an issue, but being bothered to do it is. I hate having to do my car on the road side.

There's a surprising amount of space in there. Last week had a child seat, and 4 full adults (inc 2 6 footers in the back) and a full size pram in the boot. You wouldn't think it possible from looking at it.

It's a 10-year old car and it has the bruises of age but I'm going to enjoy bringing it back to good nick.

There quite a lot of standard kit and though bits and bobs need some TLC, most of it still works, even now.

Welcome and thanks for sharing your experiences. Should be interesting. It's refreshing to see a new member who can actually write in their native tongue and spell as well.

I haven't driven the car in the dark as yet but the dipped beam lights do seem quite good, though I'm not convinced that they're standard bulbs in there. The headlights themselves do need a refurb, so I'll get around to that using the guides on here.

The bootlid doesn't seem do be correctly aligned, a local bodyshop should be able to sort it, though I may see if I can do it myself.

The car is gorgeous to look at and is growing on me all the time. I stand in the car park at work unable to take my eyes off it. It's superb. Anybody who walks past it when it's parked outside my flat seems to look back at it, and I can see why.

It has a hesitation from cold, I am going to do abit of research and try to cure it, I may well start with plug leads.

I'm pleased to have found this forum. Lots of advice, how-tos, and others happy to help with queries. Lots of parts too, the for sale section, should make keeping it on the road a bit cheaper.

My windscreen is misting up easily in wet weather and airflow is limited when the blower is on full, I expect this to be blocked drain holes leading to a damp pollen filter, I also have no bill for pollen filter replacement so it will probably be blocked. This should be simple fix (I hope).

The only things I have done with car so far is to start running it exclusively on V-Power fuel, for the obvious benefits and to run a bottle of STP injector cleaner through. I'm not sure this made a huge amount of difference, but I plan to get the injectors ultrasonically cleaned soon. The fuel filter wasn't changed at the last service so I'll follow the how-to on this site and possibly do it myself, this should show a difference. hopefully the STP stuff has washed any crud into the fuel filter, I'll get that changed, then the last link will be the injectors which I'll get done last.

Cheers Alan, I hope it helps any new owners etc. Day to day ownership is something people miss when looking at a car. I intend to comment on any changes, mods, maintenance etc. to report how it has changed the car, and how it feels as a daily runner. I use the car 7 days a week, M-F involves a 28 mile M1 round-trip commute and weekend work involves carrying round a wife and a 10 month old baby, so that covers most bases for car ownership.

I dont mind the fuel consumption figures I'm getting actually. I did think (in a slightly guilty fashion) that it was going to be heavy but it's not too bad. Plenty of steady motorway help, I suppose, but even town driving isn't too bad. Solo provided me with a full tank of fuel when I picked the car up, and I got just over 350 miles to the tank, which did include a bit of 'enjoying myself' on the way home. I should start working working out some figures for this thread, but time will tell if I will bother.

Insurance wasn't bad either. I pay £30 per year more than my old 98S Vectra 2.0 16V Ecotec SRi estate, valued at £600, which I thought was quite amazing, and that was just off a price comparison site. Admiral seem to like these cars, as others I've spoken to are all insured with them.

Ride and handling are good, considering it's a high-miler. I do have bills for quite a few new suspension bits, so I may go over the bills I have tonight to provide an idea of whats been done. There's a £700 bill in there for a new turbo with 360 deg bearing, and the cambelt was done by Solo before I picked the car up, so there's some money saved, potentially. There have been quite a few non-standard parts fitted, I don't think there's anything I dont like, dump valves are a matter of taste, and Solo did offer to remove it prior to the sale but I chose to keep it on, I can always change it later if I get fed up of it. Bit annoyed with the boost valve, it's a black one where the clock was originally, and is wires to light up only when the lights are on. Because the plastic lensy bit in front of it is domed, I can only see the sky in it most of the time, I think I'll change it for a white one at some stage.

Jobs to do soon :-

1) Full valet in and out. I like to do this on a new car as if you clean every surface of the car, you get to know it a bit better and will likely find loose/rattling/damaged parts that need doing.

2) Pollen filter change, so I can see where I'm going and can breathe properly. Might also invest in system clean, where they blow cleaner into it, should be better for my little girly's lungs.

3) Windscreen washer, one of them is blocked, but there's plenty on here about how to sort it.

4) Fit a headunit, mine came without one, but sound of the K+N panel and drilled airbox makes up for that.

There may be other things but nothing I can think of that's pressing.

Haha, this is so true unfortunately

Throw the pollen filter. There's a guide on here explaining how to change it but I just chucked mine. That clears up the misting problem instantly.

Good idea by the way, keep it up. I'm sure a lot of new or prospective owners could learn a great deal from another new owner's point of view

Cheers Trappy.

Bit miffed this morning, my car is not standard, it must be chipped with other bits and bobs, though the chip is unknown. This may need to be changed for a GTEC2 if this is not the case some time in the future. This car is no fun with a slipping clutch. Any low gear fun results in revs all over the place. Ah, well. Got a mate who lives in Stoke so a couple of weeks wage down the line, I may get it booked in to Motormech and he can pick me up. I shall email them and ask if it's worth getting anything else done at the same time. I'm thinking a gearbox oil change for the different grade recommended on here for smoother operation. I'm also contemplating the 6 speed box as I do a lot of motorway driving, and it'll be more when the missus moves back to Cumbria, I'll be doing a 380 mile round trip each month or so when I go up to see the little one, it may be worth the cost for the saving in fuel. I've the car less than a month and there's nearly 800 miles on it already, but having said that no dramas. Touch wood. The backlight on the heater control is out so I may well look for a new panel to replace the one thats in, someone's crow-barred the headunit out at some stage and marked the panel. Shouldn't be hard to come by. I'm still letting it warm up for 5 minutes before setting off and letting it cool before turning it off. Still keen to that extent. I need some new wipers, that's something else that I normally buy for a new car, I had new Bosch blades for the Vectra so I may check what sizes they are to change them onto the Coop, they must be a similar size looking at them.

So no dramas to report, other than it doesn't half need a good clean inside, that might get done this weekend if the weathers OK, I'll take some before and afters I think. Still love the look of it, I don't think I'll tire of it any time soon.

Petrol prices are ridiculous. Three quarters of a tank of V-Power for 50 quid!

Good news is one of the wipers off my Vectra fits the passenger side of the Coop so thats a couple of quid saved. All good, I suppose. I did notice while changing it that the passenger side wiper can catch the very edge of the bonnet when it folded back down onto the screen, and guess what. Chunk of paint missing. If I come back in the afterlife, I don't want to be a Coupe bonnet....

Take it back to SI pronto

I came down the motorway this morning in fifth, put my foot down and the engine just revved with hardly any forward motion....Oh, dear, there are complications with taking it to Solo, they are 200 miles away and for various reasons, for the next two weeks I can barely afford to get there and back, let alone have good luck of being able to get it in tomorrow. I have copied my warranty doc and will send that to Motormech to see what they say. I can kip over there if need be for free, so it may be an option. I did notice on the test drive that it was thin, but if thats the only problem the car has, I reckon it's a good one. Did budget for things like that, but I do need to see yet if it will be done under warranty. Warranty might only replace with a standard item but that will give me some miles anyway. I really haven't ragged the car, I'm looking after it until I can get my usual maintenance done on it.

Still a definite hesitation on reapplying throttle after a gearchange when cold. I'm going to try things one at once to see what cures that. I'm thinking it's something that is better when warm. We'll see.

Should've got my wheels balanced when at Wheels-In-Motion, got a vibration at about 80mph. just annoying but I was stupid not to get it all done at once.

Not much done over the weekend, the nice weather tempted me out. Didn't get chance to do the battery so I might pop down to my Nationwide Autocentre and get the drop test done, just to check. Apparently my clutch should be covered under warranty so happy days there.

On the way down the motorway this morning, it struck me just how civilised this car can be. When it's going, it doesn't half go but due to problems getting paid at the moment, I'm making my diamond-encrusted V-power last as long as possible. A steady 70-80mph is a very comfortable, quiet drive (standard zorst at the moment) and I am very happy with that. Still planning to get a quote for the 6-speeder.

I have mailed Paul@motortech and he hasn't got back to me about a price for the 6-speeder, for what it's worth, he'll fit a clutch of your choice for £270+VAT.

One of my electric mirrors wont adjust up or down, I may ask on the gen maint forum about if that's fixable, I was planning to do something with them, they're really rashed.

Since I've taken it easy this week, economy is REALLY good.

I have the number for Rick at Solo so I'll give him a ring today to check about the warranty cover for the clutch, I might just need to arrange for a day off, not good as I'm a contractor but then that's car ownership, I'd rather have a planned day off than find it doesn't work all of a sudden.

on the mirror - they have these round plastic units behind the glass - and sometimes the small motors in the units burn out, sometimes the little plastic arms that the motor uses to move the glass snaps. I'm sure you can get one from a broken coupe - or just buy a couple of mirrors from a broken coupe, spray the black mirror holding unit with some matt black paint, and they'll look good also (if yours are worn out).

Costco has a good range of new Bosch Silver batteries with a 5 year guarantee, mine cost £50-£60. May be worth having a look if there's one near you: http://www.costco.co.uk (warning - if you're not familiar with costco, you need to be eligable to be a member, and you will be sorely tempted by the array of TVs on offer as you walk in, so be strong - use the force, etc...).

Hesitation after changing gear could be related to your dump valve, is it an atmospheric dump valve?

Hi S1MMA,

Cheers for the response. The hesitation after changing gear is only noticable when the engine has only been running a couple of minutes, indeed if I leave it to idle before setting off for a few minutes, it has gone. I have been meaning to clean and test my dump valve as per the guide linked from here, so I may do that as a matter of course (so many things to do, so little time...). If atmospheric is the opposite of recirculating, then it's atmospheric. Noisy little bleeder...

When the wife had her Punto 1.8 HGT, she got a Bosch Silver I think it was, and it cost me (yes, me...) about £80, so that sounds a good price, I'll look into it.

The mirrors not really a problem at the moment, it's just added to the list...but I will bear your advice in mind.

On a better note, I've called Rick at Solo and he's happy to do the clutch with a proper standard item for £188 all in, and give me a courtesy car for the 24 hour period I'll need it. It's even going to work out that I don't need to take any time off work which is a bonus, being a contractor, I don't get hols so it would just be lost money. Happy days. He said the warranty company would put it down to wear and tear, which I did think would be the case, as did all my mates. But it's a lot cheaper than the retail price for fitting and means I can save my warranty for something better. :-)

Still really happy with the car, but after the hot weather and the dust, it doesn't half need a wash!

How can it be 'wear and tear'?
You've only had the car a short while.
It appears the car was 'not fit for purpose' when purchased?
I agree the insurance backed warranty would probably not be liable, (now there's a surprise, what a waste of time and money) but the retailer should be liable under the 'sale of goods act 1979'.

Even if you purchased without a warranty from a trader, it must be 'fit for purpose', unless a 'trade sale'.

Morning all,

Rough couple of weeks for me so have not felt like posting much over the past few days. That's life, even if you're a car fan, other things seem more important sometimes.

124coupe, I can see your point, I just haven't the life in me at the moment, I might just take the offer and get it done, but having said that, I can't afford the £250-odd it will cost all in (petrol there and back twice...). So it's largely irrelevant at the moment.

I am planning on spending this weekend making the car look a bit better. I've been lazy not getting on with getting it up to my usual standard. I haven't even washed it since I bought it. Been looking on http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk and I feel ashamed. Time to get down to it, it's cheap to do because I have a lot of the stuff already. It should be a weekend well spent. Should really do the IAC valve too, from a cold start, the car is lumpy. It revs to 2500rpm then settles to 1500rpm, then misses for a miute or so, then settles to a relatively smooth idle. The wifes car (Punto 1.8HGT Abarth) was terrible for stalling at idle, but cleaning the throttle body sorted it instantly, it was gunked up, 120k motor could be the same. By the same token, I'm resisting the idea of the power boost spray (anti-coking) as on an engine of that age, I feel it might do more bad than good and put oil consumption up. Dump valve is to be cleaned and checked (simple) and EBV is also to be cleaned out (still quite simple).

The £50 quid I spent on V-Power is still going strong, should last well into next week, it's when those chavvy hatchbacks scream past. At 40mph. Ooh, it's tempting, but I am managing to hold off.

Surprised it's just about to pass mille miglia (?, 1000 miles) in my ownership. Loved every mile so far.

As the warranty is insurance backed, can you take it to a local garage recommended by the Insurance Co. and get the clutch repaired?
Worth a go?

Quiet weekend for the Coop, hardly moved apart from to get some more V-Power before it runs out. On the plus side got a loyalty card which should already have loads of credit on it. Woman at the till was swiping everyones amount on the card and offering them the loyalty card, they were saying no but when I got to the front, I said yes, bearing in mind I am trying to use V-Power exclusively. The forecourt was queuing down the road, so lots of juice was being sold, and she said she'd been swiping that card for the past 20 mins! So here's hoping I get 6 months free fuel...

Got a to-do list written up, I think Paul at MotorMech is going love me... Plenty to do. I do want to modify the car, but first, as I always have, I want to get the base car sorted so it's running correctly from the off, so as not to find any weak points down the line. So lots of things like plug leads, fluids changes etc. Might post it on here if I get chance.

Anyway, as I have meant to do for a while, a rundown of the original car, as much for me as anyone else.

Original mileage when I picked it up : 120,639 miles.

MOT'd two days before I picked it up, required work : handbrake cables, numberplate light.

Other work completed prior to pick up : dipstick oil seal replaced, power steering pump replaced, cam belt changed, 'full' service.

Work completed since pickup : geometry check at Tony Bones, STP injector cleaner run through, V-Power fuel used exclusively, one wiper blade replaced, new tax disc holder |(I know, WOW!) and a bit of cleaning. More to come.

OK, so management have gone home and I'm still here at work. The list of to-do's (in no particular order) :

Fuel filter changed
Injectors ultrasonically cleaned
Coolant flushed and changed
Oil flushed and changed
Brake fluid changed (for decent spec stuff)
Pollen filter changed
Toyo T1-R's all round
Bonnet resprayed and debadged (don't think the chips and scratches will polish out)
Centre console panel changed and switches 'lubed'
Head unit fitted (and possibly speakers)
New windscreen
New clutch (pref Helix organic but we'll see)
6-speed box
IAC cleaned
EBV cleaned
New dump valve (or refurb for now)
New white boosst guage (to replace the black one I can never see)
New drivers side wiper and rear wiper
Heater control backlight fixed
High-level brake light bulbs replaced w/LEDs
Headlight refurb and HIDs on dipped beam
Gearbox oil changed for Silkolene goo
Aircon regassed
Injector warning light investigated (new sensors)
NGK (?) plugs and new standard leads
New rocker cover gasket and replaced w/painted rocker cover
All hosing checked
Battery condition checked
Earth connections remade
Power steering fluid changed
Windows tinted (light smoke, maybe, need to see some pics of one with it done to decide)
Compression test on all 5 cylinders for reference
Cap for wiper arm
Screws for scuttle panel
Windscreen washers sorted (hosing, 2 way valves etc)
Indicator stalk cancelling sorted
Quick response brake light bulbs (LEDs?)
At least K+N panel filter cleaned (new filter arrangement?)
Thermostat checked

When all this is done, it should be consdierably more reliable, I hope. A good few things I should be able to sort myself, given time. Here's hoping because it will keep the costs down a bit. But then I'm fairly average with spanners, not a mechanic, but fairly intelligent and technically minded and happy to take my time with things, so watch this space for what I do manage to do.

psssst, there are no plug leads on a 20vt, it's a pencil coil on each cylinder which means the coil sits directly atop the plug


Also, add to the list: buy a Barnacle Widget Mk IV whilst they are still available.........

Anyway, apart from the spray painting, that lot should take until lunchtime, what you got planned for the afternoon?

Cheers, stan, you learn something new every day! Still getting to know the engine...

I'll check in on the Barnacle Widgets, or I might wait for a MkV ;-)

And yes, in the afternoon, I might just sit back and admire my work with a cold tinny, or maybe do some overtime to pay for it all :-( Paul at Motormech never got back to me when I mailed him last for a quote for a couple of jobs, I'll think he'll block my email address once I ask for a quote for all that! And there's the leccy mirror to sort as well, to add to the above.

Bit miffed as I seem to have a weeping rocker cover, I wonder how much that will be to do, I know it's not a difficult job but knowing my luck there'll be a catch so it costs £££s.

Happily it's not and there isn't so it doesn't

lol, cheers mr coop! Just need to find a nice painted rocker cover now, that I can afford, to go on while it's being done... Might look further into getting mine done, but then that's time off the road...

Highwayman has a black powder coated rocker cover for sale at a very good price. See in the for sale section.

Is the top right bolt hole cracked on your rocker cover ? if it isn't then you would just need to clean up the old gasket fit a new one (and maybe add a smidge of gasket sealant while you are at it) and tighten the bolts correclty.