Have a moan about your old car thread.

[Jamez 2147483647]

+1

[320guy 0]

I dont think there is one thing on my e30 that i havent had to touch or f**k with, except for the rear subframe and diff.

[TDP 0]

My car got the worlds's dodgiest WOF a few weeks ago (tester: do the brakes work? Me:...yes? ...sometimes. Tester: here you go! Happy motoring), which is nice as it gives me 6 more months to figure out what to do about the (increasingly significant) rust problem, the brake issues and the suspension woes.

The fantasy is to take it off the road and spend some time making it right. Which necessitates another vehicle. Which I have. In fact I have two. Both of them from Japanese manufacturers with stirling reputations for reliability. Needless to say, both of them are broken. The VFR has a sticking rear brake and the GT4 refuses to disengage its clutch. I have just spent my Easter weekend dissassembling the Celica to learn... ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! My frustration is one of the few man-made things visible from orbit.

I'm going to persevere though. Last weekend I got all angry about the state of my motoring and went and took an E46 330 coupe for a drive, with a view to getting something modern and reliable but still fun.

It was one of the most underwhelming experiences of my motoring career. Nothing I could easily put my finger on, but the car just didn't 'click'. It was highly capable but... disconnected.

It helped clarify why I keep ending up with older cars. They are more enjoyable, more interactive, more engaging, to drive. In my opinion, they are worth the effort.

[Dyl 4]

Graham, I know a guy selling a mint Audi S3. He'll give you a mean deal too.

[deane30 30]

I reckon my e30 runs amazingly well for a 21 year old car. Its also tidier and probably more enjoyable to drive than most 10+ year old cars on the road. Occasionally it gets little things wrong with it but never anything major... YET.

Don't sell Graeme. You'll miss it. Yours is one of my favourite e30's

Good luck getting things fixed.

Dean

[Forrest 35]

I just need to drive mine at full noise in the dark, fuel pump whirring with those glowing orange cluster dials to make me love it everytime..serious as.

I have had a blown water pump and thats it in 3 years.

Im hooked for good.

Don't sell it Graham, if owning e30's was easy, everyone would do it and spend $$$ at them.

Edited April 13, 2009 by Forrest

[Driftit 2069]

Spent 3 weeks and $600 trying to track down an abs problem that in the end cost the sale of the car.

But the race car works perfect so I am happy.

[hybrid 1043]

bad noises coming from the front suspension even though I have done bushes, top hats and what not..

The dreded knock that just wont go away. When you have checked your Sway bar links are tight (not over tight) then the other one is worn control arm ball joints. Something that gets over looks a lot of the time.

This problem also comes and goes depending on heat. IE you could take a short trip down the road and its fine. But it might start up after 30 minutes of driving. Then disappear when its wet or raining. to put it bluntly its a little bitch of a problem that isn't always the cheapest to fix as you usually need a couple of new control arms and wheel alignment afterwards.

[darkwolf 0]

People go on about Toyota Reliability.

Its so true... on the right car.

My 1989 corona cost me $2k needed a new clutch not long after I bought it (once the car heated up the clutch was gone - down to the rivets in fact). But other than that has been gold.

My 1989 celica on the other hand - I bought it for $350 to take the engine out and put in the Corona which had done 312,000KMs and was still going strong, but figured the more powerful engine would be fun. Driving the celica home I just couldn't bring myself to rip the car apart when it had only done 136,000KMs. So I started driving the celica.

Over the last 2 months I owned it I started spending $200 a fortnight replacing parts. I started by replacing the tyres ($800) then the shocks ($800), then got a wheel alignment and then a fortnight later the top hat on the right front strut let go. So replaced that ($350) and got another wheel alignment done. But it was all worth it in the end...

I decided if I was spending that on repairing an old car I'd buy a new (newish anyway) car. I bought my first BMW 1998 BMW 540i. I then had to replace the tyres, while on the hoist getting my last two tyres put on the car, the heater hose at the back of the engine split. I then had to pay the excess for that to be repaired, while the replaced that they broke my bleed valve on the top of the radiator - but didn't tell me. Just under a week later (by 2 hours actually) my car told me to check my coolant level. I popped the bonnet and was greeted by a lovely fountain from the top of the radiator. Repaired that and then went over a pot hole and bent one of my wheels. So I currently have the spare wheel on so I can get the wheel repaired.

Old cars aren't the problem. Cars are in general. But I don't mind. If I wasn't spending money on my car I'd be spending it some other way. So why not have something I can oggle at when ever I want?

[Jamez 2147483647]

jeeez you sound like you have the worst luck around

my experience with cars is that if something breaks its cheaper just to get a new car

[DRTDVL 0]

jeeez you sound like you have the worst luck around

Ohhh don't know about that... 

Pugs are uber fussy, and you need to really maintain them or they hate you and throw their toys....

Bought the 306, had a PPI done by a well known company, and well yes...

5 days after having the car took it to my mechanics as there was a knock (wish i had him do the inspection), list of problems within the first 2 months of owning:

1) top engine mount (1 week)

2) both vac pods that control variable intake system (noticed not to be working when above was fixed)

3) siezed right rear caliper (noticed not to be working when 1 was fixed)

4) Horn failed WOF (not loud enough - 3 months later)

5) rear axle had bearing issues causing positive camber while cornering left (toe settings -0.5 and 1.7+)

6) battery failed

7) lower engine mount (4 months after purchase)

8) cambelt torn 1/2 way through and was splitting along the belt from previous owners incorrect installation of tensioners, water pump leaking (all 1 yr and 20,000km old) (9 months after purchase)

there are a few other things but minor within the first year... now its been 5 years of ownership and it's been solid up until now but at 175,000km stuff is worn and needing replacement... 

[bravo 35]

Put the E30 in the garage last night,

As I was leaving the garage it decided to empty its radiator all over the floor.

Arrghh.

So that's why mine did the same thing on Monday (day after yours). Sympathy.

Turns out a coolant hose had deteriorated from the inside where it pushes onto the thermostat housing. Finally got thin enough to force a tiny hole and spill its guts on the drive after a hard drive.

I'm sick of leaks, rattles and a rough idle.

I hate how I clipped the control arm bush backing down my drive and bent something.

I'm sick of repainting my front spoiler every 12months from Northlands sh*t house roads.

Can't wipe the grin off my face though

[hybrid 1043]

My bitch for the day...

I just replaced all key bushes and new control arms in the e46 and got an all fluids change. 2.5k later ... Sometimes I think I'm over anal about making sure everything is still new in the car. Love hate relationship.

[e30plz 1]

So that's why mine did the same thing on Monday (day after yours). Sympathy.

It just emptied its radiator juices all over my garage floor again..

Argh..

Prob cause of the severe raping it just got though, Got a new skid pad

Edited April 16, 2009 by E30ONP

[Gus 5]

no one will buy it?

[e30plz 1]

Huh?

[jordyboy2 0]

He means no one will buy his old car

I would

but I have no monies

[e30plz 1]

Oh, I knew that..

[Guest FrantiC]

I've replaced nearly everything under my car..... What a pain.. It's usually worth it til something else breaksss.

But my most recent "failures" were a 10,000k clutch I just pulled to upgrade has once side loose?? Don't know wtf is up with that.. Got it through Supercheap when I was in a hurry to replace my old one which jammed the thrust bearing in the pressure plate cos the pressure plate fingers were so worn

Rear left CV making a realllllly annoying ticking / poping sort of sound when cruising 10-30km/h.

Shifter assembly keeps coming loose and eventually my shifter becomes a sloppy mess.

Speedo doesn't work, ever since I put an LSD clutch pack into the same diff that was oringinally in there, have tried new sensors etc.

Rattles coming from the front and thumps from the rear, maybe time to upgrade to coilovers...

Other than that it's gettin' a rebuild, paintjob, tech 2 side skirts ATLAST! and most importantly TURBO

(Not to mention I will also get the above fixed hehe)

[bravo 35]

Broke the mr2. Giving it a thrash on the way home from Poker tonight and must have broken the gearlinkage as the lever has gone all floppy and it's stuck in 4th. Will have a look in the morning when I'm not pining from losing by going all in on a straight and getting pwned by a river that turned my bluffing opponents garbage into a flush.

[BLACK DORIS 9]

^ Ahh, the dreded river queen....

On topic, got the e30 at the start of the year. Within the first two weeks i had to have the radiator flushed, coolant replaced, waterpump replaced. It cost around half the purchase price of the car getting these bits done at mechanics!! - (I will do more things myself in future).

Since then i've also had oil and filter replaced (service light reminder) and need to replace the exhaust manifold gaskets and fix an exhaust leak. Have also spent a bit on other new bits and pieces i.e. b'weves, springs, shocks etc.

Having said that -

I F*@KN LOVE THIS OLD BEEARCH!!!

She's already been to both sides of the north island (east n west coasts x 2) just went through central plateau over easter w'end up to akl then back down through rotorua etc. She was fast, handled well and just a lot of fun.

Dont sell.

Or if you do, pm me!!!! haha.

Edited April 17, 2009 by BLACK DORIS

[Greg111 13]

Right i'm bringing this bitch of a topic up again, fitted a stereo to my E34 a few months back and noticed that night the dash illumination lights were not going, checked fuses, plugs etc, anyway we got pretty quiet at work this arvo so thought i'd bring the car in and pull out the dash cluster and do some wiring checks, all tested ok so pulled the stereo back out and had a fiddle around behind there with still no luck, put the cluster and stereo back in and low and behold my airbag light is now on

Being very pissed off at that moment i pulled out the back seat and disconnected the battery for a few minutes as this sometimes eliminates phantom fault codes in our Peugeots, connected back up and again still no luck!

It then started to rain so i put new wiper refills on, that part actually worked.

Ha i should just go back to me trusty M3.