Some time ago I stumbled upon this stereo. Took it on, cleaned it up, added ISO-wiring since there was nothing before and used it in the garage as a stereo.
Now there's a new head unit installed in the garage and this was left standing.
It's from an era when it was wise to take your stereo with you. So it has a handle. Unfortunately, no original cage.
It also works in a 2-channel setup, and the AUX worked as well. The backlight should be replaced probably for the display, but all-in-all, a nice toucgh to any older car interior.
If anyone has any idea about the pricing, or maybe even would like to purchase this fine piece of history, just let me know. I might be in Estonia, but there is no problem for me to ship it out internationally.
Wow. Been a long time. At the moment the Omega is still with me. But a lot has happened inbetween my last post and this one. So: thought this through and will make a separate thread for all of my ramblings and discoveries in the world of cars. Since my last mention of the Seat, there have been 12 more cars. And I'm pretty sure it's sensible to start a different thread with my car history and my joint operation with a friend of mine. So, I guess that if You're interested in such a thread, I'll start work on it and hopefully will get somewhere in the next few days.
Also, the Omega has been standing for a month now, MOT ran out and I'm in the middle of thinking everything through. I'll probably start working on it in the next month, follow through winter and then have it MOT-d in spring, since I don't want salt on it anymore. Have a badgeless grille for it, Irmscher rear lip, new headlights, fitted some dark pre-facelift taillights, LSD is coming next week, so a lot is going to happen. But about all that in due time.
History of cars: '88 VW Golf Mk2, '93 VW Golf Mk3, '93 VW Golf Mk3 GTI, '90 Volvo 940, '99 Opel Vectra Caravan, '90 VW Golf Mk2, '97 VW Vento, '93 VW Vento, '95 VW Vento, '90 BMW 524TD, '00 Nissan Primera, '95 MB C230K, '01 Seat Leon, '94 VW Corrado, '97 VW Golf, '01 Alfa Romeo 166, '98 VW Golf Mk4, '98 Opel Omega, '00 Opel Omega Caravan.
So, I guess long time, no updates. Anyway. After the last picture:
Some nice snow.
Upgraded the headlights from Xenons to LED-s. Best decision ever!
New overflow tank because the old ones sensor was faulty, also added automatic lights.
Some nice pictures on my plot of land. But after that the car has been running great, nothing much has happened. Am trying to save it a bit from the salt and such, but to no avail. Rust spots have appeared on the rear arches, so again, some rust removal needs to be done. But, bought a project to try on.
A 2003 Seat Toledo, with MOT 2 months, for 450€. Sills need replacing and some general maintenance done. Then a lick of paint, TT wheels, some low and will put it on the market in high hopes some teenager will like it. But what's not to like.. Also, counted my history of Cars. The Seat is nr. 22.. 2 more and I'm up to my age..
I actually find it odd that the pictures work, at least for me.
But, there are actually some updates. They're not big, but since I haven't touched the car since my last post, it's about time to get things up to date.
At the moment it was used as a notice board. So, I started to clear out the shop where it is, in order to start work.
Then I bought an ABS-delete master cylinder, booster and bracket in order to get that side over with.
Then I started weeping, but took the plunge and bought an engine wiring harness for a Corrado. Sadly, the wrong one since my engine is OBD2 but the harness and such is OBD1. Probably need to find some various parts in order to either convert my engine to OBD1 or take the car to OBD2. Doesn't seem hard, since I have the OBD2 wiring harness, probably need to add some wires in order to get it to work, but that's it.
And lastly, made a list. Of everything that needs to be done. Ran out of cardboard, probably need to get a whiteboard for that.
But that's it. More news when things are moving yet again.
History of cars: '88 VW Golf Mk2, '93 VW Golf Mk3, '93 VW Golf Mk3 GTI, '90 Volvo 940, '99 Opel Vectra Caravan, '90 VW Golf Mk2, '97 VW Vento, '93 VW Vento, '95 VW Vento, '90 BMW 524TD, '00 Nissan Primera, '95 MB C230K, '01 Seat Leon, '94 VW Corrado, '97 VW Golf, '01 Alfa Romeo 166, '98 VW Golf Mk4, '98 Opel Omega, '00 Opel Omega Caravan.
Mo problem with the video, just need to wait a few days. My phone is being replaced with a new one through home insurance, so that needs a bit of time. But, we had some snow, so here are some pictures:
Well, early to say. At the moment I know it works, just tested it out. Some of the tweeters are missing and some sound insulation, not to mention door cards. Also the stereo needs to be reconfigured to Bose. At the moment it sends and amplified signal to the amplifier, which then gets distributed to the speakers. But I think it sounds heaps better, at least when listening to Eiffel 65 - Blue. Okay, an aftermarket stereo with decent speakers, filters and amplifiers with a mono amp and subwoofer will definitely sound better. But it's my quirk, to use OEM parts to make things better. Besides, I like my trunk space..
History of cars: '88 VW Golf Mk2, '93 VW Golf Mk3, '93 VW Golf Mk3 GTI, '90 Volvo 940, '99 Opel Vectra Caravan, '90 VW Golf Mk2, '97 VW Vento, '93 VW Vento, '95 VW Vento, '90 BMW 524TD, '00 Nissan Primera, '95 MB C230K, '01 Seat Leon, '94 VW Corrado, '97 VW Golf, '01 Alfa Romeo 166, '98 VW Golf Mk4, '98 Opel Omega, '00 Opel Omega Caravan.
Why thank you. But, it hasn't been polished. Just waxed with some liquid wax from Meguiars. Probably a good polish will bring it up even more, but a repaint is in order. There are 3 different tones of Krypton Green on the car. Not to mention dust in the paint, dents, scratches and whatnot. But, today a bigger project started nearing the end:
It's been a pain in the backside, not to mention the wrist, knees and back. Thank god there's cold beer to help relaxing. Somehow there wasn't any kind of write-ups done for fitting Bose to a face-lift Omega. There is one for a preface-lift Omega, but no words and again, many different points weren't covered. But now that I've done it, I'm going to fill the void that has been left in the world..
History of cars: '88 VW Golf Mk2, '93 VW Golf Mk3, '93 VW Golf Mk3 GTI, '90 Volvo 940, '99 Opel Vectra Caravan, '90 VW Golf Mk2, '97 VW Vento, '93 VW Vento, '95 VW Vento, '90 BMW 524TD, '00 Nissan Primera, '95 MB C230K, '01 Seat Leon, '94 VW Corrado, '97 VW Golf, '01 Alfa Romeo 166, '98 VW Golf Mk4, '98 Opel Omega, '00 Opel Omega Caravan.
I actually have a dream. Where I'll become a bit wealthy and import a 5.7 V8 Holden. In order to do a full swap and enjoy the Omega as it should've been. That's the dream. But, in other news:
Hopefully Saturday will be the day, where I'll fit it and enjoy some better tunes..
History of cars: '88 VW Golf Mk2, '93 VW Golf Mk3, '93 VW Golf Mk3 GTI, '90 Volvo 940, '99 Opel Vectra Caravan, '90 VW Golf Mk2, '97 VW Vento, '93 VW Vento, '95 VW Vento, '90 BMW 524TD, '00 Nissan Primera, '95 MB C230K, '01 Seat Leon, '94 VW Corrado, '97 VW Golf, '01 Alfa Romeo 166, '98 VW Golf Mk4, '98 Opel Omega, '00 Opel Omega Caravan.
Nice to another one of these underrated cars being cherished and enjoyed. Very rare over here in Ireland now due to the grossly unfair and expensive road tax system in this simple little country. I've had mine for nearly 16 years now bringing it over from UK when we moved here . It was also going to be used as a general hack whilst building our house but in the year I had it before we started building I got to like it too much and bought a van to do the work it was intended for . Mine is a manual but I've driven an auto version and they suit it perfectly . It's semi retired now being used only in the summer months due to the tax system I mentioned but I still maintain it as I would a new car . It would cost a lot of money to replace it with a new(er) car but in truth it's as nice if not better to drive as our almost new yeti. I'll hang on to it for a while yet. Lovely colour you have so enjoy it and keep the updates coming .
Really like the color of Your car, not to mention the state of it. Looks really good!
And I know, they are very underrated. Don't know why, really. You can buy a bottom of the barrel one here for about 2-300€. A decent one for 800-1500€. And the really tidy looking ones for 1600€+. But I'm happy with mine. Although the paint is a bit mismatched, it looks lovely, there is a little bit of rust (Opel). But overall, a similar BMW is sometimes even more rusty, not to mention the chavs those have gone through. An E-class is also somewhat the same, but even more rust issues. And a Passat is like a belly button, everybody either has one or has owned one (but not me).
Overall, great cars these.
But, I thought yesterday that a cleaning day might be in order:
But since it was like this outside:
I only did the interior. But since it was dark, I only have some pics of the progress. Rear seat before:
Half done:
All done:
A bit was done under the bonnet as well:
And I thought I had a relatively clean car.. Hopefully will get it looking showroom fresh at the end of today. And then more pictures will come.
History of cars: '88 VW Golf Mk2, '93 VW Golf Mk3, '93 VW Golf Mk3 GTI, '90 Volvo 940, '99 Opel Vectra Caravan, '90 VW Golf Mk2, '97 VW Vento, '93 VW Vento, '95 VW Vento, '90 BMW 524TD, '00 Nissan Primera, '95 MB C230K, '01 Seat Leon, '94 VW Corrado, '97 VW Golf, '01 Alfa Romeo 166, '98 VW Golf Mk4, '98 Opel Omega, '00 Opel Omega Caravan.
Well, time for a small update. On Saturday, this happened:
On Sunday, this was purchased:
And today, this happened:
The car was off the road for over two months. I had forgotten what it was like to drive a barge. Today, after a full 7 hour workday in at my old dealership, the refurbished gearbox was fitted, the correct ABS ECU was fitted, winter tires were installed. And I got to drive it home, the whole 155 kilometers from the dealership to my current home. And I loved every single minute of it. The dashboard has never been like this. First of all, there ABS and TC lights were on, no cruise control and no speedometer. Then, there was speed, but no ABS and TC. Then, there was speed, no TC and the tachometer was "a bit" non trustworthy. 7k/rpm was not considered truthful. But now, it's all okay. All is well. The car drives like a dream. You can't even hear it when it's in idle. I was standing behind the car when it fired up, an electrician was standing at the front. And we thought the car stalled. But it was just so quiet. I'll try to get it on video tomorrow. Also, a full interior detail is in order, not to mention a full wash. I haven't washed it for over two months. And it bothers me. Nor have i wet-vacuumed the interior. That's all planned for tomorrow to have the car looking fresh and ready for a fresh set of photos.. But for now, enjoy these!
History of cars: '88 VW Golf Mk2, '93 VW Golf Mk3, '93 VW Golf Mk3 GTI, '90 Volvo 940, '99 Opel Vectra Caravan, '90 VW Golf Mk2, '97 VW Vento, '93 VW Vento, '95 VW Vento, '90 BMW 524TD, '00 Nissan Primera, '95 MB C230K, '01 Seat Leon, '94 VW Corrado, '97 VW Golf, '01 Alfa Romeo 166, '98 VW Golf Mk4, '98 Opel Omega, '00 Opel Omega Caravan.
düdo Why thank You. I guess the time spent reading different car forums over a period of 10 years has really helped me with the technical part of English. I actually knew a bit of the language when I went into first grade. Must thank MTV for that.
But then You'll be getting a preface-lift Omega. If it has an LSD, that might come in handy. Who knows, we might get some snow this year and an LSD would really help me with sophisticated winter driving. Wouldn't want to spin only one of the rear wheels now, would we.
Frankenhealey Yes. A.Le Coq is actually really good. It's brewed in Tartu and it has a really nice taste. Not too strong, more like a soft, silky kind of beer. Goes really well with barbecues or coming from a hot sauna and having a break with an ice cold Premium. But there might be some small differences from batches. From what I've experienced, some batches might be a bit stronger than others. So if it's possible to get it, definitely worth a try. And if You can't find it online, let me know. Maybe I can send some over.
Also a fun fact: the Premium and Premium Exports are different volumes. Regular, home market Premium is 4,7%, Export is 5,2%. There is a small different in taste as well, personally I've gone now with the Export. And it has almost nothing to do with the recent rise of taxes..
History of cars: '88 VW Golf Mk2, '93 VW Golf Mk3, '93 VW Golf Mk3 GTI, '90 Volvo 940, '99 Opel Vectra Caravan, '90 VW Golf Mk2, '97 VW Vento, '93 VW Vento, '95 VW Vento, '90 BMW 524TD, '00 Nissan Primera, '95 MB C230K, '01 Seat Leon, '94 VW Corrado, '97 VW Golf, '01 Alfa Romeo 166, '98 VW Golf Mk4, '98 Opel Omega, '00 Opel Omega Caravan.
That's a tidy well looked after Omega. You'll be able to haul bags of cement around for your new house. Handy working in the Opel dealers too.
I've become quite familiar with this engine - German design built in England. I fly the flag as it leaks!
Well.. I actually quit last month and at the moment I'm working in the family firm, repairing forestry machines. Also moved town due to the house thing.
But yes, the Omega is very handy for many things. But.. Only clean things can come in the interior. Cement bags and whatnot can be moved around on either a trailer or my work van, a T4 Transporter.. I'm a bit pedantic..
BUT! I read on your thread that maybe an Omega is landing in your shed. Is it the face-lift model? And does it have some goodies I might not have? I would be interested in bits and bobs, if it's better than mine..
History of cars: '88 VW Golf Mk2, '93 VW Golf Mk3, '93 VW Golf Mk3 GTI, '90 Volvo 940, '99 Opel Vectra Caravan, '90 VW Golf Mk2, '97 VW Vento, '93 VW Vento, '95 VW Vento, '90 BMW 524TD, '00 Nissan Primera, '95 MB C230K, '01 Seat Leon, '94 VW Corrado, '97 VW Golf, '01 Alfa Romeo 166, '98 VW Golf Mk4, '98 Opel Omega, '00 Opel Omega Caravan.
That's bad luck with the ecu wreckng the gearbox! How did it do that?
Due to the fact that the oil change wasn't dynamic, that meant that all kinds of old muck was travelling around the gearbox. And since the ABS ECU sent false signals everywhere, it made the gearbox slip 2nd and 3rd gear while changing. That slipping went worse and worse with time and one day it packed up. And that's very possible..
In late July I went and got some parts. That included better doors, chrome grille in good condition, NCDC 2013 with color screen and a climate control unit without worn out letters. Had the doors resprayed and fitted them with new split pins and strikers. All OEM parts. And I started fitting them with various levels of success.
Also the full service was done, camshaft belt was changed, water pump, gearbox oil with filter and also the ABS ECU at 227004km. Again. And that left me with a funny situation.
I found out that the Y-series ABS ECU-s don't work with the X series engines. The ABS ECU gave all of the other ECU's false information. But at least I had a working speedometer and cruise control. But we'll come back to this.
Took a nice picture:
And another one:
Ordered new number plates:
And bought a house:
Which has left me in a bit of a financial state, but all was okay. I was happy, SWMBO was over the moon. And also thrilled about the Omega! Which is always a win. Now I'm in a state where SWMBO loves the Omega and also the Corrado. And that's great.
In the beginning of the thread I mentioned that I will be getting a new Kia Optima. Well, in August I went to see how things were going with it. And, well, they forgot to order it. So I called it off and bought a house with 2,8 hectares of land, and also with side buildings. And that is good when a man needs a shed, or garage, or a sauna. Which I now have. Although it needs some TLC and a bathroom. I was happy.
And on that positive note came September.
Most memorable day was this:
Remember the gearbox oil change and the wrong ABS ECU? Well, it turns out that when a man has his gearbox oil changed for the first time in 220k km, and also fits a wrong ABS ECU which screws with the engine ECU and transmission ECU, it may help with ending the automatic transmissions life. Which happened. So I lost 2nd and 3rd. And so, the gearbox was removed and sent off to be repaired. And that cost me 1,6k€. The car was 1,4k€. That puts things into perspective.
And so, the gearbox will be refitted on Monday. And more news will come after that.
We are now back on track. And that's nice.
History of cars: '88 VW Golf Mk2, '93 VW Golf Mk3, '93 VW Golf Mk3 GTI, '90 Volvo 940, '99 Opel Vectra Caravan, '90 VW Golf Mk2, '97 VW Vento, '93 VW Vento, '95 VW Vento, '90 BMW 524TD, '00 Nissan Primera, '95 MB C230K, '01 Seat Leon, '94 VW Corrado, '97 VW Golf, '01 Alfa Romeo 166, '98 VW Golf Mk4, '98 Opel Omega, '00 Opel Omega Caravan.
Well, it's been a while. So let us get back on track. Starting with what was done back then. First order of business was to get the car ready for its MOT.
It began with ordering a new windscreen with OEM seals, new back box (old was only 2 straight pipes which made it unbearable to drive), replacing the rear brakes and changing the ABS ECU.
Then I decided to have a small service done, by changing all of the oils, filters and whatnot. And well, that lead to changing the cam belt, water pump and whatnot. But since I was working at the dealership, that meant that my car was dead-last in queues. So that came in due time. More on that later.
But small things were done.
An example of the old spark plugs:
Also changed the crank sensor, which was a bit iffy.
Then the battery gave up, so got a new one of those as well.
I should specify that the car was meant to be a temporary car, which was planned to go on sale after a new MOT. Well..
Anyway, then some small things needed to get done. I didn't have a handle for the trunk floor and also no load cover. Some money later:
Also since my original grille was looking a bit past its best, I got a temporary one:
Then I got new fixings for my old Omegas roof bars and this is what came out of it:
Then I had the new front screen fitted with some new wipers, had the car washed, ready for its first outing, which was to our local Omega Club summer meet.
We had our own little 4-star hotel.
That's actually the absolute biggest plus of the Omega. It's huge. I'm 1,83m tall and when I'm lying down in the back, my feet don't reach the hatch.
But that trip turned out as a little mini road-trip. After one night at the summer event, we drove from Tallinn to Viljandi, where there was a Folk event on Saturday. At around midnight I asked my other half: why stop here? And since I didn't get a good reason why stop, we got back in the car and drove to Riga. We stayed the night in a parking lot next to the seaside, which was lovely. And we had lunch in Riga.
After lunch we headed back. We went shopping on the border and, well:
It was actually full under the load cover. After our government raised the tax on lager and strong alcohol, it's always sensible to stock up on the Latvian border. Price of beer is like this: 24 case of beer on the border: 8.99€. In any store in Estonia: 24.99€. And that is with every singe alcoholic product. I won't get started on the price of fuel..
Anyway. That takes together July. I'll get back with August in a short while.
History of cars: '88 VW Golf Mk2, '93 VW Golf Mk3, '93 VW Golf Mk3 GTI, '90 Volvo 940, '99 Opel Vectra Caravan, '90 VW Golf Mk2, '97 VW Vento, '93 VW Vento, '95 VW Vento, '90 BMW 524TD, '00 Nissan Primera, '95 MB C230K, '01 Seat Leon, '94 VW Corrado, '97 VW Golf, '01 Alfa Romeo 166, '98 VW Golf Mk4, '98 Opel Omega, '00 Opel Omega Caravan.
Why thank you Grizz. The overall tidiness and good looks was actually the reason I went to look at the car, even though the pictures from the advert were "adequate".
And Jim, I've heard about the horror stories about the engine in general. There are some leaks here and there on mine as well, but hopefully I'll fix the cam cover leaks with parts from a Saab.
Ahh, the joys of working at a dealership..
History of cars: '88 VW Golf Mk2, '93 VW Golf Mk3, '93 VW Golf Mk3 GTI, '90 Volvo 940, '99 Opel Vectra Caravan, '90 VW Golf Mk2, '97 VW Vento, '93 VW Vento, '95 VW Vento, '90 BMW 524TD, '00 Nissan Primera, '95 MB C230K, '01 Seat Leon, '94 VW Corrado, '97 VW Golf, '01 Alfa Romeo 166, '98 VW Golf Mk4, '98 Opel Omega, '00 Opel Omega Caravan.
Anyways, time for another not-so-retro-but-in-a-way-is car thread.
A little less than a year ago I bought myself an Alfa. And now the time has come to pass it on. Since I found someone who was willing to pay the price I wanted, it's sold. Basically.
But since I actually bought a new car (Kia Optima SW GT-Line), I actually have no need for a second-hand car. I still have the Corrado-Project, for which I have no time. So why?
Well, the Optima arrives in October. In one month, I drive around 1000-2000 miles. Unfortunately, I can't cover the distances via bus or train, because I have a small dog and I like to be the master of my time. So, a replacement for the Alfa was needed. Why it needed to be an old Barge with a V6? No idea.
One of the reasons might be, that I work at a joint dealership. I work as a Kia Warranty master (hence the Optima), but we also are a GM dealer. That means: lots and lots of know-how, special service tools, cheap parts and even a bodywork department. All of that means, that I should be daft not to drive one of our brands.
So, without any further notice, here it is:
Yes, oh yes. It's an Opel Omega B Caravan, 3.0 V6, from the great year of 2000. Well equipped, also has some service history from its long-term German owner and some bills from Estonia. Mileage is a measly 228k kilometers, which is actually correct. And that's something you don't see every day. Wasn't altered after leaving Germany and every piece of trim and whatnot actually shows. Nothing is badly worn, everything is tight.
The X30XE, coupled with an automatic gearbox runs almost as sweet as a nut. I've scheduled it for a routine maintenance for this Friday, where all of the fluids and filters will be changed. Also will replace the battery and even refill the ac. It has been standing for over a year, so no MOT. For an MOT it needs: New rear brakes (In the boot already) A new backbox (ordered from Germany) And yes, a full service. Also, need to clean up some oil leaks and whatnot, to make it look presentable.
After that I'll be attending a local owners' club summer meet, and just keeping it tidy. Adding some optional extras, having some paintwork done, adding parts that are missing and just making it presentable. Giving it a good polish is one of the things.
So, any feedback is well appreciated and yes, I'm very happy. Sometimes, and old, lazy barge is just the thing that is missing..
Also, if there are any extras that you see missing and you might be able to help me get them, let me know. A color screen with the 4cd changer NCDS is one of the things.
So, for a long time I haven't written anything, just been lurking around.
So, I'll just get everything up to date.
After that I used the car for a small road-trip to Latvia.
On that trip I had some good fuel economy numbers.
After that I had my dad take it through MOT and the car passed with ease, no advisories were made. Some time after that I changed the front left ABS sensor and started driving home.
On that trip I had the check engine light on twice. Both times it was due to a fault with overboost. After I deleted the faults, the car started smoking and had no power whatsoever. Got a friend to tow the car to my work and after a few days started digging in.
This is what I found (video):
Also discovered that the drivers' side front wing had a bit of rust on the underside. So both of the wings and also the front bumper came off for a respray.
Unfortunately, this encounter has made me realize that two project cars, one daily and one long-term, is something I can't just handle.
So, on that note, I'll fix up the Alfa and then list it up for sale. I actually ordered my new car at the end of April, because it just made sense. Since I work at the local Kia dealership, i opted for a brand new Kia Optima SW GT-Line, with a 1.7 diesel, automatic transmission, in black with red leather. Will get it in autumn, so a bit of a long wait, but since it isn't a retro car, I won't be posting anything but a few cheeky pictures of it on this forum, in my Corrado thread.
So, this is everything covered that has happened in the past few months.
Last Edit: May 8, 2017 14:06:55 GMT by Tuunikala: New link.
History of cars: '88 VW Golf Mk2, '93 VW Golf Mk3, '93 VW Golf Mk3 GTI, '90 Volvo 940, '99 Opel Vectra Caravan, '90 VW Golf Mk2, '97 VW Vento, '93 VW Vento, '95 VW Vento, '90 BMW 524TD, '00 Nissan Primera, '95 MB C230K, '01 Seat Leon, '94 VW Corrado, '97 VW Golf, '01 Alfa Romeo 166, '98 VW Golf Mk4, '98 Opel Omega, '00 Opel Omega Caravan.
Mrmoonyman, I looked at everything and am quite certain, that unfortunately this car doesn't have the Zender kit. The originally black plastics are just painted silver, and actually quite poorly..
But, some updates. Now the rear brakes have been dealt with, so that's all okay now. Also, the door lock now actually works, so that's also a big plus.
And, some pictures I'll just leave here. And just to mention, the floor mats were taken out and given a good, deep clean..
History of cars: '88 VW Golf Mk2, '93 VW Golf Mk3, '93 VW Golf Mk3 GTI, '90 Volvo 940, '99 Opel Vectra Caravan, '90 VW Golf Mk2, '97 VW Vento, '93 VW Vento, '95 VW Vento, '90 BMW 524TD, '00 Nissan Primera, '95 MB C230K, '01 Seat Leon, '94 VW Corrado, '97 VW Golf, '01 Alfa Romeo 166, '98 VW Golf Mk4, '98 Opel Omega, '00 Opel Omega Caravan.