Jul
12
2010
Gaskets are mechanical seals that fill the space between two mating surfaces. There general purpose is to prevent leakage from or into the objects while under compression.
Gaskets are found in a few places in cars, however the main Gasket would be the Head Gasket. A blown head gasket can be expensive to replace on some vehicles. Symptoms of a blown Head Gaskets can include:
- Bubbles of air coming up into your radiator.
- Leaking radiator
- Milkshake covered oil
- Overheating
- Rough running
- coolant or oil running from the head
- Spark plugs that have a green tint (if using green coolant)
- White coloured or sweet smelling exhaust.
It obviously varies from model to model and manufacturer to manufacturer, so these symptoms are for guidance only.
Jul
8
2010
The Vauxhall Omega was produced between 1986 and 2003. It is an executive car and its competitors are the like of Fords Scorpio and the Rover 800. The Omega won European car of the year in 1987.
The Omega in many countries was used as a police car and for other security functions such as the transport of politicians. It has also been widely used and modified into hearses and limousines.
Engine sizes ranged from a basic 1.8 to a Irmscher 4.0 straight 6 producing around 270hp. There were a range of diesels available too.
From 2009: This Omega is being broken down for parts.
The Omega has been under many names and guises throughout the world. In the UK the Omega upon its release was called the Carlton. Lotus also released a 3.6ltr Carlton in the UK. In Brazil the car was sold as the Chevrolet Omega. In Australia the car was rebadged as the Holden Commodore and given a meaty V8 engine.
The Omega did have a few problems. A common fault would be Cam belt failure. This led to a revision of the service interval as cam belt failure can lead to serious engine damage. In addition, another problem was Valve cover gasket failure due to a build of oil.
Jul
7
2010
The Vauxhall Nova started life in 1983. They were the stable little car to many people who couldn’t afford anything bigger or just needed something for popping from place to place. The Car nowadays has a following amongst the young and continues in the UK under the original continental name, Corsa.
This old advert is from 1990;
Parts are becoming particularly rare to find as the car disappears.
Carsparefinder.co.uk report that it had 5000 requests for Corsa parts last year, which is 10% of their total Vauxhall part inquiries. A representative at CSFW said “It’s a popular little car and we get many request for parts.”
Jul
5
2010
All car nuts love a bit of engine noise, especially Vauxhall Car Owners of Vauxhall Sports models, Corsa owners and the older Calibra. Getting the right sound out of Vauxhall car engines can be just as important to some car tuners as increasing its performance. Today, Vauxhall News UK looked at a various number of automotive car engine tuners, both amateur and professional and asked, which one produces the best noise?
However here in the office we had many arguments over which were the best but there was a consensus on one.
Of course not exactly your average Vauxhall Calibra but, it does make an audacious amount of noise.
We have not included any others from around the world, but a Google search on You Tube should help. We hope you have just as much fun debating about these as we did.
Jul
5
2010
All car nuts love a bit of engine noise, especially Vauxhall Car Owners of Vauxhall Sports models, Corsa owners and the older Calibra. Getting the right sound out of Vauxhall car engines can be just as important to some car tuners as increasing its performance. Today, Vauxhall News UK looked at a various number of automotive car engine tuners, both amateur and professional and asked, which one produces the best noise?
However here in the office we had many arguments over which were the best but there was a consensus on one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9oHTMEiUZQ
Of course not exactly your average Vauxhall Calibra but, it does make an audacious amount of noise.
We have not included any others from around the world, but a Google search on You Tube should help. We hope you have just as much fun debating about these as we did.
Jul
1
2010
Many will have have heard of Vauxhall and Opel, especially if they have been on the continent. Some will noticed too that their cars look remarkably similar. Some will also notice that some models have different names too, even though they are the same car. Such as the Vauxhall Carlton and Opel Omega.
Here is a quick and brief look at the difference.
Vauxhall is not one the worlds most famous brands but it is well known in the UK. They Produced their first car in 1903 however the company goes back further than that. Established in 1857 by Alex Wilson, its original remit was to produce pumps and marine engines.
The Opel brand is only a little younger. Started in 1863 and financed Adam Opel, they produced humble sewing machines. They showed their first car at the Hamburg Motor show in 1902 and produced its first car in 1906. It became Germanys largest car producer by 1914
Today both brands are owned by GM (General Motors). General motors has a global presence. Both Vauxhall and Opel produce the same cars however Vauxhall is the UK branding name. Its UK branding name is generally considered too strong to change to Opel. In EIRE, the Vauxhall name was dropped in 1982 and in some other countries where the brand was not too strong.
The cars the the brands produce are they same. The Vauxhall brand is too strong and too British for General Motors to change.
You can get Vauxhall car lease through the brokers on the Leasebam system.
May
19
2010
There have been car manufacturers that have come and gone, especially those with a truly British heritage. IN some ways you can call Vauxhall a British brand as there are only a few countries where Vauxhall is used as it is also known as Opel in Europe and of course GM Motors in the USA. Having such a history in the UK means there quiet a lot of classic cars going around from the Vauxhall Viva, to the Magnum of yesteryear. Unfortunately Vauxhall did have a bit of a bad reputation for rust in the 60’s, so most cars you will see are more likely to be from the 70s onwards.
If you do own a classic car though the association with costs to run a car are in a different planet. Most Vauxhall classic car parts are far cheaper than their modern types, especially of bought from a specialist and not the local dealership. there are also many autojumbles around these days, so there are even cheaper classic car part bargain to be found here.
A lot of old Vauxhalls are used to race, especially at hill climbs and raceways like Santapod. But there are some people who restore and just see them as they were designed, a nice basic classic car for Sundays. If you are one of them, I salute you.
Mar
11
2010
Leasebam is a car lease website, that brings customers to the benefits of leasing Vauxhall cars. To compliment the real service they have added reviews on different makes and models. This has now expanded to Vauxhall reviews and in time will have some you tube video and explanation of each model sold in the UK today. It may be worth checking our this Vauxhall section as it grows into a substantial directory of the Vauxhall brand albeit limited to new cars to be leased.
Dec
1
2009
Although it is never good to report job losses the figure quoted by GM currently stands at 354 losses all to be at Vauxhalls Luton plant, leasing the merseyside factory free of job losses for the moment. This comes weeks after GM decided not to sell its European division as Vauxhall car sales had improved to a point where they felt they could weather the storm.
The news was not so good for other European plants with up to 9000 jobs going in total, the brand name of Opel is used over the rest of Europe rather than the traditional vauxhall brand here in the UK. One of the contributing factors could be the extension of the scrappage scheme which has kick started sales of new smaller cars, but the return of VAT back to 17.5% will probably mean all cars will go up January the 1st. The BBC reported it as here Vauxhall Jobs Losses.
Nov
6
2009
Why to Lease a Vauxhall?
Vauxhall was established in London in 1857 by Alex Wilson. It is one of the most popular car manufacturers of the world, but it is known by different names in different markets. Vectra, Tigra, Astra, Meriva, Signum and Corsa are a few of it’s sought after models.
Vauxhall offers good quality cars powered by superior technology. If you wish to possess any of its models, you can be assured about making a sound investment. You have the option of buying the vehicle or leasing it, depending upon your needs. If you believe in owning what you drive and plan to keep the vehicle for a long time, then purchasing it is suitable for you provided you can afford to do so. But if you cannot afford it, and still wish to possess it, then you always have the option of leasing.
Leasing is an economical way of procuring a vehicle for a fixed duration of time by making monthly payments and paying a minimal deposit amount. The period of lease is usually about one to three years. The potential lessee has the option of choosing the lease tenure and monthly payment amount according to their budget and requirement.
The following points make leasing a Vauxhall a good option:
- Economical: By leasing a Vauxhall you do not have to incur heavy capital expenditure. Leasing does not cost you an exorbitant amount of money unlike when you make a purchase.
- Hassle free: Any fluctuations in its prevailing market rate caused by introduction of new models will not affect you. You don’t need to bother about the depreciating value of the vehicle.
- Flexibility: If you prefer changing cars frequently, then leasing is the ideal option for you to drive new cars over a span of 1-3 years, which is the normal lease period.
- Maintenance: You need not worry about the maintenance of the car by getting a maintenance package while entering into the leasing agreement.
- Low deposit amount: Leasing requires a minimal deposit which has to be made while entering into a leasing agreement.
- The fixed monthly payments make it easy for you to plan your budget.
- By leasing a car, you are not responsible for the vehicle on the expiry of the lease period as the leasing company will repossess it.
- Leasing does not block your capital in a depreciating asset.
Leasing a Vauxhall is a terrific idea to possess it without hurting your pocket much. Also it helps you to keep up to date with the latest trends in the car industry as on expiry of the lease tenure, you can procure a new model and experience the joy of driving.
Summary: Leasing a Vauxhall is a terrific idea as it is economical, hassle free, offers the flexibility of switching models, low on maintenance, requires minimal deposit amount, helps you plan your budget, doesn’t block your capital in a depreciating asset and gives you the freedom from being responsible about the vehicle on expiry of the lease period.
By guest blogger Atul