JFReturn's VX220 2.2 NA

How is your VX Andy? On the mend I hope.

I've got nothing done on my car (other than driving) mainly due to this fella:



I'm going to be putting quite a few miles on the VX over the coming months (assuming I can keep her) as I need to come back home every lunchtime to feed the dog. I really need to sort the knock out soon as it is driving me mad! This Saturday... this Saturday... mutter mutter...

Blimey, I thought my VX was low! Looking good, any threads / details on your VX?

Well I found the cause of the new clonk:



That's right, I left my torch in the car. My mechanical idiocy knows no bounds. Quite impressed my torch was still running after 14 hours though - I recommend these Lensers, good bit of kit. You can also see from the pic where I managed to get a couple of cable ties on there.

So - can anyone confirm if that is the coolant hose? If so, will it remain cool enough to tape a sponge or something round it to stop it clonking?

Alternatively if someone could point out how it is meant to be secured I would appreciate it.

And I thought I was doing so well

She might clonk, but having just driven through a monsoon, I can confirm Vicky VX doesn't leak!

Small update of sorts - I've given up on the clonk and booked it into Plans Motorsport to fix. I'll probably get them to do a full service too as it's a fair trek for me.

Some positives though - I've learned how to jack the car up properly from the back (the rear undertray needs removing) which enabled me to take the rear wheels off to get re-valved. Good job as all four wheels were 10 PSI down! The VX drives so much better with correctly inflated tyres.... Also got a few niggly jobs done like resticking the velcro strips in the boot and tidying the light switch panel. I've even ordered a few more buttons from a Vectra to replace my old ones.

Also gave it a good clean and fresh coat of wax, heres some pics to stop this post being dull

Update - cause of the clonks: GAZ Gold suspension. Are they shagged? Nope, just not very good! Bugger. To be honest, I've been thinking about returning the suspension to standard as the ride is just too hard for me and my creaking neck (handles fantastically though!).

I was impressed with Plans Motorsport*. As the dealer I brought the VX from 'serviced' it I got Plans to do a full 4th/8th year service done including sparks, oil (fully synthetic Mobil 1 Motorsport 10w/60), clutch and brakes bleed. There were a few other jobs like replace nearside front ball joint, stripping and cleaning a caliper and replacing the reverse light switch.

Total cost: £445.72. All done whilst I waited. I'll be going back there shortly to sort the suspension and fit an induction kit. Oh and to get them to stamp my service book as I forgot it

There were some seriously nice motors on show round the complex, including a PH'ers stage 4 VX Turbo (hi if you're reading this!). It was cool seeing the Top Gear track etc, I could have had a lap or two but McClaren had booked the track out. I saw a couple of MP4-12Cs driving around, they really do look and sound amazing in the metal. One day

* Note there was a large clonking sound as I drove from the garage. I opened the engine bay to find the mechanic had left his torch in there! See, even the professionals do it

Cheers for the info. I've done a bit of digging and GAZ will refurb my coilovers for free as they are less than two years old. Luckily they are quite near to me in Essex, so I'm going to drive over there on Tuesday instead of removing and posting them. They have garage facilities and have worked on a VX220 before, but I'll show them the jacking points anyway

Well, this is one of the best updates I'm likely to make.....

Firstly, apologies if you have read this on .org already, I do try and avoid cross forum posting. The clonk has finally been fixed, here is how (settle down and get a nice cup of tea).

So, when the VX was at Plans for the service, they diagnosed my GAZ Golds as the cause of the clonk. I was under the impression they were less than two years old (I was wrong, more on this in a bit) and did a bit of research. Turns out that GAZ offer a two year warranty on their shocks and offer a rebuild service. As they were quite close to me I booked an appointment for them to take a look and discuss my options. I also got in touch with the dealer I purchased the car from as it was still within warranty, but they weren't really interested as dampers are not covered under the warranty terms. I argued a little, and they were prepared to help out with my costs as a good will gesture.

This morning my alarm goes off at 6, I'm up and out the house by 7. I have a decent enough journey over the Dartford crossing onto my destination in Essex, and get to GAZ by 8. I was expecting to have to wait around for them to open but I'm immediately greeted by a chap called Warren who jumps (or should I say falls, ungracefully ) into the passenger seat for a run round the block to listen to the clonk.

Once back we get the VX onto their ramp where one of the dampers was whipped off. Straight away Warren realised they were not GAZ Golds, but Nickels, and the manufacture date was 2008 so they were four years old! I felt really bad for misinforming him on the phone, but I did believe they were Golds and less than two years old. Despite this, and despite any warranty being non-transferable, Warren replaced all four of my dampers for brand spanking new MK2 GAZ Gold Pros completely free of charge....

With all the lows my fiancee have being going through with redundancies etc this was absolutely great, great news. To say I am happy is understatement of the year.

So, onto the dampers - the difference is like night and day. Firstly, the clonk has gone (bliss!), and the ride and handling is sublime. The Gold Pros fitted were a MK2 design so you can't buy them yet, but they feel great. Whereas before I avoided any road imperfections, now I have no worry as they are silently dampened with no intrusive crashing within the cabin. The ride is firm but very supple, and I now understand what Barker, Meaden, Catchpole et al mean when they describe a car's ride / handling compromise as 'nuggety'.

There is no roll within corners, really none, and the VX feels taut and dialed into the road. The twitchiness I experienced has gone and I feel much more comfortable with the feedback I am receiving.

I need to take the VX back in a couple of weeks for some adjustments once they settle and I'll keep all you readers up to date with my experiences.

A couple of pics, before and after and fitted:

How much did that little lot cost at your specialist TVR MAN?

Another pic of the Gaz Gold Pros MK2, I'm well impressed with them thus far:



And also a quick update on OA-S; I'm pretty sure I could hear crunching, rustling noises over bumps and it turns out I've got half of Whitstable beach nestled in the body work!



Same the other side!



All removed now. Tomorrow will be spent cleaning and sealing the TD's and having a look at the ABS sensors as the warning light occasionally comes on.