a11ym's Vauxhall Monaro VXR LS2
Discussion
UPDATE 4
March 2019: Winter Rubber
I’m up north and winter can be quite nasty – not Ned Stark/white walkers nasty but certainly more severe than most of the UK.
I’m a big believer in winter tyres and was keen to get some for the Monaro. I appreciate they don’t make sense for everyone so I won’t get all evangelical about them, but they make sense for me and I’ve had them on all cars for the past 15 years or so. Unfortunately buying my Monaro at the start of winter 2018/19 left me no time to sort some out before the snow hit during Feb/March. But I struggled through and to be far the Monaro handled it well. Remember Pirelli’s marketing slogan? “Power is nothing without control”… well, I had the power at least
[Elsa]Let it Snow[/Elsa]
I wasn’t really looking and planned to wait and pick up some over the summer months, but then a set of 18” wheels from an early CV8 appeared on eBay at a good price. OEM wheels rarely appear for sale with there being so few Monaros around so I couldn’t ignore these. The seller of the wheels had an interesting ‘Monaro’: a 1961 Vauxhall PA Cresta body on a Monaro chassis and running gear – these conversions are his living (PM Customs, although I can’t find them online now) and the modern Monaro wheels didn’t suit, so he’d replaced them with something more suitable: https://i.imgur.com/Kv9HmMF.png
Trial fit to check they fit over the VXR’s slightly larger brakes:
For tyres, rather than full winters I decided on Michelin CrossClimate+ all-seasons. I’d been impressed with all-seasons on our van and Mrs a11y_m’s previous car, so decided they were a fair compromise for all-round winter use especially as I don’t plan to use the Monaro in the snow unless I really have to. All-seasons out-perform full winters in non-snow conditions without giving away too much in the few times I’ll encounter snow. Also, although it didn’t play a part in my decision, the Monaro handbook states winter tyres can’t be used but doesn’t say why – perhaps being Australian it just doesn’t ‘do’ snow?! I’m happy with 1” smaller wheels giving more sidewall protection for the alloys against winter potholes etc too, although I expect being smaller will limit my options if I wanted to upgrade the brakes in future. By the time I’d got sorted with powdercoating and getting the tyres mounted winter was over, so I stored them away before finally fitting them in November 2019.
Is anyone wheely getting bored of these dad-joke captions yet?
And jumping ahead and completely ignoring the chronological order I was planning to add these updates in – here’s how they look on the car after I fitted them at the end of November 2019. I’m very happy with them:
March 2019: Winter Rubber
I’m up north and winter can be quite nasty – not Ned Stark/white walkers nasty but certainly more severe than most of the UK.
I’m a big believer in winter tyres and was keen to get some for the Monaro. I appreciate they don’t make sense for everyone so I won’t get all evangelical about them, but they make sense for me and I’ve had them on all cars for the past 15 years or so. Unfortunately buying my Monaro at the start of winter 2018/19 left me no time to sort some out before the snow hit during Feb/March. But I struggled through and to be far the Monaro handled it well. Remember Pirelli’s marketing slogan? “Power is nothing without control”… well, I had the power at least
[Elsa]Let it Snow[/Elsa]
I wasn’t really looking and planned to wait and pick up some over the summer months, but then a set of 18” wheels from an early CV8 appeared on eBay at a good price. OEM wheels rarely appear for sale with there being so few Monaros around so I couldn’t ignore these. The seller of the wheels had an interesting ‘Monaro’: a 1961 Vauxhall PA Cresta body on a Monaro chassis and running gear – these conversions are his living (PM Customs, although I can’t find them online now) and the modern Monaro wheels didn’t suit, so he’d replaced them with something more suitable: https://i.imgur.com/Kv9HmMF.png
Trial fit to check they fit over the VXR’s slightly larger brakes:
For tyres, rather than full winters I decided on Michelin CrossClimate+ all-seasons. I’d been impressed with all-seasons on our van and Mrs a11y_m’s previous car, so decided they were a fair compromise for all-round winter use especially as I don’t plan to use the Monaro in the snow unless I really have to. All-seasons out-perform full winters in non-snow conditions without giving away too much in the few times I’ll encounter snow. Also, although it didn’t play a part in my decision, the Monaro handbook states winter tyres can’t be used but doesn’t say why – perhaps being Australian it just doesn’t ‘do’ snow?! I’m happy with 1” smaller wheels giving more sidewall protection for the alloys against winter potholes etc too, although I expect being smaller will limit my options if I wanted to upgrade the brakes in future. By the time I’d got sorted with powdercoating and getting the tyres mounted winter was over, so I stored them away before finally fitting them in November 2019.
Is anyone wheely getting bored of these dad-joke captions yet?
And jumping ahead and completely ignoring the chronological order I was planning to add these updates in – here’s how they look on the car after I fitted them at the end of November 2019. I’m very happy with them:
UPDATE 5: Sitting comfortably? (March 2019)
One thing that was annoying me since buying my Monaro was a partially collapsed bolster on the driver’s seat base. I guess the previous owner may have been of ‘generous’ frame (powerfully built director perhaps), and entering/exiting the car had flattened the bolster. Unlike previous BMWs I’ve owned, the leather itself was fine – it was the foam that was knackered. I found a local traditional furniture upholsterer with a guy who worked on car seats and was happy to tackle mine, including removing and refitting the seat. He did a great job, replaced the foam in the bolster, and I now have a perfect driver’s seat again. It made a much bigger difference than I expected.
Driver's seat - note the car's origins with the embossed logo rather than 'VXR' embossing that most have:
Saggy bolster:
The seats themselves aren’t as supportive as they look and – as I find with most car seats – don’t go low enough for my liking or my 6’1 height. But wow they’re comfy. I’ve done some long driving stints and they’re the comfiest seats I’ve had in 20+ years of driving. The driving position felt weird to me at first, especially compared to my previous MINI. You sit what feels like too high, the low window line betraying the older generation of design and making you feel a bit on top of the car. And I’ve no idea where they nicked the steering wheel from – a bus??? It’s bloody massive. I’d love to replace it with something smaller but wouldn’t know where to start while keeping the airbag, controls, etc so probably a non-starter for me.
Bus steering wheel:
If the seats were heated that would be the icing on the cake, so might be something more realistic for a future project. I’ve fitted generic heating pads to non-heated seats before myself but its an invasive job undoing the covers and a PITA getting them refitted perfectly after, and I’m trying not to tinker too much unnecessarily
One thing that was annoying me since buying my Monaro was a partially collapsed bolster on the driver’s seat base. I guess the previous owner may have been of ‘generous’ frame (powerfully built director perhaps), and entering/exiting the car had flattened the bolster. Unlike previous BMWs I’ve owned, the leather itself was fine – it was the foam that was knackered. I found a local traditional furniture upholsterer with a guy who worked on car seats and was happy to tackle mine, including removing and refitting the seat. He did a great job, replaced the foam in the bolster, and I now have a perfect driver’s seat again. It made a much bigger difference than I expected.
Driver's seat - note the car's origins with the embossed logo rather than 'VXR' embossing that most have:
Saggy bolster:
The seats themselves aren’t as supportive as they look and – as I find with most car seats – don’t go low enough for my liking or my 6’1 height. But wow they’re comfy. I’ve done some long driving stints and they’re the comfiest seats I’ve had in 20+ years of driving. The driving position felt weird to me at first, especially compared to my previous MINI. You sit what feels like too high, the low window line betraying the older generation of design and making you feel a bit on top of the car. And I’ve no idea where they nicked the steering wheel from – a bus??? It’s bloody massive. I’d love to replace it with something smaller but wouldn’t know where to start while keeping the airbag, controls, etc so probably a non-starter for me.
Bus steering wheel:
If the seats were heated that would be the icing on the cake, so might be something more realistic for a future project. I’ve fitted generic heating pads to non-heated seats before myself but its an invasive job undoing the covers and a PITA getting them refitted perfectly after, and I’m trying not to tinker too much unnecessarily
UPDATE 6: Foglight replacement and front numberplate (June 2019)
I’m unsure when it happened, but my driver’s side front foglight lens was totally smashed. Discussing with other owners apparently they’re rather fragile and susceptible to stone strikes, so when I found out a replacement was £80ish per foglight with a high chance of smashing again, I decided to do something different. A fellow Monaro owner pointed me to these: LED foglights with a LED ‘halo’ DRL ring around them. I wasn’t convinced I liked the DRL ring but figured for £10/pair I’d give them a try but not bother wiring up the DRL bit. Promptly ordered and fitted without an issue, despite being round lights into an oval hole - a little bit of creativeness to hold them firmly in place. Without speaking too soon, as I write this 6 months after fitting they're still intact - it's good to know if they do break or stop working that replacements are only £10/pair.
eBay link to lights: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/142865290145
Original foglights were slightly oval:
New foglights installed (new numberplate too – legal with excess trimmed down to the bare minimum):
Round peg in an oval hole:
After a few weeks (OK, it was months – finally got my finger out and finished off the wiring in November 2019…) I decided after all to connect up the DRL bits. I added a generic DRL controller (fancy all-in-one relay unit) from Amazon XXX so that they automatically switch on with the ignition. I’m embarrassed to admit, but I quite like them. Being honest though, I mostly drive in daylight with my sidelights on at all times (old skool Volvo style) anyway so no real point to me having DRLs.
DRL controller: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0045HYGZ4/ref=cm_sw_e...
DRL d
head:
DRLs with sidelights on:
And as shown above, I fitted a smaller front numberplate at the same time. I’d fitted pressed plates front and rear when I bought the Monaro, but the front one annoyed me with the overhang on the mounting plinth. I know many Monaro owners fit slightly smaller plates helpfully supplied by a friendly performance parts centre with good Monaro connections, but – being Scottish and hence tight – thought I’d try with an old standard acrylic plate I had. Much Dremeling and filing later and I had a still-legal-but-smaller front plate. It doesn’t look much smaller on the car, but side by side it’s quite a difference:
Cut-down plate vs standard:
Small plate, on a drive over the Duke’s Pass, Aberfoyle:
(can you tell it's that period between Christmas and New Year and it's quiet at work?)
I’m unsure when it happened, but my driver’s side front foglight lens was totally smashed. Discussing with other owners apparently they’re rather fragile and susceptible to stone strikes, so when I found out a replacement was £80ish per foglight with a high chance of smashing again, I decided to do something different. A fellow Monaro owner pointed me to these: LED foglights with a LED ‘halo’ DRL ring around them. I wasn’t convinced I liked the DRL ring but figured for £10/pair I’d give them a try but not bother wiring up the DRL bit. Promptly ordered and fitted without an issue, despite being round lights into an oval hole - a little bit of creativeness to hold them firmly in place. Without speaking too soon, as I write this 6 months after fitting they're still intact - it's good to know if they do break or stop working that replacements are only £10/pair.
eBay link to lights: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/142865290145
Original foglights were slightly oval:
New foglights installed (new numberplate too – legal with excess trimmed down to the bare minimum):
Round peg in an oval hole:
After a few weeks (OK, it was months – finally got my finger out and finished off the wiring in November 2019…) I decided after all to connect up the DRL bits. I added a generic DRL controller (fancy all-in-one relay unit) from Amazon XXX so that they automatically switch on with the ignition. I’m embarrassed to admit, but I quite like them. Being honest though, I mostly drive in daylight with my sidelights on at all times (old skool Volvo style) anyway so no real point to me having DRLs.
DRL controller: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0045HYGZ4/ref=cm_sw_e...
DRL d
head:DRLs with sidelights on:
And as shown above, I fitted a smaller front numberplate at the same time. I’d fitted pressed plates front and rear when I bought the Monaro, but the front one annoyed me with the overhang on the mounting plinth. I know many Monaro owners fit slightly smaller plates helpfully supplied by a friendly performance parts centre with good Monaro connections, but – being Scottish and hence tight – thought I’d try with an old standard acrylic plate I had. Much Dremeling and filing later and I had a still-legal-but-smaller front plate. It doesn’t look much smaller on the car, but side by side it’s quite a difference:
Cut-down plate vs standard:
Small plate, on a drive over the Duke’s Pass, Aberfoyle:
(can you tell it's that period between Christmas and New Year and it's quiet at work?
)Edited by a11y_m on Monday 30th December 15:32
I really need to take this thread out of my watch list. It's making the itch worse
Second that about the seats, not supportive bit amazingly comfortable. After a horrendous 16 hour trip home from Germany through the snow of 2010 I got out of the car without an ache.
I think they got the wheel off an old fishing boat.
Second that about the seats, not supportive bit amazingly comfortable. After a horrendous 16 hour trip home from Germany through the snow of 2010 I got out of the car without an ache.
I think they got the wheel off an old fishing boat.
marksx said:
I really need to take this thread out of my watch list. It's making the itch worse
Second that about the seats, not supportive bit amazingly comfortable. After a horrendous 16 hour trip home from Germany through the snow of 2010 I got out of the car without an ache.
I think they got the wheel off an old fishing boat.
4th time lucky? Second that about the seats, not supportive bit amazingly comfortable. After a horrendous 16 hour trip home from Germany through the snow of 2010 I got out of the car without an ache.
I think they got the wheel off an old fishing boat.
I'm used to the steering wheel by now, but it always feels strange if I've been driving my van then jump back into the Monaro. In comparison, my Transit has a really nice, leather trimmed, small steering wheel - far nicer to hold than the Monaros.
a11y_m said:
And as shown above, I fitted a smaller front numberplate at the same time. I’d fitted pressed plates front and rear when I bought the Monaro, but the front one annoyed me with the overhang on the mounting plinth. I know many Monaro owners fit slightly smaller plates helpfully supplied by a friendly performance parts centre with good Monaro connections, but – being Scottish and hence tight – thought I’d try with an old standard acrylic plate I had. Much Dremeling and filing later and I had a still-legal-but-smaller front plate. It doesn’t look much smaller on the car, but side by side it’s quite a difference:
Cut-down plate vs standard:
Small plate, on a drive over the Duke’s Pass, Aberfoyle:
have a check on that - IIRC there is an exemption if the #-plate recess is smaller than a standard UK plate. In other words you can go smaller (was an issue about 15 years ago WRT classic Yank metal which couldn't fit a normal UK plate, understandably owners didn't want to cut chrome etc and so exemptions were made. I think this exemption covered ALL 'grey' imports).Cut-down plate vs standard:
Small plate, on a drive over the Duke’s Pass, Aberfoyle:
irocfan said:
have a check on that - IIRC there is an exemption if the #-plate recess is smaller than a standard UK plate. In other words you can go smaller (was an issue about 15 years ago WRT classic Yank metal which couldn't fit a normal UK plate, understandably owners didn't want to cut chrome etc and so exemptions were made. I think this exemption covered ALL 'grey' imports).
You're right - there is an exemption. I'm just unsure how the Monaro sits in the "import" sense given it was officially imported by the manufacturer! Louise at MW Performance seems to be the go-to person for the slightly smaller plates, and tried her hardest to sell me a set when I was ordering oil filters. One of the Facebook groups helpfully lists the following document which I' m led to believe acts as the 'get out of jail free' card: https://lookaside.fbsbx.com/file/Number_Plates_-_R...As the VXR has a sticky-out plinth for the numberplate rather than a recess into the bumper like the CV8 version, I've no real need of a smaller plate other than vanity. Which is obviously important!
FWIW I've had a 3/4 sized front plate on mine for many years without any issue.
If your MOT place is unfriendly, swap a standard sized one on as required but if you're not an arse I think places tend to be a bit more understanding of 'interesting' cars.
Equally if you got a smaller private plate (I assume R7 ALY is taken / £££) you could chop it right down!
Good to see it being used, I've put crossclimates on the Ute, the Monaro is still on some quite old PSS at the rear so is comical when it's cold out, let alone snowy
If your MOT place is unfriendly, swap a standard sized one on as required but if you're not an arse I think places tend to be a bit more understanding of 'interesting' cars.
Equally if you got a smaller private plate (I assume R7 ALY is taken / £££) you could chop it right down!
Good to see it being used, I've put crossclimates on the Ute, the Monaro is still on some quite old PSS at the rear so is comical when it's cold out, let alone snowy
SturdyHSV said:
If your MOT place is unfriendly, swap a standard sized one on as required but if you're not an arse I think places tend to be a bit more understanding of 'interesting' cars.
Oh it's OK, I've got a friendly place - new to me and his first question when I enquired about MOT for the Monaro was 'does it still have the cats?' Think i'm in good hands there a11y_m said:
SturdyHSV said:
If your MOT place is unfriendly, swap a standard sized one on as required but if you're not an arse I think places tend to be a bit more understanding of 'interesting' cars.
Oh it's OK, I've got a friendly place - new to me and his first question when I enquired about MOT for the Monaro was 'does it still have the cats?' Think i'm in good hands there 
UPDATE 7: Paintwork improvements (September 2019)
Apologies in advance, but I’m going to use the work ‘detailing’ in this update – if it’s not your thing then please just gloss over this (see what I did there) and move on to my next update.
With a house move earlier in the year and life in general, I’d not had a chance to do anything about the Monaro’s paintwork. There was always something more important(*) to get done. However, I wasn’t willing to go through a winter without the paintwork getting some sort of protection on it, so I cracked on. Paintwork itself was in reasonable condition: some swirl marks, a couple of very minor battle scars, although the front bumper/bonnet was showing every one of those 59k or so miles. Not much I can do about that at the moment, but I set about the paintwork.
(*) according to Mrs a11y_m, and she's probably right...
Basically, what I did was:
- washed it;
- detarred using Autosmart Tardis;
- clayed using Meguairs Quick Clay;
- machine-polished using a DA6 random-orbital polisher, various pads and polish grades;
- coating of Poorboys White Diamond glaze (to further hide any small marks);
- waxed x 2 coats of Collinite 476s;
- glass polished then sealed with Rain X.
More than happy with the results on a 14 year-old car, it’ll never be perfect but it’s more than good enough for me. I like a car that’s easier to wash too, so having it waxed just makes life easier, especially over the winter months. Through trial and error I’ve settled on using Bilt Hamber Auto Foam in a garden sprayer as a pre-wash: spray it on, leave it 5 mins, blast it off with pressure washer. It does a great job of speeding up cleaning without the mess of snow foam, and negates the need for contact washing unless the car’s really dirty.
OK, enough detailing chat. Normal service will now resume, but only after the inevitable post-detailing photos
Apologies in advance, but I’m going to use the work ‘detailing’ in this update – if it’s not your thing then please just gloss over this (see what I did there) and move on to my next update
.With a house move earlier in the year and life in general, I’d not had a chance to do anything about the Monaro’s paintwork. There was always something more important(*) to get done. However, I wasn’t willing to go through a winter without the paintwork getting some sort of protection on it, so I cracked on. Paintwork itself was in reasonable condition: some swirl marks, a couple of very minor battle scars, although the front bumper/bonnet was showing every one of those 59k or so miles. Not much I can do about that at the moment, but I set about the paintwork.
(*) according to Mrs a11y_m, and she's probably right...
Basically, what I did was:
- washed it;
- detarred using Autosmart Tardis;
- clayed using Meguairs Quick Clay;
- machine-polished using a DA6 random-orbital polisher, various pads and polish grades;
- coating of Poorboys White Diamond glaze (to further hide any small marks);
- waxed x 2 coats of Collinite 476s;
- glass polished then sealed with Rain X.
More than happy with the results on a 14 year-old car, it’ll never be perfect but it’s more than good enough for me. I like a car that’s easier to wash too, so having it waxed just makes life easier, especially over the winter months. Through trial and error I’ve settled on using Bilt Hamber Auto Foam in a garden sprayer as a pre-wash: spray it on, leave it 5 mins, blast it off with pressure washer. It does a great job of speeding up cleaning without the mess of snow foam, and negates the need for contact washing unless the car’s really dirty.
OK, enough detailing chat. Normal service will now resume, but only after the inevitable post-detailing photos
UPDATE 8: service, MOT and sourcing parts for an uncommon car… (November 2019)
With the 12-month anniversary of me owning my Monaro approaching, a service and MOT was due at the start of December. Rather than leave it to the last minute and risk issues arising from the MOT, I booked it in at my local trusted garage early-November to give a bit of breathing space to resolve any issues if required.
Before buying a Monaro I became aware that finding parts and spares etc isn’t actually that difficult in a lot of cases. There’s a great community of owners both on PH and Facebook, with a huge amount of collective knowledge and help offered up. It’s one aspect that contributes hugely to ownership in my opinion. Chances are if your Monaro has a problem or you need to source a part, someone else has already been through the same and is more than happy to share their experience. Using all this knowledge I’d already accumulated service parts in advance to make things easy.
Just some of the suppliers that are around to help:
- Rock Auto: US-based but mega quick and easy postage with import duties paid up front.
- Pedders UK: mainly suspension bits, run my Roger who used to run Monkfish specialists.
- MW Performance (Louise)
- LS Performance Parts (Carl & Isaac)
My list for servicing included:
- oil (GM-branded 5w30 – 20 litres for £48 via a friendly dealer which is enough for 3 changes, with it needing 6.2litres)
- oil filter (OEM GM 92142006 filter, £12 via MW Performance)
- spark plugs (NGK BPR6EF x 8, £16.80 Eurocarparts)
- ignition leads (AC Delco 9748RR, £48.94 delivered from Rock Auto)
- diff oil (Castrol Syntrax 75w140 x 2ltrs, £30 eBay)
- coolant check (but was fine so didn’t need replaced)
- and the MOT identified a driver’s side tie rod end was needed (Pedders UK, £24.91)
Spark plugs and leads weren’t strictly needed based on mileage/time, but I had them done for peace of mind given what they cost. Diff oil isn’t a service item but is a recommended item to change – the diffs on these are clunky at the best of times and mine had clunked a couple of times so I figured it was worth the cost. I considered having the gearbox oil changed too but decided it felt OK and will leave it until next year.
I’m capable of basic mechanical work on cars, but with my time being taken up with the house I got my local trusted garage to do the lot. Although the guy’s a VAG and Harley Davidson specialist (unusual combo!), he was our neighbour during the 5 months we rented between house moves and I had many spontaneous car chats with him during which I established he’s a decent bloke.
Costs:
- MOT: £50
- Labour: £205
- Parts (regular oil/filter service): £28
- Parts (extra as per schedule – spark plugs, leads & diff oil): £95.73
- Parts (for MOT – tie rod end): £24.91
So £404 in service parts, labour and MOT in total. My only other essential cost during the year was £108 for front strut mounts (5851 Pedders Strut Mount) and bearings (5030 Commodore Strut Bearing) from Pedders and the £90 labour to have them fitted back in February. So not a bad total for the year?
In conclusion, to anyone who’s reading this and thinking they fancy a Monaro you’ve got no need to worry about sourcing service bits for them. Body panels though… thankfully I’ve had no need to, but less than common as you’d imagine.
With the 12-month anniversary of me owning my Monaro approaching, a service and MOT was due at the start of December. Rather than leave it to the last minute and risk issues arising from the MOT, I booked it in at my local trusted garage early-November to give a bit of breathing space to resolve any issues if required.
Before buying a Monaro I became aware that finding parts and spares etc isn’t actually that difficult in a lot of cases. There’s a great community of owners both on PH and Facebook, with a huge amount of collective knowledge and help offered up. It’s one aspect that contributes hugely to ownership in my opinion. Chances are if your Monaro has a problem or you need to source a part, someone else has already been through the same and is more than happy to share their experience. Using all this knowledge I’d already accumulated service parts in advance to make things easy.
Just some of the suppliers that are around to help:
- Rock Auto: US-based but mega quick and easy postage with import duties paid up front.
- Pedders UK: mainly suspension bits, run my Roger who used to run Monkfish specialists.
- MW Performance (Louise)
- LS Performance Parts (Carl & Isaac)
My list for servicing included:
- oil (GM-branded 5w30 – 20 litres for £48 via a friendly dealer which is enough for 3 changes, with it needing 6.2litres)
- oil filter (OEM GM 92142006 filter, £12 via MW Performance)
- spark plugs (NGK BPR6EF x 8, £16.80 Eurocarparts)
- ignition leads (AC Delco 9748RR, £48.94 delivered from Rock Auto)
- diff oil (Castrol Syntrax 75w140 x 2ltrs, £30 eBay)
- coolant check (but was fine so didn’t need replaced)
- and the MOT identified a driver’s side tie rod end was needed (Pedders UK, £24.91)
Spark plugs and leads weren’t strictly needed based on mileage/time, but I had them done for peace of mind given what they cost. Diff oil isn’t a service item but is a recommended item to change – the diffs on these are clunky at the best of times and mine had clunked a couple of times so I figured it was worth the cost. I considered having the gearbox oil changed too but decided it felt OK and will leave it until next year.
I’m capable of basic mechanical work on cars, but with my time being taken up with the house I got my local trusted garage to do the lot. Although the guy’s a VAG and Harley Davidson specialist (unusual combo!), he was our neighbour during the 5 months we rented between house moves and I had many spontaneous car chats with him during which I established he’s a decent bloke.
Costs:
- MOT: £50
- Labour: £205
- Parts (regular oil/filter service): £28
- Parts (extra as per schedule – spark plugs, leads & diff oil): £95.73
- Parts (for MOT – tie rod end): £24.91
So £404 in service parts, labour and MOT in total. My only other essential cost during the year was £108 for front strut mounts (5851 Pedders Strut Mount) and bearings (5030 Commodore Strut Bearing) from Pedders and the £90 labour to have them fitted back in February. So not a bad total for the year?
In conclusion, to anyone who’s reading this and thinking they fancy a Monaro you’ve got no need to worry about sourcing service bits for them. Body panels though… thankfully I’ve had no need to, but less than common as you’d imagine.
UPDATE 9: Ownership community
As mentioned a big part of Monaro ownership for me has been the community that goes along with it. Certainly makes it easier in maintaining the car and solving any big or little problems that might arise. So far I’ve only met a few other PHers with Monaros and VXR8s at their national meet in Stirling back in August - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... – but fortunately for them I wasn’t able to join the drive due to family commitments, so arrived like this:
Next time I’ll arrive without a bike on the roof
Owning something fun has also encouraged me into more regular contact with friends I’ve made through car ownership over the past decade. The arrival of kids had inevitably meant I was far less often managing drives or even just beers with them, but the Monaro’s encouraged me to get along to a couple of local breakfast meets which I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. An interesting car is by no means a requirement to go to any meet up of course.
bd Tesla parked next to my anti-Tesla (although I actually don’t mind them, and owner was good for a chat):
Not clean:
Not clean at all:
December breakfast meet:
As mentioned a big part of Monaro ownership for me has been the community that goes along with it. Certainly makes it easier in maintaining the car and solving any big or little problems that might arise. So far I’ve only met a few other PHers with Monaros and VXR8s at their national meet in Stirling back in August - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... – but fortunately for them I wasn’t able to join the drive due to family commitments, so arrived like this:
Next time I’ll arrive without a bike on the roof
Owning something fun has also encouraged me into more regular contact with friends I’ve made through car ownership over the past decade. The arrival of kids had inevitably meant I was far less often managing drives or even just beers with them, but the Monaro’s encouraged me to get along to a couple of local breakfast meets which I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. An interesting car is by no means a requirement to go to any meet up of course.
b
d Tesla parked next to my anti-Tesla (although I actually don’t mind them, and owner was good for a chat):Not clean:
Not clean at all:
December breakfast meet:
UPDATE 10: Everyday life – 12 months with a Monaro
I’ve previously mentioned my Monaro isn’t a second or third vehicle for me like it is for many owners: it’s my only car, so it was important that whatever I bought fulfilled the brief of a family vehicle as well as my own selfish reasons. So, what’s it like living with a 14-yr old Monaro as an everyday car, with young kids?
Answer: easy
Yes a more modern mundane car would be easier as my wife’s Qashqai with all its mod-cons shows so clearly, but we (PHers) rarely buy the obvious choice, do we? Just me then. Genuinely I’ve not found the Monaro paerticularly difficult to live. I don’t use a car for the daily commute but it still gets a lot of daily use for after school activities, family outings, weekly Tesco shops etc as well as longer drives at the weekend. Yes, I do more than your average car owner/leaser in looking after my car, but I don’t shy away from using it either.
You’ll be unsurprised to hear that a 14-year old car based on a late-90s design has a few niggles/characteristics, but nothing that precludes using a Monaro as a daily in my experience:
Mirrors: as mentioned in an earlier update, the rear view mirrors are hopeless. Sounds like a minor complaint from me perhaps, but I found them bloody useless. They’re tiny and whatever design the mirror glass is means the magnification effect gives a very poor view of what’s behind you. Biggest issue I found was not being able to see the rear wheels when reverse-parking, so to avoid painful kerb encounters I added small blindspot mirrors angled downwards to give a good view of the rear wheels for manoeuvring. Cheap and easy solution. Another small niggle is that the mirrors aren’t heated – I think many of us don’t give heated mirrors a second thought, but going back to unheat ones shows what I difference heated ones make. Keeping them clear of condensation/rain is more of a challenge for sure.
Headunit: wow. The standard headunit in Monaros is a 6-disc multichanger in the dashboard and sounds pretty damn good – there’s plenty of speakers and (I believe) a couple of subs buried away somewhere. But no RDS, no DAB, no Bluetooth, and the CD player would only play actual CDs and not MP3/data discs. Not even an aux-in so no way to play music other than CD. How quaint. Obviously you could argue with that engine there’s no need for music but I felt otherwise
I wasn’t keen to spend heaps on a flashy headunit solution, but equally I wanted Bluetooth for calls and music streaming as well as some way to play music from an external source. Fortunately the Monaro accepts a standard 2-DIN headunit with a simple facia adaptor, so there’s a wide range of options. Having had Pioneer stereos back in the day, I chose a fairly basic one with DAB, Bluetooth and USB slot which accepts a 64GB device. No touchscreen as I hate trying to use a touchscreen on the move. External mic, DAB antenna stuck to inside of the windscreen, a wiring harness to retain my steering wheel controls, and subtle looks that match the Monaro well. Perfect.
Before:
After:
Bootlid: again, might sound like I’m being picky, but if you’ve been smacked in the back of the head with a falling tailgate while unloading the shopping I’m sure you’ll change your mind! The original struts wouldn’t hold the bootlid up and the slightest breeze would sent it slamming shut. Age played a part but apparently Vauxhall didn’t uprate the struts to account for the weight of the big rear spoiler added to VXR bootlids… After a particularly bad incident drew blood (and I inadvertently taught my eldest daughter a new phrase), I replaced mine with new struts from SGS Engineering. With hindsight I wish I’d gone for a higher rating than the 700N force rating of the OEM equivalents I bought, as it feels like a stiff breeze would still bring the bootlid crashing down, but they’ve helped for sure. But I’m now comfortable enough that they’re strong enough to risk this:
^^^Obviously I didn’t drive like this – I made sure they were completely inside the boot with the bootlid closed before driving off
BIG doors: not a Monaro-specific issue, but one that affects every 2/3-door car with longer front doors. Not an issue for normal passengers, but introduce young kids and child seats and they can be an utter pain. Thankfully mine are well beyond baby seats but at the time I got my Monaro my youngest still needed help clipping in her seatbelt which meant me contorting myself into the rear of the car to help. I can’t imagine living with a rear-facing baby seat in a car like this though.
The upside to having kids has been using the wider parent and child parking spaces to minimise the chances of picking up door dings from careless people, but with mine now being 4 and 7 I do feel a bit guilty using these spaces and have gone back to parking at the farthest spaces from the shop entrance to reduce the ding risk.
Rear legroom/space: obviously any replacement for my previous R56 MINI was going to have more rear legroom, but the Monaro is still pretty cavernous. Based on similar underpinnings to the Omega it’s got a lot of space inside, so I’ll never have to worry about the kids outgrowing the space in the back. An added bonus is the 2 individually sculted seats provide perfect support for kid’s seats, and the seatbelt receivers are located perfectly for young kids to access rather than being buried in the seat bench like many cars are (even my wife’s latest-shape Qashqai is terrible for this. So Monaro beats family-favourite on this occasion. Although the space in the rear is big, accessing it can be an issue for passengers which brings me on to…
Rear seat access/egress: this one IS annoying. I live in Scotland. Where it rains. Frequently. The front seats are electrically adjustable and accessing the rear seats requires you to wait around patiently while the seat motor whirs the seat forwards. And all the time you’re getting soaked while you wait. Brilliant.
Rear seat area is perfect for 2 x kids seats, once you’ve waited impatiently for the front seat motors to move the seat forward:
Epic A/C: perhaps showing its Aussie roots here, but the air conditioning is truly epic! I wasn’t expecting super-chilled A/C in any 14 yr old car, but my Monaro’s is superb. Luckily it works well as it’s helpful for my next item…
Dampness: might be the age of the car and slightly perished door or window seals, or might simply be a small leak somewhere that I’ve yet to track down, but my Monaro does steam up slightly inside when parked outside on colder nights. Again, not specific to the Monaro I guess but it’s something else that simply isn’t a concern with a new, ‘normal’ car.
Road tax
OK, so who’s surprised that VED on a 6.0 V8 costs more than your average family car? If so, get out now. Emissions of all Monaro variants are in region of 360g/km which puts them in the top band for road tax. However, being an 05-plate mine falls into bank K (201-225 g/km also includes cars with a CO2 figure over 225g/km but were registered before 23 March 2006) so avoids the top whack that later Monaros attract. What this means is that my most recent VED was £325 for the year rather than £570 for an identical but newer Monaro, and that £245 saving goes some way towards fuelling the beast.
Insurance: Ok, I accept I don’t live in central London and that at 41 I’m getting old and (apparently) more mature, but even still I’m surprised at insurance only costing me a few pounds more than my previous MINI Cooper S. I accept I don’t go full Bogan in the car that often, but I’m surprised it’s not the sort of car that attracts a high rating in all cases. Maybe I’m just lucky? Certainly not complaining about it. I’m tempted to renew my IAM for sts and giggles though – I did my advanced test in my Z4, so could continue the less-appropriate car theme by turning up in a Monaro…
And...
MPG: I can’t talk about using a Monaro as an everyday vehicle without mentioning fuel consumption, can I? Figures in isolation mean little as everyone’s use and driving style differs, so best to compare it to my previous vehicles where use has been similar:
Average mpg for ownership:
- Monaro VXR 6.0: 20.4mpg
- R56 MINI Cooper S (184ps): 33.2mpg
- BMW e90 330i (N52 258ps): 25.7mpg
- BMW e85 Z4 3.0 (M54 230ps): 30.3mpg
I personally think anything starting with a ‘2’ is extremely respectable for a big V8-powered heavy beast, as long as the 2 is followed by another digit. What it means in reality is that my Monaro costs me £825 in fuel for the 3,000 or so miles I do a year on average, compared to the £500 my MINI would cost. Is that extra £325 spent on fuel worth it? I’d say HELL YES
So that’s the everyday stuff covered off. I’ll try to get back to more PH-worthy content now
I’ve previously mentioned my Monaro isn’t a second or third vehicle for me like it is for many owners: it’s my only car, so it was important that whatever I bought fulfilled the brief of a family vehicle as well as my own selfish reasons. So, what’s it like living with a 14-yr old Monaro as an everyday car, with young kids?
Answer: easy
Yes a more modern mundane car would be easier as my wife’s Qashqai with all its mod-cons shows so clearly, but we (PHers) rarely buy the obvious choice, do we? Just me then. Genuinely I’ve not found the Monaro paerticularly difficult to live. I don’t use a car for the daily commute but it still gets a lot of daily use for after school activities, family outings, weekly Tesco shops etc as well as longer drives at the weekend. Yes, I do more than your average car owner/leaser in looking after my car, but I don’t shy away from using it either.
You’ll be unsurprised to hear that a 14-year old car based on a late-90s design has a few niggles/characteristics, but nothing that precludes using a Monaro as a daily in my experience:
Mirrors: as mentioned in an earlier update, the rear view mirrors are hopeless. Sounds like a minor complaint from me perhaps, but I found them bloody useless. They’re tiny and whatever design the mirror glass is means the magnification effect gives a very poor view of what’s behind you. Biggest issue I found was not being able to see the rear wheels when reverse-parking, so to avoid painful kerb encounters I added small blindspot mirrors angled downwards to give a good view of the rear wheels for manoeuvring. Cheap and easy solution. Another small niggle is that the mirrors aren’t heated – I think many of us don’t give heated mirrors a second thought, but going back to unheat ones shows what I difference heated ones make. Keeping them clear of condensation/rain is more of a challenge for sure.
Headunit: wow. The standard headunit in Monaros is a 6-disc multichanger in the dashboard and sounds pretty damn good – there’s plenty of speakers and (I believe) a couple of subs buried away somewhere. But no RDS, no DAB, no Bluetooth, and the CD player would only play actual CDs and not MP3/data discs. Not even an aux-in so no way to play music other than CD. How quaint. Obviously you could argue with that engine there’s no need for music but I felt otherwise
I wasn’t keen to spend heaps on a flashy headunit solution, but equally I wanted Bluetooth for calls and music streaming as well as some way to play music from an external source. Fortunately the Monaro accepts a standard 2-DIN headunit with a simple facia adaptor, so there’s a wide range of options. Having had Pioneer stereos back in the day, I chose a fairly basic one with DAB, Bluetooth and USB slot which accepts a 64GB device. No touchscreen as I hate trying to use a touchscreen on the move. External mic, DAB antenna stuck to inside of the windscreen, a wiring harness to retain my steering wheel controls, and subtle looks that match the Monaro well. Perfect.
Before:
After:
Bootlid: again, might sound like I’m being picky, but if you’ve been smacked in the back of the head with a falling tailgate while unloading the shopping I’m sure you’ll change your mind! The original struts wouldn’t hold the bootlid up and the slightest breeze would sent it slamming shut. Age played a part but apparently Vauxhall didn’t uprate the struts to account for the weight of the big rear spoiler added to VXR bootlids… After a particularly bad incident drew blood (and I inadvertently taught my eldest daughter a new phrase), I replaced mine with new struts from SGS Engineering. With hindsight I wish I’d gone for a higher rating than the 700N force rating of the OEM equivalents I bought, as it feels like a stiff breeze would still bring the bootlid crashing down, but they’ve helped for sure. But I’m now comfortable enough that they’re strong enough to risk this:
^^^Obviously I didn’t drive like this – I made sure they were completely inside the boot with the bootlid closed before driving off
BIG doors: not a Monaro-specific issue, but one that affects every 2/3-door car with longer front doors. Not an issue for normal passengers, but introduce young kids and child seats and they can be an utter pain. Thankfully mine are well beyond baby seats but at the time I got my Monaro my youngest still needed help clipping in her seatbelt which meant me contorting myself into the rear of the car to help. I can’t imagine living with a rear-facing baby seat in a car like this though.
The upside to having kids has been using the wider parent and child parking spaces to minimise the chances of picking up door dings from careless people, but with mine now being 4 and 7 I do feel a bit guilty using these spaces and have gone back to parking at the farthest spaces from the shop entrance to reduce the ding risk.
Rear legroom/space: obviously any replacement for my previous R56 MINI was going to have more rear legroom, but the Monaro is still pretty cavernous. Based on similar underpinnings to the Omega it’s got a lot of space inside, so I’ll never have to worry about the kids outgrowing the space in the back. An added bonus is the 2 individually sculted seats provide perfect support for kid’s seats, and the seatbelt receivers are located perfectly for young kids to access rather than being buried in the seat bench like many cars are (even my wife’s latest-shape Qashqai is terrible for this. So Monaro beats family-favourite on this occasion. Although the space in the rear is big, accessing it can be an issue for passengers which brings me on to…
Rear seat access/egress: this one IS annoying. I live in Scotland. Where it rains. Frequently. The front seats are electrically adjustable and accessing the rear seats requires you to wait around patiently while the seat motor whirs the seat forwards. And all the time you’re getting soaked while you wait. Brilliant.
Rear seat area is perfect for 2 x kids seats, once you’ve waited impatiently for the front seat motors to move the seat forward:
Epic A/C: perhaps showing its Aussie roots here, but the air conditioning is truly epic! I wasn’t expecting super-chilled A/C in any 14 yr old car, but my Monaro’s is superb. Luckily it works well as it’s helpful for my next item…
Dampness: might be the age of the car and slightly perished door or window seals, or might simply be a small leak somewhere that I’ve yet to track down, but my Monaro does steam up slightly inside when parked outside on colder nights. Again, not specific to the Monaro I guess but it’s something else that simply isn’t a concern with a new, ‘normal’ car.
Road tax
OK, so who’s surprised that VED on a 6.0 V8 costs more than your average family car? If so, get out now. Emissions of all Monaro variants are in region of 360g/km which puts them in the top band for road tax. However, being an 05-plate mine falls into bank K (201-225 g/km also includes cars with a CO2 figure over 225g/km but were registered before 23 March 2006) so avoids the top whack that later Monaros attract. What this means is that my most recent VED was £325 for the year rather than £570 for an identical but newer Monaro, and that £245 saving goes some way towards fuelling the beast.
Insurance: Ok, I accept I don’t live in central London and that at 41 I’m getting old and (apparently) more mature, but even still I’m surprised at insurance only costing me a few pounds more than my previous MINI Cooper S. I accept I don’t go full Bogan in the car that often, but I’m surprised it’s not the sort of car that attracts a high rating in all cases. Maybe I’m just lucky? Certainly not complaining about it. I’m tempted to renew my IAM for s
ts and giggles though – I did my advanced test in my Z4, so could continue the less-appropriate car theme by turning up in a Monaro…And...
MPG: I can’t talk about using a Monaro as an everyday vehicle without mentioning fuel consumption, can I? Figures in isolation mean little as everyone’s use and driving style differs, so best to compare it to my previous vehicles where use has been similar:
Average mpg for ownership:
- Monaro VXR 6.0: 20.4mpg
- R56 MINI Cooper S (184ps): 33.2mpg
- BMW e90 330i (N52 258ps): 25.7mpg
- BMW e85 Z4 3.0 (M54 230ps): 30.3mpg
I personally think anything starting with a ‘2’ is extremely respectable for a big V8-powered heavy beast, as long as the 2 is followed by another digit
. What it means in reality is that my Monaro costs me £825 in fuel for the 3,000 or so miles I do a year on average, compared to the £500 my MINI would cost. Is that extra £325 spent on fuel worth it? I’d say HELL YES So that’s the everyday stuff covered off. I’ll try to get back to more PH-worthy content now
UPDATE 11: Future plans
My updates have brought things up to date. It’s been a fun first year:
Miles covered: 2,900
Fuel consumed: 616 litres
Smiles generated: COUNTLESS
It’s been great. Nothing broke or fell off, no nasty surprises or unexpected bill, and nothing pissed its contents onto my drive. MOT was easy, service parts were cheap, only a couple of age-related things to fix, insurance renewal less than expected, and I’ve found myself a good local mechanic. I even managed to sort out the paintwork! With the Dinitrol underseal earlier this year and the recent service items, the car’s in a better condition overall than when I bought it. By no means perfect or how I want it, but a great start. Incredibly grateful I’m in a position to own a car like this.
The helpfulness and friendliness of the HSV/Monaro community both on PH and facebook has been PRICELESS. A good community is a big positive when running a car like this. So thank you to everyone who contributes to this.
With my ‘investment’ in rust treatment and underseal, preventative maintenance and buying winter wheels, I’m in this for the long run. No plans to sell the Monaro for the foreseeable future unless something drastic changed in my work. I’m keen to own my Monaro for as long as I feasibly can.
Future plans? Noise
It’s absolutely crying out for an exhaust. I’d love to go full NASCAR with a naughty cam, headers, decat and a full system, but realistically that’s unlikely to ever happen! I’ve got to keep the car usable with the kids too. However, the standard exhaust is very non-shouty and the tailpipe condition is an embarrassment, so I hope I can do something about that in early 2020. The MOT history shows an advisory for exhaust leak a few years ago which I guess accounts for the pipes between the cats and rear axle being replaced at some point in the car’s previous life, so I’m looking at replacing from axle backwards at minimum. Keen to keep it looking fairly stock so would like to replicate the 4 pipes keeping the same staggered and slash cut style, although a bit bigger diameter wouldn’t go amiss.
Apart from that? Plans are developing for a couple of driving weekends with some mates, and hoping to attend a local breakfast meet more often. I’m just going to drive it.
I'll continue to update as and when anything worthy of mentioning happens. Thanks for reading
My updates have brought things up to date. It’s been a fun first year:
Miles covered: 2,900
Fuel consumed: 616 litres
Smiles generated: COUNTLESS
It’s been great. Nothing broke or fell off, no nasty surprises or unexpected bill, and nothing pissed its contents onto my drive. MOT was easy, service parts were cheap, only a couple of age-related things to fix, insurance renewal less than expected, and I’ve found myself a good local mechanic. I even managed to sort out the paintwork! With the Dinitrol underseal earlier this year and the recent service items, the car’s in a better condition overall than when I bought it. By no means perfect or how I want it, but a great start. Incredibly grateful I’m in a position to own a car like this.
The helpfulness and friendliness of the HSV/Monaro community both on PH and facebook has been PRICELESS. A good community is a big positive when running a car like this. So thank you to everyone who contributes to this.
With my ‘investment’ in rust treatment and underseal, preventative maintenance and buying winter wheels, I’m in this for the long run. No plans to sell the Monaro for the foreseeable future unless something drastic changed in my work. I’m keen to own my Monaro for as long as I feasibly can.
Future plans? Noise
It’s absolutely crying out for an exhaust. I’d love to go full NASCAR with a naughty cam, headers, decat and a full system, but realistically that’s unlikely to ever happen! I’ve got to keep the car usable with the kids too. However, the standard exhaust is very non-shouty and the tailpipe condition is an embarrassment, so I hope I can do something about that in early 2020. The MOT history shows an advisory for exhaust leak a few years ago which I guess accounts for the pipes between the cats and rear axle being replaced at some point in the car’s previous life, so I’m looking at replacing from axle backwards at minimum. Keen to keep it looking fairly stock so would like to replicate the 4 pipes keeping the same staggered and slash cut style, although a bit bigger diameter wouldn’t go amiss.
Apart from that? Plans are developing for a couple of driving weekends with some mates, and hoping to attend a local breakfast meet more often. I’m just going to drive it.
I'll continue to update as and when anything worthy of mentioning happens. Thanks for reading
rix said:
RenPug said:
Love it. I really miss my Monaro, didn't want to sell it but needs must at the time. Still keep looking in the classifieds regularly for another. Hope you enjoy it.
I recognise your username -it was me who came up and bought your one... ended up keeping it for about 3 years which was a lot for me. Only things it cost me were tyres, discs and a MAF. It ended up in Scotland when I sold it. Enjoyed it, was a real event and wasn’t even bad mpg on a run. KM56HKL are you here?!rix said:
RenPug said:
Love it. I really miss my Monaro, didn't want to sell it but needs must at the time. Still keep looking in the classifieds regularly for another. Hope you enjoy it.
I recognise your username -it was me who came up and bought your one... ended up keeping it for about 3 years which was a lot for me. Only things it cost me were tyres, discs and a MAF. It ended up in Scotland when I sold it. Enjoyed it, was a real event and wasn’t even bad mpg on a run. KM56HKL are you here?!Really enjoyed reading this and getting to know more about what owning one of these is really like.
In a world of ever more generic cars, I'm really hankering after a Monaro VXR for the back to basics thrills of a big engine with a good soundtrack, rwd, manual gearbox and an LSD.
Do you still have the car?
In a world of ever more generic cars, I'm really hankering after a Monaro VXR for the back to basics thrills of a big engine with a good soundtrack, rwd, manual gearbox and an LSD.
Do you still have the car?
identti said:
Really enjoyed reading this and getting to know more about what owning one of these is really like.
In a world of ever more generic cars, I'm really hankering after a Monaro VXR for the back to basics thrills of a big engine with a good soundtrack, rwd, manual gearbox and an LSD.
Do you still have the car?
Thanks. I do still have the Monaro and still going well! I'll get an update done and post up soon, promise. Those basic thrills are still a big part of the attraction for me. There's (much) faster, better handling, cheaper to run, more practical alternative so it's in no way a rational choice, and I still love having it In a world of ever more generic cars, I'm really hankering after a Monaro VXR for the back to basics thrills of a big engine with a good soundtrack, rwd, manual gearbox and an LSD.
Do you still have the car?
Quick recent photo from a couple of weeks ago:
Edited by a11y_m on Monday 27th June 14:04
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