Attention all MONARO owners!
Discussion
Can anyone shed any light on Monaro gearbox problems that seem to blight these cars? I have been looking (read: drooling) at these for some time, but have been put off by the seemingly common complete gearbox disintegration issues caused by selector arms/bearings breaking and sending fragments every which way.
Are these problems particularly common in all flavours of Monaro (particularly the VXR)? With a £4000+ repair bill, it's something that will stop me buying these motors.
Many thanks!
Are these problems particularly common in all flavours of Monaro (particularly the VXR)? With a £4000+ repair bill, it's something that will stop me buying these motors.
Many thanks!
Alias218 said:
Is it commonly Monkfish who carry out repairs? If so, how are they?
Even the thought of a £2000 repair makes me shudder!
Monkfish are IMHO the best for these cars Even the thought of a £2000 repair makes me shudder!
Monaros are on avg a great car, but can cost if things go wrong,
but still cheaper than when some german stuff goes wrong
and a lot more fun
Owners here have had gear box issues but not many, and more often on heavly modded cars.
Dear A2,
mine hasn't broken yet (touches wood, throws salt over a black cat etc).
IANAM but a regular viewer of this estimable forum and while I have seen the occasional break it is by no means common.
You do need to watch out for power steering & cooling pipes and door seals. Most cars will be affected by the former due to rubbing & corrosion and many cars the latter due to poor assembly.
If the car's been serviced by Monkfish the pipes will have been spotted and rectified before they break. That's how good they are,
regards,
Jet
P.S. It's only done 26k although most of that has had 410bhp over the stock 333
mine hasn't broken yet (touches wood, throws salt over a black cat etc).
IANAM but a regular viewer of this estimable forum and while I have seen the occasional break it is by no means common.
You do need to watch out for power steering & cooling pipes and door seals. Most cars will be affected by the former due to rubbing & corrosion and many cars the latter due to poor assembly.
If the car's been serviced by Monkfish the pipes will have been spotted and rectified before they break. That's how good they are,
regards,
Jet
P.S. It's only done 26k although most of that has had 410bhp over the stock 333
007 VXR said:
Monkfish are IMHO the best for these cars
Monaros are on avg a great car, but can cost if things go wrong,
but still cheaper than when some german stuff goes wrong
and a lot more fun
Owners here have had gear box issues but not many, and more often on heavly modded cars.
Agreed big power thru a T56 IMHO is a recipe for a gearbox rebuild speaking from personal experience but I do drive my car very hard (so I'm told Monaros are on avg a great car, but can cost if things go wrong,
but still cheaper than when some german stuff goes wrong
and a lot more fun
Owners here have had gear box issues but not many, and more often on heavly modded cars.
). Hopefully the TR6060 Magnum works better. Don't hold your breath OP I won't get mine back till next year. Like 007 says get one and enjoy it 
Alias218 said:
Lovely, thanks very much everyone! Am I right in assuming these are hydraulic PAS then? As for the coolant hoses, what do these rub against? Is there room in the bay for padding/tying out if the way?
I wrapped mine in 3mm thick rubber when I got my car, will never be a problem, just check the pipes they are at the back left side of the head, best to have a torch but quite easy to get too
having had many LS1 and LS2's in for sale, i would say it is a small percentage that having major gearbox problems. treat the car right and it will treat you well
PS - i dont think the title of this topic is appropriate saying "Attention all MONARO owners!"
- bit childish if you ask me just wanting everyone to read your post, its no more important than other posts. good job we dont all do this !!!!! it would look pretty stupid
PS - i dont think the title of this topic is appropriate saying "Attention all MONARO owners!"
- bit childish if you ask me just wanting everyone to read your post, its no more important than other posts. good job we dont all do this !!!!! it would look pretty stupid
Thanks for your replies everyone, this has helped a great deal. I am still hoping on a VXR8 price drop, but a Monaro seems less likely to cost me mega bucks now so it's back in the race.
preciousmetal said:
having had many LS1 and LS2's in for sale, i would say it is a small percentage that having major gearbox problems. treat the car right and it will treat you well
PS - i dont think the title of this topic is appropriate saying "Attention all MONARO owners!"
- bit childish if you ask me just wanting everyone to read your post, its no more important than other posts. good job we dont all do this !!!!! it would look pretty stupid
Fine, but it got the desired result. Anyhow, you're as old as you feel and judging by your response you must be getting on a bit now. PS - i dont think the title of this topic is appropriate saying "Attention all MONARO owners!"
- bit childish if you ask me just wanting everyone to read your post, its no more important than other posts. good job we dont all do this !!!!! it would look pretty stupid
Meow ................
of course it got the desired result, people read and comment on here as its a good forum, but it would have got results anyway even if you hadnt had a stupid post title
not sure what makes you so important over the rest of us as you post as it is was very important but it wasnt
of course it got the desired result, people read and comment on here as its a good forum, but it would have got results anyway even if you hadnt had a stupid post title
not sure what makes you so important over the rest of us as you post as it is was very important but it wasnt
The OP might not know how different the Monaro forum is to others though, most forums on PH are pretty bad and everyone wants to vent anger. The Monaro forum is great though, I havn't experienced such a decent forum since the 350 forum. Maybe something about big engined rear wheel drive cars keep the owners more mellow haha.
If you must know why it's highlighted as such it's because I originally posted on the Readers Ride section, unaware there was a Monaro sub-forum. I was just trying to steer actual Monaro owners this way over the various other models jostling for position. This thread has since been moved here and so the title is unnecessary. But I can't change it, so I guess we're all going to have to struggle on with it remaining as it is.
Element of internet disease here I think. People who use this forum and have problems will post their problems, perhaps to get a bit of sympathy but also to share with other owners and sometimes seek advice.
Consequently it can feel a bit like everything on these cars go wrong all of the time! Which is far from the case. But a car that's been looked after, full service history, keep it well maintained yourself then should serve you well. Are a few niggles but would suggest nothing more than any car these days for the price, considering the performance you are buying.
Also most of the Monaro's were actually built around 2004 and 2005 so they are 7 or 8 years old now. Things will go wrong on cars of these ages sometimes.
I have had the occasional problem with air con, sensors, power steering pipes etc ... but putting your foot down in second gear on an open road, experiencing the acceleration and basking in the glorious noise and all is forgotten.
Consequently it can feel a bit like everything on these cars go wrong all of the time! Which is far from the case. But a car that's been looked after, full service history, keep it well maintained yourself then should serve you well. Are a few niggles but would suggest nothing more than any car these days for the price, considering the performance you are buying.
Also most of the Monaro's were actually built around 2004 and 2005 so they are 7 or 8 years old now. Things will go wrong on cars of these ages sometimes.
I have had the occasional problem with air con, sensors, power steering pipes etc ... but putting your foot down in second gear on an open road, experiencing the acceleration and basking in the glorious noise and all is forgotten.
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