Millipede Monaro (it's a bit leggy!)
Discussion
Apologies for the title, I couldn't resist, but maybe I should have tried harder!!
Anyway, after an epic journey from Preston to Malvern yesterday, battling blizzards, signal failures, cancelled trains and standing room only, I am now the happy owner of a rather well used Monaro CV8.
The journey home was much more comfortable, effortless and entirely problem free. I took it steady and was rewarded with an indicated 31mpg by the time I came off the M6. The last few miles were dry country roads and it wasn't reading quite that high by the time I got home!!
So how well does a Monaro wear its miles??
Of course, although the camera never lies, it can be very economical with the truth.
This car has earned its keep pounding the motorways as a business tool and although well maintained (as the thickness of the invoice file confirms), the bodywork hasn't seen much TLC and does have a few issues..
In addition, whilst this should be simple to fix...
...this won't be
Rear bumper has had a repair that water has lifted from behind
The interior is really rather good, only the driver's seat bolster gives the game away
Since taking the pictures this morning, I have adjusted the striker plates on the driver's door and bootlid so that both now close and align as they should, and treated the scratch on the side with rust converter as it was just starting to turn orange where the scratch was down to the primer.
Short term plans are:
Give it a good service as now due.
Treat corrosion to stablise areas of paint damage
Continue to add miles and enjoy
Anyway, after an epic journey from Preston to Malvern yesterday, battling blizzards, signal failures, cancelled trains and standing room only, I am now the happy owner of a rather well used Monaro CV8.
The journey home was much more comfortable, effortless and entirely problem free. I took it steady and was rewarded with an indicated 31mpg by the time I came off the M6. The last few miles were dry country roads and it wasn't reading quite that high by the time I got home!!
So how well does a Monaro wear its miles??
Of course, although the camera never lies, it can be very economical with the truth.
This car has earned its keep pounding the motorways as a business tool and although well maintained (as the thickness of the invoice file confirms), the bodywork hasn't seen much TLC and does have a few issues..
In addition, whilst this should be simple to fix...
...this won't be
Rear bumper has had a repair that water has lifted from behind
The interior is really rather good, only the driver's seat bolster gives the game away
Since taking the pictures this morning, I have adjusted the striker plates on the driver's door and bootlid so that both now close and align as they should, and treated the scratch on the side with rust converter as it was just starting to turn orange where the scratch was down to the primer.
Short term plans are:
Give it a good service as now due.
Treat corrosion to stablise areas of paint damage
Continue to add miles and enjoy
Codswallop said:
Looks great given the miles 
How good does the V8 sound with the standard exhaust system?
With the windows closed and a light foot you would hardly know what is under the bonnet to be honest. Sounds better with a heavier foot and a few revs but is always fairly muted. How good does the V8 sound with the standard exhaust system?I would possibly like a little more burble when pottering around, but not if it was at the expense of it becoming properly loud when pushing on. I've had loud cars before and fallen out of love with them fairly quickly as a result. So for me, it is probably about right, but maybe just a smidge too civilised...
A gentleman never discusses money!
All I will say is that I'm sure some people would consider I have paid too much for it based on mileage and condition, whilst others (and obviously I fall into the latter camp) would think it represents a phenomenal amount of car for the money.
The fact that the previous owner has done all bar 10k of the miles whilst maintaining it as an essential business tool gives me much confidence that it has actually led quite an easy life and this is borne out by the way it drives.
Having had immaculate cars in the past, I have found myself stressed and angry each time they picked up a bit of damage. After buying a house a couple of years ago, funds have been more limited and I've been running older stuff instead, eg.
My Rangie bangernomics thread
What a revelation - tatty cars are the way to go in my opinion!! Being able to park where I like and not worry is just fantastic.
All I will say is that I'm sure some people would consider I have paid too much for it based on mileage and condition, whilst others (and obviously I fall into the latter camp) would think it represents a phenomenal amount of car for the money.
The fact that the previous owner has done all bar 10k of the miles whilst maintaining it as an essential business tool gives me much confidence that it has actually led quite an easy life and this is borne out by the way it drives.
Having had immaculate cars in the past, I have found myself stressed and angry each time they picked up a bit of damage. After buying a house a couple of years ago, funds have been more limited and I've been running older stuff instead, eg.
My Rangie bangernomics thread
What a revelation - tatty cars are the way to go in my opinion!! Being able to park where I like and not worry is just fantastic.
LordFlathead said:
Looks like you got a bargain, have you heard of Monkfish performance? Once introduced the drug will start and before long you will end up with a twin-turbo'd or supercharged monster. It all starts with a 'rip shift' and before you know it, you'll be adding short-shifter, Brembo brake upgrades, switchable exhausts, the tuning potential is ENDLESS!!
Enjoy
Thanks, yes I have already checked out their website.Enjoy
Think I'll start off small with a service kit and some rear brake pads, but from there on, who knows!!
tbc said:
if it's the one i've seen then it was around the £4000 mark
good car but that one will need a lot of work on the rust spots
and with that sort of mileage it's only a matter of time before it goes bang
Well that's one way of looking at it! And I'll agree with you on the rust spots, but only if you wanted to make this car mint.good car but that one will need a lot of work on the rust spots
and with that sort of mileage it's only a matter of time before it goes bang
As for blowing up, only time will tell. I am quite sympathetic mechanically and tend to spot the onset of issues before they become a major failure. I've had high milers before and with a combination of shrewd purchasing, dilligent ownership and a dose of luck, they've only needed routine servicing for the main part.
Well "Millie" passed the MOT yesterday Couple of advises but nothing I'm going to loose any sleep over.
Of greater concern is the fact that I've already added another 1,000+ miles onto the clock since purchase, on what is meant to be a second / third car and I'd only insured for 3k p.a.!! Trouble is, every time I have to choose the keys on my way out, it's the Monaro one that seems to end up in my hand...
Couple of advises but nothing I'm going to loose any sleep over.Of greater concern is the fact that I've already added another 1,000+ miles onto the clock since purchase, on what is meant to be a second / third car and I'd only insured for 3k p.a.!! Trouble is, every time I have to choose the keys on my way out, it's the Monaro one that seems to end up in my hand...
Just a quick update - I've now used up nearly all of my 3,000 mile insurance limit so a call to my insurer looms, but otherwise all is well
Current job list consists of a fractured aircon pipe by the dryer and a small squeak at idle which has developed but got no worse in the last month (sounds like a belt tensioner bearing if I were to guess??).
A new gear lever seal has quietened the road / wind / transmission noise from that area dramatically and a diff oil change has removed the low speed grinding entirely, although slip is still very effectively limited as I proved exiting a wet junction yesterday!!
Otherwise, oil consumption appears negligable and all the other levels are static. I do need to replace the nearside front tyre as, although retaining plenty of tread, it is absolutely lethal in the wet and howls comically round roundabouts at pretty low speeds in the dry. The other 3 tyres, although definitely budget brands, actually seem to perform ok in all conditions.
I also understand why people moan about the standard brakes on these now...
Current job list consists of a fractured aircon pipe by the dryer and a small squeak at idle which has developed but got no worse in the last month (sounds like a belt tensioner bearing if I were to guess??).
A new gear lever seal has quietened the road / wind / transmission noise from that area dramatically and a diff oil change has removed the low speed grinding entirely, although slip is still very effectively limited as I proved exiting a wet junction yesterday!!
Otherwise, oil consumption appears negligable and all the other levels are static. I do need to replace the nearside front tyre as, although retaining plenty of tread, it is absolutely lethal in the wet and howls comically round roundabouts at pretty low speeds in the dry. The other 3 tyres, although definitely budget brands, actually seem to perform ok in all conditions.
I also understand why people moan about the standard brakes on these now...
DHE said:
Any idea what mpg you are getting?
Yes, all fuel logged on Spritmonitor.de and it says my average since purchase is....
edited to add - as an old(er) git, I tend to drive in quite a smooth and relaxed manner most of the time, so I tend to get reasonable fuel consumption from most things that I drive. The difference between this and other stuff I've had, is just how quickly the average mpg drops as soon as I start to give it any welly!
The most I've seen on the trip average is around 33mpg, but I know it wouldn't take much effort on my part to halve that!
Edited by 99t on Friday 26th July 08:23
So today I set out to change a headlight bulb....
...I may have got a little bit carried away!!
In my defence, I also wanted to change a fractured air-con hose, which was always going to involve a degree of strip-down, but when I found a second fractured pipe I decided it was a case of "in for a penny, in for a pound" and I might as well replace the squeaky idler pulley and cracked looking air-con belt, and change the thermostat for good measure, since the temp gauge never quite gets fully half way and the heater was pretty poor at the start of the year.
Fractured pipes
Nice clean looking coolant and cooling system. A/C belt idler pulley bearing (pulley removed in pic) was very rough.
I sense a bit of a parts bill coming on!!
...I may have got a little bit carried away!!
In my defence, I also wanted to change a fractured air-con hose, which was always going to involve a degree of strip-down, but when I found a second fractured pipe I decided it was a case of "in for a penny, in for a pound" and I might as well replace the squeaky idler pulley and cracked looking air-con belt, and change the thermostat for good measure, since the temp gauge never quite gets fully half way and the heater was pretty poor at the start of the year.
Fractured pipes
Nice clean looking coolant and cooling system. A/C belt idler pulley bearing (pulley removed in pic) was very rough.
I sense a bit of a parts bill coming on!!
Codswallop said:
I thought it was normal for the temp gauge to sit below half on the gauge - mine certainly has always done, and the heater is like a furnace...
Thanks for the update OP, glad to read the car is treating you well
Cheers. Ok, well in that case the thermostat may be fine. Given the current ease of access I'll change it anyway and if the heater is still weak I'll start looking elsewhere - heater valve perhaps?Thanks for the update OP, glad to read the car is treating you well
The other thing I need to investigate is where the power steering fluid has started disappearing to? No huge leak / puddles / obvious drips, but there definitely is a steady loss to somewhere...
CarlosV8 said:
I had similar problems with air con on my Monaro. Wasn't brave enough to tackle myself so took it to a specialist who replaced numerous lengths of pipe, the compressor, drier and expansion valve.
Previous owner already had the belts and idler pulleys done too, so an expensive repair to get it up and running. Well worth it though, as if yours is anything like mine the cabin can mist up when it rains but the climate control sorts this out nicely!
I had no real problem living without air-con during the summer as I'm happy driving this with the windows open, the soundtrack improves significantly Previous owner already had the belts and idler pulleys done too, so an expensive repair to get it up and running. Well worth it though, as if yours is anything like mine the cabin can mist up when it rains but the climate control sorts this out nicely!
But yes, last month or so, the misting has become an issue.
I'm replacing all of the engine bay lines, plus the a/c belt and one pulley for now, then I'll re-gas and see if it holds pressure. The compressor and condenser are hopefully ok, but we'll see...
gsd2000 said:
This must be the highest mileage monaro in the country
well done for keeping it going and where exactly is it rusting so I can treat mine in those areas
There is some rust creeping into the bodywork, in and around the engine bay the worst bits are:-well done for keeping it going and where exactly is it rusting so I can treat mine in those areas
Front of chassis leg and chassis leg to radiator support upright seam
Slam panel where grill bolts go (and PS cooler mounts are crusty too)
Radiator support to slam panel seam
Nothing that couldn't be cleaned up and treated at this stage if I felt so inclined.
What is really poor though, is how bad all of the fittings, brackets and fixtures under the bonnet are. The quality of the factory plating and the metal quality itself must have been garbage. Maybe ok in Australia but certainly not fit for a few winters in Britain.
Crossmember and various brackets and pipes
Maybe I've been spoilt by working on 20 and 30 year old Saabs where although the bodywork can turn to dust, the quality of the plated pressings is still, generally, superb.
Anyway, new pulley and belt on. New thermostat fitted (and as suggested it made no difference to the position of the temp gauge)
Nice shiny new pipes!!
All back together and back to the local air-con guy to see if the system holds a charge now...
When I go to collect it, he starts off with "well there is good news and bad..."
Turns out the system does now hold pressure
But the compressor is useless!
As an aside, top marks as usual to Rob at Vehicle Electrical Services in Bootle, twice they've had it in now, first time it wouldn't hold gas, this time they charged it up and then took the gas out again so I can replace the compressor. No charge to date. Top guys and highly recommended if you are in the area.
I love getting shiny bits in boxes
Compressor turned out to be in very poor condition internally so fully rebuilt and looks the business. Very fast turn-around too.
And from Rock Auto in the US, ordered on a Thursday and delivered early the next Monday morning
Total cost for both including postage just a smidge over £300 so not too bad I think...
Will fit if the rain ever stops and ideally the mother of all colds sods off too!!
Compressor turned out to be in very poor condition internally so fully rebuilt and looks the business. Very fast turn-around too.
And from Rock Auto in the US, ordered on a Thursday and delivered early the next Monday morning
Total cost for both including postage just a smidge over £300 so not too bad I think...
Will fit if the rain ever stops and ideally the mother of all colds sods off too!!
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