Tell me your VR horror stories.

[Brin]

Have owned a VN Berlina for three years, it had a VR motor and VP box, I replaced everything but the diff and tail shaft, 'nuff said.

Am now driving a slightly less dangerous VR Executive. It's been well looked after, but the more I play with it, the more I realise its *just* like the VN. Unlike the VN, it doesn't feel like its going to fall into one million pieces every pothole or bump in the road I go over.

My first problem has been the battery light flickering on and off. The battery's new, alternator charging fine.. Earth was my worst enemy in the VN, but in the VR it seemed to be the stereo face illumination draining the battery.

Anyone have any VR specific horror stories or warnings for me?

Cheers
Sabrina

[The1]

check the big fat wire at the back of the alternator, they have a tendency to brake.

[NickVR]

Or replace the voltage reg on the alternator. My battery light used to come in every now and then but would go off eventually. Changed the reg and it was fine.

[Andrew426]

The only Issues I have ever had were the factory trans cooler lines (18 years old now) That would bubble up and burst. Replaced the hoses and its fine now.


Oh and the paint.

[wraith]

Oh don't get me started. Did the inlet manifold gasket. Went to put it back together and the coolant hose on the front of the manifold broke. Took it off and replaced. Put thermostat on it started leaking had to get new gasket. Put it all together ran like shit adjusted some things. Went to start it no go. Took it to mechanic and found starter had died. Then found my gearbox has a manual starter motor which is a fair bit more expensive then the auto one. Put it all together and now I have a bad oil leak out the back of the manifold. Yeah I am over it at the moment.

[Chrispy]

Rear main seal leaking, ticking noises, more oil leaks, brake light looms ####ing up, more shit

[Vee-ard]

List of my problems and how much it cost to fix.


Heater core corroded and leaking coolant onto drivers side floor. $900 - Dash out 10 hours labour.
evaporator leaking. $180 - done when dash was out as above.
liquid lines seized onto receiver/dryer. - $90 done with above.
thermostat stuck open. - $12
tailshaft - diff oil seal broken. - Still not fixed.
heater tap broken. - $36
heater tap vacuum control switch broken, replaced, replacement broken too. - $50 odd.
Radiator flaking into rusted pieces, new alloy radiator installed. - $280
lukey muffler rooted and making LOUD vibration noises. - $400 supplied and installed.
EVERY single suspension bush/bearing rooted - $1800 for all new suspension bushes, bearings, springs & shocks, supplied and fitted.
shocks rooted - as above
bought the car with cut springs (unknowingly) - as above
New tyres & rims, old ones bald, full of nails and gutter rashed. - $1400

All of this cost me in ONE YEAR.

all up about $5000 spent on a car probably worth about $6000.
I'd like to say everything is sweet now, but it isnt. Never been able to get rid of a petrol smell that hangs around, diffs starting to whine, noticing coolant is missing without any leaks (inlet manifold gasket?)

I dont even thrash the car.

[nathanVY]

when I had my VR in 3 months I had to do

sump gasket ~$500
link pin bushes ~$120
new tyres $500
alternator seized, $50
new radiator ~$200
transmission front seal, gearbox out ~$450
centre muffler rusted out, ~$100
front bonnet pealing, secondhand bonnet ~$150
diff shudder, rear trailing arms = ~$100
harmonic balancer = ~$300
injectors clogged = ~$150


that's just what I can think of atm. Bought the car in december sold it in march, did 30, 000kms in that time. VS has been just as bad if not worse.

[Brett_jjj]

Any car thats the same age as the VR/VS will need things similar to the above mentioned things replaced, and more if you want the car to still drive like new..especially if you like to give it a bit of a hard time.We've all heard the storys of cars that go for 10 years with nothing done to them.Give that car to anyone who likes their driving,and I bet it wont go 1 year without something that needs fixing or replacing.Its usually only old people, or people who just cruise around slowly all the time that get these sorts of service/replacement times out of these cars.Im always replacing something or servicing something because I give my car a very hard time all the time,so I expect it.I am amazed how some things last as long as they do now on it.

[nathanVY]

Any car thats the same age as the VR/VS will need things similar to the above mentioned things replaced, and more if you want the car to still drive like new..especially if you like to give it a bit of a hard time.We've all heard the storys of cars that go for 10 years with nothing done to them.Give that car to anyone who likes their driving,and I bet it wont go 1 year without something that needs fixing or replacing.Its usually only old people, or people who just cruise around slowly all the time that get these sorts of service/replacement times out of these cars.Im always replacing something or servicing something because I give my car a very hard time all the time,so I expect it.I am amazed how some things last as long as they do now on it.

Very true my friend, same here.

[Andrew426]

Most of the things seem to just be through lack of maintainence.

[jimbojones889]

replaced motor a year ago, since then i did the inlet manifold gasket. i think i need to do valve stem seals cos it starting to blow a bit of white smoke on startup. but other than that, its pretty good if u treat em right

[wraith]

Well found out today that the rear manifold silicon has fallen out of the valley and gone some where thus my worse then BP oil leak. Have no idea how it happened but yeah.

[bogan_vk]

had my vr for 2 years and only ever had to replace the crank angle sensor other than that it never let me down ,but when my son got it off me he went through 3 trannys and an engine.

[VR38]

check the big fat wire at the back of the alternator, they have a tendency to brake.

Mine was burnt, causing similar problems.

[VR38]

replaced motor a year ago, since then i did the inlet manifold gasket. i think i need to do valve stem seals cos it starting to blow a bit of white smoke on startup. but other than that, its pretty good if u treat em right

replaced the motor, other than that they are pretty good x2

[peterg2121]

List of my problems and how much it cost to fix.


Heater core corroded and leaking coolant onto drivers side floor. $900 - Dash out 10 hours labour.
evaporator leaking. $180 - done when dash was out as above.
liquid lines seized onto receiver/dryer. - $90 done with above.
thermostat stuck open. - $12
tailshaft - diff oil seal broken. - Still not fixed.
heater tap broken. - $36
heater tap vacuum control switch broken, replaced, replacement broken too. - $50 odd.
Radiator flaking into rusted pieces, new alloy radiator installed. - $280
lukey muffler rooted and making LOUD vibration noises. - $400 supplied and installed.
EVERY single suspension bush/bearing rooted - $1800 for all new suspension bushes, bearings, springs & shocks, supplied and fitted.
shocks rooted - as above
bought the car with cut springs (unknowingly) - as above
New tyres & rims, old ones bald, full of nails and gutter rashed. - $1400

All of this cost me in ONE YEAR.

all up about $5000 spent on a car probably worth about $6000.
I'd like to say everything is sweet now, but it isnt. Never been able to get rid of a petrol smell that hangs around, diffs starting to whine, noticing coolant is missing without any leaks (inlet manifold gasket?)

I dont even thrash the car.

that petrol smell is usuall the breather hoses from the petrol tank behind the rear drivers side wheel you need to drop the tank do this when its close to empty and replace the hoses

[l1ck3r]

in mine the tranny slipps outa gear on take off and clunks back in when i ease off the throttle, gets red hot real quick :/ anyone got any answers for this?? an please dont say take it to a rip off transmission specialist.... i have replaced almost every solinoid and valve in it, so im kinda thinkin its gear clusters or the torque converter... any info at all would be appreciated.

[Anthai]

How many k's on that tranny? Could just be real tired and ready to retire. Is it slipping in every gear or just a particular gear? The transmissions are probably one of the weakest points of the VR...

[edals]

Ok here we go, I wanna burn the VR lol.

Inlet Gaskets, Rocker Gaskets, heater Core, Thermo stat failed boiled car, heater hose connector on inlet manifold broke off, Top Heater hose, Inhibitor gear selector switch, Fuel regulator, Water pump (lost the pully plate down the freeway), Shocks & Bushes, Exhaust rusted away, Brakes, Brake Calliper, IAC, Throttle position sensor, Throttle Body, Strut towers cracking, Cracked fuel line breathers, boot release wire broke, Dead keys, Endless coolant flushes, Always serviced, level 3 Dash cluster LCD broken, Fuel gage sticks, Roof lining fell down, Drivers power window switch, alternator, battery terminal stuffed, All this shit in 18 months. Trust me id take a Ecotech any day.

Yet I still got todo the Harmonic B, O2 Sensors, CAS, And no doubt the power steering will go, and the rack, and the belt tensioner. But to be fair all this shit, only once has it been on a tow truck and thats when the heater hose connector on the inlet manifold broke. All this shit, yet i still love the car, even though its a real bitch lol
I Have no idea what the total cost would be as i have done all the work my self and just buy the parts.
Oh for the heater core i cheated and just cut it out and stuck in a new one and joined it back with hoses & Clamps

[Pickle']

haha... i got over my VR.. but now i miss it, i got a VE instead.

i owned the vr for around about 24 months.

Second day of owning it the thermo seized shut $15 thermo cost me a ####ing engine as the head went with it.. was pissed off.. $600 for engine with 24 month warranty.

went through 3 harmonic balancers ($150 a pop) #### 2 of them in 2 days actually no ####ing idea how. a new one ####ed out. replaced with a second hand one. and that ####ed out too. was a good weekend. (replaced with a new one).

uh new cat back (hi-flow) $500 fitted

reco alternator $120

new water pump $120

new power steer pump think it was about $280?

S/H box - $200

new discs all round x2 ($400)

new radiator ($150)

all new wheels and tyres old ones were shit ($1600)

New coil pack x 3 ($225)

all reco'd injectors ($120)

S/H starter motor (80 i think?)

Throttle body (just ####ed out) i think it was about ($120)

HAHA

Over $5k worth of SHIT ended up selling it for $2k

remembering all of this was fitted by me so none involves labour except exhaust.. i loved my vr HAHA

[edals]

haha... i got over my VR.. but now i miss it, i got a VE instead.

i owned the vr for around about 24 months.

Second day of owning it the thermo seized shut $15 thermo cost me a ####ing engine as the head went with it.. was pissed off.. $600 for engine with 24 month warranty.

went through 3 harmonic balancers ($150 a pop) #### 2 of them in 2 days actually no ####ing idea how. a new one ####ed out. replaced with a second hand one. and that ####ed out too. was a good weekend. (replaced with a new one).

uh new cat back (hi-flow) $500 fitted

reco alternator $120

new water pump $120

new power steer pump think it was about $280?

S/H box - $200

new discs all round x2 ($400)

new radiator ($150)

all new wheels and tyres old ones were shit ($1600)

New coil pack x 3 ($225)

all reco'd injectors ($120)

S/H starter motor (80 i think?)

Throttle body (just ####ed out) i think it was about ($120)

HAHA

Over $5k worth of SHIT ended up selling it for $2k

remembering all of this was fitted by me so none involves labour except exhaust.. i loved my vr HAHA

Yep and thats why i wont sell the VR as i have spent so much time keeping it alive and Money, Im not selling it as ill have to buy another car and just repair it and spent even more money, sure ill have it rebuilt soon lol

[Pickle']

Yep and thats why i wont sell the VR as i have spent so much time keeping it alive and Money, Im not selling it as ill have to buy another car and just repair it and spent even more money, sure ill have it rebuilt soon lol

well yeah if my missus had a license i would have kept it.. i just needed a reliable car to get me to work and back everyday as i work about 40 mins away from home and the vr seriously just couldnt be trusted. and it wasnt worth keeping rego and shit to keep it so i got rid of it.. is a shame and i probably will buy another one soon enough. i cant work on the new car at all so it really isnt any fun.. i quite enjoyed pulling the vr apart every second weekend.... JUST NOT WHEN I WANTED TO BE GOING SOMEWHERE... HAHA

[lll-HUNTER-lll]

I work on commy's all the time at work and all the problems tend to be the same -
Rocker cover gaskets
Valley cover gasket
Timing cover corroded out
Timing cover gasket
Harmonic balancer seal
Harmonic balancer fallen appart - makes a bad noise
Crank angle sensor
Engine mounts
Power steering pump, rack and resivour leaking
Link pin bushes
link pins snaped
All the bushes in the front end
Rear trans seal
Center CV joint
Trailing arm bushes
Panhard rod bushes
Exhausts rusting out
Cat converters falling appart
Exhaust manifolds cracking
Ignition swich
Ignition barrel pin snaped

All are very common problems on the commys that come into work