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 **** 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 ****

 

[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.