FTO - worth it or not?

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Gracie
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FTO - worth it or not?

Post by Gracie »

I got my report from SVC and following are the major problems that were listed for fixing. The asking price for Tiptronic GPX MIVIC 95 FTO is 17000, neg to 15000. The owner says I can get the following quoted then take the $$ needed to fix off the $15000.

But is it worth it? or should I just go and find another FTO with less problems? If I was getting a quote for the items below, how much approx would it be?

-Engine Hydraulic lifter noise (i think he means the tappets?) - tapping noses of idle RPM.

- Repair oil leaks from back rear engine area- appears to be from rocker cover gaskets area. Clean and recheck after repairs. Needs wash to confirm source. Oil also of transmission sump pan area.

- Repair cause of various rattles from suspension when driving- appears to be from suspension struts

-Treat surface rust of lower front radiator support cross member and also of rear underside floor areas.

-Replace front brake pads- inners' worn approx 75%.Machine or replace disc rotors after thickness check.

-One of the tyres (sidewall gashed)

TIA :)
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Boris
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Re: FTO - worth it or not?

Post by Boris »

Well, I can tell you that with every FTO there will be problems. Straigh up. Because they are almost 10 yrs old, and if you do find a 100% clean fto, then you are paying a little bit more ofcourse.

There are two sides to this, the first one, you buy this one, and fix it up, and you won't have to worry about the same problems for some time, or if you get another one, these problems may come up in the future...

It's a very tough call, but when i was looking i walked away from a few FTO's that have has oil leaks.

The only big problem that worries me with this fto that you found is the oil leak. Oil leaks can be very expensive to fix. If you want to buy this FTO, make sure you know 100% where the leak is coming from. If it is just from the rocker cover then that isn't much of an issue.

So you can even ask the owner to take it to a designated mechanic so that he can have a look more closer.

Ok, so if it's a major oil leak, then your looking < 1,000 to fix, then while that is being done, you may as well give the tappets/lifters some adjusting, and maybe look at doing some of the other components of a major service too.

Suspension, is hard to determine, I can't really say anything as i haven't had much experience with it.

Brake pads will probably be < 150/200 to replace. ( For Good ones anyway ) New rotors, will be also that much I think so all up for that your looking at around ~ 300....

Umm, rust isn't much of a problem, that can be done like a few months down the track. Mine is still rusty. after over 6 months of ownership :?

Also if you need to replace a tyre, you have to probably replace two.... so your looking at around 200 a tyre for decent ones.

Anyway, hope that helps.

Good Luck. :wink:
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Post by mrx »

Agree with the costs estmated previously. The good thing is that you will end up with a car that has had a major service (how many km's on it?), all evident problems fixed.

When I got mine, the cam seals were weeping, and as I got it from a dealer, got them fixed under warrenty - normally a $1000 - $1500 job.

If the condition of the rest of the car is good, then it may be worth perservering. However, I really can't see the person selling it giving it too you for like $12000, as you could easily spend $3k getting every little thing fixed on it.

So, if you did go ahead with it, and they discount you for it, make sure you have the extra $$ to get it fixed, as the problems will need doing anyway.

Oh, where abouts are you? If in Sydney, take it to UAS and get a quote off them.

Best of luck - just make sure you come along to the cruises!
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Post by scracy »

Same old same you get what you pay for :wink:
<P>HKSFTO-most published fto in aust.</P>
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HiRAEdd
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Post by HiRAEdd »

My NRMA report had "noise coming from suspension, suspect front strut". In the end, that meant I replaced the entire suspension for about $1,500.
There were other things that the report mentioned too and in the end, I'm glad I got the car because I have fixed things up exactly how I want them and I know that I won't ever have to worry about some of these things ever again.
Just do your research and be _really_ sure about the car before you hand over the money.
paladin
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Re: FTO - worth it or not?

Post by paladin »

Gracie wrote:I got my report from SVC and following are the major problems that were listed for fixing. The asking price for Tiptronic GPX MIVIC 95 FTO is 17000, neg to 15000. The owner says I can get the following quoted then take the $$ needed to fix off the $15000.

But is it worth it? or should I just go and find another FTO with less problems? If I was getting a quote for the items below, how much approx would it be?

-Engine Hydraulic lifter noise (i think he means the tappets?) - tapping noses of idle RPM.

this happens to all GPx's so its nota big deal

- Repair oil leaks from back rear engine area- appears to be from rocker cover gaskets area. Clean and recheck after repairs. Needs wash to confirm source. Oil also of transmission sump pan area.

rocker cover is a prone leaker too, should cost about 600 to fix it and hte cam seals

but be carful mine had this just before it exploded in the bottom end

- Repair cause of various rattles from suspension when driving- appears to be from suspension struts

every 2nd hand car over 5 years has this

-Treat surface rust of lower front radiator support cross member and also of rear underside floor areas.

ummm WTF thats not good

-Replace front brake pads- inners' worn approx 75%.Machine or replace disc rotors after thickness check.

same on all oldish cars

-One of the tyres (sidewall gashed)

are the wheels bigger then stock? cus that happens

TIA :)
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fto617
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Post by fto617 »

hmm having cash to replace the parts is not the bad bit
its worse when u have to wait
and remember most tip box will stuff up jsut like mine
it took 3 weeks for parts to come in to have it rebuilt !
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Post by smorison »

fto617 wrote:hmm having cash to replace the parts is not the bad bit
its worse when u have to wait
and remember most tip box will stuff up jsut like mine
it took 3 weeks for parts to come in to have it rebuilt !
i strongly disagree with this...

mine has done over 108,000km's... 68,000km with me driving it... my car has done lots and lots of very fast driving on country roads and race tracks where the gearbox is given a serious workout!.... those that have been in my car with me can attest to the stresses i put on the box.

proper maintenance of your car will prevent most problems... especially not skimping on the quality of the oils you use... i use Redline ATF stuff that's worth about 28.00 / litre... (i forget the grade but if you go to UAS and ask for the stuff that goes in my car they can supply it for you) the tip box loves the stuff, i have no problems shifting down to second gear and having it hit 7000rpm if i have to... Whilst its more expensive than most other oils i figrue 120-150.00 per year on oil is a bargin to pay rather than having to repair the box.

remember guys these are grey imports a few extra dollars on where you have your car serivced or the types of consumables you use can save you thousands in the long run if something goes wrong!
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kazbah
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Post by kazbah »

HiRAEdd wrote:My NRMA report had "noise coming from suspension, suspect front strut". In the end, that meant I replaced the entire suspension for about $1,500.
I had a problem with the front suspension with a knocking noise. It turned out to be the bushes needed replacing. Here is the problem - to get to them you have to drop the subframe of the car. Parts worth $25.00 the labour is where it will hurt. I'm lucky my brother in law is a machanic and did it for me but it did take a number of hours so this would add a huge amount to the bill with mechanice charging around $50 per hour. Oh and by the way they had to drop the suspension to see what the problem was in the first place which took a few hours as well......
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Foe
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Post by Foe »

hey kazbah,
I had a knocking sound in my front and rear and without checking (the car was around 80000) replaced the bushes. Just took the front wheels off and managed to get into the single bolt holding each bush on.

Im no mechanic and it only took 1 h and $20.
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Post by mxysxy »

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kazbah
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Post by kazbah »

Foe wrote:hey kazbah,
I had a knocking sound in my front and rear and without checking (the car was around 80000) replaced the bushes. Just took the front wheels off and managed to get into the single bolt holding each bush on.

Im no mechanic and it only took 1 h and $20.
Opps forgot to mention I had a problem with the sway bar rubbers which required the dropping of the subframe and they changed the steering rack boot which was not in very good shape. So it was a combination of problems causing the knocking and also causing a slight quiver in the passenger side front wheel which in time would have scurbbed out the tyre. I did also visit http://www.funky-fto.co.uk/arb_bushes.html thanks mxysxy. The bushes were the easy part - well it was all kinda easy for me :lol: :lol: :lol:
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