Forum Member For 11 Years...might Soon Have A Vx...

Hi folks,

 

I just checked my profile and realised that I joined this forum in 2009 but have never posted... today just arranged to view and hopefully buy my first VX220!

 

If I recall correctly I joined when I was helping my friend with one of his VX's (he's a member here and has owned a few... Hi Nicol...) At that time I was considering a VX220 but ended up buying a Honda S2000. The Honda is long gone as are most of the other cars I have had since then...

 

Anyway, skip forward to today and I've just arranged to go see a car which had been advertised on ebay. It's a red cat D repaired 2005 VX220 Turbo with low miles, it needs a bit of paintwork, some tyres, and despite the low mileage will be due a timing belt due to age.

 

So, first question, how tricky is the timing belt change and where would you recommend buying the parts if I go the DIY route? I am no mechanic but have a dry garage at home to work in and currently have some time on my hands... If it's a job best left to the experts just let me know.

 

Secondly, I know it was was listed as a cat D in 2014 and subsequently repaired. I understand that it has likely been remapped but has a standard exhaust and there are no other obvious modifications. Is there anything further you would recommend checking on a cat D car, or any other checks or tests which are unique to the VX turbo in general which I should do prior to putting it into regular use?

 

Anyway, probably enough for my first post, I'm sure if I end up buying it I will be on here more regularly than I have been since 2009...

 

Cheers

Ross

Your friend sounds like a dick

if it was cat D dude to chassis damage Id be more wary than say if it needed both clams and some headlights. 

Your friend sounds like a dick

You know him only too well...

if it was cat D dude to chassis damage Id be more wary than say if it needed both clams and some headlights.

Thanks Paul. I dont know what the extent of the damage was, only that it looks like it has paint bubbling at the front and rear so potentially both clams. The headlights look fresh so I'm assuming they may have been replaced too... but I dont really know.

I have read that it's very easy for simple bump n a VX to cause an insurance company to pay out and mark as a cat D but unless they owner was a member here when it happened I cant think of any way to find out for sure.

Edited by rossd0131, 09 June 2020 - 06:54 PM.

The current registration is BL55UET in case anyone happens to be a previous owner...

I know it's had an insurance claim and whilst I'm not put off at all it would be nice to know the background if that was possible.

The current registration is BL55UET in case anyone happens to be a previous owner...

I know it's had an insurance claim and whilst I'm not put off at all it would be nice to know the background if that was possible.

Actually, I just found it on the forums myself. Seems it was light rear clam damage in 2014, one rear light, slight buckle to rear wheel and an inner toe ball joint. The member said that the subframe and box were undamaged and then went on to remap it after the repair... I probably should have searched this before asking the question...

Anyway, any advice on the best place to get the timing belt kit and whether it's a decent DIY job is welcome.

Just an update on my previous post (I meant to do this when I bought the car but been really busy)

So...I bought the car and am now the owner of a 55 plate 2005 VX220 Turbo with 35k miles.

Here is the update since I first posted the question above about the car:

From the advert and HPI check I knew it was recorded as a cat D in 2014 but didnt know much more. I could see it had been MOT'd every year and the service history showed 4 services since then then which were both good signs but I wished I knew more about what had been damaged and repaired.

Prior to viewing the car I got a very helpful message from a member on this site. He was the one that bought and repaired the car when it was damaged. He sent me a picture of the damage prior to the repair. It was very light cosmetic damage. It had a few small chips/cracks to the offside sil panel just in front of the rear wheel and also a very small chip to the paint surface on the rear clam just above it.

The member told me that he repairs cars for a living and this was the lightest damaged car he had come across so he bought it for himself to repair and use. He has owned several VX220's and confirmed that there was no chassis or structural damage which gave me the extra confidence to make travel arrangements to view the car.

So, a big thanks goes to the previous owner for his help - one of the benefits of a good owners club.

He also told that the rear offside light cover had a crack on it and was replaced and it also had new engine mounts and toe links fitted. He sold the car 3 years ago so I still had to make sure it had been looked after since then.

Since buying the car I have checked it over and am very happy with it. I took the wheel arch liner off to check behind the intercooler and can feel the fibreglass repair behind the wheel arch area of the sil panel. I can see it was repaired without removing it as the sil is still bonded in place with the original adhesive lotus used.

The bodywork is all straight, all glass original and it feels very solid to drive. There is some bubbling under the paint, most noticeable on the flat part of the rear clam around the engine cover - but I understand that this is very common and due to the original lotus/vauhall manufacturing process. I bought the car to drive rather than polish so I dont mind the odd paint defect but might look into a repair at some point in the future...


More importantly, I have had new bridgestone S001 tyres fitted as the existing rears were down to 2mm. The S001 were the best match I could find for the Bridgestones that are fitted to the front. The fonts are the standard 175 55 17 tyres which have lots of tread but are a bit dated compared to modern tire choices. I've left them on for the moment but plan to buy a set of staggered wheels when I find a good set for sale.

The service history showed that the timing belt was changed two years ago but for peace of mind I replaced the timing belt and waterpump with a full new kit. (The belt and pulleys that came off all looked pretty fresh but I feel a lot better knowing that they are now new).

I have also changed the oil, filter and coolant, replaced the expansion tank and cap with new parts, and fitted a new fanbelt and guide pulley. Most of this was preventative and not 'due' but given that I plan to keep the car for while and none of these parts are expensive it makes sense to do it all now.

I also have a new set of elise parts uprated toe links and hub bolts sitting in the garage and ready to fit when I have time - I also plan to fit some new suspension, the original dampers are low mileage but they are also 15 years old so I'm sure a fresh set will improve the ride.

So, overall I'm very happy. Still a few wee jobs to do but I've found all the advice and guides on here very helpful so far.

Cheers
Ross

if you decide to get the timing belt kit get a genuine GM  LEH kit not a LET kit. 

its easy tho  

if you decide to get the timing belt kit get a genuine GM LEH kit not a LET kit.

its easy tho

Thanks Chris.

I got the one with the metal guide pulley, which I understand is the newer LEH spec kit.

I see that it says the LEH kit has a service interval of 8 years rather than the 4 years quoted for the LET kit. Is this just because of the metal pulley or does the engine differ in other ways which make the belt last longer? (8 years seems like a long time for a rubber belt)

if you decide to get the timing belt kit get a genuine GM LEH kit not a LET kit.

its easy tho

Thanks Chris.

I got the one with the metal guide pulley, which I understand is the newer LEH spec kit.

I see that it says the LEH kit has a service interval of 8 years rather than the 4 years quoted for the LET kit. Is this just because of the metal pulley or does the engine differ in other ways which make the belt last longer? (8 years seems like a long time for a rubber belt)

The LEH engine is different but not in a way to extend the life of the belt I'd have thought, others will know, might want to post in general discussion

if you decide to get the timing belt kit get a genuine GM LEH kit not a LET kit.

its easy tho

Thanks Chris.

I got the one with the metal guide pulley, which I understand is the newer LEH spec kit.

I see that it says the LEH kit has a service interval of 8 years rather than the 4 years quoted for the LET kit. Is this just because of the metal pulley or does the engine differ in other ways which make the belt last longer? (8 years seems like a long time for a rubber belt)

The LEH engine is different but not in a way to extend the life of the belt I'd have thought, others will know, might want to post in general discussion

Thanks Igor.

This is the info on Courtenay Sport website:

Cambelt Change Cycle suggested by the manufacturer:
Z20LET :: 4 years* or 40,000 Miles*
Z20LEL :: 8 years* or 80,000 Miles*
Z20LER :: 8 years* or 80,000 Miles*
Z20LEH :: 8 years* or 80,000 Miles*
*Whichever occurs first.
Notes: The cambelt (timing belt), plastic inlet roller and tensioner are common between all the engines (i.e. the same parts). The only different is that the LEL/LER and LEH kits use a metal exhaust roller (LET uses a plastic exhaust roller). For this reason we suggest a 6 years* or 60,000 Miles* change cycle as best practice. Always use a new tensioner retaining bolt (torx head) with the LEL/LER/LEH engines.