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C6 newbie looking for advice on buying a local car

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druid   
Fri Jan 17 2020, 03:52pm
Joined: Jan 15 2020
Member No: #4224
Location: Warwickshire
Trainman wrote ...

It's worth mentioning that quite a few of us will be at Gaydon on Sunday 26th January 2020 if you fancy coming along and having a chat. In actual fact both Robert and Barry rom BL Autos are also attending........ subtle hint


Thanks Trainman.
Can I just turn up to Gaydon and pay for entry on the gate?
druid   
Fri Jan 17 2020, 04:04pm
Joined: Jan 15 2020
Member No: #4224
Location: Warwickshire
Update.....
I viewed the car this afternoon.
It seems in good nick.

A few issues:
1) Grubby seat belts all round and the driver seatbelt sticks and doesn't retract very well.

2) mould on boot carpet suggests a leaking boot seal

3) tried to ascertain if front suspension is leaking. Put wheels on full lock but couldn't really get a good view. The wheel arch liners were dry but the struts were damp. I couldn't really tell if this was water (the car had been driven yesterday and it has been wet recently). A bit nervous as I believe front suspension strut replacement is circa £600 per corner.

4) the car is quite wallowy but not sure if that's normal having never driven another example. Seemed better in Sport mode.

5) there seemed to be a little vibration from the front end although this improved at higher speeds. Strangely though this did not feedback through the steering wheel. Not sure if it is a wheel balance issue or something suspension related. Again I am not familiar with these cars so difficult to put my finger on the possible cause.

6) Only around 1 months MOT left which scares me a little.

7) very small stone chip on windscreen

8) some slight scuff and blemishes to paint work but commensurate with age of car

I would be grateful if you guys could chip in with your thoughts.

Cheers
C6Dave   
Fri Jan 17 2020, 06:57pm

Joined: Oct 01 2009
Member No: #1
Location: Northumberland
1) that's common on the light interior cars and cured by dragging the belts out through the door and jet washing them...... There is a forum post on it

2) more likely to be either coming through a rear tail light seal or the air deflector to boot lid seal - Forum posts on both exist

3) Hmm I suspect a fluid leak as water should have dried off overnight, Was it dry on the road test?

4) they can feel 'wallowy' at first drive and should 'adapt' after a few miles but the suspension is different to anything with coil springs

5) could be a worn 'Frip' joint

6) a new one is a must and would highlight anything related to 3, 4 and 5.

7) & 8) you will be hard pushed to find a perfect one at that age/mileage and it will be no worse than any other car from another brand at the same age/mileage
Website
robskiing   
Fri Jan 17 2020, 08:00pm
Joined: Jun 10 2018
Member No: #3555
Location: Coventry
Trainman wrote ...

It's worth mentioning that quite a few of us will be at Gaydon on Sunday 26th January 2020 if you fancy coming along and having a chat. In actual fact both Robert and Barry rom BL Autos are also attending........ subtle hint


Thanks Trainman.
Can I just turn up to Gaydon and pay for entry on the gate?


druid   
Fri Jan 17 2020, 08:12pm
Joined: Jan 15 2020
Member No: #4224
Location: Warwickshire
C6Dave wrote ...

1) that's common on the light interior cars and cured by dragging the belts out through the door and jet washing them...... There is a forum post on it

2) more likely to be either coming through a rear tail light seal or the air deflector to boot lid seal - Forum posts on both exist

3) Hmm I suspect a fluid leak as water should have dried off overnight, Was it dry on the road test?

4) they can feel 'wallowy' at first drive and should 'adapt' after a few miles but the suspension is different to anything with coil springs

5) could be a worn 'Frip' joint

6) a new one is a must and would highlight anything related to 3, 4 and 5.

7) & 8) you will be hard pushed to find a perfect one at that age/mileage and it will be no worse than any other car from another brand at the same age/mileage


Thanks for the response Dave and the good advice.

It was dry on the road test, but I looked at the struts before test driving in any case. I understand that the owner took the car on a trip to London and back the previous day and it was raining heavily that day.

The wheel arch liners were very dry but there seemed to be a slight wet residue around the 'bracketry' at the top of the suspension struts that could be water that had not dried or possibly suspension oil. A bit like if one sprayed a little WD40 on some dirty but otherwise dry under car components. I understand that hydraulic oil is quite thin and, if it was indeed oil, it could have become a bit more watery from spray during driving the previous day in rainy conditions. However, If it is not oil I would have expected this area to have dried off overnight as with the wheel arch liners - but honestly I'm really not sure.

The rubber 'bellows' at the top of the struts were dry as were the drive shafts below. The wet residue did not seem particularly oily, I would say slightly oily, and did not smell of hydraulic oil either - just general mucky underside of car smelly/dirty.

I am going to take another look at the car tomorrow if possible.
MGmike   
Fri Jan 17 2020, 09:39pm
Joined: May 21 2017
Member No: #3151
Location: South Queensferry
Don't buy a car with a months MOT unless a) it has a comprehensive warranty b) you do your own fixing and/or c) it's very cheap.

This one isn't cheap and therefore you should ask the owner to put a years ticket on it. If he declines it suggests he knows of a problem or two that will cost money and that should be reflected in any offer you make.

Best of luck with your deliberations and decisions...

druid   
Fri Jan 17 2020, 09:53pm
Joined: Jan 15 2020
Member No: #4224
Location: Warwickshire
MGmike wrote ...

Don't buy a car with a months MOT unless a) it has a comprehensive warranty b) you do your own fixing and/or c) it's very cheap.
This one isn't cheap and therefore you should ask the owner to put a years ticket on it. If he declines it suggests he knows of a problem or two that will cost money and that should be reflected in any offer you make.

Best of luck with your deliberations and decisions...





Thanks Mike
I agree that it would be madness to buy a car of this complexity and repair cost profile with just a few weeks MOT left.
To be fair, the seller is happy to put an MOT on the car. My concern is whether a mild leak will still enable an MOT pass. Sods law dictates that it would quickly become more serious in my ownership and result in a very expensive repair bill not long down the road. Ideally someone local who knows these cars would be able to confirm whether they are actually leaking or merely a build up of road grime or evidence of a past leak.
MGmike   
Fri Jan 17 2020, 11:00pm
Joined: May 21 2017
Member No: #3151
Location: South Queensferry
Any sign of a leak should be a fail by today's MOT standards. That being said, water tends not to flow uphill and an easy check is to lift the bellows and if it's dry underneath, no leak.
druid   
Fri Jan 17 2020, 11:30pm
Joined: Jan 15 2020
Member No: #4224
Location: Warwickshire
MGmike wrote ...

Any sign of a leak should be a fail by today's MOT standards. That being said, water tends not to flow uphill and an easy check is to lift the bellows and if it's dry underneath, no leak.


Thanks Mike!
David Hallworth   
Fri Jan 17 2020, 11:33pm

Joined: Apr 16 2010
Member No: #90
Location: Glasgow
A damp strut on a C6 is a common issue. On a 2.7 they’re about 600 quid before fitting. If you’re thinking of buying it I wouldn’t let it put you off, just use it as a negotiating point.

I’d imagine it’ll pass an MOT with a damp strut but it’ll get an advisory on a light misting probably.


David.
druid   
Fri Jan 17 2020, 11:57pm
Joined: Jan 15 2020
Member No: #4224
Location: Warwickshire
Thanks David

That's very helpful.

I hope to be able to view the car again and request that I am able to take the front wheels off to get a proper look.

If only one front strut is affected do they still need to be replaced in pairs?
C6Dave   
Sat Jan 18 2020, 08:39am

Joined: Oct 01 2009
Member No: #1
Location: Northumberland
druid wrote ...


If only one front strut is affected do they still need to be replaced in pairs?

No you can change one. If you look at the top of the strut in the engine bay you should see a date stamped on it - Click Here - so you can see if they have been replaced in the past.
Website
Trainman   
Sat Jan 18 2020, 12:01pm

Joined: Apr 12 2010
Member No: #86
Location: Penwortham
Trainman wrote ...

It's worth mentioning that quite a few of us will be at Gaydon on Sunday 26th January 2020 if you fancy coming along and having a chat. In actual fact both Robert and Barry rom BL Autos are also attending........ subtle hint


Hi Trainman I would be interested in attending what time are you meeting etc

Meeting starts at 10:00 There's a discounted rate to get into the museum of £10 payable to Freakyfrenchfan (Simon) upon arrival. There's also dedicated C6 parking.

there's a thread here: - Click Here -
Barry1968   
Wed Mar 04 2020, 11:26am
Joined: Mar 04 2020
Member No: #4271
Location: Amsterdam
druid wrote ...

Update.....
I viewed the car this afternoon.
It seems in good nick.

A few issues:
1) Grubby seat belts all round and the driver seatbelt sticks and doesn't retract very well.

2) mould on boot carpet suggests a leaking boot seal

3) tried to ascertain if front suspension is leaking. Put wheels on full lock but couldn't really get a good view. The wheel arch liners were dry but the struts were damp. I couldn't really tell if this was water (the car had been driven yesterday and it has been wet recently). A bit nervous as I believe front suspension strut replacement is circa £600 per corner.

4) the car is quite wallowy but not sure if that's normal having never driven another example. Seemed better in Sport mode.

5) there seemed to be a little vibration from the front end although this improved at higher speeds. Strangely though this did not feedback through the steering wheel. Not sure if it is a wheel balance issue or something suspension related. Again I am not familiar with these cars so difficult to put my finger on the possible cause.https://www.rdwkenteken.nu/

6) Only around 1 months MOT left which scares me a little.

7) very small stone chip on windscreen

8) some slight scuff and blemishes to paint work but commensurate with age of car

I would be grateful if you guys could chip in with your thoughts.

Cheers


All these things look like normal stuff you could get with a car this age. I'm really interested if you bought the car.
Lighty   
Mon Mar 30 2020, 09:28pm
Joined: Apr 27 2015
Member No: #2140
Location: Derbyshire
Hi I recently bought a super shiny black 2007 C^ My son drove it from the UK to Portugal 1500 miles no problems . But take a word of advice .. the running gear , calipers anything metal / steel under the car will almost certainly be a mass.of crusty corrosion .

Mine has spent the last two months on 2ft axle stands .I love tinkering even at 75 years young .

the handbrake sort of worked but groaned Under application .Both inner cables were rusty and had broken strands showing .

all of the calipers were tight due to the corrosion swelling the dust boots onto the pistons .The pads were almost solid, again due to the corrosion swelling and jamming the pads back plates .

I removed the electric handbrake black box and serviced both handbrake cables .Been waiting three weeks for new cables .. but with the lock down caused by the CCP virus. I am not going to hold my breath or wait any longer . Thankfully all of the caliper pistons were in perfect condition .. .


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