Faults:

There was an ongoing issue with condensation. Unless the climate control was on, it would mist up instantly. Obviously having climate control on all the time also dented fuel economy.

Leaked oil and water throughout ownership. I just topped it up mostly, but threw some Radweld in and this seemed to cure it. The car had a very good warning system to show when you you were low.

The alarm sounder caught fire one morning on the way to work. Luckily I managed to put it out before it took hold.

The idler pulley for the auxiliary belt shattered, meaning I had to be towed home.

General Comments:

Overall a great car, especially if I'd have owned it when it was new. A smooth, fast cruiser, though not quick off the line. Doesn't feel as quick in acceleration as my automatic 2.0 Cavalier did.

Very comfy with electric windows, electric sunroof and heated seats. The only thing missing was leather upholstery.

Unfortunately very thirsty. The trip computer usually displayed no more than 24 MPG, though on a run to France I managed to average nearly 30. Only 300 miles to a tank. I was spending between £70 and £100 a week on petrol.

Rear wheel drive with switchable traction control meant regular and easy drifting.

Faults:

Camshaft sensor.

Remote control for central locking failed every other day, but simple re-sync fixed the problem.

General Comments:

Superb very very under rated car with plenty of gadgets and toys beats the highest level of a BMW.

This car keep eating the miles not had any major problems reliability wise auto-box is bullet proof engine is still very lively and economical with high miles.

Keep on top of servicing and the timing belt and tensioners and this car will see you for years of happy cheap reliable motoring.

Faults:

Here's the list:

Faulty crankshaft sensor.

Rocker cover leaking oil.

Power steering fluid leak.

Battery died, expensive replacement.

Air Con not working.

Front offside suspension knocking loudly.

Driver door seized shut (bit of grease sorted this)

Air flow sensor faulty, causing the car to cut out while idling, very annoying.

General Comments:

OK, mechanical reliability is pretty poor, its expensive to fix unless you know what you're doing and can fix yourself, running costs are crippling. It's a big car to drive and park.

Despite all that, my CD has loads of toys, which apart from A/C they all work fine, electric windows, mirrors, sunroof, seats (also heated), trip computer, remote central locking.

Its amazingly comfy in any seat especially the front electric heated ones, it can soak up the miles. The V6 engine, is a joy, silky smooth powerful and sounds great. I don't know anyone who can reach the back of the saloon's boot without falling in. Also the interior is huge, plenty of space for everyone.

I personally like the styling and blue paintwork, it feels like an expensive executive car, although I can't imagine buying this for £21000 even in 1996!

Ask anyone who knows, the Omega does have major faults, but would I have another?

Absolutely, I would love the facelifted 2.5 BMW engined diesel Omega, one day maybe!

Faults:

Misfire due to rocker gasket leaks.

General Comments:

The rocker gasket leaking on the 2.5V6 (X25XR) are not caused by the plastic rocker covers.

The engine is a similar form to that that used in the Vectra V6, only that one has Alloy heads.

The issue with the rocker gasket is that the X25Xe engine is a sealed unit. And thus relies on its positive crankcase breather system.

Most owners do not change the oil often enough. So the gunk and crap in the oil builds up, and blocks the breather box, as the block can't breathe, the pressure has to come out somewhere. It finds the weakest link in the engine, thus the rocker gasket.

Replacing the gaskets is not the answer, you have to clean out the entire breather system as well. The plug leads will fail as they are cooked in the oil that is leaking out of hte rocker gaskets. Trust me on this, I can do science me.

Cambelts » The service life was originally 80K, this was cut to 40K, as Vauxhall had a few failures, so they halved the service interval.

If your cambelt breaks its more than likely that you have had the belt changed, but not the two idler pulleys or the tensioner. The belt is good for the 80k, the tensioner is not. If you have the belt replaced, then get the pulleys and tensioner done as well.

Paint quality was increased with the mini-facelift in 1998, and a lot of the corrosion related issues were resolved.