buying an SVX

[pottsy]

Getting close to buying my first SVX - done plenty of reading about them and know that the auto box is the weak link in the car. Have seen that most seem to have had major work done on the gearboxes at around the 60k mile point - what experience have people had of the gearboxes lasting for at least as long after the work was done? Some of the cars I have looked at have additional oil coolers + filters fitted - would it be realistic to expect the box to last for a least another 6ok miles after this work or is it wishful thinking?

Anything else I should be looking at mechanically before buying the car - I believe rear bearings are a weakness as well?

[svxistentialist]

Hi Pottsy

I see you got the site working.

Welcome to the network.:D :D

Hopefully the problems the administrators are having will be sorted. There is a lot of information on here about the cars, we probably have information on problems encountered by hundreds of owners.

Although the gearbox is problematic and costly, otherwise the car is very reliable. I find mine very quiet, secure, safe on the road and a joy to drive.
[Rob, the previous owner of A5, will contact you by email, by the way]

If the gearbox is going or gone, you should budget around 2K to fix it properly. This would include fitting an extra cooler if one was not already fitted. The box is complex, and if you ever have to repair it, get real experts. Done properly, your refurb box will last 60K or much more with proper maintenance.

If you hear a growly sound, that will be one of the rear bearings, they go. Not wildly expensive to fix, but again, needs fitting by an expert to prevent a relapse.

Not much else goes wrong, except the driver's visor can get floppy, and the driver's window switch can break with rough use. Otherwise the cars are bordering on bulletproof.

Best of luck with it, I think Rob is regretting selling that car:) :D

Joe:)

[svxistentialist]

Almost forgot.

Heavy repeated braking from high speeds can warp the front rotors. Check it out on a test drive. You may get a shimmy through the steering once warmed up. New rotors can be had very reasonable.

Joe:)

[b3lha]

Hi Pottsy, welcome to the club.

You've clearly done a bit of research and you are right, the gearbox and the rear wheel bearings are the main weaknesses.

My understanding of the gearbox problem is that the cooler becomes blocked up and then the tranmission overheats. If the transmission gets fixed, but the cooler is still blocked, then the new transmission is going to end up the same way.

I would expect that the cars which have been fitted with additional coolers and filters are less likely to suffer the problem again. Particularly if the fluid is changed regularly. I see no reason why a transmission should not last 66k or more after these modifications.

As for the wheel bearings, everybody says they're a problem, but I've only had one done in 4 years, so it's not a huge problem. I had a Vauxhall previously which needing doing every year. There has been a suggestion that the failures may be due to some garages using incorrect grease.

Don't be put off by all the stories on this site about things going wrong. Apart from the gearbox, the SVX is IME as reliable as any other car of the same age and complexity.

Phil.