# DW Car Diary Thread (post a review of your car,monthly prize)



## Deano

*update-23/5/11-*In an effort to get some momentum going, the best review each month will win a DW sticker. It doesn't have to be funny like clarkson, just well informed and helpful to future buyers. The admin team will pick a winner each month providing there are more than four entries.

Seeing as every other day there's a thread in off topic asking about pros and cons of various cars, I thought maybe I'd start a "diary" thread for people to post in. If anyone has read Evo or top gear, its along the lines of the long term tests they do. Its all very well reading a test drive section but you cant really get a better review (IMO) of a car than from someone that actually owns one. So by all means people please add your own car. If you can include recent costs for servicing and maintenance etc and pros and cons of ownership. Hopefully, if enough people contribute, we could well have a very good reference point for prospective buyers of your cars make and model.

I'm not expecting any of you to want to buy a car like mine but seeing as I posted the thread I'll get things rolling.

1999 Rover 75 CDT










I've had the car 4 years now and today it failed its first MOT since I took ownership. Not all bad though as it was just the front discs that needed replacing. £130 fitted wasnt too big a bill to swallow but I had just replaced the rear tyres (16inch kumho ecsta sport) at £75 a corner. It was also insurance renewal time which after shopping around, adrian flux was the best quote at £287 with the remap declared. Thats for a 32 year old, car kept on the street with 12 years no claims and they took the fact I passed my IAM test and knocked a good chunk off because of it. Not a lot of insurance companies do that. So all in all quite an expensive couple of days.

Now with it being a Rover, its very much a buyers car. Values have plummeted but you can get some real bargains. I paid 4k for mine 4 years ago so its worth about half a bag of smarties now and that 4 years hasnt been plain sailing.

The clutch went which was very expensive as the fly wheel had given up the ghost and to change the clutch the subframe has to come out. Just over a grand to sort. yeowch. That was early in ownership so always check the clutch is ok if buying. Pull away form about 30mph in forth and check for slipping. Any juddering could indicate a knackered flywheel so avoid if it does this. The 116 bhp engine is gutless TBH. The engine variants are marked by CDT (116 bhp) and CDTi (132 ish bhp). A remap has sorted mine as well as a high flow air filter. Acceleration isnt the cars forte as its a big old bus. Torque however is really nice. With the remap done the car pulls like a train in fifth. 50 to 70 is over very quickly with a nice "meaty" feel thanks to a heavier fly wheel.

Things to look out for--
the ECU is located between the bulkhead and engine bay IN the plenum drain so if it gets flooded you'll fry the ecu. Easy fix though as the plenum gromits just need cutting at the bottom to aid drainage. just check every few months the drains are clear. A wire coat hanger shoved through the bottom drain channel unblocks it.

Diesel smell- check for this as it could indicate leaking injectors. Not cheap to fix. Mine went and cost me quite a bit.

The engine and a lot of the trim is BMW made and stamped so quality is up there, go for the connouiser level if you can as these are fully loaded.

Servicing is pretty much middle of the road price wise. As there are no Rover dealers anymore a good independent is recommended.

When changing the oil filter make sure no oil drips on the alternator as its directly underneath.

The retro interior is not to everyones taste but if it is your bag you'll love it. Wood steering wheels are sought after. Check the airbag decal on the passenger side. If its on a small badge its fake wood. If its gold and under the laquer its real. later models where scrimped on a little due to what Rover called "project drive". Rover badges in the rear quarter panels and Rover badges on the key is evidence the car is pre project drive and has all the bits on. these cars are quite sought after by Rover nuts.










The Diesel is very smooth and very very quiet. The ride makes up for dull handling as its super smooth and cossetting.

*Update 25/01/2010-* the winter has taken its toll on the old battery so a new one was needed. being a diesel the battery is a big old thing. halfords wanted £120 for a decent bosch one. The same battery at my local motor factors was £75. 

So that the idea folks. There are many many more interesting cars than mine owned by DW members so please, if you can spare a few minutes give us the low down on your car and in time we could have quite a decent database for people to refer to. Dont forget to update if you like with any maintenance costs that arise.

*update 24/2/10*  oh dear. my beloved 75 is on borrowed time. She has developed a nasty cough which is pointing to the in tank fuel pump. Once this is fixed it's time to cut my losses. So if anyones ownes a golf GTTDI please post a review cos i'm looking for one.


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## VIPER

No takers for this then? :tumbleweed:

We thought it would be a good 'rolling' dairy for what cars are like to live with on a daily basis; and in time a good database for people thinking about buying a specific model to refer to, to see what needs looking out for etc.

:thumb:


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## nick-a6

just a thought maybe change the thread title to something relating to thread contents?


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## VIPER

nick-a6 said:


> just a thought maybe change the thread title to something relating to thread contents?


Good idea, mate: Done :thumb: (Hope you don't mind, Dean )


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## Gruffs

I'll do mine in a minute.

No photos for a bit though as i'm at work.


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## noop

Also useful if the top post contained a list of vehicle make and model in the diary


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## VIPER

noop said:


> Also useful if the top post contained a list of vehicle make and model in the diary


But it's open for everyone to contribute to, and we don't know what you all drive?

Anyone can just post up anything they want, and then if/when at a later date there's sufficient different models with running reports, I'll ask a mod to seperate them out into threads of their own according to car makes (or I'll do it). We'll have to see how popular it proves to be first, so this thread will suffice for the time being :thumb:


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## nick-a6

Audi A6 2.5 V6 TDI

Owned the car for 4 years in April love it to bits, previously I have changed my car every year or less out of pure boredom and frustration with the car. Never felt that with the A6 even after some hefty repair bills.

It's quite very spacious and comfy; mine has lowered suspension and does hardly alright for such a big heavy bugger. The power is enough off the line isn't anything special but the 300flb of torque is lovely 

Mpg on a long motorway run I have seen 55MPG 600miles out of one tank, however town driving will see low 30MPG even less if you have a heavy right foot.

The only problem with the car is being Audi the repair bills. Last MOT required new headlights at a cost of £136 each! The reason the adjusters broke but of course you can just buy the adjusters.

Other large bills including an oil leak in the middle of the V which took out the alternator this combined with a major cam belt service etc cost over £1000.

Brake Pads seem to last for ages I'm 60k on mine and are they just starting to get to the limit. Mines not the Quattro version so tyre wear is minimum if the tracking is kept inline.

Some common faults include the electric windows go down but will not go back up again; extreme cases new motor and clips £60. Or it can be just the clips if you can source just the clips.

But overall I would say it's a good car if well looked after, mines showing over 160k and still going strong.

Sorry if that review is a bit bitty; I'm not exactly a wordsmith


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## Gruffs

*SEAT Leon MkII 140tdi Reference Sport*

I bought this car a year ago after having an Ibiza 1.9PD Sport. I do over 20K miles a year and i wanted something that had a good amount of grunt and was still comfortable. I drove virtually all the cars in the Leon bracket. The Civic was just a bit ****e, everything was there but it felt a bit crap and empy if you know what i mean (model before this btw). The Focus was HARD. it drove well but man it was hard. VAG cars crash but the focus was hard all the time. Peugeot 207 was SSSLLOOOWWWW, the Megane was nice but grey inside. You know that french grey that get dirty and looks old. Yuck. I kept coming back to the VAG diesels in various guises. It's what i know and love i guess. I found the Octavia a bit too big and in all but the VRS, it's a bit staid. The Golf was too expensive for the step up in quality and the A3 is even more so. I liked the look of the Leon and as other manufacturers have loosly followed the shape, i guess others do too. 
*
EDIT: Just seen the new Astra. It looks like a MkII Leon and a MkV ibiza hopped on the good foot and did the bad thing. *

I drove the 170BHP FR Leon and fell in love. The handling was good and the quality was a step up from the Ibiza MkIV (not hard really). The ride was a little crashy but given the tyre profile, i would have lived with it. However, i couldn't justify the cost at point in time so i had a look at a '56 plate Reference Sport. The engine has 30 less BHP and less torque than the FR but it is still quick enough to live with my dads 320d coupe (i'm guessing weight is a factor).

The Refrence Sport has sports seats (which are great) and 16" wheels on 55 profile rubber. This means that the ride is better but it doesn't take to the twisties quite like the FR. That doesn't mean it is bad, far from it. It's a bit slower to turn in and there is ultimately less grip. the higher profile tyres means it moves a bit and there is more roll. However, this isn't such a big deal as i only drive like a bat out of hell when i need to so i think i made the better choice for everyday driving.

As for the equipment levels. I have cruise control (having used it in the states, i love it and i can't imagine the A14 without it now. set at 69 and don't worry about the average speed cameras) as an option from the original owner of my car and also a factory iPod dock. I keep a small Gen2 Nano in the car and only take it out to change the playlists about. it is another godsend. Over and above this, it has AC but not climate control. However, in VAG cars, the AC now controls the temp to a temp and not just blow hot or cold. So if i set it to the mid-point of 26, when it reaches 26, it blows cold to moderate the temp. After this, there is electric front windows, Electric and heated mirrors, auto-dimming rear view mirror (also brilliant). Traction control, ESP, ABS etc.

I'm averageing 50MPG in it. This goes up to 57+ on a motorway run and never below 42 over a journey long enough to be meaningful.

I had a 40K service this year with an MOT. It had a split CV joint gaiter which was replaced. Off the top of my head, the cost was about £250. I'm having 4 Pirelli P7s and a 4 wheel alignment done next week. the tyres are £86 and the alignment £80. I can't really comment on part cost as nothing has gone wrong with it (frantically touches wood.........oo er).

On SEAT ownership in general. It's been great. As far as dealer experience goes, I've had SEATs for 4 years now and Marshall SEAT in Cambridge were so impersonal and acted like it was their right to take my money for servicing. The Ibiza had high mileage and so i had it serviced at a VAG independant in Burwell Cambs who gave me a courtesy car (knackered A4 but it's still a car) whereas, Marshall would not. With the Leon, i went to Cecil and Larter in Bury St. Edmunds and they were excellent throughout the sale, i drove 5 of their cars and didn't buy for a year but they never got annoyed or tetchy. The after sales have also been excellent with a courtesy car (had to pay for insurance but hey) and the tyre quote was better than the VAT free prices ATS quoted my dad (he owns a transport company and has since reviewed his account).

It cost me £9500 with 29K on the clock and it does everything well and nothing badly (Neither is it exceptional at anything). It's a very middling car and i freely admit it. But, i have no cause to complain. I still think it looks great from the front 3/4 view. I wish i could afford that FR though.

For what it's worth the 140 is pre DPF and can be chipped though i have never felt the need. It has enough grunt to overtake when you need to and if you need more, you are overtaking at illegal speeds. So the extra the FR offers was not really necessary.

If i could wish for anything, it would be that the interior was a bit more designed and a bit less slab of plastic. That has been addressed in the model revision '09. Oh, and some bigger wheels.

On the down side, i think the looks of the Leon are spoilt in Cupra guise and the FR is much more understated. It's a choice thing again but it seems to go from Kate Beckinsale to Katie Price from the FR to the Cupra. It's just a bit 'Halfords'. (sorry Cupra owners).

To me, as a late-20s man with a significant other and a wedding to pay for. I cannot for the life of me understand how VW sell so many cars. I cannot get into a Golf and justify the extra cost. I really can't and if i could, surely i would buy the Audi? With the Leon, i got VAG quality, a good looking car and imo, excellent VFM. Sorry Golf owners.

The look of the car matters to me and i couldn't afford the very new at the time Octavia VRS and didn't like the lesser models. So the Leon was the logical choice.

In summation, I'm really happy with my car. It hasn't gone wrong and has done everything asked of it really well. It's also rarer than many cars on the road.

*All this is just my opinion of my own car.*

Gruffs

EDIT: Will never buy a black car again though :lol:


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## VIPER

Thanks gents - just what we had in mind :thumb: 

As I say, a single thread will do for the time being, but obviously as this grows (hopefully), it could then become time consuming to search through, so we'd split it up into say; VAG, Ford, Vauxhall, Japanese Marques and so on.


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## Deano

and i'd be all alone in the rover section. :lol:


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## VIPER

I think I'll attempt to 'bump start' this thread by temporarily moving it into off topic (can always move it back to the car maintenance zone at a later date, once it's gained some exposure and a bit of momentum). :thumb:


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## RenesisEvo

Oooh interesting thread, I've been keeping a detailed log of my new car, will have to get it up on here when time permits.

EDIT: see below...


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## ksm1985

I drive a 2008 Ford Fiesta ST in moondust silver, did a 900 mile round trip to pick it up back in march 2009. It had 2k on the clock but i've now added 16k to that.

Not had one single problem with the car, 2 new front tyres is all that has been needed (around £90 each fitted) Running costs are average for a hatchback, £43 gets me about 230 miles, road tax is up to £175 and insurance is £600 for a 24 yr old with 4 years ncb

Good solid car, nice simple interior, great engine, brakes work very well and i think its great to drive, however a 6th gear would be great as it revs quite high when cruising at 70-80mph, bluetooth, heated leather, folding mirrors, parking sensors, sunroof, 6 airbags are good additions to the car


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## alan_mcc

*MK2 Fiat Punto*









Okay, maybe not the most desirable of cars but for a fun, first/runaround car it's perfect.

My car has the 1.2 8v engine producing a whopping 60bhp.. which may sound slow but due to the fact the car weighs around 850kg it's like a little go kart.
The car in general is very marmite - you ever love it or hate it, especially the front end. It can either look very modern or very aged - due to the straight edges, but the headlights make the car look very 'young' with the projector style lamps.










The engine is very 'revvy', which makes me think the gearbox has very short ratios? 3rd is definetly the gear for this car, putting the foot down can get a decent amount of speed (for a 15y/o) and no labouring.

The only experience I have of driving this car, is on gravel, stones and tarmac. By far the most fun was the stones, the wheelspin (expected) was great fun aswell as being able to wing it around a corner and get a bit of sideways until sliding to a miserable stop.

The engine bay is very basic, easy to work on. Huge airbox hiding the rockercover (need to get that rust treated asap ) -









It's also very small, good for parking in tight spaces - hows this? 










I'm not sure if thats what you meant or what


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## -ROM-

Audi A3 TDI 170 Sport

I've owned this car from new and in the next few weeks it will be replaced. In short i've been very impressed!

*Cost*

The Audi badge is classed as one of the premium brands and as a result you are paying for the badge to some extent. A big argument leveled towards the A3 is the fact that it's really just a tarted up VW Golf, which is true in some respects. Each A3 shares the same chassis, engine, gearbox, etc with its Golf equivalent. However this only tells half the story, the A3 feels and looks a lot more grown up and classy than that of the golf, also the understated yet stylish looks also have their own appeal.

*On the road*

The handling of the car is very good, even with the heavy diesel engine at the front. However it is somewhat uninspiring, whilst it will go round a corner in a safe and secure manner it doesn't thrill you. Think about traveling in a Boeing 747 or a high speed train, yes you're going fast, but it doesn't excite you!

As for speed and power the story is very similar, yes the 170PS engine with 258 lb ft of torque means it's a pretty rapid vehicle but due to the diesel engine, it does it in such a way that it doesn't really get your blood pumping.

So yes, it handles well for a FWD hatchback and it does shift, you just won't find yourself taking it for a drive on a Sunday morning purely for the driving pleasure.

*Interior*

This is one of Audi's biggest selling points. The interior quality is second to none; from the quality of the materials used to the way it's screwed together, in the whole time i've owned the car it's not had a single squeak or rattle.

The seats are supportive and comfortable however a few of the larger passengers i've carried have complained that the bolsters in the sport seats can dig in to the thighs a little on long journeys.

*Practicality*

The boot space is adequate with 350 litres and no bigger or smaller than you'd expect of a car in this class.

Front and rear legroom is reasonable however being a 3-door it's not a particularly elegant affair getting in and out of the back seats. If you only have rear passengers occasionally then it's fine as once they're in, the rear seats and legroom are plenty comfortable. However if you carry more than one passenger on regular occasions then the 5-door would be the better option.

*Economy/running costs*

Being a diesel this is, as expected, one of the cars strong points. In my experience of real world driving you should get about 53MPG on a motorway run, 42MPG around town and expect that figure to drop to about 35MPG if you have a lead foot and enjoy the occasional B road blast.

As far as tyres are concerned under normal driving conditions expect about 12-14k miles from the front before they're approaching the legal limit and about 20k miles from the rear.

Servicing is quite reasonable, with the variable intervals i've found it needs servicing approximately every 18 thousand miles, expect to pay about £250 for a minor service and £350-£400 for a major service.

*Reliability*

In the entire three years i've owned the car it has been faultless, only requiring standard consumable items when serviced and new tyres.

*Other issues/observations*

When burning your own music, the CD player is a little fussy over what CD-R discs it will accept.

The front bolsters on the sport seats are prone to wearing.

The 07 model being the old TDI as opposed to the new common rail means when cold it's not the most refined of engines.

The front mats wear very quickly where the heel of your foot sits when pressing the brake pedal.


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## RenesisEvo

_Ford Focus 2007 (57) 'Mk2' 1.6TDCi 110PS 5dr Style, Sea Grey Metallic_


















Please note: The following represents entirely my opinion and experience of ownership of one particular car (although my girlfriend is on her second Focus). Therefore your experience may be entirely different. I do hope however, this gives prospective buyers a much more detailed insight in one place.
The car is awaiting a full detail in the spring, and so has not been cleaned since purchase, save a few touchless applications of a petrol station powerwash, and the occasional hoover and wipe-down with PB natural look inside. Hence the car is not very clean in the pictures.

*Why a Focus?*
Having owned a '97 Nissan Almera 1.4 for just over a year, I wanted to upgrade to something similar. I've never been a fan of really small cars, I prefer to have some practicality. Five doors is a must as I'm always taking friends places. I settled on a Focus after a test drive, the handling was good, being common servicing and parts would not be expensive, and it would be a bit newer than the Vauxhall Signums and Astras I was also looking at. The ability of the car to do largely everythinig I could ask of it over the next 3 years was key - something that could move lots of stuff, take friends in comfort, be entertaining down a B-road, and yet still put up with a commute to work if needed without costing a fortune to run.

My girlfriend had a 3-door Mk2 Focus, and the doors are extremely long, making car park damage likely as they need a lot of space to get a wide enough opening. A car as big as the Mk2 Focus isn't really suited to 3 doors unless it's the ST or RS, and the rear seats aren't used much, if at all. I must admit spending time in her car, noticing the quality of the interior, lack of squeaks and rattles, and so far sound reliability, swayed me towards the Focus. The plastics lower down around the feet do feel a bit cheap however, but you can't have it all for a car in this segment. It's not a pretty car, but neither is it ugly. Lack of colour-coding really cheapens the look on base models; the top-spec ones manage to avoid the realms of vulgarity with their chrome trim.

*Engine*
Diesel was a must for me due to the better economy and performance over the equivalent petrol. The 1.6TDCi is a joint PSA/Ford unit also used in the MINI Cooper D, and knowing how strong that unit was swung it for me. The 1.8TDCi is based on an older TDDi unit, and offers no real gains in refinement or output, and so is best avoided. There are two outputs for the 1.6: 90 and 110PS. I ended up with the 110 purely out of coincidence, however in hindsight the 90 might prove a little gutless at higher speeds, as the 110PS noticeably starts to run out of puff above 90 (private road). Tax-wise, this car drops in the lowest band above the £35 band - £120/year, dropping to £110 soon. The later Mk2.5 with DPF gets itself into the £35 band. On paper therefore, a cheap car to run.

*Trim*


















The levels for this car start at Studio (no A/C), then (from memory) LX, Sport, Style, Zetec, Zetec S, Ghia/Titanium, Ghia/Titanium X, ST, ST2, ST3. For me, the 3-spoke leather steering wheel was a must, the lack of silver trim on the base models (Studio, LX) makes the interior a bit too dark and depressing. The Style comes with a improved facia for the 6000 series stereo which suits the interior well. Unfortunately there is no aux-in as standard, but it can be fitted. The head unit accepts CD-Rs but I have yet to get it to display track titles properly. Good sound quality, with separate tweeters in the front.

The handbrake is on the 'wrong' side (fine for LHD cars), but actually works quite well, stopping you elbowing the seat when applying it. For this reason I would avoid buying a car with the optional central armrest, whilst you do get a little more storage under it, it really makes using the handbrake awkward, especially if you're tall like me and need to sit further back. The column-mounted stereo controls are joyous to use, I wouldn't go without them. The driver's seat has plenty of adjustment, and the steering wheel moves in reach and rake, although it could do with a bit more reach for the taller driver.

The Style also lacks a heated front windscreen, which would have been useful on several occasions but the heating works well and reasonably quickly. The heater fan does make quite a bit of noise on the top two settings. Cruise control would also have been nice, but it's not really common until you get to the high spec cars. Front fog lights and body colour-coding make a huge difference to the appearance of the car. The Style has neat steel-wheels that are shaped to match the wheeltrims, so it looks like an alloy wheel, but isn't a problem if you kerb it.

My particular car came with a full-size spare (as do all Hertz cars apparently), which whilst being much better in an emergency, does rob some of the depth from the boot. The tools and jack sit under the wheel. The polystyrene tray around the spare adds some useful space, but the odd shape means it's hard to make the most of it. Currently it's home to a set of jump leads.


















*Driving*
5 gears to play with. Shifting is nice and positive, but it can be hard to engage first when the drivetrain hasn't warmed up. In-gear acceleration is fantastic, 240Nm of torque pull it along with ease, even with 5 people on board. Below 1800rpm there isn't a lot of power, but once it gets above this point it pulls like a train to past 4000. 3rd gear is very flexible, getting you from 25mph to 70+. I do feel a 6th gear would help if made the rest of the gears a little shorter. 4th is only really useable above 35, and 5th above 50, otherwise the car is labouring and unresponsive. 70mph in 5th is around 2100-2150rpm, 60mph is around the 1850rpm mark.

The steering weight can be altered using the standard trip computer, which gives you average and instant mpg, average speed, temperature and a few other things. I find the 'Comfort' steering setting a bit numb and lifeless around town. I have it set to Sport, which offers good feed-back for the most part, although over ruts it can seem to be a bit of an effort to keep the car straight, probably due to the wide (205 section) tyres. I imagine Normal is somewhere in-between the two settings.

It is very sure-footed at speed with good road manners, with 70 feeling little different to 40. On initial turn-in to corners it can feel a bit odd at times, the compliance makes the car feel like its wandering around at the back, and can be a bit unnerving. This may be due to the tyres on the car, one of the rears is looking a bit thin, and is shortly to be replaced by the dealership, as agreed as part of the sale. You do notice the weight of the car moving around, it's not light at around 1350kgs.

I haven't really chucked the car about yet, but it has always felt solid and reasonably responsive; on an advanced driving day it was pleasant to pilot through the corners, if nothing special. The snow and ice recently proved it can provide good feed back if you can get past the weird behaviour from the compliance. It also handled the snow well despite the wide tyres. The brakes stop the car well, but when applied lightly they feel very wooden. Give them a firm shove and you can feel them bite, but quickly the pedal seems to go a little bit soft and numb. You can notice the ABS kicking in, but it's hard to get a feel for when it might happen, it catches you by surprise. This maybe due to the brake fluid requiring a change at the next service, time will tell. I had a lot more confidence on the brakes with the Almera for certain.
There is reasonable vision out the back but you won't be able to spot low objects like bollards due to the high tailgate line. It is also quite a large car (nearly 2metres wide) and the folding mirrors only make a tiny difference. The Mk2.5 mirrors are a lot better in that they actually fold flat to the car.

*Ownership*
The car was acquired from a Ford dealer on the 4th October 2009. Having found a Focus that met my criteria in terms of mileage, warranty, trim, engine and locality, I was plenty surprised to find an example in a nice shade (Sea Grey) with a well-matched interior colour scheme. The dealers were helpful and pleasant. I paid just under £6700 for this car (financed), the price being a little above the book price (which I was shown the invoice for, would you believe!) so I was very happy. I still haven't seen a similar spec Focus for anywhere near as low a price. When new, the car would have been around £17-19k, (the equivalent Mk2.5, same trim, engine etc. bought today would be £19k!) so depreciation has been fairly steep in the first few years, but the car will not lose a significant chunk more over the next 3 years, especially as I am not likely to exceed 100k miles.

Built at Ford's Valencia plant on the 2nd of September 2007, my particular car was first registered on the 10th December 2007 by Hertz UK, and covered 44396 miles before I obtained the keys. This seems a lot for a 21-month old car, but being used as a managerial fleet car it was well-maintained, being serviced every 12,500 miles as required. At least I knew it hadn't been subjected to lots of short trips, or so I hope anyway. With 14 months warranty remaining I figured it would be better than an older, lower-mileage example with no comeback if there were any issues.
Since then, I have covered a mere 1973 miles, filling up with 150.06 litres of diesel on top of the full tank I was given on collection. This is a mix of 300-mile round trips on motorways, and shorter urban runs. The car has worked quite hard helping me move house, but it swallowed plenty of gear with little fuss. The rear seat base cushion swings up so the seats fold flat once the headrests are removed, but beware that you may have to slide the front seats forward a little bit to get them to go flat.

*Servicing*
The fourth service is due at the start of May (after 1 year; I can't see that I will reach 50k before then unless I start commuting somewhere else), and will allow be to report back on ownership costs a bit more. The interval is 12,500 miles; cambelt at 125,000 apparently, although I wouldn't let it get past 75,000 as there are reports of early failures, and it will largely total the engine, leaving you with a hefty bill out of warranty.

*Economy*
So far I've achieved around 55-56mpg with some careful driving and some enthusiastic application of the right foot. It will achieve the quoted 56.9mpg, and the trip computer indicates 70mpg when cruising steady at the national speed limit. It does fall to around 43/44 with urban trips, as would be expected. Realistically, expect 550 miles from the 52-litre tank, but I have managed well over 630 between stops.

*Problems*
A few minor things. One of the belts in the engine squeaks at idle, hot or cold, so I'm going to have the car looked at. Hopefully it's just the belt tensioners needing adjustment. 
When opening the boot during/after rain, water used to pour into the boot from the tailgate, where it sits at the base of the glass. This is a common Mk2 problem; Ford released a fix for this for the facelift, two plastic rails that channel the water up the tailgate when it's opened, as can be seen in the photo. £10 a side seems a little steep, but they are easy to fit (no tools required, just a bit of tapping with your fist) and work well.

Before and after:
















Not really the car's fault - a nail in the front tyre just before New Year's meant a replacement was needed. At this point I was really grateful to have a full-size spare, with everything shut over the holidays, and the subsequent chaos with all the snow, being able to drive around normally, even on motorways, was a good thing. I would point out it does say 80km/h max on the spare even though the tyre is of the full spec, with correct load rating.
I bought a new Bridgestone Turanza ER300 from Blackcircles.com. The Focus takes 205/55 R16 91V, so a single tyre set me back £75. A bit much compared to the £45 for the Almera's Goodyears, but I will never skimp on rubber as I believe it to be a false economy, and this being the OEM-spec tyre, it works very well . The car on collection was fitted with two of these on the back, and two Firestones fuel-savers on the front, and coped very well with wet and dry, although the tyre roar was a little obtrusive. Once I have Bridgestones all round I will report back on that - the nail thankfully claimed one Firestone, so only one left. Unfortunately 2000 miles is not enough time to comment on wear, suffice to say that the rear tyres seem to wear quicker on the outside; this is a Focus trend according to the people fitting the new tyre.

*The Future*
I'd like to fit a LHD rear fog light to balance the look of the car at the rear, and also fit an aux-input to the stereo so I can use an MP3 player. I already have a brand new set of wheel trims to go on the car, but they need lacquering as Ford have cut corners by only doing the front face, which means the brake dust will stick to the sides of the spokes.

I have replaced the scratched centre-console rubber mat, and added one into the pocket by the driver's side to turn it into a more useful space (everything falls out under acceleration otherwise). The mat is only standard on the high spec cars, but can be had for around £5 from Ford. I also added a set of carpet mats, £28 from my local dealer, who also fitted them for me free of charge. A full detail (by hand..!) is planned, and maybe when I learn machine polishing, or save enough to get someone to do it, it will be fully corrected as well.

*Summary*
The diesel engine serves up economy and grin-inducing levels of torque, combined with a capable chassis and a very practical body. A few minor gripes, such as ineffectual folding mirrors, difficulty selecting 1st from 2nd when cold, and slightly woolly handling in part, but very little to complain about so far - it is early days yet. My biggest gripe is simply that everyone has a Focus, so at no point does it stand out from the crowd. Not as classless as a Golf but it seems equally at home on a rough estate or a posh suburban driveway. A solid and competent all-rounder in my opinion, even if it doesn't stir the soul in every department.


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## Deano

thats a corking write up. thanks for contributing.


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## RenesisEvo

Deano said:


> thats a corking write up. thanks for contributing.


Thanks, it was my pleasure :thumb:


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## Ian D

1997 Volkswagen Golf VR6

This will be short, but will be updated and I will try to find a picture form my Showroom post.

I bought this Golf after having to sell my 2007 Focus ST3 due to the downturn in the construction industry leaving me without a job. Luckily I only ended up out of work for 1 week, and have now just started a new permanent position. So things are looking up.

I paid quite a lot for this car, considering, but I bought it based on condition and mileage. For a 1997 car it had just 69000 miles on the clock, good specification including Recaro trim and climate control, which was something I wanted. I know that i will be upgrading and changing parts when I can.

First job, was to get the car serviced, when I say get the car serviced, I mean go to Euro car parts and buy the parts I need, and get the tool box out!!

Standard service items changed, Oil and filter, pollen filter, air filter, spark plugs. All for the very reasonable price of £68.00!
So sercie out of the way, started driving the car, 40+ miles a day, and it been pretty faultless to be fair. One thing was that the drivers side main bean headlight didnt work, I changed the bulb and still it didnt work. Presumed wiring fault inside the headlight, so off to ebay and a used pair of Mk4 style headlights have gone on. Giving me vision again. ( I have now however just bought a replacement original headlight as I am not sure if I like the Mk4 ones anymore.

When cleaning the car one weekend, I noticed that the inside edge of the nearside tyre was a bit to thin. Knowing that I will be changing the wheel in the not to distant future I went to my local part worn tyres guy and got a couple of continentals, with no reapirs i'd say a good 6mm of tread for £35!!
Then off for a full 4 wheel laser alignment, where we found out the the front wheels are toeing out and that the the tie rod and tie rod end needed replacement, to which they wanted £180. 
Well back to ebay and £25 later, we had a replacement tie rod and track rod end, off to my friendly garage, for him to spend a fair old amount of time with the oxy torch getting off my siezed tie rod! £30 labour, and a quick alignment and all is good!

Thats been all on the routine maintenance, the car has now done 9k miles since September, and is due another oil change. I have however been doing other things, that arnt really maintenance.

Firstly, I have fitted a black grill badge, and an early GTI and VR6 deep front splitter. I have a pair or 5 door rear handles to fit to de-lock the handles. and also mk3.5 cabrio interior door pulls that are chrome. Also I have a Lupo Gearknob to go on, although the origianl is leather, its a bit dated so I have tried to Lupo one, and have found that it needs a bit of modification to fit properly, as it is a bit too long, so needs the inside drilling out a bit so it sits lower.

Childish things, I have some replcaement door speakers to fit, and a amplifier to fit into the boot, and a custon enclosure for the sub in one of the rear quaters, so I dont lose any boot space.

I have also manged to get the wheels I want, but they are in need of refurbishment, which I have been doing and aim to get them done by the end of March. The wheels are 17 inch Audi TT Competition wheels, currently being mirror polished! The original BBS wheels are in very bad condition, but will be refurbished and kept for winter use.

Oh and another thing, just bough a new Momo Race Steering wheel again ebay oops!


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## Deano

stunning colour!


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## Ian D

Cheers mate, its called Hot Chilli Red, and was resprayed last year!, currently not looking its best, as its filthy and hasnt had a wax top up for a while!!


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## Knight Rider

Good Thread! :thumb:

I own a reasonably old E39. Will do a good write up with pics as soon as possible. Be nice to give people the pros and cons about owning a 14 year old car that you can get reasonably cheap these days (but as the original bill of sale explains cost the first owner well over 50k!)


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## Deano

thanks mate. its a bit slow getting off the ground but hopefully it'll take off soon.


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## Leodhasach

*'05 Skoda Fabia 1.9TDi Elegance with Extras*

I'm going to use a similar format to rmorgan84 if that's all right.

I have owned this car since June 2008, with 19,000 miles on the clock. It now has 36,000 miles, and I aim to put on many more.

*Cost*

Skoda is seen as the budget arm of the VAG group, although obviously the quality of the product has increased massively since the pre-VAG days. As such, I paid £5,900 for my Fabia, which I was more than happy with considering the mileage and condition of the car, given it is the top-spec Elegance model with heated seats and cruise control. This compares very well to the 9N VW Polo, which shares the same platform.

It has of course depreciated somewhat, in fact I have no idea what it's worth with my modifications, but this doesn't bother me much as I plan to keep the car for another 3 years or so yet.

*Interior*

Not the most extravagant design in the world, quite simple in fact, but all the more attractive to me for this. It is constructed of quality materials in my opinion, and feels quite solid. Indeed in some areas, it seems better constructed than the 9N Polo interior (which my dad owns, handy for comparison eh!).

The controls and switches are typically VAG, in that they are intuitive in their operation and position, no surprises and very easy to use. Driver's seat has a good range of adjustment, including height. The seats themselves are reasonably supportive, although the vRS items are better.










*Practicality*

I do not have bootspace figures to hand, but I was able to move from Stornoway to Glasgow in one trip with it...the rear seats fold flat, basically turning it into a van. Interesting to note that the Fabia has split-folding rear seats, whereas the Polo does not, as well as a slightly larger boot and a slight increase in rear occupant space.

The on-board computer is very useful, showing various figures including time, instant and average MPG (although the accuracy of this on post-'06 cars in particular is open for debate), time since start of journey, range of fuel left, outside temperature with cold temp alert, etc.

*Reliability*

On the whole, very good. My car has so far only suffered a couple of well-documented Fabia niggles, namely the rear door carriers letting water into the car (which was an easy DIY fix), and the front wishbone console bushes are starting to fail, which will be rectified by replacing the voided bushes with the OEM items from the Ibiza Cupra. Before the remap, the engine would occasionally go into 'limp' mode, which was a pain but usually sorted itself out after stopping and re-starting the engine, and seems to have gone away since the remap.

The car is serviced religiously, and parts are very reasonable for Skoda, although the rapidly-approaching cambelt and waterpump change will probably sting the wallet as it is a VW engine.

*Modifications*

As you may notice, this is not exactly a typical Fabia. The modifications are:

Engine:
K&N Panel Filter
Seat PD160 Intake
P-Torque Remap (Before: 112bhp, 189lb/ft. After: 145bhp, 247lb/ft)
Magnetic Sump Plug (just because...)

Suspension and Wheels:
Koni FSD Shock Absorbers
Eibach Pro-Kit -25mm Springs
Seat MOMO Strut Brace
Jabba Rear Anti-Roll Bar
17'' VW Evolo Alloys (quite rare, were a special option on the Beetle Cabrio)
205/40/17 Falken 912 Tyres.
Seat Leon Cupra 16'' Multispokes (sold)
Fabia vRS Alloys (sold)
PI -30mm Springs (sold for the sake of my spine)

Brakes:
Goodridge Braided Hoses
Mintex 1144 Pads
Nitrac Grooved Discs

Interior:
Folding Cupholder (a Skoda special option, should be standard IMO)
Connects-2 iPod connector, hidden in drawer under stereo.

Cosmetic:
Milotec Upper and Lower Grilles
Seat Leon Cupra-R Front Splitter
Smoked Side Repeaters
Phillips Silvervision Indicator Bulbs
Osram Nightbreaker Main Beams
Phillips Bluevision Dipped and Sides
Honda S2000 Stubby Aerial
Debadged Tailgate and Front Wings
Skoda Sport Rear Spoiler
Polo Aero Rear Wiper
XOPC Silicone Aero Front Wipers
Detailed!

Imminent (car in bodyshop right now):
vRS Rear Bumper
Miltek De-cat
Blueflame Cat-Back

It's been fun!

*On The Road*

Compared to my father's Polo, the ride is now much more composed-it just feels 'planted', but still comfortable enough for daily use. The steering is now slightly heavier, and the whole chassis really gives you confidence. The rear anti-roll bar can induce oversteer if you're being silly, but it is a lot more controllable than the snap-oversteer that can occur in FWD hatchbacks. The brakes are very good in most situations, and are lasting very well.

As for the engine...well, it was plenty nippy for a small hatchback before, but the remap has transformed it. There is now plenty of oomph when desired, but the engine is now much smoother too, with a nice wide powerband and no torque spikes. Perfectly docile and easy in town too.

*Economy*

Although it is now a fairly quick wee car, it will average over 40mpg in town, and will acheive 55mpg fairly easily on a run. This is of course based on the fact I don't hoon around all the time!

*Other Observations*

Every time you get in and out of the car, the seat height lever gets nudged slightly, so you need to change the height again every 10 trips or so! No big deal.

It's not the most refined of modern diesels, particulary when cold. As an engineer, I personally like the chug and distant thrum (makes me think that everything's working properly!), but others may not.

Anyway, here's a couple of links to some of my detail threads on this car, and a few pics of it in it's various incarnations.

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=147642

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=125296














































Cheers,

Andrew

:thumb:


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## magpieV6

I'll have a go 

2005 Mk2 clio v6 255

Well, I've only owned her a year come 16th march, but its been the most fantastic clio I have owned yet! (4th clio)

Since I've had her she has needed two front tyres, I managed to get a very good deal from a friend of a friend  so two tyres at £350, the rears are wider :doublesho Not looking forward to that!

12K Service by Renault, should have been £260 but I forked out near £900 after needing new steering mounts, plus an oil cooler, thats with Renault uk being good eggs + paying 80% toward it :thumb: + a few other minor bits done but I cant rember what they were!

September last year I got the engine coolant fully replaced, its something silly like 15 litres! That was only £50 as my mechanic friend did it for me :thumb:

Come end of summer she'll be needing the dreaded cambelt/aux belt change which is major work as its an engine out jobby. I'll be taking her to SG Motorsport (v6 specialists) which will include the 24k service, air con recharge, pas fluid, water pump etc etc. This will be £1300, I'd rather pay a steeper price + get a good job done.

The ride isnt a comfy one, you feel every nook + cranny of the road! Get her on lovely smooth long roads + she loves it! Such a great car to drive, the gear change/clunks alone put a grin on your face! The noise is fantastic too, I love to get both engine covers off and hear her growling in my ears, its fab!

The mpg isnt great, I get 23 and I drive her sensibly! Filling her up is £60 a go, with 320 ish miles to a full tank. They are quick, but not silly fast. Its more of an occasions car, very special to me.

Vees are very prone to stone chips, as they have huge frontal space + being quite low its inevitable. I've recently picked up a quite a few more nasty chips in the last few months, getting her out on dry days. Wish I left her in the garage now!

I wouldn't say vees are your everyday car, hence why I had to get a 2nd car for the winter. They are extremely impractical too! No good for a detailer! Space is a major issue! Not much room at all, its a nightmare taking her up to the lakes, I have to pack very lightly! I wouldnt swap her though, great car + bags of fun!

Just my two pennies worth :thumb:


























cheers


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## Deano

gathering steam now! keep em coming folks!


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## BladesLad

*Vauxhall Astra SRI XP*

*Vauxhall Astra SRI XP Hatchback *

_*Background*_

After passing my test aged 19, I was lucky enough to be able to be in the market to finance a first car as a brand new, 55 plate Vauxhall Astra SXI. At the time i weighed upthe pros and cons of making such a move - at 19, ordering a first car 'to spec' from the dealers may seem ambitious to say the least. 
Overall, both financially, in the head & heart, it was the right move for me at the time; a decent deposit was placed, and picked up a brand spanking 55 plate Astra sporthatch 1.4 on the 1st September 2005, with the princely sum of 3 miles on the clock.:driver:



Driving away from the forecourt, i thought i was the daddy! In hindsight, which is a great thing, 6 years later on, i now realise that back then i knew very little about 'cars' - however dont regret for one bit making the choice i did, and spending 12k on a first car.

2009 approached, 4 years of absolute trouble free motoring with the SXI passed, and it was time to move on....the car was paid off in full, so was owned outright.

The car was looked after religiously - the silver lightning paint always looked good (it seemed - however as mentioned, not a patch on the schedule i have now detailing wise!)
I had my eye on another Vauxhall - this time, further up the ladder, with the Vauxhall Astra SRI XP....which leads me onto the main review....

*Current Situation*

I had been to view several different versions of the spec i wanted, at different places. I was looking for something still 'in' warranty, low mileage, with the above model spec, and finally plumped for one at a place that i never thought i would buy from....Car People!

*Initial pricing*

Brand new, with the spec i have, these retail around the 20k mark - obviously, like many cars, depreciation is a big factor.

In Feb 2009, the car was listed for £9100. After plenty of discussions, disagreements and agreements, the previous car was traded in with a value of £4000, with me paying an additional £4650 on top of this, so managing to get the new motor for £8650 - not a bad discount, bearing in mind the hard line nature of these type of places - due to the huge turnover of vehilces, discount is not easily found - its the 'if i dont buy the car, someone else will' mentality





*Spec*

Model: Vauxhall Astra SRI XP
2007 (57)
Colur: Star Silver
Engine: 1.8 litre
BHP: 138
lb torque: 129

*Exterior*

In my opinion - this is one of the main selling points of the car.
This version, the SRI XP (XP being Exterior Pack) is a recognised model by both Vauxhall & insurers, and comes fitted with, over and above the standard SRI

- Rear upper and lower spoiler
- Side skirts
- Front lip
- 18" 'Penta' alloy wheels

You will pay a premium for such on the XP models - to spray & fit the above as an aftermarket mod, Vaux will charge anything of £3k upwards - and then comes the insurance premiums.

In comparison to the Astra SRI, again in my opinion, the difference in looks is night and day, and totally 'makes' the car.

Suspension is classed as 'sporty' on the SRI, however most buyers do lower her on eibachs.

Finsihing the rear end is a visible chrome tail pipe

*Interior*

All in all, fairly modern, without being futuristic.
The indicator functions do take getting used to - one small click for three flashes then automatically off, and a large press down for constant flashing.

One of the highlights is the 'sport' button located on the dashboard, alongside central locking and the hazard warning light.

Once pressed, suspension firms up, and responsivess of the throttle is much keener.

For example, the throttle only need to be depressed 1cm, to get the same torque/bhp as if 5cm depressed without sport mode on.
On an unmapped version, BHP & toruq isnt increased - however, it is very understandable to see hwy many think it is - 'playtime' is what it is known as in vaux circles!

There is a 'gid' central computer located within easy eye-line of the driver - which has various stats such as

- Trip consumption
- Average consumption
- Instant consumption (my low record is 4.7, max 999.99!)

In the 5 door version which i have, rear seat & legroom is ample - not 'spacious as such', but easily can accomodate 4 adults

Boot space is average - seen better, seen worse to be honest - but it more than enough for the missus & I's needs at the moment!

*On the road cost*

Insurance is currently £570 for a 25 year old with 4 years no claims.

Tax comes in at £160.

In the year i have owned her, according to the central trip computer, i have average 29 mpg. That is a mixture of around town and short blasts on A roads
This can raise to approx 35 mpg on a decent motorway run.
To be honest, MPG is not the cars strong point!

Service intervals are every 20,000 miles or every year, whichever is sooner
I have just had the 20,000 mile, 2nd service, which came in at £149 at the Bristol Street Motors, Chesterfield.
Usual things covered

Tyres - Not cheap as such - tyres for the 18" Pentas which come on the SRI Exterior pack can range from £70 - £150 - you get what you pay for im afraid!

*Reliability*

In one year of owning, the only issue i have had is one which kept the interior light permanently on.
Was whisked into Vaux, and a relay switch changed under warranty in lass than 30 mins.

You may have to change the fuse on the windscreen wiper motors after a particualry icy night - stock up on them (quid each from vaux) and is a two minutes job if needed.

*Detailing*:detailer:

Obviously the most important issue.:buffer:

Those of you who are owners of a Vauxhall Star Silver motor, and any other silver owners for that matter, will know how hard it is to make it stand out of the crowd.
Suppose thats what makes us detailers.

Have tried a multitude of combos on her, a few of which listed below

Zaino full works - ZAIO, Z2, Z5, Z8 - The pinnacle of what i have tried so far - hard to describe the finish this leaves on star silver. Maybe its the marketing? Maybe im swayed by the hype? Or maybe the products are of such high quality, that a finish is actually as good as it seems

Dodo Lime Prime, ez creme glaze, Dodo Supernatural - The SN totally transformed the look of the car - much deeper hue, very impressive

Jetseal finish - very blingy, very 'sealanty' - Seems to last for ever too!

The one product that i couldnt be without, however - is Red Mist - truly fantastic on this kind of colour



*Summary*

I class Vauxhall in the middle bracket of motor marques.
A step above the skodas, fiats of this world; but then not in the same league as Audi, BMW etc.
In saying that, i feel that of its category (and of many of the 'upper' marques), the XP version of the Astra is one of the best looking mainstream produced vehicles on the road
It may not be the fastest; it may not be the best on fuel - but it still makes me smile every morning when i go into the garage and see it there, which it was it is all about!

Hope this is of use to some of you...of course you may agree...or disagree. It is all about opinions chaps, which is, along with fat bottomed ladies, makes that world go round!:lol:

Cheers


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## Deano

superb mate! thanks for contributing.


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## -ROM-

Deano said:


> gathering steam now! keep em coming folks!


I'll do one on my new S3 and my father's 911 once i get a little more acquainted with both.


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## Deano

good man Rhys.:thumb:


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## Deano

you all may notice i'm getting shut of the 75. all petrol and match donations gratefully received.


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## Lloyd71

What happened to the normal garage pages?


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## Leodhasach

See how I wrote that my Fabia is reliable and I love it?

Yeah, pass the matches and petrol please... :devil::wall:


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## Knight Rider

*BMW E39 - Review after 4 years*

*1996 BMW E39 2.5 SE*










This write-up is mainly for people looking at the older age cars (if you're a little skint like me!)

I have owned this car since January 2006, it had just under 120k on then, and just over 150k now.

I had a run of bad luck with cars, and long story short, went from having a Toyota 3ltr twin turbo and a brand new BMW Mini, to losing both (engine problems on one, sold at a major loss on the other, then replacement car I bought went to scrap!) Bad days :wall:

*Car Cost*

Bearing in mind it's age, depreciation wasn't a problem :lol: In 2006 I bought the car for 3K knowing it needed some work. It was hunting, had a cracked front bumper, aircon not working and a few minor niggles.

Beware with these cars, they can be had for only a few k now, but bear in mind they were around the 50k mark when new and as such, parts etc are the same as a 50k car!

I have the original bill of sale with the car, it had quite a few extras on top of the SE spec.

This has been voted one of the best BMW's / cars ever made (at the time) and I'm sure came top of several "what car" type reviews.

see here. http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/usedcartests/44251/bmw_5series.html

Again, just an observation, but if you run for instance a 1.2 clio, and are looking for a bigger , better car, be careful. Although these cars are now relatively cheap, parts and problems can be expensive. Also if you really want one, I would look on one of the many forums such as BMW5 and BMWLand and buy from a known seller which you can trace history problems

I have spent (although not all needed, mainly because I am an enthusiast) K's on this car including

-Head gasket -plus all trimmings £800
-Rad, fans etc £180
-brake disks, pipes, shoes all round plus hanbrake etc £300 
-4 new tyres @ £600
-Servicing approx £600
-Suspension and steering components circa £300 (front only)
-Cam sensor, LKM (light module) and a few other sensors £400
-Cat x2, now on sports cat £500
-Lambda sensors , genuine £200
-Mods - £undefined and don't want to think about it :lol:

*Interior of the E39*

Ok, so I went from (at the time) a brand new MINI to a car that was 12 years old, I also had driven my mums brand new Focus, my mates 2 yr old CTR and my sisters 3 yr old Audi, so sitting in the E39 for the first time, to be honest, I was shocked.

Much older that my other cars and cars I knew but I felt right at home, big comfy seats, excellent layout of the dash and controls. I must admit, before even driving the car, I was smitten 
This car had leather seats as an option, which were comfortable. The only thing I can say that I didn't like was the multi-function steering wheel. More at home in a bus! Plenty of gadgets to keep me entertained and when you sat in the car, you immediately thought "this is one strong car" you just felt safe.




























*Exterior.*

One of the reasons I went for this model was that I wanted a reasonably large luxo-barge with a bit of oomph. I did look at the 7 series, but couldn't persuade my wife into that one! (found a very nice 750iL) The lines are some of the best, and IMO don't look dated even today. I could see the car in my mind after a bit of fettling, so decided to make an offer.



















*Practicality*

I can use this car as a road ripper, having fun on my own in the early hours of the morning on quiet roads, getting the most out of the engine, the n a few hours later, take my gran shopping and she will mention what a nice family car it is  
Going on holiday is a joy as it carries quite a lot. Also I tend to get asked to do airport runs by family quite a lot, and this car takes 5 people, 2 large suitcases with ease and room to spare. When you drive fully loaded, the E39 pulls the same as if you were driving on your own, unladen and can handle any bumps fully loaded, even though it's lowered majorly.

One problem I do have is getting onto peoples drives. This is only due to it being so low and wide though, so not 100% the cars fault.

*E39 Reliability (in my view)*

Once I sorted the problems I knew about, (and the head gasket I didn't!) reliability is better than most newer cars (for me). Head gasket went due to failing thermostat and pump which is a know issue with these engines. Hunting problem was sorted with a new cam sensor. Also had the known wheel wobble over 50mph. To correct this it had all new ARB's, bushes, wishbones etc. I was keeping for a long time so went the whole hog.

Pre 1998 E39's had Nikasil engines, as was mine, and I found out after I purchased the car that many of these engines were replaced with alusil blocks as the bores on nikasil engines wore out early, mainly from high sulphur fuel and mainly from the north end of UK. My car is now at over 150k and has compression tests etc done, this one is fine and it seems to be that if a nikasil engine is going fine now, there will be nothing to worry about.

Also had a few problems with the handbrake, notoriously pants on these cars. Had all renewed parts , so as new, and still carp!

Tyres on mine are £140 a corner :doublesho sounds a lot, but I won't skimp on tyres 

*Modifications to my car*

E39 is one of those cars that you just can't , or at least shouldn't chav up:lol:

I have tried my best to mod the car with this in mind, but some mods are marmite (bra being the main one I can think of!)

Other than the mirrors on this car, it was pretty standard from factory, with leather seats, progressive tints to the front, cd changer, auto wipers, PDC. MF steering wheel, Aux heat (can warm the car on cold mornings from yesterdays heat kept in a solution in the dash) and many other tricks and bits.
Since I have had it I have added -

Genuine BMW 18" split rims, also, these are all the wider rears all round 
Boot lip spoiler
Clear front lights
Clear back lights
Clear sidelights
Chrome bulbs in indicators (to get rid of the orange that you can see)
LED interior lights (cost a fortune as theres so many!)
LED numberplate lights
Dechromed bumpstrips all round
Dechromed windows all round
DVD install, card reader, divx, and hard drive compatible
Colour coded interior (white door and dash strips instead of wood)
White gear knob
Alloy BMW wide handbrake cover
Aero front lip spoiler moulded to original
Black/white badges all round
personalised plate
//M numberplate surrounds
Sports cat
Colour coded TDH
Lowered on Eibach suspension
Wide black kidney grills
Tailored leather bonnet bra in black.
A few under bonnet extras.



















*Driving the E39*

The car has a 2.5 engine, producing approx 190bhp. The power is very linear, so does not throw you back in your seat so much as just keep going. The car on it's current suspension set-up handles like a go-kart, which is suprising for such a large car. A joy to drive whether a short trip , or as in some cases to Devon and back in a day, it was effortless and you got out the car at the end feeling as if you have been round the block.
Be wary, this car will sit at 100mph and feel like you are doing 40mph! In a way, possibly too smooth :lol:

*Economy*

I can get nigh on 40mpg with this motor, and thats a extremely heavy, pretty big 2.5 litre car. That would be on a good run obviously. Overall MPG since I've had the car seems to be 32mpg. When I give it some beans, you will be lucky in the low 20's, but that is never in a higher gear the 3rd, and having fun.

*Detailing.*

I'm a relative newbie to this game but one thing I will say, this paint is hard!! if there are swirls, they are a git to get rid of! However, when you spend your time on the car, the body and the trim, interior etc are of such good quality, it looks the business and can be quite easily achieved.

*Other Observations*

At the end of the day this car is a 14 year old, 150k car. However, friends with 1 year old cars tell me that this feels newer than theirs, mainly in the actual drive. At this age it is still tight, no wobbles, no niggles and still has the go.
A well presented E39 in my eyes can look as good as any new car.

This particular one seems to (to coin an annoying saying) turn heads. In a good way I hope! :lol:

This car was nearly sold recently ......but I came to my senses! It's far too good and I know far too much about it. We are using it again for another wedding in a month or so, so it's off the road for now having some tweeks done and some cosmetic love.

3 times in the last few years I have had notes left under the wipers with offers to buy the car and a number to negotiate price. That tells me something, I think I have done something right.










*NOTE* - Car looks nothing like many of the pics now due to the ongoing work. So some mods mentioned may not be seen. I will post pics of the finished article as and when it happens.

Thanks for reading, hope it didn't bore you and hope it may help someone looking at E39's

:thumb:

Daz


----------



## adlem

Very nice! I do like these and as you say they haven't aged much at all! Unlike various Audi's for example.

I would quite happily chop my Fiesta in for one but th insurance would be a killer for me, maybe in a few years i could have yours? :lol:


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## Adam D

Great write up, thanks for taking the time to do it!

I will agree with you that they are excellent cars, but then again I am biased as I drive a facelift 530i sport 

I amazed at your mpg! I always seem to buy cars that seem to thirstier than average, oh well.


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## Knight Rider

Adam D said:


> Great write up, thanks for taking the time to do it!
> 
> I will agree with you that they are excellent cars, but then again I am biased as I drive a facelift 530i sport
> 
> I amazed at your mpg! I always seem to buy cars that seem to thirstier than average, oh well.


No worries, thought I would as the amount of people asking about it, thought i'd do a review.

MPG wise, bear in mind that 40mpg is on a run, at 70 ish for the main of the journey. Put your foot down and have some fun, then thats it, game over :lol: low 20's, late teens all the way.

Any pics of yours? Add to the thread and all that!

:thumb:


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## Deano

if you dont mind mate i'll put this in the car review thread.


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## Adam D

BDazzler said:


> No worries, thought I would as the amount of people asking about it, thought i'd do a review.
> 
> MPG wise, bear in mind that 40mpg is on a run, at 70 ish for the main of the journey. Put your foot down and have some fun, then thats it, game over :lol: low 20's, late teens all the way.
> 
> Any pics of yours? Add to the thread and all that!
> 
> :thumb:


I must admit that on a long run I have never sat at 70ish I always tend to drive between 80 and 85 

However, even at that speed I normally get 31, maybe 32, although the fuel consumption increases when I come back up to Scotland because of the big hills up here.

I do not have any recent photos, but I may take some tomorrow as over the last 2 days I have clayed it, applied Lime Prime by DA and then given it a coat of FK1000P and it is gleaming


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## Knight Rider

Adam D said:


> and then given it a coat of FK1000P and it is gleaming


I've just bought some FK from Short1e  Can't wait, however waiting on a gazebo to be delivered :thumb:


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## Knight Rider

Deano said:


> if you dont mind mate i'll put this in the car review thread.


Oh pantaloons!

Thats probably where I meant to put it


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## andyb

I got an E39 525d touring three years ago after running a Volvo T5. have to say the E39 is the best overall car I`ve ever had (and I`ve had a few!). Performance and economy are excellent as is the handling...but its one of those cars in which you can do a 600 mile trip and not feel knackered! plenty of room for two Retrievers and holiday luggage too.

Bought it at 95k and its now done 125k...only none service parts needed have been a fuel pump and a rear suspension bearing.

Have changed the whole interior to leather, M5 steering wheel,M5 front bumper, HID lights (a MUST for an E39), 18" wheels and a few other bits....mostly S/H from EBay!

Overall a great car...which I don`t intend to get rid of any time soon.


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## Adam D

andyb said:


> I got an E39 525d touring three years ago after running a Volvo T5. have to say the E39 is the best overall car I`ve ever had (and I`ve had a few!). Performance and economy are excellent as is the handling...but its one of those cars in which you can do a 600 mile trip and not feel knackered! plenty of room for two Retrievers and holiday luggage too.
> 
> Bought it at 95k and its now done 125k...only none service parts needed have been a fuel pump and a rear suspension bearing.
> 
> Have changed the whole interior to leather, M5 steering wheel,M5 front bumper, HID lights (a MUST for an E39), 18" wheels and a few other bits....mostly S/H from EBay!
> 
> Overall a great car...which I don`t intend to get rid of any time soon.


I certainly agree about the HID lights as with normal bulbs the light output at night is dreadful!


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## Knight Rider

Adam D said:


> I certainly agree about the HID lights as with normal bulbs the light output at night is dreadful!


Ah yes, another fault of the E39 :lol:

The headlights, Candles in the wind! they are as good as the handbrake. However, plenty of mods out there to sort this.

Cheers


----------



## Mike_182

*Audi TT Mk1 3.2 - From a Convert*

Righty, well first off let's be straight. I was at the front of the queue handing out the 'hairdresser', 'tart's car', 'get a fast car' type jibes at the TT, and that has always been the case. I've never understood it, and thought it was too limp and slow to be entertaining. The looks, as Clarkson originally said, are far too thought-out and everything is where you'd expect it to be.

But you know what? It's truly nice for it. It's a stunning car to look at, for a design that's as old as it is - it's also one of the few 'radical' concepts that Audi actually went on to make. The outside (of the V6 and TTQS) looks purposeful, subtly agressive without being shouty - and the insides are fantastic. The seats are just right (for me, at 6ft2 and quite fat!) and the buttons are in sensible places. There's nothing that could have been done, that hasn't - all of the buttons match with the same 'dimples', and the dashboard is a decent but not OTT construction. The glovebox even manages to be fairly spacious, without being obtrusive in the cabin - which given that a glovebox is an option on a certain new Toyota, is handy.

All good and well, I thought, and given that it's going to be for my lady to get to work and back it's fine - I can make it look pretty, and she likes it. Winner. Ask the nice man for a test drive, and off we trot.

First impression - what a noise. I had to have that noise in my life. More raspy than the R32 (which is a bit of a deeper, throatier noise) but with that same distinctive note, it just begged you to keep driving. Driving position is better than your typical VAG position - not perfect, but certainly not the worst I've been in (that falls flatly on the Clio's shoulders - even the V6!). The DIS is pleasant if cramped for the BNS navigation, but it works well enough. Steering wheel feels solid and chunky, and the feedback is fairly good and far from the usual insults of 'numb' and 'lifeless'. True, it's not a patch on my old Exige S, but then if you had your thumbs at the end of a journey in that you were grateful for it. Just enough for a spirited drive, without being uncomfortable.

Handling is superb - enough grip and control to go far too quickly on the roads, and that's what this is for. It's not a track car, and never intended to be (in this guise). The 4WD is reassuring, and handy for stamping on the 250PS loud pedal - there's no drama, no spin, just instant go. The gearbox takes some getting used to if you're a manual man, but after a while it really starts to make sense. The lack of clutch pedal makes for a much, much nicer drive in traffic.

Talking of driving in traffic, at this point that wonderful engine is drowned out by buses and wagons, so the windows go up and the stereo goes on. Now I've had the luxury of rolling in a Dynaudio-equipped Golf for far too long, and that was followed by two A4s with the Bang & Olufsen stereo. I'd not got my hopes set particularly high, and following the pathetic attempt in the Daimler Smart Roadster-Coupe I was ready for a bit of static and a very treble-y 'noise', however BOSE had done wonders. For such a little car, the soundstage is very good and the dynamic range given the small speakers is excellent. There's no ****-shaking rumble or ear-piercing treble, but just a capable, pleasant auditory experience that is difficult to match in any other car this size.

All-in-all, I'm very, very pleased with it. Such a capable and under-rated (even over-hated) car which doesn't deserve a lot of the reputation it has, and I'm pleased that I was talked around into trying it. So much so, that I've used it 6 out of 7 days to get to work this last couple of weeks! It's not a great track car, and it's not a luxury cruiser. It's never going to win a drag race, and it's never going to set a new land speed record. In fact, despite it's good looks, it's never going to be as poster-worthy as an Aston Martin or a Jag. What it is, though, is a truly brilliant road car. Capable of taking on everything British roads ask of it, and not failing miserably at any of it - in fact, doing 'good' at most of it.










A worthy runabout IMO!


----------



## PugIain

Quick bit of a write up on mine
2001 Peugeot 406 1.8 (1749cc which is the newer of the 1800s with 116bhp) LX Aircon in Chine Blue pearl.
Spec,front and back electric windows,electric mirrors,CD player (Ive replaced the standard clarion one with the 9855r alpine from my last car,not changing speakers though as they are excellent),remote control for radio on steering column,Multi function display (overall mpg,range,current mpg etc etc)Auto digital climate control and aircon (quite clever really).Remote central locking and deadlocking.Front fogs,front and side airbags.3 armrests and all round headrests.Auto lights and autowipers.
Bought in November 2006 for £2900 from the local Hyundai dealers with 52ish k miles.
Its now on just over 84k.

Costs up to now:

Rear ARB links last year £60.
2 front Dunlop sp2000 sport tyres £65 each,year before last for MOT
A couple of headlamp bulbs.
1 downstream oxygen sensor done underwarranty when I got it
1 split vacuum hose £20.
It never uses oil,never uses coolant,and never uses brake fluid/Power steering fluid.
Still on the same front and rear pads and discs although I am expecting a note on the front ones on the next MOT *Possibly*.
Thats it apart from fuel insurance and servicing etc.

Handles well and has shown a few more sporty cars up around my favourite bends.It shut my mate up in his VR6 golf when he was taking the rise "French handling",he didnt manage anywhere near the speed I can go round bends in his wooden old shopping trolley.Shes better looking too!
The best bit is the ride,i think its getting a touch tired somewhere as she can be alittle crashy on the rough town roads but on A roads and motorways its whisper quiet.
Overall a bloody great car.Fuel economy is good for the weight,it goes well after its wound up.There is a random rattle noise somewhere from under the engine bay towards the rear when accelerating but its been doing it about 3 years so whatever it is isnt going to kill it any time soon.
Im really pleased with it,Ive never had any form of worry with it.Even in the cold weather last year it was perfect turn the key and brum off it went.Even started when a couple of the newer cars in the work carpark where giving it the ER ER ER lark.
Only thing Id like is either the black lower dash panels and the aluminium dash trim kit or the higher spec wood as Ive only got the door caps,glove box and driver side cap.Alloy wheels would be nice too although not at moron EBAY prices,I think they must be made of gold the prices Ive seen them up for.

Bad bits.
Paint is abit shagged in places..
The boot,Its big but has the typical saloon problem of not being very deep.Big boxes are a no no.
And the odd interior rattle here and there which drive me up the wall.Not that im easily irritated by these things...

Ive done a couple of mods from standard spec,Ive changed the wheel trims to Halfrauds special,done a DIY chrome lower front grill and put some pug mudflaps with 406 badging on.


----------



## johnnyguitar

*2002 Ford Focus Estate LX TDCI 115*

I bought the car at the beginning of 2009 following my redundancy and I needed a car in a hurry after I had to give my company car back. Cost was slightly less than I believe it was actually worth at the time and with the used car prices on the rise, according to this morning's news, it's still worth more than I paid for it 18 months ago. It came with full Ford service history and had 94k on the clock. In the last 18 months I have only added 12k although the majority of those miles have been added in the last 8 months.

In it's original, pre-DW state, it looked like this:










I bought it with 12 months MOT*, a fresh service and a new battery as it wouldn't start on the forecourt with the old one (it was February and bitterly cold and 2 days after I bought it the snow and ice closed most of the UK's airports). The cambelt was due at 100k so I arranged to have it done straightaway along with a new set of heater plugs and had the air conditioning regassed. I think the total cost was around £310 for all parts and labour, which I didn't think was too bad. The stereo didn't work and although the dealer had tried to sort it, he hadn't and I replaced it with a Sony DAB unit along with an aerial splitter, rather than a second aerial, and the relevant remote control connection. If I could somehow fit a modern Ford DAB Bluetooth unit, I would put one in.

Maintenance/repair costs to date have involved:

1 slashed tyre outside the house (£80 for a 195/60/15 Continental) and that replacement tyre got a nail stuck in the corner of it - I was skint so ended up replacing a pair with part worn Michelins;
£70 glass excess from the car being broken into in Sheffield when it was parked outside a pub we were playing in;
£70 glass excess from a stonechip that immediately turned into a crack.
About £60 to have the fuel pump return feed pipes (I belleve the garage called them spillback pipes) which were found to have perished after I felt that the car and the cabin smelled strongly of diesel for the first 3 months that I owned it;
£90 for front pads and discs* and £20 to my mate the ex-Ford technician to fit them;
£80 for a "Value" service at the local Ford main dealer;
£30 for a replacement horn from Halfords after the original failed;
£6 for a replacement pipe that connects the supply line to the rear washed jet, which split and leaked washer fluid into the headlining.

The other problems with the car have included a missing rear cover for the n/s headlight which was missing when I got the car and meant there was a lot of dirt ingress which had covered the inside of the lens** and meant the headlight needed to be opened up, cleaned and resealed or replaced. Also, I detected a knocking sound from the front o/s wheel, which was as a result of whoever fitted the last set of discs, had greased behind the disc, which meant that when the grease heated up, the disc slipped and was moving slightly, which caused some noise during rotation. Recently I noticed that the economy (which was never great) had dropped to around 35-37mpg. I did some reading and posted here and recently I cleaned (part of) the MAF sensor - what I've done so far seems to have made a difference, but I need to buy a specific security Torx bit to lift the sensor out fully to clean it properly. An EGR clean will come next and will hopefully sort out the economy issues.

The car still pulls well and seems faster than the BMW 118d (pre facelift) that it replaced and almost as quick feeling as the Mondeo TDCI 130 I had 2 cars ago.

I took the car for its first MOT in my ownership at the end of January 2010 and was delighted to find out that it sailed through the MOT (I did clean it and make sure the radio was on Radio 4 when I dropped it off :lol.

Then the mods started! 
It had always been my intention to slightly modify another car - nothing huge but sort of OEM+ and slightly more modern looking if that makes sense? I hesitate to try and work out how much I spent on the car but here's a brief list of what I've done or spent money on:

Full set of fitted Ford velour carpet overmats;
Smooth rear wiper;
Ford OE clear repeaters and Silvatec bulbs;
Bosch Aerotwin front wiper blades;
Hella 'Celis' projector headlamps;
Lowered approx 30mm on Ford supplied Eibach springs;
Wiper stalk with variable intermittent wiper speed from higher spec model;
Interior light with map reading lights from higher spec model;
Front foglights and replacement headlight switch with rheostat for dimmable linstruments;
Footwell lights (the bulb holders were fitted and taped up);
ST170 mesh lower (bumper) grille;
16" OZ Superturismo alloys with 205/50/16 tyres;
Not really a mod, but I also fitted a Parrot CK3000 bluetooth handsfree kit.
I have also replaced the plastic steering wheel with a knackered leather steering wheel from a Ghia and subsequently a custom trimmed leather steering wheel.

Things I need/want to do include:
Lots of paint as there are some nasty stone chips, a dint in the back (my fault), some clear coat failure on the front bumper and I would like the black trim colour coded;
At least new front dampers*** and possibly rears as well as the car is feeling rather underdamped and I would like to fit the ST170 wheels I've obtained but these rub the inside of the arches if the suspension compresses quickly;
Sort out the engine bay which is covered in oil from various previous oil and fuel leaks that have now been sorted;
Will need rear pads and discs at some point in the future;
Replace boot carpet as one of the plastic runners has lifted up;
Replace front foglight trims as the clips have broken off and these are essentially useless.

It's due another routine service in 5k miles and I expect that will coincide roughly with the next MOT. I am not 100% certain it will pass without any work as there is some movement from the front suspension which I think is related either to suspension bushes or steering knuckles.

I think that's it. Generally, I think it's great - it's got a few creaks and rattles on the inside now and I would _like_ a newer car, but when I think I spent the same money on a 6 year old Escort estate in 2004 and what I got for my money then, I think I did really well with this.

*Looking at the MOT history, the car failed the test it was put through by the supplying garage on the state of its front brakes, which I would have assumed would have been replaced. They can't have been replaced with new ones as the fella who replaced them for me told me they were almost completely worn out.
**Again looking at MOT history, the car failed one of its tests on the state of the n/s headlight, that it was contaminated or 'damaged' which caused an irregular beam pattern. I don't know if it was replaced or if that was the replacement unit and the rear cover was never refitted (as I believe Ford supply them without and you buy the cover separately).
***Back to MOT history, the car has also failed one of it's tests on the state of one of its dampers. I would have hoped Ford replaced both of these and didn't just retest the car and pretend it was ok but I think they could do with being replaced with something a bit harder and am currently considering Supersport oil/gas dampers.


----------



## johnnyguitar

johnnyguitar said:


> *2002 Ford Focus Estate LX TDCI 115*


Just an update to this really



johnnyguitar said:


> Recently I noticed that the economy (which was never great) had dropped to around 35-37mpg. I did some reading and posted here and recently I cleaned (part of) the MAF sensor - what I've done so far seems to have made a difference, but I need to buy a specific security Torx bit to lift the sensor out fully to clean it properly. An EGR clean will come next and will hopefully sort out the economy issues.
> Sort out the engine bay which is covered in oil from various previous oil and fuel leaks that have now been sorted;


The car is still too thirsty so I started asking questions on the TDOC forum. Another guy with a TDCI Focus told me what had been happening with this car and the symptoms seemed remarkably similar - he used some Wynn's EGR cleaner on his, which seemed to work ok but must had redistributed the crap elsewhere and his EGR gave up completely. I decided to have the car hooked up to a diagnostic machine to get the fault codes read but it didn't have any, so I can only assume the sensors don't think the problem is serious enough yet. The 'previous oil leak' that I said had been sorted hadn't as the join between the bellows linking the intercooler pipe to the intercooler had a leak and was presumably leaking air as well as misting oil. To rectify this, I've fitted silicone hoses to replace all the standard stuff (mainly because it was cheaper), which will hopefully cure the problem. It may also cure the low mpg figure as if there is a boost leak which is making the ECU dump more fuel into the engine to compensate, things might go back to normal. I'd also cleaned the MAF and AIT sensors (the latter is in the one in the intercooler) but this had no discernible effect.



johnnyguitar said:


> At least new front dampers and possibly rears as well as the car is feeling rather underdamped and I would like to fit the ST170 wheels I've obtained but these rub the inside of the arches if the suspension compresses quickly;
> Back to MOT history, the car has also failed one of it's tests on the state of one of its dampers. I would have hoped Ford replaced both of these and didn't just retest the car and pretend it was ok but I think they could do with being replaced with something a bit harder and am currently considering Supersport oil/gas dampers.
> ...there is some movement from the front suspension which I think is related either to suspension bushes or steering knuckles.


Suspension time - well, the front right wheel wobble was getting worse over broken tarmac and rough ground and the final straw was clattering the kerb quite hard and writing off the track rod end on the offside and pushing the alignment out. I decided that if I was going to fork out to get the alignment done, then do the suspension and have the alignment done again, I might as well do the job in one. I spent a couple of days looking for an Eibach Pro Damper kit to match the springs but couldn't find one for less than £400, so settled on some Bilstein B4 shocks. After fitting the new shocks, the car was underdamped as I thought - not because the standard kit wasn't up to scratch with the new springs, but because it was all knackered. Track rod ends done, car realigned, new shocks and recent springs and it ALMOST drives like a new car. I got the ST170 wheels fitted and put 205/45/17s on instead of either 215/40/17 or the ST's recommended 215/45/17s and they seem to suit the car well. There's a slight hint of steering wobble creeping back in since I let a mate of mine try the car now it's set up and he thought he'd park it by driving it up a kerb - thanks for that 

So all in, all is well in Camp Focus at the moment, just got to see if the economy problem was related to the boost leak or if it's something else altoghther. I hope it's not injector related as it will probably be quite expensive to replace and recode all the injectors.


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## X18JAY

I have a Peugeot 207 GT 150 and have owned it since June 2007. I purchased it as an ex-demo with about 7,000 miles on the clock. I have now spent a fortune on it modifying it and it is on 60,000 miles and just about working lol.
Now, being a French car with a German/French designed engine it was bound to go completely wrong about as much as possible. Within days the petrol pump had faulted and was spraying fuel vapour onto the air intake pipes - the pump was replaced and that was that.
Ive had the usual faults that are found within all of the turbo'd 207's and even the Mini Cooper S R56 from whom we share an engine. During cold start up the engine rattles and sounds like a diesel for anywhere between 30 seconds and a minute until everything is lubricated and it starts running.
The timing issue seemed to be the major fault of the car though, I have had the timing chain changed, timing tensioner changed and then they put one from the Mini and it finally fixed that fault.
I have had a coil pack go leaving the car running on 3 cylinders, another warranty job.
Something fell off internally on the turbo and completely screwed it, luckily I got a free extended warranty and it covered this, so I had a new turbo.
Ive only had to change the brake pads once so far, however the ones that are on the car do need changing now, so this is next on the list for me to do, but I am going to do all 4 discs and pads.
Tyres, Ive changed my wheels a few times and I now run 18'' wheels but I don't feel that it has excessive use.
It burns through oil at a rate of about a litre per 1000 miles.
I do about 2-250 miles per £50 tank of petrol.
Spec to show what Ive done...
Exterior;
Esquiss Oxyde front bumper with badge smoothed off and a custom recess with Kawasaki pearlescent orange detailing.
Esquiss Oxyde side skirts
Esquiss Oxyde rear spoiler
Esquiss Oxyde rear bumper with towing eye smoothed off and Kawasaki pearlescent orange detailing.
18x8 Wolfrace Nogaro's painted Kawasaki pearlescent orange
215/35/18 Falken Tyres
Boot Lid de-badged
De-wipered
HID headlights
Silvatec indicatior bulbs
Spax RS-X height adjustable coilovers powder coated white

Interior;
Custom made front door cards housing 6.5'' component speakers with Kawasaki pearlescent orange surround.
Custom made rear cards housing 5'' co-axial speakers with led ring surround
All dash panels painted Kawasaki pearlescent orange
Speedo surrounds painted Kawasaki pearlescent orange
Custom gauge holder housing Autogauge Boost Gauge, Oil Pressure Gauge and Volt Meter, all surrounds of gauges painted Kawasaki pearlescent orange
MFD display re-located to below head unit
Seatbelt lights re-located to roof lining
Custom made a-pillars trimmed in white vinyl housing tweeters and alarm sensors both painted Kawasaki pearlescent orange.
Roof lining, B and C pillars trimmed in white vinyl.
Interior light and buttons painted Kawasaki pearlescent orange.
Custom floor matt's with orange binding
Custom made boot install housing subwoofers and amplifiers with Kawasaki pearlescent orange detailing.

Engine;
Spec-R polished fuse box cover
Spec-R polished brake servo cap cover
Spec-R polished oil catch tank
Spec-R polished washer bottle cap cover 
Spec-R polished coolant bottle cap cover
Spec-R polished hard boost pipes
Spec-R polished induction kit
Forge front mount intercooler
OMP strut brace
Samco orange coolant hoses
Samco orange oil catch tank hoses
Samco orange induction kit hose
Samco 57mm 90 degree hoses
Samco 57mm 45 degree hoses
Samco 2mm orange washer jet hose

ICE;
Massive Audio CK-6 - 6'' component speakers
Massive Audio CX-5 - 5'' co-axial speakers
Massive Audio TK-12 - 12'' Subwoofer x 2
Massive Audio 400.2 - 2-Channel Amplifier
Massive Audio 1000.1 - mono block amplifier
Massive Audio 4 gauge wiring kit.
JVC KD-BT22 Headunit

Pics...


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## ant_s

looks very nice jay, maybe the interior trimmed with orange to match?

i'll also be very honest mate and didn't even know they did a turbo 207 lol


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## X18JAY

yea, Im getting the interior trimmed in orange - just a case of I now have my MOT and Tax due this week so I have delayed it haha


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## Cleanerbeemer

2008 X5 3.0sd SE

It's got 59000 miles on it now and so far the most major replacement has been new discs and pads all round earlier this year but they were replaced by BMW as it was a corrosion issue. Other than that it's had 4 new tyres, £1200 for 4 due to them being the dreaded BMW runflats, the tracking is needing done at the moment, a new gearshift (warranty), 2 gas rams for the bootlid (warranty) and 2 new fog lights on the rear under a recall. 1 trolley ding fixeddevil, a glow plug and the alloys refurbished in August.

It's used as a towcar for a large twin axle caravan too which it's coped with on over 4000 miles so far this year alone at an average of 25mpg.

Running solo on A roads she gets about 33mpg(even though computer says 29) same on motorway at 75mph and around 24 in the town.

The interior is still pretty well mint and has a myriad of toys chief of which is the factory bluetooth system which also has a cradle INSIDE the armrest which if you buy the appropriate adaptor charges the phone while connecting it to the "shark fin" ariel. The leather memory seats are among the most comfortable and it also has the comfort access which means when either key approaches the car and unlocks it, the seats move to whoever is drivings position.

Paint work is lasting brilliantly apart from a few stone chips on the front bumper. No dull patches or particularly visible defects.

The power from the 3.0 straight six turbo diesel is AMAZING!! It has chased off v8 Range Rover Sports! Pick up is almost instant and the auto box again so smooth you never feel gearchanges.

The handling thanks in main to the Dynamic Pack is amazing for a big 4x4!! It sticks to the road like glue yet is one of the most comfortable rides I've experienced.

Overall one of the best cars it's been my pleasure to own. Only down side that I can think of is the servicing costs once the service inclusive pack expires on it. Oh and the running boards aren't really much use to be blunt apart from washing the roof!!

Hope somebody finds this usefull in the future.

CB


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## centenary

First one I'll do is my E46.

I imported this car myself in 2002 from the main BMW outlet in Hamburg ie the Niederslassung.

Spec'd the car up to UK specifications and added some extras such as cd player, 10 speaker sound system. I think folding wing mirrors were over UK spec too.

Picked the car up from Harwich docks and drove all the way home with no number plates (which is totally legal).

First year I had the car I hardly did any miles due to having little or no work! Think it had 3000 miles on it when a year old!

The car has been superb. Its been serviced by my local BMW garage regularly up until the last oil change service. It will now be serviced by the BMW indie for the rest of its life (who is ex local BMW service manager).

The car is a motorway muncher. I've been getting 60 miles per gallon until recently when I changed tyres. MPG has dropped to around 56 - 57 so I put this down to tyres but who knows? Engine wear perhaps?

The car has been run on supermarket diesel virtually all its life. Its had Shell, Texaco and BP Ultimate diesel for the odd tank but to be honest, I've never seen an improvement in MPG over the supermarket stuff.

I read on here someone said BMW dashboards were over engineered. Well I've got an E46 and an E93 and I couldnt disagree more. The dash is well set out. Doesnt rattle or squeak. Air con buttons, heated rear screen, central locking and window buttons are all easily to hand.

The steering wheel buttons for cruise and radio \ cd volume are great. Its just a shame I dont have voice activation in this (is in the E93 and its great). I have the parrot ck3100 bluetooth phone but Im not too impressed with this.

Mechanically, I've only had to have the rear discs replaced as the originals were siezing (sp?) on when the car was left standing for more than 5 days. BMW ripped me off over the price but that's another story!

The car is still on its original exhaust, front discs and turbo. I havent had the swirl flaps done but intend doing so just in case. The original windscreen was replaced about 2 years ago due to a stone chip crack plus one of the low mounted fog lamps was destroyed by a stone on the motorway. Replacement was a DIY job even I could do.

The front tyres lasted about 120,000 miles (yes they did!). Dont think I'll match that in the E93 run flats!

With the lowered sports suspension, the ride is firm but comfortable if you keep tyre pressure to about 32psi all round.

Interior is alcantara and the outside squab is a little bobbly now where my **** catches it as I get in the drivers seat. rest of the seats are fine as I hardly ever have passengers.

Body work, wise, there's no rust on any panel. The car was garaged every night up to 18 months ago when it got evicted for the E93 which may explain that. Or maybe its BMW's bodywork protection!

Overall, this is a great car. Reliable and has never let me down which I put down to regular servicing and not thrashing the engine to the red line every gear change.

Yes, BMW's are quite expensive to have serviced but over the lifetime of the car because everything is pretty bombproof and rarely needs replacing, the true cost of ownership will be lower.

The car is fitted with 18" M 'V' spoke alloys. Boy are they a pain to clean! So many spokes. One has slight kerb damage and one others look like it would benefit from a refurb. Havent decided whether to go for a smart repair or get them powder coated.

If you can find a well looked after E46, you should be fine. I'll probably run this car into the ground, its that good.

Only got this small pic Im afraid.









It needs a good external detail cos its filthy atm!

Beep, beep :driver:


----------



## PugIain

I'll do a new one now as Ive changed my car.
55 Plate Peugeot 407 X Line saloon 136 hdi.in Moonstone Blue,or as Ive seen it somewhere "Icelandic Grey" 
The X line is a special edition without the silly FAP system,instead it has parking sensors and a cd changer,so for those needing fluid and a filter on their diesels  lol.
I bought it from Pentagon in Nottingham who have been completely brill.....CRAP.
I picked it up and it was back within the month to have the DMF done.I didnt get a courtesy car despite it being booked in in advance.So I had to hire one at my cost to get me home.Also no car for nearly a month.
I got it back and it had no PAS fluid in it,which I discovered after nearly twatting a traffic island.It had mysteriously grown 3 new dents,which of course were already on it.
The pas side window wouldnt go up on auto so I fixed it and the pas side seatbelt wouldnt reel in very quickly,something else I fixed.It just seemed to have been let out without being checked.
Apart from these things I love it.It gorgeous to drive and is a proper looker when all clean and shiney.Its on 45k at the moment,has 17" alloys,parking sensors,auto everthing,cd HU and changer infact too much to list really.My beer is warm enough after typing all this...
Its averaging mid 50s mpg and thats not 100% driving economically either.








Only change since this photo is Ive done a DIY chrome strip lower grille.


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## Deano

In an effort to get some momentum going, the best review each month will win a DW sticker. It doesn't have to be funny like clarkson, just well informed and helpful to future buyers. The admin team will pick a winner each month providing there are more than four entries.


----------



## The Cueball

*Jaguar XKR - 2001*

Jaguar XKR - 2001

I purchased this car back in September 2009, with only 38k on the clock...

It's a platinum silver, with very rare maple insert "wood" on the inside, and equally rare bronze coloured Milan BBS wheels...

I have to admit that I have had a rough time with this car, and maybe most will know, but I thought it only "fair" that I should post up a slightly fairer review (prompted by a recent thread)...

I had been looking for a TVR for a long time, but could not find any that I liked, and this car kept popping up in all my searches, under budget, so I thought I would at least take a look. Now if there is something I have never complained about it the looks of the car, she is still one of the best looking cars on the road imo, and with all the recent "new edge" designs, a big curvy girl like this always turns heads...

So, this was her when I got home, all standard:



















Apart from the looks, the noise and constant surge from the powerful V8 supercharged engine was the plus points for me...the cabin was a very nice place to sit in as well...

This car has pretty much every feature you will ever need, and also came with the jaguar phone, FSH, and a little smash at the drivers front end - which had been repaired by Jaguar and looked good to me, so I was happy enough with that.

It wasn't long however that 2 things happened: 1, I thought I could do better in the looks department with the car, and 2, I joined the owners club and started reading about some very serious issues with these cars...so I have spent the next few years sorting both of these out.

The serious issues:

They cut corners with the engine and used plastic tensioner guides instead of metal ones (this was fixed in the MK2 shape), these WILL snap.... cost to repair £1500 - mine had been done already - thankfully as I was unaware of this issue at purchse.

Rust - it's a ford!! It's going to rust....wheel arches are most common, as is the join at the back with the body and bumper... but it gets worse.... The designer was obviously a fan of the Flintstones as the footwells are as thin as a supermodel on a hunger strike... so these rust, very badly.

The electrics seem to be related to a mixture of Italian and French parts, as they do not like wet weather... not a day goes by that I have one of more lights on the dash..these range from airbag warnings, to the rather more serious limp home mode... they are all false readings though, and nothing can really be done to fix it!

Mechanical issues, apart from the tensioners are pretty good, most of the smaller bits seem to be Ford sourced as well... door locks go, window guides, always a good idea to change the thermostat over as well, suspension parts take a kicking and the windscreen washer pump appears to give up the ghost pretty easily... Sometimes, you also get a very annoying squeak from the supercharger belts, again it's more of a PITA than a worry....and finally, if you choose to run the 20" wheels, you will be needing a good supply and price on wheel bearings! :lol:

There is also less serious issues, more annoying - for me anyway.... things like the cheap window sills that are painted in Rover 1980's paint, which bubble at the first sight of rain, the interior that is actually mostly vinyl... although I now see that *most* manufacturers are going with the fake leather for their cars, and lastly the handling is shocking, and more like a boat than an expensive grand tourer, and the brakes are a shambles...utterly shocking!

So there we go.... things I *needed* to fix, and things I *wanted* to fix/change...let's begin!

*needed* to fix

N/S door lock mechanism
Thermostat, water pump and rear shock bearings
O/S/F Wheel bearings and ABS sensor
Windscreen washer pump
Supercharger belts
Servicing

Total for the above work - £4,000

*wanted* to fix/change 

Miltek loud exhaust
Lowering springs
New disks and pads, with s/s hoses
Polly bushes all round - everyone changed
Re-gas the air con
Bespoke ICE system
Clear lenses and new style grill
Various bits of body work
Remap, upgraded 'charper pulleys
New style 20" wheels and spacers

Total for the above work - £8,000

So a fair bit of time and money has been spent, but she has never let me down, never caused any major issues, so I don't class the *wanted* bit against it... so let's call it £4,000 in just under 2 years.

I don't use her very much, so MPG etc is not really an issue for me, but there are people running standard cars that are getting mid 20's for their daily drives, which is pretty good in my book.

I have saved the funniest bit for last, it came to light that a very smart man worked out that under WOT (wide open throttle - or full power) his XKR was only using 84% of the power, this was traced back to the throttle cable "stretching" over time.

Unbelievably this is a very simple fix, and literally take 5 minutes to "wind" it back in....I done this a few weekends ago, and OMG the difference is amazing...put a smile back on my face 

So what is the future for my curvy lady (the car ).... Until I can find something that looks as good, sounds as good, and is nice to sit in as this thing, there is no point in getting rid of it.... until I have one of my "Moments" where I decide to sell everything to do with cars and detailing...which does come and go quite a bit! :lol:

For the short term, I still have to give her a polish, need to fix the rust on the arches, and repaint them and the callipers...and that's about it......

In conclusion, you can now pick these cars up for well under £10k, and provided that the biggest issues have been looked at, I think they make an amazing car purchase, I would much rather have this than a new car costing a fortune on depreciation - usually the forgotten cost of a new car...

And to finish this off....here is how she looks at the moment.....





































Any questions most welcome!

:thumb:


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## SarahAnn

She is gorgeous. I still love her and i can't stop looking at her.


----------



## McClane

Good work Cuey! :thumb: And I think the Jag looks ace.

I'll have to pull my finger out and do one on mine!


----------



## The Cueball

*Jeep Grand Cherokee - 1996*

So this is my other car, or my daily driver, winter car, test bed, whatever you want to call it...

It was purchased from one of the worst ebay adverts I have ever seen at the tail end of 2008, terrible description (missed half of the things out), terrible pictures - black Jeep, at night in the rain?!! And it finished at a really daft time - 3 am or something like that.....

I had previous experience with a Jeep like this when they were new, so I was confident about them, plus I thought I could get it for a good price... in the end I paid around £600 for it...

When I went to pick her up, the seller was not happy, and it turns out he was forced to get rid of it by the wife... :lol:

Mostly everything was as I thought, so money was paid and I drove it home...

These Jeeps are amazing value for money, you get full heated, electric leather, air con, sunroof, elec windows, Cd multiplayer, and this one even had the nokia hands free kit included...

She this was how she looked:



















And a small present for me:










The weak points of these Jeeps are:

The Elec aerial always breaks - I am on my 3rd one
The fron bushes are under a lot of strain due to the nature of the beast
The tailgate struts are pretty weak too - £35 off ebay mind you!

And...well....if you look after them, service them...that is about it :doublesho

I happen to know a person who specced out certain bits of the engine and drive chain at the start of his career, and I now know that these big industrial engines were built to take 500k easily...and with the torque and the gearing, it allows the engine to have a very stress free life!

So what have I spent in the nearly 3 years with her...well, I do my own servicing and repairs where I can, and I service it every 6 months..... it's very cheap, and very easy to do...as are the brakes and disks...which I have also done...

As stated I also use this as a test bed for new detailing "ideas" so I have spent time and money painting the wheels, refurbing the leather etc - none of which really needed to be done...

I have also smashed the side window, crashed it through a fence, drove it off road and through a river.... let's just say, she is not a garage queen... :lol:

So the breakdown I will show is as follows:

Servicing etc £400
4 tyres £200
Fuel tank straps £150 - it only "needed" 1...but I got the 6 done
Drop links, tracking and wheel bearing £150
Alternator loose wire and exhaust £200

That is £1100 in 3 years, inc the £600 to buy...and lets round it up to £2000 for all the "cueball moments".....that is still one h£ll of a bargain and a LOT of car for your money...

It's not all tip top.... my elec aerial is away again (but the CD player still works, so m'eh), the driver's heated seat has 'cooled' down a little....and that is it......I can live with these small things not working to 100% for a Jeep like this....

I have used this thing during the worst snow storms etc in recent years, I have picked people up, pulled fancy X5's back onto the road, or up hills....pulled cars, boats, been hit - everything...and it just shrugs everything off and keeps going....

If you are seriously looking for a comfy, relaxing, well appointed Jeep/or car for running about, or winter duties....I can really recommend something like this....

This is the latest pictures I have:




























Oh, and that present was sorted out!










Any questions welcome as always...

:thumb:


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## SarahAnn

Wish i'd have seen this thread before we bought our new (ish) sportage. I had seen an ad for new jeeps at £17k and got talked out of them by the local garage owner i'd popped in to see.
BUM!


----------



## johnnyguitar

johnnyguitar said:


> The car is still too thirsty....._ used some Wynn's EGR cleaner....I'd also cleaned the MAF and AIT sensors (the latter is in the one in the intercooler) but this had no discernible effect._


_

None whatsoever.
I did get a mild remap done which made the car pull like a train in every gear and I was very happy. It was VERY smoky and eventually ran like a bag of crap. I am 99.9% certain the EGR is the culprit here as I did think the VNT actuator was getting stuck due to being very dirty. I had the turbo stripped and cleaned and apparently it was very dirty, but this hasn't solved the problem, so it's off to get the EGR done tomorrow. It's still boosting a LOT though - up to 2.5bar if I put my toe in and I'm not entirely convinced it will take that too often. Still no fault codes either.



johnnyguitar said:



Suspension time

Click to expand...

After I had the rear dampers fitted (bolts were seized so took it to a bloke with an impact driver), I was left with a rattle which I put down to a slightly loose shock - I took the top mount bolt out of the off-side and replaced it with new and threadlocked it properly. I thought this solved the problem, but then the rattle crept back in, so I bought another set of bolts for both sides and replaced them and liberally applied the threadlock. There is still a hint of a rattle which I am now wondering if there is a perishing bush somewhere under there.

Rear brakes are fecked - the car failed its MOT in Feb on a ****-poor handbrake. A new caliper was duly obtained and fitted with new pads (I didn't have time at this point as I was a week into a new job) and entrusted it to the local garage, who told me it did NOT need new rear discs. It scraped through the retest with the handbrake sorted and I took it for a service at Ford. Their 3,000,000 safety check came up green on everything, including rear discs, but they weren't right if you ask me - they must be so worn, that the pad is not covering all of the disc - I know that a new pad has to wear to the shape of the disc, but a) the disc should wear evenly and the pad is not removing the surface rust over some parts of the disc, which is a bugger. I've got a full Mintex kit for the back for 40 quid delivered (how can they sell the pads and discs so cheaply) which is ready to go on in the next week or so, as soon as I sort myself out with a caliper winding solution.

In other news, I decided to have the front end resprayed along with the tailgate and rear bumper - I'm fairly happy although the week after it was painted, it was sprayed by a tom-cat which etched into the new lacquer and I had to have the bonnet done again. The second job is not as good as the first and to be honest, I sort of lost interest after that. I'll give it a polish and I know it will look OK, but it was just a bit scrappy by comparison.

I sourced an ST170 interior and fitted this, but I mixed up the bolts for the rear seat bases and put in a pair of bolts that were too long and then watched the fella that helped me chew the heads up with the electric drill, trying to remove them. I need to get a decent screw/torx bolt extractor to try and get them out to put the correct ones in but my left handed drill bits are so far not doing the job.

I think that's it for now, I'll add a bit more once I get the car back, get the brakes sorted and add a can of BG244 into the next tank of fuel._


----------



## Coops

*Audi Q7 3.0 TDi Quattro*

So for today and the next 4 days I will mostly be driving one of these:









:thumb:

Bit of a change from my Octavia but as it has 7 seats, I've got it for an extended weekened as we're going away with friends (thanks to Head Office for the loan!)

First thing that strikes me about the car is the way it doesn't actually feel as big as it looks - yes you can feel the weight especially when trying to pull it down at speed but aside from that it feels very normal.

It has a 6 speed S Tronic automatic box with flappy paddles behind the steering wheel :driver: so plenty of options - leave in Auto; manual change on the stick plus manual change on the paddles. Response is a little bit slow from the auto box, you have to judge coming out of junctions a few seconds before to allow the car to respond. However, stick it in "Sport" mode and it responds much much quicker.

The engine is very torquey and pulls very well, haven't tried to pull from a low speed in a high gear yet (as the gearbox won't let me or I haven't worked it out yet). Considering the bulk of the thing, fuel consumption isn't too bad - I did a 45 mile journey to work this morning, and despite some "silly" driving, I managed 28 MPG - from a 3 litre diesel, guess that isn't too bad?

Interior is nice and roomy - although the leather S Line seats are comfy, they are 12 way electrically adjustable. Can I get them right? Can I heck! One interior gripe I do have is that the air vent surrounds are chrome and as such reflect quite badly in the side windows and therefore in your view on the wing mirrors, can be off putting.

One thing I don't have a gripe with is the stereo system - it has the BOSE DSP system and it is awesome. CD changer takes 6 discs with MP3 recordings - I have put 1 CD in it which has 7 albums on, so there would be plenty of music choice should I fill it up completely :doublesho

I keep this updated as and when I can over the weekend with some more views on the Audi. Suddenly the kids want me to take them to school in it tomorrow - they'll be going right at the back in the 3rd row of seats, that should be fun!

Thanks for reading.


----------



## Coops

^^ Update on the above:

Filled the damn thing up this morning :doublesho Oh god. Even though I had about 180 miles left to go, I thought I'd do it before the weekend to save the hassle. Not exactly sure what the tank size is but it just kept going and going - when it got to £80 I thought I'd better stop in case there was a limit on the fuel card, it eventually stopped at £92 and 65 litres !!!! According to the trip, that'll give me about 600 miles. 

Took the kids to school this morning and they wanted to sit right at the back in the 3rd row. Couldn't actually see them very well through the rear view mirror, just voices and their little heads popping up. They thought it was brill and were constantly banging the windows and waving at their mates as we got closer to the school. Obviously with the 3rd row of seats up, the boot space is massively reduced - not sure we'll even manage to fit a cool box in the boot for when we go out at the weekend. Shouldn't be a real issue because there will be space in the 2nd row but still a pain nonetheless. You can't also put the retracable parcel shelf in with the 3rd row - thats stored in the garage.

Played about with the sat nav today also - very good and thorough. The main map is displayed on the centre console and the route guidance can be shown up on the driver display between the dials. Instructions are very clear and precise if a little quiet but that could be because I had the stereo on too loud.

Despite driving in it all day yesterday, I still haven't managed to get the seat in a comfortable position. I think if it was my money, I'd probably not spec the electric seats. Don't get me wrong they are very comfortable but I've spent more time adjusting them because I can, rather than just getting in moving seat forward/back up and done.

Will pile the whole family in tomorrow and see how we get on it at swimming and shopping. Should be fun, parked in a Tesco Express yesterday lunchtime and it would hardly fit in a space.

:driver:


----------



## Mick

First off, props to Renesis Evo, followed hos format for the writeup somewhat, as i felt it was a better layout in which to structure the review, and i found his extremely easy and informative to read :thumb:

_Ford Mondeo 2004 (04) 'Mk3' 2.0TDCi 130PS 5dr Zetec-S _


















Please note: The following represents entirely my opinion and experience of ownership of one particular car however your findings may be entirely different. I hope however, this gives prospective buyers a more detailed insight into buying one of these Cars.

*Why a Mondeo?*

Having owned a '94 2.0T Rover Coupe for just over a year, I wanted to upgrade to something more economical. I've never been a fan of really small cars, I prefer A larger car mainly due to the extra comfort and practicality it affords me. Five doors is a must as I'm always taking passengers places, and have learnt the hard way that getting in and out constantly to allow people access is not really fun. 
I settled on a Mondeo after reading countless reviews online, It seemed to offer the most toys for the price range i was looking at, and was generally of a much lower mileage than similar range cars like the Passat, Toledo, or the Vectra. After much searching and going to see one or two rough examples i stumbled across mine. The owner of the garage informed me that the DMF Flywheel had gone, and would need replaced. but he was willing to come to an arrangement with the price to take this into account. It was the zetec-S spec which i was looking for due to slightly different styling than the norm and also some 18" alloys which make the car look somewhat better than its normal brother.

Sadly my budget could not stretch to the desireable ST-TDCi so this was a close second. half an hour after taking a test drive a deal was done, which included a new Clutch, DMF, 4 tyres, and fixing a faulty electric seat adjuster (research had told me the DMF and seat adjuster were common faults, and i felt it simply common sense to have the clutch renewed while it was out to do the DMF) the handling was good, being a fairly common car servicing and parts are not overly expensive. The ability of the car to do largely everything I could want was an important factor - i wanted something that could hold a lot of luggage, take myself and my friends in comfort, be economical on my commute back and forward to work, but still be entertaining and involving enough to be able to have a wee blast down a B-road.

*Engine*

Diesel was a must for me due to the better economy afforded over the equivalent petrol. The 2.0TDCi "DuraTorq" unit, which was originally found in the ford transit in a detuned form, has a variable vane turbo which can allow an extra 10% in torque over short periods and is available in two forms: 110 and 130BHP versions. The cars also come in two transmission types, both a 5 and 6 speed manual version (i think an auto version was also offered). wanting to get the most out of my car as possible i wanted to get the 130BHP version in a 6 speed if at all possible (which has a hefty 331Nm of torque) , due to the 6th gear offering a better RPM when cruising at 70, and therefore offering better economy. Luckily for me the Zetec-S model i eventually settled on had both these plus points, which was another factor that swung me to buy it.

*Trim*


















The Zetec-S trim is the 3rd from the top on the mondeo range, topped only by the Ghia, Titanium, and ST trim levels respectively. It features an electric ally adjustable drivers seat as standard, As well as a lot of other handy features for A diesel cruiser, such as Cruise control and climate control. Also 4x electric windows, which is getting harder to get nowadays. The dash is blak/grey and silver, and looks quite modern but not too chavvy. its well put together and not creaky in the slightest which you can get with some other cheaper built interiors.

The main thing I like about the zetec S is the Auxiliary in as standard, meaning you can easily connect an mp3 player of your choice. also has AVC as standard (Auto Volume Control) which turns the volume of the stereo up or down depending on the vehicles speed. Steering wheel stalk for adjusting the stereo is also a standard feature.

Something else worth mentioning with the Mk3 Mondeo in general is that the wiring looms are all the same. meaning although the zetec-s did not come with electric folding mirrors and puddle lights, the plugs are still there in the correct place, so if you can source the parts from an ST, they plug straight in and work! similar can be said with the footwell lights found in the ghia spec, in the zetec s everything is there except the bulbs, so all you need to do is put bulbs in and the footwell lights work. quite good considering this was an additional option £50 on the zetec s model :lol:

Having did several long distance runs in my car so far, i can also say that the seats are comfortable enough to sit in for 6 or 7 hours without too many problems, and you dont feel drained like i have done after 7 hours in some of my previous cars.

The best feature of this car, (and most modern fords now) is the heated windscreen, it has proved invaluable on several occasions now, and is one of the things making me want to keep this car for a long time. I dont think i could go back to scraping the windscreen in the winter now :lol: soo lazy.

The Mondeo is held to the road by four wheels, 18x8" in this case. which by modern standards isnt overly large. they do provide a slightly firmer ride than the 17" wheels found on the lower specced cars, but i feel the better aesthetics outweighs this tiny niggle. one thing to beware of though with this model, the alloys are diamond cut on the face and they do corrode - badly. ive yet to see a set that doesnt suffer from corrosion and lacquer peel, so if you go to view one, prepare to see it, and budget a refurb into the cost of the car (if it really bothers you). mines are still yet to be refurbed, and do look rather scabby if im honest, one of the things that lets down my particular car, that will need addressed in the near future. Of course the added benefit to the larger wider wheel is better traction on the road, not that I ever go fast enough to need it :lol:

*Driving*

6 gears to play with. Shifting is excellent, honestly on par with some hot hatches ive owned, has a very positive feel to it. 70MPH in 6th gear is around 1750rpm, which is just below where the power from the turbo starts to come in.

The car handles very directly, and not at all like the large "barge" image many people have of a Mondeo. One thing i will say though is that mines is very tail happy in the wet. but I put this down to the fact i have premium tyres on the front, but budgets on the rear, and i fully believe changing the rear tyres to match the front would resolve this issue.

In the bad weather last winter the car handled superbly, and only got me stuck once in the snow (which to be fair was as much my fault as the cars, i think a 4 wheel drive car would have got stuck where i did that day).The brakes on the car are reasonably good, but if im honest could feel a little sharper. in the future i would maybe look at fitting ST fronts to mine for additional stopping power as they are larger and much more capable of pulling the 1578kg to rest. they are by no means BAD brakes, i just feel they could be sharper and more responsive, as im used to the better brakes offered by the more "sporty" cars i have owned.

*Ownership*
The car was Bought from an independent dealer in Stirling on the 14th August 2010. Having found a Mondeo that met my criteria in terms of price, warranty, trim, engine and locality. It was an added bonus to find it in one of the less common colours, which i quite like as its unusual. With the mondeo being a common car I could afford to be pickier about what i wanted, and did walk away from three or 4 others before finding the one pictured above which i Eventually came to a deal on. The dealer was really helpful, and open about the cars problems before i had even looked round it. I paid £4500 cash for the car in the end up, which considering the dealer fitted 4 new tyres (around 70 quid a corner), and also fitted a new DMF and clutch in the price (usually around a 1k job) I was chuffed with the price. the DMF has been known to be a common failure point on the Mondeo so i had it in my mind to budget for one in the future with any car i bought, so to get it included in the price was an added bonus. To sweeten the deal, the dealer also included a full years warranty, which due to the works he did when i bought it, i have not needed. the car also had a full service history and some reciepts when i bought it which helped reassure me i was buying a quality used car.

*Economy*

Since buying the car, I have covered almost 20000 miles, filling up with current fuel prices usually costs me around 65-75 quid and from that i can usually get around 450-500 miles from a mix of town and motorway driving. If im careful i have had the onboard computer indicate 58mpg, and from my own calculations i have previously achieved 52mpg, although it usually sits at around a calculated 43mpg (indicated 46).

*Problems*
The car has a couple of minor problems at the minute. it currently has a droplink gone on one side, which causes a knocking over bumps. i attribute this to the current state of the UK roads, coupled with low profile tyres, puts a lot of stress on the suspension/chassis components of a car.

Other problems I have had since purchasing the car include a work intercooler hose, collapsed wheel bearing (pot holes again), and i also had a burst tyre, then a week later i had a cracked alloy (yes, pot holes :lol. So a few problems with the car, but nothing serious and all fixable within a day or two with no real hefty bills. Another current problem with the car is the tailgate does not open from the boot handle, as the switch has gone inside. this is a current Mk3 mondeo problem which is rectified by simply renewing the switch, usually at a cost of around £20 pounds.

*The Future*

In the future, I would like to have the service done, and droplink repaired (in the next week or two). then i would like to get my wheels refurbed as they are badly needing it at the minute (i have attached a photo at the end of this writeup of the common amount of corrosion seen on these wheels - its not pretty).
Also, the car need a full correction at some point so i will need to crack out the Machine Polisher when i get a week off and get it sorted. I would love to upgrade the stereo at some point to either an aftermarket unit or preferrably, the Sony unit found in the facelifted mk3 mondeo, which mines does not have at present.

*Summary*

In summary i would say that although my car is in no way perfect, it does everything i need/want it to at the minute, and although it doesnt really set your heart alight when you drive it, it is a very capable tool to transport you in more than reasonable comfort. So for those reasons alone i feel it will be mine for a good while yet, until time and funds allow for me to get a second car again, which will hopefully be something more sporty for the weekend. thanks for taking the time to read this review, and i hope it has given you an insight into Mondeo ownership :thumb:


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## Leemack

Missed this thread but i'll put a mini Cooper S cabby on there tomorrow


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## silverback

Deano said:


> 1999 Rover 75 CDT


is that jewish racing gold deano ??:argie:


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## LeadFarmer

*My 1996 Land Rover Defender 110 300tdi*

Hopefully due to the reputation that Defenders have, I shouldnt need to convince folk just how good these vehicles are. But I accept, they arent suited for everyone. They have nothing in the way of interior comfort, they are slow and dont have any of the nice interior features/gadgets that modern cars have. But this is exactly what appeals to most Defender owners.

Anyway, heres the story of my Defender...

I first decided to get a Defender after my two dogs were making a right mess of the interior of my Ford Mondeo. I had always wanted one, so the decision was an easy one. Little did I know of the path that lay before me

So here is a photo I took of my Defender just a few days before I bought it in 2005, a 10 year old South Yorkshire Police 1996 110 300tdi with 50K on the clock. It was used as an Incident Command Vehicle and I managed to obtain a very detailed print out of all the service/repair work that it had ever had done, including things such as tyre replacements etc..










After winning it at auction for £6900 I quickly set about removing all the stuff that the police had left on, such as the siren, perspex headlight guards, police decals, bits of uniform found inside etc. Visibly it was being let down by the rusting door hinges and surface rust on the rear crossmember. But after putting on new wheels & a snorkle, my Defender spent the next few years looking mostly like this..










My intentions from the begining were to have it resprayed, but I decided to have a new galvanised chassis fitted first (as you do). And I thought I may as well have a galv bulkhead also. This would mean the vehicle should last for many many years. Also, I didnt want to have to strip it all down in the future for a new chassis once it had been painted. One of the most important areas to look at if your buying a Defender is the chassis & front bulkhead. Both are prone to rust. So, last summer off I went to Richards chassis in Rotherham. I suppied him with an Ashtree LR galv bulkhead, which they had pre-sprayed Bonatti grey for me.

So the rebuild starts, and off with the body (ouch )..










The new rolling chassis complete with new genuine standard springs and dampers..










Decided to fit a Safari snorkle, some galv tree sliders & galv front bumper so that everything is in keeping at the same eye level around the bumper, sides & cross member, so here it is after being reassembled (the Bonatti bulkhead is just visible)..










Then a few weeks ago I decided to finally get it resprayed. And so the dismantling started again. Here it is outside the spray shop..










Also fitted a few extras such as heated front screen, heater intake snow cover, quick release Momo steering wheel new tailgate door, new rear quarter extention panels (mine had corroded), new windscreen brackets, new door handles, new door hinges with stainless torx bolts, Nakatanenga rear door strut, Brunell front grill & headlight surrounds, and countless other sundries that were needed.

So now it looks something like this...




























I still have loads to do to finish it off, such as fitting the door seals, internal door cards, painting the interior etc. And Ive got a pair of RR P38 seats to fit,but I hope you all agree its quite a transformation from how it used to look.

*Buyers info:-*

The 200tdi & 300tdi models (up to 1998) have solid engines, and easy for any greasy mechanic to work on.
The TD5 (1998 onwards) have more computerised technology, but are great engines still.
The new Puma engine defenders (2007 onwards) have the Ford Transit type engine (I have no experience of these).

The crucial thing for buyers to look out for is a rusting chassis, or front bulkhead. If inspecting a Defender to purchase, make sure you crawl underneath and look all around the chassis for any bad rust areas. Repairs are possible, but a new chassis is £££££££







. Also check the front bulkhed, in particular the corners under the windscreen. Pop the bonnet open and look behind the engine at the bulkhead for any signs of rust. Replacing the bulkhead means taking the engine out and is a big job ££££££









Other than that, most repairs are straight forward. Its the type of car that you can easily try and work on yourself if you are mechanically minded. Body panels are aluminium, but means you should watch for corrosion between the aluninium skins and the metal framework behind. And be carefull if the Defender your looking at is covered in aluminium chequer plate, it might be hiding something nasty behind?

Thanks for looking









Update - Heres a few more photos...


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## ant_s

Some good reviews on here, I'd put on of mine on here but it's been modified so wouldn't be a fair review on a standard model


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## zaphod

*2003 Saab 9-3 Aero - a personal review.*









2003 - SAAB 9-3 Aero Sports Saloon - a personal review - Chris aka Zaphod​
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I have owned three 9000's - 2.3CSE FBT, 3.0CSE V6, and, currently a 2.3t Anniversary, two GM900's - 2.0 Turbo Convertible, and XS (which my daughter now has), currently, and forever, a 96, and the vehicle reviewed here. I have also driven various other 9000's, classic 900's, 9-5's, although not the current one, and classic 9-3's.

INTRODUCTION

The 9-3 Aero reviewed was purchased through the trade, in January 2011, one private owner since new, and having covered 78,000 miles. The car has a full service history, all handbooks and the accompanying wallet, two key fobs, plus a huge file of paperwork. The previous owner was obviously fastidious. This review reflects the personal views and opinions of the author after 6 weeks of ownership.









*A sense of well-being.*​

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Sitting for the first time in the driver's seat of the 9-3, you are left no doubt that you are at the wheel of a Saab, even if the Saab Aero decals on the sills and the badge on the steering wheel give the game away. Missing are the familiar instrument binnacle, dashboard and readouts that lightly evolved from the 900, through to the early 9-5's. This is a modern Saab. The 9-3's instruments are very clearly laid out, and as with all Saabs, switchgear live in familiar locations. Sensible, ergonomic, and sound. So Saab. There is a large feeling of space in sitting in the ****pit, and a huge sense of well-being, too. This car has something special.









*Inviting seats.*​
SEATING

The front seats are very comfortable, and supportive - possibly the most comfortable in a Saab I have owned - and are trimmed in half leather. The central part of the cushions and backs of the seats are covered with a very strong, ivory-coloured fabric, contrasting grey leather elsewhere. This makes sense when you consider wear and tear, and eliminates the need for heated seats - available as an option. The driver sits directly in front of the steering wheel and pedals - not to one side. The steering wheel has good fore and aft adjustment, too. Head and leg room is excellent in both the front and rear. There are also small pockets to the front of both passenger and driver seats - very useful - and much larger at the rear. Lumbar, in and out, and height adjustment - via a pumped handle, cf. the GM900 - means that drivers of all shapes and sizes ought to be able to find a comfortable driving position. In this example, this is manually achieved. Electrically operated and memory seats were also an option.

REFINEMENTS, COMFORTS AND TOYS

The Aero is equipped with ESP (Electronic Stability Control), ABS, EBD, air-bags all round, active headrests, and three-point seatbelts that are pre-tensioned. It also has a 5 star NCAP safety rating.
Easy entry to the Aero is gained via an electronic key/fob hybrid, purely by remote control. The fob has the usual buttons for (deadlock) doors lock, doors unlock, boot release, and a fourth, to activate the interior lighting and sidelights - handy if you have used a dark car park. The ignition barrel is again sited in the Centre Console, behind the gear lever, which does not need to be placed in Reverse to remove the key.

Mention has been made of inferior plastics used by some articles. They are perfectly OK, functional, clean and hard wearing, and, most importantly, easy to maintain, and keep clean.









*Better headlight, rear and foglight control*​
Some switchgear have been moved to more sensible positions. The switch for headlights and sidelights has been moved to a lower position to the right of the dashboard, and operates anti-clockwise. Small switches for the Rear and Front Fog lights are now placed to the top of this and are no longer hidden by the steering wheel. Overall buttons for the electric windows have been moved from the Centre Console to the driver's door, the other doors have their own buttons, and, door lock/unlock switches. There is the usual boot flip switch, but a switch for remote filler cap operation has been lost.









*Stylised handbrake.*​
The Centre Console itself has had a clever makeover. It is dominated, for the most part, by a stylised handbrake lever, the button for operation works using the index and third finger. The passenger has a cup holder, and they will be amused as it performs its choreography, when operated from the dashboard.

To the rear of the Centre Console is a small, covered storage box, inside which, lives a retractable cup holder for the driver. Behind this, is a larger storage box below an arm rest, having a 12 volt output, and a blanking socket for MP3 plug-ins - again an option. To the front of the gear lever is a further storage area for sunglass-cased sized objects. This lives below an ashtray that slides forward for use. The Central Console is trimmed in brushed aluminium, looking very attractive. Both front and rear passengers have the dome lighting, plus individually operated reading lights. There is a large drop-down glove box, which has the option to be refrigerated.

Rear seat passengers have headrests, and the usual retractable armrest, which incorporates a ski hatch, ashtray and cigar lighter and a retractable twin cup holder, housed in the bottom on the rear seats. The rear seats can be folded down, to increase boot space further from its capable 425 litre capacity.









*Indicator/Main Beam/Cruise Control stalk.*​
The indicator/main beams stalk to the left of the steering column, also has the cruise control fitted and its operation is far more positive, and easier to use, than those on previous Saabs. The wash wipe stalk to the right has 2 speeds, plus intermediate, and the windscreen wash also operated from here has a powerful 3x twin spray, whilst the headlights themselves are also power-washed. Rain-sensitive wipers are an option.


DASHBOARD









*The SID readout.*​
The SID readout has been moved to atop of the dashboard, and is far more comprehensive than that found in the GM900 and 9-3. There are many categories to customise - Air Conditioning, Alarms, Speed Alarms, and more. This new location is not intrusive. All readouts are in clearly described in green. There is a separate digital clock to the left, while the top line of the SID shows the read-out for the many computer functions - here the outside temperature. The bottom line indicates either the Radio or CD displays. The display is not a distraction while on the road.









*Radio, Heater and 6CD*​
The controls for the radio are found below the central air vents, are large, and easily described. The 6-CD changer is integral to the unit, and sits beneath the heater controls.
All heater controls are simple and easy to use, and less ambiguous than that found with the 9000 with ACC. They can either be set to individual tastes, or revert to the factory option, which works well, and quickly, on cold mornings. Heating is split, so that passenger and driver can enjoy different temperature environments.









*Instrument Binnacle*​
There are plenty of warning lights in the instrument binnacle, in addition to information gained via the SID. The rev-counter sits to the left, and is sympathetically smaller to the speedometer, which sits large and bold in the middle. Fuel, temperature and turbo gauges sit to the right. The displays are clear, easy to read, and well illuminated, without reflections, as are all the switchgear, in a soft green.

The steering wheel has incorporated controls for volume, preset radio stations, and CD/track operation, which are illuminated, as well as Bluetooth controls, should a phone be required - but only a Saab phone.









*Behind the wheel*​
BEHIND THE WHEEL

The 9-3 Aero is, without question, a very easy, reassuring and simple car to drive. On starting, there is a slight delay, as the electronic steering wheel lock deactivates, and systems fire up, but once turned over, the car idles almost imperceptibly. The engine is a shorter stroke of the 2.2 Ecotec, found typically in the Omega, Vectra and VX220, and aluminium in structure. Engine management, however, is pure Saab.

The clutch is very light and has a good, not excessive, travel. Gear changes are said by some to be notchy. I would say it is more a positive throw.

This is a six-speed model, and the close gear ratios are ideally appointed, happy to cruise around town in 4th gear at 30mph at c.1500 rpm. 70mph on motorways in 6th shows just over 2000, and care needs to be taken not to exceed the legal limit. Outstandingly stable at speed, the Aero remains quiet, except for some tyre roar. Such is the power and torque available at any speed, the car would be usually driven with care, and a feather-light touch. This is very pleasant and comforting, knowing that there is so much more power and torque in reserve. Motorway travelling easily troubles 40mpg, and to date, the worst returned in solid city work is very slightly less than 30. At present, with trips to work, over 35mpg is registered by SID.









*9000 anniversary and the 9-3 Aero.*​
ON THE ROAD

Progress is swift, without drama or fuss. On country roads, overtaking is achieved with ease, if need be, but the Aero is quite happy to potter along, when there is no alternative. Ample torque is always there, already reported for duty, again thanks to the ratios making good use of peak output. The Aero is a free-revving lump, and its high performance can embarrass others on the road. Without its Aero body kit, this would be an ideal Q car.

The electrically operated, variable-assist steering is light at slow speeds, and provides enough feedback to the driver. This is little changed at speed, where assistance is reduced. The Aero has a stability system that slightly 'steers' the rear wheels, and undoubtedly helps the handling further. The Aero will corner flat at surprising speeds, and the contoured seats restrain sideways movement. The assisted brakes are powerful, and require little effort.

The car sits on 17 inch ALU50, five-spoke, twin Aero low profile alloys. As a consequence of this, and the spring set up - the Aero sits 10mm lower than the rest of the range - the ride is harsh. It could be argued that this is a symptom of the state of our roads at this time. It is not so intrusive, and if driving style is adapted to compensate, then this is something that one can easily become accustomed to. The low profile tyres originally fiited were sensitive to poor road surfaces, and would tram-line, if caught off-guard, on the worst. The Falken tyres now fitted all around have illiminated this.









*Xenon Headlights*​
When night falls, the Xenon headlights work powerfully - the main beams even moreso - and for me, are a revelation. The dashboard and readouts are illuminated very well and clearly with no glare; this adjustable, together with Saab's Night Panel switch - the speedometer can also be lit to show miles or kilometres per hour. All switchgear on the console, dashboard and doors do not reflect in screens or windows.









TALE OF THE TAPE

0-60 mph: 7.3 seconds
Top speed: 146mph
BHP: [email protected]
Torque: [email protected]
Length (cm): 462.9
Width (cm): 201.1 - includes door mirrors
Weight (Kgs): 1465

Wheelbase: 267.5 cm 
Fuel Tank: 58 litres
Turning Circle: 10 metres
Unbraked/braked towing weights: 750Kgs. /1600Kgs.


----------



## 335dAND110XS

*BMW 335d SE Touring*










*Why this car?*
Had this car two years now and for me it was a bit of a realistic "dream" car. Very quick yet refined and of huge importance to me and my wife, almost "invisible."

Finding the car took a lot of patience - we wanted the SE version for it's smaller wheels and subtle looks, we wanted a panoramic sunroof and we didn't want i-drive having seen what faulty systems can do to a BMW. We finally found the perfect example from Sytners in Leicester who gave excellent service and delivered it to us down in Cornwall, taking away our Astra estate in part exchange.










*The Good Bits
*
There are a lot of good bits on this car - the superb chassis with almost old school RWD handling, the build quality, the well thought out extras and of course that engine. Floor it in this car and things get exciting very quickly. Slow down in this car and the vast brakes anchor you to the tarmac. The cars goes exactly where you point it, a little tail action can be had safely and the fully hydraulic steering (all other E90 series BMWs have electrical assistance apart from the M3 and 335i) gives useful feedback and a solid, meaty feel.

The dash is lovely and simple - lacking i-drive means a clean sweeping design with everything your normal driver would want, all easy to hand and within line of sight.

The gearbox is auto only but with flappy paddles. Yes this puts off some drivers off but with 428lbs-ft of torque, the manual box apparently struggles. However it's a very good ZF 6 speed auto and in sport mode, aggressively red lines in each gear. Learn to use it properly and it becomes very useful - hands are never off the wheel and it rarely puts a foot wrong.

The engine pulls very hard from all revs - the bi-turbo fills in the usual low range dead patch most diesels suffer from and it even sounds good when pushed hard. Overtaking is a breeze and multiple vehicles can be dispatched safely in one go with ease. In fact it's pacy enough to show the odd "supercar" a clean set of pipes at the right speeds - at higher speeds it still pulls hard. Most that have been on a dyno are pulling more than stock bhp and torque - ours is on 302bhp and 435lbs-ft. That makes for a very rapid car with sub 6s to 60 and low 13s to 100. Not bad for a soot chucking estate.

*The Bad Bits*

Okay the boot isn't massive - think large hatch rather than big estate but it's still a useful space with the seats folded. We fitted a Hatchbag to ours to avoid any boot liner damage - well worth the price as it offers complete protection.

The ride with run flat tyres isn't great - crashy and it tramlines like crazy. We ditched ours for "proper" tyres as soon as we could and the benefits were enormous. It's also worth laser aligning the wheels as too much camber can cause nasty inner edge tyre wear.
This is most definitely not a car for snow and ice or even a slippery grass car park - choose your driving routes carefully and stick to tarmac only. The car has left me stuck a few times and in snow, we simply leave it at home and use our 110 Defender.

The image puts many off - aggressive drivers with no manners. For this reason we go out of our way to be courteous and often receive shocked looks as we let other drivers out at junctions or indicate when required.

Oh and last of all -rusty hubs! A major issue for this series of BMW. We've had ours "done" but a £40k car should not corrode like this!

*Overall*

The 335d Touring is a superb all rounder. It carries most of the kit you need and a four person family with ease. It's comfortable on long journeys, gets over 400 miles from a tank yet is a lot of fun on twisty roads. With superb build quality and such ability, we plan to keep it a long time. We can't think of another car that does so much so well.


----------



## 335dAND110XS

Oil service done (I'm doing them every 10k, not the 20k suggested by BMW) and all is good. Had a wee brake hiccup a few months ago (wobbled under braking) - new disks which also warped! Turned out to be the brake reaction bushes. New disks (replaced for free) and bushes. Cost around £450 including labour but good to have new (Bosch) disks, pads and the sorted bushes. If any of you get similar, get these checked out. It's a common 3 series issues.

Oil service £125 - £75 for the oil; yikes!!


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## The Cueball

*Mazda RX8 - 2004*

I have had this car for a few weeks now, and since it's pretty clear that there are bad stories about it, and (mostly) a load of people spouting BS about it, I thought I would put up a quick review for anyone interested, or maybe thinking about this car....

She is a 2004 197bhp, 5 speed RX8 with 51k miles....

So, lets start with the looks, and of course those suicide doors (or "freedom" doors as Mazda call 'em)... and I think it looks great....this car is still quite a rare sight on the roads, and even though it's nearly 8 years old, it can still turn heads.....and everyone seems to love those doors! :lol:



















The equipment is also pretty good on this car, 18" alloys, air con, 6 disk CD player (in dash), heated leather elec seats so it's all good there....

The engine

This is where most of the people who don't like or don't know about the car start to moan and complain... it uses oil, it will blow up, it's thirsty.... blah, blah, blah...here is a few pics of the plastic washing machine...eh I mean engine:



















Let's get one thing clear straight away...this engine, the genesis rotary is DESIGNED to use oil...that is part and parcel of it...how much?!?! Well I check it every week when cleaning it, and so far (and this is backed up by what I read on the forums) It uses about 100ml of oil every 2 weeks...or to be more scientific about it like me..... 5 seconds of top up oil...

So get over it...the engine needs oil, and it needs to be looked at....done.

Engines blow up....yes they can... just the same as every other car....when they are abused...if you abuse it, it will blow. Simple.

They are thirsty...yes...and this is one I'm not going to argue with....the car likes to be revved...this uses more fuel....it is a downside IMO...esp when I know of some "slower" XKR drivers getting more mpg than me in the RX8... a 1.3 rotarty engine getting less mpg than a 4.2 V8 supercharged...eh now way....

But is it worth it....I'll come back to that later....let's move on to the interior:



















These seats are very nice, they offer great support and seem to be comfy even after longish journeys..I think that although the plastics are kind of cheap feeling, they are all well placed and all work well enough...plus the 4 seats are in a kind of "pod" so everyone gets their own wee space and kids seem to like the back...I stole my mates boy for this part of the test 

What else is there?

Well the brakes are very good, gear change is slick, and the car loves to rev right up until the "change gear you muppet BEEP!!!"  the handling is very good, it is a very easy car to set up for and drive though the wee twisty roads in Scotland.....as a confused person in his 911 found out recently...of course the offset of this well balanced car, is that from time to time the ride is pretty bumpy, but a good trade off in my book...

There are issues of course as with all cars...and one of the more serious ones, and this is why I know that *most* of the people that give advice on a RX8 don't have a clue what they are talking about, is that the car has a small issue with the steering rack.

On this car, it's electric steering, and the design of the rack leaves a very important bit exposed to the elements...when this starts to degrade or seize up, the steering gets really hard and difficult of turn....this could also happen if the battery is low or loose....It is quite easy to fix, which is good as a new one from Mazda is......... £1,400 :doublesho :lol:

There is also a small issue if you are just starting/stopping or driving while cold...it doesn't like it and sometimes the engine can flood.....but again, a more serious problem than this is if you run out of fuel, with some people having to pay over £600 to get this flixed.... just don't run out of fuel! :lol:

So, to go back to my question of...is it all worth it???

I like the looks, I like chucking it into a corner, and I like the gear change...the cabin is a decent place to be, and at the end of the day, it is a well made, nice car....

However...I just don't get it....and the reason for this is the engine...sadly...I wanted to love it...I wanted to be different...but I also like to hear my car...I don't want to be reminded of a washing machine every time I accelerate.....Have I been spoiled by the glorious sounds of my 'charged V8...quite possible maybe.....but there is something really lacking in this area for me with the RX...

If the rotary sounded great, or it gave crazy power, or banged and spat flames...maybe I could justify it and put up a fight...but it sounds rubbish, it's not got amazing power and it drinks fuel like a dink out with Olly Reed and George Best without the jokes and birds....

Is the point of this car, a small family car during the week, and a quick single guy blast on a Sunday, it could be...but then it needs too much attention to be a family car IMO...

So in short, and to end this review, I think it's a great car....I just don't know what it's for or where it fits in.....should you at least try one....oh yes, without a doubt...get out there and get it BEEPING!!!! :driver::driver::driver:

Comments or questions very welcome, as always 

:thumb:


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## McClane

zaphod said:


> 2003 - SAAB 9-3 Aero Sports Saloon - a personal review - Chris aka Zaphod​


Great review bud. Mind if I steal the format!? :thumb:


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## zaphod

Go ahead, and thanks!


----------



## woodybeefcake

*Bmw mini cooper 1.6​*
First of all, i have had this car for around 3.5 years. It is being viewed on Monday by a friend's relative and will hopefully conclude a very short time in which the car has been advertised for sale.

So, where do I start? Well pics. This is the car in it's current state.



















It id a 2005 facelift model. The spec includes the chilli pack, which mainly incorporates the air conditioning and half leather interior. Although for some reason came with a tape deck as standard. This is to be refitted tomorrow prior to the sale, for the last six months it has had a Sony Xplod bluetooth unit but since I bought it has always had an aftermarket CD player in it.

One of my favourite features is the anthracite coloured interior. Most of these cars came with silver or silver and chrome. I have never liked chrome in an interior because of the glare from the sun on nice days. I also think the colour really suits the exterior of the car.










*Interior*​
So whilst I'm on the subject, what do I think of the interior?

Well, you won't find many cars with an interior as well put together or as attractive as that of a MINI. In this model the speedo is in the centre, which is great for passengers to tell you off for speeding, but not so great to look at whilst you are trying to look ahead. Therefore I have always had the digital part of the rev counter set to speed.

The seats look great and are comforable on short journeys. But spend a few hours in one on the motorway and you will have a numb bum and find yourself aching in various places. There is only leg room in the back if you are no taller than about 5'9". The rear seats are comfortable as you really sink into them. On the rare occasions they have been sat in, my passengers have always compimented them.

Another nice feature is the amber lighting. There are two near the rear view mirror and some behind the door handles. There are some in the footwells as well as nes under the door that light the floor up when opened. It really is a pleasant place to be.

The car automatically locks the doors after you achieve just a few miles per hour, which is good for security, but if you stop and don't turn the ignition off you have to pull the handles twice to open, the first time to unlock. Numerous times I have had my boss nearly rip them off thinking he is trapped inside. No one ever seems to be able to find the seat recline lever either, which is near the bottom of the back rest.

*Exterior*

From the minute the MINI was released I longed for one. I loved the retro remake of the original, even if it is twice the size of its predecessor. My car is the R50 first gen but is the facelift model. The main differences are the front and rear bumpers and rear lights. Opinions will differ but I honestly belive the first gen was the best looking BMW MINI. once they released the R56 things went a bit down hill. They are still good looking cars but are not as nice as this model if you ask me.

I decided to upgrade the wheels to the 17" BBS R90's, although they are replicas. New they are a £2000 optional extra and not too common. They polish up really well and really make the car look the part. There is a fair bit of wheel gap but it is just one of those things that you have to live with. For a while I drove this car lowered on coilovers and it was a headache. Hence why it is back to standard suspension.

*Performance*

The Cooper is not as blistering as you might thing. The 1.6 goes well and is responsive but could be better. I have driven the supercharged S and they are a scream, but things are naturally mroe subdued with the Cooper. It isn't slow by any means though.

The gear box is good but you wouldn't want to have bought the pre-facelift. The leyland gearbox's are prone to go and need to be repaired or replaced but the newer model had the getrag which was much stronger. It has to be said that a 6-speed would be nice for motorway driving. Aparently you can buy a kit if you wish.

The steering is fantastic. It handles like it is on rails and is great at low and high speeds. However the car is fitted with run flat tyres which I will come back to in a moment.

The clucth is heavy but you do get used to it.

I fitted a K&N panel filter and a Janspeed cat back. the car breathes much better and sounds lovely. Not loud but nice and throaty. It is loud when you want it to be and quiet when you don't.

*Running costs*

Not great. Tax is £175 per annum or £107.50 per six months. The car will average about 35mpg if you don't nail it and that is mixed driving of fast duel carriageways and city driving.

The run flat tyres are bloody aweful. Apart from the fact that they are rock hard and you will feel every bump in the road or have your spine shattered if you hit a pot hole, they are also very expensive. Get a few punctures and you will be cursing them. Expect to pay upwards of £150 for a 17" fitted and ballanced and that is for the cheaper ones.

Servicing isn't too bad and the timing belt is a chain, so doesn't need replacing. You will pay BMW prices for parts and servicing though.

The less said about the running costs the better. If you want an economical car buy the R56 or buy a Fiat 500.
*
Conclusion*

Overall this really is the best car I've ever owned. Despite its negatives it gets attention everywhere it goes. They are very easy to modify. There is a huge club scene and loads of interchangeble parts and decals. You won't find many MINIs that look the same.

It incoprates the all the good things you want from a small fun hatch. It is quick, handles well and looks brilliant. It isn't all that practical and only has four seats. But if you want practicality, buy something bigger. I have literally loved owning this car and will be sad to see it go.

So why am I selling? Well because I've had it for nearly four years. It has ten months tax and six months MOT and only 58,000 miles (I've only actually done about 20,000 in it). It is the rite time to sell. One thing I haven't mentioned so far is the fact that they really hold thier value well. I paid £8,000 for this car and advertising it for £6,000 - expecting just over £5,500 after haggling, which if you look on autotrader, is what they are going for.

What's next? Well Hopefully a FIAT 500 Abarth. The missus wants one and I fancy something similar with the added performace. Just waiting for the cueball to review his. If you have got this far - thanks for reading! :wave:


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## woodybeefcake

Just realised how little protection there is on the car in those photo's! Rest assured, shortly after I worte that review I gave it a good polish and wax. It is now with it's new owner, a 21 year old girl from Lancashire. She loves it!


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## Gruffs

*Alfa Romeo Giulietta JDTm-2 Veloce (170)*

Right, i thought i had better do a car diary thread.

I've had the Car 6 weeks now, the "I Love My New Car" factor should have worn off by now.

I'm also going to steal the previous layout.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta JDTm-2 Veloce (170) in Profondo Blue










Please note: The following represents entirely my opinion and experience of ownership of one particular car however your findings may be entirely different. I hope however, this gives prospective buyers a more detailed insight into buying one of these Cars.

*Why a Giulietta?*

Well, Look at it.

You can't take the badge off it and not know what it is.

Many people say that the rear 3/4 view is the best. I agree that it is to the conventional taste. To my eyes, the front is stunning. It's different, purposeful and it doesn't seem to matter what colour it's in, it looks fantastic.

Just to illustrate.

http://alfa-corse.com/forum/index.php/topic,1342.0.html Giulietta Colours

OK, maybe not Pink.

So, i went to have a look at one and liked it. coming from a SEAT Leon, there is some crossover similarities looks wise. But that is about it. It made me want to like it. which is always a good start.

It also has the highest Euro NCAP test for it's Class beating the Golf, Focus etc. With a new baby, that was a consideration too.

This one was Ex-Alfa fleet (cheers Bouncer :thumb so the price was extremely attractive along with Alfa Residuals.

*Engine*

I have the 170BHP Turbo Diesel. I do 20k miles per year so Diesel is my only choice.

I am coming from a VAG PD unit so my comparison will be skewed a little that way as it was my second diesel and my third VAG group car.

The Engine is a 2.0L 170BHP Turbo Diesel. I believe it's used by Saab (well, was), Vauxhall and Fiat/Alfa Romeo.

At turn on, the car shakes a bit as it would for all diesels. But, it's surprisingly quiet for a derv. Though this ha more to do with the insulation of the car than the engine. wind down the windows and you get the old familiar rattle.

the Alfa has a 'DNA' switch which stands for All-Weather, Normal and Dynamic. Normal is slightly de-tuned and optimised for fuel economy. Dynamic moves the torque down the rev range a bit, shortens the throttle and pre-fills the brakes.

Now magazine reviews will have you believe that 'None of the settings are right for all of the time'. Well, that is exactly the point. It takes all the compromise out of the car. In traffic, dynamic requires a lot of throttle control . You don't need all the power either. so Normal works best.

All weather is for really slippy conditions and drags the torque and throttle response right back.

In Dynamic. this car pulls so well. 4th gear at 40 MPH, plant your right foot and 6 seconds later you are at 90. and it feels like a constant wave of force pushing you along. It's great. I love it and I'm not sick of it yet.

My DNA makes me feel like I have a Turbo boost button like Michael Knight in KITT. :lol::lol::lol:

However, if i want to hypermile, i can optimise the car for that too.

To that end, I am seeing 50MPG average. not too shabby seeing as i can't leave that button alone. Even if the MFD is showing 47MPG.

The Leon used to show 53 but the figure were more around the 47-50 mark. And that had 140BHP.

*Trim*

This is where the car get let down. Or does it?

the reason i say that is that the bits you touch are all good. The feel is just right (with the exception of the FIAT Stalks). there is half leather, rubber coated switches, Leather gear knob, Metallic Dash insert.

The dash is different, it is not covered in switches like many cars, It's clean, elegant and you know when cars are criticised for being cheap inside? Well, the Leon was cheap insode in materials and Design. This has cheap materials, but the design is good. Which kinda makes up for it. It doesn't rattle, it feels solid and it's a nice place to be.

those FIAT Stalks are a pain though. They sit just a touch too far from teh wheel so they rest just the wrong side of my last finger knuckle. but I have short fingers and I'm learning to use my finger tips more which actually feels more direct and precise.

the radio display is a bit low resolution but it fits with the low resolution of the rest of the dash. It's not a cluttered place. It's all it needs to be really.

I love the way the dials go from 0 to max and back again when you turn it on. And when you 'Engage' Dynamic, the dash ambient lights (permanently on) dim down and then re-awaken, ready for action :lol:.

*Driving*

This car is the best compromise of ride and handling i have driven for a long, long time.

It is not over damped and under sprung like many hatches now. It remains relatively flat in the corners and the wheels can cope with bumps because of the ride. The Lusso spec i test drove was a bit more floaty but the Veloce is flat, neutral and direct. The steering is dual pinion, it gets lighter at parking speed and heavier at speed. It goes where you point it and has very little understeer at road speed. The wheel does not grab, the ride does not crash into holes or overbumps. It does tram line a bit with road camber and can torque steer if you're being a hooligan. The heavy engine is there in as much as the weight is all at the front but it almost feels like there is a bit of rear wheel steer as the front just goes and the rear gets light and follows dutifully though kind of like there is a bit of weight transfer going on. It's engaging and works with the driver rather than against it. I thought the Leon was good. this is different gravy.

Of course, commuting it's just armchair comfy.

*Ownership*

So far, It's been great. Fun, Economical, Safe, Zero faults.

Until yesterday.

Yesterday, i had a 'Check Engine' message come up. It turns out my swirl flaps are gummed up and i need a new manifold, gasket, timing belt and cover. Luckily it's all under warranty. It also points to my ex-fleet car not being thrashed that much too. 

I phoned AlfaCare, they got the AA man to me in 30 minutes, he took me to Alfa, then to enterprise and i got a hire car. they diagnosed it that day and i have the car back now. It has been cleared out and the fault reset. The parts are on order and the car will be booked in for the work in due course.

The AA man found an intercooler hose that wasn't on properly too. It's now even faster :car::driver:

Ownership is tested when things go wrong. So far, Alfa Romeo have beaten SEAT hands down. I had a boost hose go on my Ibiza and an ABS module on the Leon. Both times i had to pay for my own insurance on the rental and i was made to feel like and inconvenience. Alfa have been great.

the other nice part is that my first car was a Mini. A real one. Mini owners flash (their lights) at each other and wave.

So do Alfa Owners. It's quite nice to grin at the person going past knowing they share the same secret as you.

I thought I was a VAG group man. I thought that the alternatives were just not quite as good. I see an A3 or 1/3 series go past and I feel good about my choice. Especially the 'ooh, that's nice' double takes.

*UPDATE: 27th June 2012*

Ok, so to update you on the car, It's still broken, I have been called twice by the dealer and three times by Alfa Romeo all trying to make sure i have a hire car and I am well taken care of. Also from Alfa Checking up on the Dealership.

I have had Warranty work on my last two SEATs and the only call i got was to tell me the car was ready to be picked up..................... 5 minutes before the dealership closed.

VERY happy with the service i have been given so far.

*Economy*










*Problems*

See Ownership Above.

*The Future*

All Alfa if the Giulietta is anything to go by. I'm so happy with it despite it's problem.

This car replaced the 147. So if i keep it till my mid-life crisis, then a 4C may be on the cards or the 159 replacement should it appear.

*Summary*

Great car for the guy who likes driving, has a family and has a commute every day. It is a compromise like all family hatches but it makes a damn good fist of it and the DNA switch means that you can actually have your cake and eat it.

I'm very, very happy with it.

MPG so far;


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## bidderman1969

Thought i'd write a quick, short review on my Chevrolet Epica just on the off chance someone might be looking at buying a cheap diesel.



















I had to change my Rover 75 estate due to council rules (not allowed to use a car after its 10 years old) and after emails backwards and forwards appealing for an extension, it got to the point where they wouldn't email me back, or the people i needed to talk to weren't there when i phoned, which kind of showed their mentality really, so anyway, off i went to find a replacement, using the autotrader website, i put in any car, diesel, upto £5000, and under 4 years old, and after trawling through the usual Vectra's and Modeo's etc, up popped the Epica, something i hadn't even heard of before. So after careful looking at it and being quite impressed with it, i was then being rather sceptical of the chevvy's, as its part of the GM stable, so carried on looking, ringing people up, not getting a deal done over the phone before travelling, and generally finding myself drawn back to the chevvy.

So i decided to give the chevvy a look, so went to see the cheapest one i could find, and unfortunately, it had 116K miles on it and it was 150 miles away! So off i went anyhow, open minded, and when i got there i was surprised to see just how big it was, giving it a good look over i was more impressed than before, interior has great space, great legroom all round, and the boot was officially 480 litres, outside, it has a hint of BMW 5 series look about it, although from another angle, it looked Passat-like, and yet from the front, rather Sudaru-like, so generally an altogether different car. Test driving, i found it extremely punchy having 150 bhp under my foot, and 236lbs/ft of torque, so more than adequate, but it was rather boaty-like, even wallowy, but something i might just get used to, after all, i'm buying a replacement taxi, not a sports car! Also noticed it had privacy glass fitted which i hadn't noticed in the advert, which rather suited it well i though, expecially being a silver car. So stuck a deal, originally it was £3495, negotiated £2995, service, cambelt change, take a small dent out of the bonnet, clean up the front disc's as they were rusty where it had stood for quite a while (in the end they changed the front discs and pads) and the deal breaker........ a new rear badge, as the other one had bubbled up underneath, which apparently is a common chevvy thing. Also paid for 12 months VED, which currently stood at £195.

So deal done, i had to pick it up 3 weeks later so all the work could be done on it, and true to their word, everything was done. Driving home was uneventful which was what i wanted, lol, and in fact it was a breeze, nice to some power under your foot, so cruising was good, just what i needed. So, now, about a month using as a taxi? Well, not too bad i suppose, had an engine warning light come up, but i keep resetting it and it doesn't come back on straight away, so im convinced is a dodgy sensor somewhere, so investing in a code reader is a good move i think. Probably i do a list of pro's and con's

PRO's

Alot of car for the money!
Very spacious
A lot cheaper to run than the Rover
Looks different
Front light bulbs are easy to change
Comfy cruiser
Looks more expensive than it is

CON's

Not getting the MPG its supposed to be doing, at best at minute its just so slightly over 40 on a good run, although i haven't specifically tested it on motorway driving only but mostly doing around 32 - 36 aroung towm/countryside driving
Alloys are a bit corroded, but might well be getting steel wheels for it at some point
Annoying warning light coming on, the same one each time
The interior lights. For some reason, the main interior light is situated over the rear passengers, so when i stop for the passengers to pay, i have to lean back over to manually turn on the light, having only map reading lights in the front. Bizarre idea really.
The badywork. Well, the bonnet and wings are a bit thin, you can push them in with one finger, so easy to dent, as i have found out
Alloy wheels cost £280 each from Chevrolet

So to sum up, good value car, running costs aren't as cheap as i'd like, and its earning me money!


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## The Cueball

has anyone actually won the "monthly prize" in this thread?!?!?!

:lol:

:tumbleweed::tumbleweed::tumbleweed:


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## bidderman1969

The Cueball said:


> has anyone actually won the "monthly prize" in this thread?!?!?!
> 
> :lol:
> 
> :tumbleweed::tumbleweed::tumbleweed:


think we should get a sticker just for doing a diary,


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## The Cueball

:lol:

:thumb:


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