sierraman

I have noticed lately this seems an area people seem to get very upset about. It’s not something I’d plan to do myself but I can see why someone on a budget might opt for that. I’ve realised you can’t win with a debate on here with old cars. You are putting it from the perspective of someone that it obviously matters about having the car working like new in every respect. Joe Soap down the street couldn’t give a fuck, he just wants his car tested and back on the road without spending the £1,200 he probably hasn’t got. If we were going solely down the road of completely committing to the environment then why don’t we just exercise a rule to compulsorily scrap all diesel cars over 6 years old?

A remap of that type would incorporate removal of the DPF. As it stands the tester will only check for visible smoke and the presence of the DPF having being tampered with. Granted this is illegal but obviously it happens, eventually it will be probably tested with some sort of particulate density meter but shit like that takes time to implement. It’s bye the bye at this point as a 2011 A3 will be long dead by that point. It’s quite easy to be prescriptive but it’s the thick end of £1,200 for a OE DPF or a few hundred to make the problem go away so on an older car you can see why someone would opt for that.

You wouldn’t be mapping for increased power you’d be mapping the emissions gubbins out if you took that route.

Sadly in this day and age you may be right.

On the continent they did do an XR4x4 in a three door but it didn’t have the split rear window.

I don’t think they would be considered a sports car, moreover at the time a bit of a poseurs mobile, I don’t mean that with any disrespect, the Capri is one of my all time favourites, but my memory of them was they weren’t the car choice of the shrinking violet. It was a bit of flash for the average working man, nothing too fancy that he could use for work in the week and then on a Friday night take out to attempt to impress some women outside a Berni Inn. But on a Sunday he could fart about fitting any number of fairly bad taste accessories or tuning the carb. Credit to you also for not being one of these with big eared twats with baseball hats on, bumming them over with a price. No doubt a lot of people would have gone round completely insensitively and done all the ‘it’s fucked m8 I’ll give you £300’ and then made some dreadful YouTube video of them defiling it by painting it Matt black or some arse about tit attempt at changing the camber on the wheels.

I’d definitely find a timing belt cover, I can’t remember last time I saw a 1.6/2.0 pinto with the belt cover on! Great work though. Probably at least £2-3k up already there. Looks fantastic, really original. You see so many that are over done but that looks useable. Final bit of advice keep it locked away as these seem to attract theft. Stating the obvious there but it’s a point worth hammering home.

I know it’s the same old moan but honestly people on the road are fucking nuts. On a controlled 50mph section, car behind was fucking inches from me, then undertakes and cuts me up. Flashed them obviously as it’s a dick move, then bang in the middle of the road they slammed the anchors on causing rest of us to swerve. I must be like a broken record but really there must be a case for retaking your test every few years or making it much easier to take peoples licence off them.

Now that good cars are expensive I do feel more inclined to look after it. I only paid £700 for it 4 years ago, I want to get my moneys worth... Noticed a bit of wetness round the reservoir to pump hose, looks like clamp is sort of digging into the hose. It’s not the big fuck off hose that runs to the rack fortunately.

I spilt about a million quids worth the other month. Really though unless the perennially leaking pump union is leaking then you shouldn’t need to top it up.

Find somewhere and map it out. Problem solved for a third of the price.

P0036. I’ve tried cleaning the connector up that runs down the back of the cylinder head with some contact cleaner but its comeback up. It’s difficult to tell but I can’t see any damage to the wiring. Considering whether to buy a new Bosch sensor and have the trauma of fitting it or just to knock the lamp out prior to the test...

It’s the post cat sensor. The code it’s still flagging up is for the heater circuit on that sensor.

Why change the habits of a lifetime with the rust! I’ve run it several times today after MAF cleaning and it seems ok, just need to get the O2 sensor ordered. Going for Bosch, looks enough of a bastard to get out without taking chances on crap sensors.

True, thought it was newer than that...