Six Cylinders Motoring Notes - Not such a good day today!

[Six-cylinder]

I collected my Alfa 156 today with a fresh MOT today and no work required. Just a few advisories.

 

Advisory notice item(s)

offside Headlamp deteriorated but light output not reduced (1.7.5a)

nearside front fog lamp damaged

wear and corrosion to front brake discs

corrosion to rear brake discs

 

 

The Renault 11 1.4 Broadway parked next to my Alfa at the garage belongs to a friend of mine who has taken it there for an MOT.

[Six-cylinder]

I collected my Audi Cabriolet from storage today because the agency that occasionally uses my cars in film/photo shoot/music video stuff want it.

 

Usual stuff flat battery, flat tyre and dirty where the cover blew of it. The unusual problem was when I switched the heater on, the screen steamed up and you could see the vapour coming out of the vent! It does not smell of antifreeze so I am thinking there is water laying in the heater somewhere? Just to add to the problem the heater fan has now packed up.

[beko1987]

Still looks as lovely as it did at SF15!

[chaseracer]

I'm getting that L322 Range Rover urge again...

[Six-cylinder]

I'm getting that L322 Range Rover urge again...

What a pain they are, air suspension bag, tank, pump twice! Fuel pump, AA from Carlisle. Injector seats and various suspension bushes. Now two Land Rover specials have failed to make the display screen work and given up!

 

Saying all that I love it.

[hairnet]

y mean y no buy renner 11>>

 

 

audi - tart

[Six-cylinder]

The 11 was never offered to me.

[hairnet]

bet thats never stopped you

[Six-cylinder]

bet thats never stopped you

I am going to have a curry with the owner Monday night!

[Six-cylinder]

Audi steaming up turns out to be heater matrix. Bugger!

 

How big a job is it?

[hairnet]

audi forums say dash out for an 80 1995

 

yours is same shape so :/

[Six-cylinder]

I feared so.

[Vince70]

It's an awful job to fit a matrix on an 80 I think the car is built around the matrix I think it takes something like 2 days to strip down and fix.

 

I put a bottle of K seal in mine and it stopped the leak and the heater was still working well for the two years I owned it afterwards.

I did drain the system out though once the K seal had done its stuff and filled it with fresh coolant as I didn't want to block up any waterways and it was still fine.

 

My leak was quite bad as well as I got the telltale smell of coolant when I used the heater and the centre gauges were misted up plus a damp stained carpet on the passenger side.

 

Did Audi have a job lot of green as mine was the same colour as yours and I still miss the car my old car was an early 5 pot on a K plate.

[Six-cylinder]

I did wonder about K seal, just a bit concerned about blocking the wrong bits, but maybe draining and refilling is the answer. I think I will give it a go.

 

Mine is a 2.6 V6 manual, I did not plan to get an Audi convertible but a friend needed to get it shifted quickly from where it was stored and as it was a non starter, partly dismantled fuse box out he excepted a low offer and I had it recovered. This meant that I really did not choose which engine to have and when I got it going I quite liked it so still have it 3 1/2 years later.

 

I like the colour very much and mine has a black leather interior.

[dean36014]

I put K-seal in my leaking ZX matrix. It never sealed the leak and completely blocked the heat output from the heater too. I bit the bullet and removed the dashboard.

[richardmorris]

My garage uses forte stuff and I dumped a bottle of their leak stuff in the xantia to fix* the usual matrix issues. That worked for ten years anyway!

[Six-cylinder]

I have just been checking which of our cars needs MOT next. These are the results shortest MOT is 18 days on BMW 328i, the longest is the Audi convertible 362 days and the total number that have MOTs is 27, not a record that is 28 but a good show anyway!

 

From the non MOTed cars there are 6 which I think would only require the minimum of work to get there MOTs. Another 7 are in the process of being MOTed or are on next years plan for 2017.

 

The MOTs are distributed though the year:

Jan - 2

Feb - 1

Mar - 1

April -1

May - 3

June - 2

July - 4

Aug - 4

Sep - 3

Oct - 1

Nov - 1

Dec - 4

[The Moog]

I used forte, I think there was something about it having plant fibres that are used to seal and therefore didn't block matrix

[Six-cylinder]

The good news is my 325i E30 now has a new MOT. More good news it no longer grounds out on speed bumps and deep pot holes with new standard springs fitted. The very BAD news is I hate the look, like a surprised cat!

[DVee8]

Nah BMW Xdrive all the rage now.

[Dave_Q]

Hopefully the springs will settle over time.

 

It does look high on the front but they do as standard as the arch is lower at the back.

[richardmorris]

Not as bad as the new x6 my neighbour has- it's a good six inches 'tween tyre and arch.

[320touring]

Yup that is well high at the front...

 

Eibach springs are a good compromise between comfort,handling and looks-my 320 runs a 35mm or so drop

[richardmorris]

Mr humphries from are you being served springs to mind- it will ride down with wear sir.

[Ghosty]

Our A4 had an odd raked look for a while.

 

Turns out the rear suspension had collapsed.

[Dave_Q]

Tyres look as though they are the wrong size. Should be 205/55/15.

 

Ben

 

Check out the eyes on him! I think you're right though, they look like 195/50/15 maybe?

[Six-cylinder]

Check out the eyes on him! I think you're right though, they look like 195/50/15 maybe?

Yes.

[Six-cylinder]

I went for a curry and beer last night with six good friends all interested in cars in a big way, I knew a few beers and lots of car talk could lead to ebay excitement when I got home!

 

What I did not know was one of my friends had just got a Lancia Gamma he wanted to pass on so I made an offer there and then! I was £250 short of his lowest price so I went to see it today, but while a good project it needs too much work for me to increase my offer.

[hairnet]

ooft

[anonymous user]

Don't tell Skizzer