Six Cylinders Motoring Notes

[Six-cylinder]

Black Beauty lost his wheel wobble to a tyre man today!

 

I also spotted the brake pads have plenty of meat on them.

 

I topped the fuel tank today and after 224 enjoyable miles it has returned 26.7 mpg.

[Six-cylinder]

Waiting for RAC!

[Six-cylinder]

Bucketeer if you read this give me a call please.

[richardmorris]

Well that was a short honeymoon period! I have his number if you need it.

[Six-cylinder]

Well that was a short honeymoon period! I have his number if you need it.

 

Thanks, I have his number but it goes straight to voice mail.

[richardmorris]

Thanks, I have his number but it goes straight to voice mail.

 

I've sent a text - correction I've no signal. 

 

Is it serious?

[Six-cylinder]

Under the bonnet looks great, I only opended it to show other traffic I am stuck here. The problem is the rear suspension.

 

I suspect the cup on the ns rear strut that supports the spring has given way.

[richardmorris]

Well at least that's repairable and it's not a belt that's escaped. I wonder if jacking up the front earlier was too much strain?

 

Good luck!

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Well that was a short honeymoon period! I have his number if you need it.

 

Hell, even I managed longer than that!

[Six-cylinder]

Having waited an hour and 12mins of my 60-90 mins predicated recovery time I have just had a call from CMG recovery to say they have just been given the job by the RAC and they will be 60-90 mins!

[richardmorris]

Having waited an hour and 12mins of my 60-90 mins predicated recovery time I have just had a call from CMG recovery to say they have just been given the job by the RAC and they will be 60-90 mins!

 

When you call them do they just ask "which car is it this time?"

[Six-cylinder]

I have just changed to RAC because AA though me out!

[HMC]

Alfa FTP! they are known for the spring cup at the back rotting out. A least on these rather than on merc w210s etc it’s a bolt on part rather than part of the body shell! Can’t see from the pic but is it sitting low on one side? Has the spring mangled a tyre?

[Six-cylinder]

I am part on the verge so difficult to tell, but not very much unlike like last time! Smoke as I came to stop from ns rear.

[Bucketeer]

I've just spoken to to our intrepid Alfa destroyer and he's surprisingly upbeat for someone who's been waiting something like three hours for the RAC.

[RobT]

Fix one thing, and something else breaks.  That's exactly what's been putting me off fettling cars lately.

 

Hope you get home in time for dinner Chris!

[richardmorris]

I've just spoken to to our intrepid Alfa destroyer and he's surprisingly upbeat for someone who's been waiting something like three hours for the RAC.

 

Probably good practice for Alfa ownership - a friend in the 2CV and x1/9 clubs has blown three V6 engines!

[HMC]

My understanding is the v6 is the least flakey Alfa engine tbh (maybe that’s not saying much) but they’re supposed to have an unbreakable bottom end and both power units in mine (156/166) were in fine fettle despite less than thorough servicing through their lives.

[Six-cylinder]

CMG recover are now here and photographing every mark so that will take another half hour!

[chaseracer]

As the happy owner of a 24valve straight six I’m interested in how the v6s behave. Mine is quick enough if needed but very docile and happy to cruise along under the speed limit, but if stabbed will hit 100 in third- over 5000rpm it’s hang on to the steering wheel time.

 

This is what I enjoyed most about the ex-Wobbler (12valve) 300E - when it ran properly!  And yet, when convoying across Wales keeping up/down with FPB7 in the (also ex-Wobbler) AS-bike BX estate, it would do 32mpg.

[Ohdearme]

Late to the party so not much use now but if the spring cup has only partially failed, it is sometime possible to get home with the space saver as that clears the spring cup.

 

I must confess when I bought a spares or repairs Alfa 147 with just this issue, I chickened out of a 200 mike drive on it and shipped a new shock to a garage near the car and swapped it before coming home.

[wuvvum]

Oh no, what a PITA!  I did have a moment of panic when I saw the bonnet up pic thinking "Not the cambelt!"  This sounds like a rather easier (and cheaper) repair.

 

On a vaguely related note - has anyone on here had any good experiences with the RAC?  Everyone I've spoken to - on here and elsewhere - has said they are an unmitigated clusterfuck, which pretty much matches my experience...

[Tadhg Tiogar]

....On a vaguely related note - has anyone on here had any good experiences with the RAC?  Everyone I've spoken to - on here and elsewhere - has said they are an unmitigated clusterfuck, which pretty much matches my experience...

 

Only experiences I've had with the AA, sorry. And those have fortunately been very rare. Generally one hour to 90 mins' waiting time to do an on-the-spot repair, except for the recent one when I had to trailer the CX home (three hours for a suitable transporter to become available)

[Six-cylinder]

Bucketeer has now collected me from Northampton and the car is with the Alfa garage.

[Zelandeth]

Auto Aid.

 

They dispatch your recovery job to the nearest contractor - which apparently has pretty good coverage throughout the UK so usually quicker than the RAC spending an hour to decide they don't have capacity and then subcontracting to someone else.

 

About £40 a year too rather than the hundred and something the RAC wanted for the renewal (in 2007ish!).

 

Hopefully this is a pretty quick and painless fix. Sure I'll end up with one of these cars one day...

[barefoot]

Plus eleventy on auto aid, although I've just paid £48 at renewal.

[dollywobbler]

I've also gone AutoAid. Last time I used the RAC, I was in someone else's Jaguar, at it was precisely five hours between breaking down and finally getting recovered - one chap did come out after a mere hour, spent ages faffing about failing to fix it before buggering off.

 

Mind you, the AA destroyed by Rover, but at least they gave me some money.

[richardmorris]

Oh no, what a PITA!  I did have a moment of panic when I saw the bonnet up pic thinking "Not the cambelt!"  This sounds like a rather easier (and cheaper) repair.

 

On a vaguely related note - has anyone on here had any good experiences with the RAC?  Everyone I've spoken to - on here and elsewhere - has said they are an unmitigated clusterfuck, which pretty much matches my experience...

 

I’ve had to resort to the rac twice - 2011 for the cursed C5 which stranded me in wickes carpark Slough. Nice guy turned up and took me into isleworth on his flatbed when the fuel pressure regulator died. He was very amused that the courtesy car was a 2cv. And then in 2013 when after some welding work on the Mercedes’ jacking points the alarm threw a hissy fit when I had the car at home. I did not have the key for the alarm!

He was ok too and we worked out that despite the alarm going off all the time, every fourth turn of the key the car would start. On one of these attempts he unplugged all the wires to the cutoff switch and it continued to run and restarted. Annoyingly this means that the remote no longer worked.

[Six-cylinder]

 

On a vaguely related note - has anyone on here had any good experiences with the RAC?  Everyone I've spoken to - on here and elsewhere - has said they are an unmitigated clusterfuck, which pretty much matches my experience...

 

3 hours 45 mins to get to me. Almost worst was the stringing me along, 1st call recovery will be 60 - 90 mins, then after 72 mins CMG call and say they have only just got the job and it will be 60 - 90 mins, then RAC called to say 20 mins etc. If they had said it will take 3 3/4 hours to get to me I would have arranged a lift to lunch and to meet them back at the car at 4.33pm!

 

They also played me an ad while on hold saying "RAC breakdown patrols fix four out of five vehicles at the roadside, within an average of 30 minutes - you can count on us for recovery or roadside assistance. Our patrols carry over 500 parts and tools, including a universal spare wheel, to get you moving again."

 

I was blocking one side of a 60 mph road, marooned in the countryside with no drink, food or toilet (I was on my way to meet friends for lunch)

 

Anyway subject closed I don't want to talk about the RAC any more.

[richardmorris]

Glad you’re home ok now anyway.