2006 Ford StreetKa Winter Edition - Road Test Report

[Peter C]

2 minutes ago, Wgl2019 said:

 

Not you...... them......

 

Heated windscreen rocks!

My bad.

Party on dude.

[garethj]

I found this magazine in my archives today 

 

 

 

[Peter C]

12 hours ago, garethj said:

I found this magazine in my archives today 

 

 

 

Thank you!

I've got every copy of Retro Cars that came out, including the ones issued with Classic Car Mart. 

I've read the article, Craig gave the StreetKa a pretty good review.

[Peter C]

Having bought the kill switch (via EBay), I bought a pair of correct battery cables from my local parts shop, which fit from the battery to the switch and from the switch to the original clamp. They cost less than £12.

Fitting the switch was easy enough, I secured it with a nut and bolt to the nearside turret.

I then wired up the little white box for the remote control and.... nothing. The bloody thing didn't work! I checked the wiring, it was all good. I followed the instructions how to pair the receiver box with the remote, the receiver box light flashed the right number of times, suggesting all is well but the bloody thing didn't work. Perhaps the dodgy EBay bastard that sold the switch knew it wasn't going to work, which is why there was a small black on/off switch in the box, which was not referred to anywhere in the instruction booklet.

The best place for the switch was the fuse box cover, which doubles up as a little storage recess. I fitted the switch and extended a pair of wires to the kill switch negative terminal, which means that the switch operates the earthing and there is no current running via the cables to the switch. I actually prefer this solution to the remote control. A switch is a switch, it can't go much wrong and if it does, it can be easily replaced for a couple of pounds. A remote control can be lost, broken, decide to stop talking to the control box, needs a new battery.... 

Anyway, with everything correctly fitted and working, I now have a convenient method of cutting all power to the electrical installation, which means no more battery drain issues. Admittedly, in my short ownership I have not experienced the problem that the dealer kindly disclosed whilst I was buying the car but then again I have been disconnecting the battery terminal whenever the StreetKa got tucked up for the night.

I quickly found the constant +12V to the back of the radio and extended a separate feed directly from the battery, which means that the head unit remembers the radio station presets and does not ask for the key code every time it's switched on.

I was also proposing to do the same with the clock. However, the clock features a flashing red light, which is no doubt connected to the alarm and immobiliser and I thought it would be best if I left it alone.

In other news, I've cleaned, polished and removed the hardtop (as part of my getting the car ready for summer strategy), put it into the original storage bag, wrapped it up with tarpaulin and stored it behind the garage. For added protection, I fixed a little timber board to the fence to prevent rainwater from getting behind it. All I need now is some sunshine.

[tooSavvy]

Cat Pi## Tarp..... oooh, nasty.

Heat cycling/temperature variation/air in bag......

Much better to screw 4 wood legs/wings to garage roof and 'hang/lock' roof in open/free air

2¢

Beaut of a mottah 

[Peter C]

7 minutes ago, tooSavvy said:

Cat Pi## Tarp..... oooh, nasty.

Heat cycling/temperature variation/air in bag......

Much better to screw 4 wood legs/wings to garage roof and 'hang/lock' roof in open/free air

Noted and agreed.

Unfortunately, the ceiling in the double garage is fully lined with asbestos cement boards, probably best to leave it alone.

The workshop has a metal frame and the entire underside is wrapped with a vapour barrier to prevent condensation. 

The hardtop is not massive but it’s big enough not to fit anywhere without getting in the way.

[tooSavvy]

2 hours ago, Peter C said:

Noted and agreed.

Unfortunately, the ceiling in the double garage is fully lined with asbestos cement boards, probably best to leave it alone.

The workshop has a metal frame and the entire underside is wrapped with a vapour barrier to prevent condensation. 

The hardtop is not massive but it’s big enough not to fit anywhere without getting in the way.

Fuckkit..... Under the Bed she goes [ooh..err missus!]

[Peter C]

I gave the StreetKa a proper machine T-Cut and polish and treated the exterior plastics with Autoglym gel.

It doesn't look bad for a 15 year old motor. Unfortunately, it was a dull day and the photos didn't turn out  great.

Back in the garage waiting for a sunny day. Have I told you how immaculate the interior is?

Bugger.

 

[Peter C]

The soft top canvas is pretty much as new, however the plastic rear screen has a 5 inch crack - a common problem, apparently. This is not a problem for two reasons. I do not propose to make much use of the soft top and a replacement rear screen is available for £80 via EBay and it just zips out and in. I'll let the next owner have a go at replacing it.

To improve the situation, I stitched the crack with three clear cable ties. They hold the plastic together and hopefully the crack will not get any worse. With the roof folded, the three cable ties do not come into contact with anything.

With the soft top roof up, I had a good look inside the storage well. It is as new, there is no evidence of any dirt, water or rust. Win!

I joined a Ford Ka Facebook group and found out just how badly these cars can rust. Here is one example:

I was a little apprehensive about what I was going to find but lifting up the sill trims and carpets on both sides revealed shiny paint and no evidence of any rust.

All I need now is some decent weather.

Bugger.

[Andyrew]

Used this on a cracked soft top window on a smart car before and it works very well, sticks like poop.  Handy stuff. 

[Peter C]

46 minutes ago, Nyphur said:

I don't think I'd like to own one of these

They’re cheap to buy, insure and tax, running costs are low, parts are readily available and they are easy to work on. They also look funky and are fun to drive. I’m struggling to think of a reason not to own one.

[Peter C]

The weather played ball and there was no football on the tv tonight (see what I've done there?) and I made time to take the StreetKa for a little road test. 60 miles to Aldbury and back, along the A413 via Wendover, which is one of my favourite roads.

The StreetKa is so different to my W123 and W124 that comparisons are completely pointless. Having driven thousands of miles in my old German barges over the past decade, it was a good time to buy something completely different and experience a style of driving that is so similar to the Mk1 MX-5 that I had approx 10 years ago.

The engine is great. It's a little gruff and buzzy but pulls really well from 1,500 rev/min to 4k. There is absolutely no need to extend it to the red line. The exhaust hums quite nicely and I'm sure that I heard it pop a few times on the overrun. Once you get into 5th gear, there is no need to change down below 35MPH. Acceleration between 60-80MPH is manic, it really does shift.

The gearbox is slick, it's virtually impossible to select the wrong gear and the aluminium gear knob feels nice. The clutch took getting used to. In the W123 and W124, the clutch begins to bite very low, about an inch from the floor. In the StreetKa it begins to bite from midpoint and the pedal is much lighter. Once mastered, it's absolutely fine.

The steering is light and very direct. The brake pedal feels a little soft, however when a horsebox lorry pulled out a few feet in front of me, they worked absolutely fine. The pedal firmed up a bit afterwards. 

The ride is surprisingly complaint, it doesn't crash or bounce like some other small cars that I've driven. There is an odd knock from the front suspension that sometimes occurs at low speeds and over small bumps. It's not an issue and I won't be doing anything about it. The handling is superb. The StreetKa drives like a go-kart. If you've ever driven an old Mini, this is just as chuckable but also more civilised, in my opinion more fun. 

The sound system works well, Fleetwood Mac's Greatest Hits kept me well entertained. The heater will melt your face, I guess it has been designed to keep you warm in the winter.

So, is there anything that I don't like about the StreetKa? The seats are a bit flat and provide little support but are comfortable enough, even for a big lad like me. 

In summary, the StreetKa looks great, goes, stops, steers and rides well and doesn't seem like it is going to need any major investment in the near future. Well bought.

The end.

 

[chadders]

Is that Tom's Hill Road?

If it is I once had to ride my wife's trike down there, after she'd been pooling around Ashridge, that sharp corner was interesting.

[beko1987]

Nice! That clonky suspension sounds like it'll be fine for a while, may as well splash out the £50/60 it'll cost to refresh it all after the winter snowfall and subsequent early spring break up of the roads! 

For roads like we have it seems a very sensible car, no worries about the road narrowing etc. I've always maintained Ill only own a car I won't cringe about scraping up a hedge to get past something, because sometimes you just can't avoid it! 

[Peter C]

5 hours ago, chadders said:

Is that Tom's Hill Road?

If it is I once had to ride my wife's trike down there, after she'd been pooling around Ashridge, that sharp corner was interesting.

You're good! Yep, it's Tom's Hill Rd, between Aldbury and Ashridge. Lovely part of the world.

[Peter C]

5 hours ago, beko1987 said:

Nice! That clonky suspension sounds like it'll be fine for a while, may as well splash out the £50/60 it'll cost to refresh it all after the winter snowfall and subsequent early spring break up of the roads! 

According to the bods on the Facebook page, the suspension clonk is most likely a tired ARB bush. A set can be purchased for £20. I might get around to replacing them, we'll see but I doubt that I'll be keeping the StreetKa past late summer.