Thinking about creating a thread of my experiences with my car. I would be hoping to update it every couple of days or something and think it might give prospective owners an idea of what it's like to own one of these beauties.

I dont want to start it and then get a barrage of 'whats the point in this thread?' posts.

My car is much the same as anyone elses, it's a high mileage 20VT that has the same issues seemingly as a lot of cars on here. I'll just note whenever I do any maintainence and take pics of how things went. Is this the best forum for this BTW?

Let me know, peeps.

Cheers for correcting me, I thought it may be in the wrong place.

No problem , I think it's a good idea incidentally

Cool, I'll start it some time today with current thoughts on the car as it is now, having owned it roughly 3 weeks now.

OK, having owned the Coop for a couple of weeks now, initial thoughts.

Very quick car, most impressed, but the clutch is very near the end of it's life. It may be covered by warranty even though work colleagues are very doubtful about this. I'm going to scan my warranty document and send it to Motormech to see if they think they can claim on it.

The car seems to have a lot of the familiar Coop issues.

Damp in the boot/rear seat area, as indicated by a small bit of mould. I cleaned the boot carpet last week, and I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of this was caused by the car standing before I bought it.

The drivers side wiper is rubbing on the bonnet.

The paint isn't at all in good nick. This was the same on my Mk2 Uno Turbo, but time and and effort got this sorted.

The turning circle is, indeed, awful. My huge Lexus GS300 could turn on a sixpence compared to the Coop.

It needs a really good valet inside. I used to be a car valeter so this isn't an issue, but being bothered to do it is. I hate having to do my car on the road side.

There's a surprising amount of space in there. Last week had a child seat, and 4 full adults (inc 2 6 footers in the back) and a full size pram in the boot. You wouldn't think it possible from looking at it.

It's a 10-year old car and it has the bruises of age but I'm going to enjoy bringing it back to good nick.

There quite a lot of standard kit and though bits and bobs need some TLC, most of it still works, even now.

Welcome and thanks for sharing your experiences. Should be interesting. It's refreshing to see a new member who can actually write in their native tongue and spell as well.

I haven't driven the car in the dark as yet but the dipped beam lights do seem quite good, though I'm not convinced that they're standard bulbs in there. The headlights themselves do need a refurb, so I'll get around to that using the guides on here.

The bootlid doesn't seem do be correctly aligned, a local bodyshop should be able to sort it, though I may see if I can do it myself.

The car is gorgeous to look at and is growing on me all the time. I stand in the car park at work unable to take my eyes off it. It's superb. Anybody who walks past it when it's parked outside my flat seems to look back at it, and I can see why.

It has a hesitation from cold, I am going to do abit of research and try to cure it, I may well start with plug leads.

I'm pleased to have found this forum. Lots of advice, how-tos, and others happy to help with queries. Lots of parts too, the for sale section, should make keeping it on the road a bit cheaper.

My windscreen is misting up easily in wet weather and airflow is limited when the blower is on full, I expect this to be blocked drain holes leading to a damp pollen filter, I also have no bill for pollen filter replacement so it will probably be blocked. This should be simple fix (I hope).

The only things I have done with car so far is to start running it exclusively on V-Power fuel, for the obvious benefits and to run a bottle of STP injector cleaner through. I'm not sure this made a huge amount of difference, but I plan to get the injectors ultrasonically cleaned soon. The fuel filter wasn't changed at the last service so I'll follow the how-to on this site and possibly do it myself, this should show a difference. hopefully the STP stuff has washed any crud into the fuel filter, I'll get that changed, then the last link will be the injectors which I'll get done last.

Cheers Alan, I hope it helps any new owners etc. Day to day ownership is something people miss when looking at a car. I intend to comment on any changes, mods, maintenance etc. to report how it has changed the car, and how it feels as a daily runner. I use the car 7 days a week, M-F involves a 28 mile M1 round-trip commute and weekend work involves carrying round a wife and a 10 month old baby, so that covers most bases for car ownership.

I dont mind the fuel consumption figures I'm getting actually. I did think (in a slightly guilty fashion) that it was going to be heavy but it's not too bad. Plenty of steady motorway help, I suppose, but even town driving isn't too bad. Solo provided me with a full tank of fuel when I picked the car up, and I got just over 350 miles to the tank, which did include a bit of 'enjoying myself' on the way home. I should start working working out some figures for this thread, but time will tell if I will bother.

Insurance wasn't bad either. I pay £30 per year more than my old 98S Vectra 2.0 16V Ecotec SRi estate, valued at £600, which I thought was quite amazing, and that was just off a price comparison site. Admiral seem to like these cars, as others I've spoken to are all insured with them.

Ride and handling are good, considering it's a high-miler. I do have bills for quite a few new suspension bits, so I may go over the bills I have tonight to provide an idea of whats been done. There's a £700 bill in there for a new turbo with 360 deg bearing, and the cambelt was done by Solo before I picked the car up, so there's some money saved, potentially. There have been quite a few non-standard parts fitted, I don't think there's anything I dont like, dump valves are a matter of taste, and Solo did offer to remove it prior to the sale but I chose to keep it on, I can always change it later if I get fed up of it. Bit annoyed with the boost valve, it's a black one where the clock was originally, and is wires to light up only when the lights are on. Because the plastic lensy bit in front of it is domed, I can only see the sky in it most of the time, I think I'll change it for a white one at some stage.

Jobs to do soon :-

1) Full valet in and out. I like to do this on a new car as if you clean every surface of the car, you get to know it a bit better and will likely find loose/rattling/damaged parts that need doing.

2) Pollen filter change, so I can see where I'm going and can breathe properly. Might also invest in system clean, where they blow cleaner into it, should be better for my little girly's lungs.

3) Windscreen washer, one of them is blocked, but there's plenty on here about how to sort it.

4) Fit a headunit, mine came without one, but sound of the K+N panel and drilled airbox makes up for that.

There may be other things but nothing I can think of that's pressing.

Haha, this is so true unfortunately

Throw the pollen filter. There's a guide on here explaining how to change it but I just chucked mine. That clears up the misting problem instantly.

Good idea by the way, keep it up. I'm sure a lot of new or prospective owners could learn a great deal from another new owner's point of view

Cheers Trappy.

Bit miffed this morning, my car is not standard, it must be chipped with other bits and bobs, though the chip is unknown. This may need to be changed for a GTEC2 if this is not the case some time in the future. This car is no fun with a slipping clutch. Any low gear fun results in revs all over the place. Ah, well. Got a mate who lives in Stoke so a couple of weeks wage down the line, I may get it booked in to Motormech and he can pick me up. I shall email them and ask if it's worth getting anything else done at the same time. I'm thinking a gearbox oil change for the different grade recommended on here for smoother operation. I'm also contemplating the 6 speed box as I do a lot of motorway driving, and it'll be more when the missus moves back to Cumbria, I'll be doing a 380 mile round trip each month or so when I go up to see the little one, it may be worth the cost for the saving in fuel. I've the car less than a month and there's nearly 800 miles on it already, but having said that no dramas. Touch wood. The backlight on the heater control is out so I may well look for a new panel to replace the one thats in, someone's crow-barred the headunit out at some stage and marked the panel. Shouldn't be hard to come by. I'm still letting it warm up for 5 minutes before setting off and letting it cool before turning it off. Still keen to that extent. I need some new wipers, that's something else that I normally buy for a new car, I had new Bosch blades for the Vectra so I may check what sizes they are to change them onto the Coop, they must be a similar size looking at them.

So no dramas to report, other than it doesn't half need a good clean inside, that might get done this weekend if the weathers OK, I'll take some before and afters I think. Still love the look of it, I don't think I'll tire of it any time soon.

Petrol prices are ridiculous. Three quarters of a tank of V-Power for 50 quid!

Good news is one of the wipers off my Vectra fits the passenger side of the Coop so thats a couple of quid saved. All good, I suppose. I did notice while changing it that the passenger side wiper can catch the very edge of the bonnet when it folded back down onto the screen, and guess what. Chunk of paint missing. If I come back in the afterlife, I don't want to be a Coupe bonnet....

Take it back to SI pronto

I came down the motorway this morning in fifth, put my foot down and the engine just revved with hardly any forward motion....Oh, dear, there are complications with taking it to Solo, they are 200 miles away and for various reasons, for the next two weeks I can barely afford to get there and back, let alone have good luck of being able to get it in tomorrow. I have copied my warranty doc and will send that to Motormech to see what they say. I can kip over there if need be for free, so it may be an option. I did notice on the test drive that it was thin, but if thats the only problem the car has, I reckon it's a good one. Did budget for things like that, but I do need to see yet if it will be done under warranty. Warranty might only replace with a standard item but that will give me some miles anyway. I really haven't ragged the car, I'm looking after it until I can get my usual maintenance done on it.

Still a definite hesitation on reapplying throttle after a gearchange when cold. I'm going to try things one at once to see what cures that. I'm thinking it's something that is better when warm. We'll see.

Should've got my wheels balanced when at Wheels-In-Motion, got a vibration at about 80mph. just annoying but I was stupid not to get it all done at once.

Not much done over the weekend, the nice weather tempted me out. Didn't get chance to do the battery so I might pop down to my Nationwide Autocentre and get the drop test done, just to check. Apparently my clutch should be covered under warranty so happy days there.

On the way down the motorway this morning, it struck me just how civilised this car can be. When it's going, it doesn't half go but due to problems getting paid at the moment, I'm making my diamond-encrusted V-power last as long as possible. A steady 70-80mph is a very comfortable, quiet drive (standard zorst at the moment) and I am very happy with that. Still planning to get a quote for the 6-speeder.

I have mailed Paul@motortech and he hasn't got back to me about a price for the 6-speeder, for what it's worth, he'll fit a clutch of your choice for £270+VAT.

One of my electric mirrors wont adjust up or down, I may ask on the gen maint forum about if that's fixable, I was planning to do something with them, they're really rashed.

Since I've taken it easy this week, economy is REALLY good.

I have the number for Rick at Solo so I'll give him a ring today to check about the warranty cover for the clutch, I might just need to arrange for a day off, not good as I'm a contractor but then that's car ownership, I'd rather have a planned day off than find it doesn't work all of a sudden.

on the mirror - they have these round plastic units behind the glass - and sometimes the small motors in the units burn out, sometimes the little plastic arms that the motor uses to move the glass snaps. I'm sure you can get one from a broken coupe - or just buy a couple of mirrors from a broken coupe, spray the black mirror holding unit with some matt black paint, and they'll look good also (if yours are worn out).

Costco has a good range of new Bosch Silver batteries with a 5 year guarantee, mine cost £50-£60. May be worth having a look if there's one near you: http://www.costco.co.uk (warning - if you're not familiar with costco, you need to be eligable to be a member, and you will be sorely tempted by the array of TVs on offer as you walk in, so be strong - use the force, etc...).

Hesitation after changing gear could be related to your dump valve, is it an atmospheric dump valve?

Hi S1MMA,

Cheers for the response. The hesitation after changing gear is only noticable when the engine has only been running a couple of minutes, indeed if I leave it to idle before setting off for a few minutes, it has gone. I have been meaning to clean and test my dump valve as per the guide linked from here, so I may do that as a matter of course (so many things to do, so little time...). If atmospheric is the opposite of recirculating, then it's atmospheric. Noisy little bleeder...

When the wife had her Punto 1.8 HGT, she got a Bosch Silver I think it was, and it cost me (yes, me...) about £80, so that sounds a good price, I'll look into it.

The mirrors not really a problem at the moment, it's just added to the list...but I will bear your advice in mind.

On a better note, I've called Rick at Solo and he's happy to do the clutch with a proper standard item for £188 all in, and give me a courtesy car for the 24 hour period I'll need it. It's even going to work out that I don't need to take any time off work which is a bonus, being a contractor, I don't get hols so it would just be lost money. Happy days. He said the warranty company would put it down to wear and tear, which I did think would be the case, as did all my mates. But it's a lot cheaper than the retail price for fitting and means I can save my warranty for something better. :-)

Still really happy with the car, but after the hot weather and the dust, it doesn't half need a wash!

How can it be 'wear and tear'?
You've only had the car a short while.
It appears the car was 'not fit for purpose' when purchased?
I agree the insurance backed warranty would probably not be liable, (now there's a surprise, what a waste of time and money) but the retailer should be liable under the 'sale of goods act 1979'.

Even if you purchased without a warranty from a trader, it must be 'fit for purpose', unless a 'trade sale'.

Morning all,

Rough couple of weeks for me so have not felt like posting much over the past few days. That's life, even if you're a car fan, other things seem more important sometimes.

124coupe, I can see your point, I just haven't the life in me at the moment, I might just take the offer and get it done, but having said that, I can't afford the £250-odd it will cost all in (petrol there and back twice...). So it's largely irrelevant at the moment.

I am planning on spending this weekend making the car look a bit better. I've been lazy not getting on with getting it up to my usual standard. I haven't even washed it since I bought it. Been looking on http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk and I feel ashamed. Time to get down to it, it's cheap to do because I have a lot of the stuff already. It should be a weekend well spent. Should really do the IAC valve too, from a cold start, the car is lumpy. It revs to 2500rpm then settles to 1500rpm, then misses for a miute or so, then settles to a relatively smooth idle. The wifes car (Punto 1.8HGT Abarth) was terrible for stalling at idle, but cleaning the throttle body sorted it instantly, it was gunked up, 120k motor could be the same. By the same token, I'm resisting the idea of the power boost spray (anti-coking) as on an engine of that age, I feel it might do more bad than good and put oil consumption up. Dump valve is to be cleaned and checked (simple) and EBV is also to be cleaned out (still quite simple).

The £50 quid I spent on V-Power is still going strong, should last well into next week, it's when those chavvy hatchbacks scream past. At 40mph. Ooh, it's tempting, but I am managing to hold off.

Surprised it's just about to pass mille miglia (?, 1000 miles) in my ownership. Loved every mile so far.

As the warranty is insurance backed, can you take it to a local garage recommended by the Insurance Co. and get the clutch repaired?
Worth a go?

Quiet weekend for the Coop, hardly moved apart from to get some more V-Power before it runs out. On the plus side got a loyalty card which should already have loads of credit on it. Woman at the till was swiping everyones amount on the card and offering them the loyalty card, they were saying no but when I got to the front, I said yes, bearing in mind I am trying to use V-Power exclusively. The forecourt was queuing down the road, so lots of juice was being sold, and she said she'd been swiping that card for the past 20 mins! So here's hoping I get 6 months free fuel...

Got a to-do list written up, I think Paul at MotorMech is going love me... Plenty to do. I do want to modify the car, but first, as I always have, I want to get the base car sorted so it's running correctly from the off, so as not to find any weak points down the line. So lots of things like plug leads, fluids changes etc. Might post it on here if I get chance.

Anyway, as I have meant to do for a while, a rundown of the original car, as much for me as anyone else.

Original mileage when I picked it up : 120,639 miles.

MOT'd two days before I picked it up, required work : handbrake cables, numberplate light.

Other work completed prior to pick up : dipstick oil seal replaced, power steering pump replaced, cam belt changed, 'full' service.

Work completed since pickup : geometry check at Tony Bones, STP injector cleaner run through, V-Power fuel used exclusively, one wiper blade replaced, new tax disc holder |(I know, WOW!) and a bit of cleaning. More to come.

OK, so management have gone home and I'm still here at work. The list of to-do's (in no particular order) :

Fuel filter changed
Injectors ultrasonically cleaned
Coolant flushed and changed
Oil flushed and changed
Brake fluid changed (for decent spec stuff)
Pollen filter changed
Toyo T1-R's all round
Bonnet resprayed and debadged (don't think the chips and scratches will polish out)
Centre console panel changed and switches 'lubed'
Head unit fitted (and possibly speakers)
New windscreen
New clutch (pref Helix organic but we'll see)
6-speed box
IAC cleaned
EBV cleaned
New dump valve (or refurb for now)
New white boosst guage (to replace the black one I can never see)
New drivers side wiper and rear wiper
Heater control backlight fixed
High-level brake light bulbs replaced w/LEDs
Headlight refurb and HIDs on dipped beam
Gearbox oil changed for Silkolene goo
Aircon regassed
Injector warning light investigated (new sensors)
NGK (?) plugs and new standard leads
New rocker cover gasket and replaced w/painted rocker cover
All hosing checked
Battery condition checked
Earth connections remade
Power steering fluid changed
Windows tinted (light smoke, maybe, need to see some pics of one with it done to decide)
Compression test on all 5 cylinders for reference
Cap for wiper arm
Screws for scuttle panel
Windscreen washers sorted (hosing, 2 way valves etc)
Indicator stalk cancelling sorted
Quick response brake light bulbs (LEDs?)
At least K+N panel filter cleaned (new filter arrangement?)
Thermostat checked

When all this is done, it should be consdierably more reliable, I hope. A good few things I should be able to sort myself, given time. Here's hoping because it will keep the costs down a bit. But then I'm fairly average with spanners, not a mechanic, but fairly intelligent and technically minded and happy to take my time with things, so watch this space for what I do manage to do.

psssst, there are no plug leads on a 20vt, it's a pencil coil on each cylinder which means the coil sits directly atop the plug


Also, add to the list: buy a Barnacle Widget Mk IV whilst they are still available.........

Anyway, apart from the spray painting, that lot should take until lunchtime, what you got planned for the afternoon?

Cheers, stan, you learn something new every day! Still getting to know the engine...

I'll check in on the Barnacle Widgets, or I might wait for a MkV ;-)

And yes, in the afternoon, I might just sit back and admire my work with a cold tinny, or maybe do some overtime to pay for it all :-( Paul at Motormech never got back to me when I mailed him last for a quote for a couple of jobs, I'll think he'll block my email address once I ask for a quote for all that! And there's the leccy mirror to sort as well, to add to the above.

Bit miffed as I seem to have a weeping rocker cover, I wonder how much that will be to do, I know it's not a difficult job but knowing my luck there'll be a catch so it costs £££s.

Happily it's not and there isn't so it doesn't

lol, cheers mr coop! Just need to find a nice painted rocker cover now, that I can afford, to go on while it's being done... Might look further into getting mine done, but then that's time off the road...

Highwayman has a black powder coated rocker cover for sale at a very good price. See in the for sale section.

Is the top right bolt hole cracked on your rocker cover ? if it isn't then you would just need to clean up the old gasket fit a new one (and maybe add a smidge of gasket sealant while you are at it) and tighten the bolts correclty.

Hi Sugerbear,

Yes, I'd noticed highwayman's on there, I'm tempted by a lot of stuff of his, but funds are bit awry at the moment, question of priorites really, there's lot's of other stuff to sort as well as buying the juicy bits. As far as I know, there are no cracks on the rocker cover, though if that is a known weak-point, I'll check tonight. I like to do things like that as and when they come up, i.e. exhaust goes, buy the performance alternative, it just seems logical to get a tarted-up one put on while it's getting done as opposed to doing it twice.

.......and to answer your next question, it's 9Nm maximum! No less but most definitely no more than 9Nm!

Yes, Satn, I want a new (modified) cylinder head at some stage, but not just yet! I'll look after the one I've got for now.

Got an interview for promotion at work so little thought about the blue mover, suffice to say it did get me to work without drama, so can't fault it for that...

Corrected that for you

Lol, yeah, sorry Stan, noticed that after I'd posted it!

Good news, quite possibly got some tax to come back from the previous, previous tax year and I know there's some to come back from last year too, so I might be able to start on my to-do list in earnest.

Fuel consumptions still good too, making it last really well, apart from the journey home from work last night when a work colleague who assured me his nearly new standard Punto is quicker than my Coop got a lesson in respect, or more a acurately got a six-pack of whoop-ass opened all over him. Shame. He'll learn. All good fun. Love my Coop :-)

Cheque for tax is £1250! :-) Time to get the ball rolling methinks. Will a red-blooded male ever get tired of the way a car will pull from 90-120mph so effortlessly? Nice.

Someone else has posted selling loads of brand new tuning goodies and I'm still going to miss it seems. Car ownership is painful sometimes.

Nice weather, £70 of V-Power for a full tank, happy days.

Bit miffed about Top Gear last night, felt like Jezza took the 'mickey' out of the Coop, didn't show it to it's best potential. Hope people noticed it was only a £900 example but I don't suppose they will.

Spoke to a couple of blokes at a birthday party on Saturday night, and it seems there's a keen owner living in Wickersley on Sycamore Drive. Are you on here, mate? Sounds like you've got a late silver Coop, would be good to meet up and talk about them if you're interested.

I'm going to start buying a bit of kit off ebay for the to-do list, some of the Forte products etc. and get things started, will report back with how much I paid etc.

A load of cars got vandalised on my road on Saturday night, before mine returned home. Some stuck a broom handle under a Celica's bonnet vent and tried to lever it off. Not impressed. Sorry to hear about the other thread about getting broken into, makes you wonder why we bother sometimes.

Hi all,

Not much to report over the last few days, bar the fact that for one reason or another, I'm better off than I thought I was going to be, so might be able to start the chores now!

Have ordered some Forte goob off ebay, the two coolant system ones, flush and degreaser, and the oil flush. I'm also waiting for some air con cleaner, it's a spray that is put throught he system to kill bacteria and get rid of odours. Garages charge £15-£20 for this, hoping the can will cost about £6-7 so when I've run it through, I'll post how good/bad it was.

Hope everyone else's coop is in a good way, I'm happy today! :-)

Big, big accident on the M1 this morning, helicopters and the lot, so had to sit for quite a while in traffic, no overheating woes, but about to order coolant hose of death from the the group buy, then get my Forte stuff through, as well as checking for any other leaks, should be OK after all that. Have been wondering about the Pace radiator, but not sure I'll see the value of it until I need extra cooling as the power goes up. Hmmm.

Getting some readies together to start going mad on the parts for sale part of the forum. Should be exciting, could really do with someone breaking a car locally too, so I can pick up some of the really small, dinky parts I want. Will have to keep the peepers peeled.

Felt the boost going a bit temporamental last night on the way home last night, so need to start down the route of that, hopefully EBV this weekend, along with some other bits.

Not much over the weekend, got a wiper blade (ooooh!) and debadged the rear end (bigger OOOOH!). Getting a local quote off a workmate for a set of T1-Rs and still waiting for my Forte stuff. Dabbled with buying a headunit, seen a Sony that's a lot less than I used to pay for hifi, so think it may be a good idea, to keep that side of things in check. I feel an order of bits from Alternative Autos might be on it's way soon, to get the ball rolling. Bought some valeting kit but then I felt too tired to use it. The problem is, with a to-do list as long as the one I've got, I'm not sure where to start, feel like I'm going to be spending a fortune. But then that's owning a car like the Coop, it's never going to be the budget option, I suppose. Not with my luck anyway.

Happily, had nothing to report on the Coop for the last few days, sometimes when other things are going off, you just need a car to work and it seems less important, and the car is doing just that. Get in in the morning, start it with no fuss, drive to work comfortably and safely and get on with your day. Hope everyone else's is as trouble-free as mine at the moment, still enjoying just owning the car, let alone driving it. Thinking about an overnight trip to Cumbria tomorrow night, so I'll find out how comfortable it is over a long journey, and will probably find out how effective the standard headlights are. Can feel an HID order coming on...

Well, the trip to Cumbria was good, car feels a lot freer and it was good to give it a good A-road blast. Some of my favourite sections of the A66 were transformed into a Gran-Turismo style thrash, good fun, and like I say the car felt a lot more willing from cold this morning, did someone say 'Italian tune-up'.... Quite tiring but then it would be, I'm used to sitting on cruise control in a big Lexus taking it easy, and then I'm in the Coop making good progress. Really enjoyed it.

Morning all,

No news this week the car's just worked nicely, but did notice this morning that when just started from cold, the throttle is like an on/off switch, the merest touch on the accelerator and it revs to 2.5k. Assuming that must be the IAC then, still haven't got around to cleaning it. Might get a quote from Steve at AA for a new one, if it's just a swapout part. Even a dunce like me should be able to do that.

Chap stopped in front of me last week as I was pulling away from the flat, telling me he was just in the process of getting his red 20V Turbo back on the road, and I should pop round sometime to talk shiny metal expensive things, he only lives round the street behind me, so quite chuffed about that, appears as though there's quite a few enthusiasts round Rotherham. His brother's got an LE and lives in Southampton, so don't know if you're on here mate.

Hope everyone else's Coop is behaving itself, ctach you all later.

Up in Cumbria again this weekend. I have a touch of gurgling from behind the dash, which as this helpful and informative website informs me is likely a bleed issue, I have made sure the coolant is topped up, and will try to get the car to Motormech ASAP. Hopefully next week. I could take it to a local dealer or garage or otherwise, but I really don't want, it's a big no-no I believe, so I shall resist. I have no tools and it's bloody raining hevily, but it seems no.1 bleed screw is free of air. I'll check all 3 points when I get back down to God's country, and see how it stands. Really want to flush the system and get the coolant changed, but then having read the guide on re-filling and bleeding, I reckon if I enlist the help of a spanner-head, I could probably DIY. Will see how the weather is when I get back to Roth.

Otherwise came up to Cumbria without issue, I think I'm about 3,000 miles up on it now, and still running OK, it will be better when I've got the routine maintenance done at Motormech that I want doing but that's icing on the cake at the mo. Still haven't washed it since I bought it, I'm ashamed...

Apologies to AlanW for the incorrect spelling of 'heavily' above, don't want to let the side down :-)

You didn't do too well with 'ctach' the post earlier, either

Hmm, yeah, detention for me then.... :-)

Still nothing really to report, which is a good thing at the moment. Car has covered over 3,000 miles now and no dramas, or evens incidents to report. Got my quote back from Paul@Motormech for work to be done, many items off my to-do list, and it's come to roughly £860. This doesn't seem bad I'm assuming if I'm spending that in a one-er, he'll spend a bit of time checking the whole car over, so I'll get a decent appraisal of the genral condition. Should be getting this done soon.

Having been up to Cumbria again, I decided to take it really easy on the way back down on Sunday and have been taking it easy commuting to and from work, and the difference in fuel consumption is amazing. The fuel guage is simply not moving. This is despite still giving it a few mins to warm up, but I'm sticking to roughly a steady 65mph, and it looks like about £15 is going to last a week of commuting! Excellent!

Now I'm living on my tod, I've got a lot more time to spare at the weekend so I AM GOING TO WASH IT THIS WEEKEND. Will try to post before and afters, the front wheels look like later spec anthracite(?) alloys.

Considering the amount quoted by Motormech, I may as mentioned before try doing some of the bits myself. Paul quoted £70 for sorting the indicator-cancelling issue, but I noticed the how-to on it the other day, and have just gone back to check it and it seems it's only for the want of tools that I should be able to do it myself. It looks like it may take a while to do right, so Paul's quote is entirely understandable (I'm not knocking it!), but I may attempt it myself.

Hi Guys,

Apologies for the lack of posts but there's been nothing to report, still haven't washed it, or done anything with it that I meant to do last weekend. Didn't make it to the meet in Kent (because I felt guilty about not going to a mate's wedding evening do...), still seeing parts I want in the for sale section, and generally a bit p&$^%d off with things, but then I've still no problems as such, so can't all be bad...

Been quoted for Toyo T1-R's 205/50/16's for £63 a corner fitted and balanced from a mate who owns a tyre spot. Quite chuffed about that, looks like the blue beauty will have a new set of shoes in the next few weeks. That should hopefully sort the slightly annoying steering wheel shake too. Been buying some bits off ebay, getting a workshop manual CD so I can get some background if I'm doing any jobs on it, and hopefully a filler cap to refurb and swap over. Really hoping I can stay out the pub this weekend and gets some little niggly tasks done. Time will tell.

Still love it.

Hi all,

Not posted for a while but simply had no probs. The hesitation from a cold start is getting more pronounced, which is a touch annoying but is perfectly live-with-able. Still not got the new tyres but I'll be able to get them at cost whenever the readies are there. Fair bit of oil round the dump valve which isn't encouraging, but I'll give it a clean soon, and then see how it goes.

Out of interest, as I tend to hold a steady 60-65mph on the motorway now, I obviously have a small throttle opening most of the time. At times this can get a bit jerky, almost as though it's closing and opening slightly again and again. Any ideas anyone, could it be like the wifes Punto with an oily, dirty throttle body, this would also explain some of the other bad-running traits. Is it difficult to get to on this engine?

Apologies for the lack of posts, guys and gals. Ran a sweep on my company laptop with CClenaer and got shot of the cookie, then couldn't find my login details for the forum. Just got around to finding them.

Hope all Coops are generally OK, I haven't had a good look around the forum yet to see the general consensus. Mine's still OK, but still hasn't been washed or had anything done to it. The money's slowly coming in so I do hope soon to have some news on maintainance/mods.

As an aside, my team leader at work left at the same time last week, and therefore followed me up the M1. It came down to me being in front of him as a Transit in front moved out of the way to reveal a long stretch of no traffic in the outside lane. What to do? So anyway, down to third, up through third, then fourth, to a possibly illegal speed. I wasn't leaving him, but he was not catching me at all. The car? A modified 55-plate Impreza WRX, loud, rumbly exhaust and all. Nice. And that was with my engine not running properly (I know this) and on standard unleaded for a change, not V-Power. So happy with that!

must admit ive been running tesco 95 for the last few tanks...shame on me!

Hi all,

Yes, more standard unleaded through it for another journey to Cumbria. Didn't stop me making a fool of a couple of young lads in a 57-plate Golf R32. Bowes Moor dual-carriageway on the A66, played with him like a rag-doll, in the end I got bored and let him go, it was clearly his dads car since every time he got above 120mph, he braked. Still, point was well proved. Apart from that, steady journey and the 187 miles disappeared in £24 worth of fuel. Not bad, considering the half hour stuck on the A1 and the bout of point-proving. Would love to have a ride in a high power Coupe, can't imagine what it would be like. Got a lift to night out last night in an Accord Type-R and it didn't feel as quick as mine.

Seen a couple of Coupes recently, a P-plate in Barlborough nr Chesterfield on Thursday afternoon and a yellow 16v variety (I think...) in Rotherham. Still haven't been to see the chap who lives behind me with a red 20v Turbo, he was keen to go down to Auto Italia, but work demands have been such that I haven't thought about cars too much.

I have a feeling the tyres are coming soon, and the clutch is slipping a bit worse now, though I rarely stress it. Would ideally like to get the clutch (Helix Organic ideally) and a 6-speed box put it at the same time, would make sense to save labour, the 6-speeder mainly being because I do plenty of motorway miles, commuting and a 400 mile round trip every 2 or 3 weeks means I think it may be worth it for the drop in revs in top.

Still perusing the for sale forum for parts, something is going to tempt my fancy soon....

You were doing almost twice the speed limit, illegally racing on the public highway? And you admit this in a public post?

This is the strangest thread ive ever read!,...

Who on earth wants to read your diary, We have our own lives that we could document if we were strange enough,...

Ahem,

Got up at 8am today, Got my milk off the doorstep,...
I couldn't believe it!! Full fat.. Ive been having semi for 6 months now, Doesn't Roger tell his colleagues of my change when he goes on his annual hols??!!

Corn flakes again today, Not looking forward to the milk tho, Iv'e skipped a cuppa as cant hack the yukky creamy tasted full fat leaves...... Anyways, back to the flakes, I usually have a full bowl but not so hungry thismorning, Half it is... God this milks nasty!

Right I'm now dressed and leaving for my shift in the kitchen, Got the deliveries to put away too.....

Il keep you posted on my daily events.., Bet you cant wait.

Chrissy..

Fair do's, I'll not post again.

A bit harsh I think.

@ KARLOS - LANGUAGE LIKE THAT WILL NOT BE TOLERATED, PLEASE DO NOT DO IT AGAIN

By the way i want to read it!!!

Keep it up feeblebob

Why dont you start your own...??..

Just so long as you keep yours to yourself we'll all do much better.

I think its a great idea, I read it religiously..... Blaspheming is not cool.

Oh dear Karlos,

what the hell fault did Barnacle's widget show up at the weekend that's got you stoked up so early on a Monday. I'm still fighting the sleep

Right, can we leave it here and let Bob write his diary, if thats his wishes. Anymore, and your posts will be deleted.

Thanks

All,

Apologies for the stupidity of my post over the weekend. I have pm'd Barnacle seperately to apologise. Posting speeds and the like is sheer 'pub-talk' and this I assume is what the other post on the general chat forum is meaning, in terms of the 'Max Power' generation. I don't feel I am a member of that ilk, and have explained to Barnacle the circumstances of the event. Apologies to anyone who took offence to it.

For what it's worth, I did ask in my very first post on this thread as to whether anyone felt it was a waste of time, and after a bit of positive feedabck, I started. The thread continues to receive plenty of views, and as long as it does, I shall continue to write. If nobody read it, by all means, I wouldn't bother, I'm not stupid ;-)

If you don't like it, don't click on it.

My apologies people - monday mornings....


Keep it up bob

I requested we leave it please, thanks

OK, the maintainance starts in earnest this weekend. Plan is clean IAC, clean MAF sensor, clean EBV, remove pollen filter until I can get a new one, run the air con cleaning spray through the air con, clean and gease dump valve and check operation. Getting fed up of the poor starting. It will usually start fine but then rev to about 2k and steadily drop, any touch on the throttle means loads of revs. Thinking that might be the MAF sensor, knowing how a hot film one works now. Any muck on it and it would be a few minutes before the temp on the wire stabilizes. Check oil and water too. Putting together some lists for sorting each area of the car, i.e. fuel system and air intake path. I like to do things in an organized manner and feel it might provide some info to other forum members. After a straight induction pipe and a cone filter, will have a look on the tuning forum later to find out which is the best one, although the positioning seems to be always the same so it might not make too much difference.

Bought a workshop manual off ebay recently, plenty of good info in there. Cheaper than the haynes manual would've been if they did one.

Did some DIY maintainance over the weekend! At long last got my hands dirty. Removed my MAF sensor, and cleaned it with carb spray. I know the general feeling on here is not to clean it with this, but what's the worst that can happen? The thing that struck me was that the sensor had a decent coating of oil. The air inlet pipe down to the turbo also had a lining of oil. On the other side of the MAF sensor part, it was as clean as a whistle. To open a thread on the gen maint section of the forum to ask about this, but for now, I'm a touch nervous about the turbo, and/or the breather system, haven't checked the workshop manual CD yet to find where the breather system operates, but oil there can't be good. While the MAF sensor was off, I also removed the EBV to do that. From what I've read, I should possibly have got WD40 coming out of the other two holes when I sprayed it into one, but this wasn't the case. To check in gen maint also. Was meaning to do the IAC too but a quick trip to Halfrauds and a very unhelpful YTS layabout (stereotype ;-) ) later and it was going to cost about £24 for the tools, a Torx-30 bit and ratchet handle thing, so I'm waiting on a spanner mate to lend me the tool.

The result anyway on these two items is still a low boost reading on the gauge, but a smoother idle, more willing start up from cold and warm (it settles to a sensible idle speed much sooner), and generally a more willing throttle response. Quite pleased as it only took even me, half an hour to do it all, and of course that was being over careful not to lose bolts and to make sure everything went back in the right place.

Oh, and thanks to a lorry parking on the central reservation on the M1 at J30 this morning, I know the engine is OK when crawling at idle for an hour. It got hot, very hot compared to the usual running temps but without problems.

I remember the smell of burning plastic after fitting my air filter. On inspection I had left my Ipod shuffle on top of the engine!!

Hi, interesting idea the old diary. Read it. No probs. Got a couple of coop owners in Worksop, I think at least one of them is on this forum somewhere. If you want some coop chat over a non-alcoholic drink, you may be able to sort a prob or two I got with mine. Cheers.

No probs mate, will bear it in mind!

Dodgy headlight this morning, neraside wasn't on when I pulled in for £20s worth of Gordon Browns retirement fund, but when I got to work it was OK. Have been a bit unimpressed with the lighting but up until now it hasn't bothered me. With the dark nights drawing in, I might plump for a set of the Xenon kits on the group buy. TBH, it's how I've done a few cars in the past, buy upgraded parts as the old ones fail. Once these exams on Friday are out of the way, I'll get going on the idea.

Can't recommend enough the IAC valve clean. Finally borrowed a torx-30 bit and wrench and did the clean last night. For a 15 minute job, I'd recommend it to anyone. The car now idles properly, and starts a lot easier. It holds a slightly lower, happy idle and setting off from cold, there's a lot less of the hesitation between gearchanges. It feels even crisper and more responsive than when I did the MAF sensor clean. Excellent, I actually feel like doing more of the jobs I've been meaning to do.

After the drive up to Cumbria on Friday night, the first time I've driven any distance in the dark, I've put myself down for the group buy on the HID kit. I think the're some sort of aftermarket bulbs, but I needed to use my fog lights to get any proper light. A bit embarassing actually. Time to get the car sorted for it's first winter with me. Want to :- get my coolant flushed and changed with a proper anti-freeze mix, oil flush and change (and rocker cover gasket change while I'm at it, pools oil on the inlet manifold side of the block), 3 new wipers and clay the windows for a proper clean, sort the windscreen washers as per the how-to on here (they're getting worse), and of course fit the HIDs when they arrive. I've got a couple of bulbs out in the high-level brake light, so they'll get done too, and I can also clean out all the dead flies and dust in there. 4 new tyres would be nice but I'll have to wait and see how funds are.

It's funny how such a small improvement in the car can rekindle your enjoyment of it.

Hi,

What is the IAC valve?

Thanks

Alan

Idle Air Control valve

Many thanks

Apologies, gents, got so carried away with ranting about the improvement, I cut it to an acronym. It's all this working in IT (Information Technology), DYK (don't you know). :-)Lol (etc, etc...)

Looking to get my fuel pump and a few other bits done next week, hopefully. The hestitation is starting to feel a bit like running out of petrol, so don't want it to run lean. I can sit there with it idling and blip the throttle and for 6-7 seconds after, there's a whining noise from the rear seats. Since no-one's sitting there whining, I assume it's the fuel pump. Have been meaning to get it done anyway, so s'ppose it's OK.

Also offside rear tyre has gone down and when I stopped at the local garage this morning to inflate it, the machine didn't 'see' it, so that'll be a new valve at the very least.

Apart from that seems OK at the moment still, just wish I could afford to get some more done. Gets me to work and back though so it'll all come.

Saw a mint dark red T-reg at Morrison's car park in Stavely yesterday lunchtime. Very nice. Dark grey standard wheels with the red abarth centre caps, and an aftermarket exhaust. Must be owned by an enthusiaist, someone on here I assume.

Just come up from Rotherham to Workington, real pleasure as usual. Just came up, no probs. Recently had that shocking old Avon rear offside tyre changed for a part-worn (the shame). It had a nail in it and apparently had been run for too long at too low a pressure. It was also apparently 9 years old! It's a part worn Goodyear Eagle or something, the tyre bloke said the Avon coming off wasn't round! This was why every other block on the tread was worn but the others not. This amazed me, I didn't know this could happen. I wondered if this would cure my wobbly steering wheel and sure enough, no steering wheel shake any more. Just need to get enough cash together at one time to get that set of T1-Rs, it's only going cost about £280 all for the 4.

Anyway, another most enjoyable 187 miles, love that car.

As I was waiting around for a BT chap to put me a phone line into my flat yesterday, I thought I'd spend a bit of time with the Coop. Took the scuttle panel off to have a look at the pollen filter, and as I thought, it was black and full of seeds and stuff. Took it out, put the blowers on full and plenty of air! There was also a lot of clegg in the drain channel under the panel, some of the wiring running under there was on the 'floor' of the area so had caught lots of leaves and generally blocking it all up. Spent some time with various brushes and pokey things to clear it all. I'm hoping this reduces the heavy windscreen misting, if the drain can clear properly as it's meant to, less moisture should be caught in the leaves and gunk. Used the Forte air con treatment while I was under there and it smells nice now, just a can of aerosol stuff, and sprayed it into the air intake with all the windows open, and changed the air direction every 20 seconds or so to make sure all the channels got a blast. I also discovered the reason why the scuttle panel is missing so many screws, it doesn't seem to fit properly. It is fine at the drivers side, all snug etc, and the hole for the wiper spindle matches up correctly but the passenger side looks all out of kilter. I tried a few spare screws and they were a distance from the receiving holes. Is this common, or is it just a bad part? Did notice that the two air vents at the far ends of the dash don't seem to do much, blocked/pipe come off? Anyone else had the same thing? With that being the case, it would be rude not to stick a widget in there. Polished the outside of the windows with Autoglym car glass polish, and the inside of the windcsreen. Wipers have been juddering a lot recently, so felt it was worthwhile giving the screen a proper clean first as opposed to just going for new blades. Worked a treat, much better, no judder, like having anew screen.

Forgot to add, really need to do the rocker cover gasket. Far too much oil around there. Shouldn't be hard to clean once it's done, but it looks messy and that doesn't suit.

Hey bob are you planing on doing the gasket your self?
Its important to get a torque wrench to minimise the chance of cracking.
9Nm

Oh yes. I've been told this many times! It doesn't seem to be too much of a job, I'm not too bad with the spanners, not because I've done lots before but I make sure I know exactly what I'm going to do (many thanks of course to everyone on this forum...), have all the correct tools and most importantly....plenty of time. And then I just double and triple check every step I take. I've got quite a logical mind for stuff like that so haven't had a problem dabbling so far.

Afternoon Everyone,

Been away for a bit, fed up of the weather and all that, but am starting to get a bit of cash together so need to start to getting things done.

The most worrying thing is a whine from the engine that occurs hot or cold, and matched the engine revs, so I'm thinking bearings in a pump somewhere, oil, water, power steering? Need to get it to Brum to get it looked at but time is an issue. Will Likely post in tech probs tonight and still want a widget although I fear the list of faults it chucks out might kill it!

OK, resurrecting this thread. Car is booked in for MotorMech on the 15th (anyone else there that day?) for some servicing and to get some bits and bobs fixed. Should be the first of many visits, looking forward to having the car seen by a specialist, never a bad thing. Pricing up some Motul 300v, not bloody cheap stuff, eh? But should be good for the car long term. Looking for some Silkolene goo for the box too. Now that I'm a full-blown member, I might check out opieoils.

Car is filthy with this weather but I have a feeling that once I've had some work done and can see and feel the car improve, I shall keep the old girl a bit better fettled.

Bob Threads going well and informative. Keep it going.

I've been doing the same sort of thing in the hope that it might help others over on my own site. Do it for all the cars I have. It's helped a few in the past so I reckon yours will to.

Did the evil deed and started to spend money on the car. I have a dreaded feeling it's one of those 'where does it stop' kind of moments... Now I've snapped the top of it, it's going to become a money pit. Service now, then a 28RSR later...hmmm....

Anyway, bought last night :

Forte fuel system cleaner
5x NGK BKR7EIX
Set of LED dash bulbs
Set of TurboRevs HIDs
GTEC1

To be ordered tonight :

6 litres of Motul 300v
2 litres of Silkolene Silktran box oil
Pair of wipers from the group buy
Pair of LED sidelights

To be ordered to arrive before next Wednesday :

K+N panel filter
Fuel filter
Rocker cover gasket
Idle air control valve
Lambda sensor
Thermostat
Walbro fuel pump

Car is going into MotorMech on Wednesday and getting ECU codes read, amongst the above stuff. As well as a genral checkover of the car, hoping to get throttle angle checked, the boost gauge backlight changed to switch on with the ignition and not the lights, fit my oil breather kit, sorty my indicator cancelling and bizarre wiper stalk, compression test and air-con check and re-gas. I have no idea whatsoever if all this can be done in one day but I hope most of it. Car should be a bit different when I get it back. I think now life's improving and I'm a bit better off, I might get the car booked in once a month to get items knocked off the list. Clutch is still in need of replacement and, hey, there's all sorts to do but I reckon a few bits every now and agin should see it improve. Here's hoping ;-)

<sigh> More money spent last night.

6 litres of Motul 300v
2 litres of Silkolene Silktran 5 75W90
Walbro 225lph fuel pump (deffo a GSS340, double-checked)
Wipers from the Group Buy
LED sidelights

Hopefully it's all going to arrive ready for Thursday, fingers crossed. Really looking forward to the drive home, hoping to have a big smile, unless Paul tells me that I have a load more problems... No, think positive. The joys of owning c Coop :-)

Things looked up a bit over the weekend, having spent a whacking great chunk of money over the last week on parts and then still looking at the labour bill to get them fitted, I was nervous that some of the major problems still wouldn't get sorted. I had been thinking for a while about buying a dump valve of more reliable brand, the Forge DV006 was the item on my list. I thought on Sunday that as I'd seen a pdf refurb guide, I would have a look at the valve I had to see if all was OK. For an amateur like me, removal and refitting was a breeze, no extra parts to remove to get to it etc. So I took it off and took it in to dismantle and check. The first thing I did was to remove the samco hose connecting the unit to the intake pipe. Using a pen I pushed the piston against the spring and put my finger over the thin nozzle on the top, My finger was pressed down hard, but the piston went straight back down, with virtually no delay. So leaking with no seal. A strip down of the unit revealed that the O ring sealing the piston had perished, and the interior of the valve body was scored and scratched badly. I borrowed a similar Baileys valve from a mate, this valve is also leaking but not as badly so my mate stuffed it up with grease to hold it shut (not anywhere where it would pass into the system). I reckoned if I could drive the car off boost until Wednesday when I was picking up the HKS SSQV I had bought off the forum, I could replace it quickly there and then.

Started the car this morning with a bit of trepidation, and it fired up better than it has for a long time. Normally the car takes 3 or 4 seconds of turning over then fires and revs to 2000rpm, then gradually drops to 1100-1200rpm over 4 or 5 seconds. Today it fired more or less first turn and settled staright away to 1000rpm, choking. Much more steady. Then on pulling away, there was none of the jerkiness and hesitation I normally get, much smoother. Once the engine was warm, it was settling to a very steady idle of roughly 800rpm, whereas that figure is normally 1000rpm. The whole journey to work was so much better, I can't believe it, it seems like forever since the car ran like that. Really happy and just goes to show how something like a dump valve can affect the running of the car so much. Should save plenty of fuel too until Wednesday, the car is nice to drive off boost, relaxed and still plenty of torque.

Roll on Thursday, it can only get better and better from here.

Glad to hear things are looking up. Nothing better than having a problem getting used the car behaving that way then the difference of it running rite. Cant wait till mine is back running healthy again.

I think everyone on this forum goes through these stages of 'is it ever going to run properly again?'. I'll be honest, I was on the borderline of buying a mintish Toyaota Avensis CDX 2.0. Yeah, it would have comfy and doubtless pretty reliable. But when you're a car freak, there's something quite comforting that something needs doing, and like you say, when you get a problem sorted, or if you sort it yourself, there's a real, weird buzz to it. This must be bourne out by all those nutters who buy an old car for a project and sell it when it's finished, so they can start another. Coupe's are exciting cars to own and I love mine. Now the money's getting sorted, I'm hoping to gradually spend the money and improve it over time. One happy owner here :-)

<sigh>, who said owning a Coupe was easy? All those bits ordered and they've not all arrived in time. I should have been more on the ball, I know, but it's gotta be disappointing. Met my ma at Scotch corner this afternoon to pick up what had come. My Walbro arrived this afternoon after she had set off...it was there when she got back, left with the neighbour. Doh. I ordered 5 NGK plugs, a pack of 4 and a single one, the single one hasn't arrived. Dash backlights haven't come. On the plus side my dump valve went on without issue in the Scotch Corner services car park. Testing it was venting caused some confusion though. Hee, hee! I'm going to post tomorrow when I know what's actually been done, I've got a list of to-do stuff, but it's up to Paul how much gets done in the day. Should make an improvement though. The main thing is Paul can check the car over and make educated suggestions as to what I should get done next time. The stuff that hasn't got done this time can be done then I guess, along with extra stuff I think of by then. One thing I really would like sorted is why it's still only boosting to 0.6 bar, annoying me that.

Will update tomorrow when I get back, hopefully the post should be full of :-)'s.

Well happy! Today, my car was transformed, I cannot say how much better it is. To start with, compression test.

Cyl 1 - 160psi
Cyl 2 - 160psi
Cyl 3 - 155psi
Cyl 4 - 165psi
Cyl 5 - 165psi

That's got to be good. Was nervous that wouldn't be good but seems OK. Oil flushed with Forte and refilled with Motul 300v (new filter of course), gearbox oil drained and filled with Silkolene Silktran, new fuel filter, K+N panel filter fitted, 5 NGK 7's fitted, pollen filter fitted, windscreen washer malarky sorted, group buy wipers fitted, all levels checked and topped up, new thermostat and temp sensor fitted, coolant flushed with Forte and refilled, new offside rear wheel bearing fitted on advice, nearside rear radius arm bearing fitted on advice, brakes fully bled and refilled with DOT5.1 fluid, engine whining put down to belt pulley wheel failing and therefore changed, rocker cover gasket changed, lambda sensor changed, GTEC1 fitted, group buy HIDs fitted, centre console taken out and new bulb fitted as well as boost gauge backlighting amended, several hoses large and small found to be split and replaced with 2nd hand parts.

Fantastic service, really can't praise Paul enough. Having asked for a general health check, he found things I would never have found if I'd been looking. A few clues to what problems might be caused by, that I've seen on here recently.

Engine whine caused by bearing failure on auxilliary pulley wheel.
Lack of boost caused by split hose between hard pipe and throttle body.
Another small hose was replaced but not sure if this caused any issue, or if it sorted an issue...

Yet to see tomorrow morning if the cold starting issue has gone entirely but I would wager it at least won't be as bad. The car is now so much smoother than before. It is a different car now. That simple. If I liked it before, it's ten times the car it was before. I said at the start of the diary I would do things one at once to report on the improvement or fix, and I have done anything but here, but rest assured the above parts and labour have transformed the car. I suspect the oils, and quality of which, has gone towards making the car smoother. Plugs can only have helped. Lambda sensor might have helped but don't know if the old one was faulty. I've simply seen it cause problems enough on here to know it's worth doing with the other things. I would suggest anyone who takes there Coupe ownership seriously to take it to Paul at least once. If I remeber anything else, I'll add it tomorrow, but just happy for now. Great day for the Coop :-)

In addition, to the above a few more details.

Exhaust manifold needs replacing, but he didn't say it was the manifold itself. He's tightened up the bolts and it's quietened it down, but will need a manifold next time.

ECU codes read before I left, clean bill of health, nothing amiss there. Good news. No more expensive sensors or other to purchase as a matter of urgency.

Forte fuel system treatment run through the system. One bottle added to half a tank of V-Power, which I've gone back onto now it's back to c.90p (I stopped using it when it went to £1.30/litre...), and because it's now chipped. If the rest of the Forte range is anything to go by, that's made a subtle difference to the whole effect too.

The HIDs now fitted are amazing. I could be following a car before and my lights wouldn't light up the car in front. Now they do, definitely. Got to be one of the best bang per buck improvements you can make to a Coupe. Cost £62-odd, Paul fitted them in a bout 15 mins and the car is now safer at night (and dare I say, much better looking :-) ).

As I posted on one of the threads on the Gen Maint part of the forum, I think it was, the car cold start hestitation has gone. Long may it remain as it is now. Fires whaen started very quickly, doesn't rev crazily, and settles to a nice idle, even when choking. Pulling away straight away, as I have read is best on here, and there is no hesitation or kangarooing whatsoever. Something, or everything I have changed, has fixed the problem. And I haven't changed the coils. Anything I haven't changed is likely to be fundamentaly OK, as it is not showing up in the ECU codes.

Off to wash it soon, and depending on how cold it is, might use a bit of polish too. Oh, my god, it must be better :-)

Reckoned it was time to treat the old bus with a bit of love, so spent a good few hours washing it. Went down to the local jet wash and used the shampoo brush which I don't usually do, everyone dropping it on the ground... (former valeter shivers at the thought). I knew I wasn't going to make it mint, the paint is a good few years ld and is swirled to &%£* but at least it got the mud and dirt off. I then spent about 5 hours over the weekend claying and polishing it with Autoglym SRP. The bits I did have come up really well, and even the bits that have just been washed look good. Plenty at work today thought the whole thing had been polished, so all good. Things are looking good for the Coop. Managing to build up another box of parts for Paul next time. Need to buy another LED sidelight, having very carefully ordered just one... D'oh!

Not been the best fortnight for the old girl (Coupe, not me mother). Exhaust last week and coolant hose this week, both failing within 7 days. Hmmm. Had to come at some stage I guess, it's just a bit annoying having spent a LARGE amount on servicing and a good few preventative items too. Well, it's a lrage wodge to me at the moment, anyway. At the end of the day, I could afford to sort it, so I guess I shouldn't complain. I've got more friends who have lost jobs/been made redundant recently than I want to think about. Fingers crossed as tomorrow ticks in, it should be fine again. Spoke to Taffy20vt again tonight and double-checked the cooling system should be OK. Bit worried about tomorrow morning though, forecast to snow all tonight and it's got an inch of snow on it now.

Onwards then, if I can keep spending down this month, next month should see the clutch done. Also, if I can find one, a Walbro, and some other bits and pieces. Number plate lights are not coming on unless I thump the bumper, not practical on the motorway. I want a head unit too, the engine note is all well and good, but most of my driving is motorway, so it's not like listening to the soundtrack of driving one of Europes greatest roads. But then I'll get embroiled in car hifi again, and I simply can't afford both pace and tunes. It is gradually coming togther, the car is still smooth and willing and the running issues in the first few minutes after starting have stayed away. So despite the fact the car has let me down for the first time (how many more?), I still love it. The thread for best and worst things for the Coupe says it all. Pace, looks, individuality, god, every one in Rotherham seems to have an Impreza. Glad I've got something different.

Just browsing ebay and found a black Plus, very nice but it has in the description "as its a turbo plus you get extra b.h.p from standard 2.0 turbo's so its got 220 b.h.p". Do you think when people write things like this, they actually believe it themselves, or do they think it will persuade buyers it's better than a non-Plus? I despair sometimes.

Its got the red top engine which is better

Lol, yeah, guess so, red means fast. I've actually just spent the past 10 minutes checking the Plus doesn't have any extra power, to make sure I wasn't being a thick 'ead, but from what I can tell, they do all have 220bhp. Thought so. Maybe he means with the 6-speed box. I just get fed up with people telling tall tales on ebay items. Maybe it's just me.

Well if the 16 VT was the standard 2.0 then yes its true... Stretching it though.

It's hard to justify the comment, lets face it...

Anyway, bloody awful weather, eh? Roads weren't too bad in South yourkshire to be fair, the only bad road I've seen today was dropping down towards work, an industrial estate where the biggest building is logistic distribution depot, so plenty of fully loaded lorries driving down there. There's a mini roundabout at the bottom, wouldn't want to have a lorry trying to stop behind me there. Looks like claying and polishing has had some effect on the paintwork. Once the temperature started to rise a touch, all the snow just slid off and it looked quite tidy underneath. Satisfies my sad, OCD-type personality nicely. Engine temps are fine now so seems as though the cooling system is back on tack. Car still feels good, and I take it as a compliment that when I move over for cars on the motorway, they feel a need to floor it past me to illegal speeds. It's not proving anything to me, just makes me smile. Looking forward to getting my bits to refurb at the weekend, something that costs nothing, only a bit of graft. Still all good. Have decided I need a Plus leather interior in my life, but not keen on the price, still considering doing something nice with the interior. Happy motoring, all.

Not much spent on the Coop this month, been getting ahead with some bills so I can enjoy the summer. Touch wood, my coolant system issues seem to be OK, new expansion cap came from AA's the other day so that's sorted. Keeps a good temperature and doesn't leak past the cap when the fans kick in. Excellent. Still not using much oil, haven't had to top it up since it was filled at Motormech, even though my rocker cover is now mysteriously cracked at the usual bolt corner... Haven't touched it myself...Taffy20vt also warned me that a bolt head has been rubbing on a lower coolant hose so that's up for getting done when it's next getting bits done. The car is so smooth now, it starts great and holds a good idle, whether choking or warm, very different to how it was before. Gearbox is a bit stiffer for the first few minutes, but this is a known issue when using the Silkolene Silktran and after 2-3 minutes, it's fine. Fuel consumption is good too, after it's service, put £30 of Esso Super Unleaded in at Cockermouth on the way down to Roth @97.7p/litre. Got all the way back down, 190-odd miles, and at least thre days commuting to and from work, 28 mile round trip. So this includes some choking as it wamrs up. Most impressed, worked it out this morning and that's about 9p per mile at those prices. I have been taking it easy but it just goes to show that an exhausted, de-catted, K+N pannelled, and GTEC1'd Coupe can still be fairly economical if you want it to be. Car looks a lot better for the valeting work put in before the snow, whereas everyone else's in the work carpark looks dirty, mine still looks quite clean and tidy. Refrurbing some headlights and a fuel filler cap I got from Joe at the moment, and taking my time over them to get them nice, but weather and cold nights do not make well for working outside, so it may end up weekends only doing those. Hoping to be able to get the car to Motormech again next month to get the clutch done, it's still letting the car down and I've put it off long enough. Have some other bits to get fitted at the same time, just don't know if I can bear another day killing time in Brum. Shopping ain't my bag. Unless it's for shiny, exciting car parts :-)

Further to the above (and apologies for my fingers working quicker than my brain), my main issue at the moment is what to do next? The suspension needs doing, I can imagine a big improvement could lie there, the bodywork needs tidying, and adding too. Still no head unit, I want some music for the steady drives. I just can't work out what is best to do next. Decisions, decisions...

Hi bob similar list to you, I think I will do suspension then ICE then bodywork.
Because suspension keeps me safer, ICE can be removed and if all still well once I can afford the bodywork its a keeper.
at some point I think a flea map will be in order so that will make my suspension sooner rather than later.

I think suspension is high on the list, I guess we all know that a quicker car isn't neccessarily the one that has more power, but can actually use it on the road. I think this was bourne out recently by the thread that said a standard modern hot hatch had timed quicker round some circuit or whatever than a standard 20v turbo, and the hot hatch was way down on power. More to it than bolting on big turbos ;-) Might treat myself to a new headunit next month, but then clutch and suspension. Bodywork would be nice though, I don't think I've ever had any bodywork done on any car I've owned, so it would be nice to tidy up the imperfections, and do the extra bits. Ho, hum

I think I'm suffering from the same thing a lot of petrolheads will be suffering from at the moment. I'm living on an absolute shoestring, having got bored of going to the pub every night. I've enjoyed spending a bit on the car over the past few months but I'm becoming more and more torn. Do I continue to spend money on the car, on servicing, restoring and modifying it, which would bring me great joy? I love my Coupe, and I mean really love it. Yet another person asked me about it in the pub the other day, what is it, what's it like, it's in good nick for a car that age etc. I won't grow weary of stuff like that. But the thing is with the current financial climate, my brain tells me to get ahead on bills. In the next 3 or 4 months, I could be 6 months ahead and enjoy a bit of a cushion in case my job moves to 'at risk' status, as some non-technical roles in the company have. I work in IT and despite what some of my (non-certified) colleagues say, I think there's always work out there, maybe not for the lottery-winnings type of wages that have been around in contracting, but work all the same. I have no direct ties now so I could go and work anywhere in the world at a weeks notice. But then I see parts in the For Sale section, and think 'what a bargain' but then that money could pay my Sky off for the year, for example. I truly am torn between following my heart, and my passion, and the more sensible head option of paying the bills ahead, just in case. I assume others are in the same boat.

i feel your pain bob - but you're a long time dead so follow your heart i say. i am not really in a position to preach the other option as i'm about to shell out quite a bit soon, after spending £1500 just last month...

tbh,thats what I keep telling myself. Thing is, with having just me to think of, if I decide to spend nothing during the month, I have a heap of disposable income left over, but if things went t!t$ up later in the year, I'd be kicking myself for not doing the sensible thing. I might do both, and get stuff paid up until the end of the year, which will take about 4-5 months, then go mad on the car. The danger is, it would never be 'finished', £10k down the line, there would something else I wanted to do with it, so it's not even as if I could set aside an amount an be happy with it (although no doubt I would be rather pleased with how it was).

I've been thinking about getting it to a stage where it would be 'good'. But having totted that up, it still comes to nigh-on £1500, and that is a chunk of cash, in anyones book at the moment.

I reckon once you start 'improving' a car you will never stop until you run out of cash or you get bored of it. Given that you never get back all you put in to something like this, and especially given the current economic business, I'd keep a few smackers for a rainy day. Then when things pick up in the autumn you can blow the cash on more lunacy!

you can spend a lot on these cars, but in reality it comes down to "neccessary" items and "nice to have" items. You need to keep your car on the road and working with the neccessary stuff, and so spend your money on these and keep the rest in your pocket. Then when you can afford it get yourself a couple of nice to haves, that's how I work it anyway... after saying that I've just forked out nigh-on £3.5k on mine since Sept last year... and I thought the old-timers on here were joking when they said you'd never have any spare cash with a coop!

Love the thread by the way bob... keep it up

Thanks all for your comments! Seems like you have the same ideas as me, keep a bitback and see how it goes, then when I've got something spare, enjoy it. I think that's going to be the plan. I've just got a quote back from Paul at Motormechfor some work, clutch fit, exhaust manifold, throttle cable and a few other bits and bobs, and it's going to be roughly £800. That' on top of the price of the clutch. And by the way, I am by no means knocking Paul, if I want the work doing it will cost the going rate, I understand that completely, but these are sort of 'repair/maintenance' things, no big turbos or lots of extra power. I still have no head unit, that will add up too. And to the few who are doubtles thinking if you can't afford a car like this, sell it and buy a Fiesta or something, the point is I can afford to pour money into it without struggling. The point is that following a shock announcement at work about redundancy threats, I just wonder about the wisdom of spending as much as I would dearly love to spend on it. A wake-up call of sorts.

Listen, I suppose I'm just a bit down at the moment, plenty of money but I feel guilty about the thought of spending it on a luxury. I'll snap out of it by the next post, no reason not to, the car itself is superb at the moment. I'm still enjoying the fact that it's using so little petrol, it's smooth with good pressures and temps and it's still prompting many a conversation with complete strangers who want to ask about the car. It justifies having bought a car so 'unusual', although I still wonder what the bloke who described the looks as 'Jaguar-like' was on about. Ho hum.

P.S. One of the new girls at work (a rather attractive young filley, actually ;-) ), asked if I drove 'that blue car'. I said yes, she asked what it was, I told her and she asked if it was wrong-hand drive? She thought all Fiats were 'wrong-hand drive', apparently. A strange and mystical car, indeed.....

Seems like a quiet time for petrolheads, all the keenies at work are selling there quick motors and replacing them with bore-mobiles. Had a quick look at Solo's website this morning and Gaz confirms the Coupes aren't really a money-making exercise at the moment (any more?). Kenno's broken my spirit again this morning. I've been really busy at work, and due to changes brought in by new BT-based managers, our internet access is now closely scrutinised, so whereas I used to browse bits of the site all day long when I got the odd 5 minutes, I'm on a lot less now and have purposely avoided the for sale section. A quick glance this morning and Kenno's list of parts reads like aCoupe owners wet dream. Kinda tempted to make an offer for the lot, but my head tells me I must stay strong. It looks as though I'll have this years bills paid off quicker than I thought, and then I'll quickly have the following years bills saved up (yes, I'll the money for all my living expenses in my arse pocket by the time Crimbo comes round). The spending can then recommence, and then my furrowed brow can be replaced by a big grin as the car is developed further.

Bit of good weather this weekend might tempt another clay, polish and wax session, it costs nothing as I've got all the bits.

And on a last note, get well soon Joe. My mothers suffering from a bad back at te mo, and everyone knows there's nothing worse than a bad back.

Afternoon All,

Been a while since I posted on here, but following a long weekend up in Cumbria with the little one, I felt it was neccesary to comment again how much I love the car. Went up and down the country faultlessly and comfortably, and quickly on occasions of course... There are a couple of things that have gone squiffy since the last update. The check strap on the passenger door has snapped so the door has to be held open while the little angel gets strapped in, but they're all bits that will fix without much effort or expense. I held a higher average speed than I have done recently, and fuel consumption is still good, only used between 5-10 quid more on the 200 mile journey. Coming up to oil change time, so I might get it to Motormech soon for the service and to get some other bits and bobs kncked off the list. Saw the coilovers on parts for sale this morning, tempted but still trying to hold off pouring money into it. Parts should still be there later this year, when the money gets sorted. Looking forward to then actually, it'll be exciting to be able to get a good load of parts each month and feel the car improving. Did get the polish and wax done over the last few weeks and it looks good. In fact, three weeks after it was done and without a following wash, a mate commented how good it looked and when had I done it. All good. Really want to get some bodywork done, the chips and scratches etc are starting annoy me, if anyone knows a quality bodyshop in the Rotherham area, I'd be happy to hear about it. I've heard so many horror stories regarding bad jobs.

Time to resurrect this thread, I think. 8 litres od Motul 300v ordered, Alpine CDA-7889R ordered (birthday present), never had any tunes in the Coop, bar the engine note so about time. More bits to come. Attended Midlands Brekkie Club yesterday and have got the appetite for improvement, so more bits to come soon. Why do I wish it was an Electric Blue Plus all of a sudden? Proccy and Lucifer, it's your fault.

lucifers is for sale bob, good price for a nicely tuned one....

Yes, I know...

i'm aware you yorkshire types are a bit tight, but come on get yer wallet out man - thing is, you know you want it...

I'm trying to make light of a bad situation here. On my way home last night, due to losing concentration through many hours of overtime, I ran into the back of somebody. I pulled onto a roundabout when the way was clear, only to hit the car in front who hadn't. It...wasn't....there...before...honestly. Anyway, cut a long story short, it was a slow impact, 5-10mph, and it's pushed my bonnet up, so in need of a new one. The most important thing to me at the moment is getting to work just just need a straight bonnet and a check over to see if there's any other damage under there, no leaks etc. so fingers crossed. Off to Joe's later for a replacement bonnet, but he has no Sprint Blue ones. Stop sniggering. He has Porto, Scotts, Red and Ink black. I'll get it redone when I have time but for the time being it's going to be....anyone remember the Polo Harlequin? It's going to look like that. Votes on which colour bonnet would go best with Sprint Blue?

Woohoo! I've been trying to persuade Joe to do a harlequin coupe for months!

Er, sorry about the oopsie. Black's always a safe bet, I reckon. btw - why do you have a porto icon?

damn, sorry to hear that bob but at least no-one got hurt.

if the rad had got damaged you could have justified that new fmic too.....

proccy - If the rad had got damaged, I wouldn't be able to drive down to Joe's later...and yeah, no-one hurt. Just my pride really. Stupid, careless mistake. 15 years no claims too. No damage to her car, just a scratch on the rear bumper. She was trading it in on Saturday, to be honest if it was me, I would've taken it in and pleaded innocent, she's got a price for it, and she did say that the numerous other scratches and cracks were there already. Bumper hadn't moved. But I guess it's up to her, I'll just pay...

barnacle - No-one had ever pointed that out about the icon, I shall correct it. I though it looked blue. Ish. :-)

That better?

no then... ah, sod it

I reckon the black would be the safest option - green could look good too though...

Apologies Barnacle, it's still all Sprinty. Borrowed one off Joe, my crossmember has moved back an amount so in order to properly fix it, it needs a new one, it's going back in the next couple of weeks to get a new one welded in. Apart from that all good. The crossmember stopped short (just) of the air-con rad, and all the rest was cosmetic. So just need to replace parts I was going to replace anyway, bonnet, grille, front bumper and I'll also need a new slam panel, although the one that was on looked a bit shoddy anyway.

Can't thank Joe enough for his time and work. I only PM's him yesterday morning to ask if he could get me in, and arrived at 17.45 for him to start (!). I timed it just right, just as trickydicky was leaving. That is a good looking car, mate, the bodywork is stunning. Joe worked until about 22.30 getting it finished, although as I say this was a temporary kind of affair to keep me on the road and get me to work. He gave the car a good check over while it was there, and was truly a pleasure to spend some time with someone who knows Coupes so well.

Yes this was quite a challenge but enjoyable as strange as that may sound.

It was just good to get you back on the road as I know you use your coupe as a daily drive, couple of weeks and we'll have her looking like new again

Looking forward to getting it done, as well as the other stuff too. There's nothing I love more than seeing the car improve, looking better, feeling better to drive, oh, what it is to be a petrolhead.

Spoke to Joe last night about how it's going with the car and all sounds good. Had some bad news last night so enthusiasm is a bit low this morning, but if I get chance, I'll post the list of work of work I'm getting done. It's comprehensive...

Oil temperature gauge sorted
Change sidelight bulbs
Throttle position sensor
Throttle cable changed
Check gearbox oil level
Oil and filter change
Clean up block a bit and check for any other oil leaks
Check oil cooler and pipes
Air con check and regas
Fit lower front strut brace
Fit boost controller
Check brake fluid level
Fit polybushed top engine mount
Replace pollen filter
Walbro fuel pump and wiring mod
Fuel filter replaced
Swap injectors out
Bonnet cable replaced
Lube door and boot hinges
Replace passenger door checkstrap
New battery
Swap out rocker cover
New expansion tank
New coolant cap
New radiator
Check handbrake and cables
Check condition of spark plugs for mixture
Fit braided brake hoses
Check driveshaft seals
Fit Sparco front upper strut brace
Powerflex front bushes?
Replace front wishbones (and Powerflex bushes?)
Replace track rod ends
Replace drop links
Replace pinch bolts
Eibach f&r anti-roll bar kit
Rear radius arm bearings for both sides
Fit solid rear subframe bushes
Clear debris out of intercooler and oil cooler
Change exhaust manifold gasket
Fit Barnacle Widget
Glovebox and boot lights fixed
Fix cig lighter
Bootlid realigned
Lube clutch pedal
Rear bump stops
Fit LED bulbs to clocks in dash
Compression test
Rear brake compensator changed
Earth grounding kit
Low speed fan rheostat replaced
Plus front grille fitted
Spray and fit AutoDS front bumper
Spray and fit AutoDS vented front wings
Fit and spray rear bumper lip spoiler AutoDS
Rear view mirror replaced
Fit FMIC and SIP from GB
Fit hose clamp kit from GB

That's how it's looking at the moment, Joe and I discussed a few extra bits also, but the above list is the main of it, I think. Should be nice(r) when it comes back...