Hi I'm new here, I've been lurking in the shadows, reading lots of posts for a few months......

....and now I just bought my first Coupe - 20VT LE!

Awesome!

http://profile.imageshack.us/user/j_fury/images/detail/#510/jcoupe.jpg


What da think?

Welcome, fab looking thing!

What LE number are we then??

Don't forget to check your oil!

Oh, and we need more pics than that, please!!

Gareth

It's red!! Yay!

Welcome to the forum!

Seconded!

And welcome!

Welcome Check your oil!
Dave

welcome to the forum mate

Thanks, more pics on the way

am at work so can't tell ya the number yet!

It's seems pretty up together - , cambelt done, new manifold & exhaust all in the last 18 months.....

got car at a resonable price so i'm happy - will need to spend some money here and there...maybe on clutch.

Welcome to the forum now check your oil

Oil is fine!! But I just had a few questions, dunno if anyone can help me here:

- I accidently pushed the switches into the dash, above the head unit, what do I do?

- The bonnet is really stone chipped and slightly different coulour red than the rest of the car....how much would a respray of the bonnet and front bumper cost? Could they match the rest of the car?

- There seems to be some tar or something around the skirts near the front wheels and on the rear bumper - what can I use to get this off?

- The laquer is bubbling slightly where it's been under a cover - what can I do here?

- The rest of the car's paint is ok but as it's red, it has faded over time - what can I use to bring back the lusture? Some sort of clay or T-Cut?

- How do I clean up under the bonnet? I mean what do I use? Some white corrosion on parts, some rust on others. I would like to get new rocker cover as the paint is pealing, or can it be re-coated?

- The boot fabric lining seems a little damp, would I need new boot seals?

- The carpet around the passenger door is slightly damp....I pulled the rubber seal off and there was moisture here - any advice?

- When I washed the car, water obviouly got round the fuel cap, you know in that recess, and just seemed to disappear into that spongy black stuff real quick....I'm pariniod to where exactly the water is going! Any ideas?

Any help with the above would be great!

- I accidently pushed the switches into the dash, above the head unit, what do I do? Remove the centre console. You've probably pushed the screws that hold the switches out because the console plastic has cracked.

- The bonnet is really stone chipped and slightly different coulour red than the rest of the car....how much would a respray of the bonnet and front bumper cost? Could they match the rest of the car? Depending on where you go..bonnets about £200 and bumpers about £150

- There seems to be some tar or something around the skirts near the front wheels and on the rear bumper - what can I use to get this off? Tar can be removed with a clay bar or a tar/tree sap remover type of cleaner

- The laquer is bubbling slightly where it's been under a cover - what can I do here? Probably has to be rubbed down and relacquered.

- The rest of the car's paint is ok but as it's red, it has faded over time - what can I use to bring back the lusture? Some sort of clay or T-Cut? T-cut might do the job but some say they are abit too 'agressive'. Depends on how badly faded the paint is. Try milder polishes first.

- How do I clean up under the bonnet? I mean what do I use? Some white corrosion on parts, some rust on others. I would like to get new rocker cover as the paint is pealing, or can it be re-coated? Rocker covers can be powder coated for better durability. Normal paint with oil/petrol resistant lacquer as clear coat does the job too. Engine can be tidied up with pure elbow grease. Try using a degreaser, let it set for a few minutes then agitate dirt with a brush and rinse with slow running water. Avoid electrical points and sparkplug holes. Once everythings dry, spray rubbers and and electrical bits with silicone spray to give shine and repel future moisture

- The boot fabric lining seems a little damp, would I need new boot seals? Try drying out the boot first. Could be dampness from before that didn't get a chance to dry out with the bootlid always closed. If dampness persist, new boot seals might do the trick.

- The carpet around the passenger door is slightly damp....I pulled the rubber seal off and there was moisture here - any advice? As above

- When I washed the car, water obviouly got round the fuel cap, you know in that recess, and just seemed to disappear into that spongy black stuff real quick....I'm pariniod to where exactly the water is going! Any ideas? Nothing to worry about. Theres a drainage point there. If water accumulates there, it means your drainage hole is clogged.

- I accidently pushed the switches into the dash, above the head unit, what do I do?

Either remove the console and repair or find a new console

- The bonnet is really stone chipped and slightly different coulour red than the rest of the car....how much would a respray of the bonnet and front bumper cost? Could they match the rest of the car?

Might not be a good match, might be better to get it mopped and see if that improves the condition, probably about £300 to get done.

- There seems to be some tar or something around the skirts near the front wheels and on the rear bumper - what can I use to get this off?

Autoglym do a tar remover. or petrol

- The laquer is bubbling slightly where it's been under a cover - what can I do here?

Yuck, take it to a bodyshop

- The rest of the car's paint is ok but as it's red, it has faded over time - what can I use to bring back the lusture? Some sort of clay or T-Cut?

see above

- How do I clean up under the bonnet? I mean what do I use? Some white corrosion on parts, some rust on others. I would like to get new rocker cover as the paint is pealing, or can it be re-coated?

Alertativeautos were supposed to be getting some more in, otherwise they can be shot blasted and recoated with red wrinkle paint

- The boot fabric lining seems a little damp, would I need new boot seals?

Might do, alternativeautoes do them or try countrycrusing on here

- The carpet around the passenger door is slightly damp....I pulled the rubber seal off and there was moisture here - any advice?

See above, probably the door rubber

- When I washed the car, water obviouly got round the fuel cap, you know in that recess, and just seemed to disappear into that spongy black stuff real quick....I'm pariniod to where exactly the water is going! Any ideas?

there is a drain hole.

Any help with the above would be great!

wouldnt use t cut,i would have it machine polished all over first by a pro to bring the red back.

or buy youself a g220 megs polisher and have a go yourself.

Thanks for the advice guys!

if you buy a polisher keep the mop sopping wet,otherwise you'll risk burning the paint.use farcela g3 compound.it's really not that difficult

Hi and welcome

I agree with most of the above comments, but just as an extra hint and a cheap way of removing tar spots, use WD40

welcome to the best goddamn car forum out there....nice car, btw..

Hi and welcome

Nice red 'un

Some more pics:

http://profile.imageshack.us/user/j_fury/images

(my cameraphone is not that great though!)

not bad it does look like it needs a good service, and in general, it looks sweet as, wheels are awsome i like le wheels.

paint looks nice to those stone chips will give you issues though if you leave them, i suggest getting a lipstick red toucher and rubbing them in for the minute as they are wax based.

nice motor and it looks spot on, how much did you pay out of interest

Yeah it needs some elbow grease too to get her up to scratch, I want to really sort this car out and get it looking like new (well as near as I can - I've seen the pics of forum members cars and I am very impressed & they look awesome, just like showroom cars - thats want I want to get mine like eventually).

I'm gonna be keeping this for a very long time - so it's gonna be like a hobby for me - probably an expensive one but hay! (I have a normal car too - so don't have to drive her everyday).

She's in for a full service very soon, and I'm pretty sure mechanically there's no major issues.

She's done 79,000 miles, 5 owners from new (the last one had her for 6 years) bought her for £4K. She's had new manifold, new oil cooler pipes, new turbo, new cam belt, in the last 18months - 2 years. Also has new brakes at last MOT. She does need a new clutch (new about this when bought) at some point, but it's ok for now though.

So what can I do to get started on sorting her out in the looks department? I haven't got enough this year for a re-spray (I will do this next year though). Maybe just a really deep clean session, or pay for a pro valet? Needs that bonnet colour mismatch sorting and maybe new badges, get rid of the tar patches, get the so called black around the door handles and windows back to black. But its the bubbling lacquer that annoys me!

I know I will have to spend some money but I am willing to do this and don't expect otherwise, after all it is a performance car. (Unlike someone posted recently about buying a coupe for like 1400 and expecting it to be a good one!?? Puzzled me, that thread did !!!!!).

Welcome to the forum,nice car to.
Red is one of my favourite coulers

Thats half the fun of owning these cars, although its an expensive hobby, getting it up to your standards makes it 'your car' and doing little odd jobs to it and seeing it improve and improve is satisfying.

Welcome JayFury