alfanige

I've now sold the Forester and it goes tomorrow. Thank you to all on here who have put up with my questions (especially as most of them I really should have known the answer to!) and answering them. I took the car for the MOT this morning and it flew through, with its new rear shocks etc. I got two hardly worn Bridgestones on it yesterday for £30 each, so all in all it hasn't cost me too much, only time. The new owner is going to have a cracking car with absolutely everything done and working correctly on it and it sparkles inside and out. I will keep popping on now and then to see if I can help anyone :-) Thanks again to all, this certainly has been one of the best forums I have used (and believe me I have been using them for many years and been a moderator on a few too!!!) AlfaNige

The talent includes mashing her right foot through the floor and telling everyone else to get out the way! She doth protest that I drive faster than she does, but it falls on deaf ears :-D!

The RCZ is quite a surprise. Its my Partners every day car, 2.0 diesel and it goes and handles really well. It was the latter on the test drive that sold it to me. My Partner wanted an RCZ so I traded my Abarth 500 in against it which was a highly tuned pocket rocket with rock hard suspension, so I thought it would be like going from a hot shower into a luke warm bath, but it wasn't like that! The only complaint comes from the misses........its too damn slow for her as she joins motorways, unlike the Abarth, which I only got beaten through mid range acceleration in once - by a Lexus ISF who did me on the A1M lol! The RCZ is no slouch though, its fine for everyday use and returns over 48mpg if I drive it (42mpg if 'er indoors drives it!), so its a good car

Thanks chap. Yeah, '99 MX5 1.8i - another one of the fleet! Thats my partners "summer" car although I must admit to like driving it myself too - who can turn down a bit of RWD fun now and then eh! The RCZ is hers too - I don't admit to that one lol

Sorry for the delay It was Parts Service Direct in Exeter, they have an ebay shop, but I went direct as I am near by. They are one of Exeter's big parts suppliers to trade and public, like Euro Car Parts etc http://stores.ebay.co.uk/PS-Parts-Motor-Factors?_trksid=p2047675.l2563 The car is finished and up for sale - it looks good now IMHO! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231128693426?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Well, one side done, the other side I had to dremel the nut off so I ran out of time. The shock on the 2nd side was the a KYB Excel G - the same as I am putting on and seems to be OK, but I am one of those guys who always does things in pairs on axles. I will finish it when the haze clears on my head tomorrow :-D Have a great eve everyon

Got some KYB ones for £195 the pair, just off to collect them now :-)

To be fair Stanton, it doesn't help - but hey its the thought that counts :-D Just got the shocks off and they are shot :-(

Depends what goes through the auctions but probably a couple of Freelanders with the usual problems to sort and sell on - or at least something I know all about rather than a complete make/model I had no clue about again :-D

Thanks guys, I read that post on the Pedders bits, but at £258 I am not that enthusiastic! There are some on Ebay for £60 each which may be worth a punt even if just to make it look better. Either that or I am going to sadle Trigger up, don my Stetson and put two blocks of wood in the springs ;-)

Sadly its the car, not the misses this time! 1999 2.0S Turbo, the rear end is sagging which I know is a common issue, but I want a cost effective fix. I believe from what I have read that its due to the shocks leaking, and they look to be the original ones. I am looking to sell this car now (now everything is !Removed! working on it - don't ask lol!!!) so am not looking to upgrade, merely replace at an affordable price within the cars worth. Any suggestions please

May I suggest that before you spend money on the bigger discs set up, that you get the system in order first. There is a guide to the installation of the Brake Master stability bracket by Stanton at the top of the page, then install braided brake hoses. When doing this you will naturally renew the fluid too. This will ensure the system is working to its best efficiency. Once this is done you need to ask a local MOT station to do a brake test for you. This will give you the resultant brake affect of all four wheels including the balance %. You then have your base point. It would be wise now to do a simple upgrade on the pads, search around for the type of affect you are looking for that will suit your driving/journey types - you dont want a pad that will need a lot of work to generate heat if you do short journeys for example. Once selection is made and installed, go back and get another brake test done - £20 here is better than spending £500 if you are gaining what you need. Obviously you will need to take into account the set up of the ABS too - its not much help if the ABS cuts in 50% earlier due to the changes as your stopping distance will not be any better. Also consider your tyre choice - I've seen muppets with big brake kits that cost a fortune with cheap tyres on and wonder why there braking distance were less than mine on standard discs and pads :-D In other words...plan, plan then plan again for modification before you spends yer money!

I've got a professional polishing machine, pop it over and I'll have it looking like new in a tick ;-)

Well, its a bit odd, but the clutch "appears" to be working ok for now. I re-adjusted the rod connecting the Master to the peddle by about 1/4" (about 6mm for you younguns!) and it didn't slip with 3rd and 4th under hard acceleration up hill so I have to assume that I had over adjusted it when I was trying to get the peddle sorted. Oddly though, it worked fine from that point until the other day. If it slips again I will whip the transmission out and put a new clutch in. It doesn't look too difficult - no worse than Freelander IRD's

My problems continue with this damn jalopy! Finally, the clutch is working I beleive, the pedal in the right position, no leaks etc, but today, towed for the first time (largeish MTD Ride on mower on a trailer) and shock of all shocks - it couldn't manage it. The clutch slipped so badly I had to unhitch and use the Freelander. So, I am assuming that there is no adjustment on the clutch itself as its hydraulic and the only adjustment is the pedal position in accordance with the Master Cylinder to get the pedal to sit in the correct place - therefore, the clutch itself is worn. Its no surprise as its done around 110k IIRC. I have had a look at the workshop manual and its says I have to completely remove the transmission from the car, which looks a long winded job that requires two people. (I do however remove and replace Landrover IRD's on my own and they are fricking heavy!!). The clutch kit looks to be a reasonable price - around £180 for one of these, but with my virgin knowledge of these cars, I dont know if I can afford the learning experience with the backlog of other cars!