tag:tegtyper.blog.co.uk,2009-11-09:/MokoFeed2009-11-09T03:35:59+01:00tag:tegtyper.blog.co.uk,2009-10-26:/2009/10/26/discovering-the-discovery-7245954/TegTypeR2009-10-26T11:34:53+01:002009-10-26T11:34:53+01:00 <p>Every now and again I get the chance to mix work with my love of cars, be that taking customers on a Palmer day at the Bedford Autodrome or sourcing various bits for Fords research and design centre. Recently however I have been asked to source two used diesel Land Rover Discoveries as site vehicles.</p> <p>Now, whilst Disco’s have never really done much for me, the request was interesting none the less. The vehicles needed to be of a relatively minimal cost, as their life expectancy is usually around a year due to the hard life they get, but the still needed to be presentable when delivered. No tall order then!</p> <p>I must admit I went in slightly sceptical. Land Rover Discoveries have never has the best reputation for build and reliability, especially at the age I was looking, so I was expecting to find some real rubbish. Couple that with various buying guides suggesting that if mechanical or electrical maladies hadn’t sidelined the vehicle, tin worm will have done.</p> <p>Indeed, at the original budget of £1000, this seemed to be the case. As it was being used on a private site, there was no need for tax or MOT, but all this uncovered were the vehicles that should have been targeted by the scrappage scheme. So, I upped my figures to £1250 to see what else was about.</p> <p>The first on I stumbled across was a Series 1 200TDi with 155k miles on the clock in green, still with no tax or Mot but looking considerably cleaner than any of the other vehicles I’d seen. Being a reasonable distance away, I decided to phone the vendor – a trader – and grill him about the car. For a change, I was met with an honest sounding guy who was selling the vehicle on eBay as it had been taken in part exchange for a newer car. Whist it wasn’t perfect, he assured me that it was clean enough and would easily go through an MOT with out any problems. I decided to make a snap decision and took the car for £1200 including delivery.</p> <p>When it arrived a couple of days later, I was pleasantly surprised by the over all condition. Outside indeed had a patina of wear that befitted an L plate off road vehicle, but with a lick of polish it would shine up nicely. Whilst there was a little corrosion in places, nothing significant could be seen and a quick inspection under the bonnet revealed that several components had been replaced recently, water pump included. The engine fired first time and revved cleanly with out any smoke or sooty deposits.</p> <p>Unfortunately, due to its lack of legally required documentation, I was unable to take it for a proper drive but the trundle around the car park revealed that apart from the somewhat tired dampers there was absolutely nothing to worry about.</p> <p>The second car I stumbled on was a little better. Again using the wonder site they call eBay, this one had slightly higher mileage but was two years younger and benefited from the revised interior. Still with tax and MOT, it had 185,000 miles on the clock but had received a recon engine some 30,000 miles previously. Again, being fifty miles away I decided to grill the private seller, who was more than happy to give me the information I needed. Again, making a snap decision I offered £1100 and after some thought he accepted my offer.</p> <p>This time though I had to collect it and armed with AA card I headed north. When I got there, again I was pleasantly surprised. Certainly this vehicle has never been used for what it was intended (unless Land Rover had a secret brief to design Discoveries to solely do schools runs) and all round it was in excellent condition. Lack of diesel aside, I jumped straight in and headed homeward bound, using a selection of B roads and motorways.</p> <p>Amazingly, the car pulled from 1000rpm upwards cleanly and with some gusto. On the motorway it settled in to a gentle but not intrusive hum and when it came to motorway inclines a gentle flex with the right foot produced just the shove it needed. The suspension, whilst in need of a new set of dampers again, was quiet with no clonks or untoward movements.</p> <p>Now, I have never been one for 4x4 vehicles, but even I was impressed – so much so I made a call to the customers informing him in a half joking manner that it was far too good for what he wanted and that I was keeping the vehicle!</p> <p>What did occur to me on the drive back though was how lucky I was to get this vehicle. Had the guy selling it been of the mind to purchase a new vehicle, this is the sort of car that would have ended up in the scrappage scheme….. and that would have been a genuine shame. The bargains are still out there, despite various reports of the demise of the cheap used car market, you just have to search a little harder for them.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://TegTypeR.blog.co.uk/2009/10/26/discovering-the-discovery-7245954/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:tegtyper.blog.co.uk,2009-08-23:/2009/08/23/on-the-right-track-6798783/TegTypeR2009-08-23T10:08:54+02:002009-08-23T10:08:54+02:00 <p>I’m back driving the Integra at the moment, after a period of running the MG because of its kart lugging tow bar. Jumping between the two cars is always an eye opener because despite both being front drivers, they go about ride and handling in such different ways. In some aspects this goes without saying. One is a thinly veiled race car, the other a sporting saloon. However, when the road car starts out performing the track biased car in disciplines you know it shouldn’t, something is quite clearly not right.</p> <p>Everyone has one, a route which they take on a regular, if not daily basis that gives their car a work out and sets a benchmark in their own mind as to how a car should perform over a certain stretch of road. For me it is my journey to work and from every day. It isn’t a particularly long or high speed trip, but what it does incorporate are some testing twists and turns - points where full acceleration can be used and some uneven road surfaces, ideal for checking the performance of the cars chassis.</p> <p>Even before I did this journey, things on the Teg didn’t feel quite right. It has never been the sharpest car on turn in, instead its party piece is medium to high speed corners, where it monsters sweeping bends with a complete sense of stability and security. Today however, even a moderate speed roundabout was causing tyre squeal of monumental proportions. </p> <p>After checking tyre condition (worn, but still a couple of thousand miles left), and pressure (spot on the recommended 30psi), I was left scratching my head. Prior to purchasing the Goodyear GSD3’s the car was wearing, I had run a set of budget Cheng Seng Deathmasters (it was supplied on these by the UK import centre!). These tyres, due to their wooden construction, needed to be run at low pressures to work, so I figured it was worth trying it again and dropped the pressure by 4psi per corner.</p> <p>Aside from making the ride a little softer, grip was marginally better but the squeal was still there – comically so. A brief net search suggested that aside from the tyres themselves, my problem could be related to a loose or moving suspension component. Whilst a driveway and jack inspection revealed nothing, I figured it would be best to get the car booked in at my local suspension and tyre specialists – Elite – to have a proper look. </p> <p>Elite’s equipment is probably not unique, but it is one of the best places I know to get anything tyre related sorted. If you ask for a full check, you are presented with a printout showing the current set up of the car including caster camber and toe settings, both for front and rear axles. Their system also references factory settings so it can give you an idea by how much the geometry is out. My printout showed that whilst everything was there or thereabouts, I was toeing out quite a lot, which could explain why the turn in wasn’t as good as expected. A tweak of the tracking and a new set of Toyo T1R boots later, I was a couple of hundred quid lighter and on my way.</p> <p>Yet again though, Elite had done their job. The front of the car now seemed a lot keener to turn and the annoying squeal had gone, and that’s before the tyres had even been scrubbed in. I now look forward to several more thousand miles of happy high speed driving.</p> <p>It never ceases to amaze me, every time I visit Elite, how much better something so simple can make the car feel. So, if your car is feeling a little off colour in the handling department, before you do anything else, get your geometry properly checked. Not only may it save you several hundreds of pounds, but you too may have a new found love of your car. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://TegTypeR.blog.co.uk/2009/08/23/on-the-right-track-6798783/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:tegtyper.blog.co.uk,2009-08-17:/2009/08/17/accessing-mobility-6745889/TegTypeR2009-08-17T17:47:28+02:002009-08-17T17:47:28+02:00 <p>I had an unusual request this week, to look for a wheel chair converted Fiat Doblo. Now I am familiar with the Doblo, a brilliant cheap little utility vehicle, but wheel chair conversions were new to me so I was going in a little blind.</p> <p>The request had come from a neighbour, whose wife is suffering from Motor Neurone Disease. Unfortunately in recent months her health has deteriorated to the point where unless she is a wheel chair she is more or less immobile – not a nice situation for any one but an especially frustrating one for the couple who until recently had enjoyed an active out door life style.</p> <p>Being of the older generation and quite a proud man, my neighbour had decided to turn down the offer of a leased Motability vehicle, preferring to purchase a used car on his own terms. However, he didn’t know where to start, either on the specification of the conversion or even how much to pay for one. What he did know is that he wanted a Fiat Doblo based car, having previously owned various Fiats.</p> <p>Not really having much more of a clue, I decided that eBay was as good a starting point as any and at least from there I could see who was doing the conversions, how many different types there were and if indeed the Doblo was the best bet for his needs. Surprisingly, quite a few listings came up for various converted vehicles which it would seem come in many different forms.</p> <p>Amongst the more common low floor or high roof Doblo / Kangoo / Berlingo conversions, there were a whole plethora of vehicles from Suzuki Wagon R’s through to Mercedes B Classes with varying styles of ramps, extensions and seating arrangements. The other point that I noticed was the disparity of pricing between the vehicles of exactly the same specification and type. I know it’s a specialist market but some dealers were happier to capitalise on this than others.</p> <p>After many hours or research, reams of print outs and a slightly better understanding of the whole system, we decided to take a look at a vehicle being advertised at a dealer locally. The high roof, powered access Fiat Doblo appeared to be the best for their needs and the 2007 model I had found registered only 1400 miles on the clock and came in at a comparatively bargain price of £7495, little if any more expensive than a non converted model.</p> <p>Armed with a wheelchair but not unfortunately the lady concerned, we prodded and poked around the converted vehicle, folding flaps, winding winches and folding seats. This particular conversion left the basic vehicle pretty much intact. The winch mechanism was concealed beneath the standard rear seats, along with the frontal chair restraint anchors. The boot floor had been replaced by a laminated surface which housed various quick release channels for further anchoring points, but fundamentally was still flat and as Fiat originally intended. The only give away clue that this wasn’t a standard vehicle was the ramp mechanism, which should it be required, could be removed in a matter of minutes. Overall this was a neat conversion that could either be used as a family five seater or as a three seat plus wheel chair vehicle.</p> <p>Sadly though, the complexity of the anchoring system was a little daunting for my guy who was concerned that despite the quick release buckles and ratchet mechanisms, he would not be able to secure his wife securely in his advancing years. In some ways I could see his point, but with out a bespoke chair and anchoring system there really wasn’t going to be any other way to do it. The dealer wasn’t too worried though as apparently a lot of interest had been shown in the vehicle by various local taxi companies. After spending the best part of an hour getting to grips with the car, I can see why.</p> <p>A wasted trip then? Not at all. My neighbour has now decided that for the sort of journeys he will need to do in the future a cab may be a better bet, especially if they are equipped in the same way. I am now trying to find him a local taxi company that can accommodate. For me, a couple of days of education and a healthy dose of respect for the needs of another sector of the motoring public.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://TegTypeR.blog.co.uk/2009/08/17/accessing-mobility-6745889/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:tegtyper.blog.co.uk,2009-08-10:/2009/08/10/cars-i-ve-owned-porsche-boxster-6692757/TegTypeR2009-08-10T16:54:42+02:002009-08-10T16:54:42+02:00 <p>It went something like…” I want a convertible, I’ve always wanted one and as this is my choice of car, so that’s what I’m going to have”. It was a stupid thing for me to do, agreeing to alternating “good” cars with my nearest and dearest.</p> <p>So there I was, the HSV which had been my decent car was to be sold and a convertible bought in its place. You may remember the big Holden had been a bit of a love hate relationship for me, so in some ways it was a bit of a blessing, but being stuck with a 1.25 Fiesta Zetec, whilst not the worst thing in the world, was hardly on the top of my priority list of cars to drive daily.</p> <p>There was one stipulation though; I wanted to be able to drive the new car, what ever it was. So the search began. We both tested various drop top machinery from Renault Megane’s to Mercedes SLK’s but the one thing in common (for me at least) was the inability to fit in the cabin with the roof up. You see, I have a rather long upper body. Fine in a people carrier but so it would seem, not in a drop top.</p> <p>When we’d exhausted the list of main stream cars, my thoughts turned to the more specialist machinery. Now, you may not think these days considering the how common they are, but on the list was a Porsche Boxster. A decent 2.7 was the car of choice and a quick search picked up a nice looking car fitted with the obligatory climate control and 18” Turbo design wheels all riding on the sports pack suspension set up.</p> <p>The test drive went well, I fitted with room to spare and the car felt how it should do, taught and punchy, in fact how I’d perceived a Boxster to feel. So the deal was done and my good lady was now the proud owner of a silver Porsche. At first I wasn’t too keen. There was nothing wrong with the car it was more the image it purveyed. Couple that with feeling quite exposed when the roof was down, I did my best to avoid driving the car too regularly. </p> <p>Then early one Sunday, I got the chance to use the car for its intended purpose - a good hard blat around some deserted country lanes. I was sold! The steering was beautifully weighted with a stream of information fed back through the leather covered wheel rim. It was no Elise, but as a package it asked for a lot less of a compromise than the little Lotus. The engine was punchy, smooth and tuneful and had just enough grunt to do the chassis justice despite being the lowly 2.7 model.</p> <p>It was addictive though and it wasn’t just the car, it was the whole Porsche experience. Anyone who is enthusiastic about their cars and has owned one will know. It doesn’t just stop with the four wheels you’ve just purchased; it’s the books, dedicated magazines and the oodles of tasteful accessories that you can buy. There is something about the Porsche company and its rich history that give you a thirst for knowledge. For anyone that thinks this sounds over the top and in the realms of being a bit stato, before I owned the car I felt exactly the same and I know I’m not the only Porsche owner that has experienced this strange phenomenon.</p> <p>Then eighteen months later it happened and for once it didn’t come from me. The Porsche you own suddenly isn’t good enough and you want better, faster, more. I guess this is why there are so many tuning and aftermarket companies because there is only so far you can go with the “standard” range. Admittedly, the 2.7 was the base model of Porsche’s entire range at the time, so there was room for manoeuvre, but I wasn’t entirely sure considering how sweet this car was. Anyone who is married knows, sometimes you just have to sit there and say – “Yes dear!”</p> <p>Geed up by various other enthusiastic members on the Boxster internet forum……... “I want a 3.2S, in Cobalt Blue with the PASM pack, leather interior and sports seats”. Sigh……..</p> <p>Tempering her enthusiasm with a little bit of sanity, I suggested that we have a look round at what was available and ideally find a decent 3.2S in 986 facelift form, which did away with the most annoying part of the original car, the plastic rear screen. Whilst it would have be nice to find one in Cobalt Blue (a special order colour when new), I suggested it may be worth keeping an open mind preferring to buy on condition.</p> <p>Fortunately the search didn’t take long and quite quickly we’d managed to find a clean looking second generation 3.2S in Polar Silver (another special order colour that suited the car far better than the proposed dark blue), not far from us. With full leather seat, Bose stereo, Turbo 2 wheels, and climate, the spec was better than the previous car but it was missing the sports pack suspension, which as we would find out was a blessing.</p> <p>It was the drive home that highlighted how much better the standard set up was. Bumps and lumps that would have previously jarred both driver and passenger were now smothered and along the bumpy back lanes of Essex the car covered ground with a fluidity previously missing. Coupled with the extra power, this Boxster was a completely different animal, more aggressive, harder charging, more involving. It was an even more addictive machine. </p> <p>Together my good lady and I had eighteen great months with this car, during which time it saw many adventures which included ending up on Top Gear (the US edit version) where it was used as a studio car to trekking the length and breadth of the UK. Oh and yes, I did get to thrap it round the TG test track a couple of times as part of the deal.</p> <p>It was a sad day when it departed our tenureship, but it was for the best. The whole “Porsche experience” had got to my good lady and she was becoming neurotic about the car, parking miles from anywhere so to prevent it getting door dents and spending complete weekends polishing and detailing the exterior. That’s not what a car is all about, especially one as good as the Boxster S. They’re for driving and enjoying, not for sending people nearly ga ga. I would have loved to have kept it, but by this time I had accumulated some other cars to my ever increasing collection, and enough was enough.</p> <p>Would I have another one? Definitely and a quick look at the classifieds show they’re a bit of a bargain now. Still need to make a bit of space though……</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://TegTypeR.blog.co.uk/2009/08/10/cars-i-ve-owned-porsche-boxster-6692757/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:tegtyper.blog.co.uk,2009-08-02:/2009/08/02/simples-6633923/TegTypeR2009-08-02T08:56:37+02:002009-08-02T08:56:37+02:00 <p>Motor bikes, not something I’ve ever really been interested in. I had a brief flirtation with liking them at the time when Street Hawk was being shown (ooof…. that shows my age) but other than that they have held no interest what so ever for me. This week, however, has been a bit of a bike week and whilst I respect them a little more now, I still can’t get enthusiastic about motorised two wheeled transport.</p> <p>So, how comes I have been playing with them? For once, it’s a work thing. Without going in to too many boring details, I have a customer who lives in South Africa. Being semi retired he is able to spend most of his time, when he hasn’t travelled back to the UK, bumming around on bikes. Nice life, if you are in to that sort of thing. Unfortunately the equipment he wants isn’t readily available out there, so he goes on a spending spree on his return, which means I get the responsibility of picking the equipment up and getting it ready for shipping. </p> <p>This time, he wanted two complete Honda XR650’s, or as I am lead to believe, also called Super Moto’s. Last time I collected a bike for him I ended up in Wales, so this time I kept my fingers crossed that he could find something a little more local. Bike number one was found and thankfully was only ten miles away. Later the same day, the e-mail with bike number two landed on my computer and this time I was not quite so lucky.</p> <p>Now the Isle of Man is somewhere I have always wanted to visit but I figured it would be more of a holiday or leisure destination rather than somewhere I would have to go for work! On contacting the seller, it turned out I still wouldn’t be able to take my first visit to the motoring heaven Isle as the bike was to be shipped to Lancaster Docks, from where I could collected it. Still a bit of a slog from my Essex location, but not as time consuming as it once appeared to be. So, next week I am heading north.</p> <p>For now though, I was still stuck with bike number one. As it arrived after my customer’s departure from the UK, I get the inevitable questions….. “What’s it like?” I’ve known him for quite a few years now, and he knows cars are my thing but he still asks. “Yeah, it looks okay.”…….. I don’t bloody well know!! It’s a bike. Looks clean enough to me, but I am buggered if I know what’s going on underneath or even have a clue to a tell tale sign of what a bad one looks like.</p> <p>To get it ready for shipping, the bike needs to be drained of all fluids, and in this case stripped back to leave just the chassis and engine (previous problems with whole bikes ending up in SA in a considerably worse condition than it left the UK, but that’s another story I which involved me and an American Chopper which came from the states…… for another time may be), and the rest of the equipment packed safely in bubble wrap. Now I’ve taken a fair few things apart in my life – cars, karts, lawn mowers, even a part of train once, but never a bike, so this was going to be a new experience.</p> <p>After five hours, there I was surrounded by a bubble wrap mountain full of parts and a surprisingly small engine and chassis assembly. What struck me was how easy it all was to take apart. If it had been a modern car, there would have been various specialist tools and unique procedures to dismantling, but with the bike just a socket set, a screwdriver and a couple of standard metric spanners and it was all done. There wasn’t even a Torx key in sight. As the Meerkat says….. Simples.</p> <p>So tell me, what can’t cars be like that? Why do they have to be fitted with manufacturer specific fasteners, sealed units and customer proof fittings? What happened to the good old fashioned car that could be worked on by the Sunday mechanic? This bike at least had been created with simple elegant design, ease of use, ease of maintenance, and for that reason I can imagine seeing it still running in fifty years time. A lot more than can be said about the majority of the bikes four wheeled modern brethren. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://TegTypeR.blog.co.uk/2009/08/02/simples-6633923/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:tegtyper.blog.co.uk,2009-07-18:/2009/07/18/automatic-for-the-people-6538711/TegTypeR2009-07-18T11:36:11+02:002009-07-18T11:36:11+02:00 <p>Considering my dislike of self shifting transmissions the past couple of weeks have seen me dealing with more than my fair share of them, from an unreliable Audi to a life saving Honda Jazz.</p> <p>The past couple of weeks have seen me laid up on my sofa at home, leg raised and immobile after snapping the ligaments in my left foot. This has given me time however to deal with the first of my auto box problems, my mothers Audi TT 3.2 fitted with their DSG twin clutch semi auto transmission.</p> <p>About three weeks ago I got a call from my mother who had broken down. She had pulled up with the dash board flashing gear box fault and the car not able to do much more than about 15mph. As she was close by, I headed to see her, armed with my trusty electronic diagnostic unit to see if it was a quick “reset” fix.</p> <p>On plugging the unit in, I was greeted with a “Gearbox Solenoid” fault code, and despite a clear down and reset, the car was still not working. As our local Audi dealer was over twenty miles away, I decided to limp it down to our local independent garage whose superior diagnostic equipment may be able to re-enable to car. Sadly, they came up with the same diagnosis but because of the complexity of the gear box, they passed on the repair, but very kindly trailered it to the local Audi dealer.</p> <p>A couple of days later I receive a phone call from the dealer with the bad news, £1800 plus the VAT, as the ECU has apparently failed. The ECU? Hang on, the car is only five years old, and this piece of equipment has failed? I could have accepted that if it had been a mechanical item that was subject to wear and tear, but an electronic module, that is both service free and abuse proof? Also, it was hardly as if the car was driven hard every day, this is my mother after all, a lady in her advancing years who rules of right and wrong won’t allow her exceed the speed limit, let alone abuse a DSG box! No, I wouldn’t accept it.</p> <p>Very politely I suggested to the service guy, that he should get straight on to Audi UK customer services and request a good will claim. Being realistic about the situation and aware the car was out of Audi’s warranty, I would be happy to take a part settlement. I know how these things work; my every day real life sees me dealing with power tools, which despite the price disparity, share uncanny customer service issues.</p> <p>After a couple of days, I finally receive a phone call from Audi UK, stating that under their company policy, the car is too old for a good will claim and we would be liable for the entire cost. Also, it didn’t reflect very well that we had purchased the car from an Audi franchised dealer!</p> <p>Hmmm. Audi franchised dealers. These are the guy’s that when we went originally to purchase the car (all be it a second hand one), we were ignored and those that did speak to us never contacted us back. The dealer we did purchase the car from may have been a reputable independent, but their customer service was streets ahead of anything the main dealer offered! May be that’s something you should look at Audi?</p> <p>The question I have to ask is, bearing in mind these gearboxes are now fitted to other VW group products, is do Audi (VAG) think that five years is an acceptable life span for this piece of equipment, and if they do is £1800 plus VAT an acceptable cost. Considering that this gearbox is now fitted to a SEAT Ibiza - On the road price £12,350 – what happens when this car has a similar failure in five years time? Do you scrap the car because it is uneconomical to repair? Considering the current environmental issues surrounding the motor industry and its products, this isn’t a great advert for them.</p> <p>As it stands, I have not accepted their decision and intend to fight them further. Watch this space.</p> <p>Now my two weeks of enforced rest is up however, I have to get off my back side and get back to work. Unfortunately to do that I need a car and as my ankle is still not repaired properly yet (the physio reckons another three weeks before I should try operating a clutch again!!), I need an automatic car. This means that I get lumbered with the company dodgem (sorry, pool car), a Honda Jazz. </p> <p>Fitted with a paddle operated CVT box, with a pre-programmed seven speed option, it is actually quite good fun to pedal along in sport mode, even if it isn’t that fast. It takes some getting used to though, finding the optimal change up points, but once you’ve cracked it, it’s far quicker than the standard auto option. That said, I still don’t think it is a patch on the regular torque converter style box fitted to the Nissan Note I tested a couple of months ago.</p> <p>Even so, I am still looking forward to getting back in to a standard manual boxed car. It has been an experience though, not one I wish to repeat too soon. If I had to recommend an auto car though, I certainly wouldn’t suggest anything from Audi or the VW group. That’s not because of sour grapes, it is down to the fact I don’t believe that they have the durability of some of their rivals. </p> <p>No, if I had to recommend one, it would not be of German origin. It may sound like a cliché, but the old adage still stands, if you want a reliable car, buy Japanese.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://TegTypeR.blog.co.uk/2009/07/18/automatic-for-the-people-6538711/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:tegtyper.blog.co.uk,2009-07-03:/2009/07/03/karting-around-6442073/TegTypeR2009-07-03T12:57:02+02:002009-07-03T12:57:02+02:00 <p>It’s happened. I have officially become old! </p> <p>Why? </p> <p>I have fitted a tow bar to the MG, so that I can….. well…. tow things. I’m slipping rapidly in to middle age! This isn’t quite the full story though.</p> <p>About a month ago, I decided that I was getting a bit portly and some exercise was needed. Being a gym hater, I pondered all the other types of exercise that I could do to reduce my girth and the only one that really gave me any enthusiasm was karting.</p> <p>I used to kart quite a bit, mainly endurance racing, which took me all over the country and used to keep me very fit. In recent years however, I gave it up, mainly down to the difficulty of trying to get reliable team mates. Unfortunately, once a racer, always a racer and in the back of my mind I have always wanted to get back out on track. This time though, I decided that I needed to be self sufficient and that my involvement would be on a strictly open practice day basis, just to get me fit. Well, that was the plan anyway.</p> <p>The idea was to purchase a cheap twin engined Honda Prokart, which would be inexpensive, reliable and easy to run. Maintenance is generally non existent and a decent race set up one can be great fun, unlike the heavy clunker hire versions that you find at many an arrive and drive kart centre. So I hit eBay with a mental limit of £500 and an itchy bidding finger.</p> <p>A couple of days later I was picking up my winnings, an unknown chassis make complete with newly rebuilt trailer and spares package (read a load of karting bits the guy just wanted to get rid of!). It wasn’t the most wonderful kart in the world, but for the money it was right and I could get back on track again. The only thing I would need to do was adjust the seat to fit.</p> <p>This is where it all started to go wrong.</p> <p>There are certain things that you do in life that give you pleasure. They shouldn’t, but they do. Prepping a kart is one such thing for me. There is something very cathartic about cleaning down, tightening, tweaking, and generally working on a kart for me, and I hadn’t realised it until this point.</p> <p>Looking a lot better for its tinkering, the kart and I ventured on to track the next day. I had decided that it was just exercise, and it didn’t matter if the kart wasn’t that quick, the important thing was that I would be building my stamina and getting fit. Except that it didn’t happen like that. At the track was another Prokart, which whilst neatly prepared would have not caused me any problems in the past. Today though, he was quicker, no matter what I did, and that didn’t sit well with me. </p> <p>Aside from my extra weight, main problem were the tyres. Fitted to the kart when purchased, it was clear that the compound was too soft and they were creating too much grip for the chassis. The next issue were the engines. Ignoring the grip issues, they were feeling lazy and unable to rev out properly. So, off home I headed with a mental list of bits I needed to get the engines feeling stronger and me lapping quicker. </p> <p>As I sat on eBay surfing for newer chassis, valve springs, Alfano digital readouts and race prepped engines, I realised something. Gone was the mind set that I was doing this as a cheap way to get fit, it was now about winning, being the fastest and best. I wanted to race again. I wanted to win.</p> <p>It’s a curious thing, human nature and the need for competition. As much as we try to fight it, we always manage reverting to our basic instincts. At this exact point in time, I have an engine stripped down on my work bench, several bids in on eBay and order in for a new race suit. Inside the fire is still burning. Where did it all go wrong…….?</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://TegTypeR.blog.co.uk/2009/07/03/karting-around-6442073/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:tegtyper.blog.co.uk,2009-06-15:/2009/06/15/cars-i-ve-owned-hsv-gts-uk-6308861/TegTypeR2009-06-15T15:51:13+02:002009-06-15T15:59:23+02:00 <p>Many years before some bright spark at Vauxhall realised there may be a market for a cut price super saloon from Australia, an Aussie bloke called Rod decided that he was going to bring the Antipodean equivalent of a BMW M5 in to the UK for us Brits to enjoy. When I discovered this was happening, there was only one thing I could say….. I Just Want One!</p> <p>My love of Holden started one rainy Saturday afternoon, when the BBC broadcast what I believed to be the best motor racing I had ever seen, the Hardies 1000 from Australia, a race petrol heads would come to know as Bathurst. Racing round the track were not only the Rover SD1’s I supported at the time in the British Touring Car Championship, but V8 engined Fords and Vauxhall Senators with big spoilers! The noise, even on the television, was fantastic and the racing was close. I was in heaven!</p> <p>My quest for knowledge at that age was endless and within weeks I knew all about the cars, the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon and the legendary drivers such as Peter Brock and Alan Grice. The cars were different and far more interesting than the bland Sierra Cosworths that were starting to fill the European grids. Over the years I continued to watch the Bathurst race and follow the fortunes of then Holden Racing Team.</p> <p>Roll forward a good few years. I had spent the best part of six years driving Peugeot 306’s and I wanted something different. Business was good, company car tax rules were different and it was suggested that I buy a new car, to prevent the tax man taking too much from the company. The itch to own a V8 had never gone away so I looked around at what I could get. Aside from anything uber expensive, I was really only left with two options, a left hand drive officially imported Chevrolet Camaro or a used BMW M5. Unfortunately, neither really did it for me. Then one day, in a quarter page add in the back of Autocar came my answer, the Holden Special Vehicles GTS.</p> <p>I contacted HSV UK, who at the time were the importers and to my luck one of the original demo cars had just come up for sale, a Blue VT1 model of which there were only three in the country. A quick trip to Milton Keynes where they were based and a test drive later, the Holden was mine!</p> <p>The VT1 was the first of the “new shape” cars, effectively a Vauxhall Omega with a couple of inches added. Fitted to it was a 5.7 litre LS1 Chevrolet engine from a Corvette. This engine was a simpler than the later models, but still kicked out 300bhp and made the most incredible V8 noise. Being an earlier car, the body trim was highlighted with a goldy silver paint. Initially I was a bit put off by this colouration, but as time went on it grew on me to the point where the later models that were all body coloured looked almost a little bland. </p> <p>It attracted attention every where it went. It was very different from anything else that was available at the time, and the noise was just stopped people in their tracks. A little bit of research also revealed the car I had was actually the press car, most famously driven by a Mr J Clarkson in one of his videos (yes, they were still video’s at the time).</p> <p>Sadly though, as the months went by, the dynamics disappointed. The steering was dead, and the suspension a little too soft for my liking. Don’t get me wrong, in no way did the car handle anything less than perfectly, it just lacked involvement in every day driving, unless you were travelling at speeds way in excess of the national limit. In some ways it was boring, and far too sensible for me, after all it’s a little anti social to go sideways (one of the HSV’s best party tricks) in to Tesco’s car park. Perhaps my jump from hot hatch to super saloon was a too bigger leap? </p> <p>Recently I drove one of the race prepped HSV’s as used in a one make series in the far East, at the Rockingham Circuit in Northampton. Certain items such as the gearbox and steering had been retained for these particular cars and driving it was like being taken back eight years. The speeds used were obviously higher than on road use but the underlying feeling of frustration was still there.</p> <p>Despite all of this I still look back on my time with the HSV with fond memories, to the point where, on long journeys, I miss it refined long legged nature and big comfy seats. Would I have another one, or even its grandson, the VXR8? You bet. Still beats an M5 for me every day.</p> <p><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/537/3599537_aaeefd7010_s.jpg" alt="HSV"></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://TegTypeR.blog.co.uk/2009/06/15/cars-i-ve-owned-hsv-gts-uk-6308861/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:tegtyper.blog.co.uk,2009-06-08:/2009/06/08/mg-zs180-long-term-test-6261221/TegTypeR2009-06-08T10:04:35+02:002009-06-08T10:36:20+02:00 <p>Well, I’ve had the car a month now and all seems to be going well. The replacement inlet manifold is working well with no rattles or noises and no other problems (touch wood) seemed to have manifested themselves. This doesn’t mean that the car has been left alone though.</p> <p>After the issues with inlet manifold, I decided to try and prevent the problem occurring again, so one of the first jobs on my to do list was fit an oil catch tank. The premature wear on the actuation arm is thought to come from the oil vapour that is recirculated in to the inlet manifold. The oil, along with various particulate matter is supposed to get in to the ball and socket joint and create premature wear. By fitting an oil catch tank, this problem is supposed to be eliminated. Thirty quid on eBay and about ten minutes worth of fitting later, the ZS was fitted with a shiny silver aluminium oil catch tank. Let’s just hope it work!</p> <p>Next up was the stereo. One of the most important safety features, in my opinion, that can be fitted to any car is a blue tooth hands free kit. However on trying to fit the Mutant unit that I had kicking around, I found the aperture for the radio on the ZS is not deep enough to accommodate anything other than the standard fit unit. Being a bit of a perfectionist, I was not prepared mess the look of the dash up and sit the head unit further forward, so I took to the plastic moulding at the back with a hacksaw blade. Fortunately there are no wires or cables running behind, so it was a relatively simple job. Once out, the stereo fitted straight off.</p> <p>Another important safety item, the front tyres were next on the list. I knew the tread was getting low when I bought the car and preferred to negotiate a discount rather than get the dealer to replace them, and put on some Chinese no branded make that would send the car understeering off in to the scenery. As this is effectively my third car, top notch tyres were less of an issue, although I still wanted something that handled and stopped come rain or dry. A quick look at black circles revealed that other than the ultra cheap Hung Well death masters, the Kumho was the next best bet. Having used Kumho’s before on my mum’s TT, dad’s Jazz and one of the company vans, I was fully aware that they were a good tyre, in every case before out performing the original fit equipment. </p> <p>Once on, their 100% success record was unbroken, the car gripping and handling in all conditions. For £65.00 per tyre, I figured this is probably one of the best value bits you could buy to improve the MG.</p> <p>Lastly was something that was purely cosmetic. I’ve always thought the ZS lacks something in frontal visual drama, so I thought I’d look round for an after market front spoiler / splitter that doesn’t look chavvy! I eventually found one from Poland that seems to fit the bill, understated and looks almost like original equipment. One hundred pounds later, it’s ordered and on it’s way so I wait with anticipation to see if it’s as good as the photo’s look! </p> <p>The most important bit though, of course, is driving the car and from that aspect I am smitten! I am pleasantly surprised by the overall competence of the package considering both the age of the design and budget that MG had when they were creating the car. The ride and handling is excellent and certainly doesn’t feel like it comes from a base that dates back to 1995. The engine, whilst newer, spins sweetly and has plenty of torque. The seats, also used in the MG ZT are big and comfortable, whilst being supportive. Ironically for a car with so much sporting intent, it also does an amazing impression of a great cruiser. Shame it never came with cruise control then. The only issue, as I mentioned in the last report, is the quality of the cabin materials, even though they are screwed together well and don’t rattle or squeak.</p> <p>Whilst cruising along the M11, I pondered about how good a modern day MG would have been like if the company hadn’t have gone to the wall; the great wall that is. Not what we are expected to get at some point, a Chinese MG but a genuine British engineered ZS replacement, the sort they had in the pipe line in the form of the RD60. We’ll never know though and that’s sad, not only for me as I’ve taken a bit of a shine to my MG, but to thousands of other people, be they MG Rover workers or other enthusiastic owners. </p> <p><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/171/3577171_e07a19366c_s.jpg" alt="RD60" vspace="5" hspace="5"></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://TegTypeR.blog.co.uk/2009/06/08/mg-zs180-long-term-test-6261221/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:tegtyper.blog.co.uk,2009-06-01:/2009/06/01/cars-i-ve-owned-peugeot-6212177/TegTypeR2009-06-01T10:15:36+02:002009-06-01T10:15:36+02:00 <p>For a relatively humble car, the Peugeot 306 has had an impact not only on me but on thousands of other people. It was a vehicle that had as greater reputation for being a cracking diesel as it did for being a stonking hot hatch. In fact, so great was the impact that I ended up owning four of them in various different flavours.</p> <p>After my 309, I was sold on Peugeots. When the chance to have a company car came up, first on my wish list was a 306. Unfortunately I was still quite young and the insurance companies were not on my side, so again I had look for the most potent model that was still insurance friendly. Enter the 1.8XT. With only 105bhp from its 1.8 8V petrol engine, it was a tad slower than the 309, but as a package the car was so much better. </p> <p>First up were the looks. The rounded body and voluptuous hips were a million miles away from its slab sided predecessor, not only did this car have functionality it had beauty too. Inside also, Peugeot took a massive step forward with the quality of its materials and design of its cabin. The dash top glove box, covered with the same fabric as the seats on the XT, was a novel feature that proved useful (although when air bags became the norm on later models this disappeared). </p> <p>The whole car was wider, which not only improved the interior space, but transformed the way the car handled. Gone was the slightly rolly polly body control, replaced by a flat footed but still game chassis that still had the ability to entertain as well as comfort the passenger. Even the XT, which could only really be described as a regular model sat on a set of 175 x 14 tyres, went round corners in a way that shamed many a hot hatch of the time.</p> <p>My tenure of this particular car only lasted eighteen months as this vehicle seemed to have the engine from hell. After going back under warranty for engine bottom end bearings, engine management and several other issues, I had to suggest that I swap it. Again though, I was sold by the handling so there was only one car to have, an XSi.</p> <p>With 123bhp this had usefully more grunt, along with all the sporting paraphernalia that I had desired since my first Astra. That said, it was still quite subtle, and in its Diablo Red metallic colour (arguably the best colour for a 306), it looked smart. Handling again took a step forward with revised damper rates, stiffer springs and wider tyres, but in true Peugeot fashion, this was done without ruining the handling. The two litre engine was a gem and being an eight valve lump had plenty of low end torque, even if it didn’t rev its heart out.</p> <p>As it turned out, it was also the best built 306 I’d own, never once during my time of ownership did it rattle or squeak. It did have its downsides though and like many a Peugeot owner of the time I would have quite happily taken a sledge hammer to the push button keypad that operated the immobiliser. This was another car I wish I could have kept, but this was only in hindsight as at the time there was one car I wanted more, the GTi-6.</p> <p>The GTi-6 was a true revelation and the first properly quick car that I’d own. Performance compared to my other 306’s was in a different league and the six speed box was more than just a novelty. Handling was broadly the same as the XSi, if not slightly lighter on its feet although this may have been something to do with entering any particular corner around 10MPH quicker than I had done previously. The steering was fluid and spoke to you in a way today’s electrically assisted systems do not. It was a real driver’s tool and had qualities that I have been unable to find in more modern machinery.</p> <p>I ended up owning that car for nearly four years, I loved it that much, until I was told that I had to change it (company car policy). The problem was I didn’t have a clue as to what I was going to get to replace it, so I went for something completely different. More about that in another blog.</p> <p>The 306 itch never left me though and the time I bought another one I had opted out of the company car scheme down to the government changing the taxation rules. Also the house hold car count had grown to two, one performance car and one shopping car. This time the 306 was the shopping car.</p> <p>The XS I ended up acquiring by accident. I had a plan to build myself a “light weight” 306, something cheap and cheerful. I asked a friend who dealt in category C and D write offs, if he could find something suitable on which I could create my shopping come track day car out of. A couple of weeks later he gives me a call saying he’s found a black car that looks a bit tasty for a couple of grand, virtually no work needed and not actually written off. When I get the chance to see it, it turned out to be a 1.8 16v XS, a model I’d never heard of.</p> <p>Doing a little more investigation is turned out to be a little bit of a sweet spot in the 306 range. Built as a run out model, it came fitted with the free revving 115bhp, 1.8 16v lump from a 406. Body kit (as with most late 306’s) was the same as the GTi-6, as was the widened track rear axle. The best bit was group 5 insurance. On the road it didn’t disappoint either, being suitably feisty and handling with the same sort of aplomb as the 6. So good was the car he found that I decided not to strip it, instead keeping it original.</p> <p>Sadly though, it was now where near as well built as previous models I had owned, and after a couple of years, my love affair with the 306 was over. The new airbag seats were no where near a comfortable, giving me back ache, and there was an incredibly annoying rattle from the back of the dash. It was time to move on.</p> <p>I will look back on my 306 days with great fondness, it was a fantastic all rounder and one of the most entertaining cars I will probably ever own. Sadly though, Peugeot followed it with the 307 and 308, cars now where near as good, despite being better built. One day they may make a return to their former glory, but for now I am happy to have the memory of four of their best models.</p> <p><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/264/3555264_444a5b4731_s.jpg" alt="306" vspace="5" hspace="5"></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://TegTypeR.blog.co.uk/2009/06/01/cars-i-ve-owned-peugeot-6212177/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:tegtyper.blog.co.uk,2009-05-26:/2009/05/26/cars-i-ve-owned-peugeot-309sri-6178526/TegTypeR2009-05-26T08:50:42+02:002009-05-26T08:56:17+02:00 <p>There are plenty of cars that fall off people’s radars over the years, and the 309 is one such car. Never the prettiest car in the world and over shadowed by its smaller brother, the 205, the 309 has probably been pretty much forgotten by most people. For me though, the memory will never fade, as this was the car that taught me what a hot hatch should be.</p> <p>The 309 entered my life because I was laid up in bed with an ankle full of snapped ligaments and bored. My steed at that time, an Astra, was starting to suffer some superficial rot and I was getting tired of it. Being incapacitated for a couple of weeks with a copy of the Parkers guide and some car mags was always going to cause me trouble.</p> <p>Being at University at the time, I had to be careful and work to a budget. This wasn’t only with the initial purchase price, but with running costs and insurance. I wanted speed, something with the biggest bang per buck. Studying the various publications revealed that the 309 had the lowest insurance group of any car that could break the nine second barrier to sixty. From that point on the die was cast, this was going to be my next car. A couple of weeks later, leg still in cast, I was the proud owner of a metallic grey 309 SRi.</p> <p>The SRi was effectively the 205 GTi 1.6’s bigger brother. Based on the same floor pan and suspension as the smaller car, it was clothed in boxy uninspiring body work. To make matters worse (or better depending on your opinion), other than the multi holed 14” alloy wheels it looked no different to a base model car. Hardly the trendy sort of car a nineteen year old student should be interested in, but I wasn’t buying it to impress the ladies.</p> <p>Inside, for the second car in succession was another dose of 80’s velour, but this was finer stranded than the material used by Vauxhall, and if you sat up too quickly, it would pull your trousers down! The dash board was also a retrograde step. Materials used by Peugeot at the time were definitely a couple of pegs below that of their opposition, and a quick tap on the dash would return a thin insubstantial hollow sounding noise. </p> <p>On the plus side however, and in complete contrast to the Astra, the 309 had a gear box that was a pleasure to use and steering that spoke to you, despite the awful feel of the actual wheel rim. The ride too was a revelation, and despite some body roll, the car went round corners properly without modification. Compared to today’s cars, the performance was hardly stunning, but the engine had reasonable torque and endowed the light weight chassis with a decent turn of speed.</p> <p>This was the car that taught me how to drive, learning what a decent chassis could do in all situations. This is also the car that taught me about lift off oversteer, but I’m sure I am not the first driver to say that about a warm Pug!</p> <p>I ran the car for nearly forty thousand enjoyable miles until I got my first proper job, where upon I had to choose a company car and being smitten with the 309 it was only ever going to be another Peugeot. I was offered the car back a couple of years later, but being a home owner with bills by that point, I sadly had to pass up the offer. Shame really, because if I hadn’t, I’d probably still have the car now. </p> <p><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/274/3539274_7a7f384251_s.jpg" alt="pug309b" vspace="5" hspace="5"></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://TegTypeR.blog.co.uk/2009/05/26/cars-i-ve-owned-peugeot-309sri-6178526/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:tegtyper.blog.co.uk,2009-05-18:/2009/05/18/cars-i-ve-owned-vauxhall-astra-1-3gl-6134926/TegTypeR2009-05-18T12:46:57+02:002009-05-18T12:46:57+02:00 <p>The Mk II Astra, the car where I first started my motoring life, my first car, even though it wasn’t the first car I’d driven. Subsequently I probably view it with rose tinted spectacles, but for the purposes of this piece I will try and be as objective as possible. So why with the various pieces of interesting machinery available in the early 90’s did I choose the stodgy Vauxhall?</p> <p>For several years before my seventeenth birthday my mum and dad took me driving at the weekend in an Astra GTE 16v, around local supermarket car parks (remember those days, when shops weren’t open on a Sunday!). Now, obviously there was not a chance in hell of getting insurance on one of these, so I had to settle for closest thing I could afford. A 1.3 it was then!</p> <p>A Merit or L model wouldn’t suffice though. I wanted all the sport accoutrements, which at that time included Recaro seats, rev counter, three spoke steering wheel and spoilers, in effect I wanted an SRi with a 1.3 engine. After studiously studying the Vauxhall catalogue, the only car that came close was the 1.3GL. It had the rev counter, the same interior material as the old GTE, so the seats could easily be changed, and as for the spoilers, well I’d just have to fit one. Eventually I found a light metallic blue one and as luck would have it, it was fitted with a boot lid spoiler.</p> <p>Anyone that owned a 1.3 MkII Astra will probably remember it for one thing, the cracking engine. It revved freely, punched way above its weight and on the whole was quite economical when your foot wasn’t welded to the bulkhead! Sadly though the suspension set up wasn’t to the same standards. Whilst it was safe and hung on gamely, it had no where near the aplomb of the Peugeots of the time. Body roll was monumental and the skinny 155 section tyres promoted understeer rather than entertaining handling.</p> <p>The interior was trimmed in 80’s velour, and the dash was made from hardest plastic known to man, but on the whole it was durable and far better built than its French opposition of the time. The biggest design flaw from the driver’s seat however, was the thick C pillar which from the outside was trimmed with a black plastic vent. It looked very cool as a design feature, but rear quarter vision was seriously limited. Refinement was also quite good for a car of its type, being a half decent cruiser and acquitting itself well on motorway runs.</p> <p>As a package, for the average driver, the MkII Astra was brilliant and far better than the equivalent Ford Escort. For me though, it needed improving. First up were the springs, dampers and anti roll bars, which were swapped with those from a written off SRi a friend had acquired. Also off that car came the brakes but sadly missing was the interior, so it was off to the breakers yard to source a set of seats which eventually came from a Cavalier (a time when manufacturers made parts interchangeable from model to model!). Last but not least, wishing to retain the look of the standard car, the tyres were changed to a set of 175’s. The ride quality had been compromised but now the car handled.</p> <p>It served me well for nearly two years, seeing me pass my driving test, going to university, and enjoying many a great night out until the point where tin worm took hold. It wasn’t terminal, just annoying. Besides, by that point, I had two years no claims bonus, so it was the right time to trade up to something quicker……</p> <p><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/631/3516631_73c2eb137d_m.jpg" alt="mk2astra" vspace="5" hspace="5"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://TegTypeR.blog.co.uk/2009/05/18/cars-i-ve-owned-vauxhall-astra-1-3gl-6134926/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:tegtyper.blog.co.uk,2009-05-10:/2009/05/10/mg-zs180-long-term-test-report-6089914/TegTypeR2009-05-10T09:02:48+02:002009-05-10T09:02:48+02:00 <p>We all have personal rules to which we live our lives. They are the sort of fundamental things that define us, from a refusal to ever touch a cigarette right the way through to only ever buying Heinz Tomato Ketchup. One of my personal rules is that I should not to gamble. Over the years I have found this to be a completely fruitless exercise, be that playing cards or purchasing a lottery ticket, I never come out on top. So why should buying a car be any different? </p> <p>Last weekend in a moment of madness I decided to trade in my unloved Honda Civic for an MG ZS180. When inspecting the MG, I detected a rattle coming from the inlet manifold. A quick mobile web search brought up that there could be a couple of reasons for this, one being a quick cheap fix with a soldering iron and the other a slightly more serious and expensive breakage. On the whole I liked the car, so ignoring my own rules I gambled and bought the car, with a hefty discount but without warranty. </p> <p>On getting it home the first thing I did was lift the bonnet and removed what I believed to be the offending item, the variable inlet system actuator. In this little box are situated two micro switches, which are operated by a motor driven cam. Being a great British product, there is a design fault which means the solder joints break, rendering the switches inoperable. A quick modification and some re-soldering fixes this problem (or £80 for a new one) and the rattling disappears. Sure enough, when I opened my actuator, there was the broken solder joint.</p> <p>Ten minutes later, the repaired item was ready to go back on to the car. It was only when I went to re-fit the item that my heart sunk. With out going in to too much detail, the actuator operates a plastic arm which runs through the inlet manifold. Branching off the arm are plastic sockets which attach to a ball on the variable inlet butterflies. The actuator moves the arm, which opens and shuts the butterflies according to the revs of the engine. However, over time these sockets wear and become detached, leaving the butterflies to operate of their own accord and producing the offending rattling sound.</p> <p>The arm on my car was loose and a quick wiggle revealed that is was no longer attached to anything! Ordinarily, this would not be a problem, all you would need to do is open the all plastic inlet manifold and replace the arm. Except in this case, in a feat of great British design and engineering, the manifold is sealed. New manifold £550 plus VAT!</p> <p>Bugger! </p> <p>Next day I trawled the net looking for either an upgraded or aftermarket part to replace my defective unit, only to find that not one exists! Fortunately though, I managed to find lightly used part with a warranty for £300, and after an evening of tinkering and a considerable amount of help from the forum members on <a href="http://www.themgzs.co.uk">www.themgzs.co.uk</a>, I replaced the offending item. It is now running perfectly.</p> <p>There are a couple of points that came to mind whilst doing this work. One, what the hell were the designers thinking of when they produced this part? Why did they weld shut the construction panel (which is also held down by screws!) on the manifold and not use a rubber gasket? Secondly, why has no one produced a service exchange part or an improved new unit, especially considering this engine was not only used by MG Rover in various models of its cars, but also by Land Rover in the Freelander. On just this small piece of evidence I can start to understand why we have seen the demise of the British motor industry.</p> <p>As for my car, now the engine is fixed, I am going to spend the weekend getting to know it better, so next week I can bring you a full report on exactly how good or bad it actually is to drive.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://TegTypeR.blog.co.uk/2009/05/10/mg-zs180-long-term-test-report-6089914/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:tegtyper.blog.co.uk,2009-05-02:/2009/05/02/acting-on-impulse-6046953/TegTypeR2009-05-02T18:55:28+02:002009-05-02T18:55:28+02:00 <p>As I’m getting older, I am becoming more impulsive and this isn’t always a good thing, especially where cars are concerned. For instance, today I went out with a friend to find him a new car and ended up coming home (well after the weekend I will) an MG ZS180 for myself.</p> <p>It all started like this. I got a telephone call from my good friend Steve a couple of weeks ago, asking if I had any ideas on what sort of car he should get. His criteria consisted of five doors, something reasonably quick and something reasonably interesting for around the £2500 mark. I had a few ideas, but the one he picked up on was the MG ZR.</p> <p>After the first couple of silly suggestions, like the 2002 ZR120 with no service history, he came up with a silver ZR160, around 70 miles away at bang on the £2500. The only snag, it wasn’t available for viewing until the weekend. As he still hadn’t driven one, let alone sat in one, I suggested that we find a car locally to try, even if he didn’t buy it. I didn’t fancy doing the one hundred and forty mile round trip only to find out he didn’t like the seating position! Scanning the local rag turned up two at a dealer a couple of miles away, so off we trotted to look at the cars. </p> <p>The place is quite a large used dealership but walking up and down the rows of various vehicles, it became apparent that the cars we had come to look at were, disappointingly for my friend, no longer there. There was however a metallic blue MG ZS180 sitting there. Now, those of you that have read this blog before will know I have a bit of a soft spot for these cars, especially in face lifted form. This particular car however wasn’t the later version, but it was a reasonably clean 53 plated car with only 70k on the clock and a service history. </p> <p>I twitched. Looking round the vehicle it appeared to be very straight and clean with only a stone chipped nose sullying the exterior. Inside, however, was perfect despite the awful dash shine that used car dealers do insist on using. I twitched again, and headed towards the sales office to get the keys. After a quick enquiry about how much they would offer me on my Civic, I was out on the road test driving the creamy V6 motor.</p> <p>Surprisingly, it was incredibly well screwed together, with no interior rattles or squeaks, despite the hard second rate plastics used on the lower dash panels. Handling was still taught and no noises from the suspension. The only bad point appeared to be a rattling noise coming from the engine bay, an almost tappety sound. A quick mobile internet search revealed that it is a common fault caused by a faulty actuator switch on the variable inlet system. Cost for repair, free – if you are proficient with a soldering iron!</p> <p>Now, for as technically good the Civic is, I have never gelled with the car. It is quiet, efficient, cheap to run and completely reliable, it just has no soul, nothing to emotionally attach me to it. The MG on the other hand makes nice noises, the interior is flawed, but some how charming and in general it has character. For any petrol head this is enough of a reason to swap a car….. so, that’s exactly what I did.</p> <p>As for my friend Steve, looks like I’m going to be taking a 140 mile round trip tomorrow and I’ll guess I will just have to stay calm if he doesn’t think the ZR has a big enough boot!! </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://TegTypeR.blog.co.uk/2009/05/02/acting-on-impulse-6046953/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:tegtyper.blog.co.uk,2009-04-07:/2009/04/07/kia-s-unsung-hero-5903750/TegTypeR2009-04-07T10:25:50+02:002009-04-07T10:25:50+02:00 <p>Have you ever started something and wish you hadn’t? Around a month ago, a friend’s father was made redundant from his job of thirty odd years and along with it went his company car. Not being a “car person” in his words, he had no clue to what he was going to do next, so he enlisted my help in finding him a vehicle suitable for his needs.</p> <p>The remit, on the face of it, was relatively simple. He was looking for a car which had a slightly higher seating position (for his wife), was not too big and was economical to run and insure. Budget started at £12,000 but could go higher if a car really caught his eye. Other than that, the rest of the specification was to be left down to me. Jobs like this are rarely that simple though!</p> <p>I started a short list, which consisted mainly of Japanese and far eastern cars as generally they are the most reliable. I also included a Ford, the C-Max and a Vauxhall, the Meriva, as he had been used to driving both manufacturers vehicles as company cars. After spending a couple of weekends trailing round the local dealers and test driving the various cars, the short list was reduced down to just two vehicles, the Nissan Note 1.6 petrol and Kia Carens 2 litre diesel.</p> <p>Personally, I liked the Note a lot, but this wasn’t my car, so I had to be careful not to bias any choice. The Carens though was a car which was off my radar before I started looking. Launched before the car that put Kia on the map, the Cee’d, I considered it as an also ran and clearly I wasn’t alone. Checking various magazines and internet road reports, information was sparse and what was available just wasn’t very informative. Poking around it at the dealership though revealed a half decent vehicle, something I wasn’t expecting considering what I’d read.</p> <p>From the outside, it has a cohesive look if not a little “American” in execution. The nose is of course Kia corporate, flowing backing in to a large boxy body. The GS specification we were looking at came shod with 15” alloys which made it look a little under wheeled and made the body sides look somewhat slab sided, but overall it was neat if a little uninspiring. </p> <p>Inside things improve with decent quality plastics on the majority of surfaces (although not all) and a pleasant design for the dash. The seats are comfortable and supportive although they are trimmed in a light grey fabric which for a people carrier may be seen as a slight error. That said it does create a light airy cabin, no doubt aided by the large glass area. Rear space was also good, courtesy of a sliding middle bench which meant that if it wasn’t carrying seven people then the rear passenger could lounge in comfort.</p> <p>On the road was where the Carens really surprised me. I had though that due to the size and weight of the car, and Kia’s reputation prior to the Cee’d of lacklustre driving cars, that it would be squigy and unresponsive. Instead what I was greeted with was a punchy refined engine and taut chassis. Don’t get me wrong it was no hot hatch, but infinitely better than the Meriva that I tested a couple of weeks ago.</p> <p>After some careful deliberation, the Carens won through. No it wasn’t the best driving of the two, but as an all round family car it just nosed ahead. Also in the mean time, after some calculations, it was decided to ditch the idea of buying new and look for a decent second hand car, a point I agreed whole heartedly with. So the new task was to find the best value Kia Carens up to two years old in two litre diesel specification.</p> <p>In around an hour I came up with, what I believed to be the perfect car. An two year old ex Kia owned vehicle with 12k miles on the clock in a nice metallic red. One down side, it was 250 miles away, but the price was £1500 lower than the going rate and a quick call to the garage, a Kia main dealer, revealed that it was a good car. Not being a trusting person though, I wanted to check it over so I organised a Sunday outing, with its prospective owner to view the vehicle. After a pleasant, early morning run there, we inspected the car which turned up no nasties and the deal was done. So why was it so cheap? I always take car dealer stories with a pinch of salt, but this guy seemed to be genuine. It turns out that he had already sold the vehicle two months before to a buyer whose finance had fallen through. Being a trusting sort of chap he gave the potential buyer some time to re-arrange his finances, but it never happened. Eventually the sales manager pulled the plug and requested that the car be turned over as soon as possible. </p> <p>Sorted? Well, not quite. I have been given a new task. My friend now wants an in dash sat nav installed along with rear parking sensors. The dealer suggested it wasn’t worth them doing it, so I’ve got the job. Oh well, lets just hope this goes as well as finding the car.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://TegTypeR.blog.co.uk/2009/04/07/kia-s-unsung-hero-5903750/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:tegtyper.blog.co.uk,2009-03-22:/2009/03/22/vauxhall-meriva-road-test-5809343/TegTypeR2009-03-22T19:44:03+01:002009-03-25T09:32:13+01:00 <p>Comparison is inevitable really between the Vauxhall Meriva I am testing today, and the Nissan Note I reviewed a couple of weeks ago. Both are designed to fill the mini MPV niche, which means the cars have a small footprint but a large and flexible interior. The end result however couldn’t be more different.</p> <p>Available in a vast range of models starting at £11,235 for the 1.4 Expression, there are various petrol and diesel options right the way up to the sporting VXR range topper. There should be something to suit most tastes, and with 0% finance over two years on selected models, they are also affordable. The model I tested came towards the top of the range, a 1.7 diesel Design which was also fitted with the VXR body pack.</p> <p>The Meriva is based on Vauxhalls ever popular Corsa floor pan, from the outside though you would never know. The body is of a tall one box design which stands surprisingly high, so it appears more cube like than a lot of its rivals. The nose takes the familiar Vauxhall family look which then runs back in to a mini Zafira style side and rear body work. The overall the effect is handsome and the additional body kit gives it a certain degree of road presence.</p> <p>The interior will feel very familiar to anyone that has owned a Vauxhall before, with its somewhat slabby design. The ergonomics of it are sound with well sited and clearly marked controls, although it looks a little sterile. Touch the dashboard though and you realise that Vauxhall have invested a lot of time and effort in getting the materials right for this car. There is a substantial feel to the car as a whole and for a vehicle designed to be abused by the rigours of family life, this is a good thing. The large glass area and drivers sunroof go a long way to making the interior feel airy and light, despite the drab coloured materials used.</p> <p>Without getting the tape measure out, despite a similar sliding system, the rear leg room is doesn't look or feel as generous. Head room is not so good and is compromised for anyone over 6ft because of the intrusion of a second rear sunroof. The boot however is relatively big for such a small car, and is certainly capable of taking all the paraphernalia needed for a young family weekend away. Also, if it still isn’t big enough then Vauxhall have equipped this car with their flex seat system, which allows the split rear seats to fold completely flat. </p> <p>Considering this is classified by Vauxhall as one of their range toppers the standard accessories fitted to this car as standard are quite poor. From a safety point of view the omission of a Bluetooth hands free is bordering unacceptable. What is worse, it cannot even be had as an option unless you choose the Club specification car. On a slightly more pedantic point, the Meriva’s stereo also lacks an auxiliary input port for things like MP3 players and the like. On a positive note, it does come with cruise control, manual air conditioning and twin headphone outputs in the rear.</p> <p>Start the engine and the 1.7 diesel rattles in to life. It is one of Vauxhalls older units and from the drivers seat it certainly feels it. When the car gets rolling things don’t really improve. With only 100bhp on tap, the car often feels like it is struggling to carry its weight, often getting bogged down which creates a big hole in the power band courtesy of turbo lag. Despite its languid nature, this particular model is capable of returning a combined fuel consumption figure of 54.3mpg and only emits 139g/km of CO2.</p> <p>To compound the engines problems, the gear change can be best described as both rubbery and notchy, far from a pleasure to use. Quick changes baulk and there is no joy to be had from swapping cogs. In fact I would go as far to say as it is the worst change I have experienced in a car in many years.</p> <p>Next up is the ride and handling and unfortunately things do not improve. The Meriva set up has definitely been biased more towards comfort, rather than handling prowess. For a mini MPV this is quite an important facet, but somewhere along the line Vauxhall left out the bit that gave the driver any enjoyment.</p> <p>The first thing you notice as you enter a corner is body roll. The Meriva is quite a high vehicle and one that carries a reasonable amount of weight for its size. As the car pitches you hang on to the steering wheel as the flat seats release their purchase on you as you slide either towards the door or the passenger’s seat. As the car settles in to the bend, there is a wobble, as if the damping isn’t quite up to job of containing the weight of the tall body. Pushing the car to the limit is a fruitless exercise as well, creating understeer that cannot be dialled out by using the throttle. Ultimately this is a safe car for the average driver, but those who know what they are doing should look elsewhere.</p> <p>Its not that the chassis isn’t capable, certainly it is keen enough to turn in despite the steering feeling artificially weighted, it’s just that you can’t deride any pleasure from driving it. Ordinarily, I may have been a little kinder to the Meriva, considering the type of vehicle it is, but having recently driven the Note and knowing how good that car is with regards to both ride and handling, then I can’t do anything other than criticise Vauxhall for this poor showing.</p> <p>On the whole then, the Meriva is a competent if uninspiring car. It is ideal for those people who do not have any interest in driving, but appreciate the qualities of solid build and economical running. If you want to enjoy your driving however, then it is probably best to look elsewhere.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://TegTypeR.blog.co.uk/2009/03/22/vauxhall-meriva-road-test-5809343/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:tegtyper.blog.co.uk,2009-03-16:/2009/03/16/nissan-note-micra-automatic-tekna-acenta-visia-petrol-diesel-murano-xtrail-qashqai-5765999/TegTypeR2009-03-16T13:28:12+01:002009-03-22T19:45:54+01:00 <p>The Nissan Note, not a new car but one that has been recently face lifted, so now is a good time to revisit it and find out if they have been able to improve on an already successful receipt.</p> <p>The original Note was an underrated car, overshadowed a lot of the time by its bigger brother the Qashqai. Based on the current generation Micra, the majority of the mechanicals remain the same as before, with the only a subtle tweaking to the gear ratio’s, done to improve the cars fuel consumption and reduce the CO2 figure. </p> <p>There are three models now available, the Visia, Acenta and range topping Tekna with a choice of three engines, a 1.4 petrol, a 1.6 petrol and the 85bhp version of their excellent 1.5 diesel. In addition to this should you not want to change gears yourself an automatic is available on the 1.6 petrol. It is not an expensive car, with prices starting at £9,795, rising to £13,965 for the fully loaded Tekna. Couple that with a maximum of group 6 insurance, and a 119g/km CO2 output (£35.00 per year road fund licence) for the diesel models and this is a very economical vehicle to run. The car I tested was a mid range 1.6 Acenta with the optional automatic gearbox. </p> <p>From the outside little has changed. A revised front grill, bumper, bonnet and front and rear lights distinguish it from the earlier version. The rest of the boxy bodywork remains the same but this is no bad thing, either from a practical or aesthetic point of view. Styling still retains cues from both the Murano (front) and X-Trail (rear) bigger brothers. The overall appearance is starting to look slightly dated although remains stylish with out the utilitarian looks of some of its competitors, </p> <p>Inside is where previous owners will see the biggest change. The last Note, whilst having a pleasingly designed and well built interior, looked relatively cheep courtesy of some shiny hard scratchy plastics. Whilst, like the exterior, it retains the same overall design the majority of the plastics have an improved feel and look, being substantially better than those used in the previous generation car. The rest of the interior is business as usual, which includes clear instrumentation, folding front passenger seat with storage area and airy cabin courtesy of a large glass area. One of the best features though, also brought across from the previous model, is the sliding rear seat which offers a large range of travel, ideal for people who need to vary the ratio of rear seat to boot space. It’s so good you wonder why more manufacturers don’t fit this as standard across their ranges. </p> <p>Sitting in the driver’s seat is slightly different. Whilst there is plenty of head and leg room, there is a feeling of narrowness. It first manifests itself when you realise the space between you and the front passenger is less than in some of its rivals. It also becomes apparent on the road, where it is a positive rather than a negative point, when you thread it down narrow country lanes, or tuck in to tight parking spaces. </p> <p>The 1.6 petrol Note is eager and accelerates with ease, but the engine can sound somewhat vocal at high revs. Using the lower half of the rev band though means you can make swift progress without disturbing your passengers. When a motorway cruising speed is reached, the engine settles in to a much more agreeable tone. It is not hush hush refined like its bigger brother the Qashqai but it not fatiguing and conversations can be held easily without raising your voice. The gearbox, whilst of the old school four speed torque converter variety is quick reacting and well suited to its application. The car always feels spritely and willing, the quoted 0-60mph time of 11.7 seconds seeming a little pessimistic. </p> <p>Some of the refinement can be attributed to the suspension set up. Shod with 15” wheels the Note’s ride and handling is well resolved. From the outset the compliancy of the ride is notable (forgive the pun) compared to may of its larger wheeled rivals. Because it rides on 65 profile tyres there is a level of compliancy that is becoming increasingly difficult to find. The fact the same basic wheel / tyre size and suspension set up is available across the range suggests that Nissan believe they have found the ideal balance that doesn’t need to be messed with. </p> <p>Fortunately, the ride comfort is not at the expense of the handling, which is both fun and engaging. Ultimately the Note has been set up to understeer, but the grip levels are high enough for that rarely to become a problem on the open road. Body roll, whilst evident is kept in check, although the damping could do with some more work as sometimes on the faster sections of road the car could become slightly floaty. Over the test route, which included both motorway and fast country lane work, the Note was always a faithful companion, the softer setup working well on some of the less well surfaced B roads, undoubtedly retuning a quicker A to B time than a car with firmer settings. Whilst the steering was not the most feel some, it still offered a degree of feedback whilst being quick and accurate. </p> <p>Despite being pedalled relatively hard over the 150 mile test route, I retuned an impressive 35mpg. The fuel tank however is not that large, taking only 35 litres of 95 grade unleaded from an indicated empty. This would give a range in the region of 250 miles if driven in a spirited manner, although I would expect to see closer to 320 miles on a run. </p> <p>If you need space and flexibility but with a low cost, then the Note should definitely be on your shopping list. It’s not the most modern car of its type on the market and the fact Nissan have dropped the 102bhp diesel version does limit its appeal to some. Overall though, this is a pleasing practical car which is also able to put a smile on your face when the time arises. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://TegTypeR.blog.co.uk/2009/03/16/nissan-note-micra-automatic-tekna-acenta-visia-petrol-diesel-murano-xtrail-qashqai-5765999/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:tegtyper.blog.co.uk,2009-03-08:/2009/03/08/buggying-around-5714909/TegTypeR2009-03-08T11:59:46+01:002009-03-08T12:03:06+01:00 <p>The Ariel Atom, possibly the ultimate definition of minimalist motoring. A metal framework, an engine and a driver; more or less, that’s it, and for that you pay in the region of £30,000. </p> <p>For years I spent my free time with my back side suspended approximately 20mm from the ground topping speeds of 80mph in a similar device. Instead of costing the best part of a nice refined Mercedes, a complete brand new device cost about the same as a three year old one litre Corsa. This device of course was a kart. The only down side, compared to an Atom, is that you can’t drive a kart on the public highway.</p> <p>The idea of a road going kart has bugged me for a while now. It’s something about cheap fun road legal motoring, knowing that you don’t need to spend thousands or tens of thousands to have a great driving experience. On track, there is possibly nothing quite as pure, quite as fun and quite as exciting about a kart. So, why can’t that transfer on to the road? Yes it may be a little stiff and uncompromised (although I’ve come up with an idea for that one) but from the little bit of research I have done, there is no reasons when complying with the SVA regulations, that one could not be built. I just have to get round to designing and building it. Until then I have acquired a new toy, one which may give me an insight in to my own project, an off road buggy.</p> <p>There are several of these buggies available on the market, some which can be road registered. The one I have purchased, for the princely sum of £200, is not however. Give me a couple of months though (it will probably only take a couple of days work, but I’m being realistic here!) and I am hoping this one will be. The conversion should be relatively simple, consisting of mud guards, head and rear lights, indicators and road going tyres. Of course I intend to do this as cheaply as possible, using generic components and fabricating my own bracketry, so it will end up looking like Frankenstein’s monster, but that’s not the point here. </p> <p>Currently powered by a little GY6 Honda engine, the finished article is hardly going to be a fire cracker but that is another bridge we can cross at a later stage. What ever, it should be a nice bit of summer fun. I have already been asked by several people what the point is, especially when you can go and buy a ready build kit car for a couple of grand? The answer of course is because I want the challenge, and because I can.</p> <p>Another hair brained scheme? May be but I’ll have fun finding out.</p> <p><img src="http://www.off-road-karts.co.uk/pics/t2.jpg" alt="null" title="null"></p> <p>Picture courtesy of <a href="http://www.off-road-karts.co.uk">www.off-road-karts.co.uk</a> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://TegTypeR.blog.co.uk/2009/03/08/buggying-around-5714909/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:tegtyper.blog.co.uk,2009-03-01:/2009/03/01/peugeot-107-verve-full-road-test-5674567/TegTypeR2009-03-01T23:03:54+01:002009-03-01T23:03:54+01:00 <p>With the credit crunch biting and expensive car sales collapsing most buyers are looking to smaller cars to save themselves some money. One such car that should be considered is the Peugeot 107 in new special edition Verve form.</p> <p>The 107 is one of a family of three cars which also includes the Citroen C1 and Toyota Aygo. Available in both three and five door form, the 107 was designed from the outset to be a cheap car to buy and run. Available with a one litre petrol engine the little Peugeot is capable of returning 61.3mpg on a combined driving route whilst only emitting 109g/km of CO2, putting it in the £35 a year tax bracket.</p> <p>From the outside the Peugeot differs little from its cousins, the smiley front bumper setting it apart from the others. With a wheel at each corner and virtually no overhang, especially on the rear, the overall effect is a cute look and a chirpy personality, before you even get in.</p> <p>On entering the car, you are greeted by a refreshingly different interior, designed again to not only be cheap but to funky and functional. Various parts of the instrument binnacle and door trims have coloured plastic inserts to lift the predominantly black hew of the main dash board. A rev counter is mounted in a separate lolly pop like pod above the clear large speedo, and the main heater controls are placed on a translucent panel that illuminates when the lights are on. All of this adds up to give an interesting facia look, one with character, one that makes you smile. On the down side however, the cheap construction can be seen in the quality of the plastics. It all feels solid enough, it’s just the types of plastics used and the finishes are inferior to those that can be found on some of the 107’s competitors.</p> <p>Features on the Verve model include CD / Radio with MP3 input, air conditioning and 50/50 split folding rear seats. This last feature could be quite important of you intend on carrying anything other than a weeks shopping, as the boot is relatively small. Passenger space however is a different matter and for a car with such small external dimensions the 107 is quite large inside, easily roomy enough to seat three adults and a child in comfort.</p> <p>The seats themselves again are built to a budget, and subsequently can lack support both latterly and in the lower back on longer journeys. That said, this is a car that has been designed to live in the city and do shorter runs, rather than long motorway treks. This fact is also evident in its refinement, where the Peugeot can be a little noisy and busy on a long run. </p> <p>Right from start up, the little three cylinder engine makes a throaty noise, reminiscent of a Porsche 911. It comes as surprise to hear this sort of thing in a modern car, especially as loud as it is in the 107, but it is not an unpleasant sound and makes an interesting change to the soulless four cylinder engines that are found in most small cars. As you move off the next thing that strikes you is how punchy this three pot engine feels. It may only have 67bhp but down to its light weight and free spinning nature the car feels a lot quicker than the figures suggest.</p> <p>When the first corner arrives, the little Peugeot continues to surprise. Despite being on narrow 155 width rubber, the car grips tenaciously, erring towards understeer at the ultimate limit, with only a small amount of body roll. Because of the thinner tyres, the car also has a feeling of connection with the road that is lacking from a lot of modern cars.</p> <p>Despite the sporty handling, ride comfort is also very good for a car of this size, the suspension soaking up the majority or urban bumps with no drama. It’s only when you get on to a dual carriage way that the 107 gives away its light weight, tending to be jiggled around by the road at higher speeds. Another disconcerting element of the light weight is the cars stability in high winds or more importantly when being passed by larger vehicles such as lorries or coaches. It is in no way dangerous, it can just be a little foreign to drivers who are used to larger, heavier cars that have dominated the market in recent years.</p> <p>Prices for the Verve start at £8145 on the road for the three door model but part of the package is also a low rate finance deal of 5.9% APR, meaning that after the initial deposit of £1100, the monthly payments work out at just £133, a cheap new car in any ones book.</p> <p>Overall then the 107 isn’t perfect. It’s a little too noisy, uncomfortable on a long run and the boot isn’t very big. To say that it’s a bad car though would be missing the point. The Verve has a purpose in life. It is a town and short journey car and if you consider it as such and not as an all rounder that is designed to cruise across Europe, then its addictive little character shines through, something that is increasingly rare in modern vehicles. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://TegTypeR.blog.co.uk/2009/03/01/peugeot-107-verve-full-road-test-5674567/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:tegtyper.blog.co.uk,2009-02-22:/2009/02/22/driving-test-co2-5625002/TegTypeR2009-02-22T10:11:43+01:002009-02-22T10:11:43+01:00 <p>A couple of months ago, there it was sat hidden in the middle of a news report, another new government proposal to reduce driver’s co2 emissions, by introducing new measures within the driving test to make sure people drive economically!</p> <p>Oh come on! How the hell do they expect this to work! Picture this……. </p> <p>Little Jonny has just reached 17. Like a fair few typical 17 year olds (especially boys), he is desperate to drive and wants to be out there impressing his mates and the various girls that hang around him. So, studiously, he studies and follows to the letter his driving test training including their new section on Co2 reduced driving methods (and please note I say driver test training, because as we all know every one in the real world always follows the high way code and abides to the rules of the road religiously!), and bingo a couple of weeks later he passes his test.</p> <p>Now what’s the first thing Jonny does. That’s right. He picks his mates and their various girl friends up, dials up four and half thousand revs in his 1.2 Corsa, and dumps the clutch! Let’s face it, Jonny doesn’t give a toss about the environment at this point and is more concerned about looking cool and increasing his chances of getting h is rocks off with one of the birds he has in the back!</p> <p>How are they genuinely intending to enforce this madness? Short of creating a big brother state with regards to motoring (as if it isn’t already bad enough), which forces every new driver to have their car limited to 2500rpm, this has got to be impossible. And please don’t mention GPS tracking either because if they start use this sort of system, it won’t just be new drivers that will fall under the electronic straight jacket. </p> <p>There is a better way to reduce Co2 via the driving test. Anyone can learn to pass their exams, but driving responsibly in every day life is a different matter. The only way that we will regulate driving is for people to be continuously re-examined at set intervals. An MOT for drivers as it were. Before people start moaning though, driving is a privilege, not a right. After all a car can be a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands. Just because you passed the driving test ten years ago, doesn’t mean you are still a competent driver.</p> <p>So how does this save Co2 especially as there will be more driving tests, more paperwork and more bureaucracy. Consider this, driving standards will hopefully be improved, accidents will be reduced, fewer cars will be damaged, fewer people will be injured, etc etc etc… It all adds up. </p> <p>Let’s be realistic though Mr Brown, if you want to save Co2, just stop wasting your breath, electricity and paper by putting out press releases on idiotic schemes like this!</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://TegTypeR.blog.co.uk/2009/02/22/driving-test-co2-5625002/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:tegtyper.blog.co.uk,2009-02-15:/2009/02/15/bored-5577961/TegTypeR2009-02-15T13:10:57+01:002009-02-15T13:10:57+01:00 <p>What is it about car enthusiasts; generally they are never satisfied with their lot? They can spend their lives saving up for a mint condition 2.7 911 RS complete with a provenance, only to be unfulfilled once they have achieved their goal, and an ultra rare 3.0 RSR being the only thing that will satisfy that itch. It doesn’t stop at multimillionaires though and us more mundane petrol heads have exactly the same feelings, if not the funds.</p> <p>A couple of weeks ago I wrote a blog on how good my shed, a 2003 Honda Civic, was at being easy to drive, the ideal car when I wasn’t feeling well or just fancied a relaxing drive. Since then I have found how great the large boot is at lugging stuff around, how useful the massive rear leg room is and how cheap the thing is to run. But it’s bland, characterless and it bores me – senseless!</p> <p>So the hunt is on for something practical and interesting. </p> <p>I’ve fancied an MG ZS180 for a while now, ideally a saloon, 2004 face lift model. However, practicality says it has to be a hatch back and for the money I want to spend, it’s going to have to be one of the Rover 400 in drag earlier models. Shame, but we can’t have everything.</p> <p>Now’s not exactly the right time to sell though, besides its cold and filthy out there, not a great time for a private seller to flog a motor. Then a thought hit me. Why not try and swap the Civic for my desired car? How desperate are the dealers at the moment to shift “lumpy” metal like the ZS for something cheap, reliable and economical to run, and would they do a direct swap?</p> <p>I have a figure in mind. I know what the Civic stands me in at the moment, and I know its rough market value. I wonder how close I can get to what I want? To make this work properly though I am going to have to be a little less choosey on the choice of vehicle. Still something practical, perhaps an Alfa 156 Sportwagen or a Mondeo ST24, but still interesting!</p> <p>Watch this space and see how much success I will have!</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://TegTypeR.blog.co.uk/2009/02/15/bored-5577961/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:tegtyper.blog.co.uk,2009-02-08:/2009/02/08/mazda-2-sport-long-test-5530300/TegTypeR2009-02-08T14:55:50+01:002009-03-08T12:08:43+01:00 <p>The 2 Sport is Mazda’s competitor in the small warm hatch market, going head to head with the likes of Fords Fiesta Zetec and Peugeot’s 207 Sport. Designed to suit someone who wants a small car with a bit of pep, without being boring, the 2 fills that niche perfectly and it is available at our local Mazda dealer, Essex Mazda in the Lakeside Retail Park.</p> <p>Launched in 2007, the Mazda 2 range is available in three and five door body shapes and a range of trim levels, prices starting at £8999 on the road for the TS specification. The five door Sport, which is being tested here, is at the top of the range costing £12,040 and comes powered by a 1.5 Litre petrol engine giving it a healthy 103bhp and the ability to sprint between 0 and 60mph in just 10.4 seconds.</p> <p>Under the skin this car is related very closely to its cousin, the new Fiesta, using many of the same major components. Where it differs to the Ford though is in the way it is built, particularly in one main area, weight. Mazda have decided that all of their new cars from this one onwards will be lower in mass than the out going model. This means that the base vehicle weighs in at under a 1000kg with out the driver, something that cannot be said about its more portly rivals. </p> <p>Reducing the weight of a car is the quickest way of increasing its efficiency without having to resort to the use of expensive and faddy technology. The 2 certainly shows this with its CO2 emission figures, the Sport only producing 135 g/km and being able to return 49.6mpg on a combined run, both results exceptional for a car of its type. </p> <p>From the outside Mazda have designed the car to follow the family look, with the front in particular using design cues, like the squared off flared wheel arches from the RX8 sports car. As for the Sport model, it continues this theme by using a sharply designed set of 16” alloy wheels shod with low profile Toyo Proxes tyres. Also to add to the sporting intent are side skirts and rear spoiler, although the effect is possibly more after market, rather than original fit but overall the design is clean enough to get away with it.</p> <p>Stepping in to the car, you are greeted by a set of firm but comfortable cloth covered seats, which offer plenty of lateral support despite not being heavily bolstered. The facia design is clear and simple, as is the instrument binnacle which houses a white backed speedo and rev counter, punctuated by clear large lettering. The steering wheel is also a pleasant item to hold. Leather covered, it is about the perfect thickness avoiding the overly chunky feel that some sporting cars can have. Mounted on the inside of the wheel are controls for the radio and cruise facilities, which are clear and intuitive to use. Other useful features include an excellent radio / CD player with an auxiliary in jack socket ideal for plugging in MP3 players and the like, automatic lights and a trip computer, although disappointingly considering the cars target market, Mazda have not fitted a Bluetooth hands free kit.</p> <p>Looking around the rest of the car, the interior plastic panels have a pleasantly designed grain on them although when you touch them you can start to see where Mazda have been saving weight. Tap them and they have a “light” feel, although thankfully, it doesn’t undermine the quality to the point where they feel cheap.</p> <p>As this is a small car, the rear passenger space is somewhat limited, as you would expect. Certainly if you wanted to do long journeys the car could realistically only take three reasonably sized people, but for around town or short trips it will sit four acceptably. The boot is a very good size and shape, being deep and benefiting from a large opening, although the lip is quite high which may make removing heavy items somewhat awkward.</p> <p>On the road is where the little Mazda starts to come together. Falling to hand naturally is the high mounted stubby gear lever. Whilst this is standard across the rest of the range, the short throw five speed gear box has a precise pleasing action adding to the sporting nature of this car. All the major controls are light and easy to use, making it a joy to manoeuvre around town and in car parks. It’s at this point the cars nature starts to shine through. Due to the cars light weight, free revving engine and sporting suspension set up you realise very soon that this is a “chuckable car” being fun to hustle along, the engine and chassis giving you the confidence to point and squirt at gaps in the traffic.</p> <p>Get the car on to some twisty B roads however and you realise the steering which was ideal for round town work suddenly lacks feel and can be overly light. That said it is always precise and quick acting making the car easy to point and accurate to place on the road. What you can also feel on the open road is the lack of physical weight. This undoubtedly helps the performance of the modestly powered engine, but it also helps the suspension, the car keen to change direction and feeling genuinely fleet footed.</p> <p>Adhesion levels from the 195 width tyres are excellent, never feeling like they are going to run out of grip even in damp conditions. However when the 2 does break its high limits, the liberal stability control soon brings the car back in to line. With the traction off however things are different and enthusiastic drivers will be able to steer the car on the throttle, the little Mazda enjoying a healthy dose of lift off oversteer, almost in an old fashioned Peugeot style. Body roll is also kept to a minimum however the car can ride quite firmly and over some speed ramps and road imperfections making it a little uncomfortable, especially for passengers in the back. </p> <p>Overall, due to the light weight feel of the Mazda 2, it lacks the maturity and big car feel of some of its rivals. Don’t get me wrong though, this is far from being a bad thing. Not only does it aid in making this car efficient and cheap to run, it returns fun back to the top of the small car agenda, something many others have lost over the recent years. </p> <p>With its low 5E insurance group, this car is ideal for anyone who wants a bit of Zoom, Zoom, in their life. It is a great all rounder that will suit younger drivers who want something sporty but not too expensive to run and older drivers that have got fed up with being a bit too mature, but still need the practicality.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://TegTypeR.blog.co.uk/2009/02/08/mazda-2-sport-long-test-5530300/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:tegtyper.blog.co.uk,2009-02-08:/2009/02/08/mazda-two-1-5-sport-short-test-5530284/TegTypeR2009-02-08T14:53:17+01:002009-02-08T14:53:17+01:00 <p>The 2 Sport is Mazda’s competitor in the small warm hatch market, going head to head with the likes of Fords Fiesta Zetec and Peugeot’s 207 Sport. Designed to suit someone who wants a small car with a bit of pep, without being boring, the 2 fills that niche perfectly and it is available at our local Mazda dealer, Essex Mazda in the Lakeside Retail Park.</p> <p>The Mazda 2 range is available in three and five door body shapes and a range of trim levels, prices starting at £8999. The five door Sport, which is being tested here, is at the top of the range costing £12,040 and comes powered by a 1.5 Litre petrol engine giving it a healthy 103bhp and the ability to sprint between 0 and 60mph in just 10.4 seconds.</p> <p>Under the skin this car is related very closely the new Fiesta. Where it differs to the Ford though is in weight, the base model weighing in at under a 1000kg. Reducing the weight of a car is the quickest way of increasing its efficiency without having to resort to the use of expensive technology. The 2 certainly shows this with its CO2 emission figures, the Sport only producing 135 g/km and being able to return 49.6mpg on a combined run, both results exceptional for a car of its type. </p> <p>From the outside Mazda have designed the car to follow the family look, with the front in particular using design cues from the RX8 sports car. The Sport model continues this theme by using a sharply designed set of 16” alloy wheels shod with low profile tyres and a set of side skirts and rear spoiler.</p> <p>Stepping in to the car, you are greeted by a set of firm but comfortable cloth covered seats, which offer plenty of lateral support. The facia design is clean and simple, as is the instrument binnacle which houses a clear to read white backed speedo and rev counter. The chunky leather covered steering wheel is also a pleasant item to hold with the controls for the radio and cruise facilities mounted on the spokes. Other useful features include an excellent radio / CD player with an auxiliary in jack socket ideal for plugging in MP3 players, automatic lights and a trip computer. Looking around the rest of the car, the interior plastic panels have a pleasantly designed grain on them.</p> <p>As this is a small car, the rear passenger space is somewhat limited, as you would expect. Certainly if you wanted to do long journeys the car could realistically only take three reasonably sized people, but for around town or short trips it will sit four acceptably. The boot is a very good size and shape, being deep and benefiting from a large opening.</p> <p>On the road the little Mazda also impresses. Falling to hand is the stubby gear lever which has a precise pleasing action adding to the sporting nature of this car. All the major controls are light and easy to use, making it a joy to manoeuvre around town and in car parks. Due to the cars light weight, free revving engine and sporting suspension set up you realise that this is a very nimble car being fun to hustle along, giving you the confidence to point and squirt at gaps in the traffic.</p> <p>Get the car on to the open road and you can start to feel the lack of physical weight. Undoubtedly this helps the sprightly performance but it also helps the suspension, the car keen to change direction and feeling fleet footed. Adhesion levels from the tyres are excellent, never feeling like they are going to run out of grip even in damp conditions. However when the 2 does let go, the stability control soon brings the car back in to line. If you turn the traction control off, things are different and enthusiastic drivers will be able to indulge in some fun. Body roll is also kept to a minimum however ride can feel quite firm. </p> <p>With its low 5E insurance group, this car is ideal for anyone who wants a bit of Zoom, Zoom, in their life. It is a great all rounder that will suit younger drivers who want something sporty but not too expensive to run and older drivers that have got fed up with being a bit too mature, but still need the practicality.</p> <p>Thanks to Essex Mazda for the loan of the car. For more information, please phone them on 0844 4998 644</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://TegTypeR.blog.co.uk/2009/02/08/mazda-two-1-5-sport-short-test-5530284/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:tegtyper.blog.co.uk,2009-02-01:/2009/02/01/second-hand-car-game-5484543/TegTypeR2009-02-01T10:00:39+01:002009-02-01T10:00:39+01:00 <p>Anyone who reads these blogs on a regular basis will observe the fact that I spend too much of my time thinking, watching and playing with cars. So much so, this time I have come up with a new game! It’s called the Car Yard Game (sorry for the Americanism there but used car dealer game didn’t sound as good!)</p> <p><em>How to play. </p> <p>This is a fantasy game, so you need no money to play and you do not need to interact with anyone if you don’t want to. The game will make you question what you drive and those short of will power will end up buying a car! You have been warned.</p> <p>Go to your local second hand car dealer, the sort that has a variety of makes and models is best. It doesn’t matter if they are of high value or low budget in nature, they just need to have four or more cars. </p> <p>Peruse ALL of the cars in the yard, checking for: Cost, general condition and overall value for money. You MUST then select ONE car before you leave the yard. This is your winner. It needn’t be a low priced car, it just has to be a vehicle that you would want to drive off and one which represents value greater than the sum of its parts. This car could be of any genre, be it hot hatch, convertible, MPV etc. </p> <p>You are not expected to know the market value of the cars you are looking at, you just need a keen eye and sense of value.</p> <p>The game is great to play with more than one person as it will invoke lively debate and friendly banter as everyone will have their own opinions. It can also be played in the comfort of your own home using the free car adds magazines available from most supermarkets.</em></p> <p>The beauty of this game, if you play it properly, is that you end up with a variety of “winning” cars that may be you would have never considered buying before. Then comes the dangerous part, the thought process that says, “I could just…………”</p> <p>Because the game is different each time, I have come up with some eclectic choices which have included a very clean 69K mile W plate Hyundai Trajet 2.0 Petrol for £1995, a 1996 Peugeot 205 which the dealer just wanted to clear at £495, and a beautiful 1998 Mercedes CL600 for only £7999. Now there is a lot of car for the money! And with the credit crunch now well and truly on, there are some fantastic bargains to be had!</p> <p>There are certain brands that do keep cropping up though, like Alfa Romeo and Jaguar, not because I have a bias or preference for them, just because they represent fantastic value for money. Also, because this is fantasy, you don’t have to worry about practical considerations like running costs, insurance and reliability. The more temperamental makes then become even more attractive.</p> <p>Whilst on your way home tonight, just pop in to that second hand car dealer you pass every day and have a poke round. Beware though. Just don’t blame me if you walk away with a new addition to your driveway.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://TegTypeR.blog.co.uk/2009/02/01/second-hand-car-game-5484543/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:tegtyper.blog.co.uk,2009-01-24:/2009/01/24/insignia-full-road-test-5439683/TegTypeR2009-01-24T19:58:58+01:002009-01-24T19:58:58+01:00 <p>The Insignia is Vauxhall’s new contender in the family car sector, replacing the lacklustre Vectra and going head to head with the likes of Ford’s Mondeo, Honda’s Accord and Citroen’s C5. Importantly though, this time round the Griffin badged manufacturer has decided to produce quality product that is more than capable of mixing its vehicles from premium manufacturers such as Audi. </p> <p>From the outside, GM Europe have produced a well proportioned car using their new “blade design” language. Available currently in two body shapes, a saloon and a hatchback, both cars have a classy appearance, helped undoubtedly by strategically placed chrome strips and distinctive crease lines. An estate sharing the same design cues is also on its way soon to join the rest of the range, adding an extra dose of versatility.</p> <p>Models start with the base, but hardly basic, Exclusiv trim level at £15600 in 1.8 petrol form and rise to £28280 for the all singing 2.8 V6 Turbo 4x4 Elite. Also due soon is Vauxhall’s performance version, the Insignia VXR which is promising to be an impressive piece of kit, if its VXR siblings are anything to go by.</p> <p>The model I tested however was a mid range 2.0 CDTi 160 SE automatic five door hatchback. Priced at £21619 and putting out 158bhp, this is expected to be the best seller of the range, in manual form at least. The test car came sat on a set of optional 19” wheels which enhanced the look of the car, nicely filling the arches, although they did have an effect on ride comfort, a point I will come back to later.</p> <p>Stepping in to the car will be a revelation for current Vectra owners. Gone is the bland slabby facia design, replaced by a swooping dash structure which wraps neatly on to the door panels. Add in to this the wood effect trim and the dials that look more like a fine watch rather than a car’s instruments and the overall effect is similar to that of the outside, one of class. Certainly, if the badge was covered on the leather trimmed steering wheel you would not necessarily guess this was a Vauxhall product. </p> <p>The supportive seats are trimmed in a combination of cloth and in keeping with some of the other premium manufacturers, “man made leather” material. On initial inspection the effect is quite convincing although the longer you spend in the car, the less leather like it looks. That said, it is of a similar quality to equivalent materials used by Mercedes, and the placement of the material on the bolsters mean the seats will not look tatty after 100,000 miles, unlike a conventional all fabric trimmed seat. Getting comfortable is easy with multi directional seat adjustment, lumbar support, and a fully adjustable steering wheel.</p> <p>Despite the external size of the car, the rear passenger compartment is not overly spacious, although it can easily accommodate six foot adults. Some of the perception of snugness can be attributed to the high window line and small rear screen of this car. The letterbox style rearward vision and thick C pillars also cause problems when reversing. Frustratingly, reversing sensors are not fitted as standard to this model and it is an option that is definitely worth considering. Moving to the boot, this is certainly not a car that is left wanting with regards to luggage space, with an impressive 520 litres with the rear seats in position. That said the boot floor is not flat and the rear lip is quite high.</p> <p>The centre console switches are all logically laid out and clearly display their functions. Slightly frustratingly though, there are buttons marked phone on both the dash and the steering wheel, despite the fact the car was not fitted with the relevant bluetooth equipment. Also on the steering wheel are the buttons for the cruise control and stereo, not unique but a useful safety feature none the less. In the centre of the instrument panel is a large information screen displaying the trip computer readout, which is operated by the left hand stalk. Rounding off the various switches and buttons, this model and those above it are fitted with an electronic hand brake. Operated by pulling up or pushing down on the button, an audible electro mechanical whirring can be heard, a reassuring confirmation that the brake has been activated.</p> <p>Moving off, despite the test car only having seven hundred miles on the clock, the Insignia felt punchy and quick, undoubtedly aided by the smooth shifting six speed auto gear box. Should the driver get bored, the box also features a stick operated manual shift function, which whilst not as good as the DSG style boxes offered by other manufacturers, is quick shifting and responsive. Whilst not a truly rapid car, the two litre engine is certainly quick enough to be satisfying with a 0-60 time of 9.1 seconds, and at no point during the test did the car ever feel like it needed more power. What are more impressive though, are the fuel consumption and emission figures, Vauxhall quoting 48.7mpg on a combined test and 154g/km, a good result for a car of this size and weight.</p> <p>What is also exceptional for a car of this stature is its handling. The previous Vectra gained a reputation for being stodgy and boring, something the GM engineers wanted to eradicate for the Insignia. Bench marking competitor cars such as the Audi A4 and Ford’s Mondeo they have certainly been successful in creating a pleasing balance between handling and ride. Throw the Insignia in to a corner and you are greeted by accurate if not somewhat numb steering, however the front wheels do steer the car exactly where you want them, with no fuss and very little understeer even at the limit. Body control is kept tightly in check and when pushing on passengers are not exposed to uncomfortable sideways motions. It even has a degree of driver involvement that closely apes, if not quite matches the class leading Mondeo. Certainly from an enthusiast’s point of view this car is now a satisfying drive.</p> <p>Coming back to a point I made earlier, optional 19” wheels with 40 profile tyres were fitted to the test car. Whilst they probably helped the overall grip and handling, they certainly affected the ride quality, giving it a slightly lumpen feel. Despite that, it was never crashy or uncomfortable and rode with a degree of sophistication that a lot of its competitors lack. It should be noted though, if you are looking for a more relaxing ride, stick to the standard wheels which will cosset the posterior more effectively, without really affecting the way it corners.</p> <p>On the road the car is generally well insulated for noise, especially at motorway cruising speeds, where incidentally it feels slower than it actually is. However during round town and A road work, cabin noise levels are higher than expected considering the rest of the cars relaxed nature. Again this may be another side effect of optional wheels, but I am not the first tester to have noticed this trait. It is not that significant, it just takes the edge off the overall polish of the car. Brakes too are good, feeling strong and fade free, if not a little difficult to modulate.</p> <p>Overall, Vauxhall have succeeded in creating a car that is leagues ahead of the Vectra and is capable of challenging for overall class leadership. Indeed, it is also good enough to claim the scalps of some of its premium rivals, notably cars like the Audi A4, where it is a better all round package. That said from an enthusiast’s point of view it narrowly misses beating the Mondeo for overall driver enjoyment, and arguably class leadership. When it comes down to it though, for the majority of its customers this will not matter and the slightly more elegant design will sway their decision. What ever way this car will definitely find lots of fans.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://TegTypeR.blog.co.uk/2009/01/24/insignia-full-road-test-5439683/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:tegtyper.blog.co.uk,2009-01-24:/2009/01/24/insignia-short-road-test-5439672/TegTypeR2009-01-24T19:57:10+01:002009-01-24T19:57:10+01:00 <p>The Insignia is Vauxhall’s new contender in the family car sector, replacing its predecessor the Vectra and Levoi’s Vauxhall at Lakeside now have the new car in their showroom.</p> <p>This time round, Vauxhall has decided to produce a quality product that is more than capable of mixing its vehicles from premium manufacturers such as Audi. From the outside, they have produced a well proportioned car using their new “blade design” language. Available in three body shapes, a saloon, a hatchback, and a versatile estate all the cars have a classy appearance. Models start with the base, but hardly basic, Exclusiv trim level at £15600 in 1.8 petrol form and rise to £28280 for the all singing 2.8 V6 Turbo 4x4 Elite. The model I tested however was a mid range 2.0 CDTi 160 SE automatic five door hatchback, priced at £21619. With the engine producing 158bhp, the manual version of this car is expected to be the best seller of the range. </p> <p>Stepping inside will be a revelation for current Vectra owners. Gone is the bland slabby fascia design, replaced by a swooping dash structure which wraps neatly on to the door panels. Add in to this the wood effect trim and the dials that look more like a fine watch rather than a car’s instruments and the overall effect is similar to that of the outside, one of class. </p> <p>The supportive seats are trimmed in a combination of cloth and man made leather. Getting comfortable is easy with multi directional seat adjustment, lumbar support, and a fully adjustable steering wheel. In the back the Insignia can easily accommodate six foot adults, with a snug feeling given by the high window line and small rear screen. A point I did note was that the test car did not come with reversing sensors, an option which I would recommend going for. Moving to the boot, this is certainly not a car that is left wanting with regards to luggage space, with an impressive 520 litres volume.</p> <p>The centre console switches are all logically laid out, clearly displaying their functions and operating with a quality feel. The steering wheel also has buttons for the cruise control and stereo, not unique but a useful safety feature none the less. In the centre of the instrument panel is a large information screen displaying the trip computer readout and other critical information. Interestingly, this car and the models above it are fitted with an electronic hand brake operated by pulling up or pushing down on a switch mounted in the centre console.</p> <p>Moving off the Insignia felt punchy and quick, a fact backed up by Vauxhall’s performance claims of 0-60mph in 9.1 seconds. What are more impressive though, are the fuel consumption and emission figures, Vauxhall quoting 48.7mpg on a combined test and 154g/km, a good result for a car of this size and weight. What is also exceptional for a car of this stature is its handling where Vauxhall have certainly been successful in creating a pleasing balance between handling and ride. Turn the Insignia in to a corner and the car steers exactly where you want it. Body control is excellent and when pushing on passengers are not exposed to uncomfortable sideways motions. It also has a decent level of driver involvement, so certainly from an enthusiast’s point of view this car is a satisfying drive. The ride too is excellent, never crashy or uncomfortable and it rode with a degree of sophistication that a lot of its competitors lack. On the open road the car is generally well insulated for noise, especially at motorway cruising speeds, where it feels slower than it actually is. Brakes too are good, feeling strong and fade free.</p> <p>Overall, Vauxhall have succeeded in creating a car that is leagues ahead of the Vectra and is capable of challenging for overall class leadership. Indeed, it is also good enough to claim the scalps of some of its premium rivals, notably cars like the Audi A4, where it is a better all round package. Whatever your opinion this car will definitely find lots of fans.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://TegTypeR.blog.co.uk/2009/01/24/insignia-short-road-test-5439672/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:tegtyper.blog.co.uk,2009-01-18:/2009/01/18/civic-duty-5397671/TegTypeR2009-01-18T11:04:40+01:002009-01-18T11:04:40+01:00 <p>In this world of cross over’s and multi purpose vehicles, there is still no substitute for having a couple of different cars for different tasks. In reality this is a luxury that few can afford, but when it is possible it leaves you wondering how you managed with out them.</p> <p>It all started for me a couple of months ago, when a work colleague was telling me about the fate of her 2003 Honda Civic 1.6 VTEC. The cam belt had gone, lunching the engine and because the car had 140,000 miles and keyed body work, she figured it was time to call it quits and buy a new vehicle. Unfortunately, not being car savvy, she tried to pedal the car, by phone, to various local scrap yards, which produced offers of between £50 and -£150 to take the car away!</p> <p>Being the sort of nice guy that I am, not the profit sensing Del boy it may appear – well…. - I decided to take a gamble and offered her £300, which covered the costs of recovery (why do people with a car that age and mileage not have road side recovery!) and took it off her hands. Everyone happy! Due to a lack of time, I took it straight to my local Minty and Garry garage for them to do the work. A couple of weeks before Christmas the call came that the car was ready.</p> <p>With the weather getting colder and the gritter lorries pounding the roads, I decided that it was time to rest up the 968 and Integra and use the unloved Civic for the harsh winter period. The first time I jumped in the car and turned the key I was quietly impressed. Whilst the engine (apart from the top end) had 140,000 miles on it, ran as smoothly and quietly as the day it left the factory. The interior, whilst grubby, was intact and barely worn, the suspension solid, knock free and tight. Fair enough, the exterior looked like it had seen better days, a large oxidising key gouge running the length of the passenger’s side of the car not looking too great and the bumpers peppered with stone chips and scrapes, but on the whole not bad.</p> <p>Don’t get me wrong though, the Civic as a car is not perfect, it is certainly no enthusiast’s tool. The electrically powered steering is completely feel free and the engine, despite being incredibly refined doesn’t really press any of the right buttons. That said, I do have a great deal of respect for it. It is a very easy car to drive and it is incredibly competent at everything it does. It just lacks any character, emotion, real feeling. In some ways though, this is the Civics strength and this is what I have found out over the past couple of weeks.</p> <p>This year, over the Christmas period, I did some volunteer work for the Crisis charity at one of their residential centres in London. As I didn’t mind when I did it, I was allocated a couple of overnight shifts, something I am unaccustomed to (night shifts, not working you understand!). Leaving the centre after my first shift, I was shattered. At that point, the Civic was the perfect companion. Getting in to the car, I was greeted by a firm, but wide driver’s seat, plenty of room to just spend five minutes relaxing and when I did finally muster up the effort to drive, a quite, refined fatigue free journey home. Even the compulsory stop at the McDonalds drive through in Docklands for a double sausage and egg McMuffin was made easy, with well located cup holders and a wide flat centre console for my much needed sustenance. At this point the car made complete sense. I’m not sure I could have faced the journey in the 968, a car which is surprisingly comfortable, let alone the hard riding, effort requiring Integra. </p> <p>Since then the car has seen a couple of additions that make it even better. A portable Parrot hands free device – a highly recommended accessory for any car – and a radio frequency iPod adaptor thing. It has also been used as a bit of a work horse, to clear out my late Grandfathers garage, help a friend move and generally transport me back and forth to work in the grimy, mucky conditions that are the British winter.</p> <p>I never expected to like this car but it has managed to weedle its way in to my life. My respect has just continued to grow, so much so I am going to treat it to a new set of front tyres (the Chengseng Death Masters that are fitted to the front are getting a little tired), and a little bit of a polish when the weather gets better. Don’t get me wrong, the faults are still there and when you are in the mood this car can’t cut the driving mustard but it was never designed to. </p> <p>Let’s just hope in these modern days of one size fits all, cross over this and multi-purpose that, the manufacturers don’t forget that cars like this do still have a place and we are all allowed to have our choices, be they focused hot hatch or relaxed refined family car.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://TegTypeR.blog.co.uk/2009/01/18/civic-duty-5397671/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:tegtyper.blog.co.uk,2009-01-10:/2009/01/10/making-the-brake-5352652/TegTypeR2009-01-10T11:25:06+01:002009-01-10T11:25:06+01:00 <p>Its winter, it’s cold and it’s wet. I think years and years of standing besides freezing, windy, wet kart tracks has made me value the warmth of indoors over the winter months more than I ever did when I was younger. However, these climatically challenged days during the early months of the year are often the best time to maintain and titillate the various vehicles I have at my disposal. You see there is no pressure to “go for a walk” or “have a nice day out”, because fortunately my good lady feels the cold even more than I do, and the only place she wants to be is stuck indoors in front of one of her many games consoles.</p> <p>The only down side though, is that I have to head outside and freeze my giblets off whilst clouting which ever car with a large hammer. For a while now I have been searching for a reasonable priced, local workshop type facility, in which I can play with the ever increasing fleet. The garage which I have at home, whist large and spacious, is filled with detritus such as a work bench, tool chests, karts and on a more domestic and boring front, washing machine and dish washer. Also, it has been ear marked. Once where this was seen as my domain, monster chops (my affectionate pet name for my good lady), has decided that “if we removed the garage door and fitted a full height glass window / patio door, it would make an amazing room – in fact an amazing games room” for her!!! Never has the saying “what’s yours is mine and what’s mine is mine”, ever been more apt!</p> <p>Sadly my grandfather died a couple of weeks ago, leaving my nan by herself. She is in her 80’s and has decided to give up driving and their car, a pristine Mk2 Astra 1.8 CD has been passed on to my uncle. This leaves her garage and enclosed driveway now redundant. It was suggested by my mother that I use the garage, so I could “pop round” on a regular basis to keep an eye on her. Now, when it comes to being able to work on a car in the dry and relative warm, who am I to say no! Joking aside though, it was seen as a good idea so that my grandmother wouldn’t think she was being checked up on. So for the next couple of weekends, I will be cleaning out the years of half used paint pots and wood off cuts.</p> <p>It doesn’t help me though at the moment with my current maintenance job, the brake callipers on the 968 Clubbie. I won’t bore you too much with the details, but Porsches of a certain age were fitted with a lovely all alloy four pot brake calliper manufactured by Brembo. Whilst effective when new, the ravages of time, road salt, brake cleaner, heat, etc, etc, etc., have taken their toll and caused the calliper to oxidise. Unfortunately this oxidisation isn’t just cosmetic. It creeps in under the stainless steel slider plates which the pads move on and bends them, effectively gripping the pads and reducing the braking efficiency.</p> <p>So, off they have to come and a good clean down they have to have. However, as always, it is never that simple. Seized rusty screws and nuts that round off, despite having the best fitting spanner ever, have caused me to give up on the restoration process myself. Instead I have sent them to a nice gentleman at a company called Bigg Red in Worcestershire, who assures me that this de-grotting should not be a problem, and all for a reasonable price. I wait with baited breath. </p> <p>Once returned all I then have to do is bolt them back on and decide which pads to go for. I am fancying something gnarlier than the standard Porsche supplied parts, even if they do make a bit more noise and dust. And you never know, I may be able to fit them in my new garage (between tea brakes with my nan), that’s if the people at the local tip, sorry, refuse recycling centre let me in more than once! </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://TegTypeR.blog.co.uk/2009/01/10/making-the-brake-5352652/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:tegtyper.blog.co.uk,2008-12-29:/2008/12/29/gizmo-s-5294658/TegTypeR2008-12-29T19:21:22+01:002008-12-29T19:21:22+01:00 <p>It’s amazing what you become reliant on, in a car. Silly little things that other people wouldn’t care two hoots about when they are driving but to you, they can devalue the whole motoring experience. Everyone has them, even if they don’t know what they are. Well, that is until those things cease to be there. Then, all of a sudden it starts as a niggling feeling that something’s missing. They are not even major things, things that affect the way a car drives, they’re just incidentals, things to make our lives more comfortable and convenient.</p> <p>My experience of this comes from driving my wife’s new car a couple of days ago, her pride and joy Honda S2000. I only had a short journey to do in it, 20 miles or so, but it was long enough for the frustration to set in when I realised that I couldn’t use my phone hands free and listen to music from my ipod through the in car entertainment system! Now I know that both of these items are modern inconveniences, but some how they have wormed their way in to my every day life, in the case of the ipod in less than a year. And for them to affect my feelings on driving….. Worrying eh? </p> <p>If you have read my blogs before, you will understand that I am not the sort of person who likes gadgets in cars. I can’t stand them. I don’t see the point in several so called must haves: Rain sensitive wipers – If you can’t see its raining and flick a switch, then don’t even think about getting in to a car; Lane control sensors (a la Citroen) - If you need a vibration up your bum to tell you your swerving out of a lane you are probably too old to be driving and can’t feel the subtle tingle through your buttocks anyway; Automatic gear boxes – If you can’t change gear then you shouldn’t be driving. Nah, sorry, that ones a little harsh! But you get the idea. So why have I become so dependent on these two little electronic gizmos.</p> <p>Firstly, the mobile phone, a piece of equipment that I fought against for so many years. Then I got a girlfriend (who then became my gorgeous wife), and it became desirable to be able to speak to her when we were apart from each other. After that it slowly but surely drip fed its way in to my life. Now, for some inexplicable reason I can’t do with out it, despite the fact it gives me so much grief in both my personal and work life! So the car hands free kit has become absolutely essential. To be able to drive and call is a blessing. I can catch up with friends, speak to customers and argue with the wife, all whilst I’m driving my car.</p> <p>The ipod, I purchased because I was fed up with twenty CD’s crashing and banging round the inside of my car when I was cornering at high velocity. I figured that one small piece of plastic and metal which could hold a gazilllion tracks of music would be the best idea. Besides, it was lighter than all those CD’s and their smashed cases so the car would go quicker. Now thought, when I get in a car with just one CD, I feel cheated somehow and my journey is going to be less enjoyable because I only have nine of “her” songs to listen to instead of a thousand of “mine”! How quickly things change.</p> <p>To make these little gems work, I fitted a nice neat Pioneer head unit to my car which does both tasks and some more besides. Like most blokes though, the “more besides” bit means that I cannot be bothered to read the manual so I don’t actually know what that is. If it doesn’t come up on the primary illuminated menu screen, as far as I’m concerned it doesn’t do it. In fact it was only the other day that I found out how to use the Ipod connectivity properly when I found out what I thought was a piece of trim panel was in fact a button!!</p> <p>Am I just getting older and shunning the hardcore driving lifestyle? I wonder, how long before I jump in to my friends 335i Convertible and realise that I too cannot do without the BMW ambient interior lighting. Is the introduction to my car of this piece of Pioneers electronic wizardry the start of my decline? I am not sure. I certainly hope not though, but only time will tell.</p> <p>So, what would you miss? When you go out today or tomorrow morning in your car, look at what features you rely on a regular basis and stop using them. It’s an interesting, if some what strange experience.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://TegTypeR.blog.co.uk/2008/12/29/gizmo-s-5294658/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:tegtyper.blog.co.uk,2008-12-21:/2008/12/21/christmas-road-test-5252902/TegTypeR2008-12-21T09:04:58+01:002008-12-21T09:04:58+01:00 <p>As you are probably aware, there is a lot of talk at the moment about our reliance on fossil fuels to drive our cars. Various motor companies around the world are producing cars capable on running on alternative power sources such as electricity and hydrogen. This week I’ve had the opportunity to test drive one of these very special vehicles, one which very few people have seen in the flesh, let alone had a chance to ride in. </p> <p>Instead of running on petrol or diesel, it is fuelled by grass and hay and its emissions are all bio based and can be re-used as fertiliser. A good start there then. Instead of using just one power plant though it has nine individual units, each subtly different. In fact the vehicles owner, Mr. Claus, has named each one: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and his favourite, Rudolph.</p> <p>Development has been quite extensive, covering many millions of miles since the 4th century AD, but as yet has only been used on a commercial basis, for carrying packages once a year.</p> <p>The vehicle I rode in was painted in a resplendent red colour with excellent fit and finish. The interior is quite basic and with seating for two, may be three people at a push, although behind the bench style front seat is a massive luggage space capable of taking probably the largest load you could imagine. The controls are slightly different to a normal car using two leather straps to control both speed and steering. It’s strange at first but quite easy to get used to. </p> <p>On the run, this vehicle is quite amazing. It is incredibly quick, capable of travelling large distances in almost the blink of an eye, and you do have to be careful to watch your speed especially where there are speed cameras. The ride is another strong point, being beautifully smooth, almost like you are riding on air. Handling isn’t as good as other vehicles in its class as it is quite long and it takes a fair distance to turn, which also causes trouble when parking. Mr. Claus does say that this is rarely a problem for him as when he does his deliveries he is very quick and has not got a parking ticket yet. </p> <p>At the moment there is no dealer network, so if you do need any work done you have to take it back to their workshops in Lapland where their highly experienced team of elves can undertake any jobs that need doing.</p> <p>Will it ever go on sale? Mr. Claus seems to think it may need a bit more work. He is currently looking at installing some modern technology such as satellite navigation and an MP3 dock to play festive songs whilst he works. </p> <p>And the name of this revolutionary new vehicle? Well, if you hadn’t already guessed it, Santa’s Sleigh, and if you’ve been good, it will coming to a house near you very soon. Merry Christmas to all.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://TegTypeR.blog.co.uk/2008/12/21/christmas-road-test-5252902/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>