***Motors Chat Thread*** Round 1

ShadowHearth

Stheno wrote: »

SH, did you read what our new garage is going to do to your car?

i just know what department i will be responsible for

Stheno

ShadowHearth wrote: »

i just know what department i will be responsible for

You've not seen then?

MetzgerMeister

The staff handbook will be a printout of the Motors Charter

ShadowHearth

Stheno wrote: »

You've not seen then?

seen it qouted. i am in spoiler department. shocker!

166man

Stheno wrote: »

Or an alfa needing a new belt or variator

Belt, Pump and variator all done back in March at 75k miles. Goos to go for another few years now.

MuppetCheck wrote: »

Squeaking? High miles on it or age?

With me the colder mornings are eating away at me when I turn the key. Was driving a petrol for a week and it really brought it home...

Yeah quite bad in some places, I haven't a notion what the actual problem with it is. Car drives fine as it is though. 75k miles in 11 years and 36k of them done in the first year. :eek:

Stheno

ShadowHearth wrote: »

seen it qouted. i am in spoiler department. shocker!

We are having a special spoiler department, where we will only add spoilers

You volunteered to give us your impreza to practice on

166man

Stheno wrote: »

We are having a special spoiler department, where we will only add spoilers

You volunteered to give us your impreza to practice on

Yeah ''volunteered'' alright...

That fella is gonna be pinned down under the height and considerable bulk of some of the loftier members of the garage (including me ) while the people fix his car that had the terrible tragedy of not having a spoiler fitted. :pac:

Stheno

166man wrote: »

Yeah quite bad in some places, I haven't a notion what the actual problem with it is. Car drives fine as it is though. 75k miles in 11 years and 36k of them done in the first year. :eek:

Is it the front suspension making the suspicious squeaking noises?

You have a 166?

gollywog

Just thinking,
I could double as junior detailer and alcohol awareness officer!

MuppetCheck

166man wrote: »

Yeah quite bad in some places, I haven't a notion what the actual problem with it is. Car drives fine as it is though. 75k miles in 11 years and 36k of them done in the first year. :eek:

That's barely used! Do not ever throw alfa reliability back at me with that mileage. My cars a tenth of that age and has half the mileage nearly!

But that mileage things can wear and erode. I'd be thinking it's bushings of some sort but I wouldn't know what the usual Alfa items are. Still I'd say that's a keeper at that mileage. Hard to find good clean cars.

MetzgerMeister

MuppetCheck wrote: »

I wouldn't know what the usual Alfa items are

Here's a hint.......it's everything!

Stheno

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

Here's a hint.......it's everything!

Quiet shiny!

166man

Stheno wrote: »

Is it the front suspension making the suspicious squeaking noises?

You have a 166?

It's the front suspension alright. Think it's the bushings not sure though tbh..

I have a 156 and my old man had a 166 but got rid for the 159 Wagon.





I actually miss that 166 so much, it was such an unreal car...:(

Stheno

166man wrote: »

It's the front suspension alright. Think it's the bushings not sure though tbh..

I have a 156 and my old man had a 166 but got rid for the 159 Wagon.

I actually miss that 166 so much, it was such an unreal car...:(

That 166 is lovely.

Is the 156 shrieking when you turn it sharply?

166man

Stheno wrote: »

That 166 is lovely.

Is the 156 shrieking when you turn it sharply?

The 166 is my favourite car of all time. It's one of those cars that doesn't/didn't look wrong from a single angle. Just gorgeous... Never seen another one like it in Ireland anyway.

It's for sale again on donedeal with some horific wheels on it though and 109k miles. That being said, I'm trying to get the funds together to buy it, even at the age of 19 I really really want it.

The squeek is only noticeable going over speed bumps...

166man

MuppetCheck wrote: »

That's barely used! Do not ever throw alfa reliability back at me with that mileage. My cars a tenth of that age and has half the mileage nearly!

But that mileage things can wear and erode. I'd be thinking it's bushings of some sort but I wouldn't know what the usual Alfa items are. Still I'd say that's a keeper at that mileage. Hard to find good clean cars.

She's well used at this stage tbh. I'm trying to spruce her up but I need help if I'm honest! I'll be keeping it until she dies... hasn't so far touch wood!

Stheno

166man wrote: »

She's well used at this stage tbh. I'm trying to spruce her up but I need help if I'm honest! I'll be keeping it until she dies... hasn't so far touch wood!

If it turns out to be the bushes you can't get them seperately for the 156 you've to either get the steering rack reconditioned, buy a replacement, or find a decent one in a scrapyard.

It's one of the pains of alfa 156 ownership :rolleyes:

Might be worth getting it checked out before it gets worse?

Marlow

Stheno wrote: »

Or an alfa needing a new belt or variator

Have to be careful with that sort of carry on. My neighbor is a mechanic and drives a 156. The car has never left him down, which is surprising for an Alfa, but he's been talking for a long time now, that he needed to do the belt.

Being a mechanic, his own car always comes the last. So eventually the belt snapped. Now he's got 24 bend valves. At least he can fix it himself.

/M

Stheno

Marlow wrote: »

Have to be careful with that sort of carry on. My neighbor is a mechanic and drives a 156. The car has never left him down, which is surprising for an Alfa, but he's been talking for a long time now, that he needed to do the belt.

Being a mechanic, his own car always comes the last. So eventually the belt snapped. Now he's got 24 bend valves. At least he can fix it himself.

/M

Lovely :eek:, when I first got my current alfa it needed the belt and variator replaced, the amount of comments I got from people in work about how "sick" it sounded had me on the bus till I got it fixed

166man

Stheno wrote: »

If it turns out to be the bushes you can't get them seperately for the 156 you've to either get the steering rack reconditioned, buy a replacement, or find a decent one in a scrapyard.

It's one of the pains of alfa 156 ownership :rolleyes:

Might be worth getting it checked out before it gets worse?

I really haven't a clue when it comes to the suspension but I'm learning! I'll be getting it checked soon to find out what exactly is up with it!

Stheno

166man wrote: »

I really haven't a clue when it comes to the suspension but I'm learning! I'll be getting it checked soon to find out what exactly is up with it!

Alfa ownership will enlighten you

Especially on a 156!

dgt

166man wrote: »

The squeek is only noticeable going over speed bumps...

I'm sure we'll find out what it is someday

The 406 developed a nasty clonk when I put in the new struts, top mounts are gone..... Just haven't had the time to replace yet!

Stheno

Stheno wrote: »

If it turns out to be the bushes you can't get them seperately for the 156 you've to either get the steering rack reconditioned, buy a replacement, or find a decent one in a scrapyard............

That's a bit doomsday :P

Most likely upper wishbone bushes if its a squeaking noise, might as well sort both sides if it is, few hundred fitted by a non looney priced mechanic
Even main dealers (in Cork anyway) aren't too expensive for them.

I'd really really really doubt it's the rack

dgt

RoverJames wrote: »

I'd really really really doubt it's the rack

In younger days there was an annoying click when on lock to the right. Rack was a bit crabby in terms of a leak so I swapped it as I had a few to spare....

It didn't cure the click! Turned out to be an iffy balljoint that I'd just replaced weeks before. Defective part

Stheno

RoverJames wrote: »

That's a bit doomsday :P

Most likely upper wishbone bushes if its a squeaking noise, might as well sort both sides if it is, few hundred fitted by a non looney priced mechanic
Even main dealers (in Cork anyway) aren't too expensive for them.

I'd really really really doubt it's the rack

I'm just warning him of the bad new he will get if it is the fecking bushes!

Wishbones are cheap enough, there are double wishbones each side, upper and lower, I replaced two lower wishbones on my 156 and you are dead right it was cheap enough, think they were about 40e for the parts, and the fitting was done during a service.

But, once the front suspension on a 156 starts to give any sort of trouble you need to mind the bugger, I'd my steering rack reconditioned, then it eventually failed a second time, and I moved on to the gtv

Alanstrainor

I might look into getting a pair of part worns for my fronts. They're a bit ****e, plenty of thread, but just crap in the wet really.

Mar4ix

just thoughts ... would Toyota dealer would give me key code for my mk1 avensis ? i mean free of charge ?

ta

Chris_Heilong

Alanstrainor wrote: »

I might look into getting a pair of part worns for my fronts. They're a bit ****e, plenty of thread, but just crap in the wet really.

What about swapping the front and back tires, see how that feels.

TestTransmission

Chris_Heilong wrote: »

What about swapping the front and back tires, see how that feels.

They might be different sizes?

Alanstrainor

TestTransmission wrote: »

They might be different sizes?

No both the same size wheels, but tbh i'd rather have the good rubber on the back, i'd rather have some predictable understeer on occasion than for the arse to step out!

The fronts aren't that bad, I've only noticed it in the wet the last few times, they still stop the car fine but I find they can be a bit skittish.