Subaru Impreza WRX 04' Blobeye
Discussion
vtec420 said:
Great read - apart from the bit about the derv!
Lovely car. Drove a battered blobeye wagon today myself. If you were buying again, what would you scrutinize / look for on the ride / forecourt.
Cheers dude, the vRS is actually behaving itself so far, we shall see. Lovely car. Drove a battered blobeye wagon today myself. If you were buying again, what would you scrutinize / look for on the ride / forecourt.
Good question. In my experience, and the things I'd look out for again would be
Clutch. This is of course a relatively big job and ideally not one that would need doing soon after purchase. I'd imagine a clutch change along with some other jobs would make some people pass these on so be aware of that. I had to replace my flywheel too as it was cracked and another unforeseen expense was the down pipe needing replacing due to excessive rust so check that out if at all possible or at least budget for it being an eventuality. A standard replacement cost me £80.
Cam Belt. Another big job. These need doing every 60k I believe, someone can correct me if I'm wrong. Look for evidence of this being changed, it's normally a good idea to change the water pump at this point also, I didn't to keep costs down but peace of mind will be had if it's been done.
Brakes. Could be classed as a service item but again I hadn't budgeted for replacing them. They looked OK initially but on closer inspection they needed replacing, around £300 from Godspeed replaced discs and pads.
Suspension. Given the nature of the car the shocks can take a beating, I replaced springs and dampers @ around 90k due to a blown NSR damper. It was determined to be blown by a wet oily film running down the leg. If you can get the car in the air and lift the dust boot any problems should be clearly visible.
Drop Links and Bushes. These can be surprisingly expensive. new drop links front and rear cost me around £100 from Whiteline although can be had for around half that. Whiteline bushes for the ARB were £15 an end. Listen out for any clunks on the test drive as (again only in my experience) this can point to worn drop links etc.
Other than that I'd do the usual checks (that I didn't do with the vRS) look for any minor accident damage with uneven shut gaps on panels and damage to the paint.
These cars may have been driven hard so look out for blue smoke which may point towards excessive turbo wear.
Other than that, buy it with your eyes (sounds stupid but I know what I mean ha) how does the car present itself, paint work/is there excessive interior wear? Are the tyres matching and in good condition with plenty of tread? Cheap, odd tyres may point towards a lack of general care towards the car.
Is it modified? A modified car can have been very well maintained but a car in poor overall condition with a load of cheap shiny things bolted on may again point toward money having been spent in the wrong areas.
That's all I can think of right now
hth.cannondale said:
Looking good.
What's the story with the Sierra on the back of the trailer in one of the last photos? Future project?
That's the boys who's doing the audio's rally car. He does auto tests mostly. apparently under powered with the 4X4 and the 2l. Still, It's got a hydraulic hand brake and goes round lovely with enough revs! What's the story with the Sierra on the back of the trailer in one of the last photos? Future project?
GTIAlex said:
Enjoyed reading this; shown it my dad to get his arse into gear about sorting his blobeye out. Lots of little bits hes let mount up.
Cheers bud, I'm lucky enough to be in a position where I can get these bits done at the moment. Hopefully some inspiration can be found for your dads Impreza, they're well worth it when sorted and can be epic to drive in the right hands Another tangent. My unease with the vRS manifested itself in it spewing its own fluids all over the engine bay in huge clouds of smoke a few days ago. Spoke to the dealer and he couldn't have dealt with it better, a little bit of discussion and I now find myself the owner of a new daily
(spot the iphone pic)
Weirdly the only two modifications seem to be the 'murdered out' S on the front grill (why)
and more expected are the Apex lowering springs. They give a firm ride shall we say
handles very well on smooth roads but they make themselves known over the bumos
The comparison is night and day to the vRS. The Fabia had a hard life, the likely cause was turbo failure/over fueling with the sump somehow getting pressurized and blowing it's oil all over itself as mentioned. There was no oil in the engine when inspected. Although that caused a bit of pain temporarily, I'm over the moon with the Sport. It drives like new, the clutch bite point is low and firm, the brakes are strong, the engine pulls really well and the condition over all is superb. I was surprised to see that someone has gone to the trouble to even keep the insides of the exhaust tips clean
It even has some new iPhone headphones in the glove box and a pretty good 'Newquay' mix MP3 CD player (speakers are also very good in this!) It needs tyres but we adjusted the difference in both cars prices to account for that. Oh darn that means I have to spend some more money on cars
Love it, really pleased.
(spot the iphone pic)
Weirdly the only two modifications seem to be the 'murdered out' S on the front grill (why)
and more expected are the Apex lowering springs. They give a firm ride shall we say
handles very well on smooth roads but they make themselves known over the bumosThe comparison is night and day to the vRS. The Fabia had a hard life, the likely cause was turbo failure/over fueling with the sump somehow getting pressurized and blowing it's oil all over itself as mentioned. There was no oil in the engine when inspected. Although that caused a bit of pain temporarily, I'm over the moon with the Sport. It drives like new, the clutch bite point is low and firm, the brakes are strong, the engine pulls really well and the condition over all is superb. I was surprised to see that someone has gone to the trouble to even keep the insides of the exhaust tips clean
It even has some new iPhone headphones in the glove box and a pretty good 'Newquay' mix MP3 CD player (speakers are also very good in this!) It needs tyres but we adjusted the difference in both cars prices to account for that. Oh darn that means I have to spend some more money on cars
Love it, really pleased.
squareflops said:
very nice andy, I haven't seen many hawkeye wagons, lovely colour too. Can't see many other cars that offer more for the money. You find they sell well? THe dealer I got the Swift from has 3 in at the moment and says he can't get the stock quick enough
I might keep it for myself to be honest, it's the 2.5 so we will seeTEKNOPUG said:
Still a little bemused with your second-car Skoda/Swift situation. Man-Maths would suggest to me that it would be cheaper and more practical simply to spend the money on maintaining the Scooby as a Daily, rather than buying, taxing, insuring & maintaining a second car.
As someone who's been daily driving a WRX for the past 2 years (20k per year), I can totally, whole heartedly agree with squareflops' decision They're fantastic cars, and especially brilliant in the rain and snow but they do get tiring after a while. And you quickly get used to the performance and feel. I find that I appreciate it all the more so after a day or two driving something "normal".
I for one will be getting a cheap daily soon, with proper STI aspirations for the future
TEKNOPUG said:
Still a little bemused with your second-car Skoda/Swift situation. Man-Maths would suggest to me that it would be cheaper and more practical simply to spend the money on maintaining the Scooby as a Daily, rather than buying, taxing, insuring & maintaining a second car.
Fair comment dude, your man maths make far too much sense for me to even fathom (are they ever supposed to make sense ha) Maybe I've unwittingly mislead the masses. The Swift nee Fabia is the OH's. We've always run two cars, the (now) Swift is the daily car and the Impreza is firmly the weekender. SWMBO will always need a daily car given her job, if the Impreza goes down I can always catch the train to work and share the Swift when needed.
The Impreza is my toy I guess, I think maybe I referred to the Swift as mine; or at least didn't make it clear that it (technically) isn't
Still hasn't stopped me planning out some improvements for the Swift though
ohtari said:
As someone who's been daily driving a WRX for the past 2 years (20k per year), I can totally, whole heartedly agree with squareflops' decision
They're fantastic cars, and especially brilliant in the rain and snow but they do get tiring after a while. And you quickly get used to the performance and feel. I find that I appreciate it all the more so after a day or two driving something "normal".
I for one will be getting a cheap daily soon, with proper STI aspirations for the future
exactly what he said ^^ They're fantastic cars, and especially brilliant in the rain and snow but they do get tiring after a while. And you quickly get used to the performance and feel. I find that I appreciate it all the more so after a day or two driving something "normal".
I for one will be getting a cheap daily soon, with proper STI aspirations for the future
I guess slightly different scenarios but totally agreehad another little potch yesterday. I had some silent coat left over from the doors/boot and noticed there was still some rattle from the door cards during some compositions. I pulled the door cards off and with them removed there was little/no unwanted vibration at all from the actual doors so confirmed it was door card related. I've so far spattered some silent coat on both inner door cards which should go some way to deaden unwanted vibes. I can always add more if needed.
I think primarily what helped was securing the door card clips. These clatter about terribly in standard form so I thought about an easy solution to this with items I had laying about the garage. Que masking tape.
I used 5 layers on each clip holder, made a small incision and slid the clip back on
not pretty but works very well
you can't argue with success
drivers door finished and passenger door still bare
Difference was noticeable. no more vibrations, for the most part. I can still hear a slight rattle with some songs, if I pull the door card away from the door slightly with it all buttoned down all rattles stop so I have something in mind for tomorrow to totally eliminate everything.
Well the Millenniums are in good condition but not perfect. From 20ft away you'd hardly tell they were anything bar new but a little closer and the kerbing marks become apparent and some defects in the finish are visible. I've also had two people ask me if they're all the same colour; I can't see any difference tbh but if there's any doubt there is no doubt.
That being the case I took the opportunity (tyreless) to get them refurbished. They're at Castle Coatings in Caerphilly at the moment. One of the top boys there interestingly has a very nice Grp 4 Escort and likes his rallying, we even know a few of the same people which is nice as it puts me at ease knowing he's an enthusiast and a friend of friends of friends..
The kerb marks are manageable and will be removed, the colour is slightly more tricky. I'd ideally like Subaru gold of course but that's not readily available in a powder. Some inquiries are being made and hopefully we'll have an answer in the next few weeks from some suppliers. They may end up Subaru gold or something else (still gold) I'm not toooo fussed if they end up being a different hue, as long as they look good. White would have been a few days turn around but not really fancying white.
In anticipation of their return I phoned Revolution to pick up some genuine (obvs) centre caps. Very helpful chap there.
Settled on Vredstein Ultrac Sussantas in 225 40 18. Not the greatest of tyres sure but they get good reviews and won't cost the earth.
On a side note I was fortunate enough to get some fog light covers for a very low price, I've not seen these go for less than £120 when they do come up which is pretty rare. They're not genuine Subaru items but for the price I paid that couldn't be less of a consideration
paint is perfect and they're covered in 3M film to avoid any damage from stone chips etc. Great, reeally great. Nice
That being the case I took the opportunity (tyreless) to get them refurbished. They're at Castle Coatings in Caerphilly at the moment. One of the top boys there interestingly has a very nice Grp 4 Escort and likes his rallying, we even know a few of the same people which is nice as it puts me at ease knowing he's an enthusiast and a friend of friends of friends..
The kerb marks are manageable and will be removed, the colour is slightly more tricky. I'd ideally like Subaru gold of course but that's not readily available in a powder. Some inquiries are being made and hopefully we'll have an answer in the next few weeks from some suppliers. They may end up Subaru gold or something else (still gold) I'm not toooo fussed if they end up being a different hue, as long as they look good. White would have been a few days turn around but not really fancying white.
In anticipation of their return I phoned Revolution to pick up some genuine (obvs) centre caps. Very helpful chap there.
Settled on Vredstein Ultrac Sussantas in 225 40 18. Not the greatest of tyres sure but they get good reviews and won't cost the earth.
On a side note I was fortunate enough to get some fog light covers for a very low price, I've not seen these go for less than £120 when they do come up which is pretty rare. They're not genuine Subaru items but for the price I paid that couldn't be less of a consideration
paint is perfect and they're covered in 3M film to avoid any damage from stone chips etc. Great, reeally great. Nice
Well another non Impreza related post. Not sure if this is annoying for anyone or an interesting segue?
Anyway. Had an X-Type at the house today for a clean, was pretty filthy outside and worse inside, crumbs, dog hair and general grime abounded. spent 6 hours with a 20 minute lunch break in total, so that's about £180 I didn't earn doing it
I've started to think (as I seem to be photoing my work for prosperity) I should have set angles for before and afters to more easily see any differences; hmmm..
Cleaned the wheels first this time
came up lovely.
state of the bodywork as it arrived
Boot lid
After a snow foam, rinse and shampoo wash it was clear the car was covered in stubborn water marks, it looked better after these two stages but anything less than 5 feet away presented a world of pain on the paint surface. Next stage was to clay mitt with detailers spray to flat the paint and remove the contaminants, this is a very satisfying procedure as the difference is night and day. I don't have a DA as yet so elbows were employed along with Autoglym Super Resin Polish which did the job wonderfully. The paint/clear itself is in very good condition, minimal swirls and no lacquer peel etc. All water marks were removed with the Polish.
After that I used some newly acquired Poorboys Black Hole glaze, applied with applicator pad
and removed with a microfibre cloth. Excellent results I must say, lovely stuff. I'm sure toddlers would love to drink it too if they had the chance as it smells like bubblegum
If I'd had the time in the day I would have sealed/finished with PB Natty Paste Wax but I opted for Meguiars Quick Wax for a quicker job. I'll apply a more long lasting wax when I have more time.
Results
Paint is now like glass covered in PTFE, beautiful to run your fingers over.
Essentially what we're looking at here is a clean car. It's sure it's hard for some to comprehend that this result took 6 hours to achieve, the good news is the car now has several superb layers of protection and subsequent washes (assuming they're relatively frequent) will be joyous occasions where the nearest glimpse of a sponge will have any errant dirt running from the vehicle.
Impreza news, struggling to get the wheels done.
Anyway. Had an X-Type at the house today for a clean, was pretty filthy outside and worse inside, crumbs, dog hair and general grime abounded. spent 6 hours with a 20 minute lunch break in total, so that's about £180 I didn't earn doing it
I've started to think (as I seem to be photoing my work for prosperity) I should have set angles for before and afters to more easily see any differences; hmmm..
Cleaned the wheels first this time
came up lovely.
state of the bodywork as it arrived
Boot lid
After a snow foam, rinse and shampoo wash it was clear the car was covered in stubborn water marks, it looked better after these two stages but anything less than 5 feet away presented a world of pain on the paint surface. Next stage was to clay mitt with detailers spray to flat the paint and remove the contaminants, this is a very satisfying procedure as the difference is night and day. I don't have a DA as yet so elbows were employed along with Autoglym Super Resin Polish which did the job wonderfully. The paint/clear itself is in very good condition, minimal swirls and no lacquer peel etc. All water marks were removed with the Polish.
After that I used some newly acquired Poorboys Black Hole glaze, applied with applicator pad
and removed with a microfibre cloth. Excellent results I must say, lovely stuff. I'm sure toddlers would love to drink it too if they had the chance as it smells like bubblegum
If I'd had the time in the day I would have sealed/finished with PB Natty Paste Wax but I opted for Meguiars Quick Wax for a quicker job. I'll apply a more long lasting wax when I have more time.
Results
Paint is now like glass covered in PTFE, beautiful to run your fingers over.
Essentially what we're looking at here is a clean car. It's sure it's hard for some to comprehend that this result took 6 hours to achieve, the good news is the car now has several superb layers of protection and subsequent washes (assuming they're relatively frequent) will be joyous occasions where the nearest glimpse of a sponge will have any errant dirt running from the vehicle.
Impreza news, struggling to get the wheels done.
Have now had the wheels refurbed. They do look excellent. The gold isn't Subaru as far as I know but I'm really pleased with the results. I've ordered some Poorboys Wheel Sealant to add protection before they're put in the car. The centre caps turned out to be the wrong ones; a quick call to Revolution and a correct set are on the way.
After much deliberation about tyres I've decided to go for T1Rs. Now I know these potentially suit lighter cars as they have a relatively soft side wall but I'll keep an eye on pressures and run them a few psi more than normal. Tbh with my style of driving (generally sedate) I doubt I'll notice, they have to be better than the Wanli's that are currently on there I did come very close to buying Vredestein Ultrac Sessantas; they have excellent reviews but I wanted to try to Toyos first. A mate has a set of T1Rs on his bug eye STI and it handles very well to be fair so I haven't bought totally blindly. They were also £240 delivered, can't really argue with that.
Should be on by middle of next week, and then off to France on Friday.
test patch against wheel before refurb
done
After much deliberation about tyres I've decided to go for T1Rs. Now I know these potentially suit lighter cars as they have a relatively soft side wall but I'll keep an eye on pressures and run them a few psi more than normal. Tbh with my style of driving (generally sedate) I doubt I'll notice, they have to be better than the Wanli's that are currently on there
I did come very close to buying Vredestein Ultrac Sessantas; they have excellent reviews but I wanted to try to Toyos first. A mate has a set of T1Rs on his bug eye STI and it handles very well to be fair so I haven't bought totally blindly. They were also £240 delivered, can't really argue with that.Should be on by middle of next week, and then off to France on Friday.
test patch against wheel before refurb
done
Tyres turned up yesterday 
wasn't expecting them on the weekend and had booked them in during the week but decided to get them fitted today as I'm going to be very short of time this week to clean/seal them etc. After a decent conversation with one of the boys @ National Tyres and Autocare I was happy that enough care would be taken so as not to mark the rims during the process. Top boy down there fair play, he was manning the counter in between the job but he humored my OCD approach and explained the process letting me watch (giggidy); explaining the care he was taking not to make contact with the wheels etc.
So tyres fitted. I didn't have them fitted to the car as I wanted to was/polish and seal them before they went on. Took most of the afternoon
Washed them with a shampoo as normal to remove any grime/oil and then applied one coat (some say it could have done with two) of Mer Autoshine Deep Gloss Finishing Wax and then two coats of Poorboys Wheel Wax to seal up. Both compounds went on very easily and were simple to remove once hazed. The protection should last a few weeks hopefully.
pic heavy
& on the car. Also fitted my fog light covers
Drives just fine with them.
Having the lambda/o2 sensor fitted in the week @ 3 Arches.
Don't think there'll be any updates for a while, think I've done everything now
wasn't expecting them on the weekend and had booked them in during the week but decided to get them fitted today as I'm going to be very short of time this week to clean/seal them etc. After a decent conversation with one of the boys @ National Tyres and Autocare I was happy that enough care would be taken so as not to mark the rims during the process. Top boy down there fair play, he was manning the counter in between the job but he humored my OCD approach and explained the process letting me watch (giggidy); explaining the care he was taking not to make contact with the wheels etc.
So tyres fitted. I didn't have them fitted to the car as I wanted to was/polish and seal them before they went on. Took most of the afternoon
Washed them with a shampoo as normal to remove any grime/oil and then applied one coat (some say it could have done with two) of Mer Autoshine Deep Gloss Finishing Wax and then two coats of Poorboys Wheel Wax to seal up. Both compounds went on very easily and were simple to remove once hazed. The protection should last a few weeks hopefully.
pic heavy
& on the car. Also fitted my fog light covers
Drives just fine with them.
Having the lambda/o2 sensor fitted in the week @ 3 Arches.
Don't think there'll be any updates for a while, think I've done everything now
Well it's been almost week since we returned from our second trip to France this year and I've managed to find some time to put my thoughts about the experience down. Another great week in Lesbois and the surrounding rural areas. This week was more about doing nothing that doing things. Last time we tripped to Le Mans and a few other places which took up full days, one excursion was completed this time around; last week I mostly sat on this veranda
and stared at this lake
with a glass of cidre in my hand and the bottle never far from my side.
We had great weather, 20/21c all week with blue skys in the day and mild nights. I didn't take many photos so it's hard to show where we stayed/the surroundings but as I've eluded to previously; the gite we stay in was wonderfully presented, a mix of old and new and the hospitality shown by the host/owner of the property was lovely. Sue cooked us a beautiful 4 course dinner one night and we had the company of some ex-pats who were equally lovely. Great food/wine/friends, perfect. It's strange to think that we and many others do this a week at a time if were lucky enough to be able to but this is Sues job, this is her income, tending to the property and making sure her guests are comfortable and well informed about possible activities during their stay. Sat reminiscent in the office today I know which life I'd choose if I had the choice.
Interestingly the morning we got there we bumped into another brit who moved out a few years ago whom we'd met at a small soirée on our last visit. Very handy because we don't speak french, no one in Gorron speaks English and French customs are very different to our own. He explained no chance of breakfast at 10:30am, you'll have a coffee (black) and enjoy it, lunch won't be served for another our and a half. At least Barry could explain this rather than us trying to find a food source that didn't exist mid morning. We've been there a few times now but it's still quite alien. Anyway the interesting bit was Barry mentioned the weekend previous I/we'd missed a big Rallycross event at the local circuit (damn) but that the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations was being held in Ernee that weekend, amazing! I've had dirt bikes in the past etc so was really looking forward to being a spectator at that. Turns out to watch the final on the Sunday was 70euro each, we would have only been there for a few hours so decides against the outlay but was still interesting to see such a huge event take place a few miles down the road from where we were staying
random photo of one of the many camping areas
bike parking
Maybe we'll catch it next time.
Fast forward, got to cottage and de-bagged, popped to the Super U and stocked up on bread/cheese/Brioche/Cidre/Wine/Roule and collapsed into a chair for the rest of the day, only to be bothered by Rory the bernese mountain dog, Billy the Spaniel and 11 ducks that have learnt that guests are a consistent food source.
Really that is pretty much what we did all week, sit and stare. The perfect remedy to daily life. We did actually go on one other trip, to a Zoo. The OH is into Zoo's; I'm not, they tend to bum me out seeing animals behind bars. This place was one of the better ones, large enclosures and an emphasis on awareness and conservation, that is of little consolation to the animals there though I'm sure, especially the polar bear that was in obvious distress, very sad.
The one 'event' of the week occurred on the way back from said animal prison. Driving along, suddenly a wild pot hole appeared, the only pot hole in France I wager. I hit it at about 70mph. Not a small pot hole, a big pot hole, on a motorway. Now this (thank god) didn't result in a flat tyre or the steering wheel developing any strange angles or vibrations but the car immediately felt very different. "f
king Great" I said among other words that made the missus slightly uncomfortable. I pulled over to see if I could see any damage and I couldn't. Thoughts of a buckle in my newly refurbished wheel raised my temperature about 400c for a short time. Got back to the cottage and whipped the wheel off to find no obvious bends or breaks in components, the wheel and tyre looked fine. I can only largely put down the feeling that the car was in some way damaged beyond any economical repair to paranoia. It's been checked over by Dean @ 3 Arches this week after we arrived back and although the tracking on the F/O/S wheel has adjusted slightly he noted he can find nothing else wrong and to 'chill the fk out and just drive it' (not his words but a summary of our conversation) All angles are now back to where they should be and I'm confident in 3 Arches appraisal. Thanks goodness, I don't really have money for new suspension components right now.
Well that's pretty much it, the car made it there and back without any issues, it was a superb companion for the whole week, it ate up miles (710 in total) and didn't put a foot wrong, accept when the wheel fell into that canyon on the motorway.
Oh travel logistics were Portsmouth to St Malo on an overnight ferry, from St Malo to Gorron is about 1 and half hours so minimal motorway driving, which was nice.
and stared at this lake
with a glass of cidre in my hand and the bottle never far from my side.
We had great weather, 20/21c all week with blue skys in the day and mild nights. I didn't take many photos so it's hard to show where we stayed/the surroundings but as I've eluded to previously; the gite we stay in was wonderfully presented, a mix of old and new and the hospitality shown by the host/owner of the property was lovely. Sue cooked us a beautiful 4 course dinner one night and we had the company of some ex-pats who were equally lovely. Great food/wine/friends, perfect. It's strange to think that we and many others do this a week at a time if were lucky enough to be able to but this is Sues job, this is her income, tending to the property and making sure her guests are comfortable and well informed about possible activities during their stay. Sat reminiscent in the office today I know which life I'd choose if I had the choice.
Interestingly the morning we got there we bumped into another brit who moved out a few years ago whom we'd met at a small soirée on our last visit. Very handy because we don't speak french, no one in Gorron speaks English and French customs are very different to our own. He explained no chance of breakfast at 10:30am, you'll have a coffee (black) and enjoy it, lunch won't be served for another our and a half. At least Barry could explain this rather than us trying to find a food source that didn't exist mid morning. We've been there a few times now but it's still quite alien. Anyway the interesting bit was Barry mentioned the weekend previous I/we'd missed a big Rallycross event at the local circuit (damn) but that the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations was being held in Ernee that weekend, amazing! I've had dirt bikes in the past etc so was really looking forward to being a spectator at that. Turns out to watch the final on the Sunday was 70euro each, we would have only been there for a few hours so decides against the outlay but was still interesting to see such a huge event take place a few miles down the road from where we were staying
random photo of one of the many camping areas
bike parking
Maybe we'll catch it next time.
Fast forward, got to cottage and de-bagged, popped to the Super U and stocked up on bread/cheese/Brioche/Cidre/Wine/Roule and collapsed into a chair for the rest of the day, only to be bothered by Rory the bernese mountain dog, Billy the Spaniel and 11 ducks that have learnt that guests are a consistent food source.
Really that is pretty much what we did all week, sit and stare. The perfect remedy to daily life. We did actually go on one other trip, to a Zoo. The OH is into Zoo's; I'm not, they tend to bum me out seeing animals behind bars. This place was one of the better ones, large enclosures and an emphasis on awareness and conservation, that is of little consolation to the animals there though I'm sure, especially the polar bear that was in obvious distress, very sad.
The one 'event' of the week occurred on the way back from said animal prison. Driving along, suddenly a wild pot hole appeared, the only pot hole in France I wager. I hit it at about 70mph. Not a small pot hole, a big pot hole, on a motorway. Now this (thank god) didn't result in a flat tyre or the steering wheel developing any strange angles or vibrations but the car immediately felt very different. "f
king Great" I said among other words that made the missus slightly uncomfortable. I pulled over to see if I could see any damage and I couldn't. Thoughts of a buckle in my newly refurbished wheel raised my temperature about 400c for a short time. Got back to the cottage and whipped the wheel off to find no obvious bends or breaks in components, the wheel and tyre looked fine. I can only largely put down the feeling that the car was in some way damaged beyond any economical repair to paranoia. It's been checked over by Dean @ 3 Arches this week after we arrived back and although the tracking on the F/O/S wheel has adjusted slightly he noted he can find nothing else wrong and to 'chill the fk out and just drive it' (not his words but a summary of our conversation) All angles are now back to where they should be and I'm confident in 3 Arches appraisal. Thanks goodness, I don't really have money for new suspension components right now.Well that's pretty much it, the car made it there and back without any issues, it was a superb companion for the whole week, it ate up miles (710 in total) and didn't put a foot wrong, accept when the wheel fell into that canyon on the motorway.
Oh travel logistics were Portsmouth to St Malo on an overnight ferry, from St Malo to Gorron is about 1 and half hours so minimal motorway driving, which was nice.
Hey pal,
You pointed me in this direction from ScoobyNet and your car is looking great with the new wheels!
I'd like to get some fog light covers too as with the fog lights it can make the front end look a bit messy. You've definitely sold me on that idea as yours looks great!
Will keep an eye on this for inspiration.
Matt
You pointed me in this direction from ScoobyNet and your car is looking great with the new wheels!
I'd like to get some fog light covers too as with the fog lights it can make the front end look a bit messy. You've definitely sold me on that idea as yours looks great!
Will keep an eye on this for inspiration
.Matt
Cheers dude I'm very pleased with the Revs
Yea I felt the same, the fog covers really finish the front end, never really liked the visible laps either. Most seem to come up for about £120 which is crazy for what you're getting, mine came up for £60 so it bit the bullet. Mine aren't genuine and have slightly too much of a curve to them (sit slightly proud) but I'm still happy with the result. THey 02c blue and as new which is the main thing for me.
Throw a thread up for yours dude
Yea I felt the same, the fog covers really finish the front end, never really liked the visible laps either. Most seem to come up for about £120 which is crazy for what you're getting, mine came up for £60 so it bit the bullet. Mine aren't genuine and have slightly too much of a curve to them (sit slightly proud) but I'm still happy with the result. THey 02c blue and as new which is the main thing for me.
Throw a thread up for yours dude
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