Big mileage log...
Discussion
So, first major drama with the TT today.
As per my previous entries, it's been driving like a dream since we collected it. I took my son to his first football training session of the week which just so happened to be down the road from the local Kwik Fit (you know where this is going...). Having needed to get the air con re-charged since we bought it, I dropped it off with the chirpy service guy reassuring me it'd be all ready to go in an hour for less than £50 and no charge if they can't make any significant difference to the temp.
60mins passes and my son and I made our way back to collect the car. A now ashen-faced service guy quickly tells me the air-con couldn't be fixed because he'd encountered, and I quote "serious problems with the car'. Apparently the brakes are no longer working and as a result he's nearly reversed the car into a wall when trying to remove it from the service bay. Now, given the car just sailed through it's MOT courtesy of new rear brake pads and that my local independent mechanic reassured me the car was in great nick, to say I was a little surprised was an under statement.
I demanded the keys back, jumped in the driver seat and fired her up. The engine was now all over the place too. Revs up and down, car shuddering and spluttering. Clearly a major issue. One he said he'd gladly take a look at once the car was booked in and I'd left it with them for a couple of hours. With the engine still on I jumped back round the front of the car for a snoop around. I immediately encountered a loud hissing sound. Looking around the engine, this clown - for reasons only he'll know - had disconnected the servo pipes and just left them dangling. I went to connect them but found them now split. tracking the pipe back around to the other end this was also . Even when reconnected, the hissing sound was clearly audible although the brakes and shuddering were now clearly in a far better place... although the engine was still too 'up and down' in the revs department.
The technician quickly blamed age of the pipes and got quite defensive when I asked why he'd disconnected them in the first place. He offered some cable ties as a temporary measure and gave me a lecture about driving home safely in the cars 'condition'.
So, the car was going great guns... but a failed aircon recharge later and I'm looking at a relatively substantial bill for replacement servo pipes... and am reflecting on one of the most inept pieces of car maintenance I honestly believe i have experienced in my driving life to date. Utterly bizarre.
I've managed to get the mobile number for the Area Ops Manager for Kwik Fit. He now has a voicemail from me waiting for when he next turns his mobile on.
To be continued...
As per my previous entries, it's been driving like a dream since we collected it. I took my son to his first football training session of the week which just so happened to be down the road from the local Kwik Fit (you know where this is going...). Having needed to get the air con re-charged since we bought it, I dropped it off with the chirpy service guy reassuring me it'd be all ready to go in an hour for less than £50 and no charge if they can't make any significant difference to the temp.
60mins passes and my son and I made our way back to collect the car. A now ashen-faced service guy quickly tells me the air-con couldn't be fixed because he'd encountered, and I quote "serious problems with the car'. Apparently the brakes are no longer working and as a result he's nearly reversed the car into a wall when trying to remove it from the service bay. Now, given the car just sailed through it's MOT courtesy of new rear brake pads and that my local independent mechanic reassured me the car was in great nick, to say I was a little surprised was an under statement.
I demanded the keys back, jumped in the driver seat and fired her up. The engine was now all over the place too. Revs up and down, car shuddering and spluttering. Clearly a major issue. One he said he'd gladly take a look at once the car was booked in and I'd left it with them for a couple of hours. With the engine still on I jumped back round the front of the car for a snoop around. I immediately encountered a loud hissing sound. Looking around the engine, this clown - for reasons only he'll know - had disconnected the servo pipes and just left them dangling. I went to connect them but found them now split. tracking the pipe back around to the other end this was also . Even when reconnected, the hissing sound was clearly audible although the brakes and shuddering were now clearly in a far better place... although the engine was still too 'up and down' in the revs department.
The technician quickly blamed age of the pipes and got quite defensive when I asked why he'd disconnected them in the first place. He offered some cable ties as a temporary measure and gave me a lecture about driving home safely in the cars 'condition'.
So, the car was going great guns... but a failed aircon recharge later and I'm looking at a relatively substantial bill for replacement servo pipes... and am reflecting on one of the most inept pieces of car maintenance I honestly believe i have experienced in my driving life to date. Utterly bizarre.
I've managed to get the mobile number for the Area Ops Manager for Kwik Fit. He now has a voicemail from me waiting for when he next turns his mobile on.
To be continued...
Cheers, guys. To be fair, I'd be raging if this had been a major expenditure. When I bought the car I half imagined 'adventures' like this would be part of the journey. That said, I really wasn't expecting to experience such complete and utter mechanical ineptitude.
The latest: I've had some half decent news from my local garage (West Wickham's MG Autos). Having been all over the affected areas they have gone bit-by-bit starting with the vacuum pipe. This has been replaced and the engine appears to be performing fine. I've not had a cvhance to run VAG com on it yet but it looks like no major damage has been done beyond the broken pipes. £75 + VAT later and she's back humming at her best again. With the missus away for the weekend, I've got the TT all to myself so I'll have a chance to give her a thorough, varied run. MG Autos are confident I'll be hassle free.
Oh, one other spot. While the car was in they tried to recharge the zircon. Sadly it lookms like it's bit the dust. There's some damage to the condenser which has allowed pollutants in. This in turn prevents the air from cooling. The choice is either a £3-500 minimum charge for a condenser replacement or I go old school and get used to using the windows for a cooler driving experience! I've chosen the latter. Even with the condenser replaced they are not confident the aircon will be back to normal. This car was designed to be a bit of weekend fun. I could do without £500.
There is a £75 + VAT voicemail waiting for the Kwik Fit Grande Fromage. Story TBC...
In other news, the good ladt has made a firm claim for the TT by putting the Beetle up for sale. £6500 if there's any interest...!!?!
The latest: I've had some half decent news from my local garage (West Wickham's MG Autos). Having been all over the affected areas they have gone bit-by-bit starting with the vacuum pipe. This has been replaced and the engine appears to be performing fine. I've not had a cvhance to run VAG com on it yet but it looks like no major damage has been done beyond the broken pipes. £75 + VAT later and she's back humming at her best again. With the missus away for the weekend, I've got the TT all to myself so I'll have a chance to give her a thorough, varied run. MG Autos are confident I'll be hassle free.
Oh, one other spot. While the car was in they tried to recharge the zircon. Sadly it lookms like it's bit the dust. There's some damage to the condenser which has allowed pollutants in. This in turn prevents the air from cooling. The choice is either a £3-500 minimum charge for a condenser replacement or I go old school and get used to using the windows for a cooler driving experience! I've chosen the latter. Even with the condenser replaced they are not confident the aircon will be back to normal. This car was designed to be a bit of weekend fun. I could do without £500.
There is a £75 + VAT voicemail waiting for the Kwik Fit Grande Fromage. Story TBC...
In other news, the good ladt has made a firm claim for the TT by putting the Beetle up for sale. £6500 if there's any interest...!!?!
Ok so some apologies...
Firstly, sorry Kwik Fit. Sorry I brought my car to you - 'the ones to trust' - hoping to have my aircon recharged. Sorry I allowed your negligent engineer to damage my engine in the process. Sorry I called your head office to discuss that experience with in the hope you'd rectify and avoid it happening again to someone else. Sorry I had to call your area manager several times before I finally got instructions on how you would rectify my complaint... despite his promise that one call to him would be enough. Sorry I turned up mid way through today for a reimbursement only to be told by your ridiculously surly Branch Manager there was only a tenner in your till so I'd have to come back later. Sorry I stood there looking rather inconvenienced by the whole matter. Sorry I finally turned up towards the end of the day to collect the reimbursement from your increasingly miserable staff... And finally, sorry I'll make a point of NEVER using Kwik Fit for any kind of work on any of my cars EVER again. You had so many chances to put this situation right and restore faith but failed miserably on every occasion. If I honestly felt it would make a blind bit of difference, I'd write to Tom Farmer and recount this sorry tale to him but instead I choose to vote with my feet. I'm not wasting another breath, flick of a biro or press of a keyboard button on you.
Thank you MG Autos of West Wickham for your speedy repair and sound advice on the damage caused. I'm glad cable ties were swiftly pointed out to be a less than ideal scenario!
Pleased to say the TT is - once again - running like a charm.
Firstly, sorry Kwik Fit. Sorry I brought my car to you - 'the ones to trust' - hoping to have my aircon recharged. Sorry I allowed your negligent engineer to damage my engine in the process. Sorry I called your head office to discuss that experience with in the hope you'd rectify and avoid it happening again to someone else. Sorry I had to call your area manager several times before I finally got instructions on how you would rectify my complaint... despite his promise that one call to him would be enough. Sorry I turned up mid way through today for a reimbursement only to be told by your ridiculously surly Branch Manager there was only a tenner in your till so I'd have to come back later. Sorry I stood there looking rather inconvenienced by the whole matter. Sorry I finally turned up towards the end of the day to collect the reimbursement from your increasingly miserable staff... And finally, sorry I'll make a point of NEVER using Kwik Fit for any kind of work on any of my cars EVER again. You had so many chances to put this situation right and restore faith but failed miserably on every occasion. If I honestly felt it would make a blind bit of difference, I'd write to Tom Farmer and recount this sorry tale to him but instead I choose to vote with my feet. I'm not wasting another breath, flick of a biro or press of a keyboard button on you.
Thank you MG Autos of West Wickham for your speedy repair and sound advice on the damage caused. I'm glad cable ties were swiftly pointed out to be a less than ideal scenario!
Pleased to say the TT is - once again - running like a charm.
Nothing...! We're going to drop back down to two cars for a 'little while' given the TT has proven to be a real star. I'll assure you the 911 will likely appear once we've sold the Beetle and the money is burning a hole in our pockets!
TT has just passed 3k under our ownership. Running like a dream!
TT has just passed 3k under our ownership. Running like a dream!
OK, so a front bulb goes... bit of a bigger getting to the fitting so the missus lovingly agreed to drop by Halfords and get them to fit it... you know where this is going...
Two broken clips later and they are sending the car to one of their Auto centres with sincerest apologies. Fair play to them - or so I thought at the time - they tookthe front bumper off and replaced all four front bulbs to make up for the inconvenience.
Noticed the next morning that in taking off the front bumper they have cracked it from top to bottom. Grrrrr.....
Thanks, Halfords. Please accept your place alongside Kwik Fit on my 'vote with my feet, tell everyone' list. MUGS.
She is still driving like a dream!! Approaching 4k mileage and still smoother than a cashmere codpiece!! ;0)
Two broken clips later and they are sending the car to one of their Auto centres with sincerest apologies. Fair play to them - or so I thought at the time - they tookthe front bumper off and replaced all four front bulbs to make up for the inconvenience.
Noticed the next morning that in taking off the front bumper they have cracked it from top to bottom. Grrrrr.....
Thanks, Halfords. Please accept your place alongside Kwik Fit on my 'vote with my feet, tell everyone' list. MUGS.
She is still driving like a dream!! Approaching 4k mileage and still smoother than a cashmere codpiece!! ;0)
Cheers, guys. To be fair, great points and I do feel more than a little culpable. That said, in my defence:
1) Kwik Fit:
If you flick back through that experience, it all started with a very simple aircon re-gass. I honestly couldn't believe that even Kwik Fit could make a hash of that. I certainly didn't think they would cause enough damage to cripple my hydraulics! Surely even a work experience chancer can connect a hose!?!
2) Halfords:
Similar story. I needed a bulb changing, had a busy week at work so agreeing to lket the good lady drive her to my local store for what should have been a no-fuss bulb fit didn't exactly feel like putting her in for a full and thorough engine rebuild!!
On reflection, I've been utterly stunned at just how bad a service both have offered for even the most basic of tasks. For anything remotely mechanical or electrical, I've always relied on my local specialist service centre who has done a brilliant job for me for many years. I'd likely have asked him to do both of these jobs if there hadn't been the option of 'dropping in and we'll do this for you right away'. What is it they say about patience being a virtue?
Lessons learnt. I need to slow the pace of my decision making down and stop opting for quick, cheap solutions. No such thing as a free lunch.
Right then... about this damaged front bumper. Anyone recommend a useful and reliable breakers service. Rather than try and patch up this one I'm going to probably look to replace lock, stock and barrel.
1) Kwik Fit:
If you flick back through that experience, it all started with a very simple aircon re-gass. I honestly couldn't believe that even Kwik Fit could make a hash of that. I certainly didn't think they would cause enough damage to cripple my hydraulics! Surely even a work experience chancer can connect a hose!?!
2) Halfords:
Similar story. I needed a bulb changing, had a busy week at work so agreeing to lket the good lady drive her to my local store for what should have been a no-fuss bulb fit didn't exactly feel like putting her in for a full and thorough engine rebuild!!
On reflection, I've been utterly stunned at just how bad a service both have offered for even the most basic of tasks. For anything remotely mechanical or electrical, I've always relied on my local specialist service centre who has done a brilliant job for me for many years. I'd likely have asked him to do both of these jobs if there hadn't been the option of 'dropping in and we'll do this for you right away'. What is it they say about patience being a virtue?
Lessons learnt. I need to slow the pace of my decision making down and stop opting for quick, cheap solutions. No such thing as a free lunch.
Right then... about this damaged front bumper. Anyone recommend a useful and reliable breakers service. Rather than try and patch up this one I'm going to probably look to replace lock, stock and barrel.
A couple of weeks on from the Halfords experience and I'm unsurprised to find that both of the sidelights they 'kindly' replaced have since blown. That's mildly irritating given both had only been replaced a matter of weeks earlier as part of the service and MOT and had been working fine. It was the main beam I'd wanted changing in the first place and - whilst I appreciated the full sweep of bulb changes as a gesture (and indeed the logic behind it) - I'd likely have declined had I been there in person... hence the irritation. Can I be bothered to pursue it? Not really. I'll vote with my feet (and keyboard).
The TT is now booked in to my local independent technician for a full Vagcom diagnotics check (keen to make sure there is not an underlying electrical issue) and bulb change. My own handheld VAGcom is currently showing just the one error code. The coolant temp sensor is on the way out (as some of your kindly suggested previously) and will be changed. The quote is £10-20 plus labour FYI. Hopefully nothing more sinister... although given the age and general condition of the car the odd loose / bad connection is expected.
Sadly for me, this is part of an expensive automotive week for me. The 1.9l A4 TDi estate is due a cambelt change which is set to deprive me of £400... just ahead of Christmas (grrr...). I've been putting it off but a mate has just lost his VW Bora by delaying so the family workhorse was duly booked in for 'the big one'. In fact it's being done as I type. the TT repalces it at the works tomorrow...
The TT is now booked in to my local independent technician for a full Vagcom diagnotics check (keen to make sure there is not an underlying electrical issue) and bulb change. My own handheld VAGcom is currently showing just the one error code. The coolant temp sensor is on the way out (as some of your kindly suggested previously) and will be changed. The quote is £10-20 plus labour FYI. Hopefully nothing more sinister... although given the age and general condition of the car the odd loose / bad connection is expected.
Sadly for me, this is part of an expensive automotive week for me. The 1.9l A4 TDi estate is due a cambelt change which is set to deprive me of £400... just ahead of Christmas (grrr...). I've been putting it off but a mate has just lost his VW Bora by delaying so the family workhorse was duly booked in for 'the big one'. In fact it's being done as I type. the TT repalces it at the works tomorrow...
Thanks, bud. I'm already with you on the eBay front. I've had my eyes on there twice daily looking for a replacement. The once hairline cracks have fast become ugly blemishes thanks to Halfords' 'intervention' so I'm obliged to get that sorted... even though everyone else seems to think I'm mad and they're ingsignificant.
An update on the blown bulbs. Delighted to report there are no electrical faults. The TT had a full diagnostics run on it and the same error codes came up as my handheld VAGcom is finding, i.e. Coolant Temp Sensor failiure. That £20 repair is not going to be a problem and only the mechanics forgetfullness prevented it on the day. It'll be done in the next week or two. It turns out Halfords had taken my lovely posh bulbs out and replaced them with with cheap crud that actually didn't even fit properly. They forced these iffy bulbs in, damaging them in the process (the metal bases looked like they been attacked with a can opener), hence they worked for all of 30 mins before going pop.
So, now I'm on another full sweep of bulbs (£30 more on the aging car spend-o-meter) but d'ya know what... it's still giving me bags of fun and I'm taking the irritating pit-stops in my stride. I'll certainly be taking the advice and avoiding high street fixes in my quest for continuing cheap automotive thrills.
A lovely run around the London/Kent border back-roads (Warlingham, Caterham, Biggin-Hill etc.) at the weekend complete with a few compliments from passers by as I tanked her up. Along the lines of '...you see plenty of them but they really are lovely motors those Mk.1's eh?!'.
An update on the blown bulbs. Delighted to report there are no electrical faults. The TT had a full diagnostics run on it and the same error codes came up as my handheld VAGcom is finding, i.e. Coolant Temp Sensor failiure. That £20 repair is not going to be a problem and only the mechanics forgetfullness prevented it on the day. It'll be done in the next week or two. It turns out Halfords had taken my lovely posh bulbs out and replaced them with with cheap crud that actually didn't even fit properly. They forced these iffy bulbs in, damaging them in the process (the metal bases looked like they been attacked with a can opener), hence they worked for all of 30 mins before going pop.
So, now I'm on another full sweep of bulbs (£30 more on the aging car spend-o-meter) but d'ya know what... it's still giving me bags of fun and I'm taking the irritating pit-stops in my stride. I'll certainly be taking the advice and avoiding high street fixes in my quest for continuing cheap automotive thrills.
A lovely run around the London/Kent border back-roads (Warlingham, Caterham, Biggin-Hill etc.) at the weekend complete with a few compliments from passers by as I tanked her up. Along the lines of '...you see plenty of them but they really are lovely motors those Mk.1's eh?!'.
Ouch...!
When I first bought ours I felt strangely drawn to the single exhaust... which seemed to mutter 'entry level, hair-dresser version' at me with every glance. As the months have passed I feel mildly relieved that I've got less things onboard to go wrong.
A mate is now getting involved. He picked a 3.2l coupe up via a cheeky £2k eBay bid. The owner was distraught but went along with the deal. It looks great, drives well and may prove to be a bargain but he has a nagging suspicion about 'no such thing as a free lunch' etc.
Fingers crossed for you in the coming weeks, bud.
When I first bought ours I felt strangely drawn to the single exhaust... which seemed to mutter 'entry level, hair-dresser version' at me with every glance. As the months have passed I feel mildly relieved that I've got less things onboard to go wrong.
A mate is now getting involved. He picked a 3.2l coupe up via a cheeky £2k eBay bid. The owner was distraught but went along with the deal. It looks great, drives well and may prove to be a bargain but he has a nagging suspicion about 'no such thing as a free lunch' etc.
Fingers crossed for you in the coming weeks, bud.
Delighted to report the TT has just clocked it's first 4k miles in my ownership and is 110% driving better than she was upon collection. That's meaning we're now down to £0.50p per mile driven (excluding running costs and basic maintenance... on the basis that only a few high street muppets have meant any real spend of note.
I've brainwashed a minimum three friends and colleagues into taking the plunge on a Shed-esque, cheap thrills approach to owning a sports coupe. All are - generally - enjoying similar stories.
Nothing more to add... although with rumours of snow, it's going to be fun seeing how the TT reacts to the white stuff. It will - hopefully - be a damn sight better than wellies and national rail!
I've brainwashed a minimum three friends and colleagues into taking the plunge on a Shed-esque, cheap thrills approach to owning a sports coupe. All are - generally - enjoying similar stories.
Nothing more to add... although with rumours of snow, it's going to be fun seeing how the TT reacts to the white stuff. It will - hopefully - be a damn sight better than wellies and national rail!
What better way to welcome in my first run of 2014... Than a near breakdown and a new alternator!
We decided to spend C'mas and New Years out of the country meaning the TT was sat idle and getting peed on non stop for a couple of weeks. After a slow start, my run across London started brightly before I noticed the electrical system beginning it's tell-tale, stage by stage shut down. Luckily for me, the battery was reported as nearly new and performed it's heroics by getting me to work in the nick of time.
Cue the RAC! The patrol that came out to me at the office was an absolute hero. Swiftly diagnosed the fault... The original OE fit alternator had put up with nearly 200k but had finally given up the ghost! Whilst I phoned my local mechanic in preparation of a costly repair/replacement and long and dull recovery across London, the RsC chap was cheekily tee-ing me up with an alternative option. This I liked a lot! Well, as much as you can when spending a decent chunk of your supposed January financial cut back unexpectedly!
Cut a long story short, the patrolman charged the battery enough to get me a couple of miles down the road to the garage. Kingston's AutoQuick. Why? Just £266 for a replacement Bosch alternator all installed in time for the end of play today. The ever helpful RAC chap even gave me a lift back to the office whilst they repaired the car.
I've just driven her back home again and she's back on top form.
Nearly at 5000 miles in my ownership by the way. Still feels like cheap thrills to me!
We decided to spend C'mas and New Years out of the country meaning the TT was sat idle and getting peed on non stop for a couple of weeks. After a slow start, my run across London started brightly before I noticed the electrical system beginning it's tell-tale, stage by stage shut down. Luckily for me, the battery was reported as nearly new and performed it's heroics by getting me to work in the nick of time.
Cue the RAC! The patrol that came out to me at the office was an absolute hero. Swiftly diagnosed the fault... The original OE fit alternator had put up with nearly 200k but had finally given up the ghost! Whilst I phoned my local mechanic in preparation of a costly repair/replacement and long and dull recovery across London, the RsC chap was cheekily tee-ing me up with an alternative option. This I liked a lot! Well, as much as you can when spending a decent chunk of your supposed January financial cut back unexpectedly!
Cut a long story short, the patrolman charged the battery enough to get me a couple of miles down the road to the garage. Kingston's AutoQuick. Why? Just £266 for a replacement Bosch alternator all installed in time for the end of play today. The ever helpful RAC chap even gave me a lift back to the office whilst they repaired the car.
I've just driven her back home again and she's back on top form.
Nearly at 5000 miles in my ownership by the way. Still feels like cheap thrills to me!
Busy week for the TT has seen it cross the 5k barrier in my ownership. It's turned into an absolute hero purchase. Bar a bit of routine parts replacement, some fluids and the odd high street car maintenance 'contribution' (all documented on here), it's proving great fun. Cheap thrills indeed.
Just topped up the power steering oil thanks to some timely advice from a former TT owner. As a result, the steering is far, far lighter and quieter than any point since I've owned her.
Still need to get my hands on a cheap replacement front bumper...
Just topped up the power steering oil thanks to some timely advice from a former TT owner. As a result, the steering is far, far lighter and quieter than any point since I've owned her.
Still need to get my hands on a cheap replacement front bumper...
So, she's still going great guns.
A little bit of work done on her to date but delighted to say it's pretty much buttons.
Had to cut out and Replace a power steering fluid pipe that had corroded. As you'd expect, the steering was making all kinds of noise and was reminiscent of a 1980 drive! My local guy did this for £50 all in.
New set of front tyres. Given this exercise is all about cheap thrills, I was talked into giving a set of Jinu us a go. After protesting about possible ditch finder characteristics I was given a 'return if you don't like them' offer by the fitter who runs them on his track day car. Can't say fairer than that. Dunlop's they are not... But for the £100 they cost they are proving to be surprisingly grippy.
Had the front seats restored as they were beginning to look like the toes on a primary school kid's school shoes. Again, buttons.
I've started getting the car alarm flat battery alerts this past week. Looking into this a wee bit, it's looking like a £100 replacement if I box clever with online parts.
Other than that, I mustn't grumble.
A little bit of work done on her to date but delighted to say it's pretty much buttons.
Had to cut out and Replace a power steering fluid pipe that had corroded. As you'd expect, the steering was making all kinds of noise and was reminiscent of a 1980 drive! My local guy did this for £50 all in.
New set of front tyres. Given this exercise is all about cheap thrills, I was talked into giving a set of Jinu us a go. After protesting about possible ditch finder characteristics I was given a 'return if you don't like them' offer by the fitter who runs them on his track day car. Can't say fairer than that. Dunlop's they are not... But for the £100 they cost they are proving to be surprisingly grippy.
Had the front seats restored as they were beginning to look like the toes on a primary school kid's school shoes. Again, buttons.
I've started getting the car alarm flat battery alerts this past week. Looking into this a wee bit, it's looking like a £100 replacement if I box clever with online parts.
Other than that, I mustn't grumble.
Another good week for the little lady with the busy odometer.
The TT just slipped through the second MOT since I assumed ownership. Not a single issue to cause a fail and only two advisories to consider moving forward. One a broken exhaust bracket (mid) and pitted front brakes. Other than that, it's just a £50 bill this time around.
The TT just slipped through the second MOT since I assumed ownership. Not a single issue to cause a fail and only two advisories to consider moving forward. One a broken exhaust bracket (mid) and pitted front brakes. Other than that, it's just a £50 bill this time around.
Edited by MulsanneKinky on Sunday 22 June 17:52
Just returned from the latest in a series of quality runs in the old girl. Stunning performance (relative to 180bhp) on open London-Kent border roads with the car purring in 4-6 gear and delivering a spritely, balanced run. I cast my mind back to early runs I gave her and it's obvious performance has improved. Only the noticeable rattle from the broken exhaust bracket and the nagging awareness of the cracked front bumper to irritate me.
A cheeky run down to Goodwood FOS in her last week culminating in a dash up and down half of the hill run. As you'll see from the snap, the sprint up was past some rather exhaled company (in the Macca P1). More than the odd officious eyeball around so I was treading carefully. Back down was pretty much all clear and it would have been rude not too!
It's funny, I'm not sure the previous owner would have ever thought she'd make it past a few hundred miles, never mind a blast along one of the UK's most iconic strips of tarmac. I draw immense satisfaction from that.
A VIP from McLaren also nabbed me outside of Goodwood House as I parked up, full of enthusiasm for what he called 'a design classic' and 'a pure piece of driving fun'. I couldn't have put it better myself!
The evening blast home from Goodwood (along the deserted A264, M23, M25) was an absolute treat. The greasy roads giving me an opportunity to work the Quattro and the supposedly 'grippy' Jinyu tyres. I'm delighted to report the boots held up remarkably well.
Now, just the small matter of a tax disc to service this month...
A cheeky run down to Goodwood FOS in her last week culminating in a dash up and down half of the hill run. As you'll see from the snap, the sprint up was past some rather exhaled company (in the Macca P1). More than the odd officious eyeball around so I was treading carefully. Back down was pretty much all clear and it would have been rude not too!
It's funny, I'm not sure the previous owner would have ever thought she'd make it past a few hundred miles, never mind a blast along one of the UK's most iconic strips of tarmac. I draw immense satisfaction from that.
A VIP from McLaren also nabbed me outside of Goodwood House as I parked up, full of enthusiasm for what he called 'a design classic' and 'a pure piece of driving fun'. I couldn't have put it better myself!
The evening blast home from Goodwood (along the deserted A264, M23, M25) was an absolute treat. The greasy roads giving me an opportunity to work the Quattro and the supposedly 'grippy' Jinyu tyres. I'm delighted to report the boots held up remarkably well.
Now, just the small matter of a tax disc to service this month...
A minor scrape for the TT this week. Driving back from the Coast, my wife (who was driving the TT) allowed my daughter to stretch her legs by - briefly - putting her feet up on the dash. The wee lady thought it would be fun to press her feet against the windscreen, much to it's displeasure. The result, a father nasty set of cracks and a £75 excess to have the windscreen replaced.
On a positive, Autoglass we're absolutely first class on the repair job. An Audi enthusiast fitter (owner of a nice looking S3) who showed a real enthusiasm for the ongoing 'Big mileage Log' project and the fun I'm having for my £2k initial outlay. I'm now the proud owner of a lovely new windscreen currently sat gleaming in the glorious sunshine.
As you would imagine, after so many miles the old glass had a few dinks and scratches plus some of the surrounding trim has been displaced and never quite returned to it's original position. All this was put right which should mean a few less rattles etc.
Ultimately £75 I hadn't planned on spending but every cloud, etc. etc. etc.
On a positive, Autoglass we're absolutely first class on the repair job. An Audi enthusiast fitter (owner of a nice looking S3) who showed a real enthusiasm for the ongoing 'Big mileage Log' project and the fun I'm having for my £2k initial outlay. I'm now the proud owner of a lovely new windscreen currently sat gleaming in the glorious sunshine.
As you would imagine, after so many miles the old glass had a few dinks and scratches plus some of the surrounding trim has been displaced and never quite returned to it's original position. All this was put right which should mean a few less rattles etc.
Ultimately £75 I hadn't planned on spending but every cloud, etc. etc. etc.
Edited by MulsanneKinky on Thursday 31st July 15:39
£170 worse off today after a bit of a hissy fit from the TT.
I've been given extended driving rights to her over the last couple of weeks. It had been all fun and games up until Friday when she started losing power and misfiring a couple of miles from home. On a positive, she just about agreed to get me back on the drive. She also gave me just enough to get her over to my recently acquired mechanic, Yusuf Car Repairs of Petts Wood.
A bunch of new coil packs, a set of new plugs and I finally got the Coolant Temperature Sensor replaced and she's running good as gold again.
I've also decided to take the plunge and get the cam belt, water pump etc. etc. done plus the annual service. Same place, and £280 parts (all manufacturer) and labour. With no paperwork to confirm it's been done recently, it's worth the risk, especially having just replaced the coils, plugs and alternator.
In other news, I've just passed 10k miles in my ownership. I'm still very much of the belief this is proving to be a most worthwhile project!
I've been given extended driving rights to her over the last couple of weeks. It had been all fun and games up until Friday when she started losing power and misfiring a couple of miles from home. On a positive, she just about agreed to get me back on the drive. She also gave me just enough to get her over to my recently acquired mechanic, Yusuf Car Repairs of Petts Wood.
A bunch of new coil packs, a set of new plugs and I finally got the Coolant Temperature Sensor replaced and she's running good as gold again.
I've also decided to take the plunge and get the cam belt, water pump etc. etc. done plus the annual service. Same place, and £280 parts (all manufacturer) and labour. With no paperwork to confirm it's been done recently, it's worth the risk, especially having just replaced the coils, plugs and alternator.
In other news, I've just passed 10k miles in my ownership. I'm still very much of the belief this is proving to be a most worthwhile project!
Edited by MulsanneKinky on Friday 29th August 02:17
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