My Alfa 156

[maxdb]

Background story: I had a Vectra B I purchased for £500. I had it for 6 months but decided to scrap it as there was loads of things wrong with it and it wouldn't be worth getting it through the next MOT.

So I had a budget and now with a small family I needed something that has alot of space and is reliable. The budget would be £1k at a stretch. I looked at a number of cars. Most needed too much work or were sold until last night when I come across this:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...

I was unsure at first as it was quite far away and also an Alfa so not the most reliable or cheap cars to run. I phoned them this morning and I got a cab over to take a look..

£30 in taxi fares later I arrived. It looked good from the outside (apart from a few marks and scratches - but I think some of these will polish out) and the inside didn't look to bad either.

It had a service a month ago and was MOT'd as I waited - it passed with no advisories!!

Some pics of it for sale:







The car had been looked after well by it's previous owners and has always been serviced by Alfa specialists. It came with loads of paperwork and full service history.

£995 later and I was off home. It made it home too

First things off was some car mats. I won't post pics of these as it will be boring. A trip to halfords and £43 later I had some car mats, leather upholstry cleaner, t-cut and a couple of other cleaning products I most likely already have in my toolbox/shed.

There aren't really many issues - most are cosmetic. The list as follows:

- Rear pass door handle slightly broken (apparently a common fault)
- Remote central locking does not work - central locking works by key though.

- The drivers door handle bit sometimes gets stuck it but I think I have mastered this

- There is a small dent in the boot
- Paintwork has some swirl marks
- Stereo is from a later model so colour does not match

The engine also seems to run quite cold, well colder then I thought it would run. I know it's cold outside but the temp gauge usually reads about 60 - 65c.

I don't think I will run it as a shed as it will be a shame to. First jobs will be to give it a good clean and polish. I don't really want to spend much money on the car for a while as want to focus on the house. Once all that is done (will take alot of time) I may do the following:

- Fit performance exhaust
- Uprate the brakes
- Induction/CAF kit
- Possibly de-badge the rear
- Possibly uprate the suspension
- Possibly do other engine mods

However I do want to keep the car as a daily so don't fancy turning it into a track car and making it useless for road use. The car is also on 117k so engine tuning may destroy the engine and/or gearbox with ease.

Hope you enjoyed the read!

[snotrag]

That's lovely is that! Low running temp could suggest thermostat is stuck open?

[Alfahorn]

snotrag said:

That's lovely is that! Low running temp could suggest thermostat is stuck open?

Yep, common on a 156.

When did it last have a cambelt change?

[maxdb]

Last cambelt change was 2010 so it is due one next year. Are there any guides anywhere on how to fix the thermostat?

[Alfahorn]

maxdb said:

Last cambelt change was 2010 so it is due one next year. Are there any guides anywhere on how to fix the thermostat?

It's at the back of the block from memory and a new stat is about £40.

Cambelt should done every 36,000 miles or 3 years.

[renorti]

lovely car,had a 1.8ts and a later 2.0jts,which was excellent.

[hogfisch]

maxdb said:

Last cambelt change was 2010 so it is due one next year. Are there any guides anywhere on how to fix the thermostat?

Alfaowner.com is where you want to take a look:

http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/engines-ts-jts-jtd-...

FYI, I replaced the thermostat on my 147 2l twinspark a few weeks ago. Less than an hour to do, relatively accessible on the right-hand side of the engine.

ETA - nice 156!

[higgsy18]

maxdb said:

- The drivers door handle bit sometimes gets stuck it but I think I have mastered this

Do you mean where the button sticks into the door?

[maxdb]

Cheers for the comments and links - yes it's the button that sometimes sticks in the door. I will need to check but I think the belts were last done December 2010. I think I will get them changed again around summer to be on the safe side. I don't do many miles so once that's done they won't be needed to be done again for 3 years.

[Erwin1978]

I love the red and grey color scheme, nice car! I can only descrive it as 'classy minimalistic Italian'...I reckon it's a keeper? Even with basic maintenance, this cannot devalue more?

[maxdb]

I think it's a keeper. I just found out that the CD player is a Bose - so definately keeping that despite the slight silver colour mismatch. I haven't done anything to it today but I plan on ordering a new thermostat next week and will get that fitted before I start doing longer runs in it. I did notice a ding in the drivers door where someone has opened there door onto it so might sort this out sometime along with colour coding the mirrors and possibly adding some sideskirts but I don't wan't to get too far ahead of myself just yet!!

[robsco]

Lovely looking car. I had to replace the thermostat on my old 156 as it was running cool, a very common problem apparently.

[strangehighways]

What a lovely looking Alfa.

Have you given it a good Italian tune and been through the rev range yet?

It should feel eager right to the red line. If not, maybe the MAF is faulty, a very very common fault with Alfas.

Good luck and keep us updated

[ambuletz]

Wonderful alfa, would love something like that, or even a facelifted 147. But the reputation concerns me!

[Paul S4]

Brilliant cars...I am on my second one, first was a 1.8TS, now got a JTDM 150. The twinspark is a gem of an engine, but you need to ensure that you use the correct oil, and always keep it up to the top mark. They do use oil, some more than others, but you have to check it regularly.
Also I would recommend getting a specialist to do a 4 wheel alignment on it ( the rear tracking can be adjusted ). This would cost about £50 and can transform the car. I had my TS done, and when I got the JTD it did not handle anywhere as good as the TS. Got the 4 wheel alignment done and it made so much difference. It also saves wearing out the rear tyres, which tend to wear out on the inner edges, if the tracking is out ( this is a common problem with 156s).
I had a Cybox cat back exhaust fitted ( about £250 ? via ebay shop ) and it was great ( not too loud but a nice sound )

[carinaman]

strangehighways said:

What a lovely looking Alfa.

Have you given it a good Italian tune and been through the rev range yet?

It should feel eager right to the red line. If not, maybe the MAF is faulty, a very very common fault with Alfas.

Good luck and keep us updated

Someone was telling me Bosch MAFs with GM packaging may work and be cheaper. Perhaps Alfa nuts on a marque specific website can confirm that?

[rhysenna]

carinaman said:

Someone was telling me Bosch MAFs with GM packaging may work and be cheaper. Perhaps Alfa nuts on a marque specific website can confirm that?

Indeed. I bought one for a Vectra and just swapped out the sensor into the Alfa housing. 5 minute job and saved myself £100. Never had any problems in 18 months of motoring.

Lovely car BTW op. Not that I'm biased or anything.

[maxdb]

Thanks for the advice - I must admit to giving it a small Italian tune up on the way home and it seems to pull like it should. It really kicks in after 3k but I didn't push it too far as didn't want to crash it on my first day lol.

The handling appears spot on. It drives like it's almost new. I'll keep my eye on the oil levels in the meantime.

[RicksAlfas]

Looks very smart. Try giving your door button a serious WD40/GT85 lubing.
They get cack in them and it causes them to stick.

[AlfaRSpider]

Look tidy OP. Well looked after makes all the difference! Wouldn't get too carried away adding side skirts, etc. The car is beautiful enough as it is! Are you planning on joining AROC?