New Car - have I done the right thing?
Discussion
Just got my Chimaera 450 back from its first service! Its still throwing out anti freeze all up the inner wing when it gets hot (level well below centre of expansion tank when the cars cold) and to top it all the passenger window has come loose (so you have to help it back up and push the window button to close it).
The car seems to go fairly well, but it's not the performance I expected (I guess it's still tight as its only covered 1200 miles).
The paint has rubbed through on both corners of the bonnet (windscreen end) and on both doors where they rub.
Have I done the right thing buying a TVR?
The car seems to go fairly well, but it's not the performance I expected (I guess it's still tight as its only covered 1200 miles).
The paint has rubbed through on both corners of the bonnet (windscreen end) and on both doors where they rub.
Have I done the right thing buying a TVR?
Yes, but of course I would say that - get it straight back to the dealer and get the problems sorted. You can expect to have the odd niggle, but those are not "odd" so get them sorted out.
Ok, so it is a bind going through this process, but once sorted out it should be fine. As for performance, what do you mean - not what you expected.... Lets be honest here a 450 should do 60 in 4.5 - 5 and 100 in 11 - 13 so it should be faster than just about everything else on the road (Superbikes and £80K Porker Turbos excluded). With the 450 you are also getting some serious bottom end torque so in gear accelleration should be electric.... sounds like something not quite right there...
Then again if you are keeping it below 3000 then you should get swift, but not fast performance. Once you get some more miles on it then you should see it fly. Dont get me wrong 4000 - 4500 RPM is about as far as you need to go, but the extra revs make a difference due to the relatively slow gear change....
What have you come from?
Cheers,
Paul
Ok, so it is a bind going through this process, but once sorted out it should be fine. As for performance, what do you mean - not what you expected.... Lets be honest here a 450 should do 60 in 4.5 - 5 and 100 in 11 - 13 so it should be faster than just about everything else on the road (Superbikes and £80K Porker Turbos excluded). With the 450 you are also getting some serious bottom end torque so in gear accelleration should be electric.... sounds like something not quite right there...
Then again if you are keeping it below 3000 then you should get swift, but not fast performance. Once you get some more miles on it then you should see it fly. Dont get me wrong 4000 - 4500 RPM is about as far as you need to go, but the extra revs make a difference due to the relatively slow gear change....
What have you come from?
Cheers,
Paul
4 year old 540i manual BMW that's now got 159,000 miles (so loosened up nicely). Using the TVR as a second come first car, but every time I take it on a long journey, it smells of anti freeze!
I was expecting a bit more kick - even the dealer has said to bring it back with 2,500 miles on it and they will have another look.
It's a bit dissapointing!
I was expecting a bit more kick - even the dealer has said to bring it back with 2,500 miles on it and they will have another look.
It's a bit dissapointing!
Rv02, umm something sounds a little bit strange their to me, I have had a 540,740 and now a Motorsport coupe as the first car and both a 4.0L and now 5.0L chimaera, their must be something wrong because I have never found anything to keep up with the 5.0L and it constantly tries to swap ends under full boot in 1st,2nd and 3rd in the dry not even the coupe gets near for sheer grunt and I can't believe the 4.5 is that much slower. I would suggest getting it checked as soon as possibile you shoul be blowing away about 90% of everything on the road with ease
No way you should be losing coolant like that. If the system is full (i.e. bled properly when being filled) then there should be very little air in it. When water gets hot it only expands a tiny amount and, given the system has an expansion tank, rubber hoses etc, this tiny expansion should lead to a small increase in pressure. However, air expands loads when it gets hot, so once there is a substantial amount of air in the system the pressure will soar as the system gets hot. So it tends to become a vicious circle.
Can you see the point from which the coolant is escaping?
>> Edited by ATG on Monday 13th May 19:05
Can you see the point from which the coolant is escaping?
>> Edited by ATG on Monday 13th May 19:05
I think the coolant is just overflowing! (it could be air in the system) It's been back to the dealer twice before for coolant problems before its first service.
First time the electric fan sensor was leaking and they put a new seal on it and the second time the radiator split (new rad fitted immediately and without question). Seemed OK for about 500 miles until we got stuck in a jam in Reading on Saturday and it's was back to smelling of anti freeze again. Got home to anti freeze all up the inner wing and on the windscreen (it came out of the bonnet vents). Any ideas?
First time the electric fan sensor was leaking and they put a new seal on it and the second time the radiator split (new rad fitted immediately and without question). Seemed OK for about 500 miles until we got stuck in a jam in Reading on Saturday and it's was back to smelling of anti freeze again. Got home to anti freeze all up the inner wing and on the windscreen (it came out of the bonnet vents). Any ideas?
Might be as simple as a loose hose clip. The plumbing from swirl pot to radiator runs pretty close to the bonnet vent on the passenger side.
If you're feeling brave you could open the bonnet and run the engine until it gets up to temperature. Coolant temp should top out within a few minutes of idling and the fans will start switching on and off. You might be able to see where the leak is, but obviously be careful. If worse came to worse and the system blew its coolant while you were bending over the engine you could be in for some very nasty burns.
By the way, just a quick point ... its easy to confuse the swirl pot and the expansion tank. Forgive me if you were already clear on this, but ... The expansion tank is near the radiator on the driver's side, the swirl pot is nearer the windscreen on the passenger's side (big brass plug in the top). The fluid level in the expansion tank isn't too important. It should be pretty empty so that fluid can flow into it when the system gets hot. The expansion tank is a dead-end and so can't be used to top up the system. You should check the fluid level in the swirl pot (when the engine is cold) and make sure that that level is topped up to within about 2 inches of the top. Approved technique for getting into the swirl pot is to put a big screwdriver on its side and gingerly rotate to loosen the plug. Be prepared for luminous green squirting if the engine is warm.
Older cars didn't have the expansion tank, and had the VW pressure cap on the swirl pot instead.
>> Edited by ATG on Monday 13th May 19:57
If you're feeling brave you could open the bonnet and run the engine until it gets up to temperature. Coolant temp should top out within a few minutes of idling and the fans will start switching on and off. You might be able to see where the leak is, but obviously be careful. If worse came to worse and the system blew its coolant while you were bending over the engine you could be in for some very nasty burns.
By the way, just a quick point ... its easy to confuse the swirl pot and the expansion tank. Forgive me if you were already clear on this, but ... The expansion tank is near the radiator on the driver's side, the swirl pot is nearer the windscreen on the passenger's side (big brass plug in the top). The fluid level in the expansion tank isn't too important. It should be pretty empty so that fluid can flow into it when the system gets hot. The expansion tank is a dead-end and so can't be used to top up the system. You should check the fluid level in the swirl pot (when the engine is cold) and make sure that that level is topped up to within about 2 inches of the top. Approved technique for getting into the swirl pot is to put a big screwdriver on its side and gingerly rotate to loosen the plug. Be prepared for luminous green squirting if the engine is warm.
Older cars didn't have the expansion tank, and had the VW pressure cap on the swirl pot instead.
>> Edited by ATG on Monday 13th May 19:57
quote:
It's a bit dissapointing!
I know that we have done this thread already - but you cannot really be that serious can you? I suggest that you come along to a TVR CC / Pistonheads meeting and compare yours with another known model of the same time. Worth checking....
I did have a test drive in a Tuscan 4.0 and the previous person before me said he was a little disapointed with the performance - mind you he was used to an R1 for gods sake...
The figures do speak for themselves and you really should be loosing pretty much everything on the road without too much trouble. I mean, you really have to spend £50K+ to get sub 5.0 0-60 times. And if you want around 12 seconds to 100 you getting into the real big money..... so it should be pretty special....
Strange, but do compare - worth trying out.
Cheers
Paul
Might be worth getting the garage to check the water pump gasket. Mine was getting a bid thirsty then, bang, empties the rad contents all over the place.
The previous comments about the low end pick-up is so true. I rarely used to take mine over 3K (big girl), but just over 3K up to 5.5 (not had it higher, seems no need), things really happen quickly, thats when the colors start to blur and the whole time-space continum breaks down!!!
Steve
The previous comments about the low end pick-up is so true. I rarely used to take mine over 3K (big girl), but just over 3K up to 5.5 (not had it higher, seems no need), things really happen quickly, thats when the colors start to blur and the whole time-space continum breaks down!!!
Steve
Doesn't sound right to me - I bought my Chimaera 450 from new 1.5 years ago and even while running in, it was quick.
You need to take the car back to the dealer with a written list of all the problems that you are experiencing & tell them that you want them sorted immediately.
Sounds like the doors and bonnet need to be realigned, and if necessary resprayed
(try to get them to do this later in the year when it's less sunny, and when you will already have picked up some stonechips)
The coolant shouldn't be blowing - this may be something as simple as the cap, or as serious as the head gasket (which would explain the crap performance)
Make sure you put down your performance complaints in writing - you may need them to reset the ignition and/or the cam timing
If you haven't already, join the TVR Car Club & go to a local meet - you will find lots of helpful people & have a chance to see what Chimaera performance should be & see whether that matches your expectations
cheers,
Craig
You need to take the car back to the dealer with a written list of all the problems that you are experiencing & tell them that you want them sorted immediately.
Sounds like the doors and bonnet need to be realigned, and if necessary resprayed
(try to get them to do this later in the year when it's less sunny, and when you will already have picked up some stonechips)
The coolant shouldn't be blowing - this may be something as simple as the cap, or as serious as the head gasket (which would explain the crap performance)
Make sure you put down your performance complaints in writing - you may need them to reset the ignition and/or the cam timing
If you haven't already, join the TVR Car Club & go to a local meet - you will find lots of helpful people & have a chance to see what Chimaera performance should be & see whether that matches your expectations
cheers,
Craig
quote:The only time I have ever got my Chimaera 500 to get out of line in the dry is under deliberate provocation in an empty supermarket car park. In normal road conditions, only accelerating hard in a straight line, I have never got it to "try to swap ends".
constantly tries to swap ends under full boot in 1st,2nd and 3rd in the dry
Perhaps our driving styles differ?
quote:
Older cars didn't have the expansion tank, and had the VW pressure cap on the swirl pot instead.
Yes, like mine, and I had problems with coolant overflowing a while back. The reason was that I lost the original pressure cap, so got a new one from the Audi/VW dealer down the road. Unfortunately, this did not have the black washer inside it that the TVR ones do have, so I ended up having to buy another one from Fernhurst. Might be worth checking the cap?
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