TVR Tuscan, take 2!
Discussion
Quick update: the car is back from Powers with the biggest service bill I've ever had! To be fair, there was a lot of other work done, but it has still surprised me how much I've spent on running the car.
As mentioned, the car was booked in for the 12k service, which includes valve clearances. I'd queried the clutch when I took it in as I'd felt it slip a couple of times in the warmer weather. I'd hoped this was just my poor clutch control, but a photo was emailed over to me and the clutch was properly worn out. So a new clutch and solenoid were fitted. The front discs were also worn (not something I'd noticed as it felt similar to my last Tuscan), so they were replaced and new pads fitted. The speedo needle had been acting up, so a dash repair was carried out. The other major expense was throttle bodies. There were other smaller bits and bobs done - in all it was 3 pages of A4 detailing all the work! Expensive, yes, but well worth it in order to keep the car in top condition - and importantly meant Powers could extend the engine warranty which is well worth it to me for the piece of mind.
It was an amazing trip home from Powers. My wife followed in her car and couldn't believe how loud the car is when following it. With the roof on and windows up it really is a great place for a long journey. With the car running so well I've been trying to find every excuse possible to use it (in the dry!). Even on grey days I take the rear screen out - it changes the character of the car so much. The decat and exhaust set-up it has now makes it the best sounding TVR I have ever heard (I know everyone thinks they have the best sounding one!).
With lockdown hopefully continuing to ease the plan is to use the car as much as I can. My wife is 7 months pregnant so I'm not sure how much longer she will be able to get in and out of the car... Knew I should have bought a Cerbera!
As mentioned, the car was booked in for the 12k service, which includes valve clearances. I'd queried the clutch when I took it in as I'd felt it slip a couple of times in the warmer weather. I'd hoped this was just my poor clutch control, but a photo was emailed over to me and the clutch was properly worn out. So a new clutch and solenoid were fitted. The front discs were also worn (not something I'd noticed as it felt similar to my last Tuscan), so they were replaced and new pads fitted. The speedo needle had been acting up, so a dash repair was carried out. The other major expense was throttle bodies. There were other smaller bits and bobs done - in all it was 3 pages of A4 detailing all the work! Expensive, yes, but well worth it in order to keep the car in top condition - and importantly meant Powers could extend the engine warranty which is well worth it to me for the piece of mind.
It was an amazing trip home from Powers. My wife followed in her car and couldn't believe how loud the car is when following it. With the roof on and windows up it really is a great place for a long journey. With the car running so well I've been trying to find every excuse possible to use it (in the dry!). Even on grey days I take the rear screen out - it changes the character of the car so much. The decat and exhaust set-up it has now makes it the best sounding TVR I have ever heard (I know everyone thinks they have the best sounding one!).
With lockdown hopefully continuing to ease the plan is to use the car as much as I can. My wife is 7 months pregnant so I'm not sure how much longer she will be able to get in and out of the car... Knew I should have bought a Cerbera!
I know what you mean about the big bills, mine went in for tappets service plus some other bits just after lockdown but they are sooooo much better when well maintained, and you know Dom will have done everything he said he has, properly.
I hope you use it - they are very practical and the more miles they do, the better they get. I like the red, it's quite rare I think - mine's black and is subtle when you don't want to stand out (on the outside lane of a motorway for example
) but if it isn't polished it looks scruffy.
I hope you use it - they are very practical and the more miles they do, the better they get. I like the red, it's quite rare I think - mine's black and is subtle when you don't want to stand out (on the outside lane of a motorway for example
) but if it isn't polished it looks scruffy. This was a Powers rebuild previously so was keen to keep it being looked after by Dom. Never nice to get a bigger than expected bill, but if these cars aren’t maintained properly that soon leads to even scarier bills! Better weather from tomorrow so will be trying to put some more miles on.
I don’t think there are any colours that don’t suit the Tuscan!
I don’t think there are any colours that don’t suit the Tuscan!
I feel your pain, mine tried to bankrupt me last year including a clutch, £4,500 in total. I was hoping this year's 12k was not going to be too painful but the quote came in over £3,500 for everything. Still ended up at £2,500 after declining some of the more advisory bits. It does feel more taught though after quite a few suspension bushing changes. I think they're just entering an age zone that accumulates spend irrespective of how fastidiously you've maintained them.
In my 12 years of ownership the Tuscan hasn't been that expensive to run. A few years ago I had a largish bill for a rebuild, suspension and gearbox but other than that just routine servicing. But I've only covered 60,000 miles in 12 years mostly in the first 6 years when I used it as my daily. Now, I only do about 4000 miles a year since its a second car. I like to think of it as a classic car that's both reliable and really fast.
Interesting comments re maintenance bills. I don't think it unreasonable for a nearly two decade old car to have needed big ticket consumables replacing twice by now. It strikes me that the cost of these are probably less than for anything else with comparable performance, such as a Porsche GT.
That is lovey, what a stunner, I’m not normally a fan of red cars but that looks great. Though the green one looked awesome to, shame you had some issues but credit for buying another.
I could absolutely forgive the minor issues you had with the red one for the sheer event that must be taking it for a drive. A big bill is always hard to swallow but I’d much rather have it done and be happy to use the car knowing it’s been sorted for the foreseeable future rather than worrying about using it.
Maybe a good detail and correction service might save you the full re-spay. There are some really good companies out there now, worth investigating. Some more updates on that would be most welcome. Enjoy it
I could absolutely forgive the minor issues you had with the red one for the sheer event that must be taking it for a drive. A big bill is always hard to swallow but I’d much rather have it done and be happy to use the car knowing it’s been sorted for the foreseeable future rather than worrying about using it.
Maybe a good detail and correction service might save you the full re-spay. There are some really good companies out there now, worth investigating. Some more updates on that would be most welcome. Enjoy it
Great to be Readers' Car of the Week - thanks Pistonehads. Had a lot of what I'd call 'interesting' cars, but the Tuscan probably fits the Pistonheads mindset the best!
It has been a brilliant weekend with the car.
This saw the first car meet of 2020 - something I'd planned to do lots of with this car. Held at a local site (Alderford Lake, Whitchurch), it was a really good local meet; no social distancing worries but probably the worst sausage sandwich some of us have ever had!
Really nice to put a face to some of the names in the Tuscan world, in particular Andrew, who brought his Tuscan to the same event. He had test-driven the green Tuscan I bought originally, but was much smarter than me when he never pursued that purchase, thinking there wasn't something quite right with the car. By avoiding that dealer he has ended up with a stunning Tuscan - great mechanicals and that paint and interior combination. It puts my paintwork to shame! A few people attending wanted to hear the decat and unsilenced exhaust set-up; as we left I did warn the family having a picnic next to the car that is was going to be quite/very/extremely loud on start up. A friend of mine said that after we left. the young girl said to her mum 'I can still feel it in my head mummy!' - hopefully no lasting damage..
|https://thumbsnap.com/1wGmfjb1[/url]
My wife had a short drive of the car this weekend, but found the new clutch quite different to the worn-out one she had tried previously. Once she was used to it she could drive it like a normal car, but it did take her some time to get used to it. We have new neighbours, who hadn't seen the Tuscan in the garage, who I'm not sure appreciated it booming into life this weekend!! They came running out of their back garden to see what had happened outside!
|https://thumbsnap.com/oZ7uJQms[/url]
After the car event on Saturday morning we went for a drive to a local park, and ended up as part of a supercar convoy. We parked a couple of spaces away from them (as they had booked special parking in the park) but we couldn't go down the drive due to the low front splitter. The owners were really nice and said we should have been parked with them! We bumped into them on our walk and they were nice enough to invite us on future supercar runs out - the said the Tuscan definitely qualified as something 'interesting'!.
|https://thumbsnap.com/ABwiWR4b[/url]
My wife might take the car to school tomorrow as she goes on maternity leave at the end of the week - I'm sure the kids will like seeing their teacher arriving in a TVR whilst heavily pregnant![url]
It has been a brilliant weekend with the car.
This saw the first car meet of 2020 - something I'd planned to do lots of with this car. Held at a local site (Alderford Lake, Whitchurch), it was a really good local meet; no social distancing worries but probably the worst sausage sandwich some of us have ever had!
Really nice to put a face to some of the names in the Tuscan world, in particular Andrew, who brought his Tuscan to the same event. He had test-driven the green Tuscan I bought originally, but was much smarter than me when he never pursued that purchase, thinking there wasn't something quite right with the car. By avoiding that dealer he has ended up with a stunning Tuscan - great mechanicals and that paint and interior combination. It puts my paintwork to shame! A few people attending wanted to hear the decat and unsilenced exhaust set-up; as we left I did warn the family having a picnic next to the car that is was going to be quite/very/extremely loud on start up. A friend of mine said that after we left. the young girl said to her mum 'I can still feel it in my head mummy!' - hopefully no lasting damage..
|https://thumbsnap.com/1wGmfjb1[/url]My wife had a short drive of the car this weekend, but found the new clutch quite different to the worn-out one she had tried previously. Once she was used to it she could drive it like a normal car, but it did take her some time to get used to it. We have new neighbours, who hadn't seen the Tuscan in the garage, who I'm not sure appreciated it booming into life this weekend!! They came running out of their back garden to see what had happened outside!
|https://thumbsnap.com/oZ7uJQms[/url]After the car event on Saturday morning we went for a drive to a local park, and ended up as part of a supercar convoy. We parked a couple of spaces away from them (as they had booked special parking in the park) but we couldn't go down the drive due to the low front splitter. The owners were really nice and said we should have been parked with them! We bumped into them on our walk and they were nice enough to invite us on future supercar runs out - the said the Tuscan definitely qualified as something 'interesting'!.
|https://thumbsnap.com/ABwiWR4b[/url]My wife might take the car to school tomorrow as she goes on maternity leave at the end of the week - I'm sure the kids will like seeing their teacher arriving in a TVR whilst heavily pregnant![url]
ollyh1988 said:
Thanks very much - we were chatting today about all the cars we've owned, and think this Tuscan is the most 'Pistonheads' car we've owned. Thread on the Fiat 500X if really wanted!!
I once had the shame of turning up to a PHSS in my wife’s 500, as I had a tyre blow out on my MR2 Roadster the previous day.
Had mine for over 12 years now. Never actually added up total spend but work includes engine rebuild, new clutch, nitron suspension, full respray, instrument display repair, starter motor, brake discs. Special cars. Crazy quick with zero driver aids make the TVRs of that era quite unique. Did 165 mph in her and she was still pulling.
essexstu said:
Had mine for over 12 years now. Never actually added up total spend but work includes engine rebuild, new clutch, nitron suspension, full respray, instrument display repair, starter motor, brake discs. Special cars. Crazy quick with zero driver aids make the TVRs of that era quite unique. Did 165 mph in her and she was still pulling.
1000 mile update and a Welsh roadtrip:
With the amazing weather of the last weekend, I booked the Friday off work and headed off to north Wales with my wife, and two other friends in their own car.
Since getting the car back from Powers, the mode select button on the dash pod (which you can use to scroll between data) wasn't working. The car had been looked at by them for a sticking speedo needle so I knew the pod had been apart and there was probably something loose. With some guidance from them on the end of the phone and a screwdriver in my other hand, I managed to take the dash apart and found the offending connection which was loose. This got the pod button working again. What wasn't quite as easy was putting everything back together again. Maybe you need tiny hands, or there is a trick to it, but it took me ages to line up the two screws to secure everything in place!
TVRs are great cars to do a road trip in because they have massive boots. That sounds boring but it is one of the main reasons we didn't buy an F-type. We managed to fit two cabin sized squashy bags, rucksacks and beach stuff and were still able to take the rear screen and roof panel out. The roof remained off for the whole trip.
The car was faultless over the trip, even when sat in stop-start traffic in the heat of the day. It's interesting to watch the water temperature rising as soon as the car is slowed down or comes to a stop, but reassuring to hear the fans kick in and then watch the temperature come back down again. I didn't drive at 10/10ths as my wife is pregnant, so it was a carefully driven trip. To be honest, I've found this car best at 7 or 8/10ths anyway - even 'though this one is much better set-up than my last one, bumpy roads can make it feel uncomfortable. Slowing
down makes things much more controlled and it still sounds amazing anyway, giving the idea you are going much faster.
On the subject of sound that was both a good and bad thing... this car is decatted and has unsilenced rear cans; this sounds incredible (it pops and bangs like gunfire and has a deep-throated growl then howl towards the top end) but on longer journeys it might be nice if it was a bit quieter at times (I don't know if I'm allowed to say that as a TVR owner??).
So how have I found it after 1000 miles? Written like that, 1000 miles doesn't seem like that much, but I have only used the car for enjoyable journeys, so it has never been a chore to get in it. I'm not sure I'd want to use it as a daily driver; it doesn't like stop-start driving or being driven slowly through town. It's not that it can't do it, but it is much happier on a smooth and flowing road, ideally with the roof off. Most of those 1000 miles have been with the roof off. With the roof on it really does feel like a different car - the noise is very different and it feels quite enclosed, like a race car. One of the nice surprises was how good it is with the targa panel on and the rear screen out - this was how I'd use it for journeys on cold days. The engine soon warms the cabin up and you get to hear that amazing sound from the exhaust. It is a surprisingly comfortable car; the seats haven't caused me any aches and there is so much room in there that even for a tall person like me I have no issues doing longer journeys in it. The car has a radio, but I haven't listened to it. There are a few things that I don't like as much: it is a hand-built car and doesn't feel as well nailed together as something like a Boxster, but I never expected it to. It is a loud car - I mainly love this but do feel bad for my neighbours if I take the car out early! Finally the clutch - even before the new clutch it feels quite different to other clutches, with a fairly non-descript biting point. This can make low speed manoeuvring and hill starts more tricky - but maybe that's me not being a very good driver!
This car is night and day different to my first Tuscan. I am very glad I didn't give up on the Tuscan dream based on the first poor example. It did feel like a gamble buying one privately (and maybe the huge service bill proves I could have been more careful/cautious!) but this is the right one for me. Unfortunately, a relocation with work means the car is going into temporary storage and I will have to work out when I can collect it again, but it may be some time.
With the amazing weather of the last weekend, I booked the Friday off work and headed off to north Wales with my wife, and two other friends in their own car.
Since getting the car back from Powers, the mode select button on the dash pod (which you can use to scroll between data) wasn't working. The car had been looked at by them for a sticking speedo needle so I knew the pod had been apart and there was probably something loose. With some guidance from them on the end of the phone and a screwdriver in my other hand, I managed to take the dash apart and found the offending connection which was loose. This got the pod button working again. What wasn't quite as easy was putting everything back together again. Maybe you need tiny hands, or there is a trick to it, but it took me ages to line up the two screws to secure everything in place!
TVRs are great cars to do a road trip in because they have massive boots. That sounds boring but it is one of the main reasons we didn't buy an F-type. We managed to fit two cabin sized squashy bags, rucksacks and beach stuff and were still able to take the rear screen and roof panel out. The roof remained off for the whole trip.
The car was faultless over the trip, even when sat in stop-start traffic in the heat of the day. It's interesting to watch the water temperature rising as soon as the car is slowed down or comes to a stop, but reassuring to hear the fans kick in and then watch the temperature come back down again. I didn't drive at 10/10ths as my wife is pregnant, so it was a carefully driven trip. To be honest, I've found this car best at 7 or 8/10ths anyway - even 'though this one is much better set-up than my last one, bumpy roads can make it feel uncomfortable. Slowing
down makes things much more controlled and it still sounds amazing anyway, giving the idea you are going much faster.
On the subject of sound that was both a good and bad thing... this car is decatted and has unsilenced rear cans; this sounds incredible (it pops and bangs like gunfire and has a deep-throated growl then howl towards the top end) but on longer journeys it might be nice if it was a bit quieter at times (I don't know if I'm allowed to say that as a TVR owner??).
So how have I found it after 1000 miles? Written like that, 1000 miles doesn't seem like that much, but I have only used the car for enjoyable journeys, so it has never been a chore to get in it. I'm not sure I'd want to use it as a daily driver; it doesn't like stop-start driving or being driven slowly through town. It's not that it can't do it, but it is much happier on a smooth and flowing road, ideally with the roof off. Most of those 1000 miles have been with the roof off. With the roof on it really does feel like a different car - the noise is very different and it feels quite enclosed, like a race car. One of the nice surprises was how good it is with the targa panel on and the rear screen out - this was how I'd use it for journeys on cold days. The engine soon warms the cabin up and you get to hear that amazing sound from the exhaust. It is a surprisingly comfortable car; the seats haven't caused me any aches and there is so much room in there that even for a tall person like me I have no issues doing longer journeys in it. The car has a radio, but I haven't listened to it. There are a few things that I don't like as much: it is a hand-built car and doesn't feel as well nailed together as something like a Boxster, but I never expected it to. It is a loud car - I mainly love this but do feel bad for my neighbours if I take the car out early! Finally the clutch - even before the new clutch it feels quite different to other clutches, with a fairly non-descript biting point. This can make low speed manoeuvring and hill starts more tricky - but maybe that's me not being a very good driver!
This car is night and day different to my first Tuscan. I am very glad I didn't give up on the Tuscan dream based on the first poor example. It did feel like a gamble buying one privately (and maybe the huge service bill proves I could have been more careful/cautious!) but this is the right one for me. Unfortunately, a relocation with work means the car is going into temporary storage and I will have to work out when I can collect it again, but it may be some time.
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