Autocar break another Tiv
Discussion
Autocar took a Tuscan S to Paris last week for a couple of days. The usual report about making lots of noise and turning foreigners' heads wherever they went was the usual stuff. After a few pages of saying how great the car is and some nice pics of the black car in front of various French landmarks, you get a paragraph ssaying "but it has its problems".
They mention the gearnob that gets too hot to touch and a couple of other minor points. Then they subtly mention that the Tuscan died on its arse with a broken throttle cable and that they had to get the train home. Another top effort there Mr Wheeler. Still, at least the engine didn't blow up this time eh?
Another disappointing episode in PR.
-Mike.
They mention the gearnob that gets too hot to touch and a couple of other minor points. Then they subtly mention that the Tuscan died on its arse with a broken throttle cable and that they had to get the train home. Another top effort there Mr Wheeler. Still, at least the engine didn't blow up this time eh?
Another disappointing episode in PR.
-Mike.
The gearknob gets warm - but of course you can still touch it. It does get hot if you leave the roof off in the baking sun - it is metal after all.
As for the trouble finding the immobiliser key hole, the answer is simple - don't use it! Put the key in the ignition, and press the alarm button on the key. Off goes the imobiliser!
As for the trouble finding the immobiliser key hole, the answer is simple - don't use it! Put the key in the ignition, and press the alarm button on the key. Off goes the imobiliser!
When the throttle cable broke on my Griff, I was on the way to a mates. Continued the journey on tickover (about 30mph, having carefully worked up into 3rd) Got there and we knocked up a new one using some old rigging from a sailing dinghy, and part of his garage door. It took 45 minutes. Then we went to the pub. I am sure autocar could have sorted it if they could have been arsed!
Jon H
Jon H
Could've sorted it out if they'd been arsed... yeah right. Journos and (non-technical!;-) writers in general are a waste of time IMHO. They probably don't know their arse from their elbow once the bonnet's up. Any fool can write a load of bullshit about a car putting whatever slant on it they feel; there are plenty of us on here who occasionally rattle cages with our opinions, and we aren't being paid/ bribed/ wined and dined to do so. Or not to do so, IYSWIM.
At the end of the day (sorry, cliche!) I'd bet hardly any of them actually put down their own money for any car they see; just drive whatever the publishers give them, so they can criticise to their hearts content with impunity.
Take the tabloids. Please. And throw them into the sea.
What a bunch of tossers writing utter claptrap about absolutely knob-all. Who the hell gives a shit about what they think of Diana, Saddam, Tony et al. And why does every paragraph have to end in bloody italics to emphasise some pathetic point as if nobody could see that argument anyway?
Oo it makes me mad, it really does.
Then there's magazines. Car mags, wank mags, trainspotting mags, bloody dogshit-collectors mags for all I know. Acres and acres of column inches devoted to so-called stalwarts of the media expounding interminably on nothing at all just so the pages aren't blank.
I'm tempted to write to the papers about it, I really am.
Ian
At the end of the day (sorry, cliche!) I'd bet hardly any of them actually put down their own money for any car they see; just drive whatever the publishers give them, so they can criticise to their hearts content with impunity.
Take the tabloids. Please. And throw them into the sea.
What a bunch of tossers writing utter claptrap about absolutely knob-all. Who the hell gives a shit about what they think of Diana, Saddam, Tony et al. And why does every paragraph have to end in bloody italics to emphasise some pathetic point as if nobody could see that argument anyway?
Oo it makes me mad, it really does.
Then there's magazines. Car mags, wank mags, trainspotting mags, bloody dogshit-collectors mags for all I know. Acres and acres of column inches devoted to so-called stalwarts of the media expounding interminably on nothing at all just so the pages aren't blank.
I'm tempted to write to the papers about it, I really am.
Ian
quote:
Could've sorted it out if they'd been arsed... yeah right. Journos and (non-technical!;-) writers in general are a waste of time IMHO. They probably don't know their arse from their elbow once the bonnet's up. Any fool can write a load of bullshit about a car putting whatever slant on it they feel; there are plenty of us on here who occasionally rattle cages with our opinions, and we aren't being paid/ bribed/ wined and dined to do so. Or not to do so, IYSWIM.
At the end of the day (sorry, cliche!) I'd bet hardly any of them actually put down their own money for any car they see; just drive whatever the publishers give them, so they can criticise to their hearts content with impunity.
Take the tabloids. Please. And throw them into the sea.
What a bunch of tossers writing utter claptrap about absolutely knob-all. Who the hell gives a shit about what they think of Diana, Saddam, Tony et al. And why does every paragraph have to end in bloody italics to emphasise some pathetic point as if nobody could see that argument anyway?
Oo it makes me mad, it really does.
Then there's magazines. Car mags, wank mags, trainspotting mags, bloody dogshit-collectors mags for all I know. Acres and acres of column inches devoted to so-called stalwarts of the media expounding interminably on nothing at all just so the pages aren't blank.
I'm tempted to write to the papers about it, I really am.
Ian
Still, mustn't grumble, eh?
quote:
The gearknob gets warm - but of course you can still touch it. It does get hot if you leave the roof off in the baking sun - it is metal after all.
As for the trouble finding the immobiliser key hole, the answer is simple - don't use it! Put the key in the ignition, and press the alarm button on the key. Off goes the imobiliser!
I hired a Tuscan S for a week and found that the shift knob does indeed get too hot to handle on long drives. Not just "warm" but seriously hot.
Actually, the whole car gets hot on long drive - unfortunately the one I had was sans-A/C.
Maybe the problem is that it never occurred to anyone at TVR that the Tuscan might be a fun GT.
I'm seriously considering getting one (with air-con, only a fool or a masochist would have one without) but the first thing I'd have to do is figure out what I'm going to do to deal with that shift knob.
Anyone else come up with a workable solution apart from asbestos driving gloves?
This was in last week's issue of Autocar with the new MG on the front. You should be able to pick it up today but I think the new issue will be out tomorrow.
I have to agree, the gearstick on my mate's Tuscan got really hot and it was annoying to use after a while. The one in my Chimp got warm but was bearable. His car had air-con but that didn't really help in the hot weather as the heat-soak from the engine is absolutely huge.
M.
I have to agree, the gearstick on my mate's Tuscan got really hot and it was annoying to use after a while. The one in my Chimp got warm but was bearable. His car had air-con but that didn't really help in the hot weather as the heat-soak from the engine is absolutely huge.
M.
Seems to me that TVR should do what the software developers do and use a panel of beta testers so that when they release a product there is a good chance that it will work as intended. Crazy trip ups like hot gear stick knob, LED panel that can't be read in the sun, etc. are symptomatic of inadequate attention to pre-production design verification/validation.
So I'm first in the beta-testing queue for the new model that TVR will launch at the Motor Show!
Hutch
So I'm first in the beta-testing queue for the new model that TVR will launch at the Motor Show!
Hutch
quote:They do this - its just that they charge the beta testers the full list price of the product for the priviledge.
Seems to me that TVR should do what the software developers do and use a panel of beta testers so that when they release a product there is a good chance that it will work as intended. Crazy trip ups like hot gear stick knob, LED panel that can't be read in the sun, etc. are symptomatic of inadequate attention to pre-production design verification/validation.
So I'm first in the beta-testing queue for the new model that TVR will launch at the Motor Show!
Hutch
Also this thread started sometime last week:
Yet another AUTOCAR article about TVR
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=16593&f=13&h=0
Yet another AUTOCAR article about TVR
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=16593&f=13&h=0
This article annoys me for two reasons:
1. The writer quoted wrong performance figures. He waffles on how wonderful the interior is then says is does not work as you cannot read the display and the rev counter is crap. Well my 2000 Tuscan's display works fine in all but the strongest sun with the roof off and you are not supposed to look at the rev counter when driving in anger as that is why you have 3 change up lights straight in front of your face. TVR should have shown him how to work the immobiliser in his handover when he picked up the car. My bootlid catch only takes a gentle push to operate it. Before I had a heat sink retro fitted to my gear knob it did get very hot, now my knob only gets hot.
Bloody nancy boy journalist
2. The throttle cable snaps. In 1997 when I was researching TVR's before I ordered my Chimaera in Jan 1998, I read how the throttle cables are badly routed and unless adjusted correctly they break. 6 years later TVR are yet to engineer that fault out of their cars. "Touch wood" I am yet to suffer this fault, but on a trip into Europe I know what I will take as a spare.
TVR, sometimes they do themselves no favours.You gotta love em...
Cheers
Whitey
1. The writer quoted wrong performance figures. He waffles on how wonderful the interior is then says is does not work as you cannot read the display and the rev counter is crap. Well my 2000 Tuscan's display works fine in all but the strongest sun with the roof off and you are not supposed to look at the rev counter when driving in anger as that is why you have 3 change up lights straight in front of your face. TVR should have shown him how to work the immobiliser in his handover when he picked up the car. My bootlid catch only takes a gentle push to operate it. Before I had a heat sink retro fitted to my gear knob it did get very hot, now my knob only gets hot.
Bloody nancy boy journalist
2. The throttle cable snaps. In 1997 when I was researching TVR's before I ordered my Chimaera in Jan 1998, I read how the throttle cables are badly routed and unless adjusted correctly they break. 6 years later TVR are yet to engineer that fault out of their cars. "Touch wood" I am yet to suffer this fault, but on a trip into Europe I know what I will take as a spare.
TVR, sometimes they do themselves no favours.You gotta love em...
Cheers
Whitey
Agree with a lot of points but they are right about some things. My Tamora is unbearable in really hot weather (like Le Mans this year) My Griff was nothing like it. The heat soak is unbelievable, unlike my Cerbera which was cool round my feet when the air-con was on. The gear knob was also almost too hot to handle aswell, (as was the Cerb) but the engine doesn't overheat at all.
At the end of the day I wish people would realise that you don't get Porsche build quality for that kind of money. A Porker with similar performance figures to a Tuscan/Tamora would cost DOUBLE the money. TVR are never going to build cars like Porsches, nice as they are they will never have the exclusivity and individuality of a TVR. End of story.
At the end of the day I wish people would realise that you don't get Porsche build quality for that kind of money. A Porker with similar performance figures to a Tuscan/Tamora would cost DOUBLE the money. TVR are never going to build cars like Porsches, nice as they are they will never have the exclusivity and individuality of a TVR. End of story.
Yeah but the guys in blackpool probably mis read something and already consider it to be drive by wire (cable).
Got to admit as I read the autocar Tuscan article i was becoming more & more envious and thinking again about a TVR...then it broke down and provided a reality check!!cant really accuse Autocar of breaking it though...
Bennno
But they do Beta test, and like the big software boys they use the Industry tried and tested Microsoft method. Sell it and then fix it
David
David
quote:
quote:They do this - its just that they charge the beta testers the full list price of the product for the priviledge.
Seems to me that TVR should do what the software developers do and use a panel of beta testers so that when they release a product there is a good chance that it will work as intended. Crazy trip ups like hot gear stick knob, LED panel that can't be read in the sun, etc. are symptomatic of inadequate attention to pre-production design verification/validation.
So I'm first in the beta-testing queue for the new model that TVR will launch at the Motor Show!
Hutch
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