Independant Alfa Specialist in East Midlands

[cirvy]

Anyone on here know of any?

My mate has just had a valve blow in his 2001 2.0 156 & does not fancy the main dealer options!

As i was instrumental in pursuading him away from his 325i, so i feel i need to find him some options :D

Thanks in advance.

[dieseljohn]

Sorry, afraid not but I can confirm that the main dealer in our neck of the woods are a bunch of cowboys.

[judas]

Give Peak Alfa a shout. Came highly recommended by some of the folks of the GTV forums. Not quite East Midlands (40 miles from Nottingham in the depths of the Peak District - good drive up there too ) but the nearest you'll find. Very good prices and excellent service.

[sixpot]

AN UPDATE.....

I am the unfortunate soul who's Alfa went bang yesterday.....

Story so far. It has shot a plug and consequently arced with the coil pack and reduced the coil pack to a melted goo.

AA guy could do no more and the car is now in a garage awaiting a verdict. It could be as simple as replacing the plug and coil pack and away to go, but the real issue is why did it chuck the plug in the first place and how likely is it that the thread down inside is knackered.

Has anyone any experience of this happening to them or anyone they know and should I be asking the garage to look for anyting in particular (The thing is they are no specialists...compitent, but no specialists and I fear this one needs a little bit of Alfa knowledge)

Any help would be extremely useful.

Thanks in advance.

Sixpot

[dieseljohn]

Nasty, as you've said the real question is why it shot the plug. I'm guessing it just wasn't tightened up properly and worked its way loose. Its very unlikely to have just blasted out taking the thread with it but it may still have caused some damage as it went.

The garage should properly inspect the thread with a borescope. If its slightly damaged they might be able to clean it up with a tap, if its ruined your probably looking at a new head I'm afraid.

Wouldn't worry too much about getting an alfa specialist, one spark plug hole is much like another really.

If the sparkplug has just come loose I would have serious words with whoever fitted it.

[sixpot]

dieseljohn said:

Nasty, as you've said the real question is why it shot the plug. I'm guessing it just wasn't tightened up properly and worked its way loose. Its very unlikely to have just blasted out taking the thread with it but it may still have caused some damage as it went. The garage should properly inspect the thread with a borescope. If its slightly damaged they might be able to clean it up with a tap, if its ruined your probably looking at a new head I'm afraid. Wouldn't worry too much about getting an alfa specialist, one spark plug hole is much like another really. If the sparkplug has just come loose I would have serious words with whoever fitted it.

Well in all fainess the plugs were due to be changed at the next services, but they still had a good 20k in them according to Alfa guidelines. Plugs were fitted way before I had the car. Note to self...."always make sure you get new plugs fitted when you buy a used car".

I am hoping it did just work loose and eventually got forced out under compression. The thread on the plug itself was perfect, but when the AA guy tried to reinsert it to check the thread inside the head it stopped after only half a turn. This may have been however because it had debris inside following the melted coil etc.

Fingers crossed.

I addition to this it was the secondary spark plug that was shot, being the twin spark of course it has two and I am lead to believe the story could have been very different if it was the primary spark plug in the cylinder.

>> Edited by sixpot on Tuesday 6th September 11:40