Another Alfa V6
Discussion
I've had Alfa V6s in the past (164, GTV x 2, 166) but this is my first 156.
Like many on here, I just can't help browsing adverts for cars even if I don't need one! I have a Peugeot 406 HDI estate and I wasn't planning to get a second car. I just spotted the 156 and it seemed to be at a good price.
- 1999 T reg 2.5V6
- 6 speed manual
- no leather (boooooo)
- 63k miles!
- 2 previous owners
- £1350
- Bodywork looks in good condition
This is the MOT history
18/7/16 62,997 - Pass no advisories
13/7/15 62,884 - Pass 1 advisory N/S/F suspension slight play, track control arm inner bush
03/7/14 62,836 - Pass 1 advisory N/S/F suspension slight play, track control arm inner bush
10/7/13 62,611 - Pass no advisories
09/7/12 62,115 - Pass no advisories
11/7/11 61,147 - Pass no advisories
12/7/10 59,630 - Pass no advisories
08/7/09 56,842 - Pass 1 advisory Minor exhaust leak
15/7/08 52,427 - Pass no advisories
05/07/07 44,796 - Pass 2 advisories Rear Tyre & Under tray wear
04/07/06 39,737 - Pass no advisories
As you can see, it has done next to no miles in the last few years (is this good or bad?!!?)
The car was based in Bournemouth and I live in York, so it was a long 5 hour train ride, and a 300 mile trip to get the car home. So the car just did two years worth of miles in one go.
Looking through the history, it had a large amount of work done on it in 2007 (almost £2ks worth), including the cambelt. This was just under 20k miles ago, but the belt is 10 years old so should be replaced really. It has 4 Vredestein sessanta tyres on it too, with lots of tread on - bonus!
So how does it drive? Really nicely. Everything feels tight - there are no creaks from the suspension at all. The clutch is a little high though.....I noticed hesitation between 4.5 - 5k revs. This is a classic sign that the Mass Air Flow meter (MAF) is f*&^%$d, so when I got near home, I pulled over and unplugged it. The car then ran beautifully. So looks like a new MAF is in order.
Also, the radio won't turn on and just shows 4 horizontal lines as though it is expecting a 4 digit code...
I must say, I really enjoyed the drive home. The 156 has a lovely feel to it. Nice feelsome steering, a great gear change, and razor sharp throttle response. I can't remember if this V6 has the fly by wire or cable throttle - in any case it feels instant.
I will probably think of other things to add in the next couple of days. Anyway, here she is....
Like many on here, I just can't help browsing adverts for cars even if I don't need one! I have a Peugeot 406 HDI estate and I wasn't planning to get a second car. I just spotted the 156 and it seemed to be at a good price.
- 1999 T reg 2.5V6
- 6 speed manual
- no leather (boooooo)
- 63k miles!
- 2 previous owners
- £1350
- Bodywork looks in good condition
This is the MOT history
18/7/16 62,997 - Pass no advisories
13/7/15 62,884 - Pass 1 advisory N/S/F suspension slight play, track control arm inner bush
03/7/14 62,836 - Pass 1 advisory N/S/F suspension slight play, track control arm inner bush
10/7/13 62,611 - Pass no advisories
09/7/12 62,115 - Pass no advisories
11/7/11 61,147 - Pass no advisories
12/7/10 59,630 - Pass no advisories
08/7/09 56,842 - Pass 1 advisory Minor exhaust leak
15/7/08 52,427 - Pass no advisories
05/07/07 44,796 - Pass 2 advisories Rear Tyre & Under tray wear
04/07/06 39,737 - Pass no advisories
As you can see, it has done next to no miles in the last few years (is this good or bad?!!?)
The car was based in Bournemouth and I live in York, so it was a long 5 hour train ride, and a 300 mile trip to get the car home. So the car just did two years worth of miles in one go.
Looking through the history, it had a large amount of work done on it in 2007 (almost £2ks worth), including the cambelt. This was just under 20k miles ago, but the belt is 10 years old so should be replaced really. It has 4 Vredestein sessanta tyres on it too, with lots of tread on - bonus!
So how does it drive? Really nicely. Everything feels tight - there are no creaks from the suspension at all. The clutch is a little high though.....I noticed hesitation between 4.5 - 5k revs. This is a classic sign that the Mass Air Flow meter (MAF) is f*&^%$d, so when I got near home, I pulled over and unplugged it. The car then ran beautifully. So looks like a new MAF is in order.
Also, the radio won't turn on and just shows 4 horizontal lines as though it is expecting a 4 digit code...
I must say, I really enjoyed the drive home. The 156 has a lovely feel to it. Nice feelsome steering, a great gear change, and razor sharp throttle response. I can't remember if this V6 has the fly by wire or cable throttle - in any case it feels instant.
I will probably think of other things to add in the next couple of days. Anyway, here she is....
Paul S4 said:
Couple of suggestions...
Get an aluminium undertray if you can find one; I managed to get a secondhand one ( Zakspeed ?) which are a Danish tuning company.
Much better than the plastic one, which on theV6 is prone to melting due to the close exhaust IIRC. Gives slightly better ground clearance as well.
Also get a good 4 wheel alignment done ASAP, this can transform the handling and also preserve your rear tyres as they are subject to wear on the inner edges.
Oh and get a decent set of 4 speakers fitted....if you like 'sounds' then that is a must, as the OEM ones are poor : the cones are 'paper' compared with modern materials ( JBLs are part of Harmon Kardon and they are reasonably priced. Both front & rear are the same size I think )
Great car OP.
Thanks for the tips. I will try and get an alignment done as soon as possible. My last GTV was all over the place until I had this done and it made the world of difference.Get an aluminium undertray if you can find one; I managed to get a secondhand one ( Zakspeed ?) which are a Danish tuning company.
Much better than the plastic one, which on theV6 is prone to melting due to the close exhaust IIRC. Gives slightly better ground clearance as well.
Also get a good 4 wheel alignment done ASAP, this can transform the handling and also preserve your rear tyres as they are subject to wear on the inner edges.
Oh and get a decent set of 4 speakers fitted....if you like 'sounds' then that is a must, as the OEM ones are poor : the cones are 'paper' compared with modern materials ( JBLs are part of Harmon Kardon and they are reasonably priced. Both front & rear are the same size I think )
Great car OP.
rxe said:
Welcome to (IMO) the best s/h car out there for this sort of money. You won't get a better engine this side of £40k, any number of upgrades are available to tweak the handling and it's just a beautiful piece of design. I should know, I have, er, several of them.
First things first - get it up in the air and inspect it really carefully for rust. Do this before becoming emotionally attached to it, and do it before spending money on it. If you have a "non-rusty" T reg car, it is pretty unique. The back seat floor pans go (easy fix), and the sills go (much harder). It all comes from inside, so the bottom of the car can look perfect, but when you hit it with a wire brush, you see carpet. Lots of carpet.
Then the belt. Definitely change that before driving it much more. Quick check - take the cam cover plastic cover off (2 10 mm bolts are enough) and you can see the belt - they fail when the tensioner goes wonky, and the belt shreds against the metal guards at the bottom of the engine. Look at the cam pulleys - if there is a rusty 2mm at the edge, that is a good sign (belt running true and not moving), if they are shiny, it is wandering and you've just dodged a bullet.
Check the rear shock spring pans - again with a wire brush. They can look fine, but corrode horribly and drop the spring onto the back wheel. If the shocks are original, they will be utterly b0rked by now anyway. Front brake pipes (as they pass into the wheel arch) are another known weak point.
And join Alfaowner - it is a very good hive mind assistance. I've got several threads in the image lounge covering all of the above (and more...).
Specifics:
- there is a thread in the 156 section of Alfaowner for radio codes.
- engine is fly by wire
- leather interiors are cheap and available. You can get a good one for less than £150. Make sure you get the door cards with it.
- MAF - you can get the insert for about £80 rather than paying £200 for the whole MAF. Part numbers are on AO threads, or just pop yours out and stick the number into the internet. Only get genuine Bosch. It will really wake the car up if the MAF is tired.
rxe you are a fountain of knowledge! Many thanks....First things first - get it up in the air and inspect it really carefully for rust. Do this before becoming emotionally attached to it, and do it before spending money on it. If you have a "non-rusty" T reg car, it is pretty unique. The back seat floor pans go (easy fix), and the sills go (much harder). It all comes from inside, so the bottom of the car can look perfect, but when you hit it with a wire brush, you see carpet. Lots of carpet.
Then the belt. Definitely change that before driving it much more. Quick check - take the cam cover plastic cover off (2 10 mm bolts are enough) and you can see the belt - they fail when the tensioner goes wonky, and the belt shreds against the metal guards at the bottom of the engine. Look at the cam pulleys - if there is a rusty 2mm at the edge, that is a good sign (belt running true and not moving), if they are shiny, it is wandering and you've just dodged a bullet.
Check the rear shock spring pans - again with a wire brush. They can look fine, but corrode horribly and drop the spring onto the back wheel. If the shocks are original, they will be utterly b0rked by now anyway. Front brake pipes (as they pass into the wheel arch) are another known weak point.
And join Alfaowner - it is a very good hive mind assistance. I've got several threads in the image lounge covering all of the above (and more...).
Specifics:
- there is a thread in the 156 section of Alfaowner for radio codes.
- engine is fly by wire
- leather interiors are cheap and available. You can get a good one for less than £150. Make sure you get the door cards with it.
- MAF - you can get the insert for about £80 rather than paying £200 for the whole MAF. Part numbers are on AO threads, or just pop yours out and stick the number into the internet. Only get genuine Bosch. It will really wake the car up if the MAF is tired.
Edited by rxe on Monday 24th April 08:51
Edited by rxe on Monday 24th April 08:55
I am already registered on Alfaowner (as strangehighways) and the forum has been a lifeline for my previous Alfas, especially the GTV with the 2.5V6 engine that some dishonest person swapped for the original 3.0.
From reading about the radio code issue, I think I just need to drive it for 1 hour with the unit switched on, in order for the ---- on the stereo to be replaced with CODE and I can then enter the code I have with the car's history.
I'll try and have a look at the cambelt tomorrow to see how it looks (I am aware that even if the belt looks ok, it can be buggered).
The undertray has been causing some issues as it was previously cable tied together and I think hitting the odd speed bump has loosened things and as a result, was almost touching the ground. I took the car to a garage and they have secured it properly to the car so next time it needs to come off for servicing etc, it will be easy to take off.
I also decided to buy a new MAF for the car as I mentioned before that it was hesitant while going through the revs, especially above 5k where is where the busso loves to hang out
I bought a proper new Bosch unit from the net - just the sensor as it was £80 as opposed to nearer £200 if you buy the sensor within a new tube, which seems pointless.
The MAF was a pain in the a%£e to fit - firstly the air intake needed to come off. Next, I needed security torx screw bits (the star shape with a hole in the middle), which required me to buy a whole set of bits from Screwfix, and one of the screws is very near the battery and fuse box so there was a fair bit of swearing and finally I got the old MAF out. Whacked the new one in, then went for a drive...
Wow...Just feels amazing to drive now. It is so hard to NOT drive this car hard. It just wants to be screaming the whole time, helped by the ridiculously close 6 speed gearbox ratios.
I am pretty lame mechanically, but as a default response to anyone considering buying an Alfa of this vintage, if you find the car isn't 'eager' and a bit flat as the revs rise, get a new MAF before anything else. From my experience, the dash light (injector symbol thing) has never come on if the MAF is knackered in this or previous Alfas I've had, which is annoying as it doesn't give the driver an indicator that the MAF is causing power problems, unless you know to look for this.
Anyway, here's another pic with a silly filter on.
I also decided to buy a new MAF for the car as I mentioned before that it was hesitant while going through the revs, especially above 5k where is where the busso loves to hang out
I bought a proper new Bosch unit from the net - just the sensor as it was £80 as opposed to nearer £200 if you buy the sensor within a new tube, which seems pointless. The MAF was a pain in the a%£e to fit - firstly the air intake needed to come off. Next, I needed security torx screw bits (the star shape with a hole in the middle), which required me to buy a whole set of bits from Screwfix, and one of the screws is very near the battery and fuse box so there was a fair bit of swearing and finally I got the old MAF out. Whacked the new one in, then went for a drive...
Wow...Just feels amazing to drive now. It is so hard to NOT drive this car hard. It just wants to be screaming the whole time, helped by the ridiculously close 6 speed gearbox ratios.
I am pretty lame mechanically, but as a default response to anyone considering buying an Alfa of this vintage, if you find the car isn't 'eager' and a bit flat as the revs rise, get a new MAF before anything else. From my experience, the dash light (injector symbol thing) has never come on if the MAF is knackered in this or previous Alfas I've had, which is annoying as it doesn't give the driver an indicator that the MAF is causing power problems, unless you know to look for this.
Anyway, here's another pic with a silly filter on.
Edited by strangehighways on Sunday 14th May 11:32
Following the last installment, I thought any problems to do with the clutch were a distant memory. This wasn't the case and I ended up with a slipping clutch on the way to Goodwood FOS.
As the clutch isn't a small job, I decided not to take it to a generic garage and find an Alfa specialist instead. From looking at the Alfaowner forums, I found Northern Alfa Performance in Maltby, south of Doncaster, and east of Rotherham. Gareth, who owns the garage really knows his stuff and did a great job.
The car went for its MOT and passed but needed a couple of front tyres as the insides were worn.
The wallet is a bit lighter than before, but I am loving driving this car! I am taking it out about once a week so the miles are kept down.
My list so far....
- New MAF
- Undertray secured
- Clutch cylinder replacement
- Two tyres
- Clutch
- CV Boot
Still need to get that damn cambelt done!!!
As the clutch isn't a small job, I decided not to take it to a generic garage and find an Alfa specialist instead. From looking at the Alfaowner forums, I found Northern Alfa Performance in Maltby, south of Doncaster, and east of Rotherham. Gareth, who owns the garage really knows his stuff and did a great job.
The car went for its MOT and passed but needed a couple of front tyres as the insides were worn.
The wallet is a bit lighter than before, but I am loving driving this car! I am taking it out about once a week so the miles are kept down.
My list so far....
- New MAF
- Undertray secured
- Clutch cylinder replacement
- Two tyres
- Clutch
- CV Boot
Still need to get that damn cambelt done!!!
Thought I'd update since the Alfa went in for a big bill recently.
I am based in York and take the Alfa to a place called "Northern Alfa", situated between Doncaster and Rotherham on an industrial estate in the middle of nowhere! Run by Gareth, his rates are very reasonable and he checked the car over in detail. Although a pain in the arse to get to/from without a car, it is worth it to ensure that the car is properly looked after by someone who knows Alfas in detail and their areas of weakness, rather than a random mechanic.
He did the following....
Engine oil 10w060 fully synthetic
Oil Filter
Air Filter
Spark plugs (platinum)
Pollen Filter
Front upper wishbone
Inner Track rod
Track rod end
4 wheel laser alignment
Timing belt kit and idlers
water pump with metal impeller
aux belt
Coolant
Cam cover gaskets
Waxoiled brake pipes
Lubricated locks and hinges
Removed wheels, cleaned and greased hubs
Reset engine management and airbag lights
Painted top cam cover
The Alfa is driving great and feels very sure footed on the road. Having put quite a bit of money into it since buying it, it is certainly intended to be a keeper, so I am trying to keep the miles off it and onto the XJR (which is more or less my daily). The Alfa currently sits at 72k miles and I will probably only be putting 5 - 7k on a year from now on.
Next on the list will be to address rust on the lower front wings. Probably replacements are needed, but I'll deal with that down the line. For now I'm gonna rag the thing senseless around North Yorkshire! The Busso eats revs for fun.
Here's a shot with my XJR...
I am based in York and take the Alfa to a place called "Northern Alfa", situated between Doncaster and Rotherham on an industrial estate in the middle of nowhere! Run by Gareth, his rates are very reasonable and he checked the car over in detail. Although a pain in the arse to get to/from without a car, it is worth it to ensure that the car is properly looked after by someone who knows Alfas in detail and their areas of weakness, rather than a random mechanic.
He did the following....
Engine oil 10w060 fully synthetic
Oil Filter
Air Filter
Spark plugs (platinum)
Pollen Filter
Front upper wishbone
Inner Track rod
Track rod end
4 wheel laser alignment
Timing belt kit and idlers
water pump with metal impeller
aux belt
Coolant
Cam cover gaskets
Waxoiled brake pipes
Lubricated locks and hinges
Removed wheels, cleaned and greased hubs
Reset engine management and airbag lights
Painted top cam cover
The Alfa is driving great and feels very sure footed on the road. Having put quite a bit of money into it since buying it, it is certainly intended to be a keeper, so I am trying to keep the miles off it and onto the XJR (which is more or less my daily). The Alfa currently sits at 72k miles and I will probably only be putting 5 - 7k on a year from now on.
Next on the list will be to address rust on the lower front wings. Probably replacements are needed, but I'll deal with that down the line. For now I'm gonna rag the thing senseless around North Yorkshire! The Busso eats revs for fun.
Here's a shot with my XJR...
Edited by strangehighways on Sunday 21st October 10:58
Edited by strangehighways on Sunday 21st October 11:58
petrolhead888 said:
Hey Guys,
i`m Also in North Yorkshire!
Just to say... coming soon,
I have just rescued a beautiful Red 1998 Alfa 156 V6 Veloce Manual, 95k with Tan leather, Has a non standard exhaust that is just pure music!
I Have fitted a Momo Prototipo Steering wheel and fitted some Alfa GT 18" Blackline Alloys in graphite grey, GTA Headlights and front lip spoiler.
The car is currently at the Paint shop getting a ful paint in Ferrari Red and to say I`m excited to add it to my fleet is an understatement!
It drives so well with amaing throttle response!
I worked for Alfa Romeo back in 2000 so had a Brand new 2.4 JTD Veloce in red and adored that car.
Always wanted the V6!
Spent much more than i expected on welding etc but I think she is worth it! A sure future classic this one!
Will post pictures once it is done say in about 3 weeks or so.
Let me know when you're out and about in it and maybe we can compare the two.i`m Also in North Yorkshire!
Just to say... coming soon,
I have just rescued a beautiful Red 1998 Alfa 156 V6 Veloce Manual, 95k with Tan leather, Has a non standard exhaust that is just pure music!
I Have fitted a Momo Prototipo Steering wheel and fitted some Alfa GT 18" Blackline Alloys in graphite grey, GTA Headlights and front lip spoiler.
The car is currently at the Paint shop getting a ful paint in Ferrari Red and to say I`m excited to add it to my fleet is an understatement!
It drives so well with amaing throttle response!
I worked for Alfa Romeo back in 2000 so had a Brand new 2.4 JTD Veloce in red and adored that car.
Always wanted the V6!
Spent much more than i expected on welding etc but I think she is worth it! A sure future classic this one!
Will post pictures once it is done say in about 3 weeks or so.
More expense on the Alfa, but this time, not for maintenance reasons, but just because I wanted a fancy exhaust!
There are many exhausts that are popular in Alfa circles, which include Supersprint, Ragazzon, Alfaholics, and in the last few years Wizard. I had a Wizard on my last GTV and it sounded incredible. The Wizard exhausts are based on a very expensive Unicorse exhaust which one of the Wizard guys got and opened up in order to use as a template for the Wizard.
This Unicorse backbox came up for sale on Facebook marketplace along with a Wizard centre section for £800 and I managed to do a deal within an hour or so before anyone else. I know that sounds expensive, but the original Unicorse backbox on its own was apparently £1500 in 2007!
The exhaust as it stands isn't as loud as the Wizard was on my GTV was because the centre section has a silencer on it here ie. two silencers after the CAT (the Wizard was one silencer after the CAT). If I really want it to be louder in the future, then I can always get a straight through centre section. It is still reasonably loud now, but not ridiculous at all.
From the drivers seat the car has the perfect balance of induction roar and exhaust. The great thing about the busso with the Unicorse is that the sound changes as you go through the rev range. Anyway, enough words, here's a few pics and a video. Sorry it isn't very good, I'll try and get some better videos soon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKOlBXkVEAE
There are many exhausts that are popular in Alfa circles, which include Supersprint, Ragazzon, Alfaholics, and in the last few years Wizard. I had a Wizard on my last GTV and it sounded incredible. The Wizard exhausts are based on a very expensive Unicorse exhaust which one of the Wizard guys got and opened up in order to use as a template for the Wizard.
This Unicorse backbox came up for sale on Facebook marketplace along with a Wizard centre section for £800 and I managed to do a deal within an hour or so before anyone else. I know that sounds expensive, but the original Unicorse backbox on its own was apparently £1500 in 2007!
The exhaust as it stands isn't as loud as the Wizard was on my GTV was because the centre section has a silencer on it here ie. two silencers after the CAT (the Wizard was one silencer after the CAT). If I really want it to be louder in the future, then I can always get a straight through centre section. It is still reasonably loud now, but not ridiculous at all.
From the drivers seat the car has the perfect balance of induction roar and exhaust. The great thing about the busso with the Unicorse is that the sound changes as you go through the rev range. Anyway, enough words, here's a few pics and a video. Sorry it isn't very good, I'll try and get some better videos soon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKOlBXkVEAE
It's been a while since the last update, so I thought I'd let you know how it's going.
The 156 is still with me and in pretty good health.
Here is a list of the maintenance to date since I bought the car in 2017.
I've actually missed off some bits from the list, but they are not really maintenance, but rather desirable things.
They are 17 inch teledials which have replaced the 16 inch teledials which came with the car (2.5 156s did not come with 17 inch teledials and if you see them on a 156 they were probably originally from a GTV). The jump from 16 to 17 inch makes the car look a lot better and it seems to sit way better on the road (no modifications were required, they just fit straight on). Also grip levels have increased as expected so the car feels a lot more sure footed now. Tyre noise has increased a little but isn't too bad.
The other change to the car which was fairly recent is the addition of a red leather interior. I found one for sale for £325. I picked it up a few months ago and fitted it without drama. Apart from a bolt on each seat being a total pain to get to! (one of the rear ones on each of the front seats). The other thing to deal with was that the original non leather seats had an airbag seat occupancy sensor but the "new" leather seats don't. So I got a resistor to put in the connector under the seat and it seems to work. Since the pics below, I have bought a touch up pen and its really improved the seats, in particular the piping around the edge which lost of a lot of colour from years of wear.
Things to do in the future are source a set of front wings for the car. The current ones are disintegrating at the bottom. Cambelt will be on the horizon at some point; mileage wise it was done less than 10k ago but that was in 2018 so probably best to get it done either this year or next.
The 156 is still with me and in pretty good health.
Here is a list of the maintenance to date since I bought the car in 2017.
I've actually missed off some bits from the list, but they are not really maintenance, but rather desirable things.
They are 17 inch teledials which have replaced the 16 inch teledials which came with the car (2.5 156s did not come with 17 inch teledials and if you see them on a 156 they were probably originally from a GTV). The jump from 16 to 17 inch makes the car look a lot better and it seems to sit way better on the road (no modifications were required, they just fit straight on). Also grip levels have increased as expected so the car feels a lot more sure footed now. Tyre noise has increased a little but isn't too bad.
The other change to the car which was fairly recent is the addition of a red leather interior. I found one for sale for £325. I picked it up a few months ago and fitted it without drama. Apart from a bolt on each seat being a total pain to get to! (one of the rear ones on each of the front seats). The other thing to deal with was that the original non leather seats had an airbag seat occupancy sensor but the "new" leather seats don't. So I got a resistor to put in the connector under the seat and it seems to work. Since the pics below, I have bought a touch up pen and its really improved the seats, in particular the piping around the edge which lost of a lot of colour from years of wear.
Things to do in the future are source a set of front wings for the car. The current ones are disintegrating at the bottom. Cambelt will be on the horizon at some point; mileage wise it was done less than 10k ago but that was in 2018 so probably best to get it done either this year or next.
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