Sometimes time seems to pass too quickly and with a slight pang of disappointment I realised November was the month when both MOT and service are due for the Chimaera, even though it only seems like yesterday that I passed over my debit card to pay for the last bill. Sadly, I can’t really avoid these costs, and the insurance renewal is looming too, but it did get me thinking about what to do next...
A few stone chips need seeing to
I’ve already decided that unless (for some reason) the bailiffs come knocking at my door I will keep the TVR for life, so I took a walk around the car and made a list of all the things I would do to it if I had the funds, and the list was long. That posed a question, do I have a winter project and make it showroom fresh for 2014 or do I continue to use it and push the guilt I feel for not having washed it in ages to one side preferring instead to continue making local noise?
So, the list, let’s start with that. I still need to get the rear roof section replaced (a cost-effective solution from a local supplier has been suggested, life commitments mean I’ve done nothing further thus far) and if I’m going to get the rear section done then maybe the top section should be looked at too? I need some tyres, they will soon be sorted, but my wheel centre caps are fading and need replacing too. The windscreen is lightly chipped and I’d like to replace it (insurance perhaps?) purely for aesthetic reasons.
I would like to get some paint applied to cover some stone chips and scuffs and I have plans to install a more modern headunit and perhaps some rear speakers too. On that note I must thank PHer Tiscali who offered me the Pioneer DEH-P77MP I wanted at a reasonable price and I hope to purchase it from him very soon. Don’t get me wrong, if I polished my car up and parked it at a Sunday Service you’d stand and admire it because it looks so good. These jobs are to please a particularly fussy owner who can’t decide if he wants the perfect example of a (standard) Chimaera 4.0 or of he wants a car he can use without too much worry as it isn’t concours … decisions, decisions.
That leaves the chassis, strong I’m told, but it continues to keep me awake since a ‘detailer’ cleaned all the Waxoyl off a few years ago (without my asking) and the reapplication I had done never seemed to be as comprehensive. With winter approaching I will get a full chassis clean sorted and have already secured a large box of Dynax S50 to see me through the next few years with some confidence. I think I’ll get that done when the car is on the ramps for the service and MOT. It’s my main priority in fact.
2013 has been a bit of an odd year for the TVR. I’ve used it a lot but over short distances so the annual mileage is lower than normal, especially after I left it at home and took a borrowed Jaguar to Le Mans, but in terms of reliability it has been superb. Turn-key for 12 months with nothing more than a top-up of the oil a few weeks ago. It seems to prefer living in the carpark underneath my flat too, whereas my previous garage was damp and cold the carpark is warm and dry with good air circulation and the car is bone dry and seems to enjoy the warmer temperatures too with the battery remaining strong even after three weeks of inactivity.
It’s all going very well indeed. Speaking of the carpark, I have yet to set a car alarm off with the TVR despite more than 105db of unsilenced V8 starting up against a wall and rumbling around on a regular basis, yet while I was reversing a (sports exhaust equipped) Cayman the other day I set the alarm off on the Kia something-or-other parked alongside. Incredible and, if I'm honest, a little disappointing. 7/10, must try harder Mr Chimaera, we have British honour to uphold after all.
As this happy owner signs off I’ll leave you with a question. Do I spend a few quid getting all of my OCD niggles sorted or should I just get the MOT, service and chassis done leaving the rest to do as and when I can? I just can’t decide, but will take all the help and advice I can get!
FACT SHEET:
Car: 1999 TVR Chimaera 4.0
Run by: Garlick
Bought: December 2009
Purchase price: £12,995
Last month at a glance: New home, summer sun, unfairly shunned