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Topics - Steve McF

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2
My car has has a bit of varying vibration at idle since I bought it 6 years or so back. But whenever i brought it up with the specialists at service time, they couldn't find anything wrong. More recently I have had a misfire/stutter at 2500rpm in mainly in 4th gear.

The car has had new plugs along the way, and the timing chain done, but nothing seems to have sorted this. So I suspect my ignition coils may be a bit suspect. Some time back I bought another set from a breakers, and have swapped them around, but nothing made any difference.

I have a new set of the required plugs as recommended on here, so I was wondering if I should be looking at coil packs too?

If so, are these good value?
https://www.neobrothers.co.uk/car-parts/electrical-lighting/ignition/ignition-coil/oe-direct-ignition-coil-set-x4-12787707

3
Well I noticed a sort of clanking noise at the back of the car when going over an aggressive speed ramp in the work car park, but I thought it was maybe something rolling round in the boot.

But today I drove over said spead ramp and there was a big metal on metal clank, and it continued over smaller bumps and potholes.

So I pulled over expecting to hear my exhaust blowing, but it wasn't, and all seemed secure. I drove home carefully, and when I parked up, tried bouncing and rocking the back end of the car, but could not get any noise!!!

Luckily my mechanic was available, so I took the car over to get it on the ramp. Exhaust was ok, rear springs were ok. But....the right hand rear shock had collapsed and was not in the top mount!!!

So I need two rear shocks and two top mounts. Having a look on PFS, shocks are 50 quid each, and the top mounts are 25 quid each from Saabits. But if I go onto the GSF website, Monroe shocks are only about 30 quid each.

So which should I go for, and do the Aeros have different spec dampers to everything else?

4
Well I was trying to do a couple of bits on my son's SORNed 57 reg Ford Focus estate that's in our garage at the moment.

The headlights are a bit cloudy so I had a go at one of them wuth T Cut headlight restorer. It got rid of the greeny hue, but the surface looks and feels a bit rough and opaque. So next plan is to use the fine grade wet and dry on them, and lacquer them.

But, talking of lacquer, the front bumper seems to have very bad lacquer peel on one side. It seems to lift in places like clingfilm!!!

The paint colour still seems fine. So I was wondering, whether the car needs to go to a body shop to  do it properly, or if it is something I could tackle with some aerosol lacquer?

My worry would be damaging the exposed paint surface.

Should I try to peel off any loose bits of lacquer, and would anything need rubbing down before applying the lacquer?

5
Well that was a waste of time.....windscreen washer was empty on my way home, so filled it up with screenwash and water when I got home, only to find it all leaking out under the bumper!!!

Obviously it was too dark to do any investigating, but any thoughts on obvious culprits to look out for? Pipe come off, or cracked bottle etc?

6
Driving my Aero recently too and from work, and the steering wheel has been very cold to my already cold fingers!!!! Whilst the car warms up quite quickly (and always has done - so did my 9-5 LPT years ago), I don't have the luxury of heated seats.

Although I can cope with that, but I was wondering if a heated steering wheel was ever offered on the 9-3ss, and whether such a thing can be retro fitted to a 56 reg pre facelift car?

7
Well my fan has been squeaking ever so slightly, but it's doing it more so now, and getting right on my turbos  :P  ;D ;D

I wanted to try to lubricate the bearings, and wasn't sure if that can be done by accessing with the glovebox removed? I saw a youtube video on a left hand drive car, where there was a rubber bung you could remove to get your wd40 straw in to spray the bearings, but not sure if the same was true of the right hand drive?

I saw the Cyclone Sid video where he did spray some in from the outside air inlet.

8
Hi all,

I need to get my Aero serviced and a few Saaby bits looked at. Hoping to go to Bagnall Saab in Birmingham, but Ken M Jones in Rugby seems to be a fair alternative. But, I am not sure if he is still trading, as his website doesn't exist, and other links seem to take you to the generic Orio servicing page.

Anyone used Ken recently, and can recommend him?

9
Well, it looks like we are getting another car off a friend which will more than likely sit in my garage for a few months as my son builds up his driving expereince in my Peugeot 107, with a view to any potential insurance policy being a bit cheaper after he turns 18.

So a friend who has just bought a newer Ford Focus estate was getting rid of the one he has had for the last 3 years - a 57 reg 1.6 Climate, with (admittedly) 158k miles on the clock (he has been doing around 25k miles a year). He offered it to my son for £500. When I looked these up online, they tend to sell for £1500 - £2000 or more. The car has a clean MOT history for the last 3 years (no advisories), and recently serviced and a new alternator fitted.

We had a look over the car, and aside from a bit of a water leak in the boot (known problem), and brake disks looking a little worn on the back, it seems a pretty honest car. In fact, the guy had been to Scotland and back in it just over the Christmas period before getting his newer car.

MOT is due again in mid Feb, and we are hoping to get the car this coming weekend.

So quick question - anyone ever had one of these, and can give us some pointers about things to look out for in the future? If we SORN it immediately, it'll sit in my garage for a while, so plenty of time to have a dabble with fixing/upgrading things!! Or, Imight temporarily transfer the 9-3 insurance onto it (and temporarily SORT the Aero), and use it for work for a few weeks.

The Timing belt was done about 3 - 4 years ago from what I can gather.



10
This is a bit random, but if any of you have logburner, what do you do with the ash? We collect it in a bucket, and eventually put it in a bin bag a d put in the general waste wheelie bin.

But I've read different things saying it can be used in composting, or it can't be used in composting.

We normally burn wood, coffee logs, Irish peat/turf, or smokeless coal.

11
Well it hasn't happened yet, but I've taken the first step, buying the dummy cover that fits over your existing perished antenna without having to cut all the rubber off first.

You clean up the rubber, and glue this cover over the top. I got it from the Partsforsaabs Ebay page, because it was cheaper than getting it on their website and paying the postage!! And I have to say, it fits very snuggly and securely. Those guys have done a good job.

Now I need to find a suitable glue......

12
I've been casually surfing Autotrader, as I do from time to time - and always having a bit of a an eye for cars that no one I knows has, I find myself looking at things like Saabs and others repeatedly :D

I recently started looking at Alfa Romeos - a brand along with Fiat and Lancia (and to some extent French cars), I spent a long time avoiding due to their reputation for dodgy electrics etc. However, I like the look of some of their models, especially the Mito, which in some forms, comes with low road tax, small engines and good fuel economy.

With my boy using my 107 all the time now, I am using the Aero as my daily driver now, which means I'm about 20mpg down on what I could previously expect :D So I was surprised to see some of these Mitos with 900cc or 1.4 engines with cheap road tax, which looked like they might be cheap to run (and a bit bigger and more comfortable than a 107!!).

Anyone got any experience of the more recent Alfas (2009 onwards, ish)? Any good? Reliable?? Cheep to run? Fun??

13
So the road tax reminder for the Aero arrived today, and I opened it, confident it would be around the usual 300 quid (ish) mark.

Now, I must have been asleep or unconscious when they must have announced it, because this year Matthew, my road tax is going to be £365 😳😳😳🥺🥺🥺

When did that go.up????!!!

14
Well I only spotted on my bank account that my monthly payment to SKY had gone up from aroun £90 a month to £142 a month without them reminding me the 18 month contract was coming to an end!! WHich was very good of them, but think of the shareholders!!!!!

So when I ring them, the best they can do is reduce it to £118 a month...unless I wait till the 24th November when they have some Black Friday deals.....

 ::) ::) ::) ::)

I can hear Freeview calling me back again  ;D ;D ;D

15
I'm starting to wonder if the rear end of the exhaust on my Aero saloon 2.0T is starting to blow a little.

I don't really want to be spending loads on an exhaust, but I also don't want to be getting some rubbish aftermarket system that will also be blowing before you know it. One option might be to buy a second hand stainless system, if I can find one.

Anyone got any recommendations, or advice on what to look out for, new and/or second hand? My car has the single tailpipe on the LHS of the rear bumper.

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