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What have you done to your 159/Brera/Spider today?

855K views 11K replies 922 participants last post by  gtv6sa 
#1 ·
Hi all,

This kind of thread works well on several other forums I use and often sparks some great discussions / ideas. Just post up what it is you've done and feel free to comment on others posts, but be nice :lol:

Today - tracking set to zero toe as recommended on here. Needed doing as it's taken the inside edges off the fronts.
 
#7,311 ·
This is when I think about a Giulietta TCT - £30 tax a year IIRC. And faster.
Just a shame about the looks I guess, but I can say that about most cars compared with a Spider.
 
#7,318 ·
Wife has a long face today, because her Spider goes on sorn this afternoon until next spring. It will get a good clean this weekend and then goes into the Carcoon after several days drying out. Next spring it is due to have the front and rear bumpers repainted.
 
#7,326 ·
Have the car 5 weeks, work done so far

timing chain, engine light came on 2 days after i bought the car :grumpy:
Oil/filter change
Rear spoiler
Plasti Dipped alloy wheels (black)
HID upgrade
Tinted fog lights (yellow)
Maxion design splitter and tail light tints to be done this weekend
 
#7,327 ·
Have the car 5 weeks, work done so far

timing chain, engine light came on 2 days after i bought the car

Oil/filter change
Rear spoiler
Plasti Dipped alloy wheels (black)
HID upgrade
Tinted fog lights (yellow)
Maxion design splitter and tail light tints to be done this weekend
Which splitter as they sell a few , let me know how it is to fit , as I'll be ordering one soon
 
#7,339 ·
Cheap upper wishbone blunder.

I replaced the right front upper wishbone with a cheap (Reuville) make from Buycarparts.co.uk last year. It lasted about 6months before creaking badly so just before the MOT in July I fitted a TRW one.

I also changed the left hand side for a Reuville one a few months ago, and its been creaking like the Adam's Family's door hinges for a couple of months. Spray lube on the bushes works for a day or two.

I bought another TRW from Buycarparts.co.uk last week for just £65.30 including shipping from Germany, (less than 1/2 the price of the previous one from a UK source) so now once again I have an excellent Brera with silent suspension. Whether the TRWs will last longer I have yet to discover.

The moral is - cheap parts are presumably only fitted by those selling their vehicle otherwise they are a false economy.
What other brands are comparable to TRW - Lemforder, Febi-Bilstein??

PS. The creaking is quite easy to pinpoint: if the suspension creaks when you jack up the car, it will be those upper bushes.
 
#7,340 ·
I replaced the right front upper wishbone with a cheap (Reuville) make from Buycarparts.co.uk last year. It lasted about 6months before creaking badly so just before the MOT in July I fitted a TRW one.

I also changed the left hand side for a Reuville one a few months ago, and its been creaking like the Adam's Family's door hinges for a couple of months. Spray lube on the bushes works for a day or two.

I bought another TRW from Buycarparts.co.uk last week for just £65.30 including shipping from Germany, (less than 1/2 the price of the previous one from a UK source) so now once again I have an excellent Brera with silent suspension. Whether the TRWs will last longer I have yet to discover.

The moral is - cheap parts are presumably only fitted by those selling their vehicle otherwise they are a false economy.
What other brands are comparable to TRW - Lemforder, Febi-Bilstein??

PS. The creaking is quite easy to pinpoint: if the suspension creaks when you jack up the car, it will be those upper bushes.
I had exactly the same problem in the summer, the crap roads here don't help with pot holes and speed bumps every yard
 
#7,341 ·
Summer wheels off, Winter ones on. Summer tyres aren't worth refitting, fronts almost on wear marks but even across the tread and one rear one - there's a nail in it... Not sure if it'll be Continenals or Michelins next time, more reviews to read and then find a good source at the right price. Also took the opportunity of the wheels being off to replace the offiside arch liner which was badly cracked and missing a few chunks. I bought both sides but the nearside seems to be okay at the moment. Fluids checked and topped off, car ready for an MOT in a couple of weeks I think.

Guy
 
#7,342 ·
Fitted new piston and seals to the front caliper, should have been a simple job but the metal securing ring in the dust cover is so tight it needs to be pressed in by something better than fingers and profanities. Cue a jam jar lid with an old brake pad on top and a c-clamp, job done and twichy front end/toasty wheel/poor(er) fuel economy solved!
Then went to change rear springs and shocks, but after stripping out the boot lining remembered that I have nothing to clamp the top of the shocker tube with since my 5mm spanner broke when changing shockers on the Volvo that the 159 replaced! Guess that'll have to wait for another day...
 
#7,345 ·
Spider is now hibernating, shsh, dont wake it!
 

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#7,355 ·
fangface - can't you do anything with that boot lid? Your lights don't line through!
 
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