Some of you will no doubt recall the saga from last year ( http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-159-brera-and-946-spider/587010-1750-turbo-blown-again.html ) when the already-replaced-once turbo on my 159 went bang. Well, unbelievably, this afternoon saw turbo #3 follow suit in similarly spectacular fashion, .
We'd just dropped off SWMBO's Giulietta at our local(ish) Alfa indie (McLennans at Loanhead, Edinburgh) where it'll be getting a service and timing belt/water pump replacement on Monday and were heading back along the City Bypass at a steady 55-60mph (heavyish traffic) when the whine/scream, under the slightest throttle application, started.
Even Jennifer, who admits to having zero technical knowledge where cars are concerned, picked up on it instantly. I had barely finished responding with my fears over what it might be based on previous experience(s) when they were comprehensively confirmed. A slight stuttering in the power delivery, then a surge followed by total loss of boost pressure and a smoke trail that The Red Arrows would have been proud of.
As it was only a couple of miles or so back to McLennans and mostly downhill so it wouldn't involve much throttle usage, after stopping briefly to pour in a litre of Selenia Sport Power (lucky I carried a spare bottle, ) as a precaution to replace that already incinerated, I elected to limp back there rather than sit on the hard shoulder in sub-zero temperatures for however long it took the RAC to get there, by which time the garage would have been shut for the weekend in any case.
The guys at McLennans smelt the car arrive before they saw it, the stench of burning oil was so strong, although oddly the smell seems to be coming from under the bonnet rather than out of the exhaust - if you turn on the heater/air con fan with the recycle set to off so that it draws air from outside, within seconds the interior of the car is filled with fumes, .
We enquired about renting a vehicle locally, or failing that could they call us a taxi and in response Stuart McLennan Snr handed over the 'key' to a 159 1.9 and said "just use this, at least until you get the Giulietta back". Top Man, :thumbs:.
I think this latest episode could well be the final nail in the coffin. Off to scour Autotrader for a suitable runabout/dog transporter, then it'll be down the Lotus dealer on Monday for some 'man maths', .
We'd just dropped off SWMBO's Giulietta at our local(ish) Alfa indie (McLennans at Loanhead, Edinburgh) where it'll be getting a service and timing belt/water pump replacement on Monday and were heading back along the City Bypass at a steady 55-60mph (heavyish traffic) when the whine/scream, under the slightest throttle application, started.
Even Jennifer, who admits to having zero technical knowledge where cars are concerned, picked up on it instantly. I had barely finished responding with my fears over what it might be based on previous experience(s) when they were comprehensively confirmed. A slight stuttering in the power delivery, then a surge followed by total loss of boost pressure and a smoke trail that The Red Arrows would have been proud of.
As it was only a couple of miles or so back to McLennans and mostly downhill so it wouldn't involve much throttle usage, after stopping briefly to pour in a litre of Selenia Sport Power (lucky I carried a spare bottle, ) as a precaution to replace that already incinerated, I elected to limp back there rather than sit on the hard shoulder in sub-zero temperatures for however long it took the RAC to get there, by which time the garage would have been shut for the weekend in any case.
The guys at McLennans smelt the car arrive before they saw it, the stench of burning oil was so strong, although oddly the smell seems to be coming from under the bonnet rather than out of the exhaust - if you turn on the heater/air con fan with the recycle set to off so that it draws air from outside, within seconds the interior of the car is filled with fumes, .
We enquired about renting a vehicle locally, or failing that could they call us a taxi and in response Stuart McLennan Snr handed over the 'key' to a 159 1.9 and said "just use this, at least until you get the Giulietta back". Top Man, :thumbs:.
I think this latest episode could well be the final nail in the coffin. Off to scour Autotrader for a suitable runabout/dog transporter, then it'll be down the Lotus dealer on Monday for some 'man maths', .