[perksy]

Hi all.

As the title suggests I am collecting my new car at the weekend - a high miles GTV V6.

I was wondering what jobs you'd prioritise. I've made myself a little "to-do" list below and wondered if there are any other jobs you'd recommend.

I've got it at the right price so I don't mind doing some work on it to get it right. Any helpful suggestions gratefully received.

Replace engine oil and filter - any oil recommendations btw?
Replace gearbox oil - again, any recommendations please?
Replace coolant
New brake discs and pads all round
Professional bodywork polish/mop (whatever they call it)
Wheel refurb all round
New tyres

I'll even go to the extent of replacing/repairing the leather trim and polishing engine and engine bay etc up to get the car A1.

Again, any thoughts/hints/tips very very welcome.

James

 

[aqueoushumour01]

I hope the snow clears up for a bit this weekend! well for the tyres Falken FK-452's seem to be getting some votes on another thread. What colour and mileage is the car?

 

[156Chris]

All depends what other maintenance work has gone on ... first priority has to be cambelt ...


then make sure it's got a Q2 :thumbs:

 

[perksy]

Thanks both!

I was wondering about the cambelt. It had it done 7k ago but I'm not certain all the tensioners etc were done at the same time so yes, its got to be a priority.

Any idea how much the Q2 is?

Also, I've heard a lot about the rear suspension needing work on high miles cars. What is it that needs replacing?

James

 

[aqueoushumour01]

if it was only 7k ago should be fine unless it hasn't been used much and it was 4-5 years ago

 

[Mitch916]

Q2

Q2

Suspension

http://www.autolusso.co.uk/new/index.php/performance-upgrades/63-powerflex/142-powerflex-bushes

 

[perksy]

Thanks Mitch - makes interesting reading - all bookmarked for future reference.

Thanks again.

 

[symon]

A Q2 isn't essential.

If you drive hard you however you will notice a benefit to the handling, plus there is a small chance the standard diff will explode and ruin the gearbox casing.

Mine is on 107k on the standard diff. My school of thought says that if it was going to blow it would have already, as it has probably already been driven far harder than I drive. Although others say failure is more likely the older it gets due to wear etc..

I would be tempted to make sure all of the suspension is in order first. Some parts can be powerflexed, but many of the moving parts are rose jointed on the V6 and I would want to keep those. The 2.0 versions use more rubber bushes which can break up.

Also as already mentioned, check when the cambelt was last done.

The V6 doesn't snap the belt as often as the TS cars. The official change interval is 72,000 miles or 5 years. 50,000 miles is probably more realistic and safer for the engine.

 

[Mr_Caine]

Hi all.

As the title suggests I am collecting my new car at the weekend - a high miles GTV V6.

I was wondering what jobs you'd prioritise. I've made myself a little "to-do" list below and wondered if there are any other jobs you'd recommend.

I've got it at the right price so I don't mind doing some work on it to get it right. Any helpful suggestions gratefully received.

Replace engine oil and filter - any oil recommendations btw?
Replace gearbox oil - again, any recommendations please?
Replace coolant
New brake discs and pads all round
Professional bodywork polish/mop (whatever they call it)
Wheel refurb all round
New tyres

I'll even go to the extent of replacing/repairing the leather trim and polishing engine and engine bay etc up to get the car A1.

Again, any thoughts/hints/tips very very welcome.

James

If you don't know the history of the car, the first thing I would do would be to give it a service, replacing all fluids and filters including oils, coolant, brake and powersteering fluid. If you are replacing the coolant you might as well replace the thermostat which will cost about £25 and atleast you know it's good.

Things like break discs and pads seems excessive if they are not worn out, afterall why spend money replacing something that doesn't need doing, just check the disc thickness and the pads for wear and replace if necessary.

Again things like tyres unless they need replacing I would use them until they do. Might be worth a 4 wheel alignment.

A professional polish seems a good idea if you want to pretty the car up and they will be able to tell you how much paint the car has had over the years if they've got the right gear to assess paint thickness.

It might be prudent to pop the car down to a reputable Alfa specialist and asking them to give you an assessment on the condition of the car and report areas requiring attention e.g. suspension, radiator, condition of underseal etc.

 

[perksy]

Thanks everyone - all good, sound advice. Esp the part about getting a local specialist to check it over. I'm very lucky to be quite near to Motormech in Birmingham and the first thing I will do is pop along and get them to put it on the ramp and give it a once over. He can also do the swapping of all the fluids and thermostat at the same time and read the codes.

Once we've done that I'll be in more of a position to prioritise the work that needs doing. I've seen the AutoLusso powerflexed rear suspension kits - I bet it'll be needing one of those but we'll see what MotorMech says first.

I love getting cars sorted and immacualte. I bought a Fiat Coupe LE Turbo as a write-off a couple of years ago. I restored it with a full respray, partial interior retrim and lots of underbonnet polishing etc etc and entered it in to the Auto Italia concourse competition at Sandford Hall (the one where the Top Gear Team did their "concours entries") and I won best in class (1990's Fiat). I have a little cup on my shelf here to prove it and I'd love another one day - maybe this car will do it as well...

Thanks again everyone. I'll be sure to post up some pics as soon as its here. Ohhh, excited..

James

James