Conference terri::cars_uk

    I'm curious - why do you want to disble dim-dip?
    
    Rob

    Pardon my ignorance, but what is 'dim-dip'. Is it an intermediate
    stage between dipped beam and sidelights ?
    
    Roy

    dim-dip  - When you have the engine on and the lighting switch in the
    parking light position then the headlamps come on (dipped beam) with
    reduced intensity.
    
    A real nuisance if you have pop-up headlights. But if conditions are
    such that you want to use sidelights then you should probably use
    dipped-beam anyway ! Under what conditions do you think you need
    sidelights, but dont need headlights ?
    
    Andrew

    I have dim-dip on my '86 Escort estate.
    
    On side-light position on the switch, with the ignition off, I've got
    parking/side lights. With the ignition on, I've got a much brighter
    light, but not a "proper" dipped beam. One dipped position the lights
    are as one would expect. All I do is ignore the fact that the dim-dip
    exists, if I need lights at all for driving, then at a minimum, it's
    dipped beams.
    
    Are yours different then? Or are you proposing to drive on side-lights?
    
    Laurie.

Re .4

Probably wants to drive around with sidelights and those highly illegal
low-level lets-pretend-I'm-a-rally-driver extra driving lamps.

JJ.

    I'm intrigued. Why does this cause .0 a problem ?
    
    Roy

    Dim dip and the 'pop up' lights cause me a problem because I like the
    Volvo idea of day lights.  The car is black and I feel sidelights
    make the car more visible.  I'd prefer not to have the headlights
    popping up though.
    
    -Dave.
    

  
     One just cant manage to pose with ones  "POPUPS UP" can they  ???

    < One just cant manage to pose with ones  "POPUPS UP" can they  ???
    
    Not they can't....and it increases the drag factor and fuel comsumption
    okay ?
    
    BTW - multiple illegal driving lights seem to be reserved for 'old shape'
          Celicas which seem to doing well in the Rally circuits. 
          Supras are more a geriatics car, hence I qualify.......
    
    -Dave.
    

    I am in sympathy with the author of this note. 
    
    I do not consider driving around in daylight with your head/side lights
    on anything to do with posing (I drive a D-reg Peugeot)... I see it
    more to do with visibility of your vehicle for other plonk... er, I
    mean road users.
    
    A few years back I was driving up a long straight on the A32; this
    particular stretch was in a heavily wooded area (so although it was
    during the day the light wasn't all that good. In addition I was
    travelling up a steady, but not steep, gradient with the sun shining
    low and bright into my face.
    
    Half way along the straight I caught up with a couple of cars and
    checked my rear-view mirror to ready myself to overtake. By looking
    into the mirror my vision was now more directly towards the sun. The
    mirror effectively showed "black space"... except for two white 'dots'.
    As I'm wondering "what the @&@&@ is that" a Saab turbo thingy shot past
    my right hand side.... The two white dots were the car's "running"
    lights.
    
    Ok, Mr. Saab was perhaps travelling a little too fast, but the fact
    remains, but for the car's lights being on, I had plans to overtake the
    two afore-mentioned cars before the Saab. If I had pulled out
    (indicators and all) I reckon there may have been an accident in the
    offing.
    
    I find Less people pull out in front of me or whatever, when I drive
    around with my lights on.
    
    Perhaps some of you taking a dig at 0. drive a Ford... you know the
    cars that allow rear fog lamps to be lit up, whilst only having front
    side lights on !
    
    Reargards,
    
    Stephen

    I can support your theory on daytime lights too....A few years ago I
    used to ride a Ducati Desmo (no this is NOT for the biking note!)
    rather too fast over generally long distances (DEC Park to the New
    Forest daily, Geneva etc at Week-Ends). I always rode with the
    headlight on Dipped beam (as do most bikers, but not so motorists,
    except Saab and Volvo drivers!). 
    
    As an experiment, I rode without lights in the daytime on random
    occaisons. The incidents of motorists pulling out (from side roads and
    to overtake) was sometimes as much as double that when I had the lights
    on.
    
    Out of interest, do you find people flash you for having them on?
    
    NR
    

    The big problem with lights-on-in-the-day is that one of the main
    reasons that you get noticed is that you are *different*.  If everybody
    had their lights on then this factor would be removed.  One of the
    other factors is that other people have more difficulty in judging your
    speed - so they tend to add in a bigger safety factor - especially on a
    bike when sometimes all you can see is the light and on cars where the
    lights are close together (looks further away).
    
    Rob

    In answer to .11, the answer is yes I do get flashed by other drivers,
    on the odd occasion, but I tend to look on this as "Oh well at least he
    knew I was there !"
    
    Continuing on this theme I gave a lift to someone the other day who
    asked if I thought I was driving a Volvo (because I had my lights on in
    daylight)! Now this same person is an avid Volvo fan, forever singing
    the praises of the safety aspects of their vehicles, but for some
    reason he didn't count the cars' running lights as a "safety"
    feature... more of a nuisance factor, something to flatten the battery,
    etc.
    
    Reargards,
    
    Stephen  

    Apart from commuting in my self-inflicted economobile (2CV), I also
    have a 760 Volvo Estate, which I chose for 1) Safety for my 3 kids
    2) It tows a horse-box, a boat and even a plane!. Economy is definitely
    it's weakest feature however!
    
    I think most people choose a Volvo for safety/reliability. Not too many
    other reasons to own one (well, apart from comfort I suppose).
    
    Nigel

Volvo haven't "won" any European Safety tests recently. The latest "winner"
I can recall was an Audi.

I guess if you design it to look like a brick s**t house, build it like one,
advertise it like one, people will think it is one...

<--- I thought SAAB had the best all round safety record.

/Dave (no I don't own one).

    I don't really want to get into a pi***ng contest over this. I have
    owned a couple of Audis, a 100CD and then my beloved Quattro, they were
    undoubtedly full of safety features. I was unfortunate enough to hit a
    lorry silencer in the dark, at high speed on a m'way one morning
    (travelling to DECpark...where else would one be going?  ;-) ). It did
    an awful lot of damage, came right through the front valence, actually
    made a hole through! and exited through the inner wing panel. That
    completely distorted the front of the car, pulling the opposite wing
    out of shape. Admittedly, I sat there in the passenger compartment safe
    as (brick sh**)houses, but the structural damage and thus the cost of
    repair, was great.
    
    Conversly, I was sitting at the lights in my 760, when an artic came up
    on the outside, jumping the lights. The worst happened, the trailer
    caught my front n/s wing, pushed me against the keep left bollard and
    then proceeded to grind the front of the car away. It literally ripped
    the front wheel and the macpherson strut clean out of the car! However,
    the damage was mainly limited to that, no real distortion anywhere. A
    new wing, front suspension 'corner', and repair to the bonnet, some new
    air-conditioning tubes and it was done (expensive though).
    
    What I'm trying to say I suppose, is that having owned a couple of one
    type and several of the other, I know just how 'solid' a Volvo is.
    
    If you haven't actually worked on/driven the type, don't just accept
    what the motoring press have to say about them. I've met quite a few
    motoring journos and I only respected one or two of them!
    
    Nigel (who's glad he's not very interested in four wheels anymore!)

    Getting back to the question, 
    If you want to disable them, there's usually a relay actuated by the
    ignition, feeding the live from the lightswitch through a resistor
    module to the lights.
    	a 	disable the relay, or
    	b 	look near the front for an object (most I've seen are
    		cylindrical) with three wires coming from it. Live feed,
    		and loaded output to each headlamp.
    
    Usually near the radiator to keep it cool it is just a resistor after
    all!.
    
    Alternatively, change your sidelights for brighter bulbs (normal are
    about 5 watt, day-notice are usually around 21 watt) and wire direct to
    an ignition source.
    
    Richard 
    

    re 14.
    
    	yes they're comfortable. I drove a 740 Turbo estate for a while not
    because it was safe, comfortable, well made, good price (2nd hand), or
    good looking in a rugged sort-of-way (and it was all of those) but
    because with 2500rpm up it went like a rocket!! - minimal body roll,
    good wet weather grip, and quiet.
    
    
    	Now the happy owner of a 16v injected Mazda 2.0 hatch.
    
    AND I drive with my dipped headlights ON!!
    
    

    Re: .18
    
    Richard, thanks for the information.  I'll take a look under the
    bonnet and see if I can identify the relay.
    
    -Dave.
    

    Did you have luck with the dim-dip fix ? 
    
    I've got a Supra too. I find occasions when I want the the instrument
    lights on but I don't want the the lights to pop-up. The sequence in
    which the lights come on then off is overly complicated I think.
    
    Paul C.
    
    PS. Any feeling recommendations with regards to tyres on the Supra. 
    I've just replaced my Dunlop D40s with Goddyear Eagle GSDs wich I
    believe is now standard fitting on new Supras.

    I haven't got around to trying the dim-dip fix.  I must admit to getting
    a little worried when confronted by all those wires.  It's a real
    pain not being able to get hold of a Haynes manual for the Supra.
    
    Regarding tyres.  I replaced the two Goodyears on the front with 
    Avon Turbospeed ZXs.  ATS Tyres were offerring a special deal at
    the time (it's not a lease car........).  It's a real cheap vehicle
    to run as well, only 490 quid to replace the cylinder head gasket - what a
    bargin !
    
    -Dave.
    

    I just had my cylinder head gasket replaced too. Same price 490 quid -
    warranty job. I've just been on holiday in Sweden and Norway and it was
    pain having to have my lights up all the time. There is no other way to
    have the driving lights on though.
    
    What model do you have ? (-.1)
    
    Paul. (not leased either, its my own 3.0i Turbo)

    < I just had my cylinder head gasket replaced too. Same price 490 quid -
    < warranty job.
    
    Sounds like the cylinder head gasket is a weakness in these cars.  How
    many miles has yours done ?  Mine's up around 52K.
    
    <  What model do you have ? (-.1)
    
    It's the 3.0i Turbo.
    
    The next time it's in for a service, I'll ask if the dim dip can be
    disabled.
    
    -Dave.
    

    Chaps
    
    I have a set of the "new style" 5 spoke alloy wheels for the Supra.
    
    They are boxed up and good as new.  Currently being stored by Sandhurst
    Toyota.  If you are interested or know of anybody who is then drop me a
    mail.
    
    PS>  they are not pinched ....Honest.
    
    
    Regards
    
    Bruce 

    Base Note title modified, as this now covers more than dim-dip....
    
    Richard

    Further to the Dim-Dip story..
    
    I was on holiday the other week, driving from Gothenberg to Oslo and I
    had to have my lights up for obviouse reasons. The annoying thing is
    you can't have the front fogs on without having the main lights up. The
    fogs would suffice as driving lights in Sweden.
    I did see a black Supra the other day following me (for a bit) and he
    had his front fogs on with his lights down, I just can't do it on mine,
    so I gues he must have had his modified. 

    Nope
    
    On My Supra you could have the F/Fogs on with only sidelights on,  and
    the headlights stayed down.  You can also do this on the MR2..
    
    You can't on the Celica GT4 'cause it hasn't gor F/Fogs.
    
    Now about those wheels chaps..  Your car will look great with them !!
    
    
    Regards
    
    
    Bruce

    Obviously my mail didn't get through..
    
    How much for wheels ?
    Why have you got them spare, new wheels on you Supra?, if so what type.
    Would you part-ex them for the even smarter looking pre-91 style
    wheels.
    
    Paul C

    Paul
    
    I think that we keep missing mails.  I no longer have my Supra.  The
    wheels are the 5 spoke alloys 92' models.  And were given to me as part
    of a "deal" (I could write a book on) by Toyota.  These wheels cost
    #1200 quid a set.  The Garage are confident they can get #500 quid (but
    haven't) as yet.  I will let them go for #400.
    
    They won't fit on my "Carlos Sainz" GT4 Turbo Celica. !!
    
    Regards
    
    Bruce

    
    Bruce,
    
    They've never let you have one of them, you better give it to me for
    safe keeping.
    
    Regards Martin

    Hi Bruce,
        I've not disapeared but I've just had my insurance renewal so I'm
    not sure weather to hang on to the car and tuff it out for the next
    year or flog it now and take a loss on depreciation.
    
    BTW. Who's is that White Supra parked at the front of 1100 @SBP ? 

    <    I've not disapeared but I've just had my insurance renewal so I'm
    <not sure weather to hang on to the car and tuff it out for the next
    <year or flog it now and take a loss on depreciation.
    
    How much insurance are you paying on the Supra and what has it gone
    up by ?
    
    My current insurance is �580 pa. That's one driver, 50% NCB, age 35.
    
    Am I going to get a nasty shock in Feb'93 ?
    
    -Dave.
    

    
    Re .33
    
    You mean 580 quid WASN'T a nasty shock! :^(
    
    Mark

    I'm 26, full NCB (ie 6 years driveing), no accidents, claims or
    convictions. The cost last year (oct) 650 + 150 to protect my
    no-claims. This year its gone upto 850 + 150 to protect NCB. 
    My renewal is due in 3 days, so I apologize Bruce for not leaping up
    immedietly to buy you nice shiny alloys.
    
    PC :-(

    Re:.34
     
    <    You mean 580 quid WASN'T a nasty shock! :^(
    
    Well not for a car putting 238bhp through its rear wheels !
    
    Sounds like the cost is going to rise quite significantly next
    year though.....
    
    -Dave.
    

    Hi
    
    Well I brought the Celica up to London Yesterday (no choice).  There I
    was going round Piccadilly when BANG !! mortorcycle courier does a
    triple forward roll over my bonnet leaving his bike in my passenger
    side front wing.
    
    He gets up and blames me.  " I thought you were going straight on" he
    says  "but then realised you were going over to the right".  I pointed
    out that it was the left of the car he hit so it had to be his fault.
    
    Comment of the month at this point.  Well this is the big apple mate
    and we all take have accidents,  you should have known that I was
    comming around the outside of you.
    
    Picks up bike and leaves.
    
    Hmmmmmm

    In this months 'What Car' one of the Toyota Supra 'againsts' was stated
    as being 'Ultimate handling'.  The same criticism is levelled at the
    205 Gti.  What can they mean ?
    
    -Dave.
    

    I presume they mean 'at the limit'. They trouble with those type of
    assesments is most people dont drive 'at the limit'. I find the grip on
    mine excellant in all conditions. I've had the tail sliding left and
    right in the wet but I think that's to be expected from any rear wheel
    driver car, just ease of the throttle.
    
    The 4ws Prelude, now there's a tenacious car, i've got the stains 
    to prove it. 
    
    
    PC   ---====>

    Paul,
    	It was only 3ws when I took you out for a spin :-)
    
    		Rik

    Wot clock ?
    
    Confused of f10.2

    The clock on WANLAD was running BST not UTC.

    Sob, sob..
    
    Bashed mine into a renault last night coming out of work.
    

    Just had an estimate for damage.... and.... its bad. Just the plastic panel
    that goes across the front cost 236 quid !! The wing and bumber can be
    saved, just need un-bending and re-spraying only 348 quid + materials !
    
    

    Now, if it had been a Ford Escort...
    
    Laurie.

    .... it would have suffered more damage. I think the Supras are pretty
    strong cars. It's mostly the cost of labour that makes cars expensive
    to repair and service. The labour rate in this case is 18 ph which
    doesn't sound as bad as say, what a BMW dealer might charge.

    My remark was frivolous, however your reply begs the question "How hard
    did you hit this car in front"? In my Escort, some 6 years ago, I
    smacked a Golf GTi up the rear end in Brussels. I'm still driving the
    unrepaired car, and I hit the Golf pretty hard.
    
    Laurie.

    Not that hard really. The turbo had not come up to boost at that point
    so the damage is mostly cosmetic + the new plastic nose at 240 quid.
    Its mostly the labour of un bending the wing and resprarying the
    bumber and nose.
    
    Incidentally I didn't tell the estimator that *I* was going to pay, so when
    he finished and passed me two forms saying "That one's for you and
    that's for the insurance company", he seemed suprised and paused
    with a look of, "Ahh, well, err.. ", as though the price would be
    different. As it happens I probably will put it through the insurance
    company as it going to cost around 700 quid including parts.
    
    The bl**dy Renault's ok though.  

    Ah well, then in that case, I'd say that not only would the damage be
    less, but the cost of parts would be significantly less. I was doing
    rather more than 10 mph when I hit the GTi.
    
    Laurie.

    Anybody seen the review of the *new* Supra due out in the Autumn ?
    
    It looks to me very much like a bloated Prelude (sorry Rik). The lights
    at the front look very awkward and the back end is huge. The engineers
    apprently were aiming to give it the power of the Corvette ZR-1 with the
    drivability of the NSX, and they think they've succeeded. I'll have to
    wait till it comes out to try it. 
    
    Autocar & Motor said, 'It makes the previous Supra seem like a bronze
    age eating implement'. :-(
    
    
    PC

    Well, after talking about it for about a year, I've finally taken leave
    of my senses and bought a Supra. It's a Dec. 1989 Metallic Silver
    Manual Turbo, with 37000 miles on the clock.

    It seems to be in good condition, although the synchromesh is a bit
    suspect on 2nd and 3rd when cold (usually O.K. when hot), but it could
    be me not being used to the gearchange (a bit more travel than the
    MR2!). I test drove it when it was hot, of course! The leather on the
    outside of both front seats is a badly worn in a couple of places, but
    not too bad otherwise. There also appears to be something caught in the
    heater fan (leaves maybe) that sometimes create a bit of a noise. When
    I get a Workshop Manual I may have a go at sorting that out myself (I'm
    not very DIY inclined usually).

    I've also noticed that it seems to take a loooong time to warm up. Is
    this normal, or is the thermostat in need of changing?

    Overall impression, so far, is that it is a great motorway cruiser,
    very quiet and comfortable. I'll wait until I'm a bit more familiar
    with the car before exploring the limits of its handling, but it's
    (obviously) not in the same league as the MR2 for "chuckability". 

    Does anyone out there have any road test/reports etc. on the Supra
    Turbo that I could borrow/copy, so that I can find out a bit more about
    the beast? Please mail to ESBS01::HARRIS or phone DTN 782 2427 if
    you've anything to offer.

    Thanks,
    
    PCH

    It's nice to see the species growing...
    
    Mines the red one parked behind you at the moment, you must get in
    early to get that spot :-)
    
    I find mine heats up very quickly, ususally about 5-8 minutes, but if
    the heater controls are on auto then it doesn't blow any air into the
    cabin until it's warmed up first. Nice touch that, stops you getting
    blasted with cold air when the engines cold.
    
    The leather on mine is going in the same place as yours, I think it's a
    bit of weak spot, espcially if you like to adjust the jaws on the seat
    frequently. I'd recommend you apply leather creams to them now and then
    to keep them supple. I use Autoglymms leather cream and its fine.
    
    It is indeedy a fine M-way cruiser, I frequently go back up to
    Warrington at weekends and it sure beats the Uno I used to do the
    journey in.
    
                               
    You're welcome to take mine for a spin if you'de to see how it compares. 
    As mines an auto I'd be interested in seeing what your manual is like 
    as I've not driven a manual turbo.
    
    
    Paul.

�                     <<< Note 1746.53 by CURRNT::CARSON >>>

�    Mines the red one parked behind you at the moment, you must get in
�    early to get that spot :-)
    
    Not really - anyone else who parks there gets their tyres let down 8^).
    I have been out of the office for quite a bit the last couple of weeks
    though - someone else hasn't been using the spot without my permission
    have they? 8^) 8^).

    PCH.

    PS. I'll take you up on the offer of a drive in your auto one of these
        days - when I know enough about mine to make a comparison, but my
	initial thoughts, probably coloured by the 2nd/3rd synchro
	problem, are that it's probably better as an automatic. Time will
	tell.

    Any suggestions for replacement tyres for a Supra Turbo? I believe that
    Toyota recommend Bridgestone RE71's, which I have on my MR2 and would
    be quite happy to have, but ... the previous owner has fitted Avon
    Turbospeeds on the back (almost new), a Goodyear somethingorother (lots
    of tread left) on the r/h front and a (very) worn RE71 on the l/h
    front. The spare is a puncture repaired RE71 with quite a bit of tread
    left. However, I don't like the idea of a unidirectional tyre as a
    spare, so I want to make the Goodyear the spare and replace the
    Bridgestones.

    Is the Avon Turbospeed a waste of money?

    Any other suggestions, bearing in mind that 225/50 ZR16's are likely to
    cost an arm and a leg?

    Thanks,

    PCH.

    
    Replace them all with Yoko's !
    
    Shaun.

�                      <<< Note 1746.56 by MANWRK::LEACH >>>
�                    -< Always one with a helpfull comment >-
    
�    Replace them all with Yoko's !
    
    Shaun,

    Aren't they unidirectional as well? If not, how about mixing them with
    the Avons as I can't afford to change all the tyres at once. We're not
    all filthy rich Porsche drivers you know 8^).

    PCH.

    I've got Avon Turospeeds on the front and unidirectional Goodyears
    on the back.  I'll soon be replacing the wearing Goodyears with
    another pair of Avons.  They seem to be OK and reasonably priced
    at around 100 quid a type.
    
    I went to the Supra after opting out of a leased MR2.  While I
    really liked the MR2, I mainly cruise motorways these days and here the 
    Supra wins easily.  Now going around bends, that's another story.
    You have to watch that 238bhp being driven through the rear wheels...
    
    -Dave.
    

>>    Aren't they unidirectional as well? If not, how about mixing them with
    
    No.  They have a lateral tread pattern (there is an inside and an
    outside) but they can face any direction.  Are the tyres the same size
    all round on the Supra ?  If so 1 spare will be correct for all
    corners.
    
    Shaun.
    

    ....especially when it's wet Dave :-)
    
    I put 4 new tyres on mine last november before driving over to Norway. I
    checked in here for some enlightenment but got thoroughly confused so I
    opted for Goodyear Eagle GS-Ds 225/15. This is what Toyota put on the
    current Supra so I figured it can't be that bad. Price was ok too, I
    paid about 100 squid a peice over at Fareham tyres.
    
    Road noise? Well there is, but I can't tell if it's any more or less
    than the Dunlops that were on it before. 
    
    Grip? Seems fine, can't tell if its more or less than the Dunlops as it's a
    difficult thing to judge. Unless you go and do some timings around a
    race track, then pull into the pits, change tyres and do the laps again
    to see how the times compare its difficult to compare.
    
    What swung it for me really was;
    
    Toyota fit them as standard on new Supras (and they know what there doing).
    
    I generally perceive Goodyear Eagles to be pretty good tyres (thats
    advertising for you!).
    
    The price was reasonable.
    
    
    /pc
                                                              

�                    -< Tyre suggestions for a Supra Turbo? >-

�    be quite happy to have, but ... the previous owner has fitted ...
�    ... a Goodyear somethingorother (lots of tread left) on the r/h front
                    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
		    
    I've just checked, and it is a Goodyear Eagle VR-50, which is only VR
    rated and is unidirectional as well. However, the rotation direction
    shows that it should be fitted on the l/h side! I hope the previous
    owner didn't do this deliberately, as it sounds a bit dangerous.

    I think I'll be changing more tyres than I intended 8^(.

    PCH.

    PS. So far the votes are Yokohama's, Goodyear GS-Dr's and Avon
    Turbospeeds. Any more? What's going to give the best
    price/performance/life? (Don't expect much do I).

    Well from experience, the Yoko's will cost aroud #125.00 and are
    lasting in the region of 15,000 miles.
    
    Shaun.

    Well, judging by what tread is left on my GSDs i recon i've used about
    60% of its usefull life in about 10k miles since last November.
    
    /pc
    
    very rough guess.
    

�       <<< Note 1746.61 by ESBS01::HARRIS "One testimonial short ..." >>>

�                                         However, the rotation direction
�    shows that it should be fitted on the l/h side!

    Well, after examining the state of my bank balance, I opted for the
    Avon Turbospeeds (a saving of �40/tyre over the Yokohama/Goodyear
    options), with the original r/h front wheel back where it belongs (I
    didn't realise that the Supra has l/h and r/h wheels - they are quite
    clearly stamped on them. The guy who changed my wheels knew about this
    and said that you should only use them on the wrong side in an
    emergency - puncture etc.). However, the original r/h front had been
    the spare for some while following a puncture repair and had been
    sitting in a wet spare wheel well for sometime (mustapha leak
    somewhere) and is quite badly (compared to the rears) pitted. The l/h
    front wheel isn't too clever either.

    So, could I have some suggestions for a good alloy wheel cleaner? I've
    got some that was quite expensive (can't remember the name, but
    recomended by Daimler) that I don't rate at all.

    PCH.

    PS. Time will tell if the Avons were a false economy. I've not had the
    car long enough to tell if the Avons fitted on the rear when I bought
    it have endowed the car with "dodgy" handling. I've had the rear step
    out on me once in the wet, but that was clearly a case of far too much
    welly in the wrong place.

    I have the perfect solution to your problem.
    
    One set of Toyota Supra 5 Spoke Alloys.  Due to the fact that I have
    had them for some months now (sat in dealers stockroom) I am prepared
    to accept a pittance for them.  Please mail me for details.
    
    Bruce

    No replies to my mail Bruce so I'll post it here...
    
    How does �25 each sound ? What condition are they in ? Can I check them
    out at all ?
    
    BTW  The cost of a new windscreen for one of these Bourge-mobiles is
    �250 !!, I had a stone hit mine Very hard the other day and now have A
    nice star pattern in the corner. 
    
    /paul

    C'mon bruce, how about a reply?

    Well my cars been fixed up now. New nose, resprayed bumber, wing and
    bonet (bonet didn't need it but I wanted to get rid of the stone
    chips), and a new windscreen *and* a service.
    
    The car feels great now, and looks brand new too, just needs some smart
    alloys.....
    
    Now, Bruce, talk to me...
    
    /paul

    Paul
    
    Apologies I mailed you back last week,  we seem to have a problem
    contacting each other.  The wheels are gone, sold to another noter who
    came up with the asking price.
    
    Regards
    
    Bruce

    What was the asking price? Last I saw, you said make me an offer. I
    did, but heard nothing !
    

    Paul
    
    They went for #200 I did mail you back in reply to your offer, but it
    obviously did not get to you.  Apologies for any dissappointment.
    
    Bruce

    Well, I've said goodbye to my Supra now. Although it was lovely car and
    provided me with two years of enjoyable driving, it was not without
    it's few problems. I've listed below some of the problems I've had with
    it. Provided nothing goes wrong with them, they're quite reasonable
    to run. Insurance aside, as it's dependent on too many personal
    factors, the servicing ranges from �90 to �200 depending on how major
    the service interval. Despite it's age it's an excellent motorway
    cruiser, I regulary did Portsmouth-Warrington and back at the weekends.
    
    
    Problems as they arose:-
    
    Engine under tray replaced  - �90.
    Turbo Gasket replaced - �100.
    Cylinder head gasket relpaced - �550
    Tyres (x4) replaced - �500
    Engine under tray replaced (again) - �100.
    Front nose replaced, wing undented and resprayed bumper - �650
    Windscreen replaced - �300
    Brakes (all) replaced - � 250
    '3.0i turbo' badges replaced (some people will nick anything!) - �12
    
    Depending on which garage you ask there is also :-
    
    	Little end going, Big end going, Cylinder head gasket gone - �1,500
    
    	or...
    
    	Tappets need adjusting - �100
    
    
    Tyres need replacing again, the Goodyear GSDs only lasted about 9 months. 
    
    
    With the last problem possible costing lots and the tyres as well I
    decided to move on to something newer, with a warranty and more style
    (naturally). 
    
    -=Paul=-

    Re: .73
    
    How many miles had your Supra done ?
    
    It's not a cheap vehicle when systems start failing...  I recently 
    received a bill for 330 pounds for two new front disks and pads !
    
    -Dave.
    

    Dave,
    
    	Mileage when I traded it was 59k. It was a lovely car which I would
    have kept had it been more reliable. At least my 300zx has a 60,000
    mile warranty which buys some peace of mind.
    
    Rgds
    Paul.

    
    RE-1 <<At least my 300zx etc>>
    
    300zx,
    
    You lucky swine!
    
    
    Andy.Envy.
    

    Re: .75
    
    Mine's done 69K and the only two unexpected bills were the cylinder
    head gasket (�380) and front disks replacement (�160).  Apart from
    the gasket joining the great engine in the sky one August bank holiday
    weekend, it's been very reliable.
    
    I'm going to hang onto mine for another couple of years.
    
    Enjoy your 300sx.  BTW - how does it compare to the Supra ?
    
    -Dave.
    

    I have to say Dave, it's (the 300ZX) superior to the Supra in
    most areas. The only areas (and these are really picky) that niggle are:-
    
    As most controls are built into pods either side of the instrument
    binacle, the indicator stalk is a bit small and feeble.
    
    One is prone to scuffing the bottom of the doors when getting in/out.
    
    The boot is much shallower than the Supras and does not have a split
    rear seat back.
    
    The side bolsters are manually adjusted, not electric as in the Supra.
    You'd be surprised how difficult these are to adjust when moving.
    
    It seems to let more road noise in than the Supra which was quite a
    quiet car really.
    
    
    Major areas of improvement are the handling really, where it really does 
    show up the Supra to be more a straight line
    motorway cruiser. The 300zx feels so much more crisp and accurate 
    when cornering (due I expect to multi-link suspension like the Mercs,
    plus the Super HICAS steering system). There is no wallow or roll when
    corning. At Speed in the Supra 'round a bend it could get a little
    unsettled.
    
    I won't comment on the styling as that's very subjective, but I
    personally, think the 300zx looks more modern than the 80s look of the
    Supra. The interior design of the dash reflects this too. The Supra had
    large clumsy buttons for things like the heated rear screen mixed in
    with smaller buttons for other functions like the headlamp washers.
    
    
    
    
    Anyway, happy motoring with your Dave, interesting that your head
    gasket went too, must be weak point. BTW does the trim at the top of
    the winscreen thrumb at speed when the headlights are up? This is an
    acknowledged problem too.
    
    
    -=paul=-
    Shame the 300zx doesn't come with a decent alarm as standard like the
    new Supra does. I had to pay a lot to get a Scorpion 988 fitted.