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Test Drives Unlimited

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  1. Like
    Test Drives Unlimited reacted to Lauren in First Track Day Snetterton   
    Seriously the car is up to it. I've done trackdays, racing and sprints for nearly 20 years. I ran mine pretty stock on track for the first year I had it. Primacy tyres, stock suspension, brakes etc, it was absolutely fine and brilliant fun. My car has developed over the six years I've had it, which is fine. For you I'd work on your driving technique and invest your money in that. Give it a year then decide if you want different tyres, suspension, brakes etc. But get to know how the car is stock and get used to learning all the driving techniques. It's a really good car out of the box and very capable.
  2. Like
    Test Drives Unlimited reacted to Lauren in First Track Day Snetterton   
    Seriously the stock suspension is absolutely fine. My advice would be to keep it stock, learn how the car handles and also work on your technique. You can have tons of fun on the Primacy tyre and they last really well, even on track. Don't change a thing, get into your trackdays and when you've done four or five then think about tyres and all that. It is great fun stock. Stock brake fluid is fine, don't waste your money. 
    Loads of people will do tons of mods before working out whether they actually need them or not. Take your time, learn the car then when you are ready work out what you need to change. Just enjoy yourself, you'll have great fun.
  3. Like
    Test Drives Unlimited reacted to Varelco in What to look for when buying a used GT86/BRZ   
    There's your problem. Finesse my friend, finesse 😅
  4. Like
    Test Drives Unlimited got a reaction from Lauren in wheel nuts   
    They are cheap enough to get replacements from the Toyota Dealerships



    Sent from my ASUS_A001 using Tapatalk


  5. Like
    Test Drives Unlimited reacted to nikndel in wheel nuts   
    I'm guessing most people will only have 16 
     
  6. Like
    Test Drives Unlimited reacted to Lauren in What to look for when buying a used GT86/BRZ   
    My drivers side mirror doesn't fold electrically anymore. I've just left it as can do it by putting my hand out the window easily enough. I've done 126K miles and manual gearbox has performed faultlessly. 😛
    In other news my heated seat buttons no longer illuminate but the seats heat up fine. Again I've left it, as I'm not bothered by such things. 
  7. Like
    Test Drives Unlimited reacted to Paul in What to look for when buying a used GT86/BRZ   
    To benefit new members, or just to use as a link when people ask the question on the Facebook page, can we use this thread as a way to list all things to check when buying a used GT86.
     
    Paperwork/Visual inspections:
    Important - Is the car affected by the valve spring recall:
    For cars manufactured between: April 2012 and May 2013. 
    (Please note: just because a car has been registered in the UK with a 14 plate registration, doesn't mean it won't be affected by the valve spring recall)
    Has the steering harness recall work been performed? - Affects all GT86/BRZs made between April 2012 to March 2015 Check for condensation in rear lights, can be rectified under warranty - Very common fault Check for rusty door pillars - Common fault Check the battery, is it the older 48 Ah (known to have issues) or the 65 Ah replacement? - Very common fault Check for scratches in front window glass from the rollers - Rare fault Check for any oil leaking from the cam cover plate - Rare fault Check for delamination on the rear view mirror - Common fault Check that one of the keys has a metal tag on it with the code for the alarm control box Check the front seat bolsters for wear and tear - Common fault Check for rust under the front bonnet weather seal - Common fault Check the rear seats operate correctly, with the buttons to fold down/the latch to re-secure - Rare fault Does the car have a Miltek exhaust? These are known to have severe issues for the GT86/BRZ, so budget for a replacement catback or ask for the warranty documentation. Check the tyres are stock Michelin Primacy or better, stay away from cars with cheap "HiFly" typres, be aware that many owners upgrade to Yokohama or Eagle tyres which are better than the stock Primacys.  
    Idle/Test drive checks:
    Check for fuel pump chirp / crickets - Rare fault Check if the car has a remap (turn engine on, let it idle, hold cruise control stick towards you. If the needle jumps and holds at 1,2,3 or 4k revs, release and pull it towards you once again and release, if the needle jumps 1k revs, that's switching between maps, meaning the car has a remap). Useful to know if you believe you're buying a reportedly "stock" car. While on a test drive check for a gearbox linkage rattle at 5k RPM+. Most cars do this but some are worse than others - Rare fault Also while on the test drive, test 1>2>3>2 on gear changes, preferably while car is still cold. It's known to be a a bit tough when the car is cold, but if you feel like you're about to snap the gear level it could be indicative of a bigger issue - Common fault  
    With any used vehicle its recommended to run a HPI check and also check the MOT history and outstanding recalls:
    MOT and Recall checker:
    https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/
     
    What else have I missed?
    (Admin please sticky if you feel it's worthwhile.)
  8. Like
    Test Drives Unlimited reacted to Deacon in SuperChips remap?   
    I've heard rumours that Miltek are changing their name to 'Willcrack' 😁
  9. Like
    Test Drives Unlimited reacted to Cerastes in SuperChips remap?   
    They can still look after those, just don't tell them you have a GT86 and sneak away to one of the traders mentioned above 
    Edit: I'll add, I got a UEL manifold and remap done at Fensport, never been happier. Yes it was expensive but you pay for what you get. Adrian certainly knew what he was doing when he took me out on the open road to remap it. I tried my best to understand most of it, even though he explained it all very well. 
  10. Like
    Test Drives Unlimited reacted to KevinA in SuperChips remap?   
    Go specialist it is the way forward no doubt !
  11. Like
    Test Drives Unlimited reacted to rob275 in Can't seem to log in on tapatalk   
    Tapatalk should be resolved now, the rest of the issues seem to be caused by cloudflare 🤣 So it's a toss up between continuous attacks to the site or endless issues.
  12. Like
    Test Drives Unlimited reacted to rob275 in Can't seem to log in on tapatalk   
    I'll sort it soon, sorry been ill (still am)
  13. Like
    Test Drives Unlimited reacted to ChrisKnottIns in More members set to benefit from Chris Knott service   
    It has to be remembered that no single insurance provider can guarantee to be the best price-wise for everyone, otherwise they'd insure the whole country and clearly no-one does that.
    We are brokers with access to a number of insurers' products (including schemes that very few other brokers can access) but the quotes will ultimately always be reflective of the risk presented.
    We won't be the cheapest for everyone but the facilities available to us, our service levels and our reputation mean that 4 in 10 who ask CK to quote end up purchasing the policy. 80% of our clients renew year after year. Those are both strong numbers in this highly competitive industry.
    We gather data to help us understand where we sit in the market - car club members save 22% on average against their existing renewal when they switch to Chris Knott. It's working for many, though not for everyone. If we can't quote for you or we're not the cheapest it's not a personal affront.
  14. Like
    Test Drives Unlimited got a reaction from ChrisKnottIns in Chris Knott Quote   
    Renewed my Car Insurance for the second year running at £439.00 which was just a small increase of £14.00 from last years 

  15. Like
    Test Drives Unlimited got a reaction from Angelina in Carlimits (2019) - 4 person day @ North Weald Airfield   
    I highly recommend Car Limits having done a few plus organise them for the RX-8OC
     
  16. Thanks
    Test Drives Unlimited got a reaction from ChrisKnottIns in More members set to benefit from Chris Knott service   
    I will be renewing my Car Insurance for the second year running in a weeks time with Chris Knott as your renewal quote is very reasonable with a modest increase from last year's

    Sent from my ASUS_A001 using Tapatalk


  17. Like
    Test Drives Unlimited reacted to Lauren in New Committee Members   
    A bit of an update here, following some discussion which took all the way to a long night following the club Xmas meal kindly organised by Jeff, Jeff has considered his position and decided to step down. We had a good chat with Kev who has taken on the position of Chairman. We are very pleased to have Kev on board and he has been fantastic in promoting the Toyota Sprint Series and has been a great ambassador for this. I am sure Kev will do a great job for the club pushing it forwards and there has been a lot of discussion for events for next year. So welcome aboad Kev!
    We are already getting busy with planning Japfest Silverstone and Donny, deciding what to do about JAE and also a lot of the other regional shows. @VAD17 has done a great job sorting all the track day stuff out and we hope he'll be joining the committee soon, we are just trying to juggle our day jobs and make time to sort club stuff out. I apologise if this has taken a while, my day job is hell currently! 
  18. Like
    Test Drives Unlimited reacted to Lowe in Lowe's Team Grey   
    Yeah these do too. Not wired them in for now, planning to hook them up to the dome light so that when you unlock the car they light up.
  19. Haha
    Test Drives Unlimited got a reaction from Varelco in Post your GT86 / BRZ pic of day!   
    Yes I drove into the Gravel Pit for the sheer hell of it
  20. Like
    Test Drives Unlimited reacted to Lauren in Recall issued on cars to have valve springs replaced 2012-2013   
    Well, we knew that would happen! 
  21. Like
    Test Drives Unlimited got a reaction from Lowe in Lowe's Team Grey   
    Looks good on your car, although I prefer the TRD version

    Sent from my ASUS_A001 using Tapatalk


  22. Like
    Test Drives Unlimited reacted to Lowe in Lowe's Team Grey   
    Marmite time!

    Saw these for sale the other week and couldn't get down there quick enough to get them! They're the matching rear deck to my side louvres. Turns out it was Matt, the owner of MB Developments, a pretty well known Impreza breakers. He's got a BRZ as a personal car and these were from that. That said there wasn't much left of his own car  To say it's undergoing a transformation would be an understatement. It was basically a rolling shell, everything back to bare metal in the most, and it had been attacked with an angle grinder. Rear arches cut away with wide arches being put in place. Custom made front wings with canards on too though none of that will be long term, since these are moulds for the carbon fibre panels that will go on once made. Oh, and there's a stinking great 2JZ in the front!  This will be an absolute weapon when it's finished, I can't wait to see what it looks like in the end. Might be worth keeping an eye out for the company too since I guess they'll probably start doing more BRZ/86 platform stuff if the demand's there. Anyhoo, back to louvres.
    They were a little dusty since they'd been kept next to the BRZ when it was being fibreglassed so first port of call was a bloody good wash, and then layer of trim sealant to bring the black out a bit. That's when I took the above photo. Next job was removing all the old 3M tape that was stuck to the inner edge and the mounting brackets. This was a slow, slow process even with the careful use of sticky stuff remover. At this point I noticed one of the mounting brackets was missing and a couple of the rounded nuts were a bit damaged, so I managed to source some replacements along with fresh washers from Screwfix. 
    Next step was to put some fresh 3M down.

    I decided to miss out the top two brackets since I was already one down and instead concentrate on some good thick 3M there. I put in a couple of water breaks along the top and bottom edges for good measure. Since I didn't have the original template for the brackets it would be a one shot deal on lining everything up once the 3M was peeled, so I placed the brackets into the louvres and finger tightened them up. My father in law gave me a hand fitting them, and we did a dry fit first to make sure everything was OK. The fit was spot on, so we used double glazing packers wedged in-between the glass and body to act as guides once we went for the final fitting. It worked pretty much spot on, lots of pressure and heat to help the 3M bite and then it was left in the garage overnight to cure.

    Rear visibility is obviously compromised, but not actually by all that much. The cabin is much darker though, especially in the back as you'd expect.


     
    Overall I'm really pleased. I know they're not to everyone's taste, yes they probably ruin airflow and add weight... but I think they look cool AF.  
  23. Like
    Test Drives Unlimited reacted to gavin_t in Driving down under   
    Are the Australian GT86 any different in their headlight setup
     
    I find the xenons superb on the 86 especially on a dark lane on full beam
  24. Like
    Test Drives Unlimited reacted to Lauren in ****Over 100k in just over 5yrs Ownership****   
    That's great, Nigel. I'm currently just over 120K in five and a half years.  
    I'm surprised you haven't done a coilpack yet, I've had all mine replaced by 110K miles. It will throw an EML. Coil packs are £87 plus fitting (it's a 15 minute job). 
    Other issues in that mileage, wheel bearing at 110K miles, CV joint at 70K miles. Had the heated seat switch illumination go twice, didn't bother to get it sorted the second time round as the seat still heats fine, it's just a light. 
  25. Like
    Test Drives Unlimited got a reaction from Lauren in ****Over 100k in just over 5yrs Ownership****   
    Well my car has now covered 101,330 miles which have been faultless apart from the Smart Locking System that went wrong last year
    Have renewed the Service Contract for another 30,000 miles which is 1.5yrs servicing covered
    A couple of photo's taken at Spa last Tuesday..........
    Just a quick question : How do you know when the Coil Packs need replacing on this car ?


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