Captain Duff

Because of the ratio of cost to improvement. On my last car (Octy vRS) I paid around £300 for a stage 1 remap that netted an extra 40bhp and a massive improvement due to the turbo/map factor. To remap on the NA 86 with Ecutek it would cost more than £500 (and probably nearer £600 with the licence) for what, 10-12 bhp perhaps? The issue is not that it makes things better (it clearly does), it is the large cost of that still limited improvement. That said, I am still tempted myself although mainly due to the need to get rid of the sonic starting boom from my non-res that does not endear me to my neighbours.

First thing I thought when I saw the front bumper was the new MX5.

My older sister used to drive Polo's but stopped due to the build quality not being what it used to be since they started being made in Spain rather than Germany and suffering various bits of trim dropping off (unlike like other VW's which for the EU market are still German made). She drives Fabia's now for a similar reason (Czech build quality is better). I agree though, modern Polo's ain't the least bit small any more.

Well if you can get a new battery under warranty fair enough, the issue is though that yours does not sound faulty it is just not getting charged fully by regular long journeys. The new bigger capacity batteries will take longer to get to the same level with lots of short journey stop starts but eventually will still discharge to that point too.

It's a warranty issue where the battery drains too quickly (and where there is a not a problem elsewhere) or where one or more of the cells stop working. There appears to have been a faulty batch of the old batteries that have caused some problems, but others (including my own from 2013) have always been fine. In your case you are unlikely to be charging the battery enough via the alternator given the short journeys and the fact that the biggest drain on it is starting the car in the first place, also of course the battery is put under more strain in cold/damp weather. I've had one of these for many years - CTEK - and use it every 4/6 weeks to keep my battery topped up as often I don't do long journeys either so have the same issue that it isn't always getting recharged enough naturally.

Just had an email from Speedline, they now have a switchable sequence signal version for twenty quid more than the still available standard Valenti rears - looks good to me: Speedline Valenti Sequence http://www.thespeedline.com/exterior-14/

If you mean the smoked ones (the rest are definitely ok) then I have seen reports on UK forums of them passing MOT's since last year, although given it's a 10 minute easy job to DIY fit these and if you don't sell the old OEM ones it can be easily sorted if there is any MOT problem at certain garages to get a pass by doing a couple of quick swaps.

This has been around for a while but it's a great way to learn about the history of both cars and fashion (1985 could be of particular interest to some on here)! 1964 To 2010

When I finally managed to kick my lad off his PS4 earlier I caught the last 5 minutes on BBC1 of 'The Getaway Car' that involved a couple given a head start on 'The Stig' on a race track with the aim of stopping him catch them so they win some money. Looked crap I have to say other than for the fact that they were using a race modded (roll cage, go faster stripes etc,) GT86 for the getaway car with Stig driving a McLaren, although I understand that he has a different faster car each week but its always a GT86 that is getting chased? It did make our car look really good I have to say, except when it looked like it was going backwards on the straight when Stig zoomed past it! Anyone else seen this?

If anyone is in need of a battery charger (and what 86 owner isn't!) Lidl have a good looking one now for £14 if you are quick: http://www.lidl.co.uk/en/our-offers-2491.htm?id=740

Hi Jason, this is the best stuff to use on all the rubber door seals and where the glass of the window touches as it really reduces the chances of the rubber freezing to the glass: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Einszett-Gummi-Pflege-Car-Care-Rubber-Stick-Door-Restorer-100ml-/361352016768?hash=item5422423380:g:nl4AAOSwr81UNWVC The same e-bay seller also has 2 for £11.50 inc postage on a different listing.

...and a funny President, although the car is the real star of this: 1963 Corvette

I've still not swapped to my Yoko winters that are still sleeping in their jackets in the garage, normally it would be by the middle of November but it's just not been cold enough (or dry enough to want to be outside messing around outside with the trolley jack) to do it.

Great looking car, and I would love to drive one around on the right roads, but it is the size that puts me off too I have to say, it's almost 2 ft longer than the 86 and I don't think I'd be able to close the gates on my drive when I parked up which would then mean the dog would escape every time I let him out for a quick wee

Took my lad to see Spectre after school today. The worst part of the film for me was without doubt the Sam Smith whiny dirge theme tune, possibly the worst since Sheena Easton’s ‘For Your Eyes Only’, but this is thankfully only at the start and does not get repeated (instead there is a welcome return of the John Barry classic Bond theme at various places). Also, after the hype about the supercar chase (Bond’s Aston ‘DB10’, and the baddies C-X75 Jag) it is pretty tame stuff compared to an average Jason Statham workout and made worse by being at night meaning you don’t even get to admire them too well. There are nods to previous Bond films throughout, and a great opening sequence. The plot was one of the maddest for some time and barely hung together in a way that made sense even within the normal suspend belief Bond fantasy. And despite the 00 agent programme being shut down and the DB10 being meant for (an unseen) 009, we never see any other MI6 agents in the film leaving you to wonder how the other 00’s felt at being retired and why they weren’t giving 007 a hand to expose the real reasons why. The length was too long (nearly two and half hours) but didn’t lead me to check my watch. After the wonderful Eva Green’s Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale the main female character here played by Lea Seydoux was fairly uninteresting, and left me wishing he’d instead took along the older widow (Monica Bellucci) he saved early in the film. And talking of age those far too tight suits are not a great look for an older Bond. So I would say a good film, definitely worth seeing, but for me not the best Bond outing although he does get to drive off at the end in his own favourite and rebuilt DB5.

I've always thought that the cost of Ecutek on a NA car is costly for the modest gains (although I'm happy to accept that you can get some), particularly compared to the large HP increase I got mapping my last turbo'd car. However, oddly the thing that keeps pulling me towards doing it eventually is to get rid of the bloody annoying start up boom with a non-res exhaust that is not great for neighbour relationships!

I would have been very happy with either, but like most people I have a number of local Toyota dealers to chose from but none for Subaru who dumped all their smaller dealers popular with enthusiasts some years ago in favour of larger more 'corporate' ones with often poorer reputations, and the continuing low Scooby UK sales are the inevitable result. So I suspect the answer to the OP will mainly be found in the very much larger Toyota dealer network, helped along on here by the added bonus of Richard and RRG Macc.

Took my 9yo for the annual snails crawl through Blackpool lights last night (every year I promise myself I'll park at one end or t'other and get the blinkin' tram next time I go!), and near the far north end there was a (modded looking) yellow 86 parked on the front. Daft thing is my lad's all excited saying 'wow, look at that cool car over there dad, is it a Ferrari?' which of course allowed me to take the piss all the way back to Preston given he's been sat in his own 'Ferrari' most days for the past two years, but was it anyone on here?

Did wonder about you at the time as the bonnet looked different, but then thought maybe a Gallo with body stripes (I only got a glance and was on the wrong side of the road). Yes. busy wasn't it!

You are right about all UK fuel, inc supermarket stuff, being ok. Other than the tesco 99 and V-Power it basically all comes from the same handful of UK refineries whatever the brand name and while some cleaning additives may then vary slightly between the brands, it is all much of a muchness in my opinion. V-Power is as I say different because it only comes from the Ellesmere Port refinery.

V Power for me every time if I can, although local shell station location is far from ideal for me locally. Also it isn't just about ron, Tesco 99/momentum may have a bigger ron but that is due to it using far more cheaper ethanol, and while those pesky EU lot are forcing ethanol into all petrol it is still I believe far lower/minimal in v-power. And while I know it is a subject of debate I do not myself believe ethanol is good for engines (it can act as a corrosive), or for mine in particular - I got the dreaded chirping the couple of times I used it, but not since.

Or who are over 6 ft, particularly as this country doesn't lend itself to top down for most of the year, and while the lowness of the 86 means I suspect I look something of an ungainly prat getting in and out of it, at 6 3" I honestly never feel too big once sat inside (albeit with the seat right back), I honestly don't think the same would be true of the teeny-tiny MX5!

Very odd place that dark side, endless threads on what is wrong with our cars or what people don't like about them. It's like a 4-wheeled masochist convention half the time!

I've never ever reported any of my minor bumps and scrapes over the years as either I've paid myself for the damage (e.g., catching my gate post along the door), or the other driver has paid cash (parking scrape). But yes, there are issues of get out clauses for insurances companies and legally you are obliged to report to an insurance company any accident that has caused damage or injury. However the legal basis of this, and what insurance companies are most concerned with, is where other drivers have potential claims. Where you have simply damaged your own car on private land with no injuries and no one else involved then if you don't tell an insurance company they would never know so it is not worth doing so - although I would also distinguish there between cosmetic damage and something that could affect legal road-worthiness. And of course the reason not to report is that even without a claim you still get a marker put on you that I find ard to believe is not designed to raise premiums.

I like those, very good weight too at around 2 Kg per corner lighter than OEM (which themselves are no heavyweights). What make are they?