Activated V6 driver

Koukku · Unread post by **Koukku** » 11 May 2009, 10:12

The rear bumper went in without troubles, and I got the bare metal parts covered with a few layers of base coat and paint. Not something that I would do to any visible parts on the car though...

The broken fog light (left side) came out from below quite nicely after removing the indicator, the fan shroud, and the trim pieces below the headlights to reach the remaining screw... yeah, there was only one holding it in place. The annoying part is that one of the attachments had broken off from the fog light AND from the bumper. Well, the bumper has to come off anyway when putting the fog lights back in. The left side head lamp's lower attachment was also broken, but the trim piece below the lamp seems to hold it in place well enough.

I thought that getting the right side fog light out would be as easy as the left side, so I went on to remove it too (instead of just covering it for the inspection). After an hour I had only managed to get it firmly stuck, and had to call it a day. Next day I took out a few screws holding the inner mudguard and the bumper itself on the right side, and got the bumper to give in just enough to push the fog light towards the radiator, where there was more space to slip it out from under the bumper. I bet it would've been easier to start by removing the bumper...

The heater matrix is now giving me an occasional misted windshield on startup. And the startup itself seems to be getting a bit lazy, which is probably the battery showing it's age.

jgra1 · Unread post by **jgra1** » 11 May 2009, 10:41

hi Koukku, yep the towbars are heavy, I would be suprised if mine was less than 30Kgs

I fitted it onto my TD , as thats my workhorse car.. with the bar and roof bars is a very useful car

Re windscreen, is there any way to polish them to remove light scratches? I have a bad one on my xantia and it needs replacement really...

John

Unread post by **myglaren** » 11 May 2009, 17:31

Re windscreen, is there any way to polish them to remove light scratches? I have a bad one on my xantia and it needs replacement really...

I did my Volvo screen (long story) with Autosol and a polishing mop on a power drill.
No good if you are in a hurry though.

Koukku · Unread post by **Koukku** » 13 May 2009, 07:35

myglaren wrote:
Re windscreen, is there any way to polish them to remove light scratches? I have a bad one on my xantia and it needs replacement really...
I did my Volvo screen (long story) with Autosol and a polishing mop on a power drill.
No good if you are in a hurry though.

Did it really help? Polishing glass sounds a bit weird to me.

Koukku · Unread post by **Koukku** » 13 May 2009, 08:39

I saw an advert for motorcycle helmets in the morning paper, and I got a sudden urge to go driving at a track as soon as possible... interesting how the mind works.

Anyway, I immediately checked the opening hours of the nearest track (about 80km away), and I'm going there for a few laps tomorrow morning if nothing catastrophic (rain, pig flu, green puddle under the car etc.) happens. Just need to go buy that helmet.

The track itself has been described as "miniature Nordschleife", which is mostly due to the elevation changes and the proximity of the armcos.

Legendary drivers like Jochen Rindt, Jack Brabham, Jim Clark and Graham Hill have also raced there.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahvenisto_Race_Circuit

Unread post by **myglaren** » 13 May 2009, 18:18

Koukku wrote:
myglaren wrote:
Re windscreen, is there any way to polish them to remove light scratches? I have a bad one on my xantia and it needs replacement really...
I did my Volvo screen (long story) with Autosol and a polishing mop on a power drill.
No good if you are in a hurry though.
Did it really help? Polishing glass sounds a bit weird to me.

It did indeed. We do it all the time at work. (manufacturer of double glazing units and decorative glasswork in doors).

I'll ask what medium they use, could be jewellers rouge as it makes a hell of a mess everywhere and is a deep rusty red colour. That may be a better medium than Autosol but I used what I had available at the time (didn't work for this gang back then)

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 13 May 2009, 18:32

Steve,

I'll be interested in this as I have a few glass scratches I need to get rid of on the V6...

I tried toothpaste but not good... Glass was minty-fresh afterward though

Unread post by **myglaren** » 13 May 2009, 19:23

CitroJim wrote:Steve,

I'll be interested in this as I have a few glass scratches I need to get rid of on the V6...

I tried toothpaste but not good... Glass was minty-fresh afterward though

Did you lick it to see?

There are dedicated car polishers around now that would likely do a better job than a Black & Decker with a sanding disc and mop stuck on it.

The scratches were VERY bad on mine.
I had a cracked screen and sourced a replacement in a scrapyard. It was a blazing hot day which aided in its removal as it was bonded in. I had to use sharpened stripping knives and lots of bits of cardboard to stop it glueing itself back again.
Got it home and cleaned it (it was filthy) and discovered someone had been using the wipers without any rubber blades in them, the arced scratches were - well, grooves.

Kicked myself soundly then dug out the B&D + Autosol.

Many hours later I took it for a test drive and declared it a success, albeit with a very slight lens-like ripple where the worst scratches had been, on the passenger side fortunately.

Went through four MOTs and did >50.000 miles before being retired.

Koukku · Unread post by **Koukku** » 14 May 2009, 12:54

I bought the helmet yesterday, and took the Activa to the track this morning. What a blast.

The Gislaved Speed 606's started to act up after a few hotlaps, and bits started to come off of the fronts, so I only drove 11 laps total. Oil temp went up to around 140 degrees after two or three fast laps, dunno if that's normal... the gauge goes red after 150 degrees, and in normal driving it stays around 100 degrees. I stopped for a while after every 4-3 laps to check things up, and to cool down the car and driver. Got to get the new brakes and tyres soon!

Coincidentally the guy who recommended the CG-Lock to me was there also with his -83 911SC. I knew he was supposed to go there the day before, but he had been busy at work, and he had had new semi-slicks installed on the car. He was kind enough to take me as a passenger for a few laps. That car is a beast on the track. He has had the suspension tuned and brakes upgraded, and with the Toyo R888's it grips like crazy. The thing that amazed me the most was the stopping power, and of course the body roll.

My best lap was 1:46.5, which was about 8 seconds behind the Porsche. IMHO that's not too bad, considering that this was my first time at the track, and that I drove a 1.5 ton 5-door saloon.

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 14 May 2009, 14:02

That sounds like real, good fun Koukku

Koukku · Unread post by **Koukku** » 18 May 2009, 09:01

It sure was! Another thing holding me back besides the tyres were the brakes. They didn't fade or anything, but I didn't really trust them enough to do any late braking. I'm quite anxious to get the new brakes, which should arrive this week. Apparently Black Diamond brakes do a good job on an Activa, as this guy is running with them:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu1H1G88hOc

Looks like the cheapes place to buy tyres atm is the UK. I have previously bought tyres from online shops that ship from Germany, but now e.g. camskill.co.uk would be about 40-50 euros cheaper. That's about 100-150 cheaper than local dealers, even with p&p. Makes me wonder why they bother to sell tyres here locally at all.

And the same goes for bicycles and bicycle parts. UK and Germany are much cheaper, on some parts the difference is 50%.

Koukku · Unread post by **Koukku** » 18 May 2009, 11:28

I'm now considering Hankook R-S2's instead of the Toyos, as it seems that the Proxes T1R's aren't really that good for track. And track is where I'm going to be driving at for sure.

The R-S2 is considered to be a track day tyre, but it's not a semi-slick so it should still cope well with rain too. It does however mess my weight saving plan, as they weigh about 1kg more than the Proxes T1R's.

http://www.hankooktireusa.com/product/t ... sp?pid=713

Yesterday was such a nice weather, and the car was still somewhat clean after the wash on Friday, that I took one extra left turn on the way home and snapped a few pictures. It was getting a bit late, and the sun was already going behind the trees, and I used the camera on my phone, but here are a few shots anyway...

Koukku · Unread post by **Koukku** » 19 May 2009, 17:03

The Activa passed inspection with flying colours!

I didn't even need to change (or polish) the windscreen, just cleaned it thoroughly... and it was cloudy today, so scratches weren't that visible anyway.

Koukku · Unread post by **Koukku** » 20 May 2009, 09:55

The spirited driving at the track was not appreciated by the 0W-40 oil that the engine has been treated with for the last 4 years or so. Some of it has come out, and is now covering the sump. Looks like it has found it's way out from the sump gasket. It's not dripping though, so I'm thinking this was just due to the oil losing it's viscosity under heat. I was under the car just days before going to the track, and then there was no sign of any oil leaks.

I think I'm going to go with Motul 300V 5W-40 on the next change...

KP · Unread post by KP » 20 May 2009, 10:43

For track use i would likely go for a 50 wieght oil as under temp it will be much better, and go for fully synth as well

motul and a few other companies do it like silkolene?

Also if you are getting lighter alloy wheels why not just fit the track tyres to them for when you do go to the track and junk the spare wheel and carrier and jack and use the tyre rapier foams or your Car rescue membership if you have one??

You could also remove the rear window wiper and motor and use a blanking grommet to save a kg or 2?