R9UKE's French Car Blog...

[CitroJim]

I can see very much the point of tyre pressure monitors Luke, especially with those skinny tyres...

Some things I consider gimmicks but those and ABS are two things I don't..

Looking forward to seeing you on Sunday

[R9UKE]

ABS has certainly saved more cats' lives in my time as a driver than I could count!

You too Jim, and hearing your XM purr

[bxzx16v]

I'm a fan of the tyre pressure sensors too Luke , our old privelage had them and they never gave any problems at all in 5 1/2 yrs of ownership , our laguna 3 doesn't have them and they really are missed .

Mark

[Citroenmad]

I do like the idea of tyre pressure monitors and they should be fitted to more cars. Are they not going to be standard fit at some point, if they are not already? I see so many cars driving around with soft tyres or flat tyres, its worrying really. Its a feature which would be very welcome on a hydraulic Citroen, as they can mask a soft or flat tyre quite well.

Good luck with the Vel Satis Luke, when we see a cloud of white smoke appearing in the distance we will know your coming

That Xantia in the youtube video is not so much failure and neglect!

[Fake Concern]

The C4 VTS has them & they worked well on my last one. Unfortunately a previous owner removed them from my current VTS. I'm not sure what that means when the new MOT takes place, hopefully not £60 a corner plus fitting, plus actication!

[R9UKE]

That's typical Mark, Renault pioneering all these clever features and then skimping a few years down the line Glad to hear of another good experience though - its good fun with a voice synthesiser too!

Yes Chris, I think there's a push for TPMS to be standard (has been in the US for quite a while) which I'm all I'm favour of, especially since traction control has been made compulsory.

Good luck with the Vel Satis Luke, when we see a cloud of white smoke appearing in the distance we will know your coming

Absolutely! Thinking of hiring a personal RAC van to travel behind me

No, you needn't worry about the VTS. It's a shame the system was disabled but it's only an MOT requirement for cars manufactured from 1st January 2012

[KP]

Luke I think its time you sat your B+E test and just got a big unit and trailer

TPMS is good and there are some aftermarket ones about.

Personally I would rather they introduce a limit of 20mph when fog lights are activated as that's more lethal when you come round a corner to some plonk who's left one on and start braking..

They seem fine in my brothers Lag and not sure the C5 exclusive has them.

To me TCS and ABS should have been online at the same time as most TCS units are contained alongside the ABS units anyway, its not a rocket science service and just means an extra button in some cars and in others none!

[R9UKE]

Definitely trailer test time KP

Well my week in the midlands has gone well so far. I picked up the Vel Satis from Burnham on Easter Tuesday and that's when the fun really began - after experiencing a hideous fling with public transport from the midlands to get there.

I arrived at the house on foot to this glorious sight, which those of you who are friends with me on Facebook will have already seen.



The owner was such a nice guy. Telling me how he ordered it to his exact spec in 2004 and has loved every second with the car. "If they still made them, I'd have another!". The love clearly shows, as it has NONE of the niggles I expect to see with every Satis, and despite having the highest mileage, definitely has had the best life and treatment. Full Renault service history including the usual dCi turbo and injector change, as well all belts having been replaced by Renault this time last year for £1200!! Every single tax disc, two keys, the original "Welcome to your Vel Satis" audio disc present too. It's a 2.2 dCi auto, which is extremely rare, most are manual. And to top that, it's in the rarest and in my opinion, best, colour - Garence Red. I'm 99% sure it's the ONLY 2.2 dCi Auto in Garence Red in the UK



This morning she got an oil and filter change with only the best fully synthetic stuff to prepare the old girl for the big miles ahead in the next week and postpone a turbo mishap a little bit longer. Peterborough on Sunday for the CCX then up to Cairnryan for the trip to Belfast the next day.

The Vel Satis is also bringing a rather important gift home - a new windscreen for the Avantime. It fit with not an inch to spare, and at £70 from a Renault breaker in Walsall (who amazingly still had their Avantime decaying at the back of the yard) as opposed to....... £1940 from Autoglass!! Theirs was also a Privilège model - so heated elements, heat reflecting and rain sensor still intact. I'm very happy indeed



The Mégane I brought over has successfully won over its new owner, as has the C2 which it replaced and was passed onto my other aunt.



Still much to look forward to as well - David sent me some fresh pictures of SLY who will be arriving on the 20th and I can't wait to meet



Anyway, I'll be seeing some of you on Sunday, looking forward to it!

[Fake Concern]

I'm not usually a fan of the Vel Satis, but in that colour, it looks stunning!

[bxzx16v]

What a beauty Luke , I agree with it being the best colour .

Mark

[Citroenmad]

It is a lovely colour and really suits the car, very classy looking

Bit of a result with the windscreen, bargain!

[R9UKE]

Cheers guys! It's nice to see one in something other than beige to be honest. And I think the dark red harks back to the R21, 25 and Safrane which came in the same shade and really suited it. Very happy indeed!

[bxzx16v]

Just like one of these beauties Luke Ph1 R25 V6 Turbo , I had the identical car on a 1985 ( C- reg ) ooohh 20yrs ago , it cost me £750 at the time and boy WHAT a car .



Mark

[R9UKE]

Wow, man if only you still had that

[lexi]

HEY! What's going on here with more Sati Pron? You are having far too much fun young Luke.....behave!!