Founding Member Mazda Man Posted May 20, 2015 Founding Member Report Share Posted May 20, 2015 I live north Birmingham and yes, Stu lives in Burton which is about 45 mins tops away. We could meet up at Stu's when I pick up my new V6 coupe probably next week one night? Sure Stu would like to meet up too and we can show you some coupes. Stu's is the best V6 coupe on the road, it's a minter and needless to say maintained 100%. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Laird_Scooby Posted May 22, 2015 Moderators Report Share Posted May 22, 2015 Welcome aboard Steve! Been a bit hectic recently so not spent as much time on here as i normally would so apologies for the delay in welcoming you. Something nobody has mentioned about the Accord coupe is you can still bring a 10ft length of worktop home without having the boot or windows open! Recline the front passenger seat, open the rear seats (fold them down) and slide it in through the boot and rest the front end on the dashboard - job done! Not really recommended though! :lol: What a total cock up on the ABS light on your Legend though! Hope you get it sorted and that it doesn't become another scrap statistic! Sure Stu could get to the bottom of it for you, from the description it sounds like one or both front sensors playing up and/or the overvoltage relay so shouldn't be too horrendous. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveThackery Posted May 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2015 Thanks for such a great welcome, guys! The alert amongst you will notice that I put out a "How can I contact Stu?" alert this lunch time. Here's what happened... Tuesday the dealer rings me and says "We know what's wrong - it's the ABS unit and we'll get a recon one, then you can have the car." On Thursday I ring and ask if the ABS pump has arrived. He says "Not yet but we're working on it." Friday late morning the dealer rings and says "Pump still hasn't arrived; quite honestly I think we should refund your money, give you your old car back, and we'll get rid of the Legend through the trade." I immediately thought that if I could buy it at (or a little over) what the trade would pay, maybe I could pay Stu to sort it out and I'd still break even. Hence I wanted to speak to Stu to see if he would be willing to undertake the work, what it might cost, and what he thought I should offer for the Legend in its "broken" state. So, I put my "Calling Stu" message onto the forum. Not five minutes later the phone went and it's the dealer - "The ABS pump has arrived!! All being well we should be able to fit it this afternoon so you can have the car for the weekend." Big embarrassment, because as soon as I put the phone down, Stu (what a hero) rang me. I felt really bad that I'd inconvenienced him for nothing, so apologised and explained the situation. He was really good about it. At 4.30 the phone rings - it's the dealer saying "Sorry, we won't get it finished today, and the mechanics aren't back until Tuesday, so it's going to be the middle of next week before you can have the car." Much to my shame I allowed my frustration to show through. The dealer man said "It's no good expressing your anger, I've leaned over backwards to sort this out for you, and if you aren't happy you can have a refund and get your old car back." I felt guilty and apologised for briefly losing it. Also wrote an apologetic email. Obviously I was briefly tempted to take up his offer, but then I'd be right back at square one, having wasted all that time. And after all, apart from the jerky gearchange (which I'm no longer worried about) I still love the car. Anyway, in the grand scheme of things it's hardly a disaster - not like an earthquake or anything. So, I can now look forward to picking it up some time next week! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators hughezee Posted May 22, 2015 Administrators Report Share Posted May 22, 2015 No prob's m8y always happy to help, glad its getting sorted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Founding Member Mazda Man Posted May 22, 2015 Founding Member Report Share Posted May 22, 2015 What a palaver....that's another topic. Personally, if the garage doesn't fix it by the end of next week (and by fix it I mean not removing the ABS bulb either) then I would go with Plan A then Plan B: Plan A. Tell the garage you'll still take the car and ask them to refund you x amount so you can get it fixed yourself. Stu will no doubt provide the x amount to repair. Then take said Legend to Stu. Mission Accomplished. Plan B. Ask the garage for a refund and your car back. Sell the car and buy a V6 Accord Coupe and still have enough change to buy a house. Both win-win in my eyes? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Laird_Scooby Posted May 22, 2015 Moderators Report Share Posted May 22, 2015 Much to my shame I allowed my frustration to show through. The dealer man said "It's no good expressing your anger, I've leaned over backwards to sort this out for you, and if you aren't happy you can have a refund and get your old car back." I felt guilty and apologised for briefly losing it. Also wrote an apologetic email. Why your shame? It should be the dealer who is ashamed as they caused this problem in the first place by "letting" the ABS fault slip through the net! s such they should have pulled out all the stops including giving you a courtesy vehicle to correct the situation especially when you consider this is an MoT failure point. I wonder how many other things have been "overlooked" on the MoT front? Perhaps Trading Standards should have a look at your Legend and/or VOSA just to make sure? Subtle hint that the dealer might like to hear if they are reluctant to pull their finger out next week! Personally i'd go with Geoffs Plan A above and let Stu give it the once-over and quite probably you'll have enough change left over for at least a tankful of fuel, maybe more and have the peace of mind of knowing it's been done properly. I think it's disgusting how shabbily the dealership has treated you to be honest - i hope it isn't a Honda dealers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Founding Member Mazda Man Posted May 23, 2015 Founding Member Report Share Posted May 23, 2015 Agreed Dave, Plan A looks favourite and is the plan I'd use. Then again, the garage might come up trumps and fix the ABS. If this happens Steve then I would revert to Plan C: Plan C. Change your cambelt. Good luck, keep us updated with developments. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveThackery Posted May 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2015 Guys, I don't have very much choice, actually, because the dealer has decided they want to repair the ABS. If something goes wrong and they still can't, then Plan A might well come into play. Plan B - a V6 Accord Coupe - is on my list but probably for later. I rather want to try a Legend first. As for Plan C - I totally agree. I've asked Stu for a quote but not heard anything yet. Maybe that means he'll do it for free? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Laird_Scooby Posted May 23, 2015 Moderators Report Share Posted May 23, 2015 Steve - I think whether the dealer manages to fix the ABS or not that Plan C is a good idea. Not sure Stu will do it for free, he's probably doing multiple passes on the abacus to work the quote out as we type! Joking aside, i'm sure he'll be competitive and at least you'll know it's done right. There are a few pitfalls on the C-series engine that if missed can cause a lot of trouble but i know Stu knows those pitfalls, unlike the "average independent mechanic". 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators hughezee Posted May 23, 2015 Administrators Report Share Posted May 23, 2015 I will sort you a quote out by next week as your on my list by the time you get the car back I will have likely done one 5am start for me tomorrow so many jobs to squeeze in it's ridiculous 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Laird_Scooby Posted May 23, 2015 Moderators Report Share Posted May 23, 2015 A 5am start? Don't forget the ear defenders for all those sparrows farting! :lol: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveThackery Posted May 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 I will sort you a quote out by next week as your on my list by the time you get the car back I will have likely done one 5am start for me tomorrow so many jobs to squeeze in it's ridiculous 5am?! Bloody hell! Anyway, thank you for looking into it - I'll wait until I hear from you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Founding Member Mazda Man Posted May 24, 2015 Founding Member Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 Steve - I think whether the dealer manages to fix the ABS or not that Plan C is a good idea. Not sure Stu will do it for free, he's probably doing multiple passes on the abacus to work the quote out as we type! Joking aside, i'm sure he'll be competitive and at least you'll know it's done right. There are a few pitfalls on the C-series engine that if missed can cause a lot of trouble but i know Stu knows those pitfalls, unlike the "average independent mechanic". Honestly Steve, I agree with Dave. I would rather drive from Nottingham to Burton and let Stu change your cambelt any day of the week over letting the "average independent garage" do it. Every Time, no hesitation. Stu knows Honda's engines upside down, back to front and you'll have 100% confidence and peace of mind it has been done right. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveThackery Posted May 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 Yep, that's what I think. There's a one month warranty on the engine and gearbox, although that started two weeks ago (I must try to renegotiate that). I suppose if the engine blows up during that period I'll get my money back. I'm hoping Stu will have time before it runs out (but no pressure, mate! ). I'd be so gutted if a belt failed and wrecked the engine on my lovely new car. I've looked at the official workshop manual, and it does seem feasible to do it myself, although it looks to be a far bigger job than it is on most cars. To be honest I'd much rather shower Stu with ten pound notes than tackle it myself. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Founding Member Mazda Man Posted May 24, 2015 Founding Member Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 Good call Steve. Unless you're mechanically minded and/or have done this before, then I wouldn't even get the socket set out. I'm sure Stu won't you mind showering him in £10 notes to do it....At least you'll know and have the peace of mind that it will be done properly. Is there any paperwork with the car, any receipts etc showing the cambelt change? Or is any paperwork back at the garage? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveThackery Posted May 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 There's a full paper trail of MOTs and a fully stamped service history, but there don't seem to be any "incidental" bills, for some reason. Apparently there's a little inspection window for you to inspect the belt, but I'm prepared to bet it's never been done. At 85,000 miles it's still, technically, within the mileage, but of course it's well over in terms of years (19 years old). So, I'm saving up my tenners for Stu....... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveThackery Posted May 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 Oh, I should say that I am quite an experienced mechanic for an amateur (after all, I owned a Dolomite Sprint so the socket set never got put away), but of course that's nothing compared with someone like Stu. (God, that Dolly Sprint was a stressful experience......) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Laird_Scooby Posted May 24, 2015 Moderators Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 I know you've seen my thread "What a palaver" Steve, have you read it completely? In particular the bit about the cam belt and water pump? The cam belt was done some time ago by a "mobile mechanic" that i wouldn't trust with a wheelbarrow. If you read through you'll see it was done incorrectly and the water pump wasn't touched first or last. Blessing in disguise really as it started to leak, necessitating its replacement and that of the cam belt. That was when i found the belt hadn't been tensioned correctly and was in fact about 4 teeth out on the main crank pulley, retarding the cam timing and ready to jump any time soon. Assuming of course it hadn't already jumped putting it 4 teeth out already! The engine in your Legend if i remember correctly is the C35 - a later version of the C27 in mine. You're lucky though in that you have more space round the belt area than i do - there's at most about 1.5" between the inner wing/chassis rails and the engine so the belt isn't an easy job and Kevlar gloves are recommended! I had another car to use while i did the cam belt but if you don't then i wouldn't recommend doing it yourself, even with the extra space you have. Also if you read through my thread, you'll see there are a lot of things that have been caused by people fiddling when they obviously don't know what they're doing aka the mobile mechanic and prior to that an "average independent" mechanic. I've always wanted a Dolomite, probably the 1850 HL auto although a Sprint auto (yes they did make them) would be good too. Sadly never found one at the right price, condition, location etc and now they are mega-bucks for a good condition example. Don't mind doing some restoration work but i don't want an absolute basket case either. The way life has been over the past 10 years ish for me the Dolly is just a pipe dream now and i'll stick with my 827s. As you'll have gathered, i'm pretty good on the spanners but when the time comes that i struggle to do things more than i do now then i'll be making a sort of automotive pilgrimage to get Stu to do whatever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Founding Member Mazda Man Posted May 25, 2015 Founding Member Report Share Posted May 25, 2015 Agreed Dave, especially regarding the automotive pilgrimage. Much like the muslims and Mecca, you have to visit Stu's at least once before you die. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveThackery Posted May 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2015 I've always wanted a Dolomite, probably the 1850 HL auto although a Sprint auto (yes they did make them) would be good too. Mate! What on earth would make you want a Dolly? Admittedly I did like them back in the day, as they were considerable more classy than the Cortina and the crap coming out of BMC, but that was then and this is now. All I really remember from the Brit cars I had back then was an endless battle against body rot, which was made worse by the certain knowledge that I would one day lose. That, combined with the "questionable" quality control (compared with the stuff coming out of Germany, for instance) is enough to make me swear off them forever! Yep, I drove (but didn't own) an automatic Sprint before I bought mine. Personally I think the character of the car is more suited to a manual box. Having said that, I've been running automatics for maybe 20 years now - much prefer them. Do you? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveThackery Posted May 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2015 By the way, I think the Dolomite is a good example of a lost opportunity. You may recall that Triumph sold the design and engineering for the Dolomite engine to Saab, who used it in their Saab 99. When it came to boosting the performance, Triumph came out with the Dolomite Sprint, which was impressive in many ways (the first production car with 16 valves but only one camshaft, I think - it got some sort of award) but had some serious cooling problems. The radiator simply wasn't big enough, and the slanted pull from the head bolts was one factor in the regular head gasket failures (so it was said at the time). The worst bit was the way they used the studs themselves to locate the head, rather than locating it on spigots and just using the studs to pull it down. It necessitated a close clearance fit between the steel studs and the aluminium head, and of course they corroded together. Getting the head off could be a task of monumental proportions. Saab, on the other hand, developed their own 16-valve version of the same engine themselves, and it was a model of reliability, with no significant overheating or head gasket problems at all. Not only that, but they turbocharged it, too, getting some 175bhp out of it in the most powerful production version. (You might guess I'm a fan of Saabs from that era.) The Sprint engine was so troublesome they used the standard 8-valve Dolomite engine in the TR7 - a car which would have been a great platform for the Sprint engine. I read somewhere that the TR7 radiator is even smaller than the Sprint's, so it was a non-starter from the off. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveThackery Posted May 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 Actually, Laird_Scooby, I realise I've been very unkind about one of your dream cars! Please accept my apologies - the trauma of Sprint ownership has clearly left me prone to ranting. So long as you don't buy a Sprint, I think my comment that they are far more "classy" than their contemporaries stands. They were very nice to drive around in. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Laird_Scooby Posted May 26, 2015 Moderators Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 There are many reasons i wanted a Dolly Steve - without the strikes and dubious build quality as a result, the Dolomite (especially in Sprint form) would have overhauled the BMW 1602/2002 pretty comprehensively, much as the Rover 600 (based of course on the Accord) did in the 90s and would still have done if the inappropriately named British Aerospace hadn't sold Rover Group to BMW in 1996 or thereabouts, precipitating the downfall of what can easily be considered a national institution. As you rightly say, Saab made the slant-4 Triumph lump reliable and indeed, Car SOS took a Stag (basically 2 slant 4s bolted together) and tested the cooling system and found it not only satisfactory but well up to the job and then some. The problem was lack of maintenance including lack of anti freeze, essential in a mixed metal engine which wasn't really understood 40 years ago. The Stag system wasn't that different to the Dolly so i'll let you draw your own conclusions. A big part of why i never managed to get one is the terminal tinworm they suffer from. Granted that can be prevented with shares in Dinitrol or similar but these days i wouldn't be able to keep on top of it. Which brings me to automatics. I've run them for about 30 years now and much prefer them, which is just as well as i no longer have a choice in the matter. Granted i still have a manual licence but can't physically drive a manual due to an ankle injury which has left me crippled and using even the lightest clutch is sheer agony. I could waffle for hours about it and how else it has effected me but i won't bore you - yet! The one thing that surprised me about the TR7 was they never fitted the "O" series to it, they fitted the 2.0 slant 4 as you say and even made a few prototype TR7 Sprint models but the "O" series could have been a better long term proposition, especially when it morphed into the "M" and then the "T" series 16v versions - 140bhp of reliable power in a Dolly or a TR7? Yes please! In all honesty, unless i am lucky enough to win the lottery, my chances of Dolly ownership are somewhere between anorexic and none these days as it would have to be a "minter" and they are expensive with a capital "F"!!! :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveThackery Posted May 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 Just out of interest, one of the upgrades to the Dolomite Sprint was to fit the Stag water pump. I did that on mine, actually. (Come to think of it, I seem to remember it was just the impeller that required changing.) I've heard differing accounts of why the Sprint had problems. As you say, the poor understanding of mixed metal corrosion must have been a big factor. Other sources insist that the radiator was fine but its unusually fine passages made it too prone to blocking (again, probably because of inadequate anti-corrosion treatment in the water). The fact that the improved water pump helped suggests it may have been wanting to start with. I've also read that the police tried a few for their motorway pursuit cars, but abandoned them after problems with overheating. Of course all of the above are just my memories of the stuff that was said at the time, much of which was probably apocryphal. I think the main lesson for us in this saga is one of lost opportunity. If the industry management had been any good, and the car hadn't been starved of investment, the Sprint could have been a cracking car. An absolute nutter of a thing - a mobile Edwardian drawing room kicking the arse of the 2002. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Founding Member Cryistic Posted May 26, 2015 Founding Member Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 I owned 80% of a 1850 Auto The other 20% appeared to be MIA, lovely car but Christ did it rust. the sad thing is that the Leyland group were well managed and had several plans to build new Rovers and Triumphs but they were forced to take over BMH and it was all downhill from there, Tony Benn has a lot to answer to from there. Standard/Triumph and Rover were starved of funds to keep Morris and Austin going, leaving all of the famous british marques to wither on the Vine. SD2 and P7 were great cars killed off to find the money to update the bloody Marina... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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