Lauren

Just had a call from Richard at RRG Macc. It's the battery, apparently it had a very high resistance. Obviously there have been lots of battery replacements on our cars. He's got one coming at lunchtime, so will fit it and do some checks then let me know. Pretty good service I have to say!

Pretty sure I've found my Focal speakers (165KR): http://www.focal.com/en/k2-power/172-165-kr-3544051751322.html They seem to range from £200-300, sure I paid more than that, but it was three years ago.

Do your's have a separate crossover, Sarah? Can't see it in the description.

Around £200. Think my two ways with crossover, can't remember the price of them but I'm fairly sure they were north of £200 mine are Kevlar.

My best bet is that the battery is the problem. If it was the alternator, I would expect the battery light to come on first indicating a lack of charging and the car would still run at least for a short time on the battery. The engine just died and then a few seconds later the CEL came on.

Well there I was tonight driving home from Reading on the M6 Toll thinking to myself how reliable the car has been and how good to drive it still feels and then 10 minutes later just as I am entering the 50 zone to the toll booths, the cruise control disabled itself and the car started to lose speed. I tried flicking it back on but it wouldn't, then the CEL came on, I changed down to fifth and applied some throttle and nothing, it's still slowing. I realise at this point that it has actually broken down and pull over to the hard shoulder. As I stopped it idled for a second or two then stalled. I tried restarting it, but no. Then tried again, nothing. It would turn over but wouldn't start. I then popped the bonnet, got my torch out but couldn't see anything obviously wrong. Next job was to call the AA and tell them I have a lowered car. They say within an hour. I then tried to start it again ten minutes later and it would barely turn over. The battery wasn't even strong enough to close the window when I shut the door. Breakdown by Lauren Blighton, on Flickr 45 minutes later a nice man called Dougie turns up. He's got one of two of the only low loader trailers that the AA have. He's picked up a P1 and a 918 on this truck and I was impressed at how low it went, being pretty much flat to the ground. Dougie put some ramps on the end anyway just to make sure. The big issue though was that there was not enough power in the battery to get the steering lock off. Fortunately the steering was nearly straight and Dougie was able to get it onto the flat bed with the steering locked. Breakdown by Lauren Blighton, on Flickr Whilst this was going on I got a call from Richard which impressed me I must say! He immediately suggested I should get the car dropped off at RRG Macc which is exactly what I had planned whilst I was waiting. Although I live ten miles away from RRG Macc, Dougie was able to drop me off back home, which technically he shouldn't really do, so I was grateful for that. I left Reading at 6.30pm and finally got home to Manchester at 12.15am. It's weird because the car ran absolutely faultlessly until the point that it didn't. I think the battery is a likely culprit as it's been a weak point, though it's only gone flat a couple of times when I left the audio stuff on which has a 1amp drain. It's never let me down before. The only other obvious fault can be the alternator. All will be revealed tomorrow I suspect!

They aren't particularly expensive, you really do get what you pay for when it comes to audio IME. I've got Focal 3's as two ways.

The best I've managed is 112.9p per litre for V Power Nitro which is all I use. Problem for me is that I end up using Keele Services on the M6 a lot where it's 120.9p.

The 60K service is expensive, Steve, because it requires the spark plugs to be changed which is quite involved as the engine has to be lifted a bit to gain access which obviously adds considerably in regards to labour time. Also diff oil and brake fluid is every 20K so that is on there as well. The 80K mile service was more expensive being north of £600 though that did include an MOT and the fitting of the headlamp level adjuster. Talking of which I can report that the difference is staggering as I'm now able to see further than 20m down the road with a dipped beam which was very handy at 5.30am this morning driving down unlit A roads. New wiper rubbers helped also! My car continues to do a good job, so decision time is nigh in respect of keeping it or chopping it in and getting a new one. Realistically there is a lot of stuff on my car that would need to be swopped over if I plumped for a new one and given how well it runs, I'm fairly well lent towards keeping it and just keep piling the miles on! Thanks all for the encouraging replies, I shall try and blog stuff as it happens as given I have the highest mileage car in the club (AFAIK), it will I hope prove useful in seeing how it all goes and what wears out first!

Looks good, Ross, I think you got the right width for the tyre size there.

If you can get it for not much money and you have everything to state that is has been repaired properly with certification (or whatever it is, I don't actually know). I think you also have to accept that it's value will be considerably less when it comes to move it on and obviously as a result of it being a Cat D, it will be harder to sell. Something to consider is that damage needs to be quite extensive for say a two year old car to be written off. Consider that on an older car it really could be because of minor damage that would be nothing to worry about. I'd worry a lot more though on a car as new as this. That pic you posted does not give a good idea of the damage, I'd want far more detail than that. The front crossmember is likely damaged on that car which could in turn cause issues for the chassis legs. But all said and done I can only advise that you are meticulous with regard to checking everything you possibly can before you make a decision.

Welcome aboard. I think just the usual rules apply to buying a used car. They are pretty tough and hardy really. Checking the service book etc and ensuring it drives okay are the main things. If it's cold, they can be a little tough on the change down from third to second gear, but this should pass after a few minutes of driving.

Yes, that's it Keith. Happen occasionally it seems, user error of course!

I'm not sure I would prefer Susie. I guess Sabine's inherent links to TG pasts will bring some familiarity, especially after TG got right into the whole Ring thing some years ago. I shall wait and see I think.

LOL. Many years ago I challenged (or I should say my friends put me forward!) Jeremy but he wouldn't have it! She has won two Ring 24hrs races a long time ago though. So only if not round the Ring. I somehow think that my paltry 16 laps round the Nordschliefe would give her too much of an advantage. Cadwell perhaps?

Hence my comment!

Can Sabine actually drive or is she just a one trick pony? She seems like the weak link to me. Was really hoping for a stronger female presenter.

I use mine as a daily car, have done for nearly three years now, it's about to tick over 80K miles. I compete in the sprint series, take it on big euro trips and also use it for my work too. I've got some modifications to the suspension and stuff, but it's perfectly liveable and in terms of handling I've raised the bar over the stock car.

The only annoyance I occasionally experience is that if you flash someone repeatedly whilst changing lanes on the motorway it can on occasion turn your lights off!

Great stuff. Enjoy.

Welcome aboard. The RX8 is a good car, though I've never actually driven one on the road I used to race one when they were new. If you want to learn to slide there are many options. Keep an eye on the events calendar for trackdays and the like.

You may as well add them up front depending upon what they are. For example I added a remap when I took out my insurance back in January. Still haven't done it yet.

Very cool, looks like 17" wheels.

You're welcome to it, Will, but no thanks.

Welcome aboard, Kaz.