mystery machine

I'm not going to mention who serviced it. I did another small mod today, I removed the Ian Grieve sticker from the back window.

...but it wisnae me who asked who serviced it

If it is included, then someones going to need some answers.

And on those services where a replacement filter isn't mandated, aren't they supposed to inspect it? Always been a bit sceptical about how much heed is paid to the 'items for inspection' on the service schedule.

Of course, maybe they did inspect it:

"Aye Wullie, looks aboot right - jist the usual twigs an' grass an' that..."

"Nae bother - pap it back in."

Is a replacement filter included in the 20K service?

Looks like you've had a family of sparrows living up there.

Kilo or so

Cheers.

Much does it weigh? (at a guess).

I missed this thread the first time around.

Absolutely cracking example - so shiny and clean it makes my gums ache

Surely the fact you left your keys has nothing to do with it though. Keys are stolen everyday and cars written off, and payouts happen.

If car keys are stolen by means of force - either in person from their owner or by forcing access to a place of keeping - then that's one thing, but if the keys were willingly left with uninsured persons who were thereafter liable for damage to the car, then the insurance company could claim that the keys were not given due care. There's usually a (small print) clause about such things in the insurance policy.

I'm not saying it's right, but as an insurance company they'll use any legitimate means to avoid paying out thousands of pounds

As Playsatan2 says, shouldn't stop you doing everything you can to extract a settlement from them.

If ultimately the insurance route fails - and I guess this depends on how you see your future with this mate of yours - you might consider speaking to a lawyer about the possibilities of taking him to court and claiming damages directly from him (assuming he can't/won't pay you back voluntarily). Citizens' Advice may be able to help with this if you want to get a rough idea of where you stand without handing over any cash.

Good luck, mate.

There's one here Tam, if you're still hellbent on buying a GB270

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/adv...00938341939854/

Semis.....

Slick rubber.....

Nervous about getting moist.....

.....thought I'd stumbled upon the wrong forum for a minute there

Wheels suit the car very nicely - particularly with it being a wagon, I reckon

Awfae sorry to hear about that, Mark

I remember chatting to you about paintwork and suchlike - sounded like your Scooby was one of the nicer examples... and to have a 'mate' do this to you...

Hope you get things sorted in the fullness of time and that we can see you back here under (much) better circumstances!

Pity about that offset, mind

Your new wheels suit the car BRILLIANTLY - and I'm a real 'third-party alloy' sceptic

I'd seriously consider those if I was looking to replace my wheels... do you know how they compare with the OEM wheels, weight-wise? (very important for me, that).

Tam will be like a child in a sweetie shop passing through the tunnel and letting rip with his exhaust.

Crivvens, the residents of Whiteinch will be thinking that they've started up the shipbuilding again

Not exactly cheap, but what dealer is nowadays??

Seems to be the thing these days, manufacturers like to snare you with tempting deals on the core product, and then bleed you dry with the servicing costs - my favourite example being the 'practically giving it away' inkjet printer that costs £50 to buy and then, every couple of months, £80 to replace the ink cartridges

I'm just glad that some place was interested in looking at a problem that wasn't necessarily going to amount to a straightforward or profitable job..... a job that some places might view as a bit of a risk and not worth pursuing (that comment isn't directed toward any place in particular - I've found that with a few outfits in recent years).

When i bought my wagon from them and it had to go back in they had a salesman that lived in Alloa, he met me in the morning on his way to work and took my car whilst leaving me his and then we swopped back in the evening.

This might be an option for you if he still works there.

Cheers Paul.

I had a chat with the guy at reception about the options for bringing the car in and, as you say, they seem quite flexible (as are the local main dealership), but taking their courtesy car on a day off work seems like the way to go.

Shame the last few miles of the journey wasn't a bit nicer (i.e. Edinburgh sh|tty bypass + a bunch of busy wee connecting roads). Hey ho, ye cannae huv it aw .

the Clyde tunnel sounds like fun.

Yes, I am over 18 (and not just by a wee bit, either).

Car has generated a faint odour of petrol at idle since I bought it a few months back. Had my local dealership look at it, but they couldn't diagnose the fault.

Took the car down to Noble's servicing outfit today (first time I've used them) and they traced the fault to a badly connected (or disconnected) breather hose on/near the inlet manifold (I'd be more specific about the details, but I never got to speak to the mechanic post-repair). They also took some slack out of my handbrake, and gave me a nice Impreza hatch courtesy car to take away for the day. All covered by the manufacturer's warranty, and no money had to change hands - either for the servicing or for the courtesy car.

Rare these days that I come away from a car servicing centre feeling in any way pleased, but hats off to the guys at Noble's for doing a good job. I'm considering using them for servicing now too, despite the trek.

Keep it up.

Not to harp on about the GB270 vs STI thing too much, but here are some of the goodies the STI offers over the WRX/GB270:

• 6-speed gearbox - the upper gears are close ratio, very useful when you're pressing on through the twisties. The 'box can apparently also handle much more torque than the WRX's - handy if you're ever looking to boost engine power.
  
• DCCD (driver-controlled centre diff) - you can effectively vary F:R torque split from 50:50 to 41:59 (either manually, or by letting the computer do it automatically). Doesn't sound much, but the latter mode gives the car a palpable rear-drive feel - the back-end comes alive, steering becomes sharper, and you can even generate some throttle-on oversteer.
  
• Bigger (Brembo) brakes.
  
• Bigger turbo.
  
• Bigger intercooler.
  
• Smaller steering wheel with a higher-geared steering rack.
  
• Wider track.
  
• Slightly longer wheelbase.
  
• Forged crank and conrods.
  
• Bigger injectors.
  
• STI instrument panel (much nicer than the WRX item).
  
• Tracker (don't think the GB270 has one as standard?).
  

You might know about all of this already, but I didn't before I bought my first Scoob (WRX). If I'd been better informed, I'm pretty sure I would've gone straight for the STI

Hi Tam - glad to see that your rank-rotten experience with GB270s number 1 & 2 didn't put you off Scoobs! Did you ever find out what caused the fire in no. 2...?

Just my two boab, but as much as the GB270s are very nice Scoobs, I reckon the SH prices are a wee bit inflated (because it was a limited edition?). If you don't mind owning a slightly older motor, you could probably find a 06/07 Hawkeye STI for not much more money (if any more, depending on age/mileage). That's certainly how it looked when I was shopping for my STI.

Anyway, JMO - I know that some folks prefer the WRXes - and I guess if anything a GB270 should hold its value maybe a little better than a 'regular' WRX or STI.

Best of luck finding a new motor

Wait till you see the one with Bobby as scooby doo oh and Derek and I tryng out the kids go karts!!

Nice one - sounds like you got away with it, despite 'those pesky kids'

Just heading down for another day

Enjoy

Looks like a fun day

Welcome

What flavour of Scoob is it?

A classic, eh? Very retro

Just kiddin' - looks the part, and you must be loving the engine performance!

Here you go again stealing the thread ....start your own one

He might not get that one