Chard's Triumvir8

[mercedade]

What he said!

[dollysprint]

Just for your interest R604 was built in Dec 1997 and registered in January 1998. Cant tell you about R837 because someone at Rover forgot to put it on the system, however I can tell you the rest of the R8--YVC series were built in August 1997. Both your cars were factory registered in a large block, with YVC almost certainly being registered by the then head office at Canley.
I'm not sure if BRW came under Canley, Cowley or Longbridge as all that info crashed on my other computer, but someone will know.

Dave

['CHARD]

Thanks for that gen, it appeals to my railway-minded brain. I'm fairly sure the log books are endorsed with Canley and Cowley respectively. I'll check.

Did I imagine it, or for a while, at some point in the late nineties, was there a compound of several hundred ex-factory 800s close by the railway between Birmingham International and Marston Green? I feel sure I used to see them from the train.

['CHARD]

A bit of an 'OUCH' and some rather adrenalized moments this morning. Anyone familiar with Sutton Coldfield's rural environs may be aware of Withy Hill Road which links Whitehouse Common with the A446 between Bassetts Pole and the Belfry.

If you are, you'll know the sweeping reverse curve through the dip before the bridge over the M6 Toll. Not a happy realisation, as the wheels unloaded on the crest, that I'd just encountered a patch of black ice. Argh!

A brief visit to both verges later, I had just established everything was still in one piece when I noticed a Vauxhall Zafira stopped a short distance ahead, with NSF damage. As I exchanged pleasantries with its driver, a young lady in a Seat Ibiza wiped-out behind us. Damage to the 800's pewter bumpers were as nothing compared to her frame of mind; fortunately after a check over by a paramedic and a visit to the walk-in unit that also turned up, she was confirmed to be shaken but fine.

A cautionary reminder to be careful out there; I'll be sticking to the gritted roads from now on to be doubly sure. I am very grateful to the 800 though, a strong machine that withstood its unplanned excursion extremely competently.

[SJG]

I drive around this sort of way every day for work. That bend is a nightmare and a notorious black ice spot. That section must just be so exposed.

Glad you are okay, what time was this?

I went one of my other routes this morning, often if its icy I will avoid this road, this morning I didn't think about any ice but luckily went a different way.

['CHARD]

Approx 0900. By the time police arrived about 0950, there was no trace of ice or frost on the carriageway, in the full sunlight you'd be forgiven for thinking we'd each gone offroading without any contributing factors!

Left hand and right ankle are starting to hurt properly now.

[rovercoup]

A strong case for some cheap alloys and winter tyres if you use your 800 as a daily drive

['CHARD]

So, the brace has spawned and become three, by the addition of a Vitesse saloon as of tonight. I'll change the title of this topic in due course.

However, I'm aware I need to get my act together photo-wise, and that is best linked with my putative blog on Wordpress, which needs work to get into usable shape. That's a task for the evenings and I hope to populate it after doing the car essentials this weekend and during the week.

There's loads to write up, and I will get round to it imminently. But none of this would have occurred had I not had the privilege of reading all the good stuff and cautionary tales on this site. Cheers fellaz and ladies; I'm converted - well and truly gone native!

['CHARD]

Wee update.

I ruefully put R837 on a SORN on 1st March due to expiry of tax and her next MOT being a very much unknown quantity. What I do know is that the radiator is finished, she needs two new tyres, and that under certain lighting conditions I can detect a crease in the OSF wing commensurate with the otherwise nominally invisible impact damage from January 10th. I fear that remedial work on the bumpers and radiator to get through MOT will be more than I paid for the car.

So, coming on stream to return availability to a lowly 33% is V995, which - with a little in the way of shenanigans - made a trip to get the first pair of a suite of new tyres yesterday. These are on the pristine spare set of Vitesse alloys that came with R604. I intend some local trip work for V995 until I book her first service and health-check. The list of advisories from her most recent MOT aren't so bad - the tyre has already been sorted, the worst of the rest is a blowing exhaust section.
I have noticed further age-appropriate blemishes, but the first to tackle will be the worn driver's Recaro bolster. I need to locate the key code for the radio as well.

R604 SORN and garaged. Still need to get the fuse board out and across to a work colleague to resolder.

['CHARD]

A few words by way of an update.

V995 has finally got a 100% new set of rubber, clearing last MOT's advisory, and standardising a decent set of Dunlops on every corner. The donor alloys that came with R604 look suitably mint, but two are slowly deflating, so I intend on revisiting how well the tyres are seated and sealed - probably when I have the health-check run on date TBA. I've listed the trim and exterior blemishes that I need to tackle, plus the two main electrical gremlins (windows and radio at the moment). Can't find the radio security code anywhere either, which would be a nuisance now I've got the battery holding a decent charge.

However, on Saturday, a new problem (such fun!) - no stage three ignition. So, immobilizer off, key in barrel, one stage, two stage (with correct illumination) - and then nothing when I'd expect her to fire. Roll-started easily, and then ran no problem, but wouldn't then restart - wondering if it's the ignition barrel that's failed. Seems odd, was working perfectly on Wednesday.

At least at this rate I won't be troubling the limit on her low mileage insurance policy