2015 Honda Civic SR 1.6 i-DTEC Review

Matt Hubbard takes a Honda Civic i-DTEC SR for an intense test drive

Honda Civic SR 1.6 i-DTEC

I called my friend, Michelle. "I'm taking the Civic for a test drive, want to come?"

"Sure," she said, "Where?"

"I'm heading over towards Salisbury Plain. We'll be a couple of hours. Pick you up in 5 minutes."

The Civic I was driving was fitted with the new 1.6 i-DTEC engine which returns an official 78.5mpg and produces 118bhp and 221b ft of torque. It had a manual gearbox. The trim level was SR (second from top of the range) which featured heated, leather seats, satnav, bluetooth, DAB, a rear view camera and a few other niceties. Oh, and a panoramic roof - I loved the panoramic roof.

The Civic is not a conventionally beautiful or handsome car. It has interesting looks that would be a success if it weren't for the rear lights which poke out of the bodywork like googly eyes. It's also not thought of as a fun car, more as a sensible runabout.

The i-DTEC engine is one of the new breed of diesels and has been tested to death for its frugality, and it has returned some astonishingly good results - to whit it doesn't drink much DERV.

Knowing that I thought it would be a good idea to test the Civic in a different way, to give it a real workout on some proper driving roads, and to see how it fared as a warm hatchback.

I picked Michelle up. She liked the interior, the leather seats and the layout of the dash. In particular she liked the heated seats because the heater hadn't had a chance to warm up and it was bloody freezing.

Planet Rock was playing on the digital radio and sounded pretty good through the speakers - clear and with a good spread of sound.

I had a vague idea that we should head for Salisbury Plain. I know some of its best roads like the back of my hand and on a Saturday afternoon they'd be guaranteed to be quiet.

First we stopped in Tadley, Hampshire for a big bag of sweets then headed towards Kingsclere. The road to Kingsclere weaves between, and follows the lines of, the fields either side of it. With high hedges and short straights there's no chance of overtaking and and if you come up behind a slow moving car you're stuck there for a few miles.

It was only towards the end of that leg we ran into a Discovery doing 40mph in the 60mph limit. The Civic had so far shown itself to be lively with a decent amount of pull in the engine. 0-60 takes 10.5 seconds but once the turbo has kicked in the wave of torque makes it feel faster.

Kingsclere to Whitchurch is a different kettle of fish altogether. Straighter roads with either long or sharp curves, and it's open countryside so you can see what's the other side of the bend. It also features lots of elevation changes, some of which are midway round corners.

This is the road I normally bring performance machinery or my motorbike for a tootle down as it really tests the engine and chassis.

We waited at a field entrance for a few minutes to allow the Discovery, which was still in front of us, to get well ahead - I knew we couldn't overtake on the first two miles, as the road weaves up, over and down a hill (with Watershed Down to the right).

The engine pulled willingly up the hill - really quite well. It is less of a sprint from a standstill than an accelerate strongly in gear kind of engine.

Honda Civic SR 1.6 i-DTEC

The chassis showed its colours too. Bumps were damped more than adequately yet it held its line through long sweeping corners - evidence that Honda's engineers have been in the game long enough to pull off the magic trick of making a car that can cover both bases of comfort and performance.

Through the short radius corners which involve brutal braking, turn in, then immediate acceleration I could feel the front end pushing wide. It never felt more than safe.

Meanwhile, Michelle, in the passenger seat, was quite happy. She's a good driver and not a nervous passenger but in a hardcore sports car we would both have been thrown around yet she said the ride was smooth and my attempts at chucking the car around didn't cause her to complain.

There's one particular part of the route that really tests a car's suspension. At the bottom of a long, straight, downhill section the road transfers abruptly from sloping to flat. Cars with suspension that is too soft bottom out with a horrible clonk, whilst cars with too stiff suspension get caught out and smash the forces through the cabin. The Civic took it in its stride with ease - impressive.

On through the lovely village of Whitchurch then a short section of A34 and 20 miles on the A303 to the Amesbury roundabout.

I put the cruise control on at 70mph whilst Michelle tried to connect her iPhone 6 with the Civic's Bluetooth. By god it took some finding. In and out of menus, back and forth between screens. Press this button, enter this submenu, press the 'back' button then try something else.

The Civic's satnav and info/sound system looks and feels like an aftermarket one. It is not easy to use and the graphics are pretty poor compared with the best the market has to offer.

It took 15 minutes of faffing around with it to eventually find out how to connect her phone with the Bluetooth, and then we were told it couldn't connect whilst on the move. Marvellous.

On a happier note the Civic has a decent driving position and comfortable seats. Road noise and vibration is damped well enough and it's a good distance cruiser. The dash layout looks fantastic and places the rev counter right in front of the driver (very Honda) and the digital speed readout atop the dash.

This poses a problem. I set the steering wheel so I could see the revs under it and the speed above it but on the dual carriageway I settled in the seat somewhat, which made the bottom half of the speedo invisible behind the steering wheel's rim. I either had to sit back upright or move the wheel.

We got to the Amesbury roundabout and headed right for the village of Netheravon which leads on to Salisbury Plain proper.

A few miles later and we were on the best and least well known roads in the south. Netheravon to Hungerford is a rush through open pasture with a wide variety of corners, lots of elevation changes, tank crossings, cows, plenty of roadside parking, visibility for miles and hardly any traffic.

Even if you do come up behind someone bimbling along as if the world will end when they get to their destination you'll be able to overtake them within a mile or so.

It was here that the little Honda showed its class.  Staying comfortable, refined and smooth I wrung the neck of it. Michelle enjoyed the ride rather than complained about being thrown about. As we flew through corners and hammered down straights we chatted away as if we were cruising down a motorway at 70mph such is the confidence we both had in the Honda's ability to keep us pointing in the right direction.

The car's rear end stays stuck to the road whilst the front handles everything you throw at it, and loses grip progressively if you try to push it too much.

It's nimbleness, weight and power mean you can chuck it around and explore its limits quite safely and have a barrel of laughs doing so.

Hit a rough patch of road mid-corner and the agile chassis deals with it without having a tantrum.

We stopped to take some photos and Michelle finally connected her phone to the sound system so she could blast out some 80s hits rather than the 70s rock that had previously been playing.

After the rush of Salisbury Plain we found the A4 at Hungerford and headed back to West Berkshire.

It was here the i-DTEC's torque showed its hand. 118bhp isn't much but 221b ft is fine in a car that weighs 1,400kg, particularly when the 6-speed gearbox it's attached to is fluid and glitch free.

Most of the traffic was moving at 50mph so I overtook when I could. At one point we were behind three cars and as we overtook them saw that the middle one was a Mica Blue Subaru Impreza with gold wheels.

The Scoobie driver was miffed at being overtaken by a humdrum hatchback. Within a couple of miles he was right up our chuff. I would have let him vent his frustration and pass us but by then we were in Newbury.

We turned left and headed up to the M4 where we finished the trip with a one junction cruise back to home.

It had taken 2 hours to cover 99.4 miles and eat one big bag of sweets. We'd both enjoyed the ride and were both impressed by the Honda Civic, but also agreed the infotainment system was rubbish.

Despite pushing the engine for most of the time it returned an average 46.2mpg. This might be well under the claimed 78.5mpg but was nonetheless damned impressive.

The Honda Civic in this trim is not known as, or marketed as, a performance car but if you want to test its limits you'll have fun doing so, and it will reward you.

Stats

Price - £24,360

Engine - 4-cylinder, 1.6, turbodiesel 

Transmission - 6-speed manual 

0-62mph - 10.5 seconds 

Top Speed - 129mph 

Power - 118bhp 

Torque - 221lb ft 

Economy - 78.5mpg 

CO2 - 94g/km 

Kerb Weight - 1,428kg

Once we got back the Civic was in desperate need of a jet wash

Looks a bit better afterwards

By Matt Hubbard

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2014 Honda Civic Black Edition 1.6 i-DTEC Review

Matt Hubbard reviews the 2014 Honda Civic Black Edition with the new diesel engine, the 1.6 i-DTEC

2014 Honda Civic Black Edition 1.6 i-DTEC

It's hard to believe but the Honda Civic is on its 9th generation.  The first Civic was launched in 1972 which makes the Civic two years older than the VW Golf. This, the latest, has been around since 2011 but you would be forgiven for thinking it's been longer than that as it looks quite similar to the 2006 to 2011 8th gen.

Unlike its more staid competitors the Civic's design is rather striking and interesting. It looks futuristic and funky and suits the overall blackness of the Black Edition.  The body looks great from all angles, although the bulbous rear lights should have been reined in at the design stage.

The brake light slashed across the rear window looks great, but it does impact on rear visibility - something I'll return to later.  Generally the Black Edition looks good - take one decent looking hatchback and make everything black and it looks meaner than most.

On first glance the interior looks wonderful.  The split level dash dares to be different and it works, on all levels.  At the top is a digital speedo - it takes some getting used to, for the first couple of days with the car I kept looking down at the rev counter and then up to the speedo.

2014 Honda Civic Black Edition 1.6 i-DTEC

To the left of the speedo is the info screen.  It's not a touchscreen but the buttons and dials (conventionally placed in the centre of the dash) are intuitive and easy to use - you learn where everything is and what it does quickly.

The Civic Black Edition has DAB digital radio and Bluetooth which work well and sound great through the speakers.  It doesn't, however, have satnav, which is remiss in a £22k car.  Having said that satnav is an option in a Golf too.

There's a large space, and a USB point, under the armrest, cupholders next to the handbrake, decent sized door pockets and what can only be described as a normal sized glovebox.

The rear seats are quite spacious and comfortable.  Two six-footers can fit in them with ease but a third, sitting in the middle, has a big lump to sit on.

The boot is also quite big and is very deep.  Clever packaging means the floor goes down much lower than in any other hatch.  This is great for shopping bags and general space but terrible for dogs who sit so low they can't see out.

Get beyond the first glance and something nags about the interior.  Everything is plastic.  There is a teensy bit of aluminium edging but there's no leather or anything other premium material you would find in a European car.  Even the steering wheel is plastic.

The seats look good and feel great to sit in, even on a long journey, but the material isn't up to European standards. It looks hard wearing but attracts every tiny bit of dirt and fluff and clings on to it if you try and brush it away.

2014 Honda Civic Black Edition 1.6 i-DTEC

The Civic is started with a key.  The engine might be a diesel but it's a super-duper new one and it's super quiet too.  Quoted economy is 78.5mpg.  I was determined to try and match this, which would be difficult because most cars in real world conditions spectacularly fail to get anywhere near their official economy figures.

After a week with the car I managed 50mpg on short journeys of under 2 miles and 65mpg on a motorway run with some A and B-roads at each end.  This is seriously impressive.

What's also impressive is the way the engine operates.  118bhp might not sound much but with 221lb ft of torque it pulls the Civic around in quite a sprightly fashion.  I was never left wanting for more power, apart from when looking to overtake in a relatively short distance.

The manual gearbox is a peach too.  It's precise and slick, as you'd expect from a Honda.

The chassis is great.  The Civic rides well over rough surfaces but it also turns into corners with accuracy and with a decent amount of steering feel and feedback.

On the motorway it's an easy cruiser.  It's quiet and refined, the seats and driving position are more than acceptable, economy is great and the digital radio signal is strong.

On twisty back roads it's almost a hot hatch, the engine's torque is plentiful and the steering and chassis make for lots of fun.  I think I managed to cock an inside rear wheel through one particularly sharp corner.

The Civic Black Edition does have a few failings though.

It lacks some features which I'd expect as standard.  There's no satnav or cruise control and neither the lights nor windscreen wipers have an automatic setting.  You might think I'm splitting hairs here but in 2014 Honda needs to fit them as standard, as much of the competition does.

2014 Honda Civic Black Edition 1.6 i-DTEC

That split rear window is something of an issue.  At first you notice it in the rear view mirror, then, when you need to reverse, you realise it seriously impedes visibility.  After a while with the car it starts to get annoying.  Yes, it does look good on the outside but the impact on visibility is too much,  add in the narrowing rear windows and over-the-shoulder visibility is terrible.

Overall the Honda Civic Black Edition 1.6 i-DTEC is a cracking little car that handles well, has a great engine, looks good and feels like it'll last forever. It's a pity some aspects aren't quite up to scratch but if you bought one and lived with it for some time you'd probably forgive it because the good outweighs the bad by some margin.

Stats:

Price - £22,460
Engine - 4-cylinder, 1.6, turbodiesel
Transmission - 6-speed manual
0-62mph - 10.5 seconds
Top Speed - 129mph
Power - 118bhp
Torque - 221lb ft
Economy - 78.5mpg
CO2 - 94g/km
Kerb Weight - 1,428kg

2014 Honda Civic Black Edition 1.6 i-DTEC

2014 Honda Civic Black Edition 1.6 i-DTEC

2014 Honda Civic Black Edition 1.6 i-DTEC

2014 Honda Civic Black Edition 1.6 i-DTEC

2014 Honda Civic Black Edition 1.6 i-DTEC

2014 Honda Civic Black Edition 1.6 i-DTEC

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Honda Civic Black Edition 1.6 i-DTEC - First Drive Review

I'm running a Honda Civic Black Edition 1.6 i-DTEC for a week. Here's my first drive review after a couple of days with the car

Honda Civic Black Edition 1.6 i-DTEC

The ninth generation Honda Civic has been around since 2011 although you'd be mistaken for thinking it's been longer than that as externally it looks similar to the eighth generation.  The test car is a Black Edition, which I'll come to in a moment, and has the 1.6 i-DTEC engine, which I requested.

Why did I request it?  Because it returns a supposed 78mpg which is staggeringly frugal seeing as it produces 120bhp and 300Nm of torque.

The Black Edition is basically black or rather BLACK.  Everything is black. Black paint (Crystal Black Pearlescent to be precise), Gunpowder black alloys (which look really good) and entirely black bodywork - even the fuel filler cap. Oh, and a Black Edition badge.

Aside from that it's normal Civic inside which is both good and bad.  Good is the spectacular design with swoopy dashboard curves and funky dials, bad is some of the materials used in the cabin which are almost entirely plastic - even the steering wheel.  The only leather I could find is on the gearstick surround.

The Civic's ride is brilliantly composed. It's smooth over rough surfaces and it holds the body taut when flinging round corners.  The steering is delightfully precise.

The engine is also wondrous. It's reasonably powerful yet has returned 50mpg so far and I've only used it on sub 5 mile trips.

The seating position is great but the pedals are too small and dainty for my size 11s, my toes touch the plastic levers on which the pedals are attached.

Also, the Civic Black Edition doesn't have many options which I'd expect as standard in a car costing £22k.  Yes it does have a great sounding audio system with DAB and Bluetooth but it doesn't have satnav, cruise control or automatic lights or wipers. That may sound like I'm nitpicking but I'm increasingly seeing these features on middling cars.

Overall though I like the Civic and the engine is probably the best I've driven for a balance between power and economy.

I'll publish a more in-depth review once the car's gone back.  In the meantime keep an eye out for my social media updates on the Honda Civic Black Edition.

Honda Civic Black Edition 1.6 i-DTEC

Honda Civic Black Edition 1.6 i-DTEC

Honda Civic Black Edition 1.6 i-DTEC

Honda Civic Black Edition 1.6 i-DTEC

Honda Civic Black Edition 1.6 i-DTEC

Honda Civic Black Edition 1.6 i-DTEC

By Matt Hubbard

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Here's Every Press Release I Could Find About The 2014 Goodwood FOS

If you're headed to Goodwood this weekend there'll be plenty to see and do.  I've trawled the various press releases issued so far and copied them all to the Speedmonkey Facebook page.

Below the Renault 40CV photo are links to them all

BMW

Post by speedmonkey.co.uk.

Maserati

Post by speedmonkey.co.uk.

Williams F1

Post by speedmonkey.co.uk.

Fiat

Post by speedmonkey.co.uk.

Renault

Post by speedmonkey.co.uk.

Honda

Post by speedmonkey.co.uk.

Ford

Post by speedmonkey.co.uk.

Alfa Romeo

Post by speedmonkey.co.uk.

By Matt Hubbard

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Bike Racing At Castle Combe And Meeting John McGuinness - The Perfect Sunday

Last Sunday I went to watch the Castle Combe Grand National Motorcycle Race Meeting.  It was a brilliant day.

Looking for something to do on a sunny summer Sunday I checked the internet. Local to me were a Porsche day at Beauliea or bike racing at Castle Combe.  Racing won out over static displays so I headed on down to Castle Combe on the bike on Sunday.

I avoided the M4 and rode my Triumph Street Triple along the A4 through Hungerford, Marlborough and Chippenham. 60 miles in 60 minutes and a fantastic ride.  The day had started well.

I hadn't realised it but the race meet was the first two day motorcycle meeting at Castle Combe in a decade.  There would be racing all day on Saturday and Sunday with varied and packed fields, and there were a couple of big names demonstrating classic bikes.

It was only the second time I'd ever been to Castle Combe and the first time was for a steam and vintage rally.  It's a wonderful little circuit.  I parked the bike up and 30 yards later was on the grass banking overlooking Quarry Corner.  

It was lunchtime and I was starving so I walked slowly around the corner as the morning's penultimate race was taking place, found a burger stand and paid only £4 for a massive bacon cheeseburger. 

The last race before lunch was called Sound of Thunder.  The bikes were loud and the leaders raced for all they were worth.  Next up was a demonstration of some old bikes. 

Woah! John McGuinness on Mike Hailwood's old 6-cylinder Honda with Steve Parrish on a 500cc Honda 4 and David Hailwood on his dad's Ducati 900.

Afterwards the track went quiet for lunch so I wandered down through the paddocks to the pits.  The paddocks stretched out over three fields. With so many races and so many racers there were bikes, gazebos, vans, tents and blokes in racing leathers sitting in deck chairs everywhere.

Petrolhead nirvana. All race paddocks should be like this.

I found the race control building and went to check out the race paddock. Oh. My. God. There was John McGuinness.  He, Steve Parrish and David Hailwood were chatting with the press and marshals. After a few minutes they all came out of the race paddock and John McG was besieged by fans.  He stopped to talk with people, sign autographs and even shook hands with people who asked. 

He seemed a thoroughly decent bloke and had apparently spent 3 hours that morning sat at a trestle table signing autographs.

I watched the afternoon's racing at variously Folly, Avon Rise, Quarry and Farm straight.  All the viewing areas were great and the racing was superb, although a few of the back markers really shouldn't have been on track with some of the more experienced racers.

One chap was lapped on the second lap and didn't lean at all in to corners. Bit of a danger there, maybe he shouldn't be racing at all.

At the end of the afternoon we were all suntanned and had been blessed with a great day of racing and the presence of the greatest living motorcycle road racer.

A top day out.

I just wish I'd taken my camera instead of just my iPhone.  The photos could have been so much better.

David Hailwood on Mike Hailwood's Ducati 900

By Matt Hubbard

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2014 Honda Civic Type R Concept

Honda has unveiled the Civic Type R Concept at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show

Honda has been teasing us with the Civic Type R for some time now.  This is the concept, which we're promised will at least resemble the finished item when it is released in 2015.

With that bonkers rear wing, bodykit, diffusers, quad pipes and that über cool paint scheme the Type R Concept looks pretty ace.  Will Honda have the balls to at least keep the wing on the production car?

By Matt Hubbard

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Five Cars You Probably Didn't Realise Are Still On Sale

Graham King takes a look at some cars that cling on to life, despite selling in penny numbers and/or being way past their sell-by-date

CITROEN C5

When it was launched in 2008 the new C5 was a huge leap forward over its ungainly, badly built predecessor. It was stylish, drove well enough and the build quality could just about give the Germans a run for their money. Every model came generously equipped and was extremely comfortable, either with the standard steel suspension or the hydropneumatic system fitted to top-spec versions and automatics. Unlike the idiosyncratic first-generation model, it was a genuine alternative to the Mondeo and Insignia. And probably just about the most soothing way of doing 50,000 miles a year.

It proved fairly popular for a few years, but in recent times sales have dropped off a cliff. The range was facelifted in 2011 but that didn't really help matters. I dare say most of the thousand or so that are sold every year go to Citroen loyalists and taxi firms (it is very spacious).

The C5 is still everything it ever was and still makes a lot of sense, even if it is getting on a bit. Unfortunately, you will probably walk straight past your local Citroen dealer and buy an Insignia instead.

FIAT BRAVO

In 2007 Fiat wanted to distance itself from its previous attempt at a mid-size hatchback, the decidedly stodgy Stilo, so revived an old name with the Bravo. Like the original Bravo from the mid-90's, the new car was very stylish, in fact by far the prettiest Focus rival available. It still is, come to think of it.

As you would expect from a Fiat, the rest of the Bravo was a bit of a mixed bag. The turbocharged petrol engines were very keen as were the diesels, even if they were rather harsh. But the handling wasn't as involving as the Focus's. Typically some of the interior plastics were a bit cheap and the build quality questionable. There wasn't much space either, but it was at least very good value. And very pretty. But now its been overtaken by the Kia Cee'd and Hyundai i30, which are much better and cost about the same.

The Bravo has never been a big seller in the UK and a 2011 facelift didn't change that. The range has been cut back to three models, and with sales in the low hundreds and Fiat's attention increasingly focused on the 500 family, the Bravo must be due for the chop soon.

HONDA ACCORD

While it was built in the UK, the Accord was everywhere. The fact the current generation hasn't sold in anything like the same quantities is probably less to do with the fact it is built in Japan and more to do with it being pitched at low-end Audi A4/BMW 3-Series territory, rather than the highish-spec Mondeo area it occupied before.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with the Accord per se. Indeed when SpeedMonkey tested one recently we found it perfectly acceptable; it drives well, the diesel engine is brilliant if held back by the thing's bulk, the interior's pleasant, the build quality is excellent, its good value, etc etc.

On paper, the Accord does everything a biggish family car should. But it doesn't have the image to compete with the Germans, the saloon isn't all that practical and the estate is outclassed by the Skoda Superb. Actually, thinking about it, I wonder how many people part-exed old Accords for new Skodas? I'm betting a fair few.

But I digress. The point is, the Accord is a good car, but it's hard to come up with a reason to actually buy one. Which is probably why there aren't that many about.

MITSUBISHI SHOGUN

There's no getting away from the fact the Shogun is pretty ancient now. The current Mk.4 version was launched in 2007, though it was, in effect, a reskin and revamp of the Mk.3, introduced all the way back in 2000.

Its always been a bit crude to drive, and the ginormous 3.2-litre, 4-cylinder diesel engine is old hat now. But it comes with loads of kit and space, it's conspicuously good value, it's the only full-size SUV that you can still get in short wheelbase form, and it's pretty much unstoppable off-road.

Mitsubishi still sell a few hundred a year, probably to rural types who appreciate its ruggedness, value, and 3.5 ton towing capacity. Style-conscious urbanites who used to buy them for their seven seats have long since switched to the Volvo XC90 and Land Rover Discovery.

SMART FORTWO

The ForTwo will be back in the news soon as the third-generation version and its Renault Twingo twin will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in a few weeks. But you'd be forgiven for forgetting about the current one.

The Smart has always been billed as the ultimate city car, ultra frugal and so short you can park end-on to the pavement, although that never seemed to catch on. For a while it was even quite fashionable, but since it looked like a commercial ice maker I was never sure why. Then it was comprehensively out-fashioned by the Fiat 500 and people realised it wasn't very pleasant to drive, had a terrible gearbox and was generally fairly pointless.

It seems a couple of thousand ForTwos still find homes every year, most the tax-free hybrid. Presumably most live in London, not that I've seen one recently.

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Colin's Garage - December 2013

Here's the latest update on my fleet.  Since my last update in September it’s been a manic time with the sale of one vehicle and the purchase of another, along with plenty of work on TT.

Honda VFR 800Fi - Sold

I have sold my beloved VFR 800Fi, it was sold through Motorcycle News in a week yet not a sniff from being on Bike Trader for a month, which is considerably more expensive. A local fella bought the bike without even test riding it and its new home is only a mile from my house so I’ll probably see her again. It proved to be a very reliable vehicle with not a single breakdown or issue in my 14,000 miles and 3 years, with just the usual wear and tear items being renewed. I just hope the new owner gets as much enjoyment out of it as I did.

Honda VFR800A5 VTEC - Bought

With a fistful of tightly creased twenties in my pocket I was like a man possessed checking Bike Trader, MCN and eBay on a twice daily basis. Then I came upon eBay a 2005 model VFR800 VTEC with very low miles, Anti Lock Brakes and in Heron Blue. Spot on! After what seemed a very long week of bidding I eventually secured it for a bargain basement price.

I arranged to pick it up a week later and was instantly disappointed when I got there, both tyres were worn and the rear was borderline legal but the eBay description said ‘Tyres are OK’. In addition I noted the entire fairing had fresh paint after the previous owner (the current owners Mother) had dropped it on the drive. After a 20 minute standoff about what constitutes a legal tyre depth and my insistence on the buyer knocking £50 off the auction price as it was not ‘as described’ I handed over the cash and set off on the 2 hour journey home.

Then the rain started.  Not a faint mist or some light spitting but proper heavens open, God squeezing the clouds out torrential rain, the worst weather I have ever ever ridden in. To top it off the temperature dropped to 1 degree and the Honda's heated grips didn’t work. Bugger and double bugger! After an hour of riding I was forced to stop at Birch Services off the M62 to recover from what felt like hyperthermia, defrosting my hands under the driers in the toilets for 5 minutes before getting a coffee to warm my essential organs. When I stood up to leave I noticed a 3 foot wide puddle had developed under my chair from the water that had dripped off my coat.

After another hours riding and this time in quite pleasant but still cold conditions I was home and glad to be stationary on the borderline legal rear tyre. I have lots of work planned and will detail all in a future update.

BMW 320D Touring Msport

I took the Family away for a long weekend in October to a log cabin in Wales and as it was dog friendly we decided to take Daisy dog (lab x collie) which meant space would be at a premium in the car. The BMW E91 is not a big car and so the roof box had to be taken down from the Garage loft and installed on the matching black paintwork. I managed to fit in 2 suitcases, 4 pillows and all the coats required for a long weekend. I bought it a few years ago off eBay and it’s the top end Halfords one which is a cinch to fit, with clip on internal fixings. It fits on the Genuine BMW roof bars that again were purchased off eBay (what would I do without it?) a year ago. Here’s a picture of it installed on the car, I think it looks pretty sporty and utilitarian.

So the car was ready for a canine and suitcases but the kids need amusing for 2 hours on the road  Cue a pair of Philips DVD monitors which fit to the front seat headrests. These can either play their own DVD or link together to play the same one in unison and although there’s external speakers it drives me crazy when separate films are on so a pair of headphones is essential. As an added bonus they can be taken out and used in the bedrooms when on holiday or even in a tent with their 2 hour integral rechargeable battery life.

So with the car fully prepped she behaved faultlessly over the weekend managing over 50mpg with no wind noise to speak of from the aerodynamic roofbox. The roofbox is a cracking invention and means we don’t have to drive a car larger than we need to on a daily basis.

We had a fab time at Orme View Lodge near Bangor.  It's a real log cabin in someone’s back garden but is clean, spacious (sleeps 6), has very friendly owners and it’s well appointed with its own lawns. If you’re planning a trip that way Google it for booking details.

With winter closing in I fitted the winter wheels and tyres in November ready not just for snow use but for ice and heavy rain where the manufacturers claim they behave better than summer tyres - essential on a tail happy BMW! The first downside is they make the car look like a run of the mill Beemer but it’s only for a few months of the year so we put up with that. The second is that they are run flats and on the motorway run to the pick up my motorbike we did notice the difference in ride. I have travelled on the M62 thousands of times and only now did I realise how bumpy it is.  The run flats are so much harder than normal tyres and we were bounced around like it was a choppy sea for 2 hours. A benefit was felt at the weekend when we had to park on a muddy field at a Christmas event.  The car gripped the wet grass and mud well whist others slipped and slided, and some had to be towed off by a tractor. The tyres are labelled with an M and S so I assume they are designed for Mud and Snow and not from Marks and Spencer.

I can’t wait for the snow to drop to fully test them out further.

Audi TT 3.2 V6 Coupe

After a visit to Warrington Audi in late summer they advised the front wishbone rear bushes were worn and needed replacing. After some time on the internet looking at the options I decided to replace all the bushes on the front wishbones as they have to be removed to be replaced.

I bought some genuine VW front subframe rear bushes from my local VW Dealer (TT V6 has the same chassis as a Golf R32) and some Cookbots (metal collars) with poly bushes to replace the front bushes from Cookbot Automotive Solutions (www.cbauto-solutions.co.uk). The metal collars take some play out of the front bushes which were designed in by Audi as its handling was twitchy over 100mph when initially launched. In addition as the subframe has to be lowered to remove the drivers side wishbone then the four subframe mounting stretch bolts have to be renewed.

The first job was to jack up the car and support the entire front end on axle stands and remove the front wheels. Next was a fairly simple task of unbolting all the connections on the wishbones.  The passenger side one came off easily. I then supported the subframe with a trolley jack with a towel between to spread the weight a little, then after I had undone the 4 subframe bolts it lowered down easily. I had to prise it down a little lower to be able to undo the last wishbone bolt and with that done they were both off the car.

I have tried to remove bushes and insert fresh ones before and know it’s a finger breaking pig of a task without a press, so took them round to a local engineering company. I picked them up after an hour and paid a modest £25 for removing and pressing in the 4 new bushes.

They were back on the car within an hour in a reverse process - noting to torque up the subframe bolts then add a quarter turn with a long bar (to stretch them).

As when you complete any work on the suspension you should get the wheels tracked so I took the car to National Tyres for a tracking check.  They were only slightly out but the peace of mind knowing my new tyres weren’t going to be worn on the edges was well worth it.

A quick drive afterwards and the front end had tightened up while the steering is more direct.  A little more feedback is now felt through the wheel as there’s a more direct action with the Cookbots installed. Overall it cost me about £180 which was cheaper than the Garage had quoted me just to do one pair of bushes.

The next job was the key as the car only came with one which just will not do. Audi wanted £230 and everywhere else wanted £150 plus VAT as the later TTs had special coding, making them harder to steal. I found one contact who quoted £50 to program a key I bought off eBay but after an hour messing around he declared he couldn’t do it and still charged me for his time.

I rang around again and most people couldn’t do later model Mark 1 TT’s but one recommended a mobile locksmith called Martyn who was based around the Manchester area. I called, he came a week later and promised to code a brand new key to the car for a very reasonable £150 all-in using his state of the art equipment in his LWB Mercedes Sprinter van.

The first attempt didn’t work, nor the second and he showed me the codes which were flashing up. Then my battery died so we had to jump start it and he ended up having to remove the instrument cluster and solder a connection across the circuit board. Then it could be programmed using the codes he had and hey presto a fully working second key. He explained that the first guy had kept inputting the wrong codes which locked out any other key access so the only way round it was to remove the instruments. A 20 minute job turned into well over an hour and I was impressed with his vehicle knowledge and problem solving. If you are in the Manchester area and need a second key or engine diagnostic give Martyn a call on 07969 158 791.  I would fully recommend his service and the prices are competitive.

So with a dead battery I managed to get a jump start to get home and then put it on charge as soon as I got in. Once a battery has gone its pointless trying to live with it so I firstly checked out Euro Parts and then eBay.  Turns out the best deal is Euro Parts shop on eBay which was £15 cheaper for a Bosch battery with a 5 year warranty than going directly to Euro parts. Crazy. A few days later it arrived.  Installation was really easy as it’s in the boot under the carpet.

The most recent job was to bleed the brakes.  I thought it'd be no problem with my Gunson Easibleed kit. First get the car off the ground.  I used 2 axle stands and 2 ramps and then took the wheels off. I filled the bottle in the kit with fresh brake fluid, connected the cap to the brake reservoir and then the air line to one of the tyres that I had taken down to 20psi. The seal on the cap was leaking and I only managed to do one calliper before it lost pressure. I needed a new washer so went to the shop where I bought the kit from and they don’t sell the washer so had to put the car back together until it was resolved. The problem I had was that the bleeding process with a leaky seal had let lots of air into the system so the brakes were as spongy as a Swiss Roll.

In the week I called Gunson who make the kit on the off chance that they would have a spares department and sell me just the washer, I was put through to a very nice chap who offered to send me 2 new seals free of charge, which was nice! Top service Gunson.

So the next weekend after a week’s cautious driving I had her up again, kit connected with a perfect seal and bled the brakes one calliper at a time, two times until clean fluid was came out. Easy as pi. While the wheels were off the ground I gave the callipers a good clean with a wire brush to remove the 7 years of thick corroded crud and applied 2 coats of red Smoothrite. You can’t see the red callipers much through the small apertures on the V6 alloys but the glimpses I see looking back at the car are enough to make me smile.

Now that the weathers getting colder the TT’s proving itself as the perfect winter ride. The suspension’s not too hard to be put off line by rogue potholes and the 4 wheel drive will keep me out of trouble when the snow comes. The heated seats are a joy and I really like the way the switch works. It’s a pop out mechanical button that is turned to achieve the right heat setting from 0 to 8 so can be left in the same position all the time. I have it on 3 constantly but up to 6 when it’s really cold out (8 is too hardcore) so whenever I get in it comes on warming my back and bum.

This is unlike every other system I have experienced which requires a couple of pushes of the button every time you turn the engine on. The little things can really count and make a big impression on vehicle ownership but unfortunately everything is turning electrically powered so we have to make the most of well engineered mechanical fixings while we still can!

By Colin Hubbard

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