Ross - My new 2002 Iceberg Silver Phase 1 - No 430

[Rossington]

Hi All,

After almost ten years of working towards putting a Vee in the garage, i finally managed it.

Despite the long history and few pics on here of the car looking a little worse for wear, its absolutely spotless. The guys I it purchased from have clearly taken a great deal of time getting the car back to the condition its in now. I'm taking it in for its cambelt at a specialist loacted near me (who's got an Acid Phase 2 and Renaultsport Spider) so knows Reanultsports well, no doubt he's on here somewhere.

I'm really happy with it although this is probably a naff time of year to get such a car. Having said that actually I prefer it as a garage ornament than a drivers car. I could gladly look at it all day without getting bored. On the plus side the noise is unbelievable, its like a drug when your driving. Coming from a 197 cup though, the Vee's aren't so quick really are they?, i've no doubt my old car would leave a Vee for dead on a B-Road but who cares when you look and sound this good right!?

Hopefully i'll see some of you guys sometime although I suspect not many up here in Yorkshire? The next show(ish) ill be attending will be Malton Big Breakfast Meet unless there's anything exciting any sooner.

If one of the mods would like to update the register, its car number 430, phase 1....now sitting happily in Brighouse (near Leeds) in West Yorkshire, one massively prowd and happy owner.....just need to get a private plate ordered now.

Anyway really happy to be finally on here, i've been saying for years id only join when i had something to show.

All the best.
Ross

 

[Chris V6 255]

Congratulations mate! Welcome to the club.
I'm sure there are a few owners round your neck of the woods.

 

[Duncan]

Welcome Ross, great reading your story, thanks for the intro. :approve:

Have updated the register for you.

Duncan

 

[Williams]

Welcome to v6 ownership Ross.. and congratulations!! Just reading your post it's clear to see how excited you really are. It'll not be a quick thrill either, these cars have a way of getting under your skin [smilie=yay.gif]


:welcome:

 

[Jamesv6]

Welcome Ross

Lovely Vee indeed and will be in good hands with your specialist :salut:

Roll on good days.

 

[RUSSO]

:welcome: to the club Ross

Lovely looking car and It will be in safe hands with Rick

If you fancy a local little meet then have a look here LINK Not been before and a couple of us might pay a visit :approve:

 

[Sidekickdmr]

:welcome:

Great looking Vee

 

[clarkeeuk99]

Looking good :approve:

 

[Rossington]

Thanks guys,

will certainly take you up on that Preston trip if it stays dry.

Can anybody recommend a good outdoor car cover? The car does sit in a garage but as it currently has no door probably best sticking to an outdoor version.

I was looking at this :

http://www.prestige-carcovers.co.uk/ind ... &Itemid=10

or

http://www.prestige-carcovers.co.uk/ind ... &Itemid=10

Its just for the winter really although i will be using the car if theres any dry days.

 

[MarkK]

Ross, I think you're better sticking to the garage with no door. Maybe put a tarp where the door should be. Outdoor covers never seem to work, and get damp inside, without being able to breath. Even if your car gets a bit of rain blown onto it in the garage, it will blow dry when the rain stops.

I've seen horrible paint reactions with outdoor covers, from a milky and blotchy covering to micro-blisters in the paint....expensive to sort out!

Car looks gorgeous by the way!

Mark

 

[JimA]

I can confirm the milky reaction. Had an outdoor cover on my Vee for a while earlier this yr & it left a milky effect on the paint ( mainly rear quarters ) where the cover was taught & rubbed on windy days. None too happy about it, tho I consider it a small price to pay when I think of how much rain & mildew it kept off the car this year.

Something that doesn't touch the paintwork like the carcoon is a great solution if you have the space!, failing that just putting it under cover such as your garage even without a door is better than an outdoor cover.

 

[Lankan]

Good to see that #430 has found a good home, and that you have managed to trace the history of this particular Vee.

I believe there may be a very good reason as to why you found the car to be spotless after its little mishap, so it certainly would have been a very smart buy if you got it for the right price. Well done. :approve:

Enjoy!

 

[Redsalive]

Wow! That looks immaculate! Congratulations on your ownership, Rick will make a good job on your car he's done loads of work on mine and a few other members cars.

 

[Brembov6]

:welcome: very nice Mk1.

 

[d7ve_b]

Lovely motor Ross! :welcome:

I'm in Littleborough not far from you and am always up for a meet. I made the trip up to Malton last year and, bar a small number of chavs, it wasn't a bad meet.

 

[Rossington]

Well my pride and joy has been at Dryclough with Rick & co for the last week having a little list of things taken care of. Cambelt, Aux Belt, Water Pump, 2x headlight bulbs, rear light cluster, handbrake lever, locking wheel nuts, Shocker Top Mount, FOg Light tightening a teeny bit. Apart from the obvious...nothing major. The cars done 20k miles since the last cambelt, well taken care of

Anyway a few pics as i was missing it so popped round for a peek today now its being worked on. Quick note to you guys who don't know this garage, in the picture with the engine covers leaning against the wall, if you look on the left you'll see Ricks Acid yellow 255 sitting comfortably under its cover

Its funny because a none V6 owner will class me as some sort of freak for saying this but i dont miss driving the car, just missing looking at it.

Anyway as soon as this is done, private plate just intime for the winter.

 

[rustedandrotten]

Just needs the rear lights putting right to be pretty much perfect :bow: lovely looking car and seems to be in good hands :approve:

 

[Rossington]

Quick mini-meet today at Dryclough of all places.
Myself and Mick&Bev who's also new to the forum.

Oddly enough 2 minutes after we took these, Rick (who owns Dryclough) showed up to grab some stuff from work, had we not have been in VEEs...he would have probably called the police So we got a quick look at his Acid V6 and Sport Spider.

Funny as even now i've got my own Clio, i still look at them with envy as i did 10 years ago. I can't see the novelty ever wearing off.

January i'm having all 4 wheels refurbished, a quick check of a panel at the front id like reattaching then my private plate..then the cars done really although i am tempted to swap those rear lights for some P1 full red ones.

Roll on show season!

 

[Rossington]

Hey guys, few pictures from this weekend, despite the obvious white stuff, the weather was perfect. I think its the first time ive actually seen my new Phase 1 rear lights and side indicators in the daylight.

I've got the V5 coming any day now and the new plates sitting here ready then the cars heading to the bodyshop next month for the wheels refurbing, then thats sort of it...

Finally I paid a quick visit back to my old 197 forum to say hello to my fellow Renaultists, thought id open the door to V6 ownership just for a second, quick copy/paste of my post there, enjoy.

Anyway after about 8 years of threatening to do it, i placed a V6 in the garage and haven't looked back. If there was an aisle wide enough...id marry the damn thing. Although on the Yorkshire moors here where i live, the 197 would undoubtedly leave a V6 standing, the excitement of just being in one more than makes up for the awful handling. The garage who service my V6 actually own one that's probably one of the most valuable/sought after V6s in the country, super rare and he says mine is set up absolutely perfect....he must be mad as the handling isnt exactly spectacular through the corners. Funnily enough he also said i quote "yeah i like a really subtle sleeper style car" when telling me he's actually ordered a 200T for his wife....coming from the guy who's garage includes a sport spider with 700 miles from new, a bright yellow 230 F1 Megane, a bright yellow 265 trophy and of course his acid yellow V6 in as new condition that's he's driven like twice. Subtle isn't what he's known for (Rick if you ever read this, your mad!!). Thankfully the garage said its absolutely spotless despite it not having a particular easy life with a previous owner along the way, i started sleeping well when he said that as ofcourse you take a risk buying such an old car.

Moving swiftly on, owning the V6 and after about 600 odd miles in it i can safely say i love the thing although its not all fun and games. A few pro's and cons :

1 - Golf R32 driver leaning out his window to film me turning right at 11pm at night....satisfying.
2 - Going to PC world and despite parking it away from everybody, returning to find a crowd of people taking photo's of it and asking to sit in it.....makes me feel special.
3 - Hearing a Golf R in Morrisons underground carpark sitting revving his engine. I made a point of leaving via him, the look of envy is a terrible thing....again satisfying.
4 - £1567.43 for its first trip to the garage, i dont want to hear any of you lot complaining about "expensive" cambelt services again....ouch but saw it coming even before i bought the car.
5 - Being followed home by 4 "yoofs" in a standard clio who were playing silly b*ggers in traffic. As i got close to home i literally carried on going until they hit a red light.....not ideal.
6 - Fuel gauge decided to stop working so over Christmas i had no idea how much i actually had and the weather was great so i was using the car.
7 - A lady who started working at my place saw my 197 a few days before i sold it and immediately began asking questions. Turns out she and her partner own and run loads of Clios (172, 182 etc) and they were looking for a V6 too. Anyway a week or so after i got mine, they got one too so ive got another one to look at...very lucky.
8 - Buttertubs pass with 3 Fiesta STs (all the new style) from their owners club, great fun. I was at the back as i was the slowest and the St at the front (my mates dad) said all he could hear was me the whole time, Janspeed exhausts have their benefits!
9 - Almost crashing because im looking in my mirror at the engine, no idea how or why my car has a clear engine cover but its pure porn. This happens atleast 3 times every time i go out....hmmm
10 - driving it back when buying it. As the car has been in storage for the last few years and has covered under 1000 miles in that time, all i could smell was oil and burning fuel...so much so i actually had to wash my hair that night twice as it was so greasy and nasty with it all....lovely.
11 - Taking my mum shopping in it, small amount of food we bought goes under the bonnet. "ohh your bonnet won't shut properly" she says. Quick investigation revealed she hadn't put the bonnet stay down so she literally bent the bar 90º pressing down so hard on it. I've never threatened to break every bone in my 67 year old mums body before but hey there's a first time for everything right!? Thankfully my second car is a Mk2 Clio so I bent it back as best i could and swapped them over so mum's life was pretty much saved by my second car. Had I not chosen a Clio as a second car for donor parts...id be writing a slightly different post from my cell in her majesty's custody.
12 - Last one, promise! Buying a scale model of a V6 and taking the actual car over Saddleworth moor to Manchester in the snow to collect it. Car was sooo scary but the look on the guys face when i turned up was priceless.

Anyway odd times but really hope to make it to a few of the meets in the north this year if im still welcome. Those of you travelling to Malton Big Breakfast Meet will see me there standing prowd.
A quick shot or two of it as it is now, new numberplates arrived in the post today, hurry with my V5 mr DVLA!!

The final shot is it about 30 minutes after the cambelt was done. I must apologise to the people who know V6's well....i have since changed those phase 2 rear lights to the phase 1 originals, replaced the side indicator lenses from those nasty clear things to original phase 1 orange ones and finally I even changed the rubber O-Ring seals behind the lights too. Original is best although ill make an exception for the Exhaust, KW Coilovers and AP Racing breaks (which look the business but perform terribly...you notice the extra weight of this car compared with a 197 cup)...and the engine cover but that's it.

I actually never told my land lord (who lives next door funnily enough) about buying the car. First time he "met" the car was when I used it to go to work, started it in the garage at five to 7 in the morning.....he wasn't happy lets leave it at that.

 

[Duncan]

I'm glad your enjoying it, the enthusiasm is jumping out the page!!

Whilst i understand they drive completely different to a 197, The only time I've thought terrible handling was when my tyre pressures were out and my wheels were not alligned.
What tyres are you using? Old (and gone hard) or budget tyres can also lead to inferrer handling (have personal experience of both!!)
The original AP brakes are mega, but the pads go hard over time, so might explain them feeling weak? Either that or it has aftermarket pads on there? EBCs are never as good as the originals. Budget alternative not even worth considering!!