:: Diary - February 2009 ::

:: Sunday, February 1, 2009 ::

It's a TVR-tastic weekend!

First I nip along to the garage to collect the car, and bring it back to the house for a wash, because it's covered in so much wood chip and bits of straw, that it looks like somebody's rogered Worzel Gummidge over the bonnet.

It washes up nice though, and the water removes most of the wood dust that's settled on the newly painted bit. Then I set off to pick up Mike, who has prepared a list of questions about work he has to do to his car. I think he hopes that I decide that it would be easier just to do it myself than keep answering questions, but he's gotta learn eh? I didn't get where I am today Reggie, by persuading my dad to do everything for me.

Finally Jim arrives with Dave as passenger, because Dave's wedge, which he didn't buy to do up, is off the road while he rebuilds the rear suspension. Aye right, like I believed him at the time. We set off for the meeting.

The guy is there again with the black (actually dark red) Cerbera I saw a couple of months ago. It just looks great, and it sounds superb. The owner tells me that he argued with himself for 11 years before he bought one. So far I've only been procrastinating for 2, but his story definitely rang a bell. He said that he was having a crap time and just decided that you're not here for long, so just do it. Another bell rings. He said that he was worried about maintenance (another bell) but that it's worth every single penny. He told me not to think about it any more - to just do it, and he guaranteed that I wouldn't regret it. By this time, his story has rung so many bells that the inside of my head is ringing like Notre Dame after Quasimodo's had Ribena with too many e-numbers.

I have a seat in it, and it's lovely. Snug, but nice. The windscreen is like a letterbox, the seat's adjusted too far forward (for me anyway) but it's beautiful.

I have just got to try one of these.

:: Saturday, February 7, 2009 ::

Another TVR-tastic weekend!

I've been scanning the classifieds for Cerberas, and noticed one the other day. Well I spent today going to look at one.

I was a bit worried about the colour in the ad, but when you see it for real, it's absolutely gorgeous. The owner shows me around it, and shows me a file of receipts for all the work done to the car (and it's quite a lot of work, rather worryingly!)

I have a look around and then he takes me for a drive. I notice how careful he is warming it up, and how carefully he drives it. It feels lovely and smooth and yet fast. Surprisingly, it doesn't feel as fast as the S, but it is... and more! It also sounds beautiful as well - almost straight through exhausts with minimal silencing.

It's lovely. I agree to arrange insurance so that I can have a drive, and have a chance to think about it - some of those bills are eye- watering. I think I'm going to buy it though. Definitely. Maybe.

I'm not going to say too much about it just now, until I decide for sure. Full report on car and owners will follow later.

By the time I get back and get organised, it's too late to phone the insurers, so I'll have to wait until Monday.

I've just re-read my first entry on this web site, when I bought the S. I said:

"Drove home thinking "Oh no what have I done... stupid git you should have checked X Y and Z etc etc etc"

Well now I have exactly that same feeling all over again. What am I doing?.

AND... what am I to do about the S? I have to keep it. I don't think I can sell it. I've never thought about selling it, ever. I'll just have to see how it all goes - but I still want to keep the S.

:: Friday, February 13, 2009 ::

Right, the insurance is sorted out, so I have a certificate with the Cerbera's reg number on.

Also went to the bank today to collect the cash, so it's all systems go!

Dave is going to give me a lift down, but to be honest I feel guilty about taking him so far out of his way. I think he just wants to be the first to see it though. Thanks anyway Dave.

I hope it drives ok. If it doesn't, I'm going to be sorely pissed off - but I am not going to be tempted to buy a pig in a poke. These things are enough of a financial risk without going looking for trouble.

I'm all excited though!

:: Saturday, February 14, 2009 ::

Well I've only been and gone and done it!

Dave gave me a lift down to the car. I had a bit of a drive in it and it sounds and feels great! Much more refined than the S though - you feel much more insulated from what's going on, whereas in the S, it's like a go-kart. It's still absolutely brilliant though, in a very different way.

So it's back to the man's house, exchange receipts and paperwork, he hands over the keys and it's mine!

So now I can say a little bit more about it. First the photos:

It's a 1998 Cerbera 4.2 V8. The owner worked for TVR in Blackpool, building bodywork. His brother also worked for TVR as an engineer, doing Speed 6 rectification rebuilds. He still works for one of the TVR specialists in England doing the same job. He has rebuilt the engine about 3,000 miles ago, because they discovered after they bought it that the previous rebuild had been less than ideal.

Also, the car had the chassis replaced in 2003 under warranty, because it was corroding above the differential. It's all been painted and waxoyled so there's no evidence of rust in there at all.

It has wheels off the bigger Cerb, but he also gave me the originals, with tyres. He also gave me a spare alternator. Oh and a CD with diagnostic software to put on my laptop, and a lead to connect to the car's on-board diagnostic socket.

And it was cheap. An absolute bargain.

The drive home was absolutely superb. I thought the S got attention, but this thing is on a whole new level. Although I'm not pushing it, it's still fast, smooth, comfortable and best of all, the heater works!

I did have one moment on a roundabout that I drive through every night on my way home from work. For the first time for nearly 20 years, some dozy cretin decided to come down the dual carriageway in the nearside lane, and go right round the roundabout to go back the same way. The fact that I was in the right hand lane beside them as they swung across my exit, was completely lost on them. Nearly written off before I even got it home - but we survived!

:: Sunday, February 15, 2009 ::

Went out for a run later last night, stopped at a Shell garage to fill it with Optimax. Lad filling the car next to me, starts asking me about it - what size engine etc. Then I finish filling up and go in to pay. The person in front in the queue strikes up a conversation - what is it, how fast is it etc. Then the man behind the counter "nice car, what is it?". It looks absolutely beautiful under the lights in the petrol station though!

Anyway, Sporting Bears meeting today, but the question is - which car to take? Eeny, meeny, miny, Cerb... That's that decided then.

It's about 70 miles each way. The drive down is good, even although the roads are wet. I come back in convoy with Hamish in his T350, and have a couple of chances to open the taps just a little bit - boy can this thing move!

By the time I get home, I've done about 250 miles since I picked it up at lunch time yesterday. It's absolutely manky, but still looks fast even when it's standing still.

I need to clean it up and get some decent photos.

The really big question though - am I going to make another website, or just have both on here? I'll have to think about that...

:: Saturday, February 21, 2009 ::

Right - time to get this car tidied up a bit!

First I check the oil level and put a tiny drop in.

Next job is the front lights: they are so dim as to be useless. A look through the glass shows that the reflectors are pretty knacked, but I have bought a couple of high-intensity bulbs so we'll give them a try. I remove the nearside front wheel and the access panel in the wheelarch, and find that the bulb that's in there is 100 watts! I change it anyway - I'll leave the other one and then have a look in the dark to see which one is brighter.

Then I mix some red and blue enamel to get a nice purple, and clean and paint the brake calipers.

I also bought some magenta-looking spray paint, so I paint the wheel nuts - not brilliant but better than the rusty mess they were.

What else? Oh yes... this is where it started going wrong...

I decide to clean up the engine a bit, it's mainy black and bare alloy, and the alloy is corroded. I spray the aircon compressor and oil filler with ali-brite and work it is with a brush. Mindful of the sticker that says "DO NOT POWER WASH THIS ENGINE BAY" and the warning in the handbook that says that power washing can cause "serious electrical problems" I decide to rinse it off with water on a sponge. Hardly any water, mind...

Then I clean up some other bits with engine cleaner and, again, rinse sparingly with water...

At this point I notice that the door has been open slightly, so the interior light has been on for hours... the engine starts ok though, so no major problem! Famous last words...

I decide to have a little run. I start the car with the door open, put on my seat belt and shut the door, and notice that the window doesn't go back up. Odd.

Things get even odder when I realise that the headlights are on full beam, and I can't switch them off. The wipers don't work. Neither do the indicators or the electric windows. When I get home again, neither do the doors, and I notice that the engine temperature is creeping uncomfortably high. I make my escape using the emergency handles.

Fortunately the lights go off with the ignition. A peek under the bonnet shows that there's a little puddle of water under the alternator, in the Vee of the engine. I use a vacuum pump to suck it out, and the heat from the engine dries the rest.

When I start the car again, the lights etc seem to work ok - in fact now the only thing now obviously wrong is the door operation - they don't open. If I shut the door I can't get it open again, so I can't lock the car up...

I decide, though, that I have to try locking the car and setting the alarm and see if that resets the door operation. After checking the "emergency access procedure" works (which I'm not going to publish here, obviously) I try that, but it makes no difference - the doors and boot still don't work.

After breaking in to the car, I disconnect the door operation control box, in the hope that it will reset. And it does! Yay, normal operation restored.

Another wee run confirms that I'm nearly there, but there are still two problems: the mileage counter doesn't work (although the speedo does) and the engine temperature is all over the place, as if the radiator fan isn't cutting in. Can't suss that out... I'll try disconnecting the battery in the morning and see if that resets everything.

Ah, the joys...

I do however find a downloadable version of the original TVR service and repair manual, witing diagrams, torque settings etc, so that's something good!

:: Sunday, February 22, 2009 ::

Well, I decided to reset the ECU by disconnecting the battary as I thought yesterday. I take off the panel and remove the positive cable for 10 minutes. When I reconnect it, the alarm goes off, once I have switched that off, everything seems ok. Except that the doors don't open again. So I break into my own car again (I'm getting good at this) and decide to do what I did yesterday - reset the door control unit in the boot.

I disconnect it but then realise that this time I didn't look properly at which connector goes where - and when I reconnect it, the drivers door window opens fully (luckily as it turns out) and a fuse blows. Bugger. I disconnect it and replace the fuse, then connect it up the other way. No doors, no windows. Bugger again - I must have burnt out the control box...

So now I have a car with the driver window open, which I can't therefore lock. Great. At least the open window means that I can reach in and open the door though!

I decide to go off and take some photos for the Sporting Bears. A short drive to a suitable location:

Then I nip over to Dave's house, where I end up giving Dave, then Adrian, then Mike a run up the road just for a laugh. The road's drier than it was this morning so I'm feeling a bit bolder, but still not bold enough, I realise, for the speeds this thing can move at. It's absolutely amazing. Then, because I can't lock it, or shut the window, I take it along to the garage and bring the S back to the house. I realise how good the S is - nowhere near as fast but a lot of fun, very direct, very involving, an excellent machine.

:: Monday, February 23, 2009 ::

I phone a TVR dealer to arrange a service, and to get the door/window control box fixed. When I phone, he recognises the car right away - they supplied it new, they've serviced it often before, he describes it and the work it's had done etc. I'm a bit happier (except for the inevitable dent in my wallet, but I allowed for a service in March when I bought it).

:: Saturday, February 28, 2009 ::

Various wee jobs: check the oil level, touch up the paint on the calipers, polish the wheel centre caps and replace the centre stickers.

Again, a couple of photos:

Right, that's it ready for the Club Meeting tommorow (as long as it's not raining, the window still isn't working).