NeilMH

Interesting project. Good luck.

My RH Catalytic Converter has some damage to what appears to be an outer skin. What I would guess is that at some time something has kicked up and created a small hole but this has then corroded to create a hole about 1-2 inches but irregular shape. Looking through the hole the actual unit with the converter in it still seems to be in tact. I searched but couldn't find anything. How big a deal is this (presumably its just that I am slightly more risk of the actual body of the converter getting damaged)? The outer skin seems like pretty thin mild steel (to put it kindly). Would it take a welded plate or similar type of repair? Any advice appreciated, thank you.

It all depends on how you drive. You can achieve a wide range of figures! I am averaging about 25mpg at present and that is with quite a light foot but relatively short journeys and despite the cold weather which increases consumption. With a heavy right foot I imagine you could get it down quite dramatically

and good luck with your search.

Yes - I've noticed a big difference. I used to get really good averages with the Elise and the Caterham..... I guess that's what another 1.7 litres and umpteen hundred kilos do for you. I still love it and fortunately its for fun/weekend use only. My 1992 1.3 Toyota Corolla does the bulk of the work! £88 is very impressive though.

Re the squeaking when going over a speed hump. There are a number of explanations but one might well be the anti-roll bar drop links creaking. It may well be that you can solve this by something like WD40 or vegetable oil. Alternatively, replacing the links is relatively easy and inexpensive. The exhaust just sounds like something has moved slightly out of place but someone more expert than me may know of a common explanation. Hopefully someone will be along soon who can help with the other couple of points.

Maybe I've just got used to prices down here but £500 seems very cheap to me for all that - given that I think the standard labour charge for changing the plugs alone is normally quite a bit. Glad it all turned out ok in the end.

Another person with taste in the colour department

I finally succumbed to my first modification - I managed to acquire a second hand JWT Pop Charger on Ebay - just cleaned and re-oiled the filter, replaced some of the bolts etc and saved quite a few bob. It had no instructions with it.... so I was very grateful for this incredibly detailed guide..... Thank you cmk13 for putting it on here.

I have a standard 2005 roadster with the carbon cloth seats. The seat bolster edge is faded where you would expect towards the bottom edge. I think the fading is just wear, and the result is that it looks lighter grey over a 5-6 inch patch but there is no sign of the material wearing through I am looking for an inexpensive DIY solution to carefully restore and protect the colour. I was hoping someone might have some tips or recommend a suitable product. I just don't want to blunder into it like an episode of Some Mother's Do Have 'Em (i.e. I make things worse and end up with a multi-coloured seat)! I have searched and whilst I can find stuff about leather seat restoration I can't find anything about the cloth ones. Oddly I would like to stick with the cloth seats.

Sorry I don't know the answer to your questions but there will undoubtedly be someone along in a minute who does.

Thank you for adding me "For official purposes everyone has a number. Yours is number 15"

Look forward to seeing the new tastefully coloured car.

Your car looks very professionally done.

I travelled quite some way to get mine. I went for an older car that was a bit cheaper (roadster bought at beginning of the winter - so extra discount) but it was clear that it had been looked after and was supplied by an independent dealer with a very good reputation. The paintwork had some stone chips but they had been very tastefully dealt with, enough so that I find I am not drawn to them, if you see what I mean. There were one or two interior marks but there a good products and clever techniques out there to deal with most of that. Having said that I saw some later cars that were really tatty. The worst one was at a Nissan Dealer - it wouldn't start, the roof didn't work, etc, etc. It just looked very tired. Decent ones are out there, you just have to keep looking. As much as like Porsches, I still feel that there is something special about the 350Z - it has more emotional content.