Ekona

Hi mate, and welcome along! If it's purely OBD-II diagnostics you're after, then I can happily recommend EngineCheck from Gendan. Been using it on my laptop for years now, very reliable and a brilliant piece of kit if you need something other than just a code reader.

That's okay, I just wanted to check that weren't going to take any personal responsibility at all for parking in a clamping zone when you knew it was a clamping zone. And I don't have to put my seat belt to put the car back in the garage as it's on private land, and I can do what I want And no, I don't actually do more than 40 on a 40 signed dual carriageway. No point, I save all my 70mph+ speed for the track where I don't need to look for police all the time. Regardless of what you may think, not everyone feels the need to speed all the time. I do, however, park in a spot which says that you can get a fine when I park up town. Never been caught yet, but you won't find me complaining when I do get ticketed. I'm not perfect, but I do take responsibility for my own actions.

Is it even worth pointing out that if you hadn't parked in an area that had signs around warning that you may get clamped, then you actually wouldn't have got clamped in the first place and that this thread would be null and void? Just wondering. I could understand your frustration if there were no signs at all, and in which case I'd probably be just as angry as you, but if there was clear signage then you knew the risk and got caught. You can hardly complain too much as it's not like it was anybody's fault but your own. Even if there were other spaces free and you were only five minutes, that doesn't make it right.

If it's got two intakes under the bonnet, it's the 309 version, if it's just the one on the pax side of the engine bay then it's the 296. A bulge on the bonnet is the other giveaway, but bonnets can be replaced.

Yup, definitely own car. The surface is abrasive, but if you pump your tyres up to their max and aren't too silly it's no worse than a normal airfield track day, since you're spending far less time gooning around.

Andy Walsh, Carlimits.com. Takes place at North Weald airfield, and I'd argue there probably is no finer driver training in the UK. The Lotus guys swear by him, I've done a day with him a few years ago and am planning another trip in a couple of months.

Y'know, I really don't like the look of the V12 Vantage: It's that horrible bonnet that does it for me. All those vents make it look like it's been attacked by the Max Power brigade, and whilst I know that they're they're for functional purposes I just don't think it's a very Aston look. I'd rather have the normal V8 in mine please!

Pop the stock mid-pipe back on and you can. Am I right in saying the only issue you really have is an aesthetic one i.e. you don't like the look with the rear bungs in, but sound-wise that level is acceptable? For the sake of £35 you may as well try their option and if that still doesn't work then I think you'll have to give serious thought to an alternative exhaust

Yes, but you will need a bigger SD card to store them on.

They perform very well, as long as you have realistic expectations of them. As Stew says, there's a lot of weight to shift and while the engine is powerful enough to make that a non-issue on the straights, you will notice that it's not as tight in the corners as you might expect. The real beauty of the car is that it gives you so much feedback that it gives you the confidence to push on knowing it'll let you know exactly what's going on, and that's where you can make the cornering speed up. Get a decent set of pads on there (stock discs are fine) and a good set of tyres (A048s/R888s if they're only track tyres, or I love the PS2s on both road and track) and the basic car is more than enough. There's obviously a lot more you can do to get it to handle even better but they're the basics that I'd do before going anywhere near a track. Basically, the Zed is a very adjustable and fun car on track, and that's why I love it.

Something wrong with the existing thread? So basically they want to put some restrictors in where the flanges meet, correct? Sounds okay in principle, but then I'd ask why you wouldn't just get some smaller bore bungs for the end pipes made up, as you'd get even more noise restriction and still have the option of removing them to let the noise flow. In all honesty I'm going to say at this point that the K1 is probably no longer suitable for your needs, and at £295 a replacement backbox that's louder than stock is not a bad way to spend your money provided the quality is there.

Somewhere between 0000 + 6500 would be my guess. Seriously though, it all depends on a million and one things: Tyres, tyre wear, temp of the track, how much rubber there already is on the start, and more importantly just how little you care for your clutch and drivetrain. Just guess on your first go and adjust as necessary. Good luck!

Nah, my mid-life crisis has either come very early in my life, or I'm only living until I'm 50-something

There's a ton of 330i/d Beemers available for under £15K out there. The oil burner especially will save you a ton of cash on fuel yet be an absolute riot when you want.

Simple answer is neither. R34 is simply not driveable anywhere apart from the drag strip with that much power, and the R35 is full of Japanese lettering inside the cabin. Now this is a far more interesting ownership prospect for that sort of money, even if the seller does need a lesson in photography.

Like this one: Looks like a bloody rollerskate!

Or you could find a friendly local who will read the code for you if they've got an OBDII reader... Anyone volunteer? I'd do it, but it's a bit of a trek from here! Personally I'd get the code read rather than just clearing it even if you have to pay for the privilege, but that's just me. If you clear it and it goes and never comes back then no real harm done, but it's always nice to know why the CEL came on in the first place.

Interesting, my brother just booked his '07 at Glyn Hopkin in Bishop's Stortford for his P2, and he was told that it'd be £365... Given that a P3 is (supposedly) more involved than a P2, that's a very interesting cost comparison there when it's the same chain. I did try to tell him to haggle to remove the crap you don't need on the service and to supply his own fluids AND to tell them to stuff it and take it elsewhere, but his response was "But it's booked in now, I can't tell them to cancel!". He may be my brother, but he's a bloody idiot sometimes.

Tbh unless you've got the money to get the front done and then get the whole lot covered in Ventureshield (or similar) then you'll just be in the same position next year. I'm leaving mine until I can either afford to do that, or just before I sell the car.

I disagree, i bet when you add up the costs of having two cars it will be higher, its things like insurance you have to factor in. If you saw the recent fifth gear you'll see how impressive the megane is!!! But you'd have both cars on a limited mileage policy, as you can't drive them both at once! In all fairness though the insurance may well be a tad higher, but you offset that against what you save on fuel + tax. I don't watch Fifth Gear as the presenters make me want to rape my own face off, but whilst every review of the Megane I've read has been positive, it's still not going to be as much fun or as cheap to run as the Elise. If you only want one car then I'd go for the RX-8 myself, as you'd pick up a minter for under £10K and put the savings towards fuel + oil. Being RWD gives it a huge plus point over the Megane in driver involvement, it's much better looking and just as sensible.

It's a car, stop worrying and get out there and drive it! Get it done before, as it's only going to get chipped to buggery anyway and it might as well get chips from fun driving with friends than from dull runs up and down the motorway.

£15K gets you a mint S1 Elise/good VX220/average S2 Elise @£10K and a solid 2004 Mondeo diesel. You'll still spend less in fuel, tax and servicing, and you've still got a very fun car you can play with as well as something to transport things around in. That's a far more fun option than compromising with a FWD scrabble wagon IMHO.

That would make sense, and also explains why the car is just as loud with no exhaust on at all (just the cats) as it was with the K1 on. Yes, I tested it

Congratulations matey, really chuffed for you

DING DING DING Don't mix and match tyres, else you end up with the exact issues you're having. Change the fronts for Falkens (presuming they're the 452) and you should be fine. If they're not the 452s then I'd be tempted to ditch the lot and get either the 452s, Toyo T1-Rs or if you're feeling flush and want the best grip, a set of Pilot Sports.