bruceh

Ahh!!! The knights who say "Ni!" I was one of those knights who say "Ni mare legs left!".

Geordie joke. Apologies to all non-Geordie readers (from an expat Geordie missionary - ie trying to bring a bit of culture "darn sarf" : given up trying now though, after twenty years. Pointless exercise. They just can't grasp it.)

Many more of us missionaries out there, doing our rounds in Scoobies?

(BTW, Stu, being serious for a minute, what does a "Vehicle Safety Engineer" do? You don't do SVA's, I suppose, by any chance? If you do, any chance of jumping the queue a bit on a new import?)

[This message has been edited by bruceh (edited 18-09-1999).]

Andy Mid.

hi Bruce,

I appreciated it as I'm another "Geordie missionary" living darn sarf.

Andy, would it not be easier to play French bowls with your gear **** for a couple of hours and then it'd match your gaiter ?


Andy.

[This message has been edited by Andy Mid. (edited 18-09-1999).]

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

I've just put a leather gaiter for the gear stick in the car. I got it from David Hendry Cars. It's a leather gaiter with an aluminimum surround.

The question is how do I change the brushed metal look to a nice smooth chrome finish?? T-cut, Brasso, etc???

I want it nice and shiney to match my Momo gear ****!

Cheers
Andy

bruceh

Solvol Autosol. Nothing like it in the world. Makes aluminium bike engine castings look like brand new stainless steel. For a really shiny chrome-type finish you might need to either polish a lot or spray on some lacquer. Before applying the Autosol though, if the starting finish (?) is really rough, you could try sequentially finer grades of steel wool first.


[This message has been edited by bruceh (edited 18-09-1999).]

Stuart Page

iTrader: (4)

Hi, Do you have a contact phone no. or email for David Hendry Cars? I want to replace my MY94 rubbery gaitor with a nice leather one too! Oh and was it expensive?
Cheers.
Stu.

bruceh

Stu,

If it's "rubbery", why do you want to replace it? (Try it with a Japanese accent. No? Sorry. Come back Benny Hill - all is forgiven!)


[This message has been edited by bruceh (edited 18-09-1999).]

Stuart Page

iTrader: (4)

Rubbery? I meant a Shrubbery!!!
We are the nights who say, NI!

(yeah?!)

Stuart Page

iTrader: (4)

Doh i menat Knights...

oh well...

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

Bruce, where can I get Solvol Autosol from?

French bowls?? hmmm... no I prefer my **** shiney!

Anyway David Hendry have a web site

TonyNesta

I have a Terzo leather gaiter on my MY98. It wasn't cheap (£50-odd from a Subaru Dealer) but its loads better than the rubbery sex-aid thing - I just couldn't bear to touch it without feeling cheap and degraded. I gave mine to a local 'gimp' to go with his one-piece PVC zip-up outfit. There's a pic at

Stuart Page

iTrader: (4)

My 'Vehcile Safety Engineer' title is to do with occupant restraints. (Oo-Er missus!). I design frontal airbag systems for cars and then crash 'em to see if they work. (With dummies in of course!)

Wish i was doing SVA etc stuff...oh well maybe in the future!

Cheers.

bruceh

Andy,

You should be able to get it in just about any motorcycle or car accessory shop. It might even be available in Halfords, I don't know. It comes in a toothpaste-type tube in a gold and black box.

Watch out though - it turns your fingers black after using it, though this does wash off.

Stef

Bruce.

I believe black paint does the same....and that washes off too!!

Stef.

bruceh

Stef,

Ah! Only if it's water based. Oil based, and you need a bit of thinners or turps as well (or petrol, that's just as good).

With the Autosol though, it's white when it comes out of the tube. But it works both by being abrasive (very! - don't use it on chrome plate, for example) and a chemical reaction. Dredging up my ancient O level in Chemistry here (B only, so probably quite wrong here) I believe there's also a bit of oxidisation going on somewhere as well.

"Er.. I think so Sir. Can I sit down now?"

Kevin Lowe

Hi all, this is my first visit here! I have a 97P four door, and love it to bits, but I too hate the revolting rubber gear leaver shroud, does the Terzo job fit on this model, ie with the slightly different centre console?
I also want to change the thin rimmed and too large steering wheel for somthing more "tactile", my dealer sayes that "would cost about £1000 cos its got an air bag in it!!
Is he right? I dont want to go the whole hog and have the Prodrive interior, just these two bits! Also does anyone elses headlining squeek as they drive? mine is bloody annoying! I hope to talk to you all lots in the future!

TonyNesta

Dunno about the leather gaiter fitting a 97 - I reckon it would, but check with a dealer.
As for the steering wheel costing £1000 - what a load of crap.
Momo steering wheel plus boss - £200.
Labour from a dealer - probably an hour. They have to disable the airbag first, which is why you shouldn't try it yourself unless you know what you are doing. So that's about £250 by my reckoning.

pat

Steering wheels with airbags can be rather expensive. I've heard of prices at about UKP 2k simply because they CANNOT be fitted by your normal garage. Apparently they have to get in an explosives expert to setup the firing mechanism.

Quite why they are so expensive is a mystery to me (the expert might be a contractor, I suppose :-) ) but I've heard of cars being written off simply because the airbag had gone off!

Personally, I distrust airbags, to the point of having at least the drivers side one removed from any car that I bought with one fitted. Thus far I've found cars without, though :-)

Cheers,

Pat.

Stuart Page

iTrader: (4)

Oi! Leave Airbags out of it! They are all nice and they keep me in a job!!!

Seriously, they only work when they need to, and as for writing off a car because an airbag went off, well for it to go off the car certainly must have hit something pretty hard! The accelerometers built in to the car's black box have been tested in probably no less than 30 frontal crashes, all under controlled conditions. They do not go off unless there is a reason to!!

For disabling them, see the thread on 'How do i disable the Airbag?' which was on this section a month or so ago... its not hard, and anyone could do it, as it takes only seconds to do once the car is fully discharged of ECD, current etc.

Prices, well I'm not too sure what we sell em for, (We do not do Subaru before you ask! - Shame that one :-( ) but the dealer mark up is sometimes up to 500%, and that's without a steering wheel!!!

bobn3

Hi all,

I changed the gear shift and gieter, on my impreza to the leather one form a 99 Turbo, It took me about 10 min's

I not machcanilly mined and it still only took 10mins, the hardest (painfully) part was removing the little clips that wholed the gieter on, (I cut my finger, when one the little b*****d slipped)

Cheers
bob

MarkCSC

Question for Tony Nesta

How difficult was it to get the old rubber gaiter off and the new one on? It looks like it could be a bit of a pig.

Mark

TonyNesta

The rubber gaiter came off dead easily - the leather one is a bit more difficult as you have to remove the gearstick trim as it is screwed underneath. Its not too hard, just loosen the side panels and then GENTLY remove the gearstick surround - everything's held in by clips. Loosely position the new gaiter on the stick, and screw it into place. Refit the trim. Remember not to use too much force, as things WILL break!

MarkCSC

Thanks