October 2014 - The Concept 'CoupeSpace'

A surprise to me was that a couple of days before going on a prearranged trip to the Mondial de L'Automobile 2014 (Paris Motor Show), I found that the Avantime Concept (CoupeSpace) of 1999 would be presented in an exhibition at the show.

Sure enough when I was there, there it was! It's amazing how similar it is to the road car, the proportions largely similar, the body surfacing the same but details differing and improvements to the chassis integrity through the window pillars could be seen for production-level crashworthiness.

The car looked great and it was a great opportunity to see it. It must have been amazing to see that car in 1999 and then to see it become a reality in 2001/2002! 

I also spotted a grey Avi on the streets of Paris too!

September 2014 - The To Do List

It has now been 3 months without the Avi, and should be another 3 months before I have it back. I've had plenty of time to ponder over the work that is awaiting me!

Before I left I MOT'd the Avi, so it would be ready for when I return. It failed on a sticking front caliper which had caused one of the inside pads to drastically wear down. I worked out the seized slider pin, and replaced them both. I did not have time to source a new set of pads, but will do that as soon as I am back. Otherwise that that, there were no advisories when it passed on the caliper. Not bad for a 12 yr old car!

So the list...

1. First job would be to change the engine oil and filter as it has been stood for so long!
2. Then to replace the front brake pads, as one has badly worn
3. I bought some replacement trim for the gear lever and a new catch for the armrest
4. The gearbox oil needs changing, and I have been meaning to change it since I got the car!
5. The Carpets need shampooing, and the engine bay steam cleaning, which will make the car look     much better. 
6. The cambelt is about due, to I hope to get the cambelt changed on the Avantime at a place recommended by the forum. It's an engine out job so I'm saving up now for the bill!
7. The radiator has had better days, so I will replace that. I need to remove the bumper, so while I am doing that I will replace the damaged-by-euro-reflector headlights with the replacement parts i bought and hope to then get the bumper resprayed and the grill detailed
8. I would like to have the tip changed on the custom exhaust I bought with something that is closer to the original twin pipe style and that is parallel to the ground rather than the badly fitted tip
9. That is the start, but the wheels need refurbing, the paint sorting, rails repainting and the passenger side wing mirror base repainting but that is for the future!

Future posts will follow to show how that work goes!

June 2014 - Auf Wiedersehen!

On the 30th June, I am going to Germany for 6 months and unfortunately will be without the Avi for all that time! To make sure she stays preserved and well looked after, I have put the car into automobile storage, kept in a dehumidified brick building in Herefordshire.

I will sure miss the Avi, but will take the opportunity to save money and buy some parts for when I get back and get on addressing all it's problems!

March/April 2014 - Part Buying and Repairing!

I recently came across a breaking Avantime in the West Midlands, so took the opportunity to purchase some bits that I would eventually like to use to fix up my Avantime. I purchased two headlights to replace my headlights which have had residue from european adaptors on which for the life of me I can't remove (tried everything!), two wing mirrors, with the hope of refurbing the bases to replace my current ones and still have wing mirrors on the car while this is happening, a lower grill and two wheels, which are as spares.

I have had to have the exhaust replaced, there was only so long I could put it off for! I went to MIJ exhaust in Walsall. Took about 3 hours to do. Unfortunately, I was given the choice of two tips, both weren't ideal and was told there were the only ones that would fit. Although there is a picture of an Avantime on their advert and website of one with a very nice twin tailpipe which is exactly what I wanted! The car is much quieter now, but has a nice subtle tone and sounds a bit nicer higher up in the rev range. The tip is set at a bit of an odd angle, and I would like to change this in the long run. Another thing, is the exhaust is banging against the body and starting to damage the underside. The knock is loud and there is no heatshield, so the hot exhaust is just burning away at the finish of the body. MIJ has said they will address when I can get the car to them next.

           

    

Recently the car has stopped working, and then has been very tempermental since! It was not starting, although you could hear the solenoid click and all electrics worked. It seems to not attempt to start below a set voltage, and would work if jumped. However, fitting a brand new, which i then trickle charged, the car seems tempermental at best, with occasional starting! This is proving a nuisance. Thank god I can cycle to work!

Eventually the car gave up at my girlfriend's house, and the RAC couldn't start it or recover it back for free (my cover is limited and would have been £105 for the additional 10 miles!). After leaving it there for a week and ordering a new starter motor from France, a friend helped me change it on their drive and it started right back up quickly. A quick test of the starter motors off the car with a battery identified a nasty rattle and the starter gear not retracting. This has resulted in it eventually giving up and not having the power to turn the flywheel! We managed to change it without lowering or disconnecting the cat on the V6 as the Renault guide suggests which saved us loads of time even if it was a bit tighter to work on!

So a new exhaust, battery, starter motor and all the spares I bought have set me back a bit, but the car is leaking coolant and it looks like it's coming from the radiator. Will this ever end! it can wait till I pick up my finances!

The start of the dream...

Sorting through some old stuff, I came across this drawing I completed in 2002 when I was 12 years old.

I can't quite remember what got me into liking the Avantime so much, much what I had, I was hooked. My first memory was seeing the car on a car TV program (may have been 'Driven') and that it my earliest memory of the car. 10 years after the drawing, I finally have the car I always wanted.

March 2014- A year on...

It has been a year since I bought the Avantime, and now has 92,000 miles on the clock, over 10,000 more than when I first bought it.

I have loved every moment with it, but cannot hide my frustration with sourcing particular parts or even the complexity of fixing certain parts!

The rear silencer of the exhaust has completely broken, alongside 2 holes further up the exhaust system. In my quest to find a quick replacement, I visited a breaking car in Oxfordshire. Unfortunately the exhaust was in quite poor condition and was blowing. However, I met a very enthusiastic owner, and another fine example of an Avantime, while being able to purchase a driver side wing mirror base to replace my corroding one. I will now tie up with exhaust manufacturers to get a stainless steel rear exhaust section made up for the car.

Replacing the wing mirror became a nightmare! Removing was simple, but to remove the base required me to dismantle the wing mirror. However trying to refit the star washer on top of the stiff spring proved a big ordeal, and meant I could not use the car for 3 days while I tried many things to sort it! Perseverance, an engine valve compressor and a large socket (plus screaming, shouting and sweating) got it back on and putting the rest of the wing mirror together was a simple task. The wing mirror looks a lot better now and hopefully should resist corrosion for a while now! I need to source or refurb the passenger wing mirror now too. I hope to use the old driver side base as a practice piece to see how good a finish I can get.

Other current issues of concern, include the knocking occurring during tip in and tip out of the throttle. Seems like an engine or transmission mount so I have started with the torque-reacting mount, to see if this solves the problem. I have one on it's way so we'll see how that goes. The car also briefly showed a stop warning light, but once I stopped, turned engine off and then back on, it went away! Best keep an eye out for that...

My Avantime Memorabilia Collection

Over the last few months, very little has been done on the Avantime. All seems well, and the car now has over 90,000 miles. There is still the hole in the exhaust that needs addressing and all the other bug bears that are present but I will get onto them soon!

For Christmas, a friend gave me a hand drawn picture he did of my Avantime. It is truly brilliant and I have used this opportunity to take a picture of all my Avantime memorabilia, most of which I bought well before I owned the car! In the back of the picture is a red 1/43 model which sits on the dash of my car, it's exactly the same even down to the interior colour! I intend on getting as much as I can Avantime-related...
 

In the Collection:

The drawing from my friend

Illiade Blue and Mauve 1/43 Norev Models (& red on dashboard)

Solero Norev 1/43 Avantime Model

Avantime Paperweight (cost me loads of money!)

Avantime Show PLates (normally fitted to dealer cars etc.)

Avantime long and short brochures