June 2015 - Rollercoaster Romance

Despite all the money spent recently, the Avantime has rewarded me with a persistent transmission oil leak. I could not find the source of leak as it stretched the bottom of the transmission but no higher. I suspected it was coming from the dipstick tube, which I have removed several times. I ordered some new O rings from Renault for £3.24, but several weeks later they have still not left France... After giving the car a rest for a few weeks while borrowing another car, the leak ultimately stopped, and with topping up the transmission oil, I've not had another leak since.

With the 100,000 mile switch looming, i had been contemplating swapping the car for a cheaper to run 2.0T. However, after all the money I have invested and the relationship I have with the car, this consideration quickly faded and my thoughts towards getting the car to the condition I want it in returned. I am using a car for a few weeks instead of the Avantime, with the hope of looking into some of the issues before the MOT next month.

At my place of work, i arranged a car show to raise money for charity, and of course being my event and always looking for an opportunity to show off the Avi, I secured a place in it. Instead of seeing to the oil leak, I made the unusual decision to change the headlights 4 days before the event. This ended up using three whole evenings right up to the night before!

When I bought the car the euro deflectors were left on as the car was only really used to travel abroad. Over time the residue had burnt on and the multiple attempts to remove were not successful, only causing more damage to the lenses. As part of a purchase I made from a breaking car, I bought the xenon headlights. Removing the bumper proved tricky. Removing the vent panels was OK, as was the bolts along the top and bottom of car. However, i noticed that all of the bolts holding the bumper on at the bottom were missing and it appears that the wheels have rubbed through the edge of the bumper, causing damage on both sides. This might be the feeling I get when the wheels 'bounce' at full lock. They must be getting stuck on the bumper... The fixings in the wheel arches were like nothing I have ever seen before. They were like rivots with metal blob prongs at the back and no drilling or man handling could get them off. The plastic trim of the bumper split before the rivet gave way. 

Ultimately it seems that the bumper needs replacing, and I have seen some new ones still available. But this is a task for the future. Having wrestled the bumper off, I took the headlights off. As I knew the headlights worked, I swapped the xenon bulbs and the xenon ballasts if possible. I only did this on one as the other one had rusty bolts. Having done this I fitted them and cleaned them. Paint on the old headlights and grill seems to suggest that the bumper was repainted at some point. I decided to replace the lower grill with one I purchased from a breaking car. Although a small point, a white stain on the lower grill always caught my eye and would not disappear despite my agents I tried! I tried to be gentle but the old grill just broke when trying to be removed. The new one had some breakages between the rows, which I superglued and then refitted. Having testing the lights, they seem to be working OK! I'm not sure if they are level, but the MOT next month will tell me that.

March 2015 - Addressing Long Term Problems!

Now I have the car back, I've started to address some of the long long standing issues!

I put some money away for the £805 cambelt change (with water pump) done at MGC servicing in Nottingham. It was recommended by the forum and they have conducted several of these cambelt changes on Avantimes before, so this was my preferred choice, despite being 60 miles away!

That is one worry off my mind for another 5 years, although it does seem like a lot of money to not address any known fault!

Another thing I chose to address was the ground points for the front electrically heated windscreen. To access them I removed the body panels with the faux-vents in and the mounting panels. I then sanded back the surface on the car and ground strap on both sides and used electrical cleaner. Unfortunately it hasn't fixed the problem. The windscreen only has one or two electrical lines working so the fault must lie elsewhere but it was worthwhile trying and I was able to clean up the bits I removed. 


The transmission oil is something I wanted to change since I bought the car. I purchased 10 litres of Fuchs 4400 ATF as this is equivalent to the recommended grade of J3309 for the Aisin-Warner SU1 transmission in my car. This transmission was also used in GMs and Volvos. 

I do not have the software or equipment to check the transmission oil temperature (oil level to be checked when oil is at 75deg, C) so I made the decision to just replace the exact amount of oil removed. The gearbox contains 7.8 litres, and I could only remove 3.5 litres at a time. I removed the intake system, and the transmission dipstick in order to drain the oil. I measured the thick and dark old oil, and then measured the new, red, clear oil into the dipstick tube. I have done two flushes so far and intend to do a third to ensure the oil is as clean as possible. 

I have not driven the car so much after the change, but the gearchanges do seem smoother and sharper. However, there is still a long pause between engaging drive from neutral, and also when the car selects neutral when at lights. (foot on brake with transmission in drive). The engagement of drive does seem better but this might be a separate issue which I need to look into.

On another note, my Mum kindly got this t shirt made for me, which I think looks great!

December 2014 - Reunited

A couple of days before xmas, I collected the Avi from storage. I was surprised how well it started and drove and I went on to do hundreds of miles over 2 weeks. The armrest was broken again while in storage but I fixed this again by taking the middle stack apart to get underneath.

So to garnish with the new gifts. I put in the cotton air filter which ensures longevity and improved intake air flow. The brand new centre caps from France were fitted and I also got around changing the front brake pads from when one was excessively worn down from a seized slider pin before I left.

The transmisson oil is sat waiting, just need a dry day and somewhere flat to have a go at it. It desperately needs it though and this month (January) I will book the car in for a cambelt change. Which I have definitely needed to save for! It is a labour intensive job on the V6 engine in such a tight package. 



Up on the list is importing over some new alloy wheels from France and getting fresh rubber on them too. I also need to get a new radiator on while changing the headlights and maybe (if finances allow) get the front bumper resprayed. 

In the meantime, I will enjoy having her back, the comfort, the driving experience and the joy of having something so special, unique and relaxing to drive.