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chopper666
03-06-2009, 01:27 PM
Hi All,

I bought a 260 about three weeks ago, with the intention of using as my daily driver. i have no other vehicle.
how reliable are these cars really?

how many others use one as daily? seems to be a lot of modifications or to-do things to get sorted (heater hose etc etc), which am gradually getting through.

Appreciate its somethign different and a low volume car but is there light at the end of the tunnel when i get on top of things or is it something that is likely to need consistent tinkering? (ie heater system seems to be giving a lot of people ongoing problems - and me!)

i ran an alfa a while ago that was alway havign problems - and i mean always!- out 18 months of ownership, i recon i had 2 solid weeks of trouble free motoring where nothing went wrong!!!! I really dont want to go back to that

Phil
03-06-2009, 02:12 PM
I've done the heater hose and the fuel clip, and apart from the heater/aircon not being very good, I've used mine daily for 3 1/2 years with not a single problem.

Herman
03-06-2009, 02:19 PM
The 260 is my daily drive as well. Apart from a blown airco pump and heater valve (warranty) and gear box leak which soaked the clutch (clutch replaced and new seal) it has been fine. All known mods done. approx 20K/year for 2 years now.

spartacus
03-06-2009, 02:21 PM
I've been using mine for a year as a daily driver. The fuel clip on mine was already done, so the only preventive change I've made is the heater hose. I've changed the front discs and pads and rear pads, but that's because they were buggered.

The only issue I've got outstanding is that the heater doesn't work on the passenger side. I'm in no rush to sort it as a) it's summer, and b) I'm rarely the passenger :cool:. Her indoors will start getting a bit grumpy again when the chills return, so I'll probably sort it then.

chopper666
03-06-2009, 02:32 PM
thanks chaps, thats good to know. although mine has a full dealer service it doesnt look like the previous owner was on here as none of the mods seem to have been done. light at end of tunnel in sight hopefully!

spartacus
03-06-2009, 02:34 PM
light at end of tunnel in sight hopefully!

... but the noise is much better if you stay in the tunnel :cool:

Belcher
03-06-2009, 02:35 PM
Hi All,

how many others use one as daily? seems to be a lot of modifications or to-do things to get sorted (heater hose etc etc), which am gradually getting through.


Chopper,

You may be interested in a poll I posted a while back. The results were quite interesting. More people use the 260 as a second car than i thought would. Here is the link to the poll.

https://www.two-sixties.co.uk/mgoc260/html/f0rum/showthread.php?t=4020

chopper666
03-06-2009, 02:38 PM
cheers belcher!

SH4RKY
03-06-2009, 05:25 PM
Yup, daily. Never really had an issue yet as most issues were fixed by the previous owner.

The aircon comp is seizing but i just run it on econ so that doesn't bother me. My diff sprang a leak but I think the oil change I requested caused that (had to be done anyway). Spring broke... but I can still drive the car acceptably until I get it swapped before the MOT.

So I guess you could say its not faultless... but is any car faultless after you get to the age where you have to start changing consumables? They are made out of materials that fatigue and will eventually fail.


As for alphas... guy here had a 156 and within the 1st month of ownership he had a new gearbox, then a new engine. he didnt keep it much longer after that... haha

I would think the new ones are ok though? isnt the guy who is running alpha now an ex-VW guy?

chopper666
03-06-2009, 05:47 PM
tell me about your econ!?!?!?! i have posted on here asking about that - mine seems rubbish!!!. (- in electrical / climate control section)

suppose just getting a bit disheartened with a few niggles, i dont mind putting a bit into it to get it sweet, if it should stay reasonably ok after that. appreciate things break and wear and tear and all that.
its the most i have spent on a car to date, so just becoming a little worried - dont want it to become a blackhole - but comments so far a positive. as mentioned earlier im working through the mods list

i have just ran a volvo s40 t4 fro the last 10 months and other than an oil change, all i had to do to it was replace a headlight bulb, a brake bulb and a fuse!!!

not sure about alfa now - would be wary unless it was company car and someone else was picking up the tab:)

Andrew M
03-06-2009, 05:47 PM
Same again...I too use the 260 as my "Daily driver" and have done nearly 7000 miles. I've had the car (MK1) since November 2007 and the ONLY thing gone wrong (not tempting fate!!) was not fitting the fuel clip in time ...which I had ready to fit...but pump failed before I got around to it...so the RAC fitted the clip for free,as it was in the glove box!
Heater pipe was also changed for the reinforced "club" one...and new front discs & pads fitted last June.
I look at it that if you have something wrong/problem with the car ..you're going to tell everyone / rant about it on the forum.
Therefore...If you read all the pitfalls on this forum..you could be easily put off. DON'T BE!!...It was a well built car,tested to death (literally);Built with some prior guidence,for reliability/build quality by BMW ...and it's a tried and tested Ford lump..which should be pretty good for a few 100,000+ miles before it blows up.
If all's going well with your car?...then there's not much need to write in about...apart from exhausts & cleaning it,maybe ?!

Happy motoring...Don't worry...and use it regularly - as thats when problems WILL set in, if it sits around for weeks on end and even if it does sadly go wrong...sell it on for parts/scrap and buy another..as they seem to be "cheap as chips" at the moment!

Regards, Andrew

chopper666
03-06-2009, 05:52 PM
thanks andrew - i was just thinking that, you dont get people coming on forums like this to tell you what a lovely trouble free drive to work they have just had! its the people with problems or worries that write!

SH4RKY
03-06-2009, 06:20 PM
Econ? well it sucks. It can do cold as all it does it let in air from the out side... so if you want cold air when its hot you aint gonna get it without using aircon. so in those situation i open a window.

When its cold outside, my econ is fine, its warm enough. Takes a little while to clear a screen in winter, maybe the dry air of aircon would help again there...

but my experience of any cars 'cold' setting without aircon is just useless so im not too surprised that the 260 one inst much better.

It does behave it self though, it doesnt randomly pump hot air in when ive told it not to etc.

chopper666
03-06-2009, 06:34 PM
how long would you say it takes to get warm in econ? mine seems to give tepid air when on HI setting, its a tiny bit warm, but nothing that would be able to heat the car in winter

Herman
03-06-2009, 08:29 PM
The system in the 260 is a water based system. Unlike other systems where you can mix air from outside with heated (or cooled air) it has the heater matrix and aircon condensor in one housing. Temperature is controlled by allowing more water to the heater matrix via the (well known) valve and compensating overshoots by using the aircon. Also, due to design the engine leaks some heat into the passenger compartment so I always have the system on Auto and the aircon can jump in when needed. Running on Econ will get the cabin warm, depending outside temp.

Rubbish heater normally means rubbish valve. Mine was replaced and I have no issues with it. Warm when I need it, cool when required. The system is not bad, just different and requires some getting used to.

There are better systems around, I admit, but it should work fine if all components are in working order.

chopper666
03-06-2009, 11:08 PM
thanks , getting more used to it now - just drove home and had a test of all functions.
on econ cold its ok, good enough.
on econ hot blows hot only on passenger side. any one any ideas?

NOCTURNAL
04-06-2009, 02:39 AM
another daily Driver , and untill my recent gearbox selector seal problem (my own fault I stated out load to a new guy at work that it hadn't cost me anything but fuel and tires):rolleyes::rolleyes:
I have had 2 3/4 years of trouble free motoring:D

But I opened my big mouth so god knows now ;)

Herman
04-06-2009, 09:09 AM
thanks , getting more used to it now - just drove home and had a test of all functions.
on econ cold its ok, good enough.
on econ hot blows hot only on passenger side. any one any ideas?

Temperature sensors(s) or faulty valve (the one in the foorwell near the clutch). Also connection problems on the back of the Airco panel have been found.

scooter
04-06-2009, 09:29 AM
Sometimes the heater has a mind of its own, must get down to reading the section in the owners manual. I think I might even read the section on the CD player then buy a CD.

SH4RKY
04-06-2009, 02:36 PM
Sometimes the heater has a mind of its own, must get down to reading the section in the owners manual. I think I might even read the section on the CD player then buy a CD.

:D


As for tempid heat.... no, mine is hot when I set it to hot and attempts to be cool when cool so I think my valve is still working fine. (I cant use aircon remember so cant get chilled).

calvin
04-06-2009, 04:07 PM
I use mine as a daily transport, although I do store it in winter, mainly due to the salt, but if the truth be know it is possibly because they didn't fit windscreen wipers on the side windows, and one does like to play.

Anyway I liken this car to my little moped when I was 16, it has a certain adventure feel to it, that it very adictive, maybe it is the noise , maybe its the excited squeals from other V8 owners who knows. The bit I like is the way my passengers can be manipulated, in both sound and colour, by the simple application of the little lever, third on the right near the floor. ;)