New bonnet, please.

[tail happy torch boy twat]

Ok, this might be a little far-fetched, but I'm looking for a *red* bonnet in mint condition for an F-reg 360. The little spot of rust on the leading edge of my bonnet is driving me mad!! Someone help in my quest for perfection!! Actually, I don't mind if it has a couple of stone chips - but no rust, please... South East area would be nice. Am I living on another planet?

[Carl]

Cant you just repair it? It really isnt that hard!

[5lab]

i'll buy the car off ya, if you want?

[tail happy torch boy twat]

Cant you just repair it? It really isnt that hard!

Well, in fact it has been repaired by a previous owner and although the paint match is good, it appears to fade quickly and requires frequent polishing. I think a little filler has been used and when you look from behind the bonnet, it starts to look a little grim! At the moment it doesn't look bad (by 360 standards) but the rest of the car is superb - and it'll be letting the car down before long!!

[tail happy torch boy twat]

i'll buy the car off ya, if you want?

Thanks for that Hugh... And I would be tempted to accept, except every time I consider selling the 360, the car picks up on my intentions and breaks down, leading to an enormous bill (recently forked out for a brand new alternator, ouch!!). So the price I would ask wouldn't cover the last bill, generally speaking. This car is a bitch - Costs of running a 480 Celebration over 2.25 years & 20,000+ miles: a few hundred quid for a new cat and tuning. Costs for running a 360 since February: not far off £700... possibly more now. Just about every mechanical ancillary has been replaced, apart from the engine itself!! Rubbish for an 80,000 mile 'proper' Volvo.
Don't let anyone tell you a 480 is unreliable - it's a complete myth, although it depends on how it's maintained, I guess...

[foggyjames]

I dunno...the early 480s were pretty grim...
...but I've heard the late ones didn't deserve the reputation their earlier siblings gave them.

You can get a whole new bonnet from ECP for £40 I believe...
...but I'll keep my eyes out in the scrappers. Trouble is...it probably won't be *much* less than £40 (probably around 20), although it will be in the right colour. Red is a difficult colour to 'maintain'.

How about getting a pro repair? Is the damage rust-derived, or accident damage? If its accident damage, a really good repair might be well worth the money. If it's rust...hmm....find a rust-free bonnet!!

cheers

James

[Duvel78]

I also have a rust problem on my bonnet, it's a very classical problem on that place (see the arrows) It comes from the inside and when it's outside it's too late! I've tried to repair it, it was perfect during one year but rust came back Is it that problem you have?

[tail happy torch boy twat]

Bonjour, Duvel,

Well the bubbles of rust (hasn't broken the surface yet) are on the leading edge of the bonnet, as you've indicated, but in the far right corner of the bonnet and a couple on the top, stretching back a few inches. A very prominent position, really! Kinda weird that the underside of my car is in as new condition, despite picking up all the shite off the road yet the most visible bit - the bonnet - is trying it's hardest to make me feel embarrassed about driving a 360!! You're correct by saying it rusts from the inside, and it doesn't look too pretty on close inspection...

James - it's interesting to hear about the new bonnets... Are they genuine Volvo? Perhaps that wouldn't be a good thing, seeing that their bonnets seem to have a reputation! ECP being Euro Car Parts, I take it? I think that's an absolute bargain and will definitely go down that route if it's still possible - I didn't bother Volvo for a price - I assumed it would be £hundreds!! Mind you, with all these accidents going on and the onset of Winter, I might wait until the Spring before giving the old girl a makeover - at least it would give her a sporting chance!! We all know how truly awful these cars are when there is more than a drop of rain on the roads or, *HEAVEN FORBID* ice!!

[foggyjames]

James - it's interesting to hear about the new bonnets... Are they genuine Volvo?

Indeed not...no way at that price. I heard that via Chris_C, so don't shoot me if its wrong

We all know how truly awful these cars are when there is more than a drop of rain on the roads or, *HEAVEN FORBID* ice!!

You really think? Mine is great in the wet, but then again my tyres are probably worth more than the car...

cheers

James

[tail happy torch boy twat]

Red is a difficult colour to 'maintain'.

How about getting a pro repair? Is the damage rust-derived, or accident damage? If its accident damage, a really good repair might be well worth the money. If it's rust...hmm....find a rust-free bonnet!!

I know what you mean about the colour - but the bonnet is (otherwise) in amazing condition - bright and shiny all over with only one or two stone chips... There certainly isn't any accident damage - just these small bubbles. I think replacement is better than cure, in this case!

I have an early 480 too, and that's never gone wrong, either - although admittedly I don't drive it much... The non-cat 1.7i engine is pretty impressive too, considering I don't normally bother looking at cars with less than 2 litres under the bonnet...

[tail happy torch boy twat]

Really? What make would they be then (the tyres, I mean)? I have nicked the alloys and tyres off the early 480 (wider tyres and lower profile) and this has made a tremendous difference. But it's still naff compared to the rest of my 'fleet'... The 360 was really bought as a Winter car and one that I can park on Hove seafront (where I have a flat and live 80% of the time) and can be attacked by the sea-salt etc. In reality it doesn't really fit the bill for either tasks - and when the ice comes I shall definately get behind the wheel of a more modern Volvo. I can corner in the 'modern' 480 in the wet way faster than I would consider doing the same corner in the dry behind the wheel of a 360... It's capabilities on ice are predictable too, unlike a 360 GLT!

[foggyjames]

They're Continental ContiPremiumContacts in a 185/55/15...You can get a pair (fitted) for about £130 without trying too hard. Bad tyres affect a FWD car far less drastically than a RWD one. I've barely driven my car since I got the rears replaced, but with the Contis on the front and grip-less Michelin Energys on the back, the 360 was very 'snatchy' and verging on dangerous. It actually handled much better with my old cheap (but very very good for the price!) tyres on 13"s all-round. Balance is the key...

To be honest (and this absolutely isn't aimed at you!!), I'm getting a little sick of people slating the 300 series' handling when they've spent £20 or less a corner on rubber. If you put crap tyres on, the car isn't going to grip well either in braking or handling. If you ask me, it's the first upgrade you should do in either area.

Of course a 360 won't handle as well as a 480, but then the 480 is a 'sports car' with Lotus tuned suspension. Try getting a fridge freezer (tomorrow's job!) in the back of one....or even two adults... The 480 1.7 is reasonably fast because of the light weight...it's not the power of the engine as-such...although it's a reasonably efficient unit.

I think you have to compare eggs with eggs...I happen to think a 360 handles well in comparison to...for example...a standard 2.0 Sierra. The major difference is that ford made hot ones with sports suspension setups! Also note that by 'handles' well, I don't necessarily mean 'has no body roll'.

cheers

James

[petefarrell360]

You sold the fridge then James, I take it your doing the delivery if I'm thinking of the right one! ? !

Pete

[foggyjames]

Oops...Someone's been watching my auctions....

....Best cancel that listing for my dodgy betamax copy of "SteveP's best of dogging: 2"...

cheers

James

[SteveP]

Think we need an 'up yours' smiley