Luke83G

Excellent advice - much appreciated. I will look into this and have a think about using it. I like the black rust prevention for the undercarriage as it can also make things look tidier, but I totally get the desire for a clear and harder wearing protective layer for the sills. I think the art of rustproofing at home is a dying trend, which given the advances in factory rust prevention is inevitable, however you only need to look at some recent-ish Fords and Mercedez to see that rust can still occur!

Ah ok, I've always used Waxoyl, kept our family Montego Countryman going for 22 years on its original wheel arches! But will give it a bit of research. Is it applied in the same manner (e.g. lay underneath, spray and get more on yourself...)

lol. Couldn't cope without my Hotpot, flatcap and Whippets , but cheers for the suggestion :-)

Cheers Richard, I will give that a go. Giving it a good blast on the Motorway will have done it good. Yeah I'm pleased with mpg figures at this level, especially given the cars age. Best wishes and happy motoring!

Thanks, all resolved now. Indeed it was a pattern part, but seems to have bled through fortunately. Drove the car from Garstang Lancs to York on Sunday and it averaged 60.9 mpg on the motorway at a steady 70mph. Quite impressed with that, the Rover 45 was struggling to keep at 40mpg. Few little jobs to do, but its a goodun. Next weekend I'm going to waxoyl underneath before the winter road salt comes...

Thanks, its a nice car so far. I've had the cambelt, tensioners and waterpump changed and thats a weight off my mind. I serviced the car with new brakes (discs and pads) new bleed nipples and fluid. I changed the engine oil and filter. When I changed the fuel filter, despite filling the new filter prior to refitting, it took ages for the car to restart and I had some early trouble with starting which I have put down to air in the fuel system which seems to have bled through now. It seems better now. Best wishes, Luke

Hi - I have managed to find a 1.9 diesel, but it is in the form of a 2001 VW Golf Estate Thanks guys for all the help, but I just couldn't find a decent low mileage Fabia Mk1 diesel Estate. In the end a local Golf 1.9 SE estate came up for sale. One owner from new and only £400. Its a lovely car, pulls very well and Im averaging 57.2 mpg. I have done a filter and oil change, the car has apparently been serviced regularly ( it has proof and the oil was good), but the diesel filter must have been 5+ years old judging by the condition of it . Anyhow, its a dark metallic grey with cream interior. The golf seems a well built car. Getting the cambelt, tensioners and waterpump changed tomorrow., but I'm using a professional garage to do this. The car is solid underneath so hopefully , if looked after, I will get a few years out of it. Thanks so much for all the advice and efforts. Im pleased I managed to find a car with the PD diesel VW engine, and already Im happy with the performance and mpg. Best wishes, Luke

Thanks for the information - I think I have decided to go down the 1.9 engine route as I've read from a number of people on here and elsewhere that the 1.4 engine can be lethargic. Still looking, albeit with slightly less gusto due to a busy period at work. Will keep you all in the loop when I finally find a good one. Hopefully a forum member will want to find a good home for one of theirs!

Ah OK thanks. Is the 1.4 underpowered?

haha I need to learn the art of this. Starting to give up!

Still looking for one, fingers crossed something will crop up soon!

Ok great reports about these cars - I just need to find one!

Wow sounds like these engines go on and on. Just need to find a nice estate now!

Ah cool - maybe retro fitting cruise is the way to go forward then! Thanks so much again everyone for taking the time to reply the engines seem very long lived. Having owned K Series Rover petrol engines in the past, I'm always wary of engine issues. Thanks again, Luke

Thanks David for the welcome and for making the effort to write, I really appreciate the comments. Best wishes, Luke