Yes it was a silver 5 door Elegance 75 ASG (with plastic cover) - non Green Tech - looked very smart.

Thats good to know. If it ever stops raining i will see if my local dealer has one for a test drive.

To CFB and sk4gw.I think we all loved our Minis.Driving was a pleasure in those days. I had mine from new and kept it 7 years.

In all that time it only needed a new exhaust at a cost of only £12,and a new battery. It did need the boot floor welding after 5 years due to the dreaded rust bug.

Do you remeber the Wood and Picket special Minis that the pop stars had?I used to see them driving round London. Today the popular cars in London are the Electric G-Wiz, The Fiat 500,BMW Mini and the Smart. Perhaps the Citygo will join them soon.

There are some Citigo's for sale here with images of the front of the cars. Looking at the bottom grill, on some of the cars that have clear images, the left side is 'blanked off'. This is what I referred to seeing in an earlier post. Is this what indicates the presence of the guard?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/used-cars/skoda/citigo?expired-ad=true&atcidi=exp

Edited 27 September, 201213 yr by Liam2

Sorry if i have missed it.

?? Has anyone got an answere from Skoda or VAG yet, not a Dealer or Workshop, Headquarters?

What is the Story with the Up!

or Mii Mi Mi. Have they got hot alternators.?

george

There are some Citigo's for sale here with images of the front of the cars. Looking at the bottom grill, on some of the cars that have clear images, the left side is 'blanked off'. This is what I referred to seeing in an earlier post. Is this what indicates the presence of the guard?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/used-cars/skoda/citigo?expired-ad=true&atcidi=exp

I can't see anything clear enough on those pics to see whether they have the covers or not. You really need to be within a few feet to see clearly if the cover is there or missing/forgotten/omitted or whatever.

Yes, you need to be up close to see. Just peer through the radiator grille and if you can see the alternator to the left then there is no cover.

The VW "up!" I saw the other day appeared to have a completely closed off upper grille.

I can't see anything clear enough on those pics to see whether they have the covers or not. You really need to be within a few feet to see clearly if the cover is there or missing/forgotten/omitted or whatever.

Lower grill left side from the front....Is that closed off area a view of the cover from the outside?

Edited 27 September, 201213 yr by Liam2

Lower grill left side from the front....Is that closed off area a view of the cover from the outside?

No it's the top grill offside - if you can see the alternator through there then the cover isn't fitted.

You will see the alternator (or not if it has the cover) through the first four vertical upper grill bars on the left looking from the front (ie offside).

To CFB and sk4gw.I think we all loved our Minis.Driving was a pleasure in those days. I had mine from new and kept it 7 years.

In all that time it only needed a new exhaust at a cost of only £12,and a new battery. It did need the boot floor welding after 5 years due to the dreaded rust bug.

Do you remeber the Wood and Picket special Minis that the pop stars had?I used to see them driving round London.

There's some of those been up for auction, in the not too distant past, for serious money.

They did some odd things to them.

I think it was a case of if you pay enough we can do pretty much everything.

IIRC Peter sellers had one with wickerwork all over it and I used to see a few with old Merc headlights.

I really hope BMW do not try and do the same :(

Oh, nearly forgot, just to keep my post OT.

Checked ours. No cover.

Ah right. Have it now. Going to call to dealer this afternoon to find out where my baby is en route :think: Will check the ones there.

Edited 28 September, 201213 yr by Liam2

It doesnt look like mine has a cover either. Ill ahve to compare with bossfox's at the next meet at maidstone

It doesn't look like mine has a cover either. I'll have to compare with bossfox's at the next meet at Maidstone.

Bring a torch tomorrow then.

Neither of the two Ambitions at my dealers have covers. They are there since before I ordered our car late August. My contact was out so hope to speak to him in the morning.

Interesting Liam.

From my research at the dealer it appeared that non-covered alternators were far more common than covered ones.

It is odd. I raised it with the administrator I met to bring it up with the absent dealer partner, who I wished to meet about where our car might be now on it's way. I hope to meet him tomorrow and I will ask. I'm not terribly hopeful of getting any information, and the Service Manager is on holidays I learned.

Let us know how it goes.

My dealership were very puzzled when i raised it with them. They got all tech information and they thought all cars should he the same, and couldn't understand why they were not. There didn't seem be a pattern either.

Found it !!!

Here is the pic of the front radiator/grille assembly when it was removed from the car to trial fit the new engine.

This is the non-Greentec 60PS SE. (With the same cover as a 75PS Greentech, my other one)

As you can see, there is clearly a black plastic panel that runs down the driver side where the gap would be left by the offset radiators.

I hope this helps.

Richard.

Hi Richard,

Without stating the origin, I have sent a copy of your image of the engine, with shield, to my dealer, enquiring why it is fitted to some cars and not others. From your text I believe that the lower section is also present if the part covering the alternator is installed. Are they all the one or separate pieces? Can you or anyone else confirm that the whole shield is always present if the part covering the alternator is installed?

Iv'e been to the dealers. All this was new to him. He will follow it up though on Monday, with service and on the Skoda internal service forum, where other garages report issues etc., and when I email him again with an update with regard to my queries with Richard above.

The dealer opened the bonnet on one of the cars for me and sure enough, as observed in my earlier post, there was no moulded shield over the alternator. However, looking down and forward towards the grill from over the alternator, there is a stiff looking plastic shield covering the lower part of that side of the engine. In fact, as far as I could see, the whole of it, except for a cut out at the top for the alternator. This looks different to the shield, as shown in Richards post. It is well forward of the plane of the leading edge of the alternator. Is this present in all cars, or only the ones where the alternator is not itself visible from the outside?

Oh, and off topic, our car is on Importer Transport. Dealer thinks this means it is on a ship Oh, and very nice man that he is :love: he is providing us with his demonstrator to drive from Monday, as the road tax is up on our own....just need to transfer our own insurance temporarily.

Edited 29 September, 201213 yr by Liam2

Ah,ah! As Liam2 has mentioned about a cut out, I have re-looked at mine, but further down in the engine compartment.

It has a complete plastic guard like BossFox's, but with an aperture through it at higher external grill level. If you look at his photograph there is a bubble of plastic with an indent in it immediately above the pipe on the left. This ’bubble’ appears as if it a separate piece. My panel, and I suspect others where one can see the alternator through the grill, do not have that bubble piece, but otherwise have the same protection as in the BossFox photo.

Edited 29 September, 201213 yr by CortinaGT

Ah,ah! As Liam2 has mentioned about a cut out, I have re-looked at mine, but further down in the engine compartment.

It has a complete plastic guard like BossFox's, but with an aperture through it at higher external grill level. If you look at his photograph there is a bubble of plastic with an indent in it immediately above the pipe on the left. This ’bubble’ appears as if it a separate piece. My panel, and I suspect others where one can see the alternator through the grill, do not have that bubble piece, but otherwise have the same protection as in the BossFox photo.

Yes this is what I am getting at. I formed the opinion, on quick inspection, that the edges of that cutout looked very 'finished'. Richard might be best placed to establish how the alternator protector piece is held in place....in his picture it doesn't look to be part of the main shield. If it is a separate piece, does it look like it would be an easy retro fit, should it eventually be deemed desirable?

Well, this afternoon i bit the bullet and took my "cover-less" Citigo for a jet wash, made sure the alternator was well-doused. Started first time and with no problems!

A relief!

Well, this afternoon i bit the bullet and took my "cover-less" Citigo for a jet wash, made sure the alternator was well-doused. Started first time and with no problems!

A relief!

Good to know Mike. Presumably you have the rest of the shield as described above?

Good to know Mike. Presumably you have the rest of the shield as described above?

Yes, i think so! The alternator is the only thing in the engine bay that can be seen from the front.

Just a bit of lateral thinking here!

Could it be the 'bubble' cover is actually some delivery/transit protection, is quite a loose fitand should actually be removed by the dealer at PDI? Maybe some come loose at delivery, hence not being on some pre-delivery cars?

Next check is for somebody with a cover to see if it is firmly fixed or not.

Don't worry chaps, Skoda throughly test their cars in all different climates over many thousands of miles.

If your alternator needs a cover it'll have one. If it doesn't it won't.