Giulietta Cloverleaf - slightly old school charm
Discussion
Uneventful trip down to Torquay to collect last Saturday Saturday and equally uneventful trip home
Found a good, honest car, not perfect but a perfect foundation to create something nice from - good history, good spec in that it has the optional (and rare) navigation (pretty crap but I do not use it much and its still a nice to have) and BOSE stereo which is genuinely very impressive.
Everything works but it will definitely benefit from a bit of TLC
Project thread is nothing without pics and this is as she currently sits, completely untouched by me
To-do list:
Deep deep clean - everywhere inside and out
New mats - delivered this morning
Get the scuff on offside rear quarter and rear bumper sorted - probably smart repair from someone local who I have used and absolutely trust - going to try and pop in later this week and get it looked at
Front bumper is badly stonechipped - order replacement bumper painted to correct colour, no more expensive than getting current bumper prepped and repainted and less hassle as removing the front bumper is easy and will give me change to deep clean behind - new replacement bumper ordered, painted and new fittings also ordered
Replacement wheels - not a fan of the "Turbines" - although newly refurbished with Sport Contact 5's - may be kept as winter wheels - undecided - new 19" MSW 82 wheels in gunmetal / polished ordered complete with Sport Contact 7's
Few hours spent on it already and (touch wood) I think I may have landed a quite decent car.
Lifted the mats out and its clear its had mats in from day one, carpets are absolutely as new, even the OE mats have come up pretty much like new so can delay fitting the new ones that arrived.this morning
The few little marks around the interior lifted straight out with a bit of plastic trim cleaner.
Upholstery is unblemished, folded the back seats and whereas in most used cars the crevices are full of old sweets, crumbs and the odd coin everywhere is pristine.
Tailpipes were black but with minimal effort they are gleaming both outside and inside the pipes, not sure if the back box and tailpipes are OE, its certainly not loud but seem quite large for OE pipes
Exterior plastic trim had a few marks so decided to wipe over with neat IPA to get back to bare plastic before deep cleaning, all marks gone so just need to be returned back to a nice satin black
Windows cleaned inside and out using the old 250:1 ONR trick, first time I have used it and its a gamechanger for me, always struggled with streaks on glass and this completely solves it - so much so I did all the house windows, mirrors and screens with it too
V5 came through so able to get the plate transfer done
Hopefully good amount of time this weekend to get it decontaminated. clayed and at least partially machine polished so I can properly assess what needs doing paintwork wise
Found a good, honest car, not perfect but a perfect foundation to create something nice from - good history, good spec in that it has the optional (and rare) navigation (pretty crap but I do not use it much and its still a nice to have) and BOSE stereo which is genuinely very impressive.
Everything works but it will definitely benefit from a bit of TLC
Project thread is nothing without pics and this is as she currently sits, completely untouched by me
To-do list:
Deep deep clean - everywhere inside and out
New mats - delivered this morning
Get the scuff on offside rear quarter and rear bumper sorted - probably smart repair from someone local who I have used and absolutely trust - going to try and pop in later this week and get it looked at
Front bumper is badly stonechipped - order replacement bumper painted to correct colour, no more expensive than getting current bumper prepped and repainted and less hassle as removing the front bumper is easy and will give me change to deep clean behind - new replacement bumper ordered, painted and new fittings also ordered
Replacement wheels - not a fan of the "Turbines" - although newly refurbished with Sport Contact 5's - may be kept as winter wheels - undecided - new 19" MSW 82 wheels in gunmetal / polished ordered complete with Sport Contact 7's
Few hours spent on it already and (touch wood) I think I may have landed a quite decent car.
Lifted the mats out and its clear its had mats in from day one, carpets are absolutely as new, even the OE mats have come up pretty much like new so can delay fitting the new ones that arrived.this morning
The few little marks around the interior lifted straight out with a bit of plastic trim cleaner.
Upholstery is unblemished, folded the back seats and whereas in most used cars the crevices are full of old sweets, crumbs and the odd coin everywhere is pristine.
Tailpipes were black but with minimal effort they are gleaming both outside and inside the pipes, not sure if the back box and tailpipes are OE, its certainly not loud but seem quite large for OE pipes
Exterior plastic trim had a few marks so decided to wipe over with neat IPA to get back to bare plastic before deep cleaning, all marks gone so just need to be returned back to a nice satin black
Windows cleaned inside and out using the old 250:1 ONR trick, first time I have used it and its a gamechanger for me, always struggled with streaks on glass and this completely solves it - so much so I did all the house windows, mirrors and screens with it too
V5 came through so able to get the plate transfer done
Hopefully good amount of time this weekend to get it decontaminated. clayed and at least partially machine polished so I can properly assess what needs doing paintwork wise
We've got one as a family wagon. Does the job nicely, fast and comfortable. Needs springs + dampers to make it properly sporty I think, Bilstein B12 or similar.
Agree the wheels aren't great, the later 18" QV teledials are lovely, I suspect 19" will be too big and you'll have to dodge every pothole with them on.
Agree the wheels aren't great, the later 18" QV teledials are lovely, I suspect 19" will be too big and you'll have to dodge every pothole with them on.
shalmaneser said:
We've got one as a family wagon. Does the job nicely, fast and comfortable. Needs springs + dampers to make it properly sporty I think, Bilstein B12 or similar.
Agree the wheels aren't great, the later 18" QV teledials are lovely, I suspect 19" will be too big and you'll have to dodge every pothole with them on.
I share the concern about 19" rather than 18" but as its the OHs daily driver I have ordered what i'm told to order :-)Agree the wheels aren't great, the later 18" QV teledials are lovely, I suspect 19" will be too big and you'll have to dodge every pothole with them on.
Suspension does feel a little tired so a refresh / upgrade is on the card during the Spring and was indeed looking at Bilstein B12, had those on a car a few years ago and improved both ride and general dynamics
I've had a Sportivo for a couple of years, which is basically a Veloce 170 with leather and 18 inch rims etc. I chose it because, providing you use the correct Selenia oil, the engines don't have fundamental design flaws like Ford and VAG.
They are brilliant value secondhand. Not the best build quality but not like Alfa's of old. Nicer to drive the faster you go.
Fat tailpipe black inside is standard and not a sign of oil burning. I find the 18 inch alloys with 40 profile boots give a hard ride so I'd recommend considering getting your money back on 19s.
They are brilliant value secondhand. Not the best build quality but not like Alfa's of old. Nicer to drive the faster you go.
Fat tailpipe black inside is standard and not a sign of oil burning. I find the 18 inch alloys with 40 profile boots give a hard ride so I'd recommend considering getting your money back on 19s.
We bought a 170 Giuletta, so not as nice as yours but a very similar spec with the half leather etc. So far the car is a nice thing to own, but it creaks and rattles a bit more than expected (should be sorted next week I hope) and the headlights are woeful. I suspect there is an issue with the alignment so that may improve.
Having said that, these are an absolute bargain and a decent car in their own right. We were considering an A3, DS4 and the Giuletta and it was a clear winner.
Having said that, these are an absolute bargain and a decent car in their own right. We were considering an A3, DS4 and the Giuletta and it was a clear winner.
MikeM6 said:
We bought a 170 Giuletta, so not as nice as yours but a very similar spec with the half leather etc. So far the car is a nice thing to own, but it creaks and rattles a bit more than expected (should be sorted next week I hope) and the headlights are woeful. I suspect there is an issue with the alignment so that may improve.
Having said that, these are an absolute bargain and a decent car in their own right. We were considering an A3, DS4 and the Giuletta and it was a clear winner.
Yes, this one creaks and groans and glad to hear its typical, good job its got the Bose as we can simply crank it up. I think some of the creaks are coming from the seats themselves so will be spraying with silicon lubricant under the seat bases and around recline mechanismsHaving said that, these are an absolute bargain and a decent car in their own right. We were considering an A3, DS4 and the Giuletta and it was a clear winner.
Macron said:
What's this 250:1 trick business?!?!
I have struggled for years to get streak free glass, this trick makes it impossible to get streaks, works both internally and externallyAll you need is a bottle of ONR (Optimum No Rinse - not cheap but a single bottle will last for years) and two microfibre cloths, one long pile, one short pile
Put a teaspoon of ONR into every litre of water and soak the long fibre cloth for a few minutes and then wring out
Wipe over the glass and allow to flash off, wipe dry with the short fibre cloth - job done
I was sceptical and admit I was wrong, the results are brilliant
Edited by Andy665 on Saturday 4th February 08:49
Productive weekend.
Decontaminated and clay barred on Friday but claying left a very strange "blooming" effect that I have never encountered before. every single panel was the same and only saw it after washing it after claying - mild panic before a first going over with the Flex removed it all very quickly
Yesterday was filling in the stonechips peppered around the car, deep clean of interior, treating all the rubbers, plastic exterior trim restore with Carbon Collective Platinum Trim Ceramic Coating and an engine bay clean
Today I managed to find a nice combo of heavy cut compound and pad that blended in the stonechip repairs beautifully after they had been de-nibbed
Just needs a small paint repair to rear bumper that I am going to do myself after removing a fair chunk of the marks and a final light cut polish before applying a sealant, probably M&K Lunar
Really pleased with how it has come up, much better than expected
Decontaminated and clay barred on Friday but claying left a very strange "blooming" effect that I have never encountered before. every single panel was the same and only saw it after washing it after claying - mild panic before a first going over with the Flex removed it all very quickly
Yesterday was filling in the stonechips peppered around the car, deep clean of interior, treating all the rubbers, plastic exterior trim restore with Carbon Collective Platinum Trim Ceramic Coating and an engine bay clean
Today I managed to find a nice combo of heavy cut compound and pad that blended in the stonechip repairs beautifully after they had been de-nibbed
Just needs a small paint repair to rear bumper that I am going to do myself after removing a fair chunk of the marks and a final light cut polish before applying a sealant, probably M&K Lunar
Really pleased with how it has come up, much better than expected
Andy665 said:
I have struggled for years to get streak free glass, this trick makes it impossible to get streaks, works both internally and externally
All you need is a bottle of ONR (Optimum No Rinse - not cheap but a single bottle will last for years) and two microfibre cloths, one long pile, one short pile
Put a teaspoon of ONR into every litre of water and soak the long fibre cloth for a few minutes and then wring out
Wipe over the glass and allow to flash off, wipe dry with the short fibre cloth - job done
I was sceptical and admit I was wrong, the results are brilliant
Totally off topic, but dya reckon this ONR stuff would work on a bathroom shower screen? I live in a hard water area and cannot get rid of the water marks for love nor money and have tried most things....All you need is a bottle of ONR (Optimum No Rinse - not cheap but a single bottle will last for years) and two microfibre cloths, one long pile, one short pile
Put a teaspoon of ONR into every litre of water and soak the long fibre cloth for a few minutes and then wring out
Wipe over the glass and allow to flash off, wipe dry with the short fibre cloth - job done
I was sceptical and admit I was wrong, the results are brilliant
Edited by Andy665 on Saturday 4th February 08:49
CarlosSainz100 said:
Totally off topic, but dya reckon this ONR stuff would work on a bathroom shower screen? I live in a hard water area and cannot get rid of the water marks for love nor money and have tried most things....
Our shower screen had water marks on it but does not have them after the ONR, we are not in a hard water area thoughFaustF said:
Always been intrigued by these, I remember reviews were lukewarm when new but the value they offer now seems remarkable.
Will be following with interest, I've got a few on my list to replace my runaround hatchback with.
Lovely car OP
I'm always a fan of the underdog, would have been easier just to go for a Golf GTi or Focus ST but tend not to follow the herd with default choices. Will be following with interest, I've got a few on my list to replace my runaround hatchback with.
Lovely car OP
Its got some quality little touches that I was not really expecting from an alfa, nicely damped grab handles, the illumination of interior when its unlocked, the sweep of the rev counter and speedo needles when its powered up etc - more premium than I was expecting
Andy665 said:
FaustF said:
Always been intrigued by these, I remember reviews were lukewarm when new but the value they offer now seems remarkable.
Will be following with interest, I've got a few on my list to replace my runaround hatchback with.
Lovely car OP
I'm always a fan of the underdog, would have been easier just to go for a Golf GTi or Focus ST but tend not to follow the herd with default choices. Will be following with interest, I've got a few on my list to replace my runaround hatchback with.
Lovely car OP
Its got some quality little touches that I was not really expecting from an alfa, nicely damped grab handles, the illumination of interior when its unlocked, the sweep of the rev counter and speedo needles when its powered up etc - more premium than I was expecting
I too like an underdog and the value these represent is really excellent. For the price of a very decent low miles Cloverleaf you're looking at 130k+ golf GTIs which are knackered.
Plenty of space inside for family days out too, the boot is pretty cavernous really.
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