KEN33Y

Thats so disappointing to hear Trevor, I have always dreamed of an Aston ever since a young lad in the early 60's and the most famous DB5 being about due to 007. Like previously stated I was looking at a DB7 and love the exhaust note however hearing of your experience's maybe I have bought correctly in the XKR and should consider upgrading my exhaust to a custom built one, I have used Pro Speed in Cardiff in the past on my Mercs for Stainless exhausts and they have always met with my expectations.

When I left school at the age of 15 my Father asked me what I was going to do meaning where was I going to work. Typical 15 year old shrugged my shoulders and replied 'don't know'. He said "Why not go down the pit"? I said 'OK knowing that the money was far better than what my mates were earning as apprentice bricky's, chippy's, mechanic's etc and he told me to go to the Colliery on Saturday morning. I stood in the corridor with all the other hopefuls awaiting my turn for the manager sack um Jack (Jack Ellis) to call me in. When it was my turn he asked my name followed by any family working here? I replied yes and gave my Fathers name and he replied 'Your Grandfather was Joseph' I said yes and he asked if I was aggressive as him to which I replied no knowing the stories of my Grandfather and of him being a Mountain (Prize) fighter. He said OK start Monday to which point I replied 'but I want an apprenticeship as an electrician he replied with OK tell the training officer then who will arrange it for you

Black with orange surely

Sounds like a fabulous day out Luke and worth keeping in mind for next summer now (I tend to hibernate in winter months). I actually know for a Interceptor. Old retired dentist owns it and I know for a fact its been locked up in his garage since the mid 80's. Would be great project for an enthusiast restorer. Come next spring I've a great day out which cannot come quick enough for me! 3 laps of the Top Gear Test Track in a reasonably priced car followed by being in the audience for the evening. :D

I'm sure the questions have been asked and answered before therefore, I was hoping someone could recall. I eventually plan to change the 20" BBS Alloys currently fitted on the XKR (I don't like them and do not see the need for 20" burning more rubber away). I will only be stepping down a size and before I purchase I need accurate information to technical data therefore, my questions are; 1. What is the Offset for a XKR? 2. Does the front and rear share the same offset? 3. What is the rear wheel width? i.e. 9.5 etc 4. What is the front wheel width? i.e. 8.5 etc Thank you very much ( ;) Diolch yn fawr ) in anticipation of your assistance.

I totally agree with you Trevor however, I seldom get time to walk around town to see these workshy layabouts. I'm 58 therefore have had my mineworkers pension for 8 years however, I still work full time therefore it is taxed. I also have another pension however, cannot retire and claim a state pension for another 9 years because they changed the laws and upped the retirement age. I wish these lawmakers had some experience of working down the coal mines.

Then I would suggest someone as done their homework! Mercedes and AMG spend phenomenal amounts of money on research developing their cars which obviously includes the engines and if it passes the Aston Martin test then I'm sure it's already been tried and tested on the track. I have never been fortunate enough to have been in a position whereupon I could purchase a Aston Martin however, that said it was a toss up between the XKR and a DB7 when I purchased this one. I love the sound of the AS which is up there with the likes of Ferrari etc.

A decision only you can make Kip albeit the XK8 is a little sportier in appearance than that of the XF. It obviously depends on your circumstances and how much room you need in a car i.e. the XF offering that extra room whereas the XK8 being designed as a sports car and two passengers. Only you know how much room you need

Yes 20" wheels are not really required 18" would suffice Dai which retrospectively would reduce tyre wear and costs which is why I would be in the market for smaller wheels in the future probably, when I see the tyre tread diminishing on what I have at present.

1984 then being an Electrical Engineer for British Coal I can remember the then Prime Minister lets say no more before I'm reported however redundancy sent me to another world and I still had my NCB pension at 50

About time Trevor, cannot understand why they went for the naturally aspirated V8 in the first place. It must of cost them a lot of sales? Twin Turbo tells me the first turbo coming in at about 1200 RPM's and number 2 turbo coming in at about 3000 - 3200 RPM that will be awesome

Hi Dewi, Croeso obviously as you have gathered another proud Welshman. I'm living down South on the Beacons not to far away from Swansea. I have recently purchased an XKR having moved over from Mercs. I cannot say the MPG is any different from my SL to the XKR even though it pushing over 400BHp. As I've not had the car for long I cannot give you an honest opinion on tyres etc but I will be upgrading my wheels before the next change of shoes because I have BBS wheels running run flat tyres which I don't like. I will from then on be using the likes of tyreshopper.com to buy tyres. Servicing will be done not by and Indy because I am not aware of one nearby however, it will be performed by someone I trust who knows his cars and never charges over the top.

Then out of personal choice I would be going back to my old SL55 (not sure what they are producing now) the AMG may be a 63 - 6.3 ltr It was a superb car although going back a few years my old SLK32 (AMG) was equally superb and very powerful but Merc ruined that by upgrading to the R171 class which had a 5.5 ltr SLK55 (AMG) non aspirated engine which meant the older SLK32 R170 model was quicker than their new R171. Naturally made lots of sence

Must admit though Trevor, fantastic choice. The hard top would spoil it for me though but thats because Im a convertible freak

I now the Merc dealership in Exeter I worked out of the City last year and was not impressed. There is a better dealership inn Taunton and a fantastic Merc Indy at Tiverton

3.0 V6 380PS I believe twin superchargers

I have been working in Herefordshire and Shropshire of late with a daily commute whereupon the farmers have been harvesting. Can you please send some Somerset Farmers up there to show them how to pull over in tractors because believe me, it don't fecki*g happen. Apologies in advance

If totally honest and knowing that the car would be for her who must be obeyed I would tend to push her into believing the A series Merc is the one for her. I think its a cracking looking car with a little more practicability than that of the C class but then, that my opinion.

Got to speak as you find and my CLK as been excellent along with all my previous Mercs SL (AMG) SLK (AMG)

And Tractors

Paul, it is quite easy to find a faulty sensor, it will take two off you one to sit in the car and place the car in reverse obviously remembering to keep her/his hoot on the brake pedal or safer still handbrake on. Kneel to each sensor one at a time and you should hear clicking if you note one is not giving out a clicking noise then this should be the offending sensor which will be more than likely faulty. By the way if one sensor is faulty then the reverse parking aid should not work due to the fact they work on a daisy chain resistance basis so if one fails it will not allow the others to work. You should also ensure the electronic box is water tight, good idea to wrap in a plastic bag and seal with a small cable tie

I have a CLK270 Cdi which I use for work. Lately my work as taken me through a lot of A and B roads and its an Automatic Box but I am returning 50 or more miles per gallon and I can't say I drive slowly

I agree and there are so many models coming out in won't be that long. My brother recently bought the new F Type S £60,000 hell of a car though

I've only had the car a few weeks Luke and in that time we have had a mixture of good and bad weather so haven't had the greatest of opportunities to get the best out of it with work and one thing or another. Its very comfortable and plenty of power albeit I'm upgrading from a AMG which also equally as powerful after I finished playing with it. I'll let you know if I source any information. Edited: Luke; just found this whilst browsing and the power gains appear quite good http://www.powerhouseautomotive.co.uk/content/jaguar-performance-upgrades.html

You can guarantee 90% of automotive electrical problems are associated with 'EARTHING' although with light failure sensors there is usually an electronic box involved which works with a resistance value. I have had this problem in the past and swapped the sensor with the other side as a test procedure. But then I'm only an Electrical Engineer auto electrical is something different with the Management Software getting involved.