New Fuel pump and re-furbed cap.
New exhaust, cat and flexi.
New osr trailing arm brg.
New osr wheel brg.
New wishbones, droplinks, ARB's and front wheel brgs.
2nd hand rear calipers, sliding pins and mounts.
Replaced discs and pads all round.
Replaced tyres all round.
New valves/top-end rebuild after slipped timing belt /tensioner failure.
Fitted 'as-new' leather interior.
New HT's.
2nd hand fogs+indicators ass.
New brake pipes all round.
Recon rear brake bias valve
Recon alternator.
Flea chip.
2nd hand drivers window reg.
2nd hand rear cubby box.
Recently newly stoved Zender grille.
Not in any order nor exhaustive, but just from memory.
Head Gasket lets go this morning. Refill with 3.5 l to finish journey to work with plumes of steam coming out the tailpipe.
Nearly 3 years of cherished ownership and this is how she repays me.
Am getting livid-er as I write.
Loads emotions goin' on right now.
Time to walk away ...

Could be worse. You could be driving something that looks crap, sounds crap and drives crap.

Gutted to hear about this Rob

If you need any help at all please let me know, your only a 10min drive away

look on the bright side Rob, it aint Porto.

Seriously though, gutted she's being a cow for you :-(

Cheers guys.
Sam, thanks for your kind offer of help.
Eks my mate, even the gay gag can't raise a smile at the mo.
'Kin well fed-up mega-big-time.
Chuffin' top-end rebuild cost nearly a grand 12 months back.
Have spent nearly that amount since on suspendies, leather and aesthetics.
Have SOS'd/RFQ'd Joe and then will take 'FINAL' stock.
On the slightly positive side, at least all the valves are probably intact.
Gutted guys.

Sorry to hear this Rob

Decision on hold pending input.

This isn't a new story !

No it isn't.
But with every lost story, the icon slips closer to extinction.
Ma 'beastie' needs a sprinkling of Joe-magic.

I this car.
Cheers King Coupe (aka Sir Knight of Bromyard).

Chuffed you got it back mate

Great news you got her back Rob, don't know what all the fuss was about with your neighbours

I know how bananas feel I've done all them things bananas have and more in the space of 4 months :-( but when I drive her it make it all worth it :-) ! I'll post tonight what's happened to me in the last couple of months .

Nearly TWO glorious weeks (350-ish miles) without incident and now she's screwed again ... HATE! HATE! HATE!!!
MODS - Please feel free to torch my car for using CAPS. :

Whats happened Rob?

We're not sure yet Sam, from what Robin described on the phone it could be the water pump.

This has been confirmed by the AA chap (called John) and am awaiting low-loader to transfer car + self to FCSS.
Have had 3 call-outs culminating in flatbed transfer for the Fiat in 16 months and 1 x same for the C-Max after wife took it swimming in Severn floodwater.
Needless to say I'm going to be invoiced for misuse of the AA.
Well hacked-off with the Fiat now.

And now sweet Melissa from the AA callcentre advises vehicle won't be with you sir until 5.00pm.
If only I had a lighter or some matches ....
At my age, I can't afford to keep loosing days like this.

We have all been there Rob, I think my last inky was a special fiat coupé RC edition (roadside recovery )

It gets most embarrassing when the same recovery agent collects your car each time!

Hope you get it sorted soon...if you have truly had enough let me know before you sell up.

Having seen your 16v its pretty dam tidy for its age and in one of the best colors, its well worth keeping on the road

Edit

Pro recovery tip, go with Tesco break down, I have had upwoods of 10 recoverys with them, once twice in the same day! Never battered a eye each time doing as I requested and sending out a low recovery wagon. Additional to this I was able to call them to move the car to the garage the next day from my house

Past year and a bit have been a mare of FC ownership, Sam.
Re-visiting 'there' too many times is very maddening and wearing.
Really need to vent my anger on something Italian and Blitz Blue rather than jumping up-and-down on an open forum.
Most of us have already got the 'bin there' T-shirt and at the mo, it's just not fitting too well and in very real danger of being binned.
Still no sign of the sodding truck either ..
Cheers bud.
PS. RAC put my renewal premium up after 2 x FC call-outs in my 1st year of ownership.
That's why I switched to the AA.

Well .. chilled a bit after having endured a HGV journey to Bromyard and the all too familiar AA driver (we're on fist name terms and are borderline exchanging Chrimbo cards) , and am back at home after a pleasant drive back in the freshly-serviced (since the last time I drove her) Chammy.
Have to say this standard 16V car is a real nice driver
Reflecting a bit, am really not sure I'll get the love back (teddy has repeatedly had his arms and legs pulled off today)
Would take an extreme coupe moment to make me retract

Hey Rob..Let me share what many have had, i.e. days and weeks like this. Mine has taken around 2 years..ys two years of pain and suffering to get her sorted.

After a brilliant job by Barbz, all new belts, pipes, Custom turbo (GT28RST), headwork, forged parts..thousands spent. Ahhh.. finally awesome spool up and real world usable power. Wow

Then last week failed mot, cracked springs, pitted disk brakes and balls joints gone.. Well that will be another grand or so..man i felt gutted and down!

Coop ownership is very very expensive, but power (as in modded power), looks inside and out, and rarity is truly worth it.

As one specialist said to me, a modded coop is definitley crouching in Porsche territory; without Porsche costs.

Give the groovy gal one more chance to woo your heart!

Just to add to Nazo's share-my-pain. My last fortnight has involved new wishbones, replacement 6-speed gearbox, clutch, driveshaft and two new Proxes.

Couldn't really afford it, can't say I regret it.

Cheers Nazo, FreakinFreak.
Just into my 4th and probably final year of ownership.
The relatively incredible costs of keeping this gorgeous (but still lowly model ) OTR as a daily have hit over £4K, and as a consequence, the rose-tinted specs have faded.
Given the likely cost of yet another fix , I'm really not sure I can or even want to carry on with the money-pitt.
I've started thinking about the next car I'd like and have to confess I'm really struggling to find a contender (because there probably isn't one), but having said that, is it still time to walk away and grow-up/be-normal (I am over 50 y.o. after all).
In a nutshell, I'm at a crossroads ... and just need a qualified pointer to tip me in the right direction.
May sound confusing perhaps, but please consider mega-busy at work, hectic family life plus cyclesport, list goes on. Lotsa emotions and thunking going on. Writing this now actively thinking that this could be my last post.

Hey Rob, sorry to hear of the Blitzkreig of grief your Coupes been dealing you.

My 16VT's been great, my cambelt let go, but that was due to the garage who I paid to fit a new one (£1250 to fix), that was the only time it let me down (well the garage let me down not the car). Other than that costs have been low until late when I am catching up on much missed lovin' after saving hard for three years to get a house.

So 5years of virtually trouble free daily motoring in a 15.5year old car ain't bad, and it just passed it's MOT for another year of service.

So I think the dividing line in experiences is luck as you have obviously lavished your Blitzy.

Hope it all works out well in the end Rob.

I am so sorry to hear that, hope that once you chill out a bit, you could figure out the way forward for you and your coupe.

Hey Rob

A possible option would be to sell her as is. Then check the selling section and buy a LE or Plus.

I totted up around 15-17k that I have spent since 7 years of ownership. Moonie not only has forged engine,new suspension, brake disks and so on; but if i sell it someone will get an ultimate bargain. So buying one from the forum, where you can track its history can be a awesome bet.

Someone rcently bought FCSS > Patchs > inky black plus and the previous owners kept it in very good order.

Put your feet up, make a cuppa and watch Gone in 60 seconds!!

The road to reasonably priced coupe ownership is definitely DIY.

I certainly couldn't afford one of these if paying a garage was involved for every job these things required.

On the plus side, when they work, boy do they work well.....

Update is picking the 'Groovy Gal' up from Obi-Wan Kenobi tomorrow late morning.