Calling anyone with a coupe in Australia.
I will be receiving my LE soon and I wanted to know are there any special mods or considerations to keep a coupe healthy on Aussie roads.
I now the Aussie roads are very rough compared to some European surfaces, so does the coupe tear through ball joints or cv joints faster than other cars?
How does the coupe cope with 35+ degrees for several days running. Do I need additional or larger thermo-fans?
What is the best local brand of fuel and oil to feed the LE?
Do I need special spark plugs for the conditions?
Will the air filter need more attention due to dust (country driving not outback)

Any other detail which would relate to running a coupe in Australia would be appreciated.
Cheers

I can see you are keen as to get driving your Coupe! The good news is Australia has a great climate for cars in general. Far better than most other countries, especially Britan.

This notion that we somehow have different or more harsh conditions to the rest of the world is all nonsence. Sure when its 45 degrees or super dusty its a different story, but its going to be hard on any car.

Drive it and enjoy it!

In standard nick the car should be able to cope without any issues. Tune it and it might need the cooling looked at. These cars were also sold in countries like Dubai, which is often hotter and more dusty.

Thanks guys,
I asked because my Stag had to have several changes to cope, heavy duty radiator recore, 2 thermo-fans, new water pump etc
So the coupe should be less hassle than the Stag and more fun.
Cant wait.

Great choice of wheels you have there Apogee

Suggest you contact Wazza on here as he is one of the several Coupe owners in Sydney and also, like me, knows quite s few others.

I have not done anything different since owning a Coupe here for about 6 years.

Some parts I get through the local Fiat Dealer, or from Alternative Autos in UK with a delivery time of around 8 days.

With raised opperating temps possible a CHOD (Coolant hose of death) upgrade? just in case
P.S. Welcome to the LE club

Hi Apogee,

I have been running my 20VT here for 2 years now and I also know the history of it for the previous 7 years (bought it from a friend).

That friend still owns an LE and is an extremely good mechanic. Nothing specific for Aussie conditions has been done to either car and I'm fairly sure the same applies to another good friend who has had his 20VT for 9 years.

Both 20VTs indicate a coolant temp of 60-70 degrees at almost all times (which may indicate a thermostat problem I believe). Don't forget the car has two thermo fans already.

I use Nulon 10W/40 Synthetic oil and usually 98 or 95 Premium fuel (I am told though that the car can handle normal unleaded as the computer automatically adjusts - never tried it though).

Some other info...
Plugs - NGK BKUR6E7
Oil Filter - Technicar R519
Air Filter - Westfil A971 (Hyundai Lantra)
Front Pads - EBC GDB1519 (Alfa 147)
Rear Pads - Lucas GDB466
Coolant - Nulon 4 Year
CV Boots are same as Alfa GTV
Front brake hoses are same as Alfa GTV
Brake master cylinder is same as Alfa GTV (Bosch)

When doing a service, don't forget to also change the pollen filter.

In 2 years, my car has been to Brisbane once, Canberra twice and Melbourne twice (Italian Connection Rally) as well as numerous trips to Nowra to my mum's place. Never had a problem mechanically. Air con probably could use a re-gas though - it's not that good.

The only things replaced in that time have been the radiator and the clutch slave cylinder. Oh, and two tyres.

Only other thing to watch out for in Oz is bloody kangaroos! My car comes back from the panel beater tomorrow from an incident near Goulburn 4 weeks ago.

I have a speadsheet with owner and car details for Australian Coupes, so if you are willing to add your details send me a PM. Is it a new import or was it already here?

As everyone on here says, "check your oil" and enjoy it.

Love the pic !