Tinyflier

All you are trying to do is smooth out any nick/scratches and give the paint a good surface to bond with. I used 2000 grade (wet) all over. Give it a good wash after and dry it thoroughly. Then used Halfords Plastic Primer (three coats) with a VERY light (wet) rub down after final coat. I first used Halfords Vinyl paint - but that came out WAY too shiny!!!! So I simply top coated over that with standard Halfords Matt Black - which actually came out as an OEM satin finish. Three tops coats as I recall and job done. David

I didn't intend to impune the opinions or findings of anyone else - I just passed on a comment from that was made to me, simply to voice an alternate view. There is always room in the world for different views/opinions and long may that continue - although a little bit of me wishes I hadn't said anything at all... Anyays all I can add is that this morning, my gearchange has never felt better. I'm happy with the work Abbey has done, if others are happy using Molyslip or Cowslip or any other additive/oil mix then great! David

I meant to ask you when you dropped car off this evening if you were still planning on being there - will aim to be there soon as the gates are open. David

Not a personal dig at you Tinyflier, but i do love statements like this and by that i mean the vagary of it all, especially when so many people seem to sign its praises. Perhaps some info to bolster the reasons would be helpful. I was passing on a comment from a very respected specialist whose advice I am happy to take. As I said others have had beneficial outcome through using Molyslip. If you contact Abbey I'm sure Mark will be willing to explain his reasons. David I am sure Mark would love people phoning him to ask his views on the use of molyslip, why not just elaborate on what he said to you? I did in my first mail. He doesn't believe using additives to high quality oils carries any benefit - I didn't seek to question him further as his advice to me in past has always been spot on. David

I agree, they do a great job and Alex is sooooo patient! Easter time they refurbed mine, I thought long and hard about shadow chrome but went for one of their metallic silvers and flush valves instead. Very happy with their "de-kerbing" and powder coating work. David

I found the Halford's Matt black to be as close to OEM finish as you could wish for. I used their black vinyl first but thought it was way too shiny. David Is the matt black a vinyl paint? I couldnt see any other flexible paint choices so went with that but as you said its far to glossy Is just labelled as Matt Black spray paint. I primed with plastic primer, then used the black vinyl (too shiny) so top coated over that with the matt black. David

Not a personal dig at you Tinyflier, but i do love statements like this and by that i mean the vagary of it all, especially when so many people seem to sign its praises. Perhaps some info to bolster the reasons would be helpful. I was passing on a comment from a very respected specialist whose advice I am happy to take. As I said others have had beneficial outcome through using Molyslip. If you contact Abbey I'm sure Mark will be willing to explain his reasons. David

Good man! They did a cracking job on my Rays! David

My car is currently with Abbey (and I have their GT86 to play with!) and one thing they are doing is changing the transmission fluids. I too suffer from a recalcitrant 1st to 2nd shift at times (first time I have ever had a car the benefits from double declutching when moving UP the box!). I raised the topic of Molyslip and Mark isn't a big fan of using additives in premium oils. Abbey's fluid of choice for the gearbox is SUNOCO75W/80 GL4 I am not saying it should/shouldn't be done and evidentially there are some who appear to have benefitted - just giving an alternate view. David

I had one on my MGTF and MGZT a while back. For the TF it took a little time with a hacksaw to remove some height off the fitting posts and to cut a couple of "V shapes" to help it fit the curve of the bumper better but it really is an easy piece of kit to work with. You will find them on ebay BUT usually it is cheaper to go to your nearest SEAT dealer and buy direct. I believe they are around the £35 mark - although they used to be about £20 till SEAT cottoned on to why so many of them were being sold for non SEAT cars! I think I'll be getting another one and try it out on the Zed. David

I found the Halford's Matt black to be as close to OEM finish as you could wish for. I used their black vinyl first but thought it was way too shiny. David

The Leon splitter must be the most used item for non Seat cars ever! Never thought of trying it on a Zed though! Top idea Marty! David

Mark at Abbey Motorsports posed recently about one being broken. David

That was me.. As always a cracking time at the sprint event. David.

... And that takes a few seconds to do! David

Do you have a Facelift? If yes, the coloured slats are screwed on from behind. You can (just) get to them from the top down through the hole where the bonnet catch is. David

Check out The Wheelspecialist in East Grinstead. They did a full chemical strip, repaired some kerb damage (previous owner), straightened a slight bend ( previous owner!) and powder coat. All traces of corrosion gone, lovely finish and exceptionally nice guys to deal with. I used The Wheelworks one one of my other cars and they did a good job, Wheel Specialist have lots more options of colour and finish and in my view did even better. David

If you are disposing of the trim Mark I'd like driver's and passenger's window switch covers, passenger grab handle and the silver trim that goes around the gear lever. David

I think the answer is yes to that question, obviously the connections are identical for the reader and all models are OBD-II compliant I believe. On setup you simply chose the make/model of your car - I don't recall being asked for the year of manufacture. Remember when setting it up/using it - you need to use the WiFi option NOT the Bluetooth option -twice I thought mine had stopped broadcasting before I realised it is a WiFi connection (instructions to establish first time connection are in the box and easy to follow - after that you just select WiFi from the connection option when you start up the app. David

TheWheelSpecialist in East Grinstead. £340 for full strip, powder coat, repair a bit of a bend in one rim, refit tyres and rebalance, put on spacers and mount wheels. Top class job. Into the OBD port which is just in front of you under the bonnet release. David

Tonight I fitted this rather tidy carbon strut brace - as purchased from Wasso - Amazed at the weight of the standard strut brace (3.7 k) versus this super CF one (1.3k)! David

After sanding the chips and scratches smooth I used plastic primer (two coats) then when dry a light going over with 2000 grade wet and dry then I think three top coats. David

No door card removal. Have a search on this forum for details but in summary - remove the leather arm rest, unclip the switch cover, undo the switches - job done. Best to get yourself some trim removal (plastic) tools (a few pounds from FleaBay) to be able to get into the joints without scratching anything. Painting them really doesn't take long and if you do it once, then should you scratch them again - easy fix as you know what to do! David

On the multifunction gauge scroll to the last "page" and you will see the what the rev value light illumination is set at. As OsakaBen has advised you can then adjust it using the buttons on the left side of the instrument cowl. David

I would like one for my facelift (Zunsport grille fitted) but that appears impossible... David