FS: 1997 Legnum VR-4 Type-S (Long version)

[Kieran]

Have you read the 'Short' version of this advert?

No?

I'd recommend that you check the 'short' version first. If you have a 'tick list', it may save you some time – And if what you see ticks the boxes, you'll find in-depth information here.

Click here for the 'Short' advert:

http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthread.php?p=386858

-------------------------------------------------

It's probably of no surprise that my redundancy is the reason for sale and it's certainly not a decision we've taken lightly; I finally decided to complete the 2008 show season with her, and then let go. And whilst I perhaps shouldn't get this way about a lump of metal, when we finally made the decision, it was quite an emotional moment. However, needs must, though it will be some time before I no longer feel sad about this.

Anyway, let's move onto the car should we?

General Facts:
First registered June 1997 in Shinagwa (Tokyo), Japan. Vehicle class 399, Registration 76-32.
Exported from Japan in November 2002, De-registered in Tokyo on November 13th, 2002.
Registration commenced in the UK in On March 1st 2003.
SVA Test completed on March 14t h 2003.
Registration completed on March 21st 2003 with issue of current licence plates.

Two previous UK owners, one of them being Nick Mann, who purchased the car in December 2004 – See here:

http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6286

114,000 Miles. The ODO currently shows 158100, however this is because it was not 'wound' back from the kilometre reading during the registration process. The first UK MOT (20th February 2003) shows the mileage as 117,723 Kilometres. During registration & SVA a Cartek speed signal converter was fitted (allowing the speed and the ODO to count up in miles). 117,723kms equals 73,149 miles. Then add the difference (ODO currently showing 158,000) and you get the true mileage of 114,000 miles.

Service History:
I have been variously described as 'Fussy', 'Nit-picky', 'obsessive', 'paranoid' and probably worse with my approach to car servicing. My ethos, especially with a car such as this, is not only to maintain the car as prescribed, but also to inspect and replace parts that are showing signs of wear, even if they are still within 'acceptable' tolerances; I see very little point in driving a car that feels 'tired'. As a result of this, Ariadne's 'history' fills an A4 lever arch file and is also well documented on our forums in the form of articles and postings by myself. To save space here is a summary of the services performed and parts purchased in chronological order. It should give you an indication of how I have treated this car over the last three years:

Pre-ClubVR4:
17/09/03 @ 121788 – Oil & Filter, Brake Fluid (Mitsubishi Dealership)
21/01/04 @ 124887 – Oil & Filter, Aux belts (PS and Alternator), Cambelt and Spark Plugs (Independent).

Club VR4 (Nick Mann):
05/02/05 @ 130588 – Oil flush + Oil & Filter, ATF Change, Xfer box, Diff and AYC clutch fluid (Basically a full fluid flush)
10/02/05 – MOT, 1 Track Rod end fitted, wheels balanced.
30/04/05 @ 133631 - Oil & Filter

ClubVR4 (Myself):

08/07/05 @ 137000 - Oil flush + Oil and Halfords Filter
31/07/05 @ 138,129 – Oil & Mitsubishi Filter, Xfer box oil, AYC clutch Fluid, Diff oil.
09/07/05 – Heko Wind Deflectors Purchased (No longer fitted – They rattled at speed!).
07/08/05 @ 138422 – Flushed and changed ATF and ATF Filter (Genuine filter).
01/10/05 @ 141,531 – Oil & Mitsubishi Filter
27/11/05 – Lower Arm Recall confirmation from Mitsubishi Notts (New arms fitted thereafter).
14/01/06 – 4 x Dunlop SP Sport 01 Tyres fitted, Wheels balanced, tracking adjusted
09/01/06 – First Amsoil Purchase – 0w30 oil, Severe Gear oil, ATF, coolant
28/01/06 @ 145,528 – Change to AMSOIL fluids. Triple flush of engine oil, Oils changed in AYC clutch packs, rear diff, xferbox. Chassis treated with Comma 'WaxSeal' (A rustproofing wax). New fuel filter fitted.

**February 2006 – Purchased VW Golf. This is important as this reduced Ariadne to the 'Show Queen' car and meant her annual mileage dropped massively overnight.**

06/06/06 – All four callipers removed and sent via Fittapart to Bigg Red for refurbishment (Details here: http://www.biggred.co.uk/process.html ).
07/05/06 – Amsoil order – Power Foam and ATE 'Super Blue' Brake fluid.
18/08/06 – Purchased new geniune Caliper pins and clips (Mitsubishi Notts)
19/08/06 – Camskill Purchase:

Tein S-Tech Lowering Springs
Alternator Belt tensioner wheel
Power Steering Belt tensioner wheel
Timing belt + tensioner pulley + idler pulley
Timing belt hydraulic tensioner piston
Alternator Belt
Power Steering Belt
Plug leads
19/08/06 – Purchased Bilstein B8 Shock Absorbers
25/08/06 – Purchased New genuine caliper bolts & clips
28/08/06 – Purchased Front Upper arms, & Lower compression arms (Lateral already changed under recall).
01/09/06 – Purchased genuine caliper pin bushings
05/09/06 - Refurbished callipers fitted along associated pins, clips and hardware and steel brake lines (from Club group Buy).
10/09/06 – 17/09/06: During this time (I had a week off work) the following work was completed:

Cleaned, rust treated and undersealed front and rear wheelarches (Documented in CVR4 Articles secion)
Fitted Tein Springs and Bilstein Shocks
Fitted Cusco Anti-Roll Bars (Front & Rear) along with new ARB bushes
Fitted new ADL Blueprint Front and rear anti roll bar drop links

28/10/06 – Discovered split inner CV boot. Fortunately for me I spotted this before the boot totally failed and the CV joint ran dry. Upon discovery, the car was parked up and not used until this was replaced with a Genuine Mitsubishi CV Boot kit. This took a while.
01/01/07 – Another Amsoil Order – Oil, ATF, Gear lube, Filter oil and Fuel treatment (PI).
31/01/07 - Purchased genuine Mitsubishi Throttle Body and Inlet manifold gaskets.
02/02/07 – Purchased genuine Mitsubishi CV boot kit & part of Engine under tray.
18/02/07 – New Mitsubishi CV Kit finally fitted and car returned to duty.
28/02/07 – NGK BRK7EIX Spark plugs fitted.
08/03/07 – 4 Wheel alignment (Yes, all four wheels were adjusted – I'd removed one of the rear toe control arms to measure it and put it back out of alignment... Duh!).
21/04/07 - Changed the power steering fluid and also the AYC Hydraulic fluid after discovering that a MUT-II (Dealership tool) isn't required.
22/04/07 – New SARD Sports radiator and Fluidyne Heavy Duty Transmission cooler fitted.
23/04/07 @ 148,321 - Full lubricant service & Air filter change, replaced a couple of iffy looking vacuum pipes.
06/05/07 – @149,000 Cambelt Service at WRD Motorsport (Sadly now Defunct). The following items were changed. I supplied the parts, Richy Rich Fitted them. See here: http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showpost.php?p=246676:


Water pump (Blueprint ADL)
Cambelt tensioner pulley (Blueprint ADL, but made by Koyo, same as the OE Mitsubishi Item)
Cambelt idler pulley (Blueprint ADL)
Cambelt hydraulic tensioner (Geniune Mitsubishi)
Cambelt (Blueprint ADL)
Alternator belt (Dayco)
Power steering belt (Dayco)
Alternator belt tensioner pulley (Genuine Mitusbishi)
Power steering belt tensioner pulley (Geniune Mitsubishi)


31/05/07 – New Carbotech BrakePads & Replacement Rossini front discs after a Castle Coombe track day. This is only track day this car has done with me. It was enjoyable if expensive fun.
02/06/07 – 4 x Continental ECOContact2 Tyres.
29/08/07 – Purchased TSL SportsCat – A 100 cell high flow cat that keeps the MOT man happy.
08/09/07 – The original date of the 'Garage Door Incident'. Basically I reversed my Legnum into my garage door. This cracked the bumper, slightly dented the N/S rear ¼ panel and cracked one of the tail lamps. The garage door was totally destroyed along with my pride. I have yet to live this down. The damage was taken care of by an approved repair agent. They were able to panel beat out the damage rather than replace the quarter panel. Whilst they had the car in I paid extra for them to respray the front bumper and offside wing to remove all the stone chips. I finally got the car back on October 22nd.
29/11/07 @ 151,832 – AYC, Oil & Filter Change (ADL Filter & Carlube Triple R Synthetic 0w30 – Caught short without any stock of Amsoil engine oil!)
02/01/08 – Amsoil Order (Gear Lube, ATF, brake fluid, Power Foam).
24/03/08 – Purchased new front indicator after a stonechip (I have retrofit UK-Spec headlamps).
17/07/08 – Purchased new genuine engine mountings (all four) and propshaft bearings.
18/07/08 – Purchased new genuine lower toe control arms (rear), spark plug seals. Also new steering rack ends and boots (Non-OE)
21/07/08 @ 154920 – Fitted new engine mounts. Also changed Engine oil & Filter (Amsoil for both), Fuel filter and flushed/replaced coolant. Also replaced oxygen sensor with PLX SM-AFR wideband kit.

That pretty much covers it – And should give you a good idea just how much love this car has seen.
Oh – And at the time of writing, the mileage is 158113 and is therefore just ready for another service. I already have the parts & fluids available. I plan to do a oil and AYC fluid change. I'm just waiting for a day that isn't wet or freezing cold - **Update 15/12 - Service completed, see post #14 for details.

[Kieran]

Ariadne is somewhat modified. It took me a long time to research the modifications I wanted. They were all bought new, most from RHDJapan. They are all branded, quality parts too. On a car such as this I had no desire to risk 'Ebay specials' and the problems that can result from trying to do things on the cheap.

I wanted proven, reliable upgrades that increased the car's ability without compromising her as a car that sees mostly 'Touring' duty – The end goal was to have a Legnum with moderately enhanced power, handling and braking ability, but that could still be driven gently and over long distances without fatigue.

There are a number of posts around the forums with commentary good and bad regarding my various upgrades. I shall summarise them here for you:

Suspension:
It took me a long time to work out just what I should fit. In the end, the specification reads as follows:


New front suspension arms. (compression, lateral and upper)
Tein S-Tech lowering springs (‘soft’ spring rate)
Bilstein B-8 shortened gas shock absorbers
Cusco uprated anti-roll bars & new OE ARB bushes
Greddy triple-tube rear strut brace (Easily unbolted when bulky cargo is being carried)
New Anti Roll bar droplinks front and rear
.

The Teins lower the car by a modest 25mm, but they are a very close match to the standard VR-4 spring rates, being 3.9kg/mm at the front and 1.5~2.7kg at the rear (for the ‘Soft’ springs). This compares to 3.6kg/mm (F) and 2.5kg/mm (R) for the standard items.

Bilsteins B8s were chosen as they provide damping characteristics similar to the B6 (which is the standard height OE-Spec replacement for the 4WD Galants/Legnums), but they are shortened to allow them to work better with lowering springs.

I went for upgraded anti-roll bars to further improve the car’s cornering stability, without having to resort to ninja-hard springs and shocks. The Cusco items are heavier and slightly thicker than the standard item. Rhys (-LegnumVR4-) posted a review of them here:

http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9557

The extra bracing is there to stiffen things up, with the aim of improving turn-in and stability.

The transformation was impressive. Turn in became sharp, but without being nervous or ‘tetchy’. Ride comfort remained comparable to standard, with most bumps being sponged away nicely by the Bilsteins and the standard size wheels.

Initially I also had a Cusco Type-2 under brace. A quality item, but with an already lowered car it ran perilously close to the road surface and 'kissed' the tarmac with irritating regularity. I eventually removed it.

I have the wheels standard as I liked standard looks and I wanted the extra sidewall depth to soak away the bumps. This introduces some flex but that’s fine. I firmly believe that you can make a car over-taught. As it is, the car is supple and whilst it has significantly more ability than before, this has not been at the expense of ride comfort.

Overall, I have been pleased with this setup and I feel I achieved my objectives. The car is near-standard in terms of compliance and comfort, yet it has a much higher level of cornering prowess.

Comments I have had from passengers indicate that the ride is a little firmer than before, but that it is not abrasive. My wife felt at the time that the changes made the car ‘feel more in control’. Praise indeed I think!

Brakes:

We all know that VR-4 brakes, at least in standard form, aren't the best. They're adequate for a standard car but you soon find their limit on a track or if you start increasing the power. I wanted to do things properly. After all, power is nothing without control!

I wanted to stay with the standard appearance of the car which this ruled out Brembos and left me with the standard calipers and discs. To make the best of them, I sent the calipers via FittaPart to Bigg Red who remanufactured them.

If you're interested, this is their remanufacturing process:

http://www.biggred.co.uk/process.html

Bigg Red refurbished all four callipers and the pad cradles. They were finished in black and I ordered new brake guide & lock pins and clips all round from my Mitsubishi dealer,

For discs, I chose Rossini Discs. Perhaps a slightly leftfield choice, but I had them fitted to my previous Galant V6 and I was impressed. And they are living up to expectations again.

Pads... I originally chose EBC 'Reds' all round. The reds needed warming up somewhat, such that your first two or three stops from cold resulted in a 'numb' pedal feeling whilst the pads heated up. I switched to Carbotech XP8 pads when the Reds were ready for change – The stopping power of the Carbotech pads is immense. The only downside is the extreme amount of noise and dust!

Fliud is ATE Super Blue. I am pleased to report that the pedal firmness hasn't perceptably changed with this fluid, and it's blue colour makes it a breeze to flush.

Flexible lines... Replaced with the 'Exact Engineering' lines from the group buy. A good fit.

Refurbishing the brakes alone cost nearly £1200 - £500 for the calipers, £450 for the discs (£300 rear, £150 fronts) and the rest on brake fluid, pin grease, lines and pads, etc, but it was money well spent. The car feels like it is 'equal braked' against it's power and weight. Initial bite is excellent and the operation is progressive. With this setup, I feel confident in the car's braking abilities.

Power:

My goal was to have a Legnum that drove like a normal car but was capable of a 13 second quarter mile time in fully legal road trim without having to strip out half the interior, resorting to gearbox-destroying launches or ill-advised modifications such as stratospheric levels of boost or nitrous – Again, in keeping with my idea that performance should not be to the detriment of driveablility and comfort. Whilst I have reached that goal, at least on paper, I still think that there is work to be done in this area and indeed I have a number of parts that are not fitted to the vehicle yet. I will talk about those more later.

Currently, the specification is as follows:


Pro-Shop IIda downpipes
TSL 100 Cell sports Cat
Greddy Type-V (V-SPL) Intercooler Kit (Intercooler, Power steering relocation kit and new alloy lower hardpipes with silicone couplings). I chose the V-SPL over the thicker R-SPL as with our tiny turbos I felt that flow, rather than cooling was paramount, especially as I haven't wound up the boost to silly levels)
Cusco Hardpipes (Replaces top 3 flexible hoses).
Pro Shop IIda Alloy throttle body inlet pipe.
Buddy Club 'Racing Spec' voltage stabiliser/condenser.
Ultra earthing kit.
Alloy oil catch tank – Correctly plugged in series between rocker cover and turbo inlet pipe so that the PCV system still works correctly.
Ultra 'Bluepoint' Silicone HT leads (Low resistance).
NGK BKR7-EIX Iridium plugs (One heat range colder than standard to minimise risk of detonation caused by excessive spark plug tip temperature).
Greddy ProfecB Spec-II boost controller set at 0.6bar Low boost and 0.9bar high boost.
PLX SM-AFR wideband O2 sensor
HKS Super Power flow filter (The standard air box fouls the PS-IIda TB pipe).
Powerflow backbox - Sounds similar to standard,slightly better performance. Isn't anywhere near as good performance or looks wise as the Blitz Realize-TT I used to have, though neither does it intrude when you'd rather it didn't!
Fluidyne Extra Heavy Duty Transmission cooler (Rated heat rejection is 18,000BTUs!!)
SARD Sports radiator (Designed for a manual car, hence the oversize ATF cooler to compensate for the deletion of the factory item).
TRE Uprated Fuel pump (With Modified barb gasket to prevent starting issues).
SARD Fuel Pressure regulator & genuine SARD pressure gauge.
Recirc Valve from an EVO VIII (Identical to the standard item – No PSSHT, but with a stronger spring so it doesn't leak at idle or push open on boost).

How does she drive? Very well. Throttle response is nice and crisp and there's plenty of torque there. You can make rapid and safe progress without having to floor it.
Driving with the boost switched to high results in much more urgency, though due to the fact that there's no fuel controller on the car at the moment, you can hit fuel cut if you're not careful. Mind you, even in low boost mode she's still a quick car and certainly there's more power there than you'll ever safely use day to day.

But of course, I would say the car drives nicely, wouldn't I?
The following members have all driven her:


Nick Mann
IS
Miller
The Vee


I'm sure if you asked them in private they wouldn't mind giving you a honest appraisal of the car.

Other modifications:


Leather interior as standard - Completely removed, scrubbed and wet&dry vacuumed upon purchase to remove the ingrained dirt and smell of cigarette smoke.
Genuine Mitsubishi Alloy 'Legnum' sill kick plates
Facelift chrome gear shifter gate
Facelift wood/leather handbrake
Facelift wood/leather gear shifter
Facelift UK-Spec centre console with leather top and heated seat switches (A planned retrofit that hasn't yet occurred).
Retrofitted MMCS system (complete system and loom from a donor car).
UK-Spec headlamps (Much better lenses and light diffusion than JDM lamps.)
UK-Spec polycarbonate headlamp stone chip protectors.
UK-Spec Rear lamps (Integrated fog lamps – No dangling lights or butchered bumpers here!)
UK-Spec V6-24 radiator grille (Mmmm, chrome!)
De-badged, though I have been tempted to retrofit some 'GLS' badges :)
Rectangular plates front and rear to latest European standards.

[Kieran]

Well, each car has its bad points and these are Ariadne's. I would however say that they are all minor and indeed I've already planned for dealing with a number of them... Though again, I will discuss that shortly.

1. The front brake callipers are dragging very slightly. **UPDATE, 15/12 - See post #13 below**

2. I have used the power feed from the cigarette lighter to power the PLX SM-AFR at the moment – Simply because I don't smoke and this was an easy power source to use. If you run a separate feed to the PLX, you can plug the cigarette lighter back in and it'll work fine.

3. Retrofitting the MMCS has had a slightly odd side effect. When you put the car into reverse, the reverse lights come on as normal, however the nearside indicators also glow dimly. An odd niggle but fortunately not one that caused trouble at the previous two MOTs. I suspect it's just a daft earthing fault on the new loom but I've never traced it as it doesn't actually make much difference to the car and the MOT man's never flagged it as a problem.

4. The exhaust currently fitted was only intended to be an interim solution whilst I purchased the parts for my next exhaust; I sold the Blitz with the intention of getting a new Jetex custom exhaust that performed just as well, but was quieter – In fact you can see my plans here:

http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33585

And then I got made redundant, which screwed that plan up! The current exhaust comprises the front section of a standard exhaust and a piece of stainless pipe and a Powerflow back box has been joined onto it. Because it's coupled to a non-standard cat and downpipes, it doesn't sit where it would if it were standard - You can't tell from the tailpipe that this is the case, it's when you're in the car as it occasionally rattles on the rear diff casing. Fortunately it is just catching the casing and not anything important like the drive shafts or the AYC pipes. I have some exhaust wrap which I can use to prevent the rattle. **UPDATE, 15/12 - I have now wrapped the exhaust in the offending area to prevent the rattle.

5. There is wear on the drivers side leather seat bolster. I have a repair kit but the dye is the wrong bloody colour- It's too light. However, I had plans for the seats anyway.... I'll mention those in a moment.

6. The final 'Bad' bit is that the windscreen is not the original. It was changed in Japan at some point (I know it was in Japan as there was residue from the 'Shaken' sticker on the current screen) however they didn't fit the correct screen. It has the correct tint, but it is missing the heating elements for defrosting the windscreen wipers. Most irritating, but not actually a problem per-se.

[Kieran]

So... You made it this far. Congratulations.

In summary, this is a much, much loved car. She's wanted for nothing and benefited from having an obsessive owner. She's been maintained above and beyond what's been required and she's been modified in a sympathetic and tasteful fashion. All that's needed are the few finishing touches to achieve perfection – I just wish it could be me that will get her there.

And so we come to the price.

Well. I have a number of options available to you. It's not a good time to be selling these cars and I am hopefully realistic in my expectations. So here are the options. Please note that these prices are not open to offer.

OPTION 1:

The car 'As Is'.............. I will accept £3750. But you may wish to check 'Option 2'.

At first glance that may seem expensive. Indeed, you could wing your way over to an importer and pick up a 'Fresh Import' standard VR-4 with about 60,000 or less on the clock for the same or a little more. But ask yourself this.... Do you know what that car's been up to for the last 4 years? Do you know when all the fluids were last changed? Has it had a cambelt? If it has, were all the associated pulleys and tensioners changed, along with the auxiliary belts?.... How much would that alone cost you? And then you'd still have to buy all those upgrades...

I *may* consider a p/x for a Mitsubishi Delica L300 if the price and specification are right, or some other cheap car. It would have to be cheap to buy and run however.

OPTION 2:
I can also offer you the car with all of the parts I've accumulated. I personally would be happier selling the car like this – Not just because I'll get more cash but also because I'd be happier knowing the parts I've bought for Ariadne as part of her ongoing maintenance and improvement schedule will be fitted in the future. It will also save me time selling these items. If nothing else, these parts should allow you to perform a major service at a much reduced cost in the future.

You would get the car as stated above, and the following maintenance and upgrade parts. These are parts I've purchased but have not yet fitted. Most of them are new. Some of them haven't been out of the box!

Service Parts:

Replacement engine undertray
New trackrod ends.
New steering rack ends.
New steering rack boots.
New propshaft bearings. (Genuine Mitsubishi)
New rear toe control arms (Genuine Mitsubishi)
Enough Amsoil to do a complete change of the diffs, the AYC system and the gearbox.
Can of just opened (15th November 08) ATE 'Super Blue' brake fluid.
New ATF filter.
New Rocker cover gaskets (Genuine Mitsubishi)
New Spark plug hole gaskets (Genuine Mitsubishi)
New Throttle body gasket (Genuine Mitsubishi)
New Inlet manifold runner gasket (Genuine Mitsubishi)
The original radiator from the car – A useful spare if disaster strikes.
Spare tail lamps – The originals from the car. They're victims of the 'Garage Incident' but may be useful.
The original climate control module – If you can't get along with the MMCS, you can take it out and refit this.


Performance Parts:


MINE's LCD Boost Gauge. This is actually an abandoned modification. It's an LCD boost gauge (Strange that!) that I have moulded into the dashboard. I abandoned it as I started getting erratic readings from it but since I did that I discovered and fixed a couple of boost leaks – So it may have been actually working correctly. Since the Greddy Profec has a boost display built in, I've never bothered reconnecting it, though there's no reason why you can't.

Alloy Turbo Inlet pipes: My plan was to fit a Map ECU-2, delete the MAF and all the horrible pipework that goes from the back of it to the turbo inlets. To this end, sat in my garage is a set of custom alloy intake pipes designed especially for the 6A13TT. They came off a car from Japan. They fit onto the turbo inlets and terminate in Blitz SusPower filters (one per turbo). The front pipe is also tapped for the PCV/Crankcase vent. They should make the most of a MAP ECU install without the faff of creating your own pipework. I paid a small fortune for them!

SARD Intercooler Water Spray – Still boxed. Complete kit.

SARD Attack Meter. - This is Sard's version of the Apexi RSM and records lap times, quarter miles, that kind of thing. It also has a pretty cool feature in that you can set reminders for oil changes and stuff and it counts up the interval in miles. Second hand from Japan. Still in box with instructions and what have you.

Recaro Seats. - These are the same as the standard VR-4 Recaros. The Recaro name for them is 'Style'. They are in black fabric and are in good condition, however they do not have the VR-4 specific subframes. I believe you can purchase the subframes from Recaro or you could do as several members have and make your own. You can find out more about the seats here. Note that the seats I have are an older model without the electric adjustments:

http://www.recaro-seats.co.uk/ergonomics/style-xl.php

'Smoked' gauges. Oil Temperature, Oil pressure and voltage. Boxed, never used. I think the oil temperature sender is missing, though spare senders are available on Ebay.


For the car and ALL of the above items put into the boot for you, I will accept £4250.

I *may* consider a p/x for a Mitsubishi Delica L300 if the price and specification are right, or some other cheap car. It would have to be cheap to buy and run however.

I also have a few other items in the garage that may interest you, such as a Cruise control kit (One of the ones from the group buy) and a HKS PFC F-Con with a VR4 map burned into it. If they are of interest we can negotiate.

So... That's it. Hopefully you will see that you are getting a loved and carefully upgraded VR-4 for good price. If you are seriously interested, please PM me, and if you have any burning questions that you think others may wish to know too, post them here.

[Kieran]

Here's a few from JAE 2008 - 30th August. They're representative of the car's current condition:

uploaded/326/1228745186.jpg

uploaded/326/1228745214.jpg

uploaded/326/1228745241.jpg

[pitslayer]

Interesting read Kieran, your car was dergistered on my birthday, but to be honest your option one should be £4250 option 2 £4750, worth every penny of that if not more

[TAR]

Car for sale £4250. Contact Kieran.

:happy:

[bradc]

You are a very special person and we love you for it! Good luck with the sale and I hope it goes to someone else in the club

[Nevman]

Sad the wheels are prefacelift... :D :D :D

Good luck with sale K. Hope the amount of work you've put in the car won't get wasted and the Ariadne will find a good home.

[WildCards]

I think the car looks great with the standard wheels on and the tweaked ride height. It's unmistakably Jap IMO.

[valleyforge1]

Good luck with the sale Kieran. Hope it goes welll for you.

[Turbo_Steve]

Can't see where you mentioned the clear side-repeaters? :D

Gutted that it's going Kieran, and I wish I had enough money to buy it off you!

[Kieran]

Following a cancelled appointment today I've given the car a right good seeing too! Below is what I've done.

With the ODO reading 158220 (3300 miles since the last service), I have done the following:


Engine oil flush & change (Flush additive in the old oil, Fast idle 15 mins then drained, Filled with El Cheapo oil, 10 mins fast idle then drained, Then refilled with Amsoil TSO 0w/30 and a fresh Amsoil EA20 filter).
Drained & Refilled Transfer Box (Amsoil SVG 75w90)
Drained & Refilled Rear diff (Amsoil SVG 75w90)
Drained & Refilled AYC Clutch Packs (Amsoil ATF)
Stripped the front calipers (More Details below)
Cleaned out the Idle Stepper Motor - Much better though I need to adjust the Basic idle adjustment screw (A 30 second job!)
Filled and then Bled the AYC Hydraulic Circuits (Did this after I'd seen to the brakes, obviously!)
Used some exhaust wrap to cushion the exhaust where it has been rattling on the diff. Not the best solution but there's no play in the exhaust or the mounts for me to shift the pipe so it sits further away.


Brakes - I've been trying to sort out the dragging problem and I think I've had some success. I noticed when I tested with a set of old pads that the dragging wasn't as bad - In fact almost normal.... I then realised what one part of the problem was... /duh /pan

When I fitted the Carbotech pads I re-used the anti-rattle plates off of the back of the old EBC pads on there. I didn't twig at the time that the reason the plates wouldn't clip onto the carbotechs was because the back plates on the carbotech pads are slightly deeper - So in effect I'd made the Pads too 'tight' a fit when loaded into the calliper assembly and even though the pistons were retracting, the fact that the plates were there to take up the gap meant that there was always a flight pressure against the pad - Enough to make it rub and chatter, not enough to make it bind up. Quite why this would cause a problem when the friction material had worn down a bit I'm not sure, but just removing the plates made an instant difference (Even after pumping the brake pedal to take up the clearance).

I also found that the bottom pistons on both sides were a little 'stiff' in operation; they weren't stuck but they didn't seem as free as the top ones - So I used PSB's tip as mentioned here:

http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showpost.php?p=378830&postcount=9

All the above, coupled with cleaning out the clips of brake grot, re-greasing the pins and bleeding both callipers has made a big difference. The pedal now feels much more positive and following a brief test drive, whilst there is still a bit of noise from the nearside caliper, it's nowhere near as bad and it disappears much more quickly. As for the offside, thus far it is silent. I'm really happy about this as I was worried that it would be something more sinister, but it appears not. :) I'd say that this 'problem' is now more or less resolved - Certainly, I could happily put the car in gear and bleed my AYC system without any of the wheels slowing up. I'll keep my eye on it though.

From a fluids point of view everything coming out looked pretty good. As usual the AYC clutch fluid coming out didn't look any different to the stuff I was putting in. I also found that a One man brake bleeding kit works well for bleeding the AYC hydrailic circuit but that if the pipe slips off the bleed nipples, you get AYC fluid in your hair. /pan

One important point... I found as I was shining my inspection lamp around that the lower compression arm balljoint boots have split :veryangry - Fortunately the lateral arms were fine. Given what could happen if these arms did totally fail, I will replace them with new units. **UPDATE, 29/12 - Now fixed, See post #18 below**

AND - I still have enough Amsoil to go in the boot for you to repeat this service in the future. So basically you're now good to go for some while from a servicing point of view! :scholar:

[Kieran]

Another little update - And a bump! :)

As mentioned, I need to replace the lower front compression arms. I ordered a pair on Monday night and they've now left the US. Should be here for Christmas. **UPDATE, 29/12 - Now fixed, See post #18 below**

I've ordered from the US for a number of reasons:

Mitsubishi OE arms cost a fortune and are on backorder.
Given how quickly the current ones failed I won't use another set of ATP arms.
ADL Blueprint arms were £240 + VAT EACH(!!!!)
Given their poor reputation within the club, I won't use Camskill arms either.


The chaps on OzVR4 have confirmed that there's a number of interchangeable parts between the USA-Spec Eclipse GSX Turbo and the VR-4 and a few of their members have used replacements sourced over there:

http://ozvr4.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2447

Based on their findings, I have done the same and ordered from the same supplier in the US. You can see in that thread that the quality seems up to scratch vs the originals, and the Eclipse GSX Turbo weighs almost the same as VR-4 (3157 vs 3351 llbs), so the arms should be able to cope with the VR-4s weight (I have wondered in the past if that's why we see failures on the arms we can get in the UK, because they're only specified for the [lighter] 2WD cars, but I don't know).

See how I look after the lucky buyer! :scholar:

[ANTHONY]

1st time i'v looked at this i must admit you are BARKING to get rid, but you have your reasons. if anybody is looking for a Legnum it's got to be this one

[Kieran]

1st time i'v looked at this i must admit you are BARKING to get rid, but you have your reasons. if anybody is looking for a Legnum it's got to be this one

Thanks Tony....:) I know, there's a lot of love (and cash!!) in that list, But needs must. Meh! :5shots:

[OnBoost!]

Amazing tbh!!!


Any buyer will be lucky to get it.

[Kieran]

I am pleased to report that the new compression arms are now installed. I've kept the old arms for now just incase anyone wishes to affirm that I've changed them.

Having been on a test drive, I have noticed that the steering has lightened up and she doesn't 'jiggle' over bumps as much. I am pleasantly surprised how much of an improvement there is.

All systems go again - so come on, Roll up! roll up! :)

[Kieran]

A quick bump as I need to clarify something having had a couple of people contact me now - The asking prices are 'No Offers'. It's already cheap enough for what you're getting. /yes

Thanks :)

[Axeboy]

Or offers, but only offers over :)

[Kieran]

Sold pending payment.

To a very nice guy! :scholar:

:)

[elnevio]

Hurrah!

Hopefully, the lucky recipient will make themselves known!

[Axeboy]

nice one, lucky owner

[Mrs B]

Great news Kieran.

Someone will be very happy!

[Throbbe]

Nice one. Wasn't a chap called Al was it?

[Eric]

It's me!!!

Great car and a great owner.

[elnevio]

Well done Eric! You have a minter there (and I know you know it!), which I think you'll look forward to looking after. Ariadne's going to a good home!

Now then, about that name...

/elnevio ducks the pure-blood onslaught

[bradc]

Congrats, you've bought the best car in the UK. Can you please refer to it as Adrian though?

[ritch_w]

well done mate - youv've bagged a crackin motor!!!

[Nick Mann]

I was taken for a ride this afternoon in Mr. A Mole (http://www.adrianmole.com/). It is a nice car! Congrats, Eric.

[Kieran]

I was taken for a ride this afternoon in Mr. A Mole (http://www.adrianmole.com/). It is a nice car! Congrats, Eric.

For that, balding overweight dirty boy, you shall die a most horrible death. :veryangry:veryangry:veryangry:veryangry

[valleyforge1]

Great stuff. Good to see you sold it Kirean and I think their will be one happy new owner.

Stays in the club then.

[Nick Mann]

For that, balding overweight dirty boy, you shall die a most horrible death. :veryangry:veryangry:veryangry:veryangry

I can feel a new thread coming on............

OOooooppsss! (http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37001)

[Turbo_Steve]

I am jealous.

[Big Ian]

Sold pending payment.

To a very nice guy! :scholar:

:)
Congrat's mate on selling her, we all know how tough a choice it was for you, onwards and upwards matey .. good luck with your choice of future wheels ;)



It's me!!!

Great car and a great owner.
good luck with your new purchase, and don't forget to take care of her, she's led a bit of a pampered life :scholar:

[chris g]

So elnevio,

You know that he knows it...

...and now we know that you know that he knows it...

Anyway, amnbrueckner

You know you are welcome!!!

[elnevio]

So elnevio,

You know that he knows it...

...and now we know that you know that he knows it...

Anyway, amnbrueckner

You know you are welcome!!!
I know!