William's 1993 480ES Two-Tone

[WillC9303]

[jifflemon]

if you haven't already, its now time to break out the Bilt hamber cavity wax!

Looking very good!

[MisterH]

Sounds excellent Will, looking forward to seeing it at a meet!

It makes sense that they sanded down and repainted the wing as otherwise you wouldn't have a decent colour blend. Sounds like a good job though, make sure to get at it with the cavity wax before winter!

[WillC9303]

Quick update on the Ovlov:

• Bought some 3M double sided tape to fit the Limited Edition badge back on - very strong adhesive, however it isn't the neatest stuff when cut and does sit slightly proud. You don't even notice it when standing a metre or so back, so I'm not too bothered.

• FINALLY got round to doing the cambelt and water pump renewal. It was previously thought that both were the original ones, however the cambelt looked almost new, which was a shame seeing as I had no way of knowing when it was done. What WAS old was the water pump - It was very corroded and looked to be the original one. Replaced it anyway with a new one, but it was nice to see that the water pump runs off the alternator belt, so it's not an engine killer if it were to seize. All in all it was quite a tough job due to lack of space, almost completely inaccessible bolts and the fact that someone previously had cross-threaded a bolt going in to the belt tensioner. So this job that should've taken a morning turned into a multi-day ordeal! Still, got there in the end though.

• I also finally managed to source the illusive oil pressure sender unit and adapter from someone for £20. Included was an old style ash tray which I prefer (no, I don't smoke, I'm just weird) Fitting the sender was simple enough, but the clearance is abysmal. I don't know what the 1.7 or Turbo's are like, but the 2.0 lump was clearly not designed for that feature in mind. I'd never soldered before, but it was easy enough soldering the connectors onto the wire (if a little fiddly).

• Lastly, I sourced some b-pillar cladding with the 'Lambda Sond' logo on it, as opposed to the blank black ones that were re-introduced in 1993. Being a fan of the video game Half-Life 2, which prominently features the Lambda letter throughout the game and box art, that logo was something I wanted. On an unrelated note, if anyone is after a pair of blank B-pillar covers, message me

Unfortunately, the pop-ups are starting to play up a little. Not only are they not in sync, but the driver’s side on doesn’t go fully up on the first try. A family member suggested I take apart the motors and clean them, as he previously owned an MR2 and a TR7 (both with pop-ups), but I was quite disappointed to find that they are sealed units….and are shared with Ferrari!

Things left to do are:
Front spoiler, repair and respray
Fix drooping headlining
Try and restore taillights.

[dcwalker]

Good work all round Will!

Pleased the B-pillar trims worked out as you wanted

Re the pop-ups, have you tried the brinkie-winkie dance?

David

[jifflemon]

Fitting the sender was simple enough, but the clearance is abysmal. I don't know what the 1.7 or Turbo's are like, but the 2.0 lump was clearly not designed for that feature in mind.

Access is appalling on ALL models!

[MisterH]

Loving the fact I am finally not alone in thinking of Half Life when I see the B Pillars. Must confess to having never played HL2, but having spent way too much time in Gmod

[jifflemon]

HL2 was epic! However portal > all the HL series

[WillC9303]

Good work all round Will!
Pleased the B-pillar trims worked out as you wanted
Re the pop-ups, have you tried the brinkie-winkie dance?

Thanks David, as for the brinkie-winkie dance, I'm not too familiar with that one pop-ups seemed to have fixed themselves again, but I won't hold my breath on that...

but having spent way too much time in Gmod

Gmod is absolutely hilarious. Spent many an hour goofing round with friends on that game!

HL2 was epic! However portal > all the HL series

Indeed it was - one of the most atmospheric games I've ever played. Graphics are outstanding for a 2004 game. Shame we never got to see how the story ended. Portal was good also.

[WillC9303]

1 year ownership update

So, it turns out that yesterday marked the 1 year anniversary of me getting my 480. Not only is it my first 480, but it was also my first car! Looking back on previous posts, some of my earlier aims, such as getting it 'near concourse' by this time are rather amusing I'll admit. However, I have spent a small fortune and done a butt ton of work on this car. (New discs and pads all round, cambelt + water pump change, full service, extensive welding work, new tyres, new ignition, fixed central locking system, overhauled both bumper bars, sanding, painting, etc etc) Not to mention the numerous electrical faults I've encountered....

In addition to that, I've fitted auxiliary gauges + proper sender, cupholder armrest (of course), cassette storage, new radio, old style ash tray, and will soon be fitting a proper boot roller blind to replace the goofy fabric one.
There's still work to do: the passenger door is still dropping, the rear washer jet doesn't work, bumpers could do with respraying, oh, and I never got round to fixing those heated seats in the end
There's also a leak somewhere in the car that I haven't managed to find yet.

Since I passed my test in the summer, I've put around 850 miles on the odometer. A lot of which has been spent travelling to and from Milton Keynes! 480s are absolutely fantastic cars to drive, the handling is great, and the smooth torque characteristics offset the lack of serious power. You can also fit a mountain bike in the back it turns out, but I would recommend against it as it is a faf and you risk scratching interior trim.

I definitely would'nt have been able to get this far without the help from the club, who have been extremely kind and helpful. I think I would've lost my marbles if Facebook was the only place I could've gone to! There's so many members on here who have helped me in some way shape or form, that It would take me ages to list them all, so I'll just thank everyone!

So what now? Well, I currently don't have any intention of getting rid of my 480. In fact, as long as space allows, I plan to keep it indefinitely. I don't have any desire for an engine swap, stainless exhaust or even different wheels. I just want to keep it as-is, really. Will be enjoying driving it for another year until it will have to go into storage for quite a long time as I won't be around to do any driving. It will be a shame to let the car sit, but the alternative would be to sell. Would love to own a 940 estate or a late 5dr Range Rover Classic in the future., but those would have to be in addition to the 480, rather than instead-of. Doesn't matter anyway, as I can't afford either

Had I had my time again, I wouldn't have chosen anything else as my first car.


Training & Development Centre afternoon of 01/10/22

[MisterH]

Many Congratulations Will!

I did wonder if someone would be mad enough to follow me in having a wedge as their first car in the late 2010s, although you were much more sensible with the 2.0 engine (not that the 1.7 B18E is bad by any means ). It has been really great getting to know you and your car over the past year, even if it has only been online. I am currently at university and I can confirm that the Wedge is ok at uni duties, but I chose to switch it out for the Audi, as the latter is much less fragile (even if it is more valuable and also seems to break down more - who'd have thought it.)

As for going into storage with your own car - don't worry about it. As long as it is fired up fairly regularly it'll be fine, and it will keep it dry. The quattro regularly slept for 6 months at a time and was usually fine after a few days of running. Well, until the cylinder walls kind of dissolved, but that is something else entirely

I must say I am in awe of your commitment to the wedge, knowledge acquisition, and sheer proactivity. I must admit, there are still lots of faults with mine I haven't fixed as I tend to put them off if the car is driving fine, such as instrument lights...

I can't wait to see what you can bring to the club and the classic car scene as a whole, with people like you about, there is a logic to being positive

[dragonflyjewels]

That's a good raft of work you've got through Will, well done !

[jifflemon]

It does you well to reflect on what's been achieved, and you've achieved a lot - More than some people achieve in years!

Was chatting the other day with the "other" Will about how we should drive other peoples 480's. I think it'd be therapeutic on many levels:

• You'd realise even the best 480's still have faults

• People may flag up things with your own car you had "gotten used to" (I'm looking at you here Ben!)

• People may flag up things with your own car you were unware of.

There's also the "try before you buy" aspect; Imagine spending a fortune on that centre console armrest only to find you didn't actually like it? Or those uber rare venetian blinds actually rattle like skeletons fornicating in a biscuit tin?

Other people driving your car is a positive thing (although I've got a list of Jobs on Henry I need to go and sort.....)

[100]

skeletons fornicating in a biscuit tin?

[Jay-Kay-Em]

A real credit to your efforts Will. Top work.

Also great to know a younger generation in the ranks running such classics, rather than just old fogies like myself

[MisterH]

It does you well to reflect on what's been achieved, and you've achieved a lot - More than some people achieve in years!

Was chatting the other day with the "other" Will about how we should drive other peoples 480's. I think it'd be therapeutic on many levels:

• You'd realise even the best 480's still have faults

• People may flag up things with your own car you had "gotten used to" (I'm looking at you here Ben!)

• People may flag up things with your own car you were unware of.

There's also the "try before you buy" aspect; Imagine spending a fortune on that centre console armrest only to find you didn't actually like it? Or those uber rare venetian blinds actually rattle like skeletons fornicating in a biscuit tin?

Other people driving your car is a positive thing (although I've got a list of Jobs on Henry I need to go and sort.....)

I would still love to have my car driven by an expert *hint*

[dragonflyjewels]

Maybe we should do some car swapping for various legs of the meeting convoys. Musical cars

[cranna21]

you know I'd actually be more than happy to let most folk on here drive mine if it worked

[Alan 480]

you know I'd actually be more than happy to let most folk on here drive mine if it worked

have faith , it was working, pretty sure it will work again

[WillC9303]

Updates to the 480
Since the forum has been a little quiet these past couple of weeks, I thought I'd do a quick(ish) update on things:
Over the last month or so I’ve wound up collecting a varied bunch of things, including a Radio, CD Changer, a 480 Matchbox model, a proper boot roller cover and some extra special accessories that I will get to!



Firstly, many many thanks to Richard, who kindly donated me his spare CR-702 radio and Philips 6-disc CD changer. I’ve been meaning to add a CD Changer to my car for a while now, and I’m now one step closer. On a side note, if anyone has cables for a Philips changer or the small blank plug for the equaliser port for sale, please let me know as unfortunately I can’t get the radio won’t work without it.

Thanks also to Jeff who sourced me the boot roller cover that I’ve been after for a good while now. It’s less of a faf than the cloth one, and should have been factory fit and not an option IMHO. Wasn’t too fiddly to fit either and took about 15 minutes.

I'd also been after a 480 matchbox model to turn into a two-tone replica of my actual car for a while now and found this going for cheap on eBay. I’ve decided to keep it in the box as is - it would be a shame to strip and re-paint considering its still sealed in the packaging.



Thought the cup-holder armrest was the ultimate in 480 armrest plushness?
While browsing old forum posts a month or so back I came across pictures of the ultra-rare wood veneer interior accessories that were part of the Hausser Tuning body kit. I subsequently put a post out on Facebook in the vain hope that anybody had any for sale and left it. Two people ended up messaging me from the Netherlands. Hausser offered two veneer types for the 480; Burr Walnut and Zebrano. I managed to acquire two (new old stock & still in cellophane) armrests, one of each type, and a Zebrano dash insert. Unfortunately I don’t quite have the full kit, as there was a long wood insert for the passenger side, as well as a small surround that goes over the heated seat switch panel. The search continues for those! Unfortunately due to Royal Mail strikes, I’m still waiting on the Zebrano armrest to arrive. To my surprise, the quality of the veneer is exceptional. The walnut one in particular has a gold glow when it hits sunlight, and it has a decent weight to it. As nice as these armrests are, I think I'll stick to my cup-holder one due to the extra height and padding it provides. I imagine that wood trim is probably a bit controversial to have in a futuristic electronic 80's 480, so these these won't be to everyone's taste. Looking at old Hausser brochures, I'd say these parts date from around 1989/1990. Hausser did offer their own wood steering wheels (in both wood types), however I am told they're even rarer and that the wood rim fades quite badly, so finding a good one is next to impossible.



For those wondering what the Walnut &Zebrano armrests look like:
https://i.ibb.co/xY4bwDh/72368-CA4-2-BF ... 7-C1-F.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/18VHRX9/C0-EE757-F-D2- ... 3-C614.jpg (this one's yet to arrive, and is the seller's photo)