ItaliaAuto

by **joe_yong** » Wed May 16, 2012 5:44 pm

This is not another self praise thread about how superior Fiat Coupe is but just sharing the joy (and weirdness) of my ownership. Somethings happened recently, and I felt that even after 2 years plus of owning it, it still surprises me and just hoping other owners will chip in if what is happening is...n a t u r a l...aka meant to be! :mrgreen:

I must confess a terrible SIN!...that i haven't been driving my coupe for some time :oops:

and i missed it terribly and when i resume, my GOSH! i enjoy the feeling of acceleration from 100 to 170km/h SO MUCH! It's the smoothness...the start button, the head rest support...cun lah! :mrgreen:

Then suddenly i also fear of this animal, i have been driving slow cars and now i get scared when i 'suddenly' end up behind other cars...without knowing it!

But anyway, what i wanted to share are some of the repairs i've done recently and i didn't know these small repairs could transform the coupe into totally amazing feeling, at least for me:

1. Last year, i would rate Forge BOV (recirculating valve) one of the best investment for coupe! Boosting was constant and not helter skelter...

2. This year, man...you guys must change the clutch la! Now so smooth like baby's ass! :mrgreen:

I'm still caught choking the coupe these days because it has become the best clutch feeling of my cars...everything felt so light! Now my coupe feels so agile, not like a big fat ass car as before... $\:D/$

3. Thanks for the attentive efforts of MLM, he helped me to rectify a leaking mid box/ pipe and a unnatural bend on the exhaust system...man, it feels good! Dunno how to express, feels i can fart better now! But I'm still chasing after a nice sounding for my coupe, some say cone filter will make it sound better...

4. Spark plugs - NGK iridium xx7xxx, man, the engine don't idle so roughly now, purr like a kitten...

I'm not sure about this but after sorting out the lower arm and/or Whiteline ARB, i feel like the shocks are really working dampening naturally instead of 'jumpy' feeling before this. Even MLM says the Bilstein i'm using is comfy...

So yeah, after so long of not driving coupe and added the items above, i suddenly feel that i have to learn how to drive coupe all over again! I'm also taking this excuse to ffk one fellow IA member that i sked to turun padang this coming trackday...next round okay?! :mrgreen:

by **pistole** » Wed May 16, 2012 6:09 pm

- yeah , after all these years , she's still a sports car.

.

by **ognam** » Wed May 16, 2012 9:33 pm

The coupe is a love-hate affair. But usually ends with love.

And true how the little things (like tightening a boost hose, cleaning MAF, cleaning ICV) can do so much. It's a car that warrants attention, but rewards you when you do. Joe, you need a Flea remap! :mrgreen:

The best place to "learn" your car all over again is Sepang. So your FFK is unacceptable!

Going to be my first time on Sepang with the coupe this Sunday. Excited + Petrified. Past experiences on track have been with way slower cars.

by **raitag** » Wed May 16, 2012 10:23 pm

sunday what time? can KPC? my coupe still not sorted out... same gasket kept on blowing... am out of idea... last resort tomorrow will install SS gasket... if that one koyak also, i give up...

by **ognam** » Wed May 16, 2012 10:33 pm

Please come KPC. Need pointers. 9am-12pm.

Don't give up raitag! Stock manifolddddd!

by **joe_yong** » Wed May 16, 2012 10:44 pm

Haha the missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle is Flea eh? Haha
When I imagine myself going through the phase at sepang, similarly I'm so excited as well as petrified! So I know what u mean...
Ok set, me wan to kpc too!
Raitag, I'm sure there are more higher bhp cars than your, what gasket do they use? UN's 300bhp coupe should have sufficient good gasket no?

by **Kelv27** » Thu May 17, 2012 2:18 pm

Car already tip top and still dont wanna turun padang...cis

by **stevo** » Thu May 17, 2012 3:41 pm

Car jockey called el presidente UN's Fiat Coupe, "Tu Ferrari siapa punya?" :mrgreen:

by **joe_yong** » Thu May 17, 2012 6:04 pm

Kelv27 wrote:Car already tip top and still dont wanna turun padang...cis

one more important part haven't install...balls... :cry:

one curious question - saw a track-prep (but road going) civic ek getting alignment done just now. how much faster can they go compared to a well driven coupe? :mrgreen:

by **Kelv27** » Thu May 17, 2012 6:54 pm

joe_yong wrote:
Kelv27 wrote:Car already tip top and still dont wanna turun padang...cis

one more important part haven't install...balls...

one curious question - saw a track-prep (but road going) civic ek getting alignment done just now. how much faster can they go compared to a well driven coupe?

Quite abit faster i would imagine..track-prep means it probably weighs next to nothing.

by **nahar** » Thu May 17, 2012 7:45 pm

Joe,

If u want, we have friend here who do medical grade titanium for orthopedic parts. If want to place an order for titanium balls... I think he can do... Titanium balls shield also can... Wanna do? Hheehheehheee :mrgreen:

by **joe_yong** » Thu May 17, 2012 11:48 pm

So coupe team, r u taking out d rear seats? If abit faster then coupe is less hassle going to track isn't it? Unless u guys really aiming for the seconds...

I would love to hav those titanium balls...but...but... I belum kahwin would need those balls in stock form :mrgreen:

by **gtfan** » Fri May 18, 2012 1:42 pm

Power is one thing.....but the best bet to shed off seconds from any track events, look at semi-slick tyres and sports suspension (lebih keras lebih bagus), and super kow extreme negative camber on your tyres.

Oh, and brakes too with super kow brake pads. :mrgreen:

No need to remove seats la.....it's better to kick any fat passenger next to you or don't allow anyone more than 50kg next to you :mrgreen:

by **raitag** » Fri May 18, 2012 4:05 pm

hahahaha... semi-slick will definitely help... or u'll end up like zainframe... paid 200, run 2 laps, retired... coupe went sliding all over the place...

the civics are fast.... especially around corners.... in the coupe, no chance...

keep the rear seat... u can remove the spare wheels, anything in the boot...

by **Kelv27** » Fri May 18, 2012 4:13 pm

For coupe, i rather have the weight at the back. Fill the boot and backseat with bricks and shit. Remove the engine. :mrgreen:

by **pistole** » Sat May 19, 2012 8:23 am

- not sure , but it'll be tough getting round Sepang without an engine

- meow

.

by **joe_yong** » Mon Jun 04, 2012 11:54 pm

no matter what a lousy and stressed out day you have, there's nothing a coupe can't cheer you up! :mrgreen:

by **aileen** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 1:59 pm

I've had the coupe for just over two years and every morning when i see it (IF i see it, bcos the husband always beats me to it), i still feel the lump in my throat, the skip of a heart beat ... as when i saw it the first time. albeit the palm sized oil patches we just can't seem to fix and the never ending array of items that needs to be changed. Just when I start thinking of letting it go, a split second later I am thinking of getting it something new.. Such a strange enigma this piece of machine.. then there is my son who would gladly move into the car... ever since we got the coupe it has sparked his interest in cars - especially ferraris ... he knows all the models by heart, is raving crazy about auto magazines and will listen no end to jeremy clarkson - am not sure if he actually understands what he's saying though .. BTW he turns five this August .. strangely enough he has requested for 3 CDs by David Bowie, Bryan Adams and Radiohead for his birthday... I am sure a request for something ferrari will come out at some point... The coupe has also put my daughter on the red carpet, as I have recently found out, boys are going after her because her dad drives a "kereta mewah." hahahah if I knew how much higher me shares could have been, I would have gotten one right out of uni...

.. then there's the hubby, who at one time never batted an eyelid on bird shit accumulated on the previous cars.. to see him going at it now at any time of the day.... mmm that's a great exodus in mindset... i still think he should be more adventurous when driving the car... hai takut nak tekan!. malu betui ... movin over for some MyVi... As for me... the boost of the turbo and the metallic whiz of the air intake.. that's medicine for any day... i hope the vios will not take offense but i will end by saying that, "What's worse than someone not noticing me driving the coupe is when someone notices me drivin the vios!"... sunny skies until the next part change.. he he..

by **joe_yong** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 3:27 pm

aileen, thanks for the sharing!
one thing is for sure, coupe means all differently to us and glad it has brought some joy to your whole family. sometimes such 'investments' makes it worthwhile...imagine what your kid will say one day after 20 years? This is like some of our friends now are reminiscing about the cars their parents had when they were young. That's how such poison are passed through generations...

"Such a strange enigma this piece of machine.." - sounds scary to me haha, like a never ending $$ drinking machine? haha

but you know what? let me racun you abit...how's the best way to enjoy a coupe?! :twisted:

driving coupe d whole day, meeting up other coupe owners n alfa owners, makan-makan, sight seeing..BEST! :mrgreen:

best moments like group picture of all the coupes...hmmmph! Cun!

once a year we go on trips, so hope you can join along with family...then your husband can also get hints how coupe should be driven :twisted:

....once a while lah! haha look out for Grand Trip 2012! But we don't drive fast all the time, plus i volunteer to be the sweeper...slowest coupe in Malaysia! We just sapu any blur-sotong, lost along the way...

by **puchongbala** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 3:38 pm

aileen wrote:The coupe has also put my daughter on the red carpet, as I have recently found out, boys are going after her because her dad drives a "kereta mewah."

Ha ha!

Wonder if any of the guys have been targetted by the ladies coz they drive coupes . . . 8-)

Joe Yong - repeat of the Merdeka Coupe Run this year?

by **raitag** » Wed Jun 06, 2012 7:54 am

nice one aileen. everytime i think of buying another car, which car is going to sit outside? 156? no la... Coupe? NO WAY!!!... new car?? probably!

by V8 » Wed Jun 06, 2012 2:27 pm

my installment for the coupe will end this Oct!!! $\:D/$
that means i bought it almost 5years!!!
till now i couldn't think of any other cars can replace it with that kind of budget and spec!

i'm not hardcore car kaki,lazy to learn much on the car's mechanics (leave it to the mechanics) although i provides consultancy to automotive makers!

most of thing MLM will help me to sort out, less hassle for me! :thumbs:

Seldom drive it, but I'm still happy every time i got chance to bring it to the highway!!! :thumbs:

Well, my mom keep asking me to sell it, but don't give a damn! :-''

i still feel great with the car's look, performance and the best is with the price of Waja!!! 8-)

I'm still "the guy with sport car" among my friends and kampong! :-''

by **joe_yong** » Wed Jun 06, 2012 10:51 pm

puchongbala wrote:

Joe Yong - repeat of the Merdeka Coupe Run this year?

it was fun, no?
Pb, since u have poison Aileen dy, do it all d way lah! What's more fun than driving a coupe?....
When driving it in a group! Kakaka

by **puchongbala** » Thu Jun 07, 2012 11:49 am

joe_yong wrote:
puchongbala wrote:

Joe Yong - repeat of the Merdeka Coupe Run this year?

it was fun, no?
Pb, since u have poison Aileen dy, do it all d way lah! What's more fun than driving a coupe?....
When driving it in a group! Kakaka

Woi, she was there la fer the last Merdeka Run. Red one . . .

by **Sergio Mendes** » Thu Jun 07, 2012 12:22 pm

after reading aileen's words...

Makes me wanna get one.

:twisted:

by **nt8285** » Thu Jun 07, 2012 2:50 pm

Haha! Aileen, great sharing on your experiences with ur Coupe! Really enjoyed reading it!

Ahhhh...the wonders of owning and driving an Italian! Despite the problems and tantrums that they throw at us sometimes, we still love them so much and tolerate them! :mrgreen:

Btw, driving a gorgeous Italian ride certainly does make the driver and owner look more attractive! Haha! Recently, I was driving up to Genting via Ulu Yam with my partners in crime, Daniel and my brother! We were waiting near the Old Town and Taxi Stop for Daniel to arrive when a young chinese couple was walking to the direction of my car. It was dark and my windows were down, so I managed to catch and hear what the girl was saying. She went like "Wah! Nice car la!" and when she got closer, she said "Wah! The driver also handsome!" :mrgreen:

by **Redd** » Thu Jun 07, 2012 3:00 pm

aileen wrote:I've had the coupe for just over two years and every morning when i see it (IF i see it, bcos the husband always beats me to it), i still feel the lump in my throat, the skip of a heart beat ... as when i saw it the first time. albeit the palm sized oil patches we just can't seem to fix and the never ending array of items that needs to be changed. Just when I start thinking of letting it go, a split second later I am thinking of getting it something new.. Such a strange enigma this piece of machine.. then there is my son who would gladly move into the car... ever since we got the coupe it has sparked his interest in cars - especially ferraris ... he knows all the models by heart, is raving crazy about auto magazines and will listen no end to jeremy clarkson - am not sure if he actually understands what he's saying though .. BTW he turns five this August .. strangely enough he has requested for 3 CDs by David Bowie, Bryan Adams and Radiohead for his birthday... I am sure a request for something ferrari will come out at some point... The coupe has also put my daughter on the red carpet, as I have recently found out, boys are going after her because her dad drives a "kereta mewah." hahahah if I knew how much higher me shares could have been, I would have gotten one right out of uni..... then there's the hubby, who at one time never batted an eyelid on bird shit accumulated on the previous cars.. to see him going at it now at any time of the day.... mmm that's a great exodus in mindset... i still think he should be more adventurous when driving the car... hai takut nak tekan!. malu betui ... movin over for some MyVi... As for me... the boost of the turbo and the metallic whiz of the air intake.. that's medicine for any day... i hope the vios will not take offense but i will end by saying that, "What's worse than someone not noticing me driving the coupe is when someone notices me drivin the vios!"... sunny skies until the next part change.. he he..

good read. brought a tear to my eye...

redd

by **nt8285** » Thu Jun 07, 2012 3:10 pm

Haha! Bro, regretting for selling ur Coupe?! You can always go buy another one! :mrgreen:

by **aileen** » Thu Jun 07, 2012 5:24 pm

puchongbala wrote:
joe_yong wrote:
puchongbala wrote:

Joe Yong - repeat of the Merdeka Coupe Run this year?

it was fun, no?
Pb, since u have poison Aileen dy, do it all d way lah! What's more fun than driving a coupe?....
When driving it in a group! Kakaka

Woi, she was there la fer the last Merdeka Run. Red one . . .

haiya (sigh)...not attractive enough for you to remember the driver of the red coupe... looks like driver needs as much work as the coupe... Puchong bala laughing, saying, "major surgery needed"... :cuss-ing:

by **invisibleghost** » Thu Jun 07, 2012 7:17 pm

sadly i never see aileen before

by **joe_yong** » Thu Jun 07, 2012 10:58 pm

It's all puchongbala's fault since he didn't introduce you to us! :mrgreen:

To be honest, can't fully rmb that run too...old dy...but did Aileen drive? I rmb a red coupe but don't see girl driving...a guy drove, sitting in the passenger was a cun lady... :mrgreen:

Then again, the run was half a day event, join GT it's 3D2N of pure fun everyday!! Everyone, do try to make it!

by **joe_yong** » Thu Jun 07, 2012 11:03 pm

Ater reading aileen's post, got curious. How many among us use coupe as daily drive or has a + 1 (daily workhorse)?

Let me start:

1. Joe_yong - coupe (daily) + frenchie (old pug)

by **raitag** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 9:33 am

Ater reading aileen's post, got curious. How many among us use coupe as daily drive or has a + 1 (daily workhorse)?

Let me start:

1. Joe_yong - coupe (daily) + frenchie (old pug)
2. Raitag - coupe (daily)

by **Kelv27** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 9:49 am

Ater reading aileen's post, got curious. How many among us use coupe as daily drive or has a + 1 (daily workhorse)?

Let me start:

1. Joe_yong - coupe (daily) + frenchie (old pug)
2. Raitag - coupe (daily)
3. Kelv27 - Coupe (daily)

by **puchongbala** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 10:59 am

Ater reading aileen's post, got curious. How many among us use coupe as daily drive or has a + 1 (daily workhorse)?

Let me start:

1. Joe_yong - coupe (daily) + frenchie (old pug)
2. Raitag - coupe (daily)
3. Kelv27 - Coupe (daily)
4. Puchongbala - coupe (daily) - either wifey or meself will drive it

by **bravosx** » Sat Jun 09, 2012 8:33 am

Me not driving Coupe la but both my Italians are daily drivers - both local and long distance. My wives 5 year old MyVi has much much lower mileage than both my Bellas :p

by **muninn** » Sat Jun 09, 2012 10:11 am

i think most people who had the coupe used it daily. I did. I went everywhere with it and the car was bulletproof! No horror stories. Expected wear and tear things and with regular servicing, the engine will just keep going and going and going and going.

by **bravosx** » Sat Jun 09, 2012 11:32 am

yeah.......these cars are meant to be driven.

by **puchongbala** » Sat Jun 09, 2012 10:29 pm

e="bravosx"]Me not driving Coupe la but both my Italians are daily drivers - both local and long distance. My wives 5 year old MyVi has much much lower mileage than both my Bellas :p[/quote]

Wives??!?

How many do ye have la bravo? :mrgreen:

by **Kelv27** » Sat Jun 09, 2012 11:40 pm

Many wives sharing 1 Myvi? How do you do it la bro?? :mrgreen:

by **joe_yong** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 2:04 am

Bravosx kantoi dy!! This is THE commitment u were saying in the other thread? :mrgreen:

by **bravosx** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 7:47 am

Errrrr.....soli.........wlong sperring la...........it shud be "my wifes MyVi".................. :mrgreen:

I takde 4 quota unlike some of our friends who automatically have :-''

I'd rather have 4 Bellas and 1 wife than the other way around......haha.

by **joe_yong** » Mon Jun 11, 2012 12:43 am

How many among us use coupe as daily drive or has a + 1 (daily workhorse)?

Let me start:

1. Joe_yong - coupe (daily) + frenchie (old pug)
2. Raitag - coupe (daily)
3. Kelv27 - Coupe (daily)
4. Puchongbala - coupe (daily) - either wifey or meself will drive it
5. muninn (ex-daily) haha
6. ognam (daily too i think)

by **newbie** » Mon Jun 11, 2012 1:11 am

How many among us use coupe as daily drive or has a + 1 (daily workhorse)?

Let me start:

1. Joe_yong - coupe (daily) + frenchie (old pug)
2. Raitag - coupe (daily)
3. Kelv27 - Coupe (daily)
4. Puchongbala - coupe (daily) - either wifey or meself will drive it
5. muninn (ex-daily) haha
6. ognam (daily too i think)
7. newbie (daily)

by **joe_yong** » Mon Jun 11, 2012 12:48 pm

was very proud of myself as i managed to tangkap one 'ghost' in the engine...coupe has been 'wailing' during accelerating...moral of the story, when there's a weird sound, coupe is calling for help...! :mrgreen:

will post up pics, still learning haha

by **joe_yong** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 12:43 am

For a first time it really felt great and satisfying, fixing my own car! But at the same time quite scary. Worried i might screw things up more. But remembered i have a spare s-hose and wanting to change the existing with a split at one end.

To my surprise, I found a crack instead! And it seems that it's always the spot where it touches the aircond pipe.

found some hardened oil, is this normal?

the sleeve came out, is this normal?

found out this plastic connector to s-hose has it's holding bracket broken...

i guess i need to move the aircond piping, any advise?

by **joe_yong** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 9:24 am

thanks to GreenIce for the notice, i've actually didn't managed to upload the pics. But when i viewed on my laptop, the pictures actually appeared!

To my surprise, I found a crack instead! And it seems that it's always the spot where it touches the aircond pipe.

found some hardened oil, is this normal?

the sleeve came out, is this normal?

found out this plastic connector to s-hose has it's holding bracket broken...

i guess i need to move the aircond piping, any advise?

by **enzy** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 11:25 am

How many among us use coupe as daily drive or has a + 1 (daily workhorse)?

Let me start:

1. Joe_yong - coupe (daily) + frenchie (old pug)
2. Raitag - coupe (daily)
3. Kelv27 - Coupe (daily)
4. Puchongbala - coupe (daily) - either wifey or meself will drive it
5. muninn (ex-daily) haha
6. ognam (daily too i think)
7. newbie (daily)
8. Enzy (daily)

by **Kelv27** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 4:05 pm

To my surprise, I found a crack instead! And it seems that it's always the spot where it touches the aircond pipe.

Maybe try adjusting things abit and see if you get better clearance.

found some hardened oil, is this normal?

Provided its not flooded with fresh oil. EU regulations stipulate that oil from crankcase breather cannot be released to the atmosphere and must be recirculated back into the intake, therefore some oil there is normal.

the sleeve came out, is this normal?

Yes, normal for this sleeve to slip out with time. Knock it back into place and make sure hose clip compresses on this and not just the plastic tube.

found out this plastic connector to s-hose has it's holding bracket broken...

Normal for it to be broken. Most probably due to some fella resting his hand on the intake pipe while working on the car. Not much of an issue though...but probably the cause to why your S hose is rubbing on to your aircond pipe.

i guess i need to move the aircond piping, any advise?

Even if you remove it, not much other places you can move that rigid aircond pipe to! Look into adjusting your hose instead.

by **blackmango** » Tue Jun 26, 2012 1:44 pm

I drive mine daily too. Though I'm contemplating switching to a Megane RS 250. Any ideas how that will be as a daily ride?

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