Jim 123

Possibly consider the lack of any aerodynamics in the door mirror design as being the source of “buffeting”? Strengthening the door or mounts is likely to only modify the character of buffet induced distortion.

It is worth bearing in mind before you buy that a number of wrenches only torque in a clockwise direction. For your rear hubs you will need a wrench that works both ways

Tony I think you will find that the 4 cap head nuts and nylocs that fix the gearbox mount plate to the chassis have a good degree of lateral wriggle room if you want to try. If you have any ongoing problems I can advise a simple mod to the mount that works. As it is impossible to get a good visual, I found a reliable way of checking clearance was to cut a non crumpled slice of cardboard from the multitude of packing boxes that come with the build. If this passes comfortably along the top innermost edge of the lower chassis longitudinal without fouling on the box, you should be fine.

From the pre-Ikea Build Manual, page 71............ "Adjust the gearbox on its slotted mountings to achieve equal clearance within the transmission tunnel. This must be checked carefully as clearances are tight and poor alignment can cause the gearbox to contact the chassis under cornering". As you mention you can always get things tweaked at the PBC if there is a problem once the car is on wheels.

Don’t despair, my car had a similar tolerance build-up in the chassis, and the Mazda box is a tight clearance. First thing to try is to make yourself a wedge out of 70x70mm planed softwood, it needs to be 250mm long. Loosen the engine and all gearbox mounts. Place the wedge down the LH side of the box with the thin end between the box and lower chassis rail. Doing so will not harm the powdercoat. There should be good clearance to do this in front of the gearshift aperture. Watch you don’t damage the plastic switch housing on the side of the box while working in the area. Use the wedge as a lever, and you can drive it downwards to max the gap between the chassis lower longitudinal and the gearbox case. Once you have optimised the clearance in the contact area forward of the wedge, torque up all of the mounts starting with the box first. Don’t expect much of a clearance but you should gain a few mm and all should be fine once you are on the road. There is a further mod I can vouch for if it is needed which will give added clearance and so far has been good for the first 11,000 miles in my S3. If you think you might need this after the end of this month, PM me beforehand with your email and we can exchange contact details.

The touch on the heat shield is not too much to be stressed over. Is the box actually touching the LH lower chassis longitudinal, as it's a bit hard to see for certain in your pictures?

This is the type of thing Jonathan: https://www.ebay.co.uk/c/25028360062?iid=254051240348

I made a steel bracket similar to that which Paul describes in #2. For measurement setting I then bought a digital inclinometer with a flat magnetic base on Ebay for a tenner which is surprisingly accurate and repeatability is good. It is a piece of cake to calibrate to true vertical before you start by using a good old plumb line.

Looking at my car the seat base cover is adhesive bonded to the underside. Unsure about the backrest cover, although there is a horizontal plastic retainer where the leather terminates on the rearmost face. Maybe somebody with a kit build underway can comment on what can be seen from behind with the seat out of the car? Headrests have a zip carefully concealed inside the rearmost circumference.

O/T but if you are in Figures a blat Cadaques is a must do. North of the town is Port Ligat where Dali's used to live and a trip around the house is worth booking (in advance by phone). Hope the car lasts up.

Re my mention of jump start test previously. Behind my thought is the point that with engine compartment heat, the high rate of battery electrolyte evaporation on our cars always surprises me and it is a routine check often overlooked. Maybe along with having fun in Spanish climes Andy should do a check to make sure he is getting full push from a non depleted battery and the levels are OK?

No need to loose any sleep. On my build the ferrules were not fixed to the mount.

Whereabouts in Spain is Andy at present?

Are you hearing a relay click in the ECU as described or is it the starter solenoid? Remove clean and tighten starter leads? See if the problem remains if you try a jump start from a healthy battery?

Depending on were you are in Somerset, maybe give Jon at Millwood a call. He is based close to M5 / A38.