Gnockoff

Having had a battery dry out on me, I no longer leave my battery on a charger for extended periods. Just trickle charge until fully charged then disconnect. Brian

If you have only had your car a couple of weeks, have to ask whether private buy or from dealer? If the latter any warranty?

If you didn't charge the battery before you tried to start the car then after eight months, almost certainly the failure to start is down to that. There may well have been enough charge to power up the lights and instruments, but batteries normally need to be fully charged to start an engine as it usually requires quite a bit of power. Brian

When I first got my 7 I was very conscious of every chip and mark on the thing, it didn't take me long to realise that if you want it to stay pristine, put it away in the garage and have a very expensive ornament. Yes, you have bought an expensive car, just don't expect it to stay looking the same way if you drive it much. These things attract stone chips, star cracks and marks like no other I'm sorry to say.

A friend of mine swears by Castrol Greentec which apparently you can get in Halfords. He uses it on a motorbike and says its the dogs doodas.

Starcom and Autocom both do what you want radio and all. Cheap is where it all goes wrong unfortunately. Edited by - Gnockoff on 6 Feb 2014 13:17:32

After messing about with a couple of electrical senders at £50.00 or so a pop, I went mechanical this summer. For the same money from Think Automotive, they sent me a new gauge, all the correct fittings and braided hoses. Very easy to do. I don't know why I persisted for so long with the old set up. I was so used to seeing 2 bar on the gauge, it was quite reassuring to have a steady 56 psi at 4k with a hot engine (Mobil1, 0w40) Brian

Just noticed date of your post, thought it was me, but it wasn't, sorry. We were around there yesterday. Brian Edited by - Gnockoff on 11 Sep 2013 18:17:52

Any problems I had with mine ( digital) I phoned Starcom, very helpful. Brian

Perhaps there's a difference between 13 and 15 inch tyres, my 15 inch 195 is definitely 6mm in the centre groove. It also had a sticker with 1440mm on it which I took to be the circumference. Brian

Definitely 6mm Brian

Have brand new tyre in garage waiting to be fitted, will check in the morning Brian

If you are a complete novice at DIY maintainance you might find it useful to take close up photos of what you intend to work on before you start so that if you get in a muddle you have some idea what the thing looked like. I have got myself in pickles with bits before and couldn't remember how things were before I started. Saves a lot of angst. Brian

When I bought my SV secondhand in 2008 there were a couple of issues which CC South were only too happy to sort out prior my driving the car away a couple of weeks later. No quibbles, accepted the faults and rectified as one would expect a dealer to do. Drove the car home, all loved up as you are! Couple of days later just before showing the thing off to family, I thought I'd check the tyre pressures, 7psi all round!!!!! Was not impressed. Some PDI, NOT.

This is a subject that has caused me a degree of angst ever since I've had my 7 (since 2008). After the first year I was really disappointed how much the paintwork had suffered after only (in tin top terms) about 4k miles. So, do I have it repainted or leave it, use the car how I want and not worry about it until it's really bad. I chose the latter, have driven it all over the Continent every year and now at 19k miles, the rear wings are liberally peppered with stone chips, couple of stars in rear wings and a crack in gel coat on cycle wing. I still keep it clean and polished, but reasoned that having spent over £20k, I wanted to enjoy the thing not keep it in the garage as an ornament. It's one of the crosses one has to bear owning a Caterham. I can't understand how people only do 500 or so miles a year, but everyone to their own. Brian Edited by - Gnockoff on 16 Mar 2013 23:23:31

As you have only had the car for two weeks, I would suggest that it should be down to Caterham to fix. I wouldn't fiddle with it, take it back. That's why you would have bought it from them in the first place I'm sure. Brian

There's lots about heater matrix in the archives, but when mine went, (2005 SV) I phoned Claytons and was told they stopped supplying Caterham in around 2002 so I bit the bullet and bought a new style heater at some horrendous price. The new heaters are from KL Automotive, who are part of some bigger firm and as I understand it, are not interested in supplying one off replacement bits.

You may just be lucky with Clayton as they stopped supplying Caterham in 2002/3, otherwise it's a KL Automotive unit and I don't think they will sell one offs. There is a product called K Seal specifically for K series engines which might be worth a go if you can't get a new matrix. New Heater from Caterham is VV expensive.

Heading towards Bourne End around 1430, I was in the Grey Mini going in the opposite direction, I suppose you were on your way back from Penn 7s.

Quoting Vinnie_HKI: Rob G can testify to following me up a long (100 miles) dry twisty road in California on Yoko 32's that were down to the canvas. There are pictures somewhere - and video which suggests we weren't hanging around - the patches of rubber left still gamely hung on to the asphalt. The car was subsequently driven from Southampton on return to UK, to Liverpool and then Yorkshire - in December (minus 14 on the M62 that night), before it made it's way to Newcastle and a ferry to Sweden and home. I've done similar with ACB10's and slicks although at tracks and not the road. That's one of the stupidest things I've read on this forum and certainly not something I would have admitted to all and sundry Brian

I'd try it on another battery first before you start delving into other bits of the engine.

That's not a garage, that's a warehouse!!!!!

Horrible, like a 70's Ital or Marina badge. What ever are Caterham thinking?

Clayton were the heater suppliers up to 2002, after that KL Automotive. Search in Tech Talk will bring up a couple of threads all about leaking heaters.

As said above, it depends how fussy you are. I used Hammerite Smooth on mine. Black for the mesh which was really easy to do and covered really well. I used silver for the 'seven'. I find that Hammerite lasts a bit longer and stands up to general road use very well. Brian