Few Pre-Purchase Questions

[EddySpaghetti]

Hi All,

I'm on the verge of buying a car, just trying to decide between two that I have been to see and have a few questions:

Is it an issue to fit S2 D90's to a Turbo SE? - looks like there is 13mm offset difference at the front end only (I guess because SE has the largest Brake Calipers??) - The arches are rolled on this car so it would be less likely than most to foul, but are there handling / wear issues to be considered?

Second queston is about an S2 I have looked at. The sunroof was slightly damaged around its edges. Bloke selling it said it was made of fibreglass. I never knew they were - is that correct from factory, or is a replacement? If it needs repairing, is the fibreglass more/less difficult than metal to work with?

Again on the S2, behind the belly pan there is a metal 'bottom of something' that has ribs/ridges on its lower surface. If there is oil there what are the potential leaks? - Steering felt a little heavy so could it be steering fluid and would a loss of fluid make the steering heavy? Belly Pan itself was dry at front half of it.

Lastly, if the driveshafts have some slop, is that an indication of gear box issues or just worn CV's? - car has highish mileage and more slop than others I have looked at with 50k less...

Thoughts on the above very welcome! - I found out a week ago that I'm unlikely to get made redundant (has been hanging over for last 2-3 months) so can finally get on with buying a new car.

I sold my old pride and joy just before the bad news came out and resorted to buying a £400 runaround to keep me going, but I need a proper car again soooooon.

Cheers,

Eddy

 

[tref]

The ribbed metal bit behind the undertray is the sump - in my experience it is where the oil from any oil leaks ends up! Power steering fluid likewise. Is it old or new oil? Could it be signs of problems past?

Low power steering fluid could make the steering heavy, but so could low tyre pressures. If it is low power steering fluid it will be accompanied by it being low in the reservoir, and the pump making an interesting noise whilst turning.

I have seen a damaged sunroof panel, and agree, it looks like fibreglass or plastic. Rather than repairing it though, consider finding a good secondhand replacement... this will almost certainly be cheaper, and eliminate the need for repair - it should be possible to find one of the correct colour too and eliminate the need for any paintwork.

Hope this helps,

Tref.

 

[DavidL]

Eddy,
S2 D90s may or may not have the correct offset but they are narrower.
Turbo se have 7.5 at the front and 9 at the back, older turbos and S2s are 7 and 8 .