MikeyRules

Coventry - Essex pretty similar really

Yeah I saw it come in! (I'm friends with Luke) Would love a unit in ''Little Italy'' where they are in Renson Close!! (Nick Harper next door has a fab 155 with busso power!!) It was a nice car, but a little leggy mileage wise for me... and Essex handbag white! And I'd prefer this that they're currently prepping!

Ridiculous price really when you think about it! Should be about £80 really given the price of LED's and plastic! Let us know how easy it is to fit? I'm guessing it's bumper off, whole light unit out to replace the DLR strip...

I grew up in Manchester where most cars get magnetised and driven through Halfrauds!

Yeah mine needs some cosmetic tlc when the weather improves... I managed a quick D/A polish about a month ago to get some light scratches out of both sides where I'd gone down a countryside track that was touching the car on both sides at times! I could hear the brambles scraping the sides lol!!

Yeah the mafia can be a bit annoying! The have their fingers in everything and I mean everything! ...and yes I love Alfa's

Yes it always helps having an Italian on board... I was married there and am now part of a family from Vinci, Tuscany, so visit them two to three times a year. There's some fabulous stuff still on the roads like Fulvia's, Martini Delta's, x19, 33's, 75's and montes... Keep thinking I should buy something and drive it back!!

For some reason my link above has been redirected?? Anyway yeah Magneti Marelli seems to be the brand across eBay so seems about right.

What loose? How odd!? Do you think it got there whilst on the production line?

Yes the front DRL's are separate unlike the rear unit... https://www.ebay.it/itm/FARO-LUCE-DIURNA-A-LED-DESTRO-LANCIA-DELTA-DAL-2008-CON-FARI-XENON-MARELLI/182289942216?fits=Year%3A2008%7CIT_Make%3ALancia%7CIT_Model%3ADelta+III&hash=item2a7153c6c8:g:jrMAAOSw8w1X5BLF

Yeah they are a great car, you're right. I guess initially I was going to sell it on after a year or so, but tbh it suits our current needs quite well. It's more spacious in the back than most if not all Alfa's, cheap to tax and run, pulls well and on the whole has not been too bad for repairs and maintenance. I wish I'd got a 2.0l limited or S model, but the 1.6 has done well for what it is. I'd really like a Sportwagon again, but the 156's are getting long in the tooth and aren't any more practical than the Delta, and the 159's are fetching really strong money if they're a decent spec like a Ti, and again not massively more practical either with a big lip to the loading bay... I did look at the dame Edna last edition of the Saab 9-5 wagon, but they've gone the same way with prices rising if vector sport or above. So each year after the MOT and any maintenance on the Delta I've just kept it on. I'd really like the wife to have it, but she won't drive any other than Alfa's...She totally addicted to them which is definitely my fault...

Well that's gone fast! I've officially owned the Delta for 3 years today... Possibly the longest time I've owned a single car for too! So that has to say something for it...

Haha I can't believe that's still in there!!

Yeah looks familiar! I wouldn't use duct tape to be honest. You need some waterproof amalgamating tape that forms a seal like this: https://www.screwfix.com/p/self-amalgamating-rubber-tape-black-25mm-x-3m/2115V?tc=AT4&ds_rl=1249481&ds_rl=1245250&gclid=CjwKCAiAmb7RBRATEiwA7kS8VHHwSww2xiqOxWBkhf_Pmqs6cSJ0z2wBzGKAjEWPCZc7Cvp68OhhARoCyMUQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CJDorvOXhNgCFRBuGwodAqQPbA

It's always nice when it's an easy fix... So was it at the pump end where it had come off then?

Yeah I'm not quite as bad as that... Well ok definitely only Italian for the last 10 years, but before that I used to import quite a few of the JDM cars from Japan when the Yen was good, have dabbled/raced in Lotus, rebuilt a few classic Opel's (Manta's/Monza etc), run a good few Saab's, but started life in 80's fiat's and Alfa's. My very first Alfa being a 1.5ti Sud, and first Fiat a 3 door Mirrafori! I say 3 door because the drivers door wouldn't open!!

Good to know! I've stripped enough Alfa front ends and small fiat's before just not looked too closely at the Delta apart from re-branding and the odd failed part...

Well you certainly know your stuff then as that's quite some accolade. I had an inkling you'd been associated with the brand... Funny how none of the Tech's I've met can leave the brand for very long! Almost fatal attraction lol!

I blame the robots! Cutting corners lol! Yeah 90's diesels were hewn from granite, not like these clogged up DPF - EGR strangled lumps of plastic! Whilst I admire being able to extrapolate 120 horses out of a tiny 1.6, or 170 / 200 ponies out of the 2.0 they do have a few crosses to bear compared to the older common rails, plus a few suspect parts... I sourced a 90's long wheel based Pajero for a friend that was emigrating to Bulgaria. It had 120k on it (This was in 2000) and she drove it to Southern Bulgaria and it's been her daily ever since. It's got just under 300k on it, and apart from an intercooler, a couple of wheel bearings and battery it's never failed her. She lives in the mountains so the weather is harsh in the winter and 30c plus summers, but will probably out live her the way things are going!

Not seen any front failures yet, but both Neil and I have had rear led failure. They started to be intermittent but soon became permanent. I've not looked at a head light removed, but if they are anything like the rears, they are almost impossible to open without causing damage to the unit. I did get mine open eventually to look at the circuit, and found a dry joint, but by that time I'd totally trashed the unit opening it up. I got a replacement from good old eBay Italia for about £130 from memory... the front may be more and also for the European market rather than UK rhd, unless they're switchable on the back??

Good tip especially as most of these are circa 5 years old plus now! How many fixings hold the liner on? I might have a look when it gets a bit warmer...

That's good going Andrew! If nothing else it gives you some peace of mind now that everything should be rosey for another 4 years! This will make you laugh... I had mine changed back in Feb I think, done on time rather than miles, but the Aux belt was perfect so we left it. Then in April I had a panic attack that I'd not done the belts in the Delta, so did them again! Only this time we found a grumble in the Aux bearing so changed that as well. In my defence I buy and sell Italian cars, so I have quite a few going through the workshop which sometimes need belts etc. So neither me nor Nigel could remember if the Delta had been done or not. I couldn't find the invoice and Nigel had forgotten to stamp the book! Doh!! Anyway book now stamped and invoice found and placed in the history folder where it belongs... I guess looking on the bright side we wouldn't have found the Aux belt fault until it was too late if we hadn't stripped it all down again

Yeah I guess, but for a consumable that fits all of the Fiat/Alfa/Lancia 1.6jtdm engines it should really be under a £100 given how often they can fail... My mileage is still low at 48k for a July 12 car...

Well I've just replaced my EGR valve as it was lighting up the ELM light intermittently, but would clear after 10 restarts for a couple of days before doing it again. I was getting two fault codes, so decided that 5 years of stop start driving with the odd long journey thrown in for good measure wasn't too bad really for the original... Interestingly it wasn't putting the car into limp mode, but I reckon If I'd left it much longer it would have done eventually! Anyway at £155 it wasn't too wallet robbing, just a pain to change compared to the 1.9jtdm!

Glad I have my uses.... occasionally