yellowdog

...well maybe not kill it but certainly "stun" it. I was driving my son to pick up some tickets for the new Batman movie tonight when suddenly my car lost power, died, then refused to start. No warning beforehand. Seemed like not enough charge was available for the starter to catch. Since I had not had any problems before, either starting or when driving, I am wondering if the heavy rain had anything to do with it. The Maz has already been towed to a local shop and I guess I'll hear from the mechanics tomorrow what their opinion is but I also wanted to hear if anyone else out there had something similar happen to them. Any/all opinions or thoughts are welcome.

My TC Toy, A great idea but I agree with LouZ--repetition is the only way to get anything to sink in. I can honestly admit ignorance since your kind offer to document our stories came out 4 months before I bought my car. Since then, I only go back into the old threads to see how other owners dealt with the "joys" of TC ownership. This has inspired me to hunt down those little disposable cameras I have lying in the back of my sock drawer and elsewhere from my European tour that have a few happy snaps of the Maz.

Completely agree with you. That's why I started the other thread to try to get the template and logo image. "Gonzo" who does custom liners for other car makes with their brand's logo (sells exclusively on eBay) is ready/willing to do something similar for us. His prices are under $100. I don't need something that is completely stock but I also don't want something that looks some monkeys with scissors and glue slapped it on there.

While I have had my car for 3 years now, it was only a few weeks ago that I finally took off my hard top for the first time. Been driving around with the soft top up and loving it. Except for one issue. There is a fair amount of body flex creaking that wasn't there before. Since this is my first convertible, it made me pretty nervous at first thinking that perhaps the car was about to fold up on itself. Now I've grown kind of used to it. Still, it would be nice to reduce the noise. So I went back into the forums to see what people have done in the past to deal with this like getting new shocks, swaybars, and/or panhards. Since my funds are limited, I cannot do all at once. My thinking is try one thing at a time and see how well it does before moving on to the next. So I'm looking for feedback on what worked and what didn't for others. TIA for the advice.

Guys, I found a guy who offers custom-made hood insulation with your car's logo embossed on it. He already does Corvettes, Mustangs, and others. His work looks pretty good (you can find photos on eBay under tbirddmnd). He said he could craft a version for TCs if he had an image file of our logo that was at least 800 pixels. The ones I found online were too small. Anyone have an pic that fits the bill? Also, does anyone have a template for the hood liner/insulation that I could borrow? TIA for any help on this.

Scratch last message. I think I found something. Does anyone have a template??

$250? For hood insulation?? Are there no decent substitutes?

Egg carton style? That was what the factory installed? My insulation was long gone when I got my car. Replacing it is just one item on an ever growing list of "to do's."

So who is planning to be there? I'm hoping I'll make it since this is the first year--since I got the car--that I am on this side of the pond. Really looking forward to finally meeting some of you in person!

How much does it usually take recharge a system?

My ABS light has been on since the day I bought her. A German mechanic thought it was a sensor wire but to do a full diagnostic would have cost me the equivalent of 4 new tires. My local mechanic tried to get me to replace the entire master brake assembly for 2500 (just for the parts). Since the brakes work fine without the ABS and it has passed Va. inspection, I haven't bothered to track down the issue. As for that pesky light, a military pilot recommended a standard work around that they use...black tape over the console light or just disconnect the bulb.

Oops. Didn't see the beginning of the thread. Scratch previous post.

I'm in Virginia and could be persuaded to part with mine. Usual glass separation. A few scratches in the clear coat. $400 if you pick up. $500 if I have to help ship it (if that is something you want to look into, check out uShip for quotes).

Just a quick note to provide a final update on the outcome of my brake problems. The auxiliary relay arrived from TCParts and after a long delay as other issues took over my attention, I installed it and, voila, she is purring like a kitten now. At some point, I will tackle the ABS issue (light that never goes out) and some other minor irritants but those can wait until after the holidays. Right now I just like driving her around, kicking up the leaves, and having the December sun sparkle off her chrome. Doesn't get much better than this.

I, too, would like a new set though I'm a little nervous what they might run. Also, how would I get them installed? Would most auto glass shops have the capability to do the job correctly?

Done. It should arrive this weekend.

Ok. The problem has been solved (again). Visited a local mechanical engineer who moonlights as a mechanic specializing in auto electronics. Long story short, with his testing gear, he figured out that the reason the brake pump was not getting any juice was that the "Aux Relay" (almost dead center of the schematic on page 8W-105 of the blue service manual) was giving up the ghost. The internal switch was not closing until he tapped it with a wrench. While his solution helps me keep her on the road in the short term, I want to get rid of the problem for good. Problem is that I tried both Advance Auto and Rockauto but no joy. Any recommendations as to where I can score one? Is there another name i should be using in my search?

Aarrgghh!! Just had to drive back into town to pick up some groceries and the brake issues (stiff pedal, weak stopping power, brake lights remaining on) all came back like before. Someone up there just doesn't like me very much...

I will look into it. I'm not entirely sure it is the accumulator that's the culprit. I had to have the car inspected just before leaving (my military registration expired and they would not grant me a few days waiver before she went on the boat). The German inspector thought it might be a sensor issue that had caused the ABS to shut down. I have to find a more competent mechanic to run the diagnostic to zero in on what ails my baby.

Not yet. That's on my to do list. Probably once I put her to bed for the winter.

SUCCESS! My son and I went to Advance Parts and picked up a replacement ABS relay. After a bit of hunting, we found the old unit (wrapped in a plastic bag along with several other fuses/relays) and swapped it out. The result...I have brakes again!! The pedal moves normally and the brake lights go out once I take my foot off. Saints be praised! While the plastic bag may have seemed a good idea at the time to someone, there was moisture inside the bag and one of the relays (not the one we replaced) was covered with a film of rust. Still have to tackle the temp gauge (it started to come back to life on the test drive but then, like someone with ED, it just gave up the ghost) and the ABS light. But those are for another day. I think I will save the defective relay and drop it off with the local mechanic who so confidently wrote my car off.... Thanks everyone for your input!

Jim and Tim, Thanks so much for the thoughtful replies. Hopefully, I can tear myself away from family obligations tomorrow or early in the week to check the car out as much as possible with the help of my oldest son and one of his mechanic friends. Once we have had a chance to poke around, I'll get back on this forum with new questions as I try to figure out what the next step should be. I agree with you that something more must be afoot for everything to be going Tango Uniform all at once. Vielen Danke

A big Guten Tag to the Forum! My tour in Germany ended and I returned to Virginia a few weeks ago. My car, on the other hand, had to take a slow boat from Bremerhaven to Baltimore, taking about 45 days to arrive. On Monday, I went with my sons to the shipping terminal in Baltimore harbor. I can tell you I was so relieved when I saw her come out of the car wash they had. She looked so fine!! Happily I signed the release docs and got on the road. Stopped at a gas station just outside of Balmer and happily tanked up (much less than the subsidized gas we got through the military and a fraction of what the Europeans pay). Was getting back out on the road when suddenly my brake pedal felt like someone just spot welded it in place yet the car barely slowed down. I had to use both feet to keep from drifting into oncoming traffic! It was then I noticed the brake warning light was on as well as the ABS light (but that one has been on since i got the car). Managed to get home somehow and brought the car to our local mechanic. To make things even more interesting, a few other things cropped up: *the temp gauge stopped working, then worked for a bit, then conked out again. Now it reads that the engine is ice cold. *I parked her for an afternoon outside and when I get back, the battery is dead. I wondered if it had anything to do with the rear brake lights that tried to stay on all the time but I found if I pulled on the brake pedal with my toes, the lights went out. *Once I got the car jump started, one the belts squealed like a stuck pig. Never heard that one before! The mechanic told me that the control module for the brakes was shot. He wouldn't/couldn't tell me what might be wrong with the unit, just that it was toast and the car may be doomed because those units are impossible to fix or bypass. The only thing he managed to accomplished was to tighten the pulley on the belt. He didn't even look at the temp gauge. When I had him point out exactly what the control module looked like, he pointed at what my service manual called the hydraulic assembly. So, what are my options? Or are there any? He said that there are no new ones available and rebuilts shouldn't be touched with a ten-foot pole. If that is the case, are there possible substitutes or ways to bypass the unit? HELP!!

Damn! I can't find a copy over here in Germany. I'll have to get the family back in the States to pick up a copy before they disappear. I wonder how all those people who have made it a hobby/obsession to diss the TC at every opportunity will react? As soon as I saw this I had to think of a "poll" I saw cited on babawheels.com (May 2010) in which the TC was voted the Lamest Exotic Car. I can't wait to see the ink that will be spilled huffing and puffing how wrong the Hemmings article is.

...for anyone in the Philly area to pick up some very, very cheap parts from a 16v TC (except for the engine and its associated bits which is being rebuilt and will be going in my car this Fall). The 5-speed tranny is still available as are a lot of other parts but won't be for long as the donor car will be making it's final trip soon. If interested, contact Brian Slowe directly at turbo2point2@verizon.net. Yellowdog<!-- google_ad_section_end -->