re: More questions about Milano Verde

["Sedon, Doug (OD)" <sedond@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

hi sam

>Is rust a big problem with Milanos?   
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my '88 gets waxed 1-2 times/year, and goes thru the undercarriage type car wash
in the winter on a semi-regular basis, to help keep the salt at bay.  no major
rust on the car, but a little bit starting to appear under tha plastic wheel
trim, and at the rear trunklid where the reflector strip lives.

>
Are they really that different to work on?  I work at a garage.  Mostly we
get European cars but never a Alfa.  I consider my self very mechanically
inclined but wonder why people (especially in that book) act like the Alfa
is something only for specialist to work on.  I will definitely buy a few
service manuals for the car but wonder if there will be many jobs that
really require an expert (excluding rebuilding things like transmission,
steering rack, etc...) because there are no Alfas around were I live let
alone Alfa shops.
=======================
with the help of manuals & this list, you won't have any problems - ALL brands
have their idiosyncrasies.

>Is gear shifting that big a deal?  I like to make my shifts fast and smooth.
I hear stuff like you need to double clutch going to second.  Is that with
the Milanos too?  Is it something that makes you feel like you are walking a
tite rope and not driving fast?
==============================
the transaxle cars do wear out the synchros - especially 2nd gear.  the 3-2 down
shift can get bad, also the 1-2 upshift.  i recommend lightening at least 1st,
2nd, & 3rd gears when you pull the t/a to replace the synchros, as you'll
undoubtedly do at some point.  this reduced wt causes less wear on the synchros,
as there's less mass to stop during gearchanges - also faster shifting!  i also
recommend lubrication engineers fluid for the t/a.  i drove my gtv6 w/bad 2nd
gear synchros for 3year/60k miles before i finally fixed it - the car was still
a blast!

good luck, 

doug s.

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