164 Handbrakes & Engine Temps.

[tony.quinn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Hello Johnathan (et al),

I'm sorry to hear about your experiences. The parts availability appears to
be typical Alfa Romeo, rather than Alfa Romeo GB. I've personally experienced
two episodes of "there are none anywhere in Europe/the World", plus an
episode of "Oops! They've used the wrong part number on all of the bags in
Italy and need six months to sort it out". There really is little to be said about
the individual(s) who are responsible for these seemingly frequent occurences.
It not so much the fact that they run out of stock, but the length of time that it takes
to restock despite the fact that everyone, everywhere had run out of stock some
weeks (moths?) earlier.

I am also shocked to hear that a supposedly professional bodyshop are
happy to return a car to a customer with paint blobs, a poorly fitting door and a
badly finished bumper. I don't know what they are thinking when they return a car
to a customer in such a shoddy state. It is quite unacceptable for them to say it is
Alfa Romeo's fault and hope that you will go away quietly. They are responsible
for the entire repair. If AR send a poor quality bumper, they should send it straight
back, not bolt it to the car. The same applies to the door, assuming that it is
actually the door at fault.

As for temperatures, both my 164 Cloverleafs (1990 12V & 1997 24V) move slowly
up to 84 (takes about 5 miles at the moment) and stay pegged at that reading,
except in times of heavy traffic. I would try squeezing the hoses at points where air
pockets might exist, but you may have a faulty coolant temperature sensor. 70 deg
sounds low to me so it may be worth testing or replacing this item. I believe that it is
situated at the water pump (talking from memory) although I don't this item has a
reputation for failing.

I hope that you can resolve your problems quickly, so that you may once again
enjoy your 164 motoring fully.

Good Luck

Tony Quinn
Worcs.

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