Hi all, am still fiddling with my 03 plate 1.9 jtd 3 door.
Now, the car needs a fair bit of work to get it right and im not exactly the richest guy in the world so getting a few bits second hand or via ebay etc .
With mine being a 3 door I already figured the headlights are different - found out the hard way so I currently have 5 door ones fitted in my 3 door so that needs rectifying.
I also need some shock absorbers all round as very very soft and boaty - - would fitting the abarth springs and shocks work well or should I stay standerd?
dash clocks are petrol ones so need to find a set of diesel ones but wow theyre pricey! -- anyone know anyone with a cheap set???
wiper linkage is sloppy - are these the same across the whole model lineup including 5 door?
and reverse is sometimes a pig to get . its not the gearstick , its the clutch , I have to sometimes press clutch again or do it slower or try a different gear before reverse and .. crunch there we go --- gearbox??? is there a better one to fit???


cheers in advance and if there is anyone nearby ( Wiltshire ) with any spare parts please get in touch

tbirdbooboo said:

...need some shock absorbers all round as very very soft and boaty

...dash clocks are petrol ones so need to find a set of diesel ones but wow theyre pricey! anyone know anyone with a cheap set???

wiper linkage is sloppy - are these the same across the whole model lineup including 5 door?

and reverse is sometimes a pig to get.

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shocks you could go for Monroe. they do a higher response range called Monroe Reflex (more suitable for lowered springs than stock). A company called Andrew Page are Monroe stockists and their prices are better than ebay. wouldnt advise using Abarth units the preloads and spring rates will be all kinds of wrong.

see if you can find a set of JTD dial faces rather than complete units. the clocks are fundamentally the same but the faces have different 'scaling'. the needles are calibrated to whichever engine is fitted by running a proxi alignment with MES. (at least this is what i have been lead to believe)

wiper linkages are the same. some people do repair kits for them but i cant for the life of me remember the name of the companies. maybe google or ebay (they're not the same as punto ones, there's millions of repair kits for puntos lol)

try renewing box oil with a decent oil (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181234163972?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649) you'll need 2 litres. id be trying that before a new box plus, if it does turn out to be your box im guessing it would be cheaper to get a transmission specialist to repair than run the risk of a 2nd hand unit from a scrappy.