Buying a KA

Also, it is supposed to have ABS. I couldn't find the valve block to confirm. Where is it?

IIRC the abs lump is underneath at the back, rear subframe mount bushes are common, as is a noisy shock absorber.

You might succeed with cellulose thinners, but you need to try them on a very small insignificant part first to make sure they don't remove the paint. I doubt if they will remove modern paint, but it's possible.

Also it's better to buy a 5 litre can for about £10 from a motor factor than a small tin from Halfords for about £5. Then you've got some for later because they always come in handy.

Rob Graham

Label remover from RS Components (rswww.com). Try it on a hidden area first.

"DavidR" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

FFS, it's a 7yo Ka. The body could _very_ easily be a bag of rotten s**te. Look _carefully_.

Not surprised. Very low mileages are death to exhausts.

Which engine is it ? We had two KAs, a 1997 and a 2002. The initial 1996 1.3 OHV was punchy, but the engine management was changed around 2000, and our 2002 model was pants. The engine was updated again after 2002, but I'm not sure when, to 69 hp from 59 hp. The suspension was also different in the later one, the handling was not as good. Neither had ABS.

I would try WD-40 on the sticky mess, it works really well for sticky label removal, and will not dissolve the surface finish of the car.

HTH

David

Seconded. IME it has no effect on modern water based paints. And for the DIY decorators, a soak in cellulose thinners, followed by a nice stiff wire brush is an excellent way to restore old, dried up paintbrushes. Works better than most propriety brush cleaners IMO. Mike.

"DavidR" wrote

Thanks for the replies. We've now put our money down on a 54 40K'er. A more optimal mileage & no suspension creak.

ABS mystery solved. Using the spec buttons on Autotrader gives wrong info. Even so, hiding the valve block at the rear seems odd.

"Adrian" wrote

It was interesting to compare & contrast with one that had 76K. Warm running was obviously fine for the oily bits but the effect of the extra muck & bullets very noticeable. This dropped it into the banger margins.