Re: Weird little observations.

Not quite - the base actually flipped completely forwards and flat again - what was the bottom became the top. Needs a short squab or lots of legroom...

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

So was I.

I've had a few hatches without flip-forward seat bases.

snipped-for-privacy@italiancar.co.uk (SteveH) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Furry muff. I've only ever had bases that match the backs. There's obviously some seriously pikey manufacturers out there...

I'm pretty sure they were both Fords.... a Scrote and a Fester.

Both Scrote and Fizzy have flip forward rear seat cushions, although only some had split rear seats.

On the Renault 30 the seat back flips up to horizontal and the cushion flips forwards. The backrest and base are easily removable, nice touch, weird car.

Sure? - I'm pretty sure the MkII Fester had neither. It was a Festival, if that helps.

Can't ever remember the seat base flipping up on the MkIV Escort either.

Mind you, we didn't have handbooks for either, and the interweb was down a damp length of string at the time, so I'd have had no way of knowing if they should have done.

Should have had.

I think the MkIV may not have had, now I think about it. Can't remember. I don't think the Onion did, and they had foldy backrests.

I can't remember about the Escrot, I didn't have a MkIV, had a MkIII and MkV, but never a MkIV.

Rear headrests. Never get in the way or make folding seats a problem for me. I just press the little button on the dash and they fold down on their own into the back shelf.

This is a different fuel pump to the expensive ones which go bang - it's just to get the fuel to the front. "Lift pump"? Anyway it'll just be a cheap electric pump. No idea about likelyhood of failure though.

cheers, clive

Ah that's good to know, thanks Clivey :-) And likelyhood of failure? Well, it's Italian, and not even an Alfa, so...

I get the impression it's a pretty old Micra - I'm thinking it would have a radio an if they were really lucky, a tape player might be part of it. But I'm struggling to see a digital display on it, which would surely mean no clock... My Acclaim had a LW/MW radio, all analogue, you twiddled the knob ( !!! ) to move the little bar across the tuning range. I used to just listen to Atlantic 252, or sometimes I could get this, I think German, station called Aero Classic Rock - that was on MW at like 1080 or something.

Then when it comes to the clock, it was a 1983 'A' reg, it had a green digital one in the dash! It had a little flap covering the adjustmeant buttons - and when you turned the engine off the clock went away. but if you pushed the flap down (so pressing the buttons at the same time) it brought the clock back up, even though the engine was off! Also if you pressed the adjusting buttons (independantly) whilst it was off, it still altered the time, and if you looked real close at the right angle/light, you could make out the time still merrily ticking round, just not bright green. Actually, it wasn't bright green, it's hard to explain really but the time was bright and easily readable in any light, but at the same time, the green was like dark green, almost like they'd aimed accidently at British Racing Green (or at least, todays pearlescent version of it - genuine colour would be too dark to read of course).

Certainly every car I've owned. Well, every car with rear seats anyway (and I'm unsure about the Acclaim...).

Although the Vee deserves a mention for practicality here, and a small skill about it I loved in winter, as it had a coat warmer. If it was cold out, so you wanted a coat with you, but didn't wanna wear it while driving, planned on putting it on when you get to your destination - then the Vee had the trick for you... If you just quickly popped the top engine cover off - it had 2 latches, but it reality if you slid it back it just lifted off - and pop your coat on the 2nd cover, before putting the outer cover back. Then drive to wherever, get out, grab your coat and find it lovely toasty and warm :-). It didn't get mega hot, which was nice cos I knew it wouldn't set on fire heh, just like it'd been on a radiator for a while hehe.

Bet it's a Bosch lift pump.

The one that has been leaving current shape Passats stranded at the side of the road....

LOL Bosch have taken up where Lucas left off.

"Dave Plowman (News)" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

It's not unusual on common-rail diesels in this country, either - they can be too thermally efficient to have a decent heater, so there's often a diesel-fuelled auxiliary heater (read: space heater). Sprogbusses, especially, because there's so damn much space to heat.

Cold climate countries more often have a coolant pre-heater (basically, a core plug replaced with a kettle element) plugged into the mains. Get in, turn the key, coolant already up to working temp - so heater chucking out warmth from the off.

You could get those for the Volvo 360 along with some other funky scandinavian s*it. In fact I've still got some of the coolness from my last one stored in my loft ;)

I can't beleive you got rid of that car! Did you take all the super rare little optiony bits off before it went? The grill lights/gauges etc I mean - I'm sure there was more but I can't remember the rest?