10,000 Miles In My S1600 :-)

Hi all,

Firstly to say, forum is great, i have been looking round it for a while, and i am determined to post more! Forum has given me loads of invaluable information so thanks to everyone!

Thought i would give my thoughts after 10,000 miles and almost 12 months in S1600. In summary car has been fantastic, main plus points.

• Looks great, real headturner.
  
• Excellent drive, tight, grippy, but also refined on long journeys, and ride not to firm, puts my old Bmw Mini to shame.
  
• Fuel economy, considering the relative performance on offer, I'm currently averaging 43.8 MPG on my 30 mile daily drive to and from work, which is mainly dual carriageway.
  

Downsides/negatives:

• Gearing is short, meaning nippy in gear performance, but at 70mph on Motorway, engine is sitting at 3300RPM, needs a 6th gear.
  
• White wheels are never clean, until i put some protective wax on them!! :-)
  
• Brakes are 'adequate' but not brilliant.
  

To me those, these are minor negatives, and overall i love the car. Friends can't believe the equipment it has with the 'power' starter, and voice activation. I love the way it stands out on the road, and the last 12 months have been excellent, no regrets in buying it.

However.... my car has just, in the last few weeks, suffered from a terrible knock/groan from the front suspension. It only happens over bigger bumps, but definitely something not right... i took it to Bristol Street in Stafford, and i must admit the service there has been excellent. Last week, they had the car for a couple of days and replaced a few parts, suspension top mounts, and some bearings, however they admitted before i picked it up, that they had not solved the problem.

They are having the car again this week, for a couple of days, i am having a courtesy car, and they are determined to find the problem, i have not had to force them to do anything. (i will post specifically about this in the relevant topic on the forum)

Although this has knocked my confidence, slightly, over the long term longevity of the car, i hope it can be quickly resolved, and i can carry on enjoying the car.

The dealer had a black face lift Zetec S ecoboost in, and although nice, i think i will keeping mine a bit longer...although an ST might tempt me if it came at the right money. Sorry for going on, and thanks again for all the advice on the forum!

CJ.