vausey

The new bulbs have arrived, managed to fit the drivers side without too much difficulty, but oh my days how on earth can you undo the clip on the passenger side?? That screen wash filler neck is just a pain in the arse! As far as evidence of self-harm I've no cuts but the back of my hand is so bruised from trying to jam it in the gap to undo that pesky clip... I can't even manage to squeeze a pair of pliers in...any ideas? Took the car for a spin after upgrading the one bulb and it has made a difference but still think I'm going to have to do the projector lenses some time fairly soon As for cursing Nello yes I did, but as an ex-trooper I guess that's allowed!

Fantastic well written review - couldn't agree more :-)

Rossocorsa I couldn't agree more - Before the Delta the most reliable car I ever owned was a Skoda....I'd be seriously tempted if the right Delta unlimited came on the market to upgrade from my 1.6 SR. She was a nice looker, no wonder you're missing her Alcantaradelta, think you might struggle getting the lancia bits now too...

Just ordered a pair of the OSRAM nightbreaker unlimited's from Aamazon for a touch under fifteen quid will see what difference they make. I'll save the £16 Halfrauds want to fit them incorrectly (and the extra £15 for bulbs that were only half as good based on reviews) and buy myself a nice bottle of scotch with the savings to calm my nerve and numb the pain after losing the skin from the back of my hands and dislocating my wrist

Yes I thought so too...just a shame one of the bolts snapped taking the old one off hence a much higher than expected labour charge! Not what was needed just after Chrsitmas

Cheers Andrew - hadn't thought that it could just be down to poor bulbs. I'll try a new pair and see if it makes any difference (although have a feeling I'd just be delaying an inevitable task.) Any recommendations on bulbs that are nice and bright but legal - there seems to be so many to choose from?

Yes that UPVC cleaner stuff is great on most plastics...stinks of pear drops and gives me a big headache but works wonders! My problem is that it's not the outer plastic it's the actual projector lens. I need to remove the headlight which doesn't look like an easy job and then see if it can be withdrawn from the back like on the volvo's or if I'll have to pop it in the oven to soften the glue and split the front off the headlight to get access...really hope it's not the latter as doing a tidy job and ensuring a decent seal afterwards will be tricky to say the least....

Italiian reliiability...ha-ha go back 10years and you wouldn't get those two words together without "poor" in between! I definitely wouldn't touch one (or any other car come to that) without it having a really good service history

I've bought high mileage diesels in the past and as long as they have been properly serviced they will run and run. The Rover 75 estate I bought at 4yrs old with 125k the clock I ran to 285k when Autoglass incorrectly fitted a new screen which resulted in a flooded ecu - otherwise it would probably still be running. Not too sure I'd go with a high miler petrol though. Did you see the Cat D blue 1.4S for £2895? Looks like an SR spec but with different wheels (s shouldn't have dual zone climate or half-leather should it??). Perhaps a typo? With the value of the cars being so low and parts quite expensive the insurance company may have chosen to settle rather than repairing what could have been very minor damage. Might be worth asking why it was Cat D as seller is at least being open and telling you, better still if there are photo's of the damage?

I had similar gremlins with an Alfa 147 - it transpired that the new battery I'd been supplied wasn't powerful enough. Then get yourself a copy of multiecuscan and an elm-327 cable and do the proxy alignment yourself.

I know what you mean Alcantaradelta there is something special about them but I can't put my finger on what it is! Which model are you on the hunt for and roughly where in the world are you? There's a few on Autotrader (a mix of 1.6 diesels and the 1.4 M-Airs) at the moment including an SR 1.6 diesel in black identical to mine but with only with 53k on the clock priced at £5k. It looks really tidy although the alloys look to be deteriorating a little (like mine have) but you should be able to get them refurbed for around £50 a wheel. Don't forget to factor in a cam belt / water pump change of around £300-400 unless there's a receipt proving it was done as by now a 2012 car should have had it replaced even though it's not hit the mileage for a change. Good luck with your hunt....

Cheers Nello, I had hoped it would be the case that the headlight clusters were"borrowed" from another car like a lot of the other parts on the Delta and I'd be able to get a pair at a reasonable price but no such luck - I think these are actually Delta specific. I'll look into the glass cutter pastes and polishing. I wonder if there are any traders that offer projector headlight refurbishment as a service? I think the directional beams on mine are provided by a light in the front fog lamp turning on and off when needed and not by the main headlamp it's still quite effective though.

My 2011 Delta headlight projector lenses have gone misty and as a result dipped beam headlights are now like having candles up front even when the outer lenses are spotless! Has anyone else experienced the same, if so can anything be done? I've seen a few guides for other manufacturers cars where owners have split the headlamp casing and disassembled in order to clean them and then resealed the unit after with silicone. Has anyone done this and had any success? Any hints tips or guides? Replacing both headlights isn't an option due to cost therefore any ideas gratefully appreciated....

For the benefit of anyone else who has the egr heat exchanger cover fail... I can confirm that the Vauxhall part 55590953 is identical and has been working a treat for the past couple of weeks with nearly 400 miles covered since it was fitted and absolutely no issues whatsoever. Quite pleased it only cost me £30 delivered.

Thanks guys - a quick google of the shop4parts alternative part number (K68228723AA) returned an italian site with the following table.. ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCES ALFA ROMEO 71772987 ALFA ROMEO K68228723AA FIAT 71772987 FIAT K68228723AA GENERAL MOTORS 55590953 LAUNCHES 71772987 LAUNCHES K68228723AA OPEL 055573044 OPEL 055590953 OPEL 0851008 OPEL 0851123 OPEL 55573044 OPEL 55590953 OPEL 851008 OPEL 851123 From this I think I'll take a punt on the vauxhall part which I found below @ £34 delivered http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/INSIGNIA-GENUINE-EGR-COOLER-REPAIR-KIT-55590953-2-LITRE-DIESEL/122725664854?epid=1926298202&hash=item1c93050856:g:0agAAOSwLv5Zyk-q#rwid will post back when it arrives and have found out if it fits....fingers crossed!

Cheers Nello much appreciated. It does look a very close design to the vauxhall one (only visible difference is the mounting tab on top of the Vauxhall one. Has anyone tried this as an alternative as it's available for around half the price?

There must be a design flaw here Mine went yesterday on the M6 fortunately the AA quickly arrived (first time I've had to use them since owning my Delta). Please can any of you confirm the part number and a reputable/reasonable supplier. I'm guessing with Christmas holidays I'll be waiting till the new year to get my Delta back on the road now....

Thought it was about time I got signed up to the forum. I've had my Delta for a couple of years now and not only been pleased with the car but also well pleased with the info I've found on this forum; so before I get started a big thanks to the mods for the site and to you all for the helpful responses you've given to others members as they've helped me too...