Peter P18

thanks Roheel. :) true enough stu. I already have the white Brembo decals! May do them at a later date. Happy with the Orange contrast for now though. cheers Steve. :)

Thanks. :) Yep, unless there's an owner hiding away somewhere, I'm pretty sure I hold the most modified IS-F in the UK title. :) Funny thing is I still have lots left on my to-do list! ;) Glad I got the wheels though. They are sadly discontinued now, hence the unplanned purchase! Lol. Should hopefully have enough to do my exhaust and vented carbon bonnet this year. Next year will be suspension, 2 piece brake rotors, and hopefully a mechanical differential! As I said, still lots to do! :)

Hey Guys, So I finally got my new wheels and tires installed today. :) I've had to order some spigot rings, as none were provided. :( Really like the look of the wider tires at the back. ;) Hope you like them too. :) Think I'll keep the orange calipers, like the contrast. Excuse the dirt! ;) didn't get time to clean before I ran out of daylight! :)

Hi. Thanks guys. That's the beauty of modifying, individuality! ;) I can see how some wouldn't like the grill, but it works well for me. Lights seem as effective as they were before. Should be ok for the MOT. Time will tell I guess. The newer lights are black on the inside though?

Thanks. :) Must admit, was a bit skeptical when I got to the airport with my last haul! Lol. Joys of being a British Airways Gold card holder I guess! ;) Hopefully not too many big bits left to bring over! Hoping to get my new wheels on this Sunday. :) :) :)

Window switches - lower them half way then pull the switch up to close them. Hold the switch till the flashing green light turns solid. Do this for all of them. You'll know if it's worked if all four are solid green on the drivers control panel. You should now be able to open and close them all from the drivers control panel. It's in the owners manual, but pretty sure that's accurate. :)

If a mechanical LSD is a deal maker, why not buy an earlier 08/09 model, and fit a proper mechanical LSD from Quaife?! Probably cheaper in the long run?? Whilst I agree Japanese engineering is the best in the world, abuse and neglect will take there toll. Maybe not at first, but one day something will fail for the poor sod who thought he was getting a bargain. :( The IS-F isn't the same as the GS450h you bought. These are harder driven cars by their very nature. Proper care and maintenance are a must in my opinion. Missing services will cause damage of some description, just depends how much. Then that extra £5K will seem worth spending when you need a new engine at closer to £10K! ;) Best of luck with whatever you decide though fella. :) We all take our own paths in the end.

When's the 12th Aprik Stu?! ;) Lol. I should be fine for April as well. :) Gives me a bit more time to get a few more things finished up beforehand. :)

I agree Jon. :) Thinking a photo shoot at Bluewater would show them off a lot better. ;) The natural light led to reflections sadly. :( Still, people will hopefully see them in person at the next meet. :)

Cheers Sim. :)

Sounds like a plan Stu. :) Hopefully won't be for a few weeks. Would be good if I can get my new wheels on before the meet. :) Should be able to order the tires later this week. Weekend after is Valentines Day. ;) Suggest we look at a weekend sometime after that??

Got it. Threw me a bit! Lol. ;) In answer to your text, only the carbon OEM style spoiler to sell mate. Already got a buyer for my old wheels. :)

Cheers Stu. :) Was a lot of effort, but the results are worth it. ;) Looks even better in person. :)

Just felt they weren't needed chap. ;) I'm going for a stealthy look with the darker colours and carbon fibre. Each to their own. :)

And a couple more

Hey Guys, So some of you will have read about my recent trip over the pond. I took off my headlights, and flew them out with me to Tampa. From Tampa, they were couriered via UPS to Manuel Gallardo in Miami. Manuel has been splitting headlights for 15yrs, so I knew they would be in safe hands. Here's how they looked when he unpacked them These were the midway teaser shots And this was the end result Now here's an older shot of how they looked originally And here's how they look now And a few more with lights on etc Hope you like them as much as I do. :)

That's the point Eric. As far as the best all rounder for performance, economy, running costs, uniqueness, you can't beat the IS-F. If you tune up the M3 or C63, you have even more risk of something braking. The IS-F can take headers, a good exhaust, and nitrous if you are really serious. Net result can be in excess of 500HP. Difference is you don't lose the reliability. I've had friends with M3's. They all felt they were money pits. Same with the GTR and Porsche Boxter.

Hi Mel, I think you'll find the C63 is a bit heavier than the IS-F. He may also have lifted. Point was the German offerings don't have much more go, and are a lot costlier than the IS-F to run/maintain. Once I get my H&S exhaust and PPE headers, it would be interesting to see how it did against the M3 and C63. Whilst I appreciate that's not a fair contest, the IS-F with mods is still bullet proof in terms of reliability.

Maybe so. People will pay whatever they feel they want to pay. At the end of the day, you are talking new Fiesta money with a few extras. These have always been underrated and overlooked. The fact we as owners found this hidden gem, is lucky for us. Look at what you'd need to spend to get a Honda NSX. Limited supply means higher costs. The R34 GTR is another prime example. A few years ago I was looking at them around £15-17K. Now you need to part with £23-25K to get a nice one. I don't plan on selling mine anytime soon. Besides which, I'll have probably spent closer to £35K including the base cost by the time I'm finished! ;) No one would pay me close to that for it.

Lol. Wald in carbon looks stunning mate. :) Will complement my Arkym rear carbon diffuser really well. Just checked my wheels, blacked out headlights, FIGS suspension mega arms, lug nuts, and carbon paddle shifters in at Tampa airport! ;) Flying back tonight. :)

Let's just say BMW were known to grease a few palms! ;-) Even Top Gear have changed their tune about the ISF if you look.

I think you'll find a lot of the reviews deliberately underrated the ISF. Looks I would disagree. Albeit mine isn't stock. Once I add my carbon vented bonnet, carbon wald spoiler, carbon roof spoiler, and add my Wedsport alloys, it'll look a lot nicer than an M3. ;) I've run with a C63 before. 0-60, it was dead even. After that, I was pulling away. Each to their own. :)

Sorry but where do you come up with that one?! The ISF beats the M3 and C63 AMG on 0-60, MPG, top speed.... and reliability. Rarity as well.

Any updates Sean??

I'm with the majority saying give this one a miss I'm afraid! :( The cheap tires, need for new rotors, repainted alloys etc, wouldn't worry me too much. The lack of servicing and the above issues would be a big concern. It shows the last owner didn't look after the car properly at all. Whilst I agree to an extent that the car is pretty bullet-proof, abuse will still have an effect at some point. With prices as they are, you would be better off waiting for something that has been looked after the way these cars deserve. The facelift options are a big factor I concede, but not at the cost of proper care and maintenance. You can just imagine the idiot thrashing the life out of the poor thing before it warms up, not giving it time to cool down before switching it off etc. Negligence will kill a car no matter how well built. I'm sure something else will turn up as more RC-F's come on the market (saw a good priced silver 08 on Autotrader for this reason the other day). Just my opinion. :)