"Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and taste...", well I've got a Puma so at least half of that is true! 
Also, as this is my first post, please excuse any poor form/photos that don't work, general ignorance.
I've been pootling around here on the QT for quite a while now, mainly because I bought the Puma for the missus originally... but more on that later. We got ours, a 1.7 lux, at 47k three years ago next month...and it still looks ok now:
Like most of us that have lived a little though, it's wasn't free from embarrassment or blemish I was to find.
Thankfully by then the missus had already decided that the Puma wasn't for her and instead the Merc A Class was actually better suited to her job, so the Puma kinda ended up with me by default. She has since done a complete about face on the practicality issue after falling for the Street Ka, I say nothing about this of course :grin:
During this period the Puma wasn't getting used much due to a combination of factors (it's still only on 52k) but it wasn't costing much either: it had bits done for the MOT like brake pipes; a little bit of sill repair (the local mechanic was surprised how "really decent" it was all in all); and, after going to Ian G for a few days to get the cambelt done last year, not a lot more would be needed it seemed apart from general upkeep. The Puma, however, had other ideas.
I was to learn one of my first lessons in Puma ownership (and that my mother was right when she told me not to pick at scabs) when I started poking around a relatively innocuous looking blemish on the offside arch "just to see" and ended with this
(...and if you are now expecting the raunchy "after" shot of a freshly pampered and pert Puma rump, sorry, it's still on the to-do list.)
Another problem/lesson (I've decided to look at any faults as learning experiences) actually took some time "get".
It began with overheating, this was straight after having had the cambelt done (literally a few miles into the journey home afterwards) and, at first, (after worried calls to Ian who very kindly came out to us) we put it down to an airlock and limped home hoping that it would sort itself out. It didn't.
Thankfully the car was used sparingly anyway and for short journeys but the few longer ones became rather fraught as the needle would suddenly swing up into the red. It wasn't losing water and sometimes it would be fine, others not, so I simply got used to keeping one eye on the gauge and the sudden lurch, then pulling over, waiting and going again. It wasn't exactly confidence inspiring, was all rather baffling, and so probably be a garage job eventually I told myself.
What was really at the heart of all this though was my own lack of confidence with mechanical matters, I've always been a driver/admirer never much of a tinkerer. That was all about to change though....and it's largely down to you guys, :grin: ...oh and a bit of cold weather!
It started when I tried to turn the Puma's heater on just before Christmas (I normally don't and am a bit of a fresh air freak), I got the air but no heat. I recalled reading PP a while back so revisited the site and quickly determined that it was of course down to the HCV (a bit too quick as it turned out as I immediately bought one from ebay and then learned that you're better getting the Ford one, ah well) BUT during this bit of research I also came across a very valuable snippet, that a wonky HCV can (for some reason) cause your temp gauge to go haywire....aha! Could this be the cause of my "overheating" too?!! Could I revive two dead birds with one new heater control valve?
Having checked out this HCV "How to" guide: http://www.projectpuma.com/viewtopic.php?t=12365 (Cheers Craig!) I thought, "Even I could have a crack at that!" Which I did, and lo and behold, two very annoying problems solved...just like that! Blinkin' marvelous, it's easy this car stuff!
In turn, it led me to have a look at/around the poor wee Puma and realise that actually it was in need of a bit of luvvin'...and that despite being completely non-mechanically minded I was just the man to do it!!
So to cut this post short (well, ok, shorter) I will start the "If I can do it, you can!" project thread (Edit-it's here: http://www.projectpuma.com/viewtopic.php?f=64&t=29348 ) and begin perking up my Puma! Before I go though I'd just like to say thanks to all the folks here who've contributed over the years as without your knowledge to fall back on I'd never have had the courage to give it a go myself.
Oh, and my mum's chuffed too as she ended up with the A Class and (using another great self-help site for it) I've now serviced that too!
"Wuh wooo, wuh wooo" :wink:
Also, as this is my first post, please excuse any poor form/photos that don't work, general ignorance.
I've been pootling around here on the QT for quite a while now, mainly because I bought the Puma for the missus originally... but more on that later. We got ours, a 1.7 lux, at 47k three years ago next month...and it still looks ok now:
Like most of us that have lived a little though, it's wasn't free from embarrassment or blemish I was to find.
Thankfully by then the missus had already decided that the Puma wasn't for her and instead the Merc A Class was actually better suited to her job, so the Puma kinda ended up with me by default. She has since done a complete about face on the practicality issue after falling for the Street Ka, I say nothing about this of course :grin:
During this period the Puma wasn't getting used much due to a combination of factors (it's still only on 52k) but it wasn't costing much either: it had bits done for the MOT like brake pipes; a little bit of sill repair (the local mechanic was surprised how "really decent" it was all in all); and, after going to Ian G for a few days to get the cambelt done last year, not a lot more would be needed it seemed apart from general upkeep. The Puma, however, had other ideas.
I was to learn one of my first lessons in Puma ownership (and that my mother was right when she told me not to pick at scabs) when I started poking around a relatively innocuous looking blemish on the offside arch "just to see" and ended with this
(...and if you are now expecting the raunchy "after" shot of a freshly pampered and pert Puma rump, sorry, it's still on the to-do list.)
Another problem/lesson (I've decided to look at any faults as learning experiences) actually took some time "get".
It began with overheating, this was straight after having had the cambelt done (literally a few miles into the journey home afterwards) and, at first, (after worried calls to Ian who very kindly came out to us) we put it down to an airlock and limped home hoping that it would sort itself out. It didn't.
Thankfully the car was used sparingly anyway and for short journeys but the few longer ones became rather fraught as the needle would suddenly swing up into the red. It wasn't losing water and sometimes it would be fine, others not, so I simply got used to keeping one eye on the gauge and the sudden lurch, then pulling over, waiting and going again. It wasn't exactly confidence inspiring, was all rather baffling, and so probably be a garage job eventually I told myself.
What was really at the heart of all this though was my own lack of confidence with mechanical matters, I've always been a driver/admirer never much of a tinkerer. That was all about to change though....and it's largely down to you guys, :grin: ...oh and a bit of cold weather!
It started when I tried to turn the Puma's heater on just before Christmas (I normally don't and am a bit of a fresh air freak), I got the air but no heat. I recalled reading PP a while back so revisited the site and quickly determined that it was of course down to the HCV (a bit too quick as it turned out as I immediately bought one from ebay and then learned that you're better getting the Ford one, ah well) BUT during this bit of research I also came across a very valuable snippet, that a wonky HCV can (for some reason) cause your temp gauge to go haywire....aha! Could this be the cause of my "overheating" too?!! Could I revive two dead birds with one new heater control valve?
Having checked out this HCV "How to" guide: http://www.projectpuma.com/viewtopic.php?t=12365 (Cheers Craig!) I thought, "Even I could have a crack at that!" Which I did, and lo and behold, two very annoying problems solved...just like that! Blinkin' marvelous, it's easy this car stuff!
In turn, it led me to have a look at/around the poor wee Puma and realise that actually it was in need of a bit of luvvin'...and that despite being completely non-mechanically minded I was just the man to do it!!
So to cut this post short (well, ok, shorter) I will start the "If I can do it, you can!" project thread (Edit-it's here: http://www.projectpuma.com/viewtopic.php?f=64&t=29348 ) and begin perking up my Puma! Before I go though I'd just like to say thanks to all the folks here who've contributed over the years as without your knowledge to fall back on I'd never have had the courage to give it a go myself.
Oh, and my mum's chuffed too as she ended up with the A Class and (using another great self-help site for it) I've now serviced that too!
"Wuh wooo, wuh wooo" :wink:
