Ownership Verified: My 2003 Alfa Romeo 147 GTA

It's the Alfa way. Don't try to look for a cause, they'll punish you by breaking again for no reason
 
So...uh. First speeding fine in 3 years.

I was in the countryside today, so there are roundabouts punctuating sections of 100kph road instead of controlled intersections. There's quite a lovely piece of tarmac that sweeps downhill into one such roundabout. The particular exit I was taking was a 90 degree left turn back up another mild gradient and the camera car sat at the crest of said gradient.

Down hill, into 3rd, heel-toe into second, check right, no cars, loud pedal, scrabble through the roundabout, third, fourth...that's a camera car.

I think I'm going to cop a colossal dicking.
 
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How did you find that sinking feeling after you realised what happened?

Now the fun game is waiting for the letter...

(Mind you, I have a clean licence... I once went past a mobile camera at what I thought was over the limit but I never received any ticket - didn't stop the feeling of dread)
 
At least in here, the flashes are on always so even if you get busted in daytime, you know you've been photographed. No flash = clean conscience.
 
public said:
At least in here, the flashes are on always so even if you get busted in daytime, you know you've been photographed. No flash = clean conscience.
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Yeah same here, its ridiculously bright even during daytime.

The fun is in the wait and calculating (speedo - some kph error - some kph speedcamera difference =?) just how much of a walletrape you're in for
 
I've only been flashed in Germany. Only once I got a fine, as otherwise I had a car with foreign plates. Anyway, being flashed when doing 74 @ 60 zone isn't very funny. Especially when the camera is few kilometres before the harbour.

It took about a month before I got the letter. Fearing the worst, I opened it slowly. I prepared myself for the worst and checked how many hundr.... LOL 20 EUROS?! Oh, Germany is nice.

I assume the fines in Australia are quite a lot higher than in Germany?
 
I've had two letters in Finland for doing 84 in an 80. Both times in the same village, after ~4.5 hours behind the wheel driving home from Helsinki. "Oh a camera, better take the CC down a couple of clicks..." *click click click* *FLASH* FFUUUU

Only a single real speeding ticket ever, which is a bit amazing.
 
So far, my speeding infringement history has been fairly tame. My very first was doing 91kph in a 70kph zone. I immediately admitted guilt and instead of handing me 4 demerit points (out of a possible 6 on Probationary licence), the officer handed me 1 point and the smallest possible fine.
 
Last week I got letter for doing 83@80. I find it waste of paper, nothing else.
 
Bretton Woods said:
My key fob has properly failed and can't be revived. The local Alfa Romeo dealer want $625 to replace it. Urgh! That's a new exhaust silencer.
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Failed how?
 
Remote locking doesn't work and the immobiliser chip is in the fritz. So not only do I have to physically insert the key to unlock (oh the pain) the car will sometimes shut down immediately after starting. I'm somewhat concerned this might happen at speed.

As Alfa did not deign to fit an external release for the hatch lift back, I can only release it from the inside.
 
If you have the key card, you can use FiatEcuScan and a virgin, uncoded key with a chip, to tell the car you have a new fob. And a regular Fiat dealer should, with your key card, program the chip for your car for 30? lets say. Where the 625$ figure comes from is beyond me.
 
In that case it's Australias fault. Over here there is exactly 0 markup on common Fiat-Alfa parts or services. A key is a key, an air filter for a 1.9 JTD engine costs the same if it's for a 147 or a Stilo.... 625 is insane, to say the least.
 
I had a mechanic come to me with a track rod end for a GTV once. The owner of the car had brought his own parts (one of those guys :p) and the track rod end (OEM part) had been insanely expensive, around three figures.

I did some sherlocking and found out it was a Fiat Tipo part (iirc) that cost a poofteenth. Like, 10 euros if even that. Parts for old fiat cost next to nothing.
 
A new Megane RS owner has turned up on the local RenaultSport forum - he bought one after his 147 GTA had a catastrophic engine fire...

I don't mean to go all Spectre but... Do you carry a fire extinguisher in the car? Otherwise sensible Renault ownership may be closer to you than before :p
 
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