C70.... A few questions.

[Sparman]

Just drove my 2006 C70 home to N.Ireland from Southampton and it was a joy to drive. A few questions though.
1. Why are these cars not equipped with a spare wheel?...not even a wheel brace!
2. Is a wind brake any good? We had the top down for part of the journey and there wasnt really that much turbulance around the cabin.
3. Whats the expected mpg? I got an average of 44,8 for the 400+ miles i did and that wasnt hanging around either, mostly motorway and sitting around the 75 mph mark.
4. I've got a tinny sort of rattle from underneath the passenger side, to the rear. I think its the heatshield. Anyone else experience this and any tips for fixing?
5. Its an automatic, my first ever auto car, whats the 'W' button for, just in front and to the left of the gear selector? ( no owners manual with car)
So far i'm very pleased with the car and dont they look so good!

[Sparman]

Got an owners manual downloaded and see the W button is for winter driving.

[Proghound]

A good choice, hope you get enough weather to enjoy it!

I've not experienced the rattle as yet, and I don't know the auto, but I can answer some of those questions.

You can get a space-saver spare, mine has one, it was an option on new purchase. It comes in a bag with the jack and brace, and the bag has straps to attach to the rings on the boot floor. But it sits proud of the well and you lose about half of the remaining space when the roof is in the boot.

I find the wind-break makes a big difference even just being in place across the back seat. When you then put the top half into the vertical position it pretty much stops all the remaining blowy-ness, you can drive at 80 and still hold a conversation (at least, with the windows up). It makes it enjoyable to have the roof down even beneath 10°C on a sunny winter's day. Again it was an option on the S and the Sport, and standard on the SE and above (at least in 2008).

Guessing yours is a diesel because the petrols just don't get that sort of economy, being an early one it's presumably a D5? I can't vouch for the auto but 45mpg is about what I'd expect at 75-80mph on my D5 manual, with over 50 on gentler long-running. I find my fuel computer usually says I've done fewer MPG than I measure brim to brim, by about 5% when I reset with each tankfull, so an indicated 50MPG average is more like 52½.

[Sparman]

Cheers Proghound, i guess someone has held onto the windbreak then as mine is missing, as is the towing eye. Got the emergency cover in case the roof fails in the down position though, hope i wont need it.
Yes mines the D5, same as my S60, now owned by my partner. Just need the tyre issue sorted then i can relax. Got some of that Tyreweld stuff in the meantime, just in case.

[SonyVaio]

W = Winter mode. Basically car sets off in 3rd gear so as not to lose traction in snow/ice.

:star-wars-smiley-01

[dcw]

I have the spare wheel in mine, and as Proghound says it leaves you very little space in the boot with the roof down...

Just acquired a windbreak (brand new old stock) and it makes quite a difference. Mine is an SE Lux and should have had one, but I guess the last owner kept it. In the Mk 1 C70 I had previously, you got quite buffeted without the windbreak; the side windows go back further in the Mk2 so the buffeting is less, but nonetheless the windbreak makes it perfect!

Expensive to acquire, I admit, but well worth it I think...

Don't have any rattles I'm pleased to say, and mines a manual, so can't help on your other points!

Towing eye should be in the pack with the emergency cover...

Enjoy the car though - totally agree with you about them looking good.

Regards

David

[Sparman]

Cheers David, think i might have an idea of whats rattling. Think it might be the rear n/side brake pads.

[iantowil]

Sparman, you should have a pump and tyre weld in the compartment between the rear seats - access from the boot. From memory the tyre weld attaches to the pump and is then pumped into the tyre. The tyre weld does have an expiry date though, so not sure whether mine is any good - 3 years out of date now.

[Sparman]

Thanks iantowil, no mines empty. Guess someone took that too.

[Comput1]

I just bought mine, going on a 20hour drive across Europe to collect it.

It has the windbreak and I think I saw a spare wheel in the trunk in the usual place too.

But where is this emergency cover stored? Is it something like a dust cover packed in a tiny bag or is it something bigger used while driving?

Is it possible to tell by the registration date whether it has a HDD or DVD navigation system?

[Proghound]

The cover should be in a bag, on mine it was in the space in the middle of the back seat. There's a sort of ski-hatch thing to get in from the boot, or from the back seat you can pull out the thing that looks like an armrest (but isn't.)

[Sparman]

Got the rattle sorted! Was out for a long drive yesterday and thought i'd call into Kwikfit as most garages were closed. They didnt want to know as it was Saturday afternoon and were only doing tyres!! So around the corner found Charles Hursts tyres and they were more than willing to take a look. So after free coffee and 5mins they informed us they could only see that the rear caliper was weeping slightly but nothing else untoward. . Advised me to replace caliper as soon as possible and put car back together again. Didnt charge me anything and on wee drove.........no more rattle. So i guess the pads or something hadnt been seated right and the removal and reassemble had done the trick. I will however replace the caliper asap. So result all round.