February 2011 Newsletter ~ Issue No 24
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MAKE A DONATION
| The Figaro Owners Club is a Not for Profit Organisation. Unlike other car clubs we don't have a fixed annual membership fee. We think it's fairer for our members to make an Annual Donation towards the running of the club. If you've not yet donated then please do so today and help us. Donate Now
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SIGN UP TODAY - Join our Club
| FREE Newsletter Subscribers can join our club which will entitle you to the benefits below by Registering and Donating. Join Now
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Membership Benefits
| SAVE 15% ON YOUR CAR INSURANCE We've joined forces with Classic Line Insurance to offer you 15% Discount on your car insurance. Although we have heard some members save up to 50% as they deal exclusively with classic cars such as the Nissan Figaro. Learn more
SAVE 30% ON AA BREAKDOWN COVER The club is delighted to offer 30% Discount off at enrollment plus an ongoing 10% discount at renewal (please note that these discounts are based on the AA standard prices and are better in the long run compared to any tactical offers that you might see on our web site). Learn more
SAVE 10% ON YOUR FIGARO COVER You've invested in your dream Figaro and now it's outside in all that rain! You need a cover to keep it dry and snug and we have a fantastic range available. Car Covers the UK's largest range of fully tailored, waterproof and breathable indoor and outdoor car covers provide a 10% discount on their superb quality covers.Learn more SAVE �100 ON RUST PROTECTION If you drive your car in the rain we recommend this protection. Waxoyl will provide valuable protection to the underside of the car. You can receive a �100 Discount off Waxoyl under car treatment. Learn more The above benefits + *Discounts and offers *Invitation to Figaro Events *Technical Support *Access to our Forum *Publish your stories and pictures
*Upload your Pictures and Video's *Make friends and show off your car |
Club Statistics
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The Latest Numbers from our Database
Current Members: 3,127 Forum Members: 626 Forum Unique Posts: 7,362 Unique Web Visits: 111,080 Coverage: 46 Countries
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Merchandise Best Sellers
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Welcome to THE FIGARO STORE
Packed to the roof with over 400 Figaro branded designs from funky T-shirt to stylish clocks and more we hope we have the ideal gift for you.
Below is just a taster of some of the products on sale. All in stock and available for delivery within around 7 days.
Click here to visit shop now
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Hi and welcome to our February 2011 Newsletter. We've got a job for you. Your mission, and I hope you accept it is to take yourself and your Figaro to some truly wonderful and breathtaking places this year and when your there take out your camera and click away! It could be a historic building, a river, lake, the seaside or mountain, in fact anything that makes you go wow! Email us the results and Oh don't forget to ensure you set your camera in a high resolution mode as it could be selected for our Figaro 2012 Calendar! Read more
Three Important dates for your Diary
Get the diaries out as this month we have more great reasons to visit one of our 2011 Figaro Meetings/Events. The good news is for once the club seem to have more of the England covered with one in Scotland, one in London and the other in Great Yarmouth. So we hope that more of you can attend at least one of the dates. Read more
Member featured in Mobility Magazine
Last month member Gary Jackson contacted the club regarding an article he had written for Mobility Magazine.
The publication is the campaigning charity for disabled motorists, passengers and Blue Badge holders. We have reprinted the article Read more
Ownership Series Agreed with GJNorthall We are delighted to announce that Simon from GJNorthall has given the club permission to publish their excellent technical and ownership information. We intend to publish the entire library of documents over the next year. This Month we look at Figaro Niggles - Part 1. Read more
A Figaro for under �400! We bring you news about a Figaro that was brought back from the dead and given a new heart! Read more
Figaro Company For Sale We have news this month of a great opportunity for all you Figaro lovers. Andy Powell of Figaro Shop Merchandise fame is selling his marketing company Figgy Go. Read more I hope you enjoy the Newsletter and don't forget to send me your pictures and stories, catch you next month :)
Kevin
Kevin Fagan
Figaro Owners Club Founder Email me: [email protected]
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Figaro Events
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Three events in three different parts of the country! We bring to you the facts at a glance.
Ace Cafe Meeting (London) ~ 16th April 2011
Where is it? London
Entry Cost? Free
Who's behind it? Kevin Fagan the founder of the Figaro Owners Club Email - [email protected]
Venue Details:The famous Ace Caf�! This cult venue attracts thousands of motorbike and car enthusiasts every year and is worth a visit in its own right!
What's happening on the day? The day is relatively informal, it kicks of at 11.00 so just turn up when you can. The club will be in attendance (you can't miss us in our orange gazebo!) so come and say hello. We will be running some competitions and raffle to raise money for charity so bring along some spare change!
Sounds good how can I Register? You can Register on-line REGISTER NOW
ScotFest 2011 ~ Date TBA (Around Easter)
Where is it? Dumfries (Scotland) Entry Cost? TBC
Who's behind it? Brian Pritchard [email protected]
Venue Details:The venue he is hoping to get is Park Farm, which is about one and a half miles from the centre of Dumfries, with easy access from both North and South. This venue also makes the fun run very easy to orginise with the local authorities, as it would cause the minimal amount of police involvement. Brian will be able to park next to the river where there is a huge car park. Although the centre of Dumfries in pedestrionised, it does have access from both ends for traffic, with a large Piatsa in the centre where the cars can be shown to the public. Part of the camping fee will go towards Help for Hero's, as will any money raised by raffles which he intends to hold through out the weekend.
What's happening on the weekend? Cash for Kids charity an Easter Egg rally, this would run along side South West Radio. BBQ, Disco, Competitions
Live band...
Sounds good how can I Register? Registration will open next Month
FigFest 2011 ~ 8th, 9th & 10th July 2011 Where is it? Great Yarmouth
Entry Cost? Cost TBC Who's behind it? Paul Atyeo [email protected] Venue Details: This year the event will be held at church farm which is 5 minutes away from Fritton Lake (FigFest 2010) and right next to the Norfolk broads and Burough Castle. It has a lovely little campsite with indoor showers , yes showers and 2 local pubs, one we have eaten in and it was a fantastic carvery and the other is about a minute away from our site. What's happening on the weekend? Paul has promised the usual stuff which includes the famous seaside convoy! BBQ, Disco, Competitions, Live band
Sounds good how can I Register? Registration will open next Month
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Picture of the Month
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This picture was submitted by Claire Lillis and we guess its part of of a rather special day. We confess we had to Google 'Connemara' to find out where it was?
It seems it's a real emerald of Ireland. This natural terrain and unspoilt environment offers the visitor a wonderland of sights, experiences, adventure and activities. The people are warm, friendly and extend a hospitality which is the essence of Ireland. Learn more
| "Automnal" Topaz Mist in Connemara - Just Married |
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Members Stories
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Member Colin Parker sent in a picture of his 'Manual' Figaro. Apparently it was owned by a lady who drove it without water and wrecked the engine-she took it to our local Nissan Garage ,they dismantled it and said it was not repairable,they would look for another engine for it.
3 years later the car was still not fixed -Nissan in Cirencester went bust and Colin got the car for �200. It was in a dreadful state with broken side window,- so interior was wet and mouldy , Colin cleaned it up, replaced the window, got a K10 engine and 5 speed gearbox (42000 miles) for �150 which fitted fine with a few mods, the difficult part was the pedal box which he adapted the K10 one to fit and it works very well. Colin said that the car sailed through MOT and is great fun to drive. Well we work that out to be just �350! Bargain!!
| Can you spot the difference? |
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Members Cars
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Each month we upload to our website and feature our New Members Cars in all their glory. Submit your car for inclusion click here or email Kevin at [email protected]
Send in your Picture for our next Newsletter - Click here
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Special Feature
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Last month we got wind of an article printed in the Mobilise Magazine (Mobilise is the body for Disabled Drivers) about a Figaro that was owned by member Gary Jackson. Gary's story is typical of a 'chance advert' seen this time in a supermarket! Its a great story and thanks Gary for bringing to the attention of the club and its members. Article Reprinted from December 2010 Mobilise.
If you have an interesting story about a Figaro then please Contact Us
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Advertisement Feature
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Ownership Issues - Under The Bonnet
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This series is written by Gjnorthall Factors - Nissan Figaro Specialists. The company is well respected and has been involved in maintenance, servicing and new parts supply since 1999. The documents are all copyright protected and cannot be reproduced or passed off by any 3rd party. They can be printed and used for personal use.
This is document is available on PDF via our website Click here
NEXT MONTH - Figaro Niggles Part 2
Huge thanks to Simon for the information - The series continues next month (ed) www.jgnorthhall.com
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Dealers Under The Spotlight - Figaro Restore (Hallen Imports)
| Dave Bishop from Figaro Restore sent in some stunning pictures of his most recent project!
"We refurbished this jointly with the customer. Our brief was that his wife was super enthusiastic about anything Retro. We painted the Figaro in a retro Orange, re-piped the seats to match and finished it off with Black carpets. He did draw the line with leopard print seat covers! (It was only an idea) Its one of those Figs that make you happy just to look at. What a jolly looking Figaro. I think that's the essence of a Figaro, Unique and Happy"
Garages who support the club through advertising you can feature their projects here - Contact Us |
I need answers! (The following have been taken from last Months Forum Posts) |
Replace an interior Mirror? | Engine Cuts Out? | Condensation/Wet | Hello, My interior mirror isn't working at the moment. I already got a replacement but i have no idea where do I start ? Do I need to replace the light as well ,although there's nothing wrong with the current one? Ania
It's only the mirror and stem you need to change. The mirror is mounted on a sprung pin so that it safely releases if you made contact with it in an accident - therefore treat it fairly gentle. Pull off the plastic cover on the stem - it just clips on. Remove the 3 small screws on the base plate and lift off the old mirror. Install the new mirror and gently tighten the three screws Gareth Figaro Owners Club Technical Specialist
Need Help? You can post questions on our forum Click here | I am not sure if the subject is the correct way to explain this but i have noticed recently that the engine seems to go quiet for a short time when driving and then jumps back on again. I have a video recorded of my rev counter when I am waiting at a drivethrough just with my foot on the break. It shows the revs jumping quite alot even though I am not moving. Will try and see if I can attach the video on here. Anybody any thoughts on what this might be? Tilly
Presumably it's not just the rev counter that takes a drive - you can hear the engine revs drop and then recover. Unfortunately there can be many reasons for the symptoms you describe. First is air ingress usually due to a loose or split hose around the induction system causing the fuel mixture to vary. Second is a faulty MAFF meter. Thirdly is an issue with the idle stabiliser (usually a split hose) or an ignition fault. Fourthly is a damaged cold idle valve - though if it was this then the car wouldn't cold idle properly when cold.
Figetmenot also mentions a window problem whereby the auto function of the drivers window sticks and repeatedly triggers the motor overload. This caused a step change in revs that lasts for maybe 10 seconds or more so unlikely to be an issue in your case. Just test the car with the window partially open to confirm it's not the problem.
There may be a fault code showing on the ECU so this should be checked first. If theres nothing obvious, then get a garage to take a look - with a repeatable problem it's easy to find the initiating event with fairly basic test equipment
Gareth Figaro Owners Club Technical Specialist | Condensation seems to be a problem in Fig's,especially if a cover is used,any ideas how to avoid this?ive just started leaving a couple of small containers of salt inside the car to see if that helps.Also after heavy rain ive been getting water coming out of the interior light,dont know where its coming from but it is annoying and dangerous 'cos while im looking at that while im turning a corner,im not looking at whats in front of me!.Any thoughts on either of those subjects would be appreciated. Elltay With regards to your condensation query, It depends on the type and quality of cover used. I have a breathable 4/5 layer tailored cover as our garage is occupied and find minimal condensation. It also depends on the weather, if its foggy, then I find that the fog will creep under the cover and lie over the body, in these circumstances I will remove the cover and allow air to clear the condensation.In all other weathers, rain, hail, snow and wind the car is kept dry and the moisture does not penetrate the cover. The cover also provides protection from other debris and in particular Bird droppings,( is it me or do your local feathered friends seem to target a sparkling Fig, They have the accuracy of a Stuka Dive bomber, I shall have to mount ground to air missles on the Fig roof.). With regards to the leak through your light, may I suggest that you check the seal around the roof front. Steve
Water gets under the stainless steel trim above the windscreen and creeps down the retaining clip holes which go through the roof. The problem usually happens if the car is parked facing downhill! The water will drip from the interior light or from the joins in the plastic trim. In other cases it will creep down the windscreen edge trims and end up on the carpet. Best solution is a circle bead of clear silicon adhesive around the clip holes after removing the trim and a bead of silicon on the rubber seal at the back of the trim. Use your aircon on a regular basis to remove moist air from the car and stagnant sections such as between the roof and headlining. On dry days in spring - leave the car with the windows and bootlids open to allow a good airing. Gareth - Figaro Owners Club Technical Specialist |
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About the people behind the Figaro Owners Club My son Daniel had always wanted a Figaro and after saving for years (plus a small contribution from his mum and dad!) he brought an Emerald Green one in May 2008. That was it - I was hooked too! Even now we spend many a happy weekend polishing her in the garage. We just love all that chrome... After buying the car we started searching the internet for ownership help and advice and although a forum existed there was no real club so in December 2008 we started designing and building the web site which took around 4 Months.
The club was formed in February 2009 and launched on 1st March 2009.
Kevin Fagan (Figaro Owners Club Founder) |
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