Further reflections: the barge in daylight

I filled up the Barge yesterday to check the fuel economy. It was also the first opportunity for the wife to try out the passenger seat - fortunately, she likes it.

Good point: economy matches the published figure.
Bad point: that figure is 25mpg...



I suppose it goes some way to proving that the engine/gearbox is reasonably healthy, if I'm getting that sort of figure. But it's a reflection of brick-like aerodynamics, lazy normally-aspirated six-cylinder engine and slush-matic old-style auto box.

I can't pretend to be disappointed as it's exactly the car I've been looking for really.

One thing that is one of my pet hates is air con that doesn't work. Fortunately, I *think* the S90's system is working OK - it demists effectively, although the handbook says it doesn't operate below 6 degC so I can't verify it yet. I am prepared to spend a bit of money fixing it if it turns out to be bust.

Other faults that came to light (excuse the pun):

- Rear taillight bulb blown (now fixed). Good on-board system detects blown bulbs (very Volvo).
- Driver's electric seat adjust: rear squab doesn't rise and fall. Luckily it's roughly in the place I'd have it anyway.

So, jobs for the future:

- Investigate seat heater fault(s). I'm betting it isn't a fuse - the light comes on when you switch them. Most likely a wiring or thermostat fault.

- Audio options. The standard stereo sounds great (it has a separate amplifier) but does not have DAB radio or an iPod input. Temporary solution for now is to use a tape adaptor attached to the iPod.

Ideally I'd like to replace the head unit with a Blaupunkt DAB unit I have and use the existing amp. But that involves finding an adaptor (which I believe doesn't exist) or cutting the wiring (which I'd rather not do).

That forces me down the route of a 'full install', ie scrap the existing system and replace with an amp'd system of my own. Which I can do, although it's a lot of work: routing live feed from battery through car, finding and connecting existing speaker wiring, routing signal cable to amp etc etc.

I also need to install a DAB antenna: roof mount ones are best, but I don't want to drill holes in the roof, and there's nowhere to route the wiring through a seal like there would be in a hatchback. So a glass-mount thing looks like a potential solution:

Watch this space. I have all of next week to fiddle until the Barge's big test: Operation Cross-County. This involves driving from Midlands to South Coast, then onto deepest darkest Devon, and back to Midlands. Messers BP, Shell and Texaco will be delighted.