Bit of a story here...I've been looking for an RCZ for a few weeks, really absorbing everything about them, what quirks and features they have, the possible issues etc.
I focused on one in particular that was priced reasonably low and looked ok on the face of it. The one thing that stood out though was that the owner stated it had an engine change due to what the owner says was an oil leak and the engine seized.
Now my personal view is, normally as soon as I hear that, I'm out. But, knowing the issues these 1.6T engines can have, I was willing to continue finding out more and lets just say, I did.
I got a pre-purchase inspection and the report came back that the car is 'not-recommended' considering the list of issues found, stating it was only suitable as a restoration project.
One of the major things found was that there was a number of places with accident repairs carried out, albeit poorly, with overspray and paint runs quite evident.
This got me thinking...with the engine being changed and several areas of accident repair, perhaps the story about an oil leak wasn't true at all, and that it was in a significant front end accident that required a new front and engine.
So following that line of thinking, this is where I need some opinions because after comparing multiple RCZ's to this one, I can see several interior parts that appear to have come from a 308 and are not in fact RCZ specific where they should be.
Firstly, in the car in question, it has a steering wheel that looks to me like its from a 308. If you look closely to the first pic, you can see there is no 'RCZ' embossed in the lower metal accent, and there are metal accents in the thumb recess areas that are not present in an RCZ steering wheel (see second pic). Conclusion? The airbag was deployed in an accident and since the 308 is very similar interior wise, they simply sourced a 308 steering wheel for the replacement.
Secondly, in the instrument cluster of an RCZ there is that central screen which is a particular width. In the car in question, you can see the central screen is actually half the width (first pic) compared to the cluster screen in every other RCZ (second pic). Conclusion? After the accident, they replaced the instrument cluster with one from a 308.
The question I have for the experts is, am I right that the parts I'm pointing out are in fact from a 308?
I focused on one in particular that was priced reasonably low and looked ok on the face of it. The one thing that stood out though was that the owner stated it had an engine change due to what the owner says was an oil leak and the engine seized.
Now my personal view is, normally as soon as I hear that, I'm out. But, knowing the issues these 1.6T engines can have, I was willing to continue finding out more and lets just say, I did.
I got a pre-purchase inspection and the report came back that the car is 'not-recommended' considering the list of issues found, stating it was only suitable as a restoration project.
One of the major things found was that there was a number of places with accident repairs carried out, albeit poorly, with overspray and paint runs quite evident.
This got me thinking...with the engine being changed and several areas of accident repair, perhaps the story about an oil leak wasn't true at all, and that it was in a significant front end accident that required a new front and engine.
So following that line of thinking, this is where I need some opinions because after comparing multiple RCZ's to this one, I can see several interior parts that appear to have come from a 308 and are not in fact RCZ specific where they should be.
Firstly, in the car in question, it has a steering wheel that looks to me like its from a 308. If you look closely to the first pic, you can see there is no 'RCZ' embossed in the lower metal accent, and there are metal accents in the thumb recess areas that are not present in an RCZ steering wheel (see second pic). Conclusion? The airbag was deployed in an accident and since the 308 is very similar interior wise, they simply sourced a 308 steering wheel for the replacement.
Secondly, in the instrument cluster of an RCZ there is that central screen which is a particular width. In the car in question, you can see the central screen is actually half the width (first pic) compared to the cluster screen in every other RCZ (second pic). Conclusion? After the accident, they replaced the instrument cluster with one from a 308.
The question I have for the experts is, am I right that the parts I'm pointing out are in fact from a 308?
