Vauxall Corsa 1.2L 1999 Help

[zmed]

Hi,

Ive just bought a 1.2 vauxall corsa 1999 for my first car and my knowledge of cars is very very basic. Is there any books or websites which will give me a better understanding of my car? Also Id love to throw some money at it to improve how it looks and performs but again I dont really have a clue what im looking at or whats best so if anyone had info about it would be much appreciated!!

Finally if anyone has any ideas on what could be improved id be happy to hear them, everything on the car us pretty standard so far

[shorod]

I'm not very familiar with the public library system "across the pond" or the availability of repair manuals for Vauxalls. Here in the US many of the public libraries have service manuals available for most of the common vehicles. Checking out such a manual could help give you a better understanding of your car. The auto parts stores around here also typically sell very similar service manuals so that might be another option for you.

Generally speaking, an engine is an air pump and the amount of power it can develop is directly related to how much air it can take in and how much air it can exhaust out. You might start by giving the car a complete tune up, unless you know the maintenance history and can determine a tune up was recently performed. This would involve, at a minimum, spark plugs, spark plug wires (unless coil on plug ignition), fuel filter, and air filter. You should flush the brake system as that's a service that's way too often overlooked. Inspect the brakes while flushing the system to make sure they are in good condition. Consider replacing the rubber brake hoses prior to flushing the system as the rubber hoses deteriorate from the inside out making it hard to inspect them for health. Once the basics of your car are in good condition, start looking at ways to improve the air flow through the engine (exhaust improvements, air intake improvements, etc.).

-Rod