Love the 'dark' theory - explains a lot! Funny if it turned out to be true, and that's where all the dark matter scientists are looking for actually is!
As one who very foolishly spent a lot of time and effort on a complete restoration of an SD1 Vitesse V8, and got to know all it's systems intimately; they had sadly not sorted out the electrical or any other problems by the 80's - they were slightly better than the 70's offerings, but still built down to a price and still unreliable.
According to James May, the XJS was awful not simply because it drank fuel, but because all the components; bushes, connectors etc, were built down to a price rather than up to a standard. So what should have been a premium car with good longevity was a total lemon.
Having said that, the Rover 200 series were good, but that's because they were basically Hondas - or at least drew heavily from the Honda ?Accord of the time that they were developed alongside.
PS Hydrofluoric acid is indeed very dangerous. If a certain type of seal compound has been subjected to temperatures above I think 450 degs, (i.e burnt in a fire), hydrofluoric acid can be produced. If hydroflouric acid gets onto you, the only cure is amputation. So be very careful.
Last edited by Uplinker; 21st February 2013 at 09:20.