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Datsuncog's Heaps: Sept 2023 - Another Year's T-Met Exemption Certificate...


Datsuncog

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Jaysis, what a muck-about.

Partly my fault, party not.

Firstly, so busy was I making hilarious* posts on everybody's favourite beige-themed motoring forum, that I was unaware I was being called forward ahead of the two cars ahead of me in the queue.

This then caused me to become massively flustered, and I ended up locking the doors, then setting off the alarm while trying to get the window down, dropping my phone under the seat in all the excitement.

The tested also looked exactly like Sammy Wilson, which threw me massively.

(For non-local shiters, the Right Honourable Sammy Wilson, MP for South-East Antrim, is one of our enlightened DUP politicians who once managed to hold the position of Environment Minister while publicly decrying climate change as a hoax, banning ads promoting saving energy for consumers, and wholeheartedly supporting an unlicensed oil drilling exercise by shonky speculators on public forest land right beside a water reservoir, because (and I quote from the letter he sent me) "it's our duty to burn fossil fuels". He also does a nifty sideline in casual homophobia and misogyny, and made the tabloids a few years back being snapped frolicking around a field in the nip. But I digress.)

I'd expected the usual "what's the mileage?" to be the opener, but instead Doppelganger Sammy just said "brake pipes replaced?"

The "Yes" was out of my mouth before my mind had finished processing the final word. Yes, I was here because of brake pipes. But no, they hadn't been replaced.

"Just slide over to the passenger side there..."

I complied, silently wondering what the best way to remedy this situation might be as Doppelganger Sammy gunned the Subaru forward onto the rollers, and elected to say nothing.

Which, as it turned out, was a mistake.

Something also seemed to be up with the brake test rollers, or rather, this car on the rollers. The front n/s seemed to lock up once the roller motors were activated, also the rear o/s. Another inspector was called over; the brakes were plainly fine and not binding on the flat, but seemed to jam shut on alternate sides while under test. There was much banging, stalling and violent jerking of the steering wheel that I did not much care for. No the car doesn't have selectable traction control. Yes it is driving normally. Bang. Thunk. Roar. Stall.

Plus the alarm went off twice more, to everyone's irritation.

Eventually some sort of result was recorded (with the same 30% imbalance at the front as before), and I was ejected to the luxuriously appointed* waiting area while the Sub was lifted on the big hoist - right in front of me, for maximum discomfort.

Doppelganger Sammy then proceeded to have a 5 minute yo-ho type chat with some other lad who seemed to be in having a white Skoda Superb tested, which might give some indication of why they were so far behind.

Eventually he trotted under, flashed the torch around under all the wheel wells, poked a bit, and lowered it down again.

"Why did you lie to me? You said the pipes had been replaced."

"No, well, I took it to a garage and told them..."

"You said they'd been replaced but they haven't. Why did you lie? You could have just told me the truth."

"Yes, but I asked the garage to look at them and replace where needed but they said there was no corrosion - "

"I asked you if the pipes had been replaced and you told me yes. But they haven't."

At this point, it all seemed to be getting a smidge police procedural and I could feel my inner Hulk in the ascendant.

"Look, I got flustered at the start by being pulled out of the line. I know they haven't been replaced; I'd asked for replacement at the garage but was told there was no point as they appear to be completely sound."

"Oh yeah, they're sound alright, they're fine. But if you'd told me you hadn't replaced them, I could have just put it straight up onto the lift without the hassle on the rollers."

Ah right.

So it transpires the pipes are fine, and what's more appear to be the factory originals. They've "cleaned up well ".

I rather peevishly pointed out that Dour Derek in Larne hadn't just said they were dirty or dubious, he'd stated they were "clean rotten" and "could pop at any minute", which was manifestly untrue.

Furthermore, 'cleaning up' the pipes has been limited to lightly running an oily rag over them. They were not clabbered with muck to the extent that their condition could not be adequately assessed, nor needed the wire brush treatment that the Yaris responded to. They were visibly fine when presented at the last test.

I may have ranted more in this vein, involving the time and money element, but I pulled back on outright accusing them of running a racket here.

All Sammy could advise was that it was down to the tester's opinion, and I would have had to take it up with the centre manager on the day if I felt the decision was incorrect.

This neatly sidesteps the issue that I had no definite reason to disbelieve Derek last week; it was only subsequent off-site inspection that showed them to be sound, clean and with no pitting whatsoever.

So. After a little more fruitless argy-bargy with Sammy (who, in fairness, has no real part in my gripe other than to confirm what I and the garage knew), the car was removed from the hoist and taken down the far end. The pass cert was printed and presented, and I moodily stalked off back to the Subaru down at the far end of the hall.

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Then I had to trot back up the hall again, as it turned out Sammy still had the keys on him, rather undermining the dramatic impact of my moody stalking.

So. A pass. But a Pyrrhic victory, perhaps, as the brakes are indeed unhappy on this and will need work regardless.

But - a pass is a pass. And I will be composing a letter of complaint nonetheless, just to put this on file that some testers appear to be grossly exaggerating problems in cars to justify a fail which, at retest, is proved untrue. As I'd mentioned above, if he'd said "they need cleaning" I'd just have had to assume he has high standards. It was the whole rigmarole of how the pipes were dangerously corroded and were well beyond cleaning that suggests either a personal grudge or a chronic gap in his professional assessment capabilities.

Aaaaaand breathe...

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It's a joke. Try taking a motorcycle through. Ive never had a bike fail, last three years:

 

Mot1 - bald rear tyre. In my defense I had only bought the bike which had sat for years and I wanted to see if it was worth investing in first. "I take it you'll be buying a new tyre this week" erm yes. Thanks for the pass m8

 

Mot2 - non working tail and brake lights. "you'll get a few bulbs on the way home won't you" erm yes. thanks for the pass m8

 

Mot3 - rear pads worn to the metal "you might want to replace the rear pads" erm yes. Thanks for the pass m8.

 

Same testing station failed my mondeo for one of the two rear number plate lights having failed.

 

Most of the time they are spot on but I've had stuff passed that shouldn't have, and things failed for the most miniscule of things.

 

 

 

Sent from my F3211 using Tapatalk

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On 9/29/2018 at 12:54 PM, oldcars said:

Good news on the pass. I thought that four wheel drive cars couldn't be put on the brake rollers?

Well now... that's a very very good point. An excellent point indeed.

It seems that some can be tested on the rollers, while others can't and so require testing outside in the brake test lane with a Tapley meter.

I'm really not sure whether the Subaru is one that can be tested in this way, or can't.

What I do know is that the rumbling, grumbling 'wob-wob-wob' noise under low-speed braking has suddenly now changed to a permanent grumble rising to an alarming "THUB-THUB-THUB-THUB" pounding noise whenever the brakes are applied at any speed.

Have these tubes gone and banjaxed my diff or transfer box or something?

I've never presented a 4x4 at an MOT before, but I'd like to think there's enough of them around that the testers would be familiar with the correct process.

On 9/29/2018 at 1:11 PM, They_all_do_that_sir said:

Most of the time they are spot on but I've had stuff passed that shouldn't have, and things failed for the most miniscule of things.

In principle, the MOT set-up should work well over here - and there's always going to be some latitude depending on a tester's own point of view and their assessment of the customer. Sometimes this has stood me in good stead, with borderline cars passed on the understanding that I knew what the issue was and could be trusted to remedy it promptly. I suppose as bikers tend to be much more switched-on about their machines, they mebbe feel that they'll take advice on board more readily.

I'm just a bit huffy as that's five tests required in the past lot of weeks for brake components that I felt were rather on the better side of borderline, but the tester's disagreed. The Yaris I can take - better safe than sorry - but this latest episode following hot on its heels, with no sign of degradation to the factory pipes at all but garnering such a hammed-up performance of utter doom, just smells really, really fishy to me.

If they've also jiggered something major through conducting an unsuitable brake test then I'll be going through them for a shortcut.

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Fingers crossed there's nothing serious at play dude. I'm pissed for you tbh

Well now... that's a very very good point. An excellent point indeed.

 

It seems that some can be tested on the rollers, while others can't and so require testing outside in the brake test lane with a Tapley meter.

 

I'm really not sure whether the Subaru is one that can be tested in this way, or can't.

 

What I do know is that the rumbling, grumbling 'wob-wob-wob' noise under low-speed braking has suddenly now changed to a permanent grumble rising to an alarming "THUB-THUB-THUB-THUB" pounding noise whenever the brakes are applied at any speed.

 

Have these tubes gone and banjaxed my diff or transfer box or something?

 

I've never presented a 4x4 at an MOT before, but I'd like to think there's enough of them around that the testers would be familiar with the correct process.

 

 

In principle, the MOT set-up should work well over here - and there's always going to be some latitude depending on a tester's own point of view and their assessment of the customer. Sometimes this has stood me in good stead, with borderline cars passed on the understanding that I knew what the issue was and could be trusted to remedy it promptly. I suppose as bikers tend to be much more switched-on about their machines, they mebbe feel that they'll take advice on board more readily.

 

I'm just a bit huffy as that's five tests required in the past lot of weeks for brake components that I felt were rather on the better side of borderline, but the tester's disagreed. The Yaris I can take - better safe than sorry - but this latest episode following hot on its heels, with no sign of degradation to the factory pipes at all but garnering such a hammed-up performance of utter doom, just smells really, really fishy to me.

 

If they've also jiggered something major through conducting an unsuitable brake test then I'll be going through them for a shortcut.

Sent from my F3211 using Tapatalk

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"Oh yeah, they're sound alright, they're fine. But if you'd told me you hadn't replaced them, I could have just put it straight up onto the lift without the hassle on the rollers."

 

 

So it transpires the pipes are fine,

 

 

what a cock - hes there to check stuff not ask you whats been fixed - it isnt there to be fixed

 

didnt need to know if theyd been replaced why did he ask as when he checked them anyway - theyre ok - the whole fucking point

 

next time yer here on holiday get a mot here :D

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  • 2 weeks later...

Harrumph. Right. Well, not much has happened in the past week, other than putting in a formal written complaint to DVA about their testing process, the communication of supposed faults and the generally aggressive attitude from examiners who, it should be remembered, are employed as civil servants and will have had plenty of customer service training. I don't particularly relish repeatedly being called a liar and shaken down for forty quid, for no reason. We'll see what, if anything, comes back.

I took the Subaru up to Ballymena last Monday and noted that the THUBTHUBTHUBTHUBTHUB noise whenever I hit the brake pedal is still very much present. Otherwise it seems to be driving well enough - so I'm not quite sure what the issue is.

I'm thinking that maybe the MOT testing hasn't caused it, since the noise through the brakes first appeared after picking the Forester up from its new back box fitting, which also caused a bit of head scratching. I know for a fact the mileage was the same when I picked it up than when I left it, so I don't think it was taken out of the yard to be ragged or anything whilst in the care of the exhaust place. It manifested as a kind of wub-wub-wub noise when braking down from about 10mph to a standstill on the way home that afternoon, but this became SUBSTANTIALLY worse following Saturday's MOT re-test.

Wondering whether perhaps a blob of weld or spiral of swarf had managed to find its way down between the pad and disc, all the stomping and stalling at the re-test only making matters worse, I set about investigating it on my return from Ballymena. The front n/s disc seemed noticeably hotter than the other three, so it seemed as good a place to start as any.

Raising the car up to remove the wheel (no mean feat, as the scissor jack will no longer locate onto the sills due to damaged seams and sill covers) revealed quite a lot of scoring to the surface of the disc... remember that the seller's advert stated the car had recently had new discs and brakes all round...

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Hmm. Really.

It's not the easiest to check what state the pads are in: I really can't quite tell how much meat is on them. Are the damn things just down to the metal?

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There doesn't seem to be an obvious way to pop the pads out, either. I spent a while crouched under the wheelarch trying to find a suitable YouTube video showing brake pad removal on one of these, but they were all spectacularly useless. Come back HBOL, all is forgiven (almost).

Good thing: the CV boot looks quite new.

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Bad thing: should a drop link be that shape?

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Then it started to rain, so I put the wheel back on and scuttled into the house.

 

In the week since, the braking noise seems to have become less awful - but I'm concerned that I'm merely becoming accustomed to it... I have form in that area.

The fuel consumption also seems to be getting steadily worse, so I'm not sure whether this is a symptom of brake binding or just that I've been using it more for urban use of late.

Ah now. Cars, hey?

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Mmm, that would certainly seem to fit the symptoms, true - CarParts4Less has new (well, probably recon) calipers for about the £95 mark, less whatever discount they're bandying about today.

I'd guess I'd be better off changing both front calipers together - since not long after getting the car MrsDC advised the front o/s disc seemed to be radiating heat after a run, so neither's probably up to much.

I don't know why a job like this fills me with such trepidation, as I helped a chum fit a new set of calipers only a few months back so I know I'm capable of doing it.

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In slightly better news, the pair of tailgate struts I ordered for the Yaris arrived on Saturday, and were possibly the easiest replacement job I've ever done on a car, ever.

A tiny bit of prising with a screwdriver and the old ones just dropped off, while the new ones snicked into place after a quick wipe down and re-grease of the ball joints.

Twenty quid well spent, as now I no longer nut the tailgate leading edge while loading it up.

Struts came from StrutsDepot , who got a brief mention in Tamworthbay's Volvo thread.

So far, recommended - I'd looked into getting a new set a few years back, and couldn't find anything for less than £100. We'll see how they perform over time.

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When I had an Impreza I redid the seals on the front calipers using genuine parts from these chaps:

 

https://www.importcarparts.co.uk/parts?cat=96&sub=494&sec=1539&var=26&dc=y

 

Way cheaper than a recon caliper, I am slightly suspicious that a recon will have been rebuilt* using a silver rattle can and "I can't believe its not rubber" sub-ebay grade seals.

 

On mine I also ended up replacing one piston as it was a bit rusty in a seal contacting area but realistically it would have been fine with a clean up with some wet and dry.

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I don't know why a job like this fills me with such trepidation, as I helped a chum fit a new set of calipers only a few months back so I know I'm capable of doing it.

 

Because it involves rusty nuts and flexi hoses the undoing of which is never quite as straight forward as one hopes for? Perhaps the liberal use of PlusGas (or similar) well before time might just pay dividends?

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Because it involves rusty nuts and flexi hoses the undoing of which is never quite as straight forward as one hopes for? Perhaps the liberal use of PlusGas (or similar) well before time might just pay dividends?

Agreed, for me caliper replacement ALWAYS ends up including new Flexi pipes. Maybe I'm just unlucky!

 

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Most of the time with those type calipers the actual plating on the piston has flaked away, fucked up the seals and then it’s pissing fluid out.

 

Rebuilding sounds a great idea until you start trying to take the fucker apart. Chances are you may need to force the piston completely out with air. Then find piston/bore scored etc.

 

You can reduce the chances of bolloxing the flex by slackening the union before you start undoing the calipers mounts, then spin it off after you’ve took the mounts off. I realise this might sound obvious but the amount of people I’ve seen with calipers in hand trying to undoing the flex...

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If replacing the callipers - swap out eh flexes anyway - it isn't much more pennies wise and you know it's all good. 

If rebuilding - I usually sacrifice the brake fluid and get the callipers off and supported then use the pedal to push them out - pads already removed - and they'll be either almost there or already on the floor.... If one side is sticking - clamp the good* side so the sticky fucker is forced out..... 

It's a messy and pain in the arse job with guaranteed rusty rounded off bits...... but if you're in there you may as well do the whole lot.

 

Good luck either way fella..... 

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Cheers all for the advice and encouragement here!

Yeah, it looks like a rebuild/replacement of both front calipers is going to be necessary. It would, of course, make sense to replace the flexi hoses etc at the same time to keep everything fresh, and not skimp pointlessly.

EuroCarPrats offer a pair of Pagid twin-piston calipers and Eicher "premium" pads for a little over £200 once discount codes and returns surcharges are factored in (assuming that mine uses the Tokico rather than the Akebono type caliper, which appears to be the case from pics).

13380065J Pagid Tokico Front Brake Caliper.jpg

The same basket again from CarParts4Less comes to about £14 cheaper at the checkout (cheaper 'normal' price, but less code discount), but requires £6 in postage and I then can't go and get shouty at a physical desk if they manage to stuff the order up.

Neither of them seem able to supply me with front flexis, though.

I'd love to go to my local independent motor factor, but previous experience of their parts-matching expertise indicates an odds-on likelihood of receiving 15kg of chopped pig liver and a pair of ladies' bowling shoes.

I also checked on SubaruBits.com, as per the lairy stickers down the side when I first bought the Forester, but it appears their specialism is rally decals, windscreen strips and other stick-on shit - but it did give me a giggle that someone in the car's past wasted £13 on this piece of sub-market stall knock-off tat.

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Which, as you may recall, I binned off immediately.

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BiggRed offer a reconditioning service for an estimated £125 (standard finish), but all the faff of removing them, posting them out and waiting around for them to come back will probably take at least a week, maybe longer.

While I'm not that bothered about the time taken in and of itself, I wouldn't be happy about leaving it up on axle stands with the flexis clamped for that length of time.

I could, of course, buy a secondhand set of calipers from Ebay and punt those off for reconditioning before swapping them over, but there we have yet more expense and faffage.

Four new pistons plus a pair of fitting kits from BiggRed would total around £100 anyway - plus I would then get to crouch on the driveway in the bracing October rain while dropping critical brake parts down onto the gravel surface. Hmm.

 

I think the Laguna brake disasters from April are still weighing on me, rather - the fact that KAZ expired in a fountain of DOT4 and rounded-off bleed nipples is making me somewhat skittish about going all-in with this one. With the Renner, there was a certain gung-ho attitude that I couldn't make it any deader - but I can't really say that about the Subaru. I need it to work.

The ABS gubbins is also something that scares me a smidge, and while I do want to learn how to do this kind of job better (I helped fit some uprated calipers and vented discs to AdamMcC's Mk3 Cortina back in the spring, and AFAIK it's been grand since), I'm concerned this job is beyond me. My usual whinges of no garage or covered area, limited tools, and limited talent also apply. I know, I know. It's not the Autoshite Way.

 

So I think I might head back down to the Mechanic of Choice and run the problem by him to see what sort of money we'd be talking to rectify all this. It's going to be a minimum of £120 even if I go down the complete DIY refurb route, so it's not going to be a pocket money fix regardless. £120 for a world of pain and misery, or £300-odd to just drop the big silver lump off and pick it up later, fixed, bled and warranted. Tricky one.

 

My head's also a bit turned as I've kind of accidentally agreed to completely re-do the bathroom and, while I originally thought I was agreeing in principle to the concept of bathroom improvements, it seems that an entire strip-out, reorganisation of plumbing and soil stack, re-tile and refit is now on the cards in the coming weeks.

It'll be cheaper to get a professional to do the car brakes while I'm up to my oxters in water trap gunk and adhesive, rather than get a pro in to fit the bathroom while I'm dicking around outside in the twilight with that bloody Gunsons EazyBleed kit...

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  • 3 months later...

God, yeah... I did kinda just leave this one hanging, didn't I?

Possibly because this happened a day or two after my last post, which rather precluded motoring adventures for a short while...

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Ergh. So. Apologies. Let's rewind a few months...

 

I took the Sub down to the Mechanic of Choice on a Monday morning, explained the symptoms, and left it with him for assessment.

And then waited for the inevitable wallet-shafting phonecall.

And waited.

And waited some more.

 

Eventually, late on the Wednesday afternoon I could bear the waiting game no longer and screwed up my courage to phone them.

phonecall worried.png

"Hi, I left a silver Forester down with you a couple of days ago; just wondering if you've had a chance to look at it and find out what's wrong?"

phonecall.jpg

"What, the one with the blown gaskets? Aye, that's toast pal. Gonna need a full engine rebuild."

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"Errrrrrrrrrrrr... WHUT?"

 

Much confuse. Such worry. All the feels.

After some interesting stomach gymnastics, much stuttering and (finally) another member of staff taking the phone, it transpired that this was not the case.

As chance would have it, another (non turbo) silver Subaru Forester had also been left down on Monday, with an overheating problem. This was not my car.

No, mine had just required the sliding pins on the front o/s caliper regreased, which had been done on Monday afternoon.

"Did no one phone you to say it was ready?"

Well, nope.

 

However, when I picked it up on Thursday, I was only charged £20. So I didn't argue.

One thing which did give me pause for concern however was Mechanic of Choice's parting comment:

"Oh, and not wanting to be the bearer of bad news but your clutch seems to be going - it's really heavy, and quite hard to get into gear. Just a heads-up."

Now, while I won't claim that the Sub's clutch is feather-light, it's pretty much what I'd expect for a car of its size. Both my Cortina and Jackaroo (Mk1 Isuzu Trooper clone) were significantly heavier on the left foot. With some trepidation, I returned to the car with my keys, wondering whether it had somehow shat itself impressively while sitting doing nothing.

But no. On starting, the clutch action was as it had always been, and three months on from that there's been no noticable change there. It's never given me any bother in selecting gear. So off I went.

The less-happy Forester twinsie was also nearby, parked up on the grass outside. Sayonara.

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But if the clutch was just the same as before, the brakes were not. What a difference!

There was no longer that demented thumping every time I dabbed the middle pedal. The brakes were smoother and more quiet than I'd ever known them, and the car seemed just full of GO - I suppose not driving everywhere with the brakes permanently jammed on might well give that impression.

The Fuelly mpg chart for the weeks before, during and after early October tells its own story.

Forester fuel consumption - Sept 18 to Jan 19.png

I can only assume that there was considerable corrosion friction on the slider pins, which were massively exacerbated by the ham-footed blunderings of the MOT re-tester stamping on them like he was trying to halt a runaway elephant.

(Incidentally, my skilfully-worded complaint to DVA about the irreconcilable discrepancies in tester opinion, while testing the same fucking part, went nowhere. They were either too stupid, or too clever, to engage with the issue and just kept stonewalling me with "you need to speak to the test centre manager before the vehicle leaves the premises if you are unhappy with the test result".

This, of course, sidesteps the burning issue that I didn't know I was unhappy with the tester's assessment until after I was able to take a look at it myself, and realised they were talking unmitigated bollocks.

So, in essence, what they're telling me is that I need to immediately appeal and demand a second inspection from the centre manager after every fail - even if it's 8pm and I'm the last car through - because they won't entertain any complaints, even when it can be demonstrated that the tester was completely wrong and the 'clean rotten' component is, in fact, in A1 condition. So I've printed the letter off and will keep it with me for the next MOT fail, to wave it in their lying faces.)

 

So that was all great. For a day.

24hrs later, a slight vibration and some very faint noise had returned on braking.

Flat face.png

Nowhere near as bad, mind, and similar to how it originally was, but there's still something up with the calipers.

But because I am a fool, and lazy and parsimonious to boot, I've elected to do fuck-all with it except drive it ever since (hence the lack of updates here).

 

Actually, tell a lie - I did take it down to a local tyre place as I got fed up having to put about 15psi in the rear o/s tyre every week. I'd wondered about a leaking valve, but it turned out to be a nail in the tread. Impressively, they repaired it for £6.95 and I got a free wanky coffee and a small packet of those Lotus caramelised biscuits while waiting, so I reckon I was nearly up on that deal.

 

I may have posted elsewhere that I managed to get a set of cheapo roofbars for it too, to transport various bathroom components in a moderately hair-raising manner.

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This served to reinforce my view that 'sporty' spoilers have no place on practical cars:

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(Though it's still not as daft as the one on that bloody Alfa I drove for reasons that still elude me. Note the rusted-out fuel tank hanger dangling beneath; this car was barely 9 years old at the time)

Alfa 156 WN04WTX - February 2013.jpg

Anyway, this was all well and good, until I noticed that the big glass sunroof has developed a spreading crack in one corner...

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Now, I don't know if it's linked to the roof bars (and I swear, I didn't overtighten them like a madman using a breaker bar - handtight with a nip is enough on these type of bars for solid roofrails, and heaven knows I fitted enough of them in my time as a so-called Halfords 'touring expert'), but it definitely wasn't there when I gave all the glass a full deep-clean and polish over the summer. So that's a right old bollock, and I suspect that a period of freezing weather is not going to spontaneously improve this very much.

 

I've had 'change the oil on the Forester' dumped on my to-do list since, erm, April. I managed to obtain what I believe to be the correctly-sized filter in December, but I haven't quite enough oil so will need to get some more of that and get it done very soon.

As advised, the 2.0 turbocharged boxer lump does burn a little bit of oil so I throw about 100ml of 5w/30 in every other month, to just to keep it showing full on the dipstick. I'm not sure whether this counts as 'changing the oil by instalment', but I reckon I ought to get a proper drain done and check all the other AWD-related fluids while I'm under there. I used to be a stickler for giving all my cars a gargle of engine flush while changing the oil, but having heard some refutations on its benefits here, now I dunno...

I did change the oil on La Cucharacha last month, which I chose to do at 4pm in a delightfully refreshing rainstorm, whereby I succeeded in somehow producing a slick on the driveway which makes the Exxon Valdez look like a toddler's sippy-cup spill. I know.

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I also pulled the front bumper off while getting it up on the ramps, due to all the busted clips incurred during my short-lived involuntary off-road excursion one icy morn.  It really needs a new front, ideally.

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Oh, but I did get the new set of driving lamps fitted, finally, to replace the ones I smashed years ago. It really does make an appreciable difference on narrow rural roads at night, just being able to see the edge of the tarmac more clearly.

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Of course, now I've resolved to get the Forester's oil changed, we're now coming to the end of one of the mildest spells of winter weather I've ever known, and it's all snow and frost and ice from here on in, starting tonight...

Why do I do this to myself? Why?

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^^^ That's good to know! As we've now ticked past the 120k mark, I'd say it's all due, for the sake of piece of mind...

There's a white-paint message scrawled on the rad cowling which says the cambelt was done at 97k, and it does look fairly recent - the dealer service history goes up to 2016 so there's been care taken at some point; but I'd feel happier if all the lube was swapped for new.

I do intend to keep this one as a long-termer - although it's been agreed that I might want to swap it onto SORN and take it off the road for a bit, should a piece of primo chod present itself on these pages (or if I finally get lucky in a roffle).

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I definitely did diff and gearbox oils on one of my Imprezas, possibly the one that got stolen.

 

They don't need anything fancy, think it was 75w-90 semi synthetic which was about £20 for 5l from my local factors.

 

I'm sure the Bradford lads who had it on false plates for a year were impressed with the smoothness of the transmission.

 

Protip: when refilling the gearbox, try not to lash loads of oil on the hot side of the turbo, unless you fancy an alarming smokescreen rising gently from the bonnet vent as you next drive to work.

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Please note dear reader that Datsuncog has the offer of a dry and (sort of) warm double garage to change the oil in the Forester if he so wishes. If he dies of exposure on the drive of his house in some bleak mid-winter Northern Ireland day (or any other season as the weather is a bit crap here) he should receive no sympathy. He might even get a cup of coffee (instant only I am afraid) plus a biscuit or two if he appears on a good day.

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Aye, once next week rolls around and I'm no longer having to live on value noodles, then I'll be putting in an order for engine, diff and gearbox oils. I'd feel much happier with it all done, I just can't quite figure out what's stopping me from going ahead and just doing the damn jobs.

True, I've always had a Haynes manual for my previous heaps, to walk me though the job in glorious black and grey - possibly it's the lack of this oil-stained safety net that's causing TEH FEARZ. It may be the apparent complexity of the Forester's engine to a chump like me, who cut his teeth on nothing more complex than Pintos and 1256cc Vauxhall units, with added AWD gubbins for good measure. Or perhaps it's a worry that I'm going to manage to crock this one too, and end up with another busted car and a total loss on my investment. Hmm.

Well, it's self-evident that if I do nothing it WILL break down eventually, so I'll order the assorted lubricants next week and get on with it. Quite possibly it would be helpful to actually schedule something (for instance, taking The_Equalizer up on his kind offer of moral support, some degree of shelter and instant coffee) - because every weekend for, like, eight months, my thought process has gone something like...

...really should get the oil done on that Subaru. Yup. Really should do that. Something needs done. I don't want this one to go bang. Definitely should get that done.

And then I don't. Repeat the next week, and the next, and the next... the totally ridiculous thing is that I did the same with the green Laguna, and look where that got me.

So yeah. A sense of focus and committment is needed here. I used to like working on cars, too. Mind you, I'll happily gather up my tools and take myself off to work on someone else's car, so it's not just that I've lost my car mojo. I just seem to have become most dreadfully avoidant on my own vehicles. That old adage, the shoemaker's children are always ill-shod, springs to mind...

I've also noticed over the last few days that, on full lock, there seems to be a slight 'crunch' and slip from the wheels somewhere, like something in the drivetrain isn't 100% happy... noticed intially while reversing the car into the drive on Monday, I initially thought it was caused by all the stones and guff liberally scattered all over the thoroughfare by Virgin Media's contractors (currently running amok through the greater Carrick area), but then it did it again yesterday manoeuvring into a space at the station. Was it just the snow causing slippage, or something more serious? Hmmm. I have my concerns.

I also received one of those cheapie headlight restoration kits at Christmas, so I'd quite like to sort out the Forester's bleary old yellowy eyes sometime soon as well.

20190123_081545.jpg

Ah now. January's a long old month, and none of us are at our best. Hoping to get a Shiter Social together next week in one of Carrick's less stabby sort of hostelries, so that may be the time to talk tactics.

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