xtriple

So sorry to hear about your dog.  Horrible.

The SuLK had advisories on its last MOT for 'perished tyre valves' which did annoy me as they were new with the new tyres 10 months earlier! It had all its advisories done though as I am anal retentive old twat!

My first SL 500 had an advisory for 'stupid pink car' it was Almandine red, not bloody pink! Also had 'Barbie is okay but Ken is an ugly fucker!' as that SL was the one modelled for the K  and B car...

I have had all three marks, all three were 1.8s mk1 and 2 were autos and the mk3 was a manual(the last manual car I drove!) I'll be honest and say 'I loved all three!' The mk1 was definitely the prettiest and felt the most fun but had more rattles and squeeks (not many though) and the Mk 3 felt very grown up compared to the others with a better roof operation (a whole 1 handle to twist instead of 2 on the others) and was a very solid feeling car. The mark three was also the rustiest of the sodding lot! Perfect on the top but brown underneath everywhere.

To be honest I'd have another mk3 but it would have to be an auto but I'd prefer a mk1 or 2 but manual -they are ust such fun cars to have.

When I took the SuLK to the garage for its service and MOT (whic was a BIG ouch!) I asked that they used Mobil 1 fully synthetic oil (as I always use it, it's good stuff   ) and while they laughed at me up sleeves they did and to prove it gave me the unused part of the second 5 litre can. When I checked, the car had done 800 miles on its last fill of Mobil 1 fully syntheti oil... I think it may have been... overkill!

A lot of my obsession with oil and changes comes bact to bikes, especially the dirt bikes which were changed every 10 hours and they only held a litre so (in the Husky's case) bloody expensive fully synthetic 10/60 oil after every ride and change te il filter every other ride. Also change the air filter (washable) every ride and brakes pads every three. Big board on the garage wall to point out what was due, to which bike and when!

I became even more nuts about oil than I already was.

My dentist advertise 'pain free' injections, perhaps yours do also? Cost a bit (about £40) and I have no idea how it works as I am cheap and my teeth fall out by themselves (bones like crumbly cheese    ) but worth looking into maybe?

As I was a serial Citroen botherer in the past (in my case, everything is in the past!) having had loads of Xantia's, 2CVs a few CXs and even (briefly) an XM, I love these but have never actually seen one on the road, not round here anyway!  I am now a massive fan both of the car and of the OPs writing style. Keep it up, loads more posts please, I'm bored.

Took the dogs out as it had ceased raining/blowing a gale fora few minutes, all going fine, stopped at the shop on the way home, got back in the car ad up popped the engine management light. Ho hum, fekkin' car.

Merry Christmas? Bah Humbug!

AMS Newton Abbot says it all really. Mate was a anager of one of their branches and left because even he couldn't deal with the utter dickheads they employed. Bullshit for England. By the by, didn't realise you were local

I've always thought writing the history under the bonnet to be a great idea, can't lose it then can you?  

On 12/20/2020 at 10:33 AM, Six-cylinder said:

Would the budget stretch to £15995?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1970-BMW-2800-CS-COUPE-E9/313350527551?hash=item48f5259a3f:g:IyIAAOSwKIBf3hkS

Well how strange, that's my old car! So;d it in 2001/2 as the bulkhead was seriously rusted and got £750 for it! Seat were velour and worn but un torn and it was utterly gutless for some reason.

My stepdad had a strong liking for these even though he could afford 'better' and usually had a couple knocking about. I had a Toyota Crown and with its famed reliability, I had to borrow one of the old mans 110s to take for a week  in Nottingham for work. To begin with, I hated the thing with its cheap plastic switchgear and naff heater controls and the complete lack of non-essentials. After a few miles, I relised what he saw in them as they are fun.

Proper fun!

They handle entertainingly and are quite sprightly, proper 'mental mickey motors'

There used to be a guy down in Cornwall with a 911 engine in one, wide body and very low. It looked and sounded ace!

I've had back wheels overtake me three times over the years! Twice on kit cars when I was giving them their first (illegal) test drives and forgot that the many, many months prior when I put the wheels on I hadn't tightened the bolts. First time was the Dutton and I gave it a big bootful as I got nearly home, the wheels spun and the left rear carried on spinning... all the way down the road and into the side of the one car in the area who's owner I hated! I did laugh...

Second time was the yellow thing and it left the left rear (see a pattern?) by the side of the trafic lights along with half the wheelarch   Fixed and re-sprayed in the rain (with plastic sheeting taped over the car to keep the new paint dry) before the MOT the next morning.

The other time was driving along the M4 first thing n the morning, doing silly speeds and a wheel came whizzing by. Yup, my left rear again (only that was the very first time) complete with knave plate/ hub cap, beauty ring and the rear hub! Bearing had failed and chewed its way out of the housing. MK10 Jaguar and it was all totally silent, even the chewing bearing, not a sound and no damage to the car other than the rear bearing housing and lots of expensive bits but the body was fine. That was recovered and repaired at vast expense, the bastard!

So sorry to hear about your dog mate. Truly awful  

Prices for the 170 are on the up it seems. Maybe everyone is aware now that the later ones rot out there subframes (£1500 FML   ). I don't  think you did bad there at all, are wings cheap/bolt on?

Got me Merc back. Yay!

£2063 though which was a tad 'ouch!' but that was a hundred quid less than they quoted and... They have also done all the advisories -tyre valves (which was annoying as the tyres were new at Christmas) handbrake (only just met required effort), front wheel bearings (slight play). Done a full alignment on the old girl, new subframe, all new bushes/bolts/arms and a new loom (£46 for a bit of MB wire!) new discs and pads, also painted all the callipers (which pleases me greatly!) and the service and gave me back the unused Mobil fully synthetic oil I requested they use.

So while it's a fucking lot of dosh at least MY SuLKy is one of the few that HASN'T got a rusty rear subframe!

As I am so quick to say nearly all the garages in Torbay are utter shit/robbers/useless I am also quick to point out that some place do go above and beyond, do what they say they will, do it on time and with courtesy. That is why, I have used Central for 20 years. Yes, I occasionally use other people (Pete down the road) when people recommend them, but when they prove to have variable time scales (like Pete - he's noted for having his own ideas of 'days and weeks') then I have to give them the elbow as it drives me fucking mad when they say 'today' but mean 'next week'!

A mate ad a Manta it was like your knees all wobbly and weak.

Mind you, he had cut the roof off it

Was it Wales and I'm repeating myself? Senility is not all it's cracked up to be...

It was somewere down that way, was it yours? If so, scary lasses round your way

Travelled a million mile to go and get a Pug 604 (auto naturally) as I really, really wanted one. Cash was on my hip insurance was in my pocket. Got to the car and hated it, could not get comfortable in it, seat was all wrong. The chap selling it couldn't believe I was gonna leave it, nor could I, but I did.

Took Kyle into the depths of Cornwall to buy a Saxo VTR that he'd organised. When we got there it was in a sink hole estate, car was filthy and the drivers side interior was disgusting and the door trim was falling off. I told him to leave it... we ended up having to run as the woman was outraged that we didn't want to buy her boyfriends car snd she was 'gonna have us!' Took him about thirty miles further in and found the exact same car but in good condition with a nice lass selling it and it was both newer and cheaper. He bought that one.

I've never owned a boxer BMW but... I did a load of work on a GS1150 (or a 1200, can't recall) for a mate and was told to ride it a lot to find any more problems. Like you, I hated it, hated everything about it from the rocking thing they do whe you blip the throttle to the stupid switchgear, the appalling gearchange the brakes, the power delivery...

Used it for a month or so and loved it so much I seriously contemplated buying it, problem with that was: I'd done such a brilliant job of cleaning eery bit of the sod, changed a load of rusty fasteners, painted the front engine case etc, the sod mate wanted a bloody fortune for it! He got it as well.

They are odd, they need a certain amount of time to 'get it'. Another mate of mine had drooled over R90s since they first came out. He finally got one about 2008 and he rode it home and I could see from the way he rode it, his body language etc that he was wildly disappointd. A month later he was trying to get the law changed so he could marry the sodding thing and he bored everyne to bits about how wonderful it was.

Stick with it for a while, they come to you slowly...

4 minutes ago, Agila said:

Couldn't agree more @xtriple. That post could only have been written by someone who truly loves their dog.

I'm day 2 of a 28 sheild and my lab is at my Mother's so the dog can get out properly. Missing the big oaf like mad. 

I know a lady who walks her sons dog everyday for him as he is a bit unwell (a LOT unwell really) and when I asked why she didn;t just keep the dog with her, the answer was the same as you just said, her son adores the daft soppy old lass (the dog, not the Mum!) and would probably give up on life without her. The dog is Chester's not so secret crush - he has been round the field with the lady several times leaving Phoebe and I at the gate because he has 'hopes' of the dog suddenly discovering Chesters fatal charms.

She'll be looking for a long while, I've had him 9 years and not so far seen any sign of such charms!

40 minutes ago, sierraman said:

Can’t you get another used subframe from a breaker? 

Chance of that seems to be somewhere between slim and none. They all rot it seems, plenty of fronts for sale very few rears. Also, being done by proper garage, they seem loathe to fix it using anything other than shiny new bits direct drom the manufacturer rather than skanky old shit covered in oil and grot and of course, rust.

Phoebe has cost a fortune at the vets, she carries on at between £150 and £400 per month. She's also cost £14000 in operations on various parts of her. She is an utter cripple (worse than me!) and she needs a hand to go out for a pee, tends to poo in her sleep wherever she's laying and occassionally smushes it into the carpet while having a sleep wriggle.

For all that, I still adore her!

She is still the first one out of the door to go for afternoon walkies at the park though when she gets there, she just lays in the hedge, chews everything in sight and makes me throw the ball straight at her wherupon she makes an effort to catch it, frequently failing and then I have to go and fetch the sodding thing! Once home, she requires a pretty BIG helping hand to get out of the car, even more to get down the path and into the flat and I then I have to feed her from a fork so she actually gets her dinner before Chester can dive in and pinch hers.

I think the expression is ' High maintenance'. I do get really pissed off with it sometimes and have been known to shout at her at 4:00 am when she's woken me again as she needs a wee or she's poo'd or she needs a drink or she has slid off her pillow and wants a hand to get back on it. Obviously then I feel massively guilty for being a grumpy old twat and don't tell her off when she's just turned my laptop off for the third time that day by while trying to sleep with her head on my forearm her paws rest casually on the power button.

People think i'm mad (even other dog lovers) but while I accept I probably am, there's no way she's getting out of this until her last breath has rattled out. In all honesty, I couldn't put her down (even though one vet wanted to years ago) as she is still happy and healthy(ish) apart from her legs etc. Most people upon seeing her playing in a hedge/bush/nettle bush think she's about 2 years old, not 13. When she's no longer happy, that's the point I'll face then.

Fucking animals they teach you about love and then teach you about pain.

I look after my cars pretty well and like to keep on top of maintenance and do plenty of preventative stuff. Been trying to get the discs and pads changed since March so it finally went in for a service, MOT and new discs and pads. to a posh local main dealer type place (MG main dealer - used to be Mazda and before that, MG/Rover) it failed its test on front discs, which really annoys me but they test before they do the jobs its booked in for, but it still annoys me.

Oh yes, it also failed on a severely corroded rear subfame! Like loads of holes all over it type holes. It's fucked with a capital FUCKED! It looked fine at Christmas when Busman and I had a look at it while it was on a ramp. Loads of post on the various SLK forums about these rear subframes, cars are galvanised, subframes are barely painted!

Oh well, only £1500 for the new subframe (genuine Mercedes) a load of new bushes and bolte etc and fitting to go with the £660 for the brakes and service. Oh hum...

While wandering round the block with the mutt while it was merely drizzling rather than the torrential rain it's been for ever (since Noah was a lad actually) I pondered on the fact the car is going for new brakes, fluid, service and MOT tomorrow and therefore I should check if things still work. This is a pretty pointless excercise as all modern(ish) cars tell you with lights and beeps and warnings of dire calimity if some essential like a sidelight bulb has dared to go out.

But, I worry. In fact, it is often all I do! So  once back with das Moot, having dried his head, legs and corpulence I wondered outside (with the rain now back to more persitant levels) and checked all the lights, the wipers/washers, the horn, etc. This was, without a doubt the most activity I have indulged in for the past several days and it took me, even with taking things at a steady pace, about 90 seconds,

Of course, I forgot to check if the hazards work, I am now debating with myself if it's needed to go back outside in the now torrential rain and press that button. I think, on balance, I'll risk it. I like to live dangerously