lisbon_road

For my MOTs, I'm the one who sits in the car and does all the controls. No problem with anything being taken

Seems possible to me!

Gumtree is free. And you get all the entertainment of the purchasers who just happen to be at sea and if you send £500 to their agents.....

Stix get it on gumtree, freeads and so on!

Don't dismiss Parcel Force. Not so cheap but they will take really big stuff. Agree with the comments about Yodel - I have found them very unreliable. Much too big for MyHermes, which is a shame as I personally have found them totally reliable despite the low prices.

Must admit perhaps it is me but I would think of welding that sill as a bit daunting and the cambelt as being a quick job. Certainly in the photos that looks a decent enough bit of upside down welding.

I commute weekly 120 miles each way with my Mk3 Astra. Average 51 mpg, petrol 1.4 mpi. Reasonably comfortable, quiet, reliable, but no fireball for sure. I did use my auto DOHC 1.6 same car for a bit but was more like 40 mpg average. Picked up better at motorway speeds though. I think the best old cars about are Mk3 Astras and 306s. Neither rust too much.

What makes you think it is either? So many reasons why it might run on three that are not connected with valves or rings. If it is rings, and is really drastic, I'd expect to see a black plug and some smoke. If it is valves, no smoke or black plug really.

I can see why they get fed up with dealing with the public. Everyone wants everything for free, and they must have the same business overheads as everyone else. It is an industry with all sorts of opportunities for corruption so they get tarred with that brush. I've found once they get to know you, they're fine. And many are ok anyway.

That is very honest to declare the stainless exhaust. But the Zeppelin comment made my day!

Korean stuff is pretty good but I have been disappointed in the Hankooks on my Viva as they seem to have distorted. Only bought them a few years ago, done just a few miles. Car is on blocks now so perhaps they will move back into shape (dream on, right?). The old Michelins it had didn't distort even though it sat on them for years without hardly ever moving. They just turned to dust eventually.

Not entirely connected - one place I work the owner has bought a new Merc, about the size of the starship enterprise. The tyres are 245/40 21. Thats right, 21" tyres. I looked 'em up, £800 RRP. That is £3200 a set, so if they last two years, that is about £32 a week, which I reckon some of us spend on food. I suppose no-one pays the RRP but wow.

Sadly I am the anal weido who still has the first tax discs off my cars so I will put them in. 1983 for my 1967 Viva. Sad - oh yes!

I have used it once on a Vauxhall Viva which had a minor persistent leak, just seeping from the head on one side. No other adverse effects. Stayed when head gasket changed. Seemed to solve problem. Know someone who used it on a Corsa, the twin cam chain type, with a head gasket proper gone and he said it fixed it fine. Not something I would try. That's my experience.

FIXED. Was the pipe from behind the airbox to the throttle body, come adrift at the throttle end. Looks like it would come off really easily. Always good, you fix it, and suddenly it works. Then you forget all about it and move on to the next issue. Thanks for the ideas.

I checked the timing loads of times, and wound it round loads of times. I did wonder if I'd got it miles out simply by using the wrong marks or something but I have looked in loads of places and always get the same answer, including the 25 past. Been suggested elsewhere that it could be an airleak with the pipe fitted to a solenoid on the back of the airbox. I think that is a good call, real airleak symptoms.

I have not touched the air flow meter (or whatever it is) in the pipe just down from the air filter. I did replace the airfilter element and the old one was black. Is there anything else? No wires to the air box. Still, an idea, could have a look and see if there is any chance I have disturbed it.

The only sensor I have disturbed is the cam sensor, and I tried disconnecting that and it didn't make any difference (though the MIL came on). Perhaps I should read fault codes or disconnect the battery for a bit?

Yes - crank on the mark and cams on quarter to and quarter past. Put the marks so they are close together on the cams, I have checked it on the manual and the internet. It is a 1.8, no idea the code, but before they want all fancy with VVT and stuff.

05 plate Zafira, selling for a friend who has emigrated (but my wife has taken a fancy to it). Changed cambelt and bits, won't run right - doesn't idle smoothly, no power at all, and revs shoot up occasionally. I believe that I have set the timing correctly - mark on crank, 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock on cams. Can't see being a tooth out would do that and I am sure it isn't a tooth out. No MIL. Tried moving the cam sensor out as that has been disturbed but that didn't make any difference (apart from setting off the MIL). So, what dumb arse thing have I done please?

I never understand the concern about the exact price. When you are down to that sort of level, condition is everything and with 46K on it, there is every chance that it will be decent. The main question for me would be is in MPi (good) or SPi (run away). (and a small chance that it did 46K in the first two years and has sat under a damp tree ever since - but these are so worthless that if the scrapman is making an effort we can be optimistic)

May I just say that as the owner of an M reg Astra these are just about the most indestructible reliable economical cars ever made. Mine has 116,000 miles, averages over 50 mpg (OK, I do long journeys at moderate speed - but I know I am right) and is comfortable and quiet. It isn't a ball of fire, but it has no rust whatsoever and recently had its first admiring comment. OK. I am doing my best to help here. But it is all true At 46K miles, if I needed a car, I'd be there.

Great news well done. I couldn't cope with another one being weighed in (but couldn't buy it therefore it was none of my business!)

I guess the point about 'how long it has been there' is valid, though if it wasn't long, it was well out of order - though ordinarily I have some sympathy with traffic wardens as they've a job to do like everyone else. When I worked for Stannah Stairlifts, London was a nightmare as the installers vans had real problems parking. In the end, we dropped off the installer with a complete stairlift to install. Sounds OK but it does mean you have to give them stuff like enough wire to do anything - so the surplus ends up being skipped - which is a waste.

Thanks Pillock, totally agree. Public transport my arse.