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SiC

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Everything posted by SiC

  1. I do really like mucking around with old cars but this is a great example of why I'm more interested in and back to more modern stuff ATM: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/285776596420 That Reliant eBay auction finished today at £200 MORE than what I paid for this GTI. This GTI is not only more fun and satisfying to drive but cheap+easier to get parts for and more interesting (because more complex) to diagnose & repair. It won't be like that forever on these 00-era cars so might as well get my fill in them before they become rare and silly money.
  2. Parts have arrived. I better hide this lot from Mrs SiC before I get told off for buying even more car parts again. NAPA Rear arms seem decent enough. Not so sure on the NAPA springs, kinda wish I paid more for KYB now. We'll see what they're like once compressed and on the car. Hopefully enough strength and not too low. Bought this to do the inner tie rod. I'm not entirely convinced that it'll do the job.
  3. Always the thing with eBay auctions when they end mid day. Often go cheap. The highest may have been £670 but they may have chucked in like a grand and are really chuffed they got it cheap.
  4. Just be careful not to snap them! Might become a more expensive improvement.
  5. And @Supernaut hasn't had an easy ride with his Astra G either.
  6. But the 1.9ctdi 150bhp is a really solid and reliable engine? Yes DMF issues early on but most of them will have had them changed. EGR bungs up but a piece of piss to change/clean and cheap. Swirl flaps easily fixed or just ignored. Plenty of them about that have done mega miles.
  7. I put my order in at lunch time. - NAPA rear springs as I decided the spec was identical to the KYB while also looking identical and decided that as NAPA don't make springs, they could be the same. - NAPA rear control arms - Febi front tie-rod sets And that's it. Almost went for the front wishbones and then decided the rest is probably fine so started to look at just the front wishbone rear bush. Then decided it didn't look terrible and the risk was too high in those bolts ending up snapping in the subframe. Thus making a half hour job into a full day job. I can always do them in the future. The springs I nearly didn't but as the ones on there have lost their coating, they're probably already starting to go rusty and weaken. I didn't want them ending up snapping on me when trying to put it all back together. £125 for tie-rod parts and bottom arms (cheaper on parts in motion website). £45 for the rear springs (cheaper on eBay with the part in motion store). Paid an extra fiver on each order to get it tomorrow ready for the weekend. Still, I've just spent another £180 in parts and have another £75 in wheel alignment (both axles) afterwards... It'd been an extra £40 if I did the front wishbone bushes or another £120 if I did the whole wishbone. Plus likely many extra hours swearing at broken bolts. I've also bought a inner tie rod tool and spring clamps because I have neither: https://amzn.eu/d/hwziYVc https://amzn.eu/d/gd981GH I don't expect to use the spring clamps but having them to hand incase I do is useful. Maybe useful to reduce the spring load when either removing or fitting the lower rear arm.
  8. Again to me that's interesting as they've all but disappeared around here. I see a lot of Astra H (next one) around still. Usually bashed up to fuck. I imagine the Bristol CAZ doesn't help here as it was marketed as only petrols newer than 2005 were okay. Of course many are still at Euro 4 levels and would have been fine. So I suspect there was a knee jerk reaction where people changed their pre-2005 petrol car before the fee came in without checking. That said, I bet many were diesels too and definitely not okay at that age.
  9. Possibly worth the extra tenner to go FAG for the rear bottom arm? I think they're a much better brand than NAPA?
  10. These are the bits I'm looking at: £21.24 for just the trailing arm bush and bolts: https://www.partsinmotion.co.uk/car-parts/steering-suspension/mountings-bushes/febi-mounting-kit-control-lever-32541-detail £58.38 for the complete arm with ball joint, bushes and bolts: https://www.partsinmotion.co.uk/car-parts/steering-suspension/wishbonesuspensionarm/febiwishbonesuspensionarmfrontright40104-detail I like the Febi parts as they come with those stretch bolts and ball joints. (I know that many reuse them but I rather not the risk) Other bits: This is the £38 NAPA wishbone I'm thinking of (again with bolts is handy): https://www.partsinmotion.co.uk/car-parts/steering-suspension/wishbonesuspensionarm/napawishbonesuspensionarmnst2186-detail FAG is £48 for the same: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/335309624692 (I'll probably go NAPA here) Febi complete trackrod: https://www.partsinmotion.co.uk/car-parts/steering-suspension/steering-other/febi-tie-rod-front-rh-45760a-detail Without boot its £4 cheaper (~£20) but tbh I'd rather just throw all new on for the slight extra. Outer tie-rods are like £12 each but tbh if its way less hassle, I'd rather change the whole thing. Napa springs £39.43 (pair): https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/315210937649 KYB springs £49.15 (pair): https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/235373865786 (I'd be tempted to spend a bit more for the KYB springs tbh) NAPA shocks £38.47 (pair): https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/335240890310 KYB shocks £59.26 (pair): https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334632204147 (I'll probably skip shocks for now tbh as easily replaced in the future) (eBay prices are after the current 15% promo code) Realisitically I'll probably only put like 5k or so in a year on this car. Not sure exactly what I'm getting but I want to put the order in tomorrow morning really so it comes before the bank holiday weekend.
  11. Did you use Febi bushes? Just wondering how they held up with your usage as you're usage is a good longevity tester. 😅 I like the Febi ones as they come with replacement stretch bolts as standard. I'm pondering if I might just do those rather than the whole arm. When I had it up last on a jack, I don't remember any noticeable movement on the ball joints when tugging the wheel. Third of the price to change just those bushes and a whole lot quicker to do.
  12. Nearside Nearside bush Offside Offside bush To me those inner tie rods don't look disastrous. Threads might be a bit of a pain. A fight maybe but possibly movable? That said I can't really see the outer tie rod boots nor have I given it a wiggle. On my high res version the boots on them look starting to split. However those bottom arm bushes are definitely perishing and splitting to my eyes. But worthy enough of a replacement? Going on the ball joints bolts, I think that may not have been disturbed in a while. Question is, should I just go balls deep and replace that complete arm with balljoint and both bushes or just that big bush?
  13. This was the exact conversation I was having with Mrs SiC after the gym earlier when she asked "shouldn't you have spent more and got a nicer one?". I was looking on AT/eBay/FB. I'd be spending at least £3k and maybe £4k but still likely need a lot of the same work. Just I can't imagine spending nearly 4k on a 18yr old Golf.
  14. My 2005 Laguna II V6 had keyless entry and start 🙃 Fully worked too! 🤣
  15. What would you class as a quality brand? I'm currently looking at parts in motion as they're on the eBay 15% code. Febi, blueprint, Napa, Apec, Kyb seem to be the major brands they stock in suspension parts. If I go elsewhere I could pay more without the code to get Meyle or Lemsford (or however you spell it).
  16. Yeah I strongly suspected too that the wheel might have been moved to correct any misalignment. Interesting that you say knackered bushes can affect alignment when moving too. Makes sense. You've got me pricing up bottom arms now too. 🤣 If the ball joints look fresh then I can just do the lower arm bush. They may well do considering its had new (Sachs) shocks and springs on the front. But I suspect I should do the whole arm as they might be original...
  17. I've over taken 4 cars following a tractor in my MG BGT. Like you said just needs a run up to use all the power and momentum. However the above allows a quick boot to the floor after going around a corner and seeing a sudden clear straight before the next corner.
  18. Imo... 100bhp/tonne is minimum for safe overtakes on a-roads 150bhp/tonne is enough for road use without being excessive.
  19. If I had bought a bit nicer one (like @Petrolize sold and I hesitated), I'd be slapping this on it right now: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160962101695 I am half tempted to still get a nicer one. Just I don't fancy spending £4k on a Golf MK5 GTI and then spending all this on top.
  20. Yeah it was definitely out and I could feel it. An alignment was always the plan. There are other bushes on the front that I could do like on the arms or the ball joints. But again I'm trying to stop the creep somewhere!
  21. I should point out that it's this rear lower arm that's hanging in this picture that I'm thinking of replacing. There are other bushed bits on the rear that could do with a refresh but I'm going to say they're fine for now. But it's whether I spend the extra £80 doing the springs and dampers while I'm there... The wheel alignment is a £75 job for both axles or £35 for front. So I don't really want to be doing it twice.
  22. It definitely is a bit squirrelly on the road. While the car feels tight and lively, it requires constant correction to keep it straight. Now some of that is likely my head trying to straighten the steering wheel when going straight. But also it's definitely not missile locked on straight. Its a combination of learning how to do it but also I want to track day this at some point. So I would like it reasonably well put together. I'm unlikely to notice the difference between bang on new and worn but still in spec as I'm not an advanced performance car driver. However right now I definitely can feel it could be a lot better.
  23. Rear springs definitely are not what you'd call pretty. Definitely not touching that camber bolt either without a replacement to hand. 🤣 I am thinking maybe leave the rear end for now. But then new springs/dampers/arm bushes would really tighten things up in the rear end. Also that toe is way off. Camber I'm less bothered about as that's still in spec and it really only buggers up tyre wear on the back if out.
  24. Steering wheel is at about the 10 to 15 degrees point when driving straight. I definitely need to do something. Independent rear suspension on these. The rear bush is aluminium with a steel bolt. Hence the two usually become one. This still from the Autodoc video makes it look so easy when it's not rusted to bits. 🤣 I suspect the camber adjustment bolt is probably not in that fit a health either.
  25. The Jazz is a cockroach car not because it's rust resistant but more that the mechanicals are hardy and the owners are prepared to spend out to replace burnt clutches. Rust prone-ness matters less when an old biddy only drives when it's not raining and puts it away in the garage after a journey. Aygo/107/C1 are still plentiful as they're cheap/easy to fix/plenty of parts available/no big catastrophic failures. They made bazillions of the things. I still see a lot of TT MK1 about considering the age of them and that they aren't the cheapest (in labour) to fix. I guess because many people still love theirs and rather not bin something they have affection for.
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