aldo135

Having spent the night at CHEZ_WOMAN_df2k, I have now arrived home so collection officially ends.

GT spec. Fair enough there are plenty.
Diesel GT. Now you're getting more specific. Diesel TORK for towing (I'll be putting a tow bar on in due course).
2.0 Diesel GT. Even more specific. I've even viewed three 1.6TDI GTs all the same colour but all Motorpoint. Shower of wankers.
2.0 Diesel GT with auto climate. Now we're beginning to hunt unicorns. SE, Match and GT trim levels on the Mk7/7.5 come as standard with full manual HVAC controls. At this price point? Fuck right off.
Also it's genuine VW Approved Used so - 2 years VW warranty, 2 years breakdown assist, 5 days complimentary drive away insurance and £750 worth of repairs to anything that causes an MOT failure in the first two years.
Also being main dealer the guy went out his way to get stuff done. It's had a full major service before pick up (£450 worth inc two new tyres and some new wipers), new parcel shelf because the old one was a bit chewed (suspect dog) and the plates for the private reg were free. Brand new SD card for the nav too. He also said that it was a bit hard starting so if I have any bother with it in the first while then to email him and he'll arrange a new AGM battery.
Very very very much this. It's a special order colour, Tornado Red 
Also, Teletubbytebay

Have they realised yet?

his son was a Shiter
 

Captain Birdseye has seen better days… 

the marks of true sophistication 

Possibly*

Ah, you off to get this?

Done. Ish.
I just need to put some coolant in it. I have a 5L bottle of premix. I thought I had concentrate.
I'm only 5.5L short.
Yep, it takes 10.5L.

 
The aftermath of pulling the water pump...

 
It now has new:
- water pump and pulley
- thermostat
- couple of hoses
- drive belt
- viscous coupling

At's no right..
You might hear the rattle above after the shift to 2nd and at around 2500-3000rpm.
First thing I thought was pinging, but it continued after turning the mix up and timing back.
Then I thought bottom end. However when revved stationary it sounds more like valve train.
You can definitely hear it in this one.
Not good. 
Clearances reset. No change.
Aux belt off. No change.
Took the timing cover off to check the timing gear. Intact and solid as a rock.
Next thing on the list would be the cam followers. Which means head off.
Hhhhhhhhh.


They are all intact, but..

That has seen better times.
Given the state of that there's no option but to take the camshaft out as that follower will have probably damaged it.



Straight in the bin with that.
A new K cam and followers on their way.
As for the noise, I reckon it may actually be coming from the fuel pump, as the lobe for that looks particularly tired.

Sadly my Chrysler Grand Voyager is wobbling its way out of my life, and heading (scheduled on Monday) to the great used parts jamboree in Cyberspace ..via RemoveMyCar 

This was a car bought while moving house, during Covid three years ago, for the princely sum of £600.  Despite the neglectful prior-owner care, and my own lack of spending, it has served me very well.    RemoveMyCar on-line offered a decent price to break / scrap the car.  But still, as a big softy, it's very sad for me to think of her heartlessly being ripped apart and then crushed, not least because I think she still looks great. (the photo was taken this week) 
However in the past, when things failed, the prior owner(s) never paid to have each individual thing rectified. So when I bought it - those things had become a list.. and I likewise couldn't afford, nor justify the expense.  The glow plug sensor misreads and so even on the iciest (is that a real word ?) of mornings they don't preheat. The water in the radiator barely got warm (thermostat failure ?) so the car's heater never worked, nor did the electrically heated seats. Then last year the PAS decided to leave a puddle on the driveway, and since then the steering has become ever more wobbly.  All in all, with the MOT due in just a few weeks, I had to ..reluctantly concede that the cost of repairs far outweighed the cost of replacement with a newer, albeit not as well built, brand.  
I've agree £389 for the car, which is better than what I might get from the local scrap yard.  That's cheap for the persons who might sell the nice wheels and v.good tyres for as much, and then have everything else to part out.  Still, even car breakers need to earn a living.   For me, well a little more than £200 in depreciation ..plus a front engine mount, handbrake shoes, battery, and good second hand tyres.. is cheap running costs for three years of service.  Accordingly, I still rate Chrysler voyagers (this one being my third in a row) to be great cars with the bonus of exceptional car-camping / load volume within.
- - -
My criteria for a 'new' car was that it should be (in no particular order)
diesel (of good repute) manual gearbox spacious (although not as big as the Chrysler for parking) + hatchback, with low load sill - which is easier for loading heavy items like an engine.  2010 or younger good service history full MOT lower running costs - particularly road fund license of a marque that didn't carry a fashion tax (I like Audi and BMW, Jaguar, Volvo and Mercedes, but I'm terrified of the potential bill should anything go wrong. one or two owners lower tax group two keys within a sensible (30 mile) viewing distance from Ipswich, so definitely excluding ULEZ. preferably where the cam belt had been done preferably in a lower insurance group preferably with cruise control and a sun roof would be nice under £2000 Of course, whatever is in the marketplace is different each day, and not everything on the wish-list may be locally achievable within such a modest budget.  I had been looking for a VW Passat estate (good build quality) and then a Toyota Aventis estate (for reliability) ..and then anything which more or less fitted the criteria and budget.  Last week, a Pug cropped up on Autotrader website that best seemed to fit the bill.  25 miles away in Colchester..
  
Peugeot 308SW 1.6 HDI SE   Autotrader review < here >
I went to see it last Friday, and was stuck on the A12 southbound for 2 hours when that road was closed and then the diversion through Stanway was blocked by another accident.  I arrived not at 4pm but 6.  Looking at a black car in the dark was specifically not my intent. !   My friend Rich had met me there and we went for a short test drive.  It seemed tight and without clunk or groan over pot holes and poor roads.  Paul trading as Web Car Mart  seemed to specialise in good used but not silly high end priced Volvo, seems a decent chap, and without hassle knocked £95 off the price and added 3 months / 3,000 mile major component warranty. ie., if the engine or gearbox blows up take it back and get a full refund.  The battery and front tyres were new last year, and aside from dog's hairs in each corner of the interior and scratches by the interior door handle it seemed very tidy ..for a 13-1/2 year old car.  Rich pointed out the A/C whirred more than it might when disengaged but I wouldn't have noticed it was worse than 'normal' for a freewheeling.
I went back on Saturday, to see the car in daylight and aside from claw, or bling, scratch marks around each door handle ..and the dog's hairs,  it seems a very straight and well looked after car.  It started easily from cold.  For good or for bad - I made the decision to buy at £1900.  Perhaps not the best price for a 308SW of this year, but seemingly the best value I could find ..without spending weeks traipsing around the country chasing frustratingly deceitful descriptions and wasted journey times.        
The front disc wear is an advisory on the new MOT, but otherwise, from the file of receipts, the prior owners seemed to have spent fair monies to keep the car in good order.  Unfortunately, judging by the invoices, the cam-belt hasn't been done.  The service book suggests 140,000 miles or every 10-years for this car, this engine, and so although only 111,000 miles - it ought to have been replaced 3+ years ago.  
I've subsequently phoned the last two garages which regularly serviced the car, and neither say they've done the job.  So I'll be facing a big bill.  Of course.. I'm now also thinking that perhaps I should have added another £500 to my budget to find one who cam-belt had been done.  Hey Ho., second guessing isn't a very productive mindset - so I'll just have to live with the decision.         
I'll go onto Facebook and ask of our local motoring enthusiasts, East Coast Retros  (some of whom also frequent these pages) if they might recommend a local company or roving mechanic who might to do the belt for me.?  I gather the water pump ought to be replaced at the same time.   
So there we are.. the Chrysler due to go on Monday, and I'm to go and collect the Pug tomorrow, Friday, from Colchester.
21st century cars, are a terrifying prospect to many, including an old timer like myself .. what with all their sensors and sub-assembles (whereby an individual part cannot be repaired or replaced).  I can but hope and pray that this car is not going to be a money-pyre on wheels. 
I'll post piccies when I can
Pete
 

I think I am being stalked by a car… went for a run trying to clear the last of the lurgy out of my system. The last time I attempted a run I spotted this
beside a nice looking farina shaped Cambridge/Oxford was the ex @HMC @sdkrc  @RetroShite Limo. 
 
On my latest run I stopped to take a picture of the Water of Leith, but didn’t see what was in the background until I got home…
In case this turns into some Christine type horror I’ve decided not to go for a run today in favour of coffee and a stolen Pop Tart 😂

I remember when the guys came to buy it they were talking about dropping the turbo lump in it because they had a rusty T5 but it looks like that never materialised. Unfortunately all they've done is made it more shit than it was, new glovebox lid and fancy headlining notwithstanding. There was nothing wrong with the auto gearbox when I had it, and it rode the bumps well which it won't do now.
Still, a mostly functional Volvo wagon with a year's ticket is probably worth £1500 of anyone's money.

 

This Volvo has retrained as a Spanish waiter…

Is there an update on the next Shite fest released? 
Seems to be trending on Twitter with GB news and disgraced Tory MPs.

I think I am being stalked by a car… went for a run trying to clear the last of the lurgy out of my system. The last time I attempted a run I spotted this
beside a nice looking farina shaped Cambridge/Oxford was the ex @HMC @sdkrc  @RetroShite Limo. 
 
On my latest run I stopped to take a picture of the Water of Leith, but didn’t see what was in the background until I got home…
In case this turns into some Christine type horror I’ve decided not to go for a run today in favour of coffee and a stolen Pop Tart 😂

This Volvo has retrained as a Spanish waiter…

This Volvo has retrained as a Spanish waiter…

I think I am being stalked by a car… went for a run trying to clear the last of the lurgy out of my system. The last time I attempted a run I spotted this
beside a nice looking farina shaped Cambridge/Oxford was the ex @HMC @sdkrc  @RetroShite Limo. 
 
On my latest run I stopped to take a picture of the Water of Leith, but didn’t see what was in the background until I got home…
In case this turns into some Christine type horror I’ve decided not to go for a run today in favour of coffee and a stolen Pop Tart 😂

I think I am being stalked by a car… went for a run trying to clear the last of the lurgy out of my system. The last time I attempted a run I spotted this
beside a nice looking farina shaped Cambridge/Oxford was the ex @HMC @sdkrc  @RetroShite Limo. 
 
On my latest run I stopped to take a picture of the Water of Leith, but didn’t see what was in the background until I got home…
In case this turns into some Christine type horror I’ve decided not to go for a run today in favour of coffee and a stolen Pop Tart 😂

I've just realise something.... I've yet to show my other pride and joy to the world of AS, everyone meet little Suki, my 1998 Suzuki Swift GLS. 
A little background to her. She was bought new in Saltash, Cornwall by my better half's grandmother in 1998 where she used it as a little town runabout until she gave it to my partner upon her passing her driving test to use as her first car in 2021. She ran it for around 18 months with absolutely no issues whatso ever. This little car was golden. We've travelled the length and breadth of the country, she completed a 620 mile round trip from Swindon to Edinburgh and back without a hitch, she even returned us near 40 to the gallon! In total Suki has completed just over 50,000 miles. 
However unfortunately (for me anyway), while she loved driving it, she didn't feel all to safe driving it around daily, she wanted something more modern and safer. So she went out and bought herself a little twin-air Alfa Romeo MiTo (which she has had nothing but trouble with, oh the irony). This then made little Suki surplus to requirements. However, instead of of getting rid, my mrs felt such a strong emotional attachment with the it, she just couldn't bring herself to sell. Unfortunately with that being said, neither of us had the time/money to really invest into her to keep it on the road, so it has been sat in a car park, round the corner from my house for the past year. Doing nothing. 
Good news incoming... 
I despaired at this. I was always on her case about either doing something or getting gone. I couldn't let this car sit for any longer just rotting away. These things are getting rather thin on the ground now and she got a lot of love from people all round the car community. So I stepped in and offered her an ultimatum. I said to her, either crap it or sell it to me (scrapping was defiantly my bluff, I was desperate to save it from the crusher). So we came to an agreement and I bought it off her for the princely sum of £500 on the promise we keep her, love her and ultimately, pour money into keeping her running. 
When I went to fully inspect the work require to put back on the road, I was absolutely amazed at the condition she was in. Bare in mind she's been living in a car park, with no cover, out in the elements for nearly a year practically abandoned and there was no sign of any rot anywhere, no mould inside, no greening (she was parked near a bush), no nothing. Hell, even the tyres were still inflated. I had bough along a starter pack, obviously expecting the battery to be goosed however there was no need as she fired up pretty much straight away. There's no way she'd be running well right? again baring in mind she's only a little 1L single carb unit? Well I was wrong again, she ran almost perfectly, a little shaky to start with but she settle down very quickly and proceeded to run as sweet as before. I genuinely couldn't believe it. My little Ibiza shits itself if I haven't started her within a week, let alone a year!  
I had a good mate of mine who runs a small garage in the town about 5 miles away from where I live to give her the once over, like a pre MOT and he couldn't believe how well it stood up. All rubbers are good, no rust anywhere underneath, all breaks good, all electrics good, the lot!  On the drive there she ran perfectly and he said that the only thing to really look at is the exhaust, as its starting to rot away. Other than that he reckons she'll pass with a couple of advisories and advised I book it sooner rather than later.
So that's exactly what I'm doing, and the big day is tomorrow. I'm obviously hopefully she will indeed pass however we will see. I'm expecting that exhaust might be an issue, plus that front number plate could be seen as "likely to be misread" but after seeing it all, I'm pretty hopeful. Once she's passed, then it's time to restore her to her former glory and I have a list of jobs!
 
. Sort out that rough looking interior.
. Fix the drivers window as I think the regulator is on the way out (she's got electric windows, how posh). 
. Tart up the steelies she's sitting on
. Remove all the tacky stickers my mrs added on
. A good service including filters, plugs etc. 
. Anything else I find along the way. 
 
Once all that's sorted, I'll be happy. There's a lot of sentimentality with this car not only for me but for the mrs as well. so saving her is a no brainer for us. She might not be much but she's honest and we intend to keep it that way. We intend on taking her to some classic and other shite-orientated events this year work schedule permitting, so hopefully some of you guys will get the chance to see it in a better condition than how she is now.
Anyways, apologies for the waffle, I know that was quite some read so thank you for reading if you've stuck around. Wish Suki luck for tomorrow, I'll keep you all posted on how she gets on .

I think I am being stalked by a car… went for a run trying to clear the last of the lurgy out of my system. The last time I attempted a run I spotted this
beside a nice looking farina shaped Cambridge/Oxford was the ex @HMC @sdkrc  @RetroShite Limo. 
 
On my latest run I stopped to take a picture of the Water of Leith, but didn’t see what was in the background until I got home…
In case this turns into some Christine type horror I’ve decided not to go for a run today in favour of coffee and a stolen Pop Tart 😂

I think I am being stalked by a car… went for a run trying to clear the last of the lurgy out of my system. The last time I attempted a run I spotted this
beside a nice looking farina shaped Cambridge/Oxford was the ex @HMC @sdkrc  @RetroShite Limo. 
 
On my latest run I stopped to take a picture of the Water of Leith, but didn’t see what was in the background until I got home…
In case this turns into some Christine type horror I’ve decided not to go for a run today in favour of coffee and a stolen Pop Tart 😂

I think I am being stalked by a car… went for a run trying to clear the last of the lurgy out of my system. The last time I attempted a run I spotted this
beside a nice looking farina shaped Cambridge/Oxford was the ex @HMC @sdkrc  @RetroShite Limo. 
 
On my latest run I stopped to take a picture of the Water of Leith, but didn’t see what was in the background until I got home…
In case this turns into some Christine type horror I’ve decided not to go for a run today in favour of coffee and a stolen Pop Tart 😂