Lacquer Peel

Scammers reaching a new low today:
Someone my wife knew has recently died - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-68435343
So she gets an invite to his funeral online, but the website wants card details to verify identity, but that no payment will be taken. Next thing is she's getting a call from the HSBC fraud department saying that the scammers are trying to take money! I'm guessing they must trawl social media for people who've died, and then go after the friends and relatives.

Check out your local free ads for someone giving a set of bagpipes away! 🤣

I'm not that bothered by the cunts now the aircon is gone. Just get her swearing at her kids drifting thru the wall. I've ordered myself an electric guitar and am on the lookout for a fuck off sized amp. As I have no musical talent whatsoever they're going to love to join me on my learning journey.

I'm in Dundee and we've stopped off for some McDonalds and when parking up the reversing buzzer is now permanently stuck on. Its deafening, can't drive it like that! 

A car like this can cost huge money if you try and make it perfect but I am just trying to keep things tidy enough.
Jobs to do:
- one of the suspension arms OSF has a very occasional clonk. Individually they are around £45-50 each so unless you are hugely unlucky and they all need changing, this shouldn't be too costly. It can wait until the MOT in July.
- treat the seats with Gliptone Liquid leather
- wax the outside
- try and do something about the cable tie repair on the front bumper.
- get a decent code reader.
...and drive and enjoy

Easiest oil change in the world on this one.

32mm socket for the filter.
The sump plug is a huge Allen headed affair, something like 20mm so little worry of rounding it off.
Coolant looks very clean so I'll leave that for now.
PAS fluid is on the minimum but no leaks. I can very faintly hear the pump when turning so hopefully a top up will help. I had to order the correct mineral stuff from Amazon today as I only have the red stuff and you shouldn't mix them.

What does it drive like? Well, the closest frame of reference I have are a couple of LS400s I had a shot of in the distant past.
It's reassuringly large and the air suspension just floats over bumps. You really are cosseted. Steering is actually quite weighty. The double glazing doesn't completely subdue the noise of passing traffic but there is no wind noise at all. The noise from the budget tyres is quite intrusive though but given the cost of even a mid range tyre in this 20 inch size, I can live with it.
The 3.0 TDi has a modest output of around 215 bhp but theres lots of torque. It's not that quiet but it is smooth and makes a nice sound. Finally, I own a car with more than 4 cylinders.  Furthermore, the car structure, subframes and suspension components are made entirely from aluminium so it weight just over 1.6 tons, about the same as my Rover 75. Progress is stately rather than fast but it does feel very special, rather than just another large car.
The seats are spectacular and this Sport (pre S-Line) model gives not only the usual fore and aft of the base and tilting backrest but there is lumbar adjustment, upper and lower back , headrest, seat belt and steering column. All electric and the entire range of adjustments can be stored in a 4 position memory. 6 stage heated of course as well.
 

I knew I had got the right street:

First impressions were that it was unexpectedley tidy:

 

I was able to collect and pay for the car quickly which was great as there was a queue of eager participants!
I chose the Megabus again from Edinburgh which is £8.99, only stops once and is pretty quiet and comfortable, getting you right into the Toon in a few hours. I had a few hours to kill in town which was fine as it was a lovely day. I then got a service bus out to Schaefft's bit. This was handy as he lives right at the start of the A69 which is the road I wanted to use.

So then this happened on 17th March:
I'd been thinking of moving one of my cars on for a while and the TT, with its thirst (unsuitable as a week-day runaround for my wife) and tiny back seat (unsuitable for me as a family car for weekends), it ended up sat in my garage not being used. We had a year out of it so it was time to go on. Plus the value of it was more or less the same as the A8 so it was the perfect candidate to be sold on.
The fact that the A8 was in Newcastle sealed the deal for me as its a cheap and easy place to get to from Central Scotland, plus I like it there.
 

I gave up on threads a while ago but I have wanted one of these cars since they were brand new, plus I think things might get interesting*. So here goes.
So far I count myself as the EIGHTH AS member who has owned this, including the chap who posted it for sale in behalf of the then owner. I think that's pretty great. I hope when I die I return as a car that goes around the country bringing joy to a whole range of different owners.

So far we've had 
Jon.k
Northernmonkey
Robson3022
Paulplom
Kiltox
83C
Schaefft 
Yours truly. 
The first didn't technically own it, he simply posted it for sale on behalf of the owner who had originally wanted to scrap it because of a pulley on the engine which had come adrift. So kudos to John.k for saving what certainly feels like a car which had plenty of life left.
In short (because it is documented elsewhere) it was owned by Westley Richards gunsmiths manufacturer in the West Midlands. It was a personal car to the directly and then used to chauffeur some very wealthy (like Arab Royalty wealthy) to and from the premises. 
After Jon.k's arm was bitten off by NorthernMonkey, it passed through varioous members' hands and gave generally good service along the way.
I promised myself I'd own it one day.

Just after someone tagged me in this post my MG6 decided to develop a similar fault.
I first noticed that the indicators and hazards along with the central locking wouldn't work. It was only when I was driving to a place of safety and got stuck behind a white van I noticed the reflection of the hazard lights on the back of the van. Thinking that this might be game over for my MG6 I decided that if this fault includes the central locking I might as well hop out and use the fob to lock and unlock it. To my surprise this worked and normal service was restored.

Fly there and drive it home?

I'm trying to figure out how to get this back from Thailand.
 

Got little Zetor fixed today. Had the old exhaust manifold fitted with new gaskets and the new exhaust part in red fitted but reused the old exhaust pipe as it has a few years left in it and replaced the leaking frost plug.


 
I also had the new coolant tool kit tested to pressure test the cooling system and it worked well and the system held pressure. So now it is ready for use again.

Love this spot by a car spotter in Greece. Just sitting there.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C4m3FvUIIvX/

The Polo decided to put on a EPC warning light which was followed by the engine management light so it wasn't lonely at the weekend, this led to an Ask a shitter question with many answers saying the brake pedal switch.
As it is used by my better half I didn't want to pull it apart and leave it broken.
I used Amazon's handy order a part you might require and we'll will refund if you send it back service.
I've just removed the old switch and it was a bit odd with now moving smoothly so put the new part in and cleared the codes.
Seems happy but time will tell if anything else is wrong, which there obviously is as it is a VAG group car and I never buy the best example of anything because I'm an idiot.
Thank you Amazon for this very reasonably priced part, less than £9 is stupid value.

Time to get on with stuff.
I order some service bits for the Clio as I've done 5,800 miles since the start of November.
I went to remove the old pollen filter but it was empty, not any more.

Next up was the air filter.

Quite simple right at the back of the engine.

I checked the spark plugs and they seemed ok

Then the oil and filter, wonder when it was last changed I doubt it was long ago 😂

The oil was very thin, it has had a refill from the Manol oil deal that was posted about on here.
That is the 'maintenance' side of things taken care of.

Well, I tried, really I did. For only the second time in my motoring history, I am going to scrap a running, MOTed car. I have had the Xantia back for about a month and have been using it as a daily in the hope I would get to like it. The electrical drain meaning the battery has to be disconnected when left has been a pain, but manageable. The problem is the electrical problems, which come and go at random. The heater blower speed varies constantly between slow an silent and full on hurricane, entirely at random and several times a minute. The radio never worked, and now will not even accept a code. The front windows never worked, now the rears have done the same. One of the interior lights decided to come on. It would occasionally go off, but only for 30 seconds or so. I removed the bulb! The footwell lights are now on permanently, but may well be off next time I go to it.
I have done the fuse check/clean and the earths that I could find, but nothing made any difference and patience was running thin. The only saving grace was after reconnecting the battery, it would always start and drive well, despite the rear spheres making a bouncy ride. I did not want to do the spheres until I could solve the electrical problems.
Last night on my way home, dual carriageway, 11pm and biblical rain and spray, the drivers windscreen wiper decided, with no warning, to shear off so the wind blew it round until it rested on the door mirror. So I am calling time on it. Tomorrow I will drive it to the station whilst I collect its replacement, at the weekend I will take the trailer and fetch it home. Once here I will remove the battery and any other useful parts and rather than take it off the trailer, next week it will go to the bridge. Anyone want any easily removed bits for a Xantia 2 litre petrol Executive, speak up!

I think @Tickman will be the most surprised to hear the sad news on the Xantia 

Just been to the cowp in this.
It takes a wheen of shite even with the back seats up and the parcel shelf in.
Eminently practical , and still in the original tank of derv, some 560+ miles ago.
 
I should probably sell it😂

Looking at the mileage chart:

Mileage increased gradually until 2013 when it looks like we gave up clocking it but it was still working. 2013-17 was roughly 50k a year so if we extrapolate this back for 2008-2013 it should have been on a real 300k by 2013, and more like 500k now.

Not too bad I thought it was going to need at least some measure of semtex to clear that interior out. 

Not for me , the joy* of working!
Instead, a trek to Sunny Lochgoilhead for a walk and a spot of lunch.
130 miles covered, all good! 17/10 would hoor down single track roads again

Classic car spares Vauxhall PA Cresta Front Grill | eBay