Lord Sterling's fleet of failure - Belgium 🇧🇪 & UK 🇬🇧 spottings

[hairnet]

34 minutes ago, Lord Sterling said:

 

 

 

 

OMG WHAT A HEAP

 

 

 

 

 

daf oof

wafel - hopefully doing that next week

atonium mmmmmmmm

vectra slaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggggggggggg

what was the deal with the lancia

fanks mo

34 minutes ago, Lord Sterling said:

 

 

 

[Lord Sterling]

On 03/04/2025 at 20:40, hairnet said:

what was the deal with the lancia

fanks mo

Bleeeeeerrrrrrb Aaargh! 💨

Not DAF, Autobianchi Bianchina.

Lancia was hit up the backside. I'm guessing it's being taken somewhere? I was just passing by and took a quick pic as there was another car behind me.

[Lord Sterling]

Today, instead of being lazy at home. I decided to take a trip to Wolverhampton to buy some alloys for the Vectra. Unfortunately, the place was closed. No worries, let's move on to Telford. 

For weeks now I've had a spare alloy and a Vauxhall OEM spec "letterbox" back box rolling about my boot. I was bored of hauling these around.

After a few failed attempts at finding some open tyre places, I happened upon a small place I remember using sometime back. I scored 5 correct-sized replacement tyres and had the backbox fitted on all for under £200. 

The feels a bit better, though it needs tracking, and the backbox actually sounds quite a but fruitier than the old one. I still have the old backbox as there wasn't anything wrong with it, I just wanted a corrected spec one that looks great.

Next on the list is to get the leaking oil and coolant sorted.

[Lord Sterling]

Also, the Jag got some lambswool mats:

Plus I picked up a few bits from the same seller. All in for £40

[666jjp]

On 03/04/2025 at 19:54, Lord Sterling said:

 

Tony robinson?

[Lord Sterling]

Just now, 666jjp said:

Tony robinson?

No. Looks a but like him but certainly not him.

[MrGTI6]

Looks much better with the back-box, glad you managed to source one! When I sold the car 4 years ago it still had the original "letterbox" style. Would be interesting to know where that ended up in the interim!

[Lord Sterling]

28 minutes ago, MrGTI6 said:

Looks much better with the back-box, glad you managed to source one! When I sold the car 4 years ago it still had the original "letterbox" style. Would be interesting to know where that ended up in the interim!

It was this and a picture of a very similar one that was on eBay that spurred me on to get it sorted. I'm aware the original exhaust had apparently rotted out but I bet the backbox was still OK but either chucked away anyway or sold on.

I have an Irmscher double 'D' backbox that's also sitting about, but thay will be a back-up in case anything should happen to this one.

I've even got a correct coloured tailgate with tinted glass, rear bumper and lights to tidy up the back end, but that will be done later on in the year.

The most urgent thing it needs next is to stop the oil and coolant from leaking. The coolantnis leaking badly, I noticed a puddle under the front bumper on the drivers side when I parked it up earlier on.

[stuboy]

the vectra estate is the most handsome of the models

[red5]

2 hours ago, Lord Sterling said:

It was this and a picture of a very similar one that was on eBay that spurred me on to get it sorted. I'm aware the original exhaust had apparently rotted out but I bet the backbox was still OK but either chucked away anyway or sold on.

I have an Irmscher double 'D' backbox that's also sitting about, but thay will be a back-up in case anything should happen to this one.

I've even got a correct coloured tailgate with tinted glass, rear bumper and lights to tidy up the back end, but that will be done later on in the year.

The most urgent thing it needs next is to stop the oil and coolant from leaking. The coolantnis leaking badly, I noticed a puddle under the front bumper on the drivers side when I parked it up earlier on.

It was collapsed internally and very badly welded.

Replace the header tank cap. Do nothing else until you have done that. Nothing

[Lord Sterling]

2 minutes ago, red5 said:

It was collapsed internally and very badly welded.

Replace the header tank cap. Do nothing else until you have done that. Nothing

Thanks, will do. Would you happen to know anywhere I can get one new?

I'll still get it booked in to sort out the oil leakage as it's ongoing (but sort of free oil changes).

[red5]

Just now, Lord Sterling said:

Thanks, will do. Would you happen to know anywhere I can get one new?

I'll still get it booked in to sort out the oil leakage as it's ongoing (but sort of free oil changes).

New old stock preferably. Get the number off it Mo starting 9....

I (my mate) put rocker gaskets on it. Probably the back one for a leak.

 

Actually no, probably the upper sump to block gasket.

[Lord Sterling]

Browsing on my phone, I spotted some photos of cars I'd taken pics of and I don't appear to have posted them here, or at least in this thread. So here we go:

I can't disclose the location of where the Passat and Rovers are due to being asked not to. I am in touch with the owner and there is a chance I may approach him about the red Mk1 Sterling.

When I last dropped the Jag off for the scraping noise issue to be resolved, I was waiting for a Taxi (as everytime I walked from garage to the local town, I used to fall ill) I heard this BMW being driven quite enthusiastically up and down the industrial estate. It sounded glorious but that was until I found it was a diesel. Still, these seem to still be cheap enough, even for a petrol version. 

Also whilst awaiting for Taxi, a random Rover 800 Vitesse just happens to pass, within a few feet of a Rover 800 enthusiast. Do I attract these cars or something?

Belongs to a local (non-Scottish) Volvo licker.

WANT  - a mate of mine had an identical one. Why didn't I have one when they were cheap?

"Ah oui, euuuhhhh, du vin, du pain, un Citroën ceeeh-quinze (C15), plus vite q'un Aston Martin sur le routes Francais, non?" 😅

A pair of 70s Vauxhalls, comes free with a 'zapata' moustache, thick sideboards, flares and a bad haircut.

You sure you got enough Jags there?

I miss mine 😢

I believe the chap who owns this, used to, for many years, have an early white Laguna estate. He did driveway repairs and had various bits of decaying tat on his driveway. He literally lived at the end of Mum_Sterling's road.

I vaguely remember posting this. Have the same photo again.

Something a bit odd about this Focus. Its silver and the plate clearly has "NC51 KRO" on it. It's not on DVLA record, yet NC51 KRD comes back to a Blue Focus that hasn't seen tax or MoT since 2020. I wonder what the story is with this one? Its parked there for a while given the moss around it.

Here used to be (and often still is) an '08' reg Focus. This Vectra estate appeared, then disappeared for a while only to appear here. It is apparently a 2.0 LS DTi, another pic I have shows it wearing SRi alloys like on mine. I'd love to see it out and about. Good to see another Y-reg Vectra estate around and about.

Speaking of Vectras:

This again within about couple of miles of the above estate. This one is the desirable* GSi and usually in the company of a modern Audi, BMW and some 4x4 thingy or van. The owner did once end up following me for along one road, I gave him the thumbs up and his female passenger seemed quite surprised to see another of these Vectra things about.

Yep, seems like my car is in good company then.

Love me a W140 S-class. Must get myself one at some point.

Again, one of my fave/dream cars. I have driven a couple of them. The 520i I drove many years ago was really lovely.

Locally registered Mondeo 4x4.

Fiat 131 spotted in Walsall. Surely this is one of us?

Spotted before I bought my current Jag.

Spurred on by seeing this on a video of some geezer who goes around spotting cars, I decided to come and take a look myself. I think it's disappeared since but this Escort did live literally around the corner from me. Again, locally registered. 

This Jag is apparently for sale and is literally again, around the corner from where I live. It's been here maybe 3 to 4 years. I do remember when this overgrown area was used for parking and a Mondeo estate used to park where the Jag is now.

Spotted this by the tyre/exhaust place I used to have the tyres and exhaust done on the Vectra.

[IronStar]

Out of all the cars you posted there I would like to get…

8 hours ago, Lord Sterling said:

 

This Jag is apparently for sale and is literally again, around the corner from where I live. It's been here maybe 3 to 4 years. I do remember when this overgrown area was used for parking and a Mondeo estate used to park where the Jag is now.

 

A Jag parked in an overgrown grass / hedge. I saw a photo and thought”this is really nice, it’s shame it’s sitting like that and needs saving.” Even worse, I’d spend money much better spent elsewhere doing it. 

There’s something seriously wrong with my head. 🤦‍♂️

[Lord Sterling]

31 minutes ago, IronStar said:

Out of all the cars you posted there I would like to get…

A Jag parked in an overgrown grass / hedge. I saw a photo and thought”this is really nice, it’s shame it’s sitting like that and needs saving.” Even worse, I’d spend money much better spent elsewhere doing it. 

There’s something seriously wrong with my head. 🤦‍♂️

Nope, nothing wrong there. You're absolutely right, it does need saving. I don't think the underside is all that bad as it has really only been there about 3 or 4 years at the most. It may well have been in the garages you see in the background until the building was condemned and cleared out. It's still there, crumbling away (the building that is, not the Jag, although that still there and probably beginning to crumble too)

[Snipes]

I seem to recall the v6 having some heat exchanger thing the valley of the v that is prone to leaking?

Not sure though. It's been a while. 

[Lord Sterling]

Its been an expensive month. But finally! (?) It is summer and I now have actual working air-conditioning. I mean, it's taken me a good 20 years of my life to get to a point where I can afford to chuck a few hundred quid to get a new condenser. 

I know this sounds repetitive; but I've literally had 2 cars in my life where the air-con has worked out the box. That was the BMW and the Zafira. Every other car has never, ever been a simple case of topping up the gas. It's always been holed condensers (how?), unobtainium pipes that cost ££££s! Incompetent mechanics, or in the case of the Peugeot, plastic directional flaps which require dash removal to do a proper job.

The Vectra still requires air-con work. This is very likely to be after summer now.

It has, however had a new radiator:

And with that, the front bumper has been fitted back on properly. 

[Lord Sterling]

Some spots:

 

Same parking area, different days so probably the same owner:

I've been trying to get this Metro for ages, I finally found the time to do it:

This is near where @Sloth in a bowlspotted all of those old BMWs near where he lives in Birmingham, I wasn't driving but my mate did a good job of slowing down for me to get some photos:

[AnnoyingPentium]

That Visa belongs to a mate of a mate! It's his summer daily I think.

[Lord Sterling]

3 hours ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

That Visa belongs to a mate of a mate! It's his summer daily I think.

Wow! Seriously!? The Visa was literally 5 minutes from where I live. Is this a mate local to you?

[AnnoyingPentium]

1 hour ago, Lord Sterling said:

Wow! Seriously!? The Visa was literally 5 minutes from where I live. Is this a mate local to you?

Nowhere near me! He's friends with a guy from Redditch that I've known a while though.

[Lord Sterling]

Well, that didn't work out.

£565 and I still have no Air-con. 

I give up and likely be ripping the system out. It won't be an immediate thing, more likely a gradual removal.

😡

Anyway, bollock all updates on the Vectra. Blue smoke after start up is getting a bit more now. Its the stem seals, they go hard after a while. Apparently there is stuff by Forté or Wynns that will help soften up the stem seals, its not a long term solution but I'm not quite in the mood for dropping a tonne of money I don't have again. 

What does need attention is the rear brakes, one caliper is not doing the job. I'll check into a couple of garages for prices and get this done ASAP.

Had a nice visit to @Imhotep to try out his S-Type. I would love to buy it but as always, space and money are against me as they always will be.

Prior to the f*xking air-con failure, I did manage to bag myself a genuine Jag boot tray plus a lovely drive through the Shropshire countryside:

[Lord Sterling]

Right. Let have some spots:

This Jag belongs to an old bloke who lives (with his sister) in this dilapidated old manor house around the corner from where I live:

Chap above used to have an unremarkable '08 Focus. Then he got himself a Vectra B Estate in Diesel flavour, now he's gone and bought himself another that has an Opel badge on it.

Below. One morning after work, I decided to dive down into an industrial estate that I always pass on the way home. The gatehouse always interesting old cars by it that I have posted before, it had a Mk1 Metro in metallic red, a gold Series III Jag, a Mk2 800 Vitesse. But all of these have since disappeared. So I thought I'd have a nose. There is a car body works place in there that had these:

Some spots in Telford:

Couple of works car park spots:

I know the young lad who owns the BMW 3er. He also has a 306 which I've yet to see. I like the BMW but there are indications that its going to be modified.

[Lord Sterling]

Right. Some I've been to Belgium. Did some spots. Came back, had a bit of a shitty time coming back through Dover. Anyway. We'll start with some prior holiday UK spots:

Belgium 🇧🇪 

There was another early saloon Vectra that I spotted, unfortunately it wasn't there when I went back.

Jaguar 3.4 in the distance in Namur. There is a Jaguar enthusiast in Namur of whom I've yet to meet as most of the time when I'm there, there is always a Jaguar car to spot (except when mine is there) I've seen a late XJS, an early S1 XJ6, a Mk2 (as above) and a Mk10.

Below, not in Namur but by where Fatha_Sterling used to live. Again, didn't manage to meet the owner.

The Belgian Jag is an X300 with a '308 grille and front lights.

Frustratingly, I also saw a Belgian Police Golf of this vintage, unfortunately I couldn't get a pic.

That carpark in Woluwe below. Most of the stolen/forgotten shite has since been removed from my last visit in April 2025. So now the carpark is a little tidier. There is still the occasional car that has been left there for a while, but a lot less dumped cars.

This dutch-plated Mégane was honestly box-fresh.

Jackpot!:

This Peugeot 504 was for sale on the side of the road. It honestly looked like it had seen better days, it certainly hadn't been cleaned. There were bumps, scratches missing trim etc... 

As we were lining up I saw a load of rammle, most of it though were Mustangs and high-value shite. Couldn't really get a pic due to the amount of old 'uns standing around chatting in Dutch to each other about the cars. I did manage to get these:

This was a crew car, not part of convoy.

Back in the UK 🇬🇧 

Yes, I waved at them from my '308. Jaguar owner FWENDS!!!!