Lord Sterling's fleet of failure - Small win

[red5]

Now that would be a mega winter beater. Actually, I saw one in the carpark of a breakers yard in Stouport. A BRG one with slightly deeper dish alloys and possibly on an M-plate. Know anything about it? Scrappy there even has a Blue Citroën DS in the yard along with a stripped Scorpio estate and a Jag.

[red5]

Where?

[Lord Sterling]

Hartlebury Road between Stourport and Hartlebury, near OGL computers and opposite the entrance to Severn Trent water site.

[Lord Sterling]

Sigh....

 

It never rains but it pours....

 

After the MOT the BMW felt it in proper rude health apart from the attempts to cut out during the driving.

 

It was noted for the next pay day sadly just after payday my first attempt at going to the garage to sort this out was thwarted by closing of the High Street for the switching on of Christmas lights. I couldn't get to the petrol station comfortably.

 

The next week on the Monday the traffic on the M5 was at a standstill for the 3rd Monday running. The engine decides to try and overheat again which caused me great concern. The heater was blowing hot and then cold and then hot again. I could hear the water regurgitating in the system, it didn't sounds great.

 

Speaking with Red5 I limped the car up to him and got given the keys to the MG ZS 2.0 TD:

 

 

This is a great little car, it tells well planted on the motorway, well in its elements but around town, particularly where the roads are pretty bad, it does feel quite crashy.

 

Anyhoo, I left the BMW in capable hands:

 

 

This happened:

 

Yep...

 

It appears that the coolant may be escaping to the oil cooler and mixing with the oil. The heater just blows cold but there is no loss on performace? No overheating since tue system was bled, again, and no white smoke, so who knows.... the coolant is disappearing somewhere at a fast rate bit exactly where is not known.

 

On top of that, the lock problems I have had have got worse. Because of the key barrel being so loose, if I place my key and turn it, it triggers all the windows going down at once, so I can't lock it properly.

 

Yesterday I drove it back home and today I drove it to Mahmouds garage so let's see what the verdict is

 

Here it is with it's better version being relegated to the garage for a few weeks (hopefully) to be repaired:

 

[DSdriver]

OMGHGF?

Is it a modern DS in the scrappy?

[Braddon81]

Looks almost definitely like the symptoms of a coolant leakage/mix through a knackered oil cooler core. Is the oil level on the dipstick rising with coolant loss?

[Rocket88]

By-pass oil cooler? At this time of year, would have thought you'd be ok.........

[Tamworthbay]

By-pass oil cooler? At this time of year, would have thought you'd be ok.........

Or stick a cheap oil cooler on instead, £30 on eBay should see one I would think.

[Schaefft]

Time to swap the 316i for a 330Ci!

[Lord Sterling]

Looks almost definitely like the symptoms of a coolant leakage/mix through a knackered oil cooler core. Is the oil level on the dipstick rising with coolant loss?

As I have seen it, no. It does leak oil but not much. I topped it up probably over a month ago now and only in the last week has the oil light came on.

 

By-pass oil cooler? At this time of year, would have thought you'd be ok.........

Yep, this has been suggested, but unless it's an ultra expensive job I'll just get the oil cooler sorted.

 

Time to swap the 316i for a 330Ci!

Yeah sure, I'll just pull a few £G's out of my Chase Manhatten bank account.

[Bren]

Car mechanics tested k seal on one of these. It worked.

[D Spares & Tyres]

Ditch the BMW, it's had a good innings. I'll give you a lift back from Leominster Auctions.

 

You still got the Micra? That should be a decent trouble free winter motor.

[Lord Sterling]

Ditch the BMW, it's had a good innings. I'll give you a lift back from Leominster Auctions.

You still got the Micra? That should be a decent trouble free winter motor.

Lol, we should have one of the MidzMassiv meets at Leominster auctions. I've mever been but a neighbour of mine buys quite a lot from there.

 

Sister And Ma have the roffle Micra and it's in use pretty much everyday. I have Ma's bashed up Micra, I won't use it properly until it's repaired, which it will be at some point.

 

I still have use of the MG ZS TD (but it's having a repair done to one of the coolant hoses) or there is a Mk3 Fiesta which could be put back on road for little money I reckon. It belongs to an old lady who lends me the use of her 4-car driveway. She has the Fiesta and an old camper on there, she mentioned that I could use the Fiesta if I got stuck.

[Lord Sterling]

Car mechanics tested k seal on one of these. It worked.

That is a plan, albeit a back-up one, but still a plan. I like the BMW it suits me. I do know of another one though....

[plasticvandan]

From where I'm sitting,it only suits you because it's broken... An old,thirsty,broken BMW is the last car i would pick in your situation..

[D Spares & Tyres]

I've seen the blue micra, it looks good enough to use as it is?

 

I have also seen that Fiesta. It looks solid for an old K reg.

 

Leominster Auctions is my favourite. Usually at least one interesting old car there each week

[chaseracer]

...we should have one of the MidzMassiv meets at Leominster auctions...

 

We should.

[Lord Sterling]

From where I'm sitting,it only suits you because it's broken... An old,thirsty,broken BMW is the last car i would pick in your situation..

Well, as I said, we'll see how it goes. If it gets to a price where repairing it would be the same price I could afford to buy another similar BMW outright then it'll be ditched. If not then keeping it going would be the most sensible option, better the devil you know and all that....

 

I've seen the blue micra, it looks good enough to use as it is?

I have also seen that Fiesta. It looks solid for an old K reg.

Leominster Auctions is my favourite. Usually at least one interesting old car there each week

Blue Micra is Mum's, she has handed it to me for safe keeping off road until repairs. Thats what she wants, I understand and respect that. Also, I may still have long-term use of the MG ZS TD.

 

The Fiesta is a option of desperation if there is no other car available to me to use. However, the KV6 Sterling is another option as it doesn't need a huge amount doing. MPG-wise is not much different to the BMW. I have many options but need to be very careful which one I choose if the BMW needs to be chucked away.

 

No more suggestions please about ditching the BMW thanks until we know more exactly about what the cause of the problems is.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Car mechanics tested k seal on one of these. It worked.

Not for long though. Cheap used oil coolers are 25 mins tops to replace. Don’t piss about bodging. If the HGF has failed - and they do - it’s scrap.

[plasticvandan]

I wouldn't suggest ditching anything until a clear evaluation has been made,it's a very expensive cycle that way,I would just carefully weigh up the pros and cons of repair vs replace.Ultimately you have to sit in and drive the thing,so you have to be in something you like,but don't let yourself become a slave to it.

[Floatylight]

We should.

Agreed!

 

Sent from my Moto G (5) using Tapatalk

[Burnside]

Hi Mo, hope the BMW can be sorted out it looks a clean car which is half the battle of running a older car. So it looks well worth saving if possible in my view.

 

There a 04 316 Compact at the Scrapyard I'm going to today in Derby shortly if its of use, place is called Albert Looms if you want me to check anything out while I'm there etc its listed on there website as well.

[Lord Sterling]

Now that everybody has calmed down a bit (well hopefully ) I thought I'd stick this on;

 

Roffle Micra killed another battery a week back rendering Ma having to taxi it to the train station of a morning and evening. I work for a battery retailer and bagged myself a Varta battery for £35 (usually £48). After work yesterday, as Ma_Sterling works nearby in Gloucester I went and picked her up in this:

 

 

Which I am now using as the now for sale MG chucked it's coolant out last weekend.

 

Took Ma back to Birmingham and fitted the battery (in my suit and tie ) the battery that the roffle Micra was sporting was the one I robbed out of Ma's Micra at the time as logistics prevented me from fitting the other battery I originally bought for it. Took the Micra out for a spin (it hadn't moved for a week, the handbrake was nearly stuck on) and reput in the radio code when I last changed the battery. Ma and Sis now have a working Micra and choons.

 

There is no news on the BMW yet, my mechanic mate hasn't had the time. I don't really care anyway, its nice to try a selection of different cars for a change.

 

I have also chucked my hat in the ring for another car in case of bad news from BMW.

[Jim Bell]

Now that everybody has calmed down a bit (well hopefully ) I thought I'd stick this on;

 

I have chucked my hat in the ring for another car in case of bad news from BMW.

 

I didnt even know you had a hat.

 

Any clues?

 

For the car OR the hat?

[Lord Sterling]

I didnt even know you had a hat.

 

Any clues?

 

For the car OR the hat?

Lol, not at the moment. I want to keep this one to myself until more news from the BMW front becomes available. All will be revealed as soon as an update comes from it.

[Jim Bell]

Lol, not at the moment. I want to keep this one to myself until more news from the BMW front becomes available. All will be revealed as soon as an update comes from it.

 

Best of luck with the BM and the possible replacement chief. Hopefully you dont need any luck with either though.

[Zelandeth]

Didn't think there were any first gen Fronteras left!

 

Was one of the very few cars we actively tried to avoid getting in at the garage as they were invariably bloody trouble and almost always wound up coming back for warranty work (which we always did, no quibbles).

 

I never want to have to explain to someone how the damned alarm works, nor do I ever want to have to change an idle air control valve on one again.

 

From what I remember they actually drove better than they had any right to when working right...I remember finding the button based wiper controls a randomly cool idea at the time. Short wheelbase one was a bit bouncy though.

 

I also never want to have to find out where rain is getting into the cabin on one again.

 

...Why the hell do I find myself thinking "yeah, I'd actually quite like one of them now..."

[red5]

Rain? The only place they leak is around dried out sunroof seals, or shoddily replaced top quarters.

 

IAC on 2.0 is piss easy if you do it right. Without fail, no-one sets them up correctly. 2.2 16v is pants.

 

They are vastly underrated.

[Zelandeth]

Rain? The only place they leak is around dried out sunroof seals, or shoddily replaced top quarters.

 

IAC on 2.0 is piss easy if you do it right. Without fail, no-one sets them up correctly. 2.2 16v is pants.

 

They are vastly underrated.

I think by now any that are left are likely to have had most of the usual headaches sorted...as I said, they are quite nice old things to drive. Felt far less agricultural than the Discovery. I personally prefer the Cherokee, but that's just me!

[purplebargeken]

I had the Sport version for a while. Ace things they are. 

 

Mo, didn't know you were getting a Vectra