Project Partridge: the work begins.

[jonny69]

A few things of concern then, and it's bad enough to have you worrying about them. Autoshite balance resumes.

[trigger]

It sounds like you're worrying over nothing. I can't see anything there that would concern me. It's a 17 year old Rover, not a new car.

[MrBiscuits]

I agree with trigger.

Old cars are never perfect, but from those photos it looks pretty good. The water can only be condensation - otherwise it really would be running rough. Sounds OK to me too.

[trigger]

Ref those water droplets, I can't believe I'm saying this but taste it, it won't kill you, If it tastes of water then it's condensation, if it tastes like petrol then it's petrol.

 

I bet it tastes like water.

[MarvinsMom]

to my mind there isnt much to worry about on this car, its fab and in great nick... 820's are fab, and this one seems to be in great order.

 

with ours we had trouble getting an oil filter for it, we ended up going to the local independent motor factors and they got us one, and it was bloody huge!! plus to fit it we had to jack the car up and take the drivers side front wheel off!

[Pillock]

There might be a chance of getting one of those custom exhaust places to knock up a standard centre box to just replace the knackered bit. They might even be able to weld what's there but hard to tell from the pic.

 

Stop worrying man!! If a wheel falls off, or the gearbox stops working, then panic. At the moment that's got less faults than my three month old Astra.

[dugong]

Right, so it looks like someone's bodged up a bit of the downpipe because they couldn't be arsed fixing it properly and a bracket \ and or bush has died holding the back box on (or it's been fitted wrong to start with). 

These are minor issues at best considering what you paid. Find a decent exhaust place (i.e. not Kwik Fit or Powderflow) and discuss it with them. 
And that condensation is water, lad. The car would honk of pez if it was farting neat fuel out at that volume. I know a lot of people who'd run that car as-is. It's probably had more love and attention in the short period of your tenure than it's had in a long, long time.

 

Don't you go being a car hypocondriac, now. 

 

 

[Partridge]

Thanks for all the replies guys. To be honest, for a car I paid under a grand for, none of this is a problem. I do though, really like this car and have decided it's worth spending money on now. I want to keep it for a long time so it's going to pay to nip any problems in the bud. I think for now I'm going to leave the exhaust, because I don't think it's going anywhere. 

 

Today I got it serviced.

 

The car is sounding a lot happier now. Tomorrow I will go out in the cold bright and early and see if she's sounding any better on a cold start. Running smoother and just feeling happier in general. The chap I took it too did a fuckton of work on it for not very much dosh at all. More than I'd do, or would know to do because I'm largely a clueless, ham fisted chimp.

 

Bad news, it will need new discs and pads at the rear and pads at the front, as well as a new rad which is knackered (I new the rad was knackered anyway). It's also leaking power steering fluid. For the time being I'll keep it topped and chuck a trip tray under it. None of this is the end of the world, and nothing major needs doing which is GR9 NEWZ.

 

The good news is the bloke who serviced it says it's the best 800 he's ever seen and it's much better to drive

 

All in all, I'm pretty happy with things.

[Shep Shepherd]

Happy Sterling, happy Partridge

[Parky]

Partridge, earlier

[Partridge]

I can see the parallels: i.e, tall twat and a Rover.