Six Cylinders Motoring Notes - An open air picnic in mid September!

[rustdevil]

i thought when you said man maths you was revving up to buy another car😉

[Six-cylinder]

15 hours ago, rustdevil said:

i thought when you said man maths you was revving up to buy another car😉

Give me a break, Mrs6C has put me on a car buying diet!

[Six-cylinder]

Ever wondered where all the 10mm spanners go, I have most of them!

[Six-cylinder]

Acting on the man-maths I have now got the little Fiat out of storage and taxed it.

The good news is I reconnected the battery, it instantly started and drives perfectly. The only issue was a tyre without air at the bottom, but we had a pump with us.

The photos are today.

[hairnet]

i saw a man yesterday who has a proclivity for smol fiats but he wants to get rid of some (he has 3 seicentos)

youd be up for that get a slap off the boss right?

 

[Six-cylinder]

14 minutes ago, hairnet said:

i saw a man yesterday who has a proclivity for smol fiats but he wants to get rid of some (he has 3 seicentos)

youd be up for that get a slap off the boss right?

Don't tell anybody but I want a Cinquecento Sporting!

No not instead of the Seicento but as well as.

[hairnet]

21 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

Don't tell anybody but I want a Cinquecento Sporting!

No not instead of the Seicento but as well as.

you need one of them incognito phones and a soundproof room

 

[Zelandeth]

On 3/11/2023 at 5:44 PM, Six-cylinder said:

Man-Maths

Having given up on the MX5 due to weather I have been driving the XM 2.0 16v Auto this week. I filled it up today with E5 after 299.5 miles for £80.90 and it has done 26.4 mpg. I was hoping for a couple more mpg but ok considering it has not had a run, just local journeys. Still a lot to pay out for local running around.

I put my Fiat Seicento 1108cc away in October on SORN to protect it from salt with the view to getting it out in April. With petrol now so expensive paying the £15 a month road tax to have it out makes sense as long as I use it instead of XM for the fuel saving to at least cover the road tax. How many miles do I need to do based on 44 mpg for the Fiat both on E5, I was amazed it is only 130 miles a month to save £15 in fuel cost.

Also come April road tax will increase and on the original inflation linked plan that would be 12.3% although the new chancellor may lower that increase.

It's even more ridiculous if you're having to take the difference in pricing between petrol and diesel into account.

Based on the economy over the last couple of tanks of fuel there's basically sod all difference in the fuel price per mile between the Caddy and R25 now.  

[RobT]

On 3/12/2023 at 1:33 PM, Six-cylinder said:

Ever wondered where all the 10mm spanners go, I have most of them!

My cars eat 10mm sockets.  I lost one in the depths of the Xedos engine bay yesterday trying to tighten up a hard to reach cam cover bolt.  I think it spat it out on a left turn, never to be seen again!

[brownnova]

8 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

It's even more ridiculous if you're having to take the difference in pricing between petrol and diesel into account.

Based on the economy over the last couple of tanks of fuel there's basically sod all difference in the fuel price per mile between the Caddy and R25 now.  

I’ve been discovering this recently. The XC90 is less economical than the 9000 already, but once you add in the inflated cost of diesel it’s a massive difference. £50 stands me a weeks commute and a trip at the weekend in the XC, I can do two weeks in the 9000 and a trip out on the same money. 

[hairnet]

19 minutes ago, brownnova said:

I’ve been discovering this recently. The XC90 is less economical than the 9000 already, but once you add in the inflated cost of diesel it’s a massive difference. £50 stands me a weeks commute and a trip at the weekend in the XC, I can do two weeks in the 9000 and a trip out on the same money. 

but leadfoot

[Six-cylinder]

Today I collected Ex @richardmorris Mercedes E320 from my favorite garage with a fresh MOT and an Oil change service. The only problem was one of the rear seat belts would not stay clipped in so a clean and lubricate was needed. Apart from that a clean pass.

I plan to use it at the weekend for a 3 day classic driving tour in Wales. I was going to use the Ex @Andyrew MX5 but in spite of his guarantee the Mazda came with sunshine the forecast is rain all weekend!

I think this is the first time we have had the current two W124 Mercs on the drive together.

[Six-cylinder]

Where is our car!

@Andyrew took our ZX away to see if he could find out why on a cold start it was grumpy and puffed a small mountain of white smoke. It has had new glow plugs a month ago but still runs on less than 4 and smokes badly just for 20 secs. Andy could not find anything particularly wrong with it. He put a double dose of injection cleaner through it and it seems to run a little better but still runs rough and smokes on start up.

The next stage when Andy has some more time is to take out the injectors and have them tested. To enable that to happen we need new seals. Anybody know of a supplier of injection seals for a 1996 Citroen ZX Turbo Diesel Estate?

Andy turned up at the house in a car we did not recognise tonight with glossy bright red paintwork. Looking closer it was a ZX Estate and reading the reg it was ours! Yes he took away a car that was filthy dirty with a totally flat paint on bonnet and grill. Also a wheel cover off because it was trying to fall off and a dull headlight. Now it looks great thanks very much.  

[Floatylight]

12 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

Where is our car!

@Andyrew took our ZX away to see if he could find out why on a cold start it was grumpy and puffed a small mountain of white smoke. It has had new glow plugs a month ago but still runs on less than 4 and smokes badly just for 20 secs. Andy could not find anything particularly wrong with it. He put a double dose of injection cleaner through it and it seems to run a little better but still runs rough and smokes on start up.

The next stage when Andy has some more is to take out the injectors and have them tested. To enable that to happen we need new seals. Anybody know of a supplier of injection seals for a 1996 Citroen ZX Turbo Diesel Estate?

Andy turned up at the house in a car we did not recognise tonight with glossy bright red paintwork. Looking closer it was a ZX Estate and reading the reg it was ours! Yes he took away a car that was filthy dirty with a totally flat paint on bonnet and grill. Also a wheel cover off because it was trying to fall off. Now it looks great thanks very much.  

Wow, what a transformation!

[hairnet]

tarts handbag

you too chris

 

[Andyrew]

The bonnet was certainly a little flat. 

Rear door must have been painted at the same time as the bonnet!

[richardmorris]

Apart from MOT time, when I think I put the belts in the locks myself from the standing position, I can count on one hands the number of times someone was in the back of the car in the last ten years. Two nieces in spring  2021, mum and sister in Nov 2020 for a family funeral etc.

[hairnet]

knackered french cars ftw

brownnova knows all about them

 

[richardmorris]

13 minutes ago, hairnet said:

knackered french cars ftw

brownnova knows all about them

 

Nothing knackered about ZX estates. Them and cockroaches will outlive humanity ( at this rate anyway).

[brownnova]

1 hour ago, hairnet said:

brownnova knows all about them

My knackered cars are British, American and Yugoslavian thank you very much. The French stuff is fine. 

[Six-cylinder]

Sorry I have been two timing you all this weekend!

I have done a 3 day tour around Wales this weekend with "The Saga Louts" a group of friends who first met at Jaguar Club in Oxford 35 years ago.

There were supposed to be 3 MX5s, I read the weather forecast and took the Mercedes instead. The other MK1 did not make the start line as it was broken and the owner rode passenger in the XJS.

I was accused of cheating in the Ex @richardmorris E320 Coupe by the MGB owner as it was so easy to live with. 

The first 311 miles in E320 of mixed driving resulted in 28 mpg which I think is pretty good for a 3.2 Ltr straight six with a 4 speed auto.

[richardmorris]

It is wonderfully easy to live with which is why it was my daily car for nearly ten years. All it wants is petrol!

28 isn’t bad, I was getting 26 commuting and up to 32 on long motorway trips. 

[hairnet]

chris is a massive leadfoot tho

whatever happened to sunny bucks/wales

where was the viaduct?

 

[EyesWeldedShut]

1 hour ago, hairnet said:

chris is a massive leadfoot tho

whatever happened to sunny bucks/wales

where was the viaduct?

 

I give you the Elan Valley (where we store the water for the Brummies)  &  Devil's Bridge (Hafod Hotel) - about 6 miles from chez noooz. 

The picture below pretty well sums up how crowded* it gets around here  It's the 'shortcut' road from here to Rhayader and the SW Midlands. Being Wales though it is rather full of sheep which rather curtails the ability to use the heavy left  right (! sorry) foot.
After Easter you'll usually get at least one car club rally or meet up there - it's quite popular even if it does rain a lot 

 

[catsinthewelder]

Looks like a great trip, love that road.  Last time was a fairly spirited run across it in a Luton van.  At least oncoming traffic could see me coming!

[chaseracer]

Blimey, the Hafod looks a bit posher than at SF15, when it had just finished being an orphanage in Hinterland and @cms206 won a Kia Pride... 

😁

[EyesWeldedShut]

5 hours ago, chaseracer said:

Blimey, the Hafod looks a bit posher than at SF15, when it had just finished being an orphanage in Hinterland and @cms206 won a Kia Pride... 

😁

It was taken over about 2019 and a bit lot of dosh spent. In the summer (that's two and a half weeks in July here) there's proper posh sittery-ootery tables there on the right with fancy umbrella things over them, table service and a menu priced  to match.
When the steam choo choo from Aber is 'in' the place is packed. Most of the bikers/car meet guys tend to use the cafe back up the road towards the A44 then (but even that can get packed out on a busy weekend).

It's much improved from 2015 to be honest.

 

[Six-cylinder]

19 hours ago, chaseracer said:

Blimey, the Hafod looks a bit posher than at SF15, when it had just finished being an orphanage in Hinterland and @cms206 won a Kia Pride... 

😁

 

13 hours ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

It was taken over about 2019 and a bit lot of dosh spent. In the summer (that's two and a half weeks in July here) there's proper posh sittery-ootery tables there on the right with fancy umbrella things over them, table service and a menu priced  to match.
When the steam choo choo from Aber is 'in' the place is packed. Most of the bikers/car meet guys tend to use the cafe back up the road towards the A44 then (but even that can get packed out on a busy weekend).

It's much improved from 2015 to be honest.

 

The Saga louts have been doing the Wales trip annually since 2011 with the compulsory Covid break. Rob the white MGB  driver had picked the Hafod  from the internet the first year and while very much faded glory it was a great place to stay. They had a chef for the dining room who produced great grub and then there was a small bar which was a good place to finish the evening. At one time there was also a barman called Jaspa who was a fantastic host in the bar. Then it gradual went down hill, the chef left and the atmosphere was more failing business.

Rob did ask the Hafod for this trip but they were slow coming back and we had already agreed to stay at the Metropole in Llandrindod Wells. More faded glory with poor internet.

The photos are 2011, the TR4 did not make this trip. My Vitesse has a broken gearbox and we are struggling to get parts for it so I was going to use my MX5 until I saw the weather forecast. The black MGB was replaced by the XJS with the owner saying he misses his MGB. The Sirocco owner still has it but choose to bring his MX5 MK1. The white MGB is the same car as this year.

[Six-cylinder]

If you had the choice would you drive home in a 911T or a Seicento?

This morning was a local car show at Heath and Reach. It is a show that attracts a very wide selection of cars. I collected my Seicento yesterday with a fresh MOT. I was planning to take the Mercedes E320 Coupe today but somehow the desire to drive the Seicento was so great that I took it this morning.

[wuvvum]

That 911 is in the same registration series as my Volvo.