Six Cylinders Motoring Notes - The BIG news of the day is I have driven my own Mini Mayfair for the first time!

[hairnet]

On 22/11/2024 at 16:54, Six-cylinder said:

Today I collected our Citroen ZX TD Avantage Estate from my favourite garage with a fresh MOT and service. They fitted the new rear brake load valve and replaced the rear brake shoes. Also they fixed the new n-s front door handle I bought from Lithuania.

We have now had this ZX for 13 years and done 65,000 miles in that time. It was bought as a spare car just because it looked great and was cheap!

It got loaned out because we did not need it and the last loan was to my younger son Richard who claimed it was ruining has street cred and could he borrow one of our BMWs instead. That was a few years ago and when Richard returned it I said I would sell it but Mrs6C said she wanted to keep it and use it so we still have it.

Beast

[Six-cylinder]

3 hours ago, MAF260 said:

Which is your favourite garage please? I've recently moved nearby and need to find some good/recommended local businesses.

The Garage is Dorill Auto Service, Sherington Bridge Farm, Newport Pagnell, MK16 9JA.  01908 612615

Mark who runs it has become quite selective with the work he takes on partly due to his father passing away last year who used to work with him. He says working on old stuff is frustrating when you can’t plan how long a job will take because of stuck or rusty parts and unavailable locally supply of parts.

@Zelandeth has had his 2006 Peugeot Partner worked on but he would not take on his 1988 Renault 25 Head gasket.

Mark is more than capable but he has plenty of work so will turn jobs down he does not like.

I have been told when I get my 1976 Opel Manta back that will be the last big job he does for me. Don’t get the impression the relationship has gone sour because he will still look after our cars as usual. We have our own WhatsApp and he will message with me after hours. I have tea with Mark when I visit and he has lent me his personal Triumph 2000 & 2500 overnight for me to take to Club meetings.

I am extremely grateful for everything Mark and his late father has done for me over the last 15 years servicing and repairing most of our running cars. In addition they have tackled some of the project cars we bought dead. This included recommissioning our 1984 MG Metro, Lancia Gamma including an engine rebuild, BMW 2500, Lancia Trevi, Triumph 2500TC and currently Opel manta.

 

[richardmorris]

10 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

The Garage is Dorill Auto Service, Sherington Bridge Farm, Newport Pagnell, MK16 9JA.  01908 612615

Mark who runs it has become quite selective with the work he takes on partly due to his father passing away last year who used to work with him. He says working on old stuff is frustrating when you can’t plan how long a job will take because of stuck or rusty parts and unavailable locally supply of parts.

@Zelandeth has had his 2006 Peugeot Partner worked on but he would not take on his 1988 Renault 25 Head gasket.

Mark is more than capable but he has plenty of work so will turn jobs down he does not like.

I have been told when I get my 1976 Opel Manta back that will be the last big job he does for me. Don’t get the impression the relationship has gone sour because he will still look after our cars as usual. We have our own WhatsApp and he will message with me after hours. I have tea with Mark when I visit and he has lent me his personal Triumph 2000 & 2500 overnight for me to take to Club meetings.

I am extremely grateful for everything Mark and his late father has done for me over the last 15 years servicing and repairing most of our running cars. In addition they have tackled some of the project cars we bought dead. This included recommissioning our 1984 MG Metro, Lancia Gamma including an engine rebuild, BMW 2500, Lancia Trevi, Triumph 2500TC and currently Opel manta.

 

My mechanic friend is getting that way too, capable of working on Bentley turbos to rebuilding a box of bits Willys jeep. But picky about taking on new projects - happy to do the 2cv and x1/9 but not a possible new traction avant.

[Zelandeth]

Two Wrestlers Garage in Newport Pagnell are also decent - but they're also always absolutely rammed so you need to plan ~a month in advance.  Plus they have near zero off street parking, so anything that's not road legal that's not just going to be an in-MOT-out job is always a bit of a challenge logistically and they're likely to turn down.  They're also reluctant to take on longer jobs as it's a small place and they only have one ramp aside from the MOT bay.

I've really struggled to find anyone willing to get their hands dirty with anything but the most basic of jobs on anything older than the daily.

[Wibble]

When I told my local classic friendly garage proprietor that I’d booked my Senator and Cortina in with his wife, he called me an absolute bastard and said he was calling in sick for those days😆. I then gave him a tub of Roses chocolates and said sorry. He smiled, gave me a loan car and said he’d sort whatever they need🙂

[Six-cylinder]

2 minutes ago, Wibble said:

When I told my local classic friendly garage proprietor that I’d booked my Senator and Cortina in with his wife, he called me an absolute bastard and said he was calling in sick for those days😆. I then gave him a tub of Roses chocolates and said sorry. He smiled, gave me a loan car and said he’d sort whatever they need🙂

I have the same relationship with Mark who always complains about my choice of cars!

[richardmorris]

5 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

I have the same relationship with Mark who always complains about my choice of cars!

When I borrowed your xm some years ago I sent a photo to my mechanic- he replied that “you better hadn’t have bought that”. Has threatened me when I’ve mentioned Citroen C6 s too.

[Six-cylinder]

7 minutes ago, Zelandeth said:

Two Wrestlers Garage in Newport Pagnell are also decent - but they're also always absolutely rammed so you need to plan ~a month in advance.  Plus they have near zero off street parking, so anything that's not road legal that's not just going to be an in-MOT-out job is always a bit of a challenge logistically and they're likely to turn down.  They're also reluctant to take on longer jobs as it's a small place and they only have one ramp aside from the MOT bay.

I've really struggled to find anyone willing to get their hands dirty with anything but the most basic of jobs on anything older than the daily.

I have had a new to me local mobile Mech do some work for me. He has changed the fuel pump on our Citroen DS and is part way through changing the head gaskets on my Mitsubishi Sigma V6.  It is early days yet to understand what he is good at/willing to do, but the signs are good.

[richardmorris]

9 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

I have had a new to me local mobile Mech do some work for me. He has changed the fuel pump on our Citroen DS and is part way through changing the head gaskets on my Mitsubishi Sigma V6.  It is early days yet to understand what he is good at/willing to do, but the signs are good.

Does he know that he’s being dragged into indentured servitude  for the rest of his life?

[Mr Pastry]

Going back 5 years or so I used to use West End Garage in Buckingham - a proper helpful old -school place who knew their stuff, and an interesting building which I think was formerly a brewery.  They still seem to be in business, although as with the others mentioned they have limited space and MOTs are the main business.  I was happy with what they did.  I won't give a recommendation as it is so long since I used them, but certainly worth a try.

 

[Six-cylinder]

11 hours ago, Mr Pastry said:

Going back 5 years or so I used to use West End Garage in Buckingham - a proper helpful old -school place who knew their stuff, and an interesting building which I think was formerly a brewery.  They still seem to be in business, although as with the others mentioned they have limited space and MOTs are the main business.  I was happy with what they did.  I won't give a recommendation as it is so long since I used them, but certainly worth a try.

 

That is about the same time since I used West End Garage. I found a rear strut top was breaking up on our BMW 735i and they did a good job.

That was the garage my Mini came from as the owner had passed. I believe the business is carrying on and the Mini was stored in another site that was being sold.

[tooSavvy]

Parkside Garage, Byker do all my MOTs.... They did the 4 corners of ToMM (struts/inserts bought by me) and did all the belts + wpump on AVAS in Aug.

Fitted the Tranny Cooler, I'm hooking up next Wed.

Do an excellent job 👍

🚙💨

[hairnet]

E3 ftw

[Six-cylinder]

 

11 hours ago, hairnet said:

E3 ftw

This E3?

 

[hairnet]

Hnnnng

Closest i got to bmws today

[hairnet]

im only watching him cos of the cars

find him a bit slow and ponderous when narrating

and as i type this hes on about column shift

'not a thing on cars of this period'

so notwithstanding traction 20 years before - bedford ca thames 400 ds zephyr cresta

ffs

 

[IronStar]

I love how seemingly everyone on here has a mechanic that became a mate over time, but will threaten them when they send photos of something daft or start sentence with don’t start shouting immediately but I bought X.  😄

[hairnet]

six cyl will and does buy some absolute toot tho

[Six-cylinder]

1 hour ago, hairnet said:

six cyl will and does buy some absolute toot tho

Hurtfull, just get a pair of rose tinted glass's like mine!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[hairnet]

9 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

Hurtfull, just get a pair of rose tinted glass's like mine!

 

 

which would be older than i am

[Snake Charmer]

Marketing opportunity, maybe Bausch and Lomb can revolutionise the Community of Chod.

Hmmm...... Rose tinted Aviators

[tooSavvy]

11 hours ago, IronStar said:

I love how seemingly everyone on here has a mechanic that became a mate over time, but will threaten them when they send photos of something daft or start sentence with don’t start shouting immediately but I bought X.  😄

Interestingly, my local guy - when I asked him if he might connect my tranny cooler - was wary, quite reasonably.... he didn't know what was involved and wouldn't have wanted AVAS beached on his lift!!

He took it on, at the crack of dawn yesterday, and everything worked out = everything I told him needed doing/all the parts I supplied fitted perfectly.

1/2hr @£20 cash.

Garages who will take on a 'bodge/fixit' are handy to have....

#edit.. he also said [again] "It's clean, yeah!"

🚙💨

[hairnet]

ffs @Mrs6C withold priviledges immediately

[Six-cylinder]

A little while ago @Stinkwheel enquired about the Visa Cabriolet that had been saved twice by Autoshite and @IronStar asked for up to date photos.

I can confirm that Visa is safe and well and @Slowsilver helped me uncover it this afternoon and take these up to the minute photos. 

 

[Stinkwheel]

3 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

A little while ago @Stinkwheel enquired about the Visa Cabriolet that had been saved twice by Autoshite and @IronStar asked for up to date photos.

I can confirm that Visa is safe and well and @Slowsilver helped me uncover it this afternoon and take these up to the minute photos. 

 

Brilliant, now I’m getting visa nostalgia again, poor choice of moment with the roffle just started 😳

[IronStar]

5 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

A little while ago @Stinkwheel enquired about the Visa Cabriolet that had been saved twice by Autoshite and @IronStar asked for up to date photos.

I can confirm that Visa is safe and well and @Slowsilver helped me uncover it this afternoon and take these up to the minute photos. 

 

Great, now I’m excited over a car that’s half way across Europe again! 😆

I’m really glad to see it safe and sound! ❤️❤️❤️

[wuvvum]

Is the boot lid still held on with parcel tape?

[Six-cylinder]

7 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

Is the boot lid still held on with parcel tape?

Yes, that is why it has not been on the road.

[hairnet]

31 minutes ago, IronStar said:

Great, now I’m excited over a car that’s half way across Europe again! 😆

can deliver

[Six-cylinder]

2 minutes ago, hairnet said:

can deliver

Do you really think you are going to persuade Mrs6C to part with HER Visa!