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

[Noel Tidybeard]

Any chance of a picture with the reverse park device,ummm errr, erect?

...more tea vicar?

[Six-cylinder]

...more tea vicar?

[Six-cylinder]

With all this excitement of new cars the current ones shouldn't be forgotten. The Visa is now painted and being fitted back together.

 

[Six-cylinder]

My prizes for venturing north of the Watford Gap Services yesterday!

 

[Six-cylinder]

I managed to break my new Alfa 156 Friday night while connecting my trailer board for a towing job, the indicators and electric windows stopped working. (I was going to ask a well know layer of this Parish to prosecute the last owner for me but realized he could not prosecute and defend at the same time!!!!)

 

 

The Alfa is now fixed, turns out I had blown a fuse when fiddling with the trailer board n-s flasher bulb. Trouble is its Italian so I found the fuse labelled indicators and changed it just in case but in fact there was another set of fuses under the dash not labelled and it was one of these. The Auto electrician says even the information he has does not show that fuse and from experience knows to test every fuse you can find with an Alfa, he even bought his own mat because he knew he would have to kneel for a long time and work up under the dash.

 

[Noel Tidybeard]

even with scars that is quite a pornographic looking veehickle

[flat4alfa]

I can see no scars, only beauty with the odd blemish

[Six-cylinder]

Another day playing cars when I should have been working!

 

I got the Cadillac out of storage because it needs an MOT next week and there was report that the BMW blocking it in would not start but it jump started ok. The battery on the Cadillac will not take a charge so I have changed that.

 

This afternoon my attention turned the 500SEC with the broken radio and I had it checked out an ICE specialist who tells me the separate controller/amp is bust and the head unit will not work without it and shows error 2. I had it rewired and fitted a spare radio/cd I had at home and it all works fine.

 

Anyway all this is just an excuse to show you this photo of the two cars back to back tonight, how often do you see those cars together!

 

[Six-cylinder]

Things have moved on already this evening, Mrs cyl has taken the Cadillac to Chinnor and I have moved the 200TE to the layby so she can use that in the morning because the drive will be busy as a friend is coming to fit a new door lock to the GS for me and my son is coming over to claen my BMW for the Silverstone show. I have just seen the weather forecast not sure what we are going to get done…..

 

Anyway that was a lot of drivel when all I wanted to do was share this photo of the two Mercedes together!

 

 

[Skizzer]

I do like that Caddy.

[Six-cylinder]

Mrs Cyl wants her 1983 Alfa Romeo Giulietta 2.0 Ltr put back on the road looking smart. The question is do we get it MOTed and make the car road worthy or have the bodywork done first. It is not rotten but needs painting and some outer panels changed. Currently it is a non runner and won’t start but last time it was on the road 5 years ago it ran nicely. I just can decide what to do first?

 

[Guest Breadvan72]

Hammer busted wing from 156 on top?

[Noel Tidybeard]

ooof Giulietta

[Skizzer]

Mrs Cylinder is clearly a lady of great taste and discernment!

 

Me, I'd get it roadworthy first then worry about the cosmetics.  However, this is basically the same dilemma I had with my XJ6: some of the cosmetically poor bits (rear wings/valence mainly) needed to come off to do the MOT work, so I've ended up committing to everything, more or less, rather than taking the car apart twice.  

 

What you probably need at this point is a proper thorough appraisal done by someone you trust and who knows about these (which might of course be yourself).

[Six-cylinder]

I do have an eleven acre field and need no ones permission to invite you to use it (well apart from Mrs Cyl but this years hay has now been cut so there is no problem). It offers very little facilities but is fairly flat and does have mains water 100m down the field from the gate.

 

Hedges have grown up around the yard area, Mrs Cyl has planted a large orchard and a small barn has been put up. We have a caravan loo and tent for small numbers of guests but I guess larger numbers would require a hired in toilet unit like Dolywobler has for Devel’s Bridge. The barn is full of hay but there is a small lean too or we have an old caravan we use as a junk store that can be used to shelter 6 people. There is a yard which is hard standing but has no smooth finished surface.

 

The nearest pub is 1.5 miles away.

 

We have plenty of toys to fix and play with and PM me for details.

[purplebargeken]

I'm sorry did you say 11 acre field. Why is this field not filled with chod?

 

A fecking 11 acre field, feck, feck, feck.

 

When do we turn up?

[purplebargeken]

I missed the 1.5 mile away pub. Wow.

 

You are not Six-cylinder, you are actually autoshite God and live is AS heaven obv.

[Six-cylinder]

Yes 11 acres so room to test drive the non MOTed cars and dumpers!

 

The reason that I do not like stuff being kept there is we have been struck by thefts.

 

Free dates are hard to find, how about 22/23 August or 26/27 September? I am going on holiday in October but not sure when yet.

 

Mrs Cyl makes home-made cider including some 7% and is willing to donate some to the cause....

[purplebargeken]

Please adopt me.

[Six-cylinder]

News Head Line - Autoshiters Stolen from Field

 

Police - what's an Autoshiter and why was it left unlocked in a field?

[Six-cylinder]

This week:

 

• Xantia - has had a new serpentine but because the tensioner was breaking up and damaging the belt. It has also been serviced and had new front discs and pads.

• Volvo V70 T5 – Serviced with new cam belt and serpentine belt as it was cracked.

• Volvo V70 XC – New MOT after new back exhaust box.

• BMW 735i – New MOT just a few odds and sods.

• Citroen GS – 4 new s/h doors and pair of front wings bought today.

[Six-cylinder]

Following Mrs Cyl request to use the DS today for her trip to Chinnor, to work as a volunteer on the Railway much shunting had to be done to get it out, with some added tyre pumping. The layby across the road was empted yesterday so we could trim the hedge back but is full again now!

 

 

[Guest Breadvan72]

Time spent taxing, insuring and getting MoTs on/ fixing  cars: 200 days a year.  Time spent moving cars around so that you can get one out to take it to be fixed:  164 days a year.  Time spent actually driving cars anywhere : 1 day a year.  Is this roughly correct, or have I exaggerated the last one?  

[Guest Breadvan72]

I do like that Caddy.

 

 

I have sat in it and made car noises. The Caddy is totally fabulous in every way conceivable, only more so. 

[purplebargeken]

Sounds reasonable.

[Six-cylinder]

Caddy is away while the great anti-freeze debate takes place, it was green in the USA now what should go in it here?

[Six-cylinder]

Time spent taxing, insuring and getting MoTs on/ fixing  cars: 200 days a year.  Time spent moving cars around so that you can get one out to take it to be fixed:  164 days a year.  Time spent actually driving cars anywhere : 1 day a year.  Is this roughly correct, or have I exaggerated the last one?

Nearly right, moving cars to get at other cars seems to take for ever, I was up early to drive the V70 XC and BMW E36 out of the way and that was after the Xantia and 500 SEC had been banished to the lay-by last night, all to get one DS out!

 

Oh how I dream of a climate control warehouse with no pillars and so big I could drive any car out without moving others......

[Six-cylinder]

Yesterday I checked the cam is turning on my non starting C15 van. I also started it with easy start but still it would not keep running. Today the van has gone away to be fixed.

 

[Six-cylinder]

I collected the Cadillac today freshly serviced and MOTed. This evening I have been driving it around.

 

[Six-cylinder]

It has taken a while but my No.1 Visa is looking a lot better after paintwork and is nearly finished, just wheels and sunroof head lining to go.