All Vauxhalls R Shit - They really are... Game over.

[trigger]

Story of my life! Still, a 25 year old belt and water pump only had so much longer to last before it went pop on me and left me stranded in the middle of nowhere!

 

I've bought a new water pump today which doesn't have a shield fitted like the original one had so fingers crossed when i fit it tomorrow it will all go to plan.

[Guest Lord Sward]

Story of my life! Still, a 25 year old belt and water pump only had so much longer to last before it went pop on me and left me stranded in the middle of nowhere!

 

 

 

 

You should have just changed the anti-freeze then went on holiday.  It'd have pissed out before you reached your destination.

[stripped fred]

Good work trigger. I have a mk3 Astra and it's a really nice car to drive. My mum's borrowing it at the moment as her car is waiting repair after an accident. She thinks it's great as it's similar to what she was driving 20 years ago. She's been all over the place in it.

[lisbon_road]

I've fitted the ones with a shield to a Mk3 which was not intended to have a shield, by cutting the shield off, so I am optimistic that you'll be ok.

 

I have fitted loads of these.  You can get a fancy spanner thing for turning the water pump but doing it with a bar or something is fine, I did it loads of times.

 

I don't want to point out the obvious but I would check very carefully the sealing area on the block.  When you have to remove a pump by destroying it, which I've done too, it is very easy to damage the sealing face.  It can be cleaned up or at least smoothed.  I'd lubricate the seal with something too, anything like a bit of vaseline or grease allows you to turn it.

 

I've heard criticism of the arrangement as the water pump is difficult to turn if you go back a few years later to adjust it the belt, but I reckon that if it looks like it needs adjusting, the belt has stretched and you need a new belt.  

 

I think the only variation in the waterpumps is the size of the belt and the corresponding size of the pulley - I could be wrong.

[trigger]

Thats good advice, thank you. The shield has pushed the plastic belt cover slightly forwards too so its very close to the fanbelt. My mate is coming over tomorrow afternoon while I'm at work to sort it for me, i think its adjusting the water pump when its fitted which is the problem!

[Anglevan]

Great work trigger. You do a grand job of fettling them. Big thumbs up from me.

[Rusty_Rocket]

I always (used) to smother the rubber O ring behind the water pump with red rubber grease!  Then when you turn the water pump, it's much less likely to cause any issues.

Lisbon, the earlier engines had a slightly different profile tooth on the belt and I think the pumps had a different shape in the grooves to cater for this.  Wasn't much in it, though IIRC.

[trigger]

I did write a long post the other day but in the great forum shitestorm of 2016 it's all got deleted so I'm going to have to rewrite this all again, I was at work Wednesday night and basically around 12am just as the streetlights went out Mrs Trigger said our dog started barking but didn't think much off it, 20 mins later she went outside to get the cat in and found my lovely little Astra had been stolen of the drive.

 

Over the course of the next 5 hours the joyriders made the most of the £30 of fuel i'd just put in by racing around my local streets smashing into everything and driving like dangerous twats, the police said they had calls all night about the car and even the helicopter was out looking for it.

 

At 5.30am my work mate rang to say he'd seen a car fire in a wooded area near the Orwell bridge on the A14, a friend of mine who was out looking for it went and took a look for it and managed to find it... I won't lie, if he wasn't with me i would have cried, the shock hit me like a brick wall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It has reversed into a metal post and then driven down a footpath for about 3/4 mile before being torched alongside the A14 closing it off... I'm pissed off as i should have fitted the disklok.

 

 

It took 2 days for the recovery people to get it out and it's now sat in their yard.

 

 

 

 

Turned out they are prolific local car thieves, both 29! I got several messaged with names including one from his ex girlfriend and mother of his child as he rammed her car with it and she saw him at the scene, the neighbour said she saw two blokes matching their description hovering outside outside my house during the day and we think they pulled the door ajar, let the handbrake off and pushed it up the road before starting it.

 

I'm heartbroken if i'm honest, I know it was only a Mk2 Astra but it was such a good example that it didn't deserve all this, the fact they weren't even bored 14 year olds or it wasn't even used in a crime makes it feel all the more pointless, they are already out on bail until the 20th September.

 

I'm now a car down and will have to get lifts to work, we had Nancys first baby blanket, my hoodie, all my car club merchandise and my Val Doonican tape as well as other stuff that was in the car still, My premium will now go up and i doubt i get much back for it so I'll be £100's out of pocket now. I'm proper upset at the moment.

 

[billyboy406v6]

A very sad end for a nice car, hope the insurance pay out promptly and you can get a non Vauxhall replacement !

[danthecapriman]

Shit!

 

I feel bad for you Trigger, that really is an awful thing to happen. I'd be equally devastated if it were my car. It's not only what they've done to the car but the fact it looks like you've been targeted for it, by them going out looking for a car like this then snooping around on your property to take it.

 

The real insult here is that the useless shits that did this will walk away and will continue doing this while you end up out of pocket and shafted.

They sound like the sort who have done this sort of thing for most of their worthless existence, yet were still allowed to roam the streets carrying on unhindered. And even now they get released on bail. The law is an arse and failing the victims of crime.

[lisbon_road]

This really gets me down.  I am lost for words.  The futility of this is just too much.

 

All the rest of us can do is try to learn from your experience.  Many of our cars are easy to steal and it was obviously targeted for that reason.  We have to improve security in the memory of this car.

 

There is no doubt that our society is broken.  I have no idea what the answer is.  

[trigger]

One of them only got out of prison last week for doing the same thing, people keep blaming the police but in my opinion they have been excellent and want them behind bars as much as i do, sadly it's the courts and the legal system that keeps allowing scum like these to walk the streets. Just looking on their Facebook pages says all you need to know.

[danthecapriman]

One of them only got out of prison last week for doing the same thing, people keep blaming the police but in my opinion they have been excellent and want them behind bars as much as i do, sadly it's the courts and the legal system that keeps allowing scum like these to walk the streets. Just looking on their Facebook pages says all you need to know.

It's not the police, for the most part they do a fantastic job given the way things are and the vast majority do the job because they want to try and make a difference. It's the courts and justice system that let's people down. Personally I'm not surprised one of these pricks has just been let out for the same thing, sure looks like he learned his lesson.

I'd be up for shooting the little bastards myself, save innocent people all the grief and expense and save the country a lot of money too.

[Spottedlaurel]

I can only repeat what I wrote the other day, I'm very sad to read this news.

 

Mike, PM on its way to you.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Horrible, horrible news. The problem with lowlife scum like that is that they will never change. Someone with the lack of morals and who happily takes, abuses and destroys someone else's property is generally someone who can't be 'corrected', sadly. I only hope that karma eventually catches up with the shitbags, and rogers them royally. If you had endless finances, time and enthusiasm, it would be interesting to rebuild the car around the rusty shell, retaining its patina* , just as a big 'FU' to those who sought to destroy it.

[bub2006]

Trigger I'm sorry to hear this has happened. I've a xantia here I've no use for if you want a car quick. The tealeafs want bloody stringing up.

[Coprolalia]

Terrible news.

Always sad when a solid survivor gets destroyed, and even worse in this scenario.

[Lankytim]

Dunno what to say. Are the police going to arrest the crims?

[Wilko220]

Saw this a few days ago when Practical Classics put up a Facebook post about it (the things you do when AS is down...) and I was absolutely shocked.

 

It's terrible for this to happen to anyone - but all the worse when it's such a well-looked after example of an increasingly rare car. Not to mention the value (sentimental or otherwise) of the kit inside it.

 

I'm sure we'd all be quick to say we hope the bastards go away for a long stretch - but, of course, they most probably won't. Anyway, my thoughts are with you Trigger. Sorry.

[egg]

Gutted for you. These people make me sick.

[beko1987]

I shed a tear when I saw it, proper gutted for you trig.

[bub2006]

I honestly admire triggers restraint. If that happened to me I doubt I'd be able to hold myself if I knew who it was. That's my trouble,always a bit hot headed when upset

[Angrydicky]

Feel so sorry for you Trig. Sure I could sort you out a lovely* reliable* beige Maestro for you to use if you're stuck!

[Felly Magic]

Utter lowlife scum, they need a quick dunk in the Orwell with a pair of concrete Reeboks on!

[purplebargeken]

29? Twenty fucking nine? Pair of stupid useless cunts.

 

I have a green 3 door Rover 214 that isn't doing anything that you can use if needed mate, it'll need an MOT but I don't see anything required for that. Andy said tyres but they look MOT ok to me. 

[mrbenn]

As said on the old (new?) forum, utter scum. Very sorry to see this.

 

Can't understand people going to such an effort just to be a massive arsehole.

[trigger]

Dunno what to say. Are the police going to arrest the crims?

 

They arrested them on the scene plus the ex whos car he rammed i.d'ed him and they have been seen on CCTV and everything about the crime is apparently their trademark. Here's what the police have posted about it, that's all i know really has i haven't heard anything else. http://www.suffolk.police.uk/newsandevents/newsstories/2016/july/twoarrestedaftervehiclesto.aspx

 

I am really upset about the whole situation, I've been told that as my policy has just renewed for the year that i'll have to pay my full £350 cost upfront now, plus my £150 excess as well as i'll probably get little back for the lost contents inside the car and i imagine i'll get a shit offer for the car which will barely cover the costs.

 

I've been told that as they have caught the bastards that anyone who's car they damaged can claim off me as well as the council for the damaged chevrons and barriers they smashed. Basically the victim has to bent over and get a dam good rogering.  

 

Thanks for the offer of cars by the way, I've been offered some really interesting stuff like a Renault Vel Satis, Citroen 2CV Van, Morris Marina, Nissan Sunny, Vauxhall Calibra and some other stuff, i won't take you up on it though as i'm extremely paranoid at the moment and worried that they might get stolen again, especially as they are on bail. The sad thing is i live in quite a nice bit of town, unfortunately there a main road that goes past with lots of people watching and there's als0 a rough estate where these blokes are from not far from here either. I'm thinking about moving now.

[purplebargeken]

You might expect that kind of stupid twat behaviour from 14 year olds but 29? Grow the fuck up you twats. 

[purplebargeken]

I've been told that as they have caught the bastards that anyone who's car they damaged can claim off me as well as the council for the damaged chevrons and barriers they smashed. Basically the victim has to bent over and get a dam good rogering.  

 

Well that's just bloody wonderful isn't it. They nick the car, cause fucking chaos and you/your insurers get lumbered with it. Fucking brilliant. 

[Felly Magic]

I honestly cannot blame you for wanting to move Triggs, 29 year olds though? As one has just come out, they should have been dragged straight back inside, sometimes the law is a complete fucking ass, and here we have a prime example of it. Coppers do their best, but often their hands are tied by a totally fucked up judicial system. It seems Kesgrave is also being targeted for car crime atm too, and that is a fairly well to do area