Tales of £13 car - PUNK'S NOT DEAD

[loserone]

Since this appears to be a bit of an AS-bike, thought I'd start a fresh thread for it.

 

First, I drove it north (A68, A69, M8, M74) using the cruise control to stay between 60 and 74.

 

Then I drove it south again, using a slightly different route.

 

A bit slower, but..

 

This also meant I could take this picture:

[Jim Bell]

Sir you have spent 6.25615385 times more money on fuel than you did on purchasing the vehicle. This is doing it right.

[loserone]

Well, the journey needed to take place anyway, and it 'only' cost 2x the purchase price of the car to use it instead of the Toledo.

[Jim Bell]

Your return journey got better MPGS than Im currently getting out of a 1.8 E46. Thats quite depressing.

Really is a good engine in that bus.

[320touring]

Needs to be MOAR PEDAL

[cort16]

That's some flippin route you took there!

[loserone]

[several hundred miles later]

 

 

After peaking at 31MPG, it's now dropped a bit as I used it do get to work twice and for the work Christmas party, and keep letting people have a go.  Top tip: Having a nine week old is an excellent excuse to drive instead of drinking, as you can't possibly expect to get a lift home and there's no other way.

 

Anyway, driving back from my 'rents tonight and on very light throttle pressure there's a bit of a rattling noise - I could repeat it when on a slight uphill and the car needs just a tiny bit of power to avoid slowing.  Couldn't decide if it's a rattle or an arcing noise, and didn't fancy stopping much, so will investigate more later.  This makes me nervous about (A SECRET THING) but I'm sure it's fine.

 

The lights have now turned themselves off (known fault) only twice, once with a mate driving, in the middle of nowhere with a reasonable drop about ten feet to the left of the road.  I'm still probably going to put off changing the ignition switch, because [apt username].

 

It's now an £11.20 car, as there were some coins and some barbie tampons under the back seat.  Oh, and a 1:43 370z - JohnK, is that yours?

[JohnK]

If it's yellow or silver then it'll be my sons ...

[loserone]

What is a "Barbie tampon"?

[loserone]

Not that anyone cares, but I've taken pictures of a few of my cars in that passing place.  

 

Unfortunately I have a hopeless storage system for images..

 

 

[Spottedlaurel]

Obviously I'm going to wish you well with this old thing.

 

Same deal as for WW (except I wasn't quick enough to despatch it during his brief ownership), I still have what there is of the battery clamp. PM me your address and I'll send it up to you.

[dome]

Hello, fellow Scottish Lexus Yakuza member!

My sidelights fail sometimes leaving headlights on but nothing else, a kick of the right foot straight up from throttle pedal cured it the last couple of times.

[M'coli]

What road is that passing place on?

[loserone]

Hello, fellow Scottish Lexus Yakuza member!

 

If only they'd shuffle the border to the Wear!  Hyullo nonetheless!

What road is that passing place on?

 

It's the B6399 just south of Signal Box Cottage

[alfetta]

Better mpg than my is200 auto, but then pretty ancient crown lump in those...

 

Mind you mine has gone to the moon and a little bit back...

[twosmoke300]

Barbie tampon ! Made my day that 😄

[dome]

If only they'd shuffle the border to the Wear! Hyullo nonetheless!

Damn, I thought you were Scotoshiteland based. Never mind, no-ones perfect. Owning an LS400 makes you pretty damn close though...

[loserone]

Captain's log, stardate 1729.2. (Which is £377 in fuel so far..)

I've not been using HODOR all that much - I'm back to work four days a week, and the SMOLL CAR has been doing a fine job of getting me back and forth without having to spend much of October's pay, which is what we've been living on since l1_jnr was born. Mrs_l1 is using her Micra, which is starting to feel a bit elderly, especially as the comparison is a lower mileage Alto. HODOR has been doing very little except take up space in the garage.

Wilson² provided me with a few spares, and since the MOT is due in a couple of weeks I thought I'd probably better spend the last of my money on trying for a test. I can either cover up the broken plastic bits with sharp edges, or swap them out. Turns out the latter is easy enough, though it looks a bit funny with these orange lenses.


WW also provided some brake pads. These were purchased because the brake pad wear light was on on the dash - it's been on for the last two MOTs. However, I think something must have broken since I last used the car..


There's also a duff foglight, which is part of the headlamp assembly (and therefore higher than the indicators.. what?) and is an HB4 bulb. I've never seen one of these before, but they seem to be available cheaply enough. Plan is to get a bulb in tomorrow, then run up to Scary's yard on Thursday and see how terrible it is.

[Jim Bell]

Youve accidentally fixed it.

 

I predict a straight pass.

[scaryoldcortina]

Front fogs aren't part of the test.

[loserone]

Front fogs aren't part of the test.

Wounded.   I always assumed they were testable if fitted, but evidently not!  It was only a fiver at least.

[dome]

IMG_20170124_204319101.jpg

 

 

Does your temp gauge always sit that high? Mine hasn't gone above the 3rd marker from the bottom

[loserone]

Does your temp gauge always sit that high? Mine hasn't gone above the 3rd marker from the bottom

Yup, it gets there pretty quickly then is steady as a rock.  

 

Presumably it's something devastatingly expensive to fix, not just that it needs fresh coolant or a cheap temperature sensor.

[JohnK]

It never used to sit that high! Good result on the brake warning light though.

[Jim Bell]

Always did for me so you must have broke it John. Might still be under warranty.

[loserone]

• Test date26 January 2017
• Test ResultFail
• Odometer reading79,708 miles
• MOT test number8025 8384 9632
• Reason(s) for failure
  Battery insecure (1.9.1)
• Advisory notice item(s)
  offside front Power steering component(s) has slight seepage from a seal Steering rack gaiter (2.3.3b)

  central front Power steering pipe(s) or hose(s) has slight seepage from a joint Pipe to pas cooler (2.3.3b)

  nearside front Track rod end ball joint dust cover deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.2.C.1c)

 

SpottedLaurel - I'd missed that previously, PM incoming!

 

A collection of half used zip ties found from around the car have satisfied SoC in the meantime.  HUZZAH! I celebrated by pouring in £83.12 in fuel..

 

[Jim Bell]

I was so close to the predicted glory.

 

Well played man.

[Spottedlaurel]

It’s great how this thing keeps going through MoT’s without too much grief.

 

I had a very scientific way of getting the cable ties across from something at the front onto a clip on the air filter housing. It never went anywhere on two trackdays, but further to your PM I will send up what I have left of the clamp.

 

Must admit I don’t recall the temp gauge going that high either, even when doing this sort of thing (where sadly it’s out of shot):

 

140+ MPH by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

I think the brake light was on all the time in my ownership. I had the discs skimmed (which cured a vibration) and new pads fitted, but I assume they don’t have the sensor on them.

 

Good to know that the emissions aren’t causing an issue despite the lack of a couple of lambda sensors in the exhaust system.

 

Really must change my signature one day....

[scaryoldcortina]

It's the post cat sensors that are missing, they are only used to check the health of the cat and don't affect the emissions, which were spot on.

 

The whole car is still in pretty good condition to be honest, no rust to speak of and even the brake pipes are in decent order. This is where the Mercedes comparison falls down, I'd have had the corrosion assesment tool out several times on one this age.

[twosmoke300]

Don't you mean dustpan and brush on a merc?