Estate(s) of the nation

[Heidel_Kakao]

[chaseracer]

FAP.

 

Message ends.

[Lacquer Peel]

✖Japanese

✖RWD

✔Auto

 

Nice!

[alcyonecorporation]

Cannot upvote doge pic twice. Angery.

 

XM is weapon.

[DSdriver]

Rear screen washer does not work. The pump is attached to the reservoir under n/s front wing. When I replaced the pump for the screen washers I did not do that one as well, working on the theory that it is so far away from the back of the car you would have to press the button at least a week before you want the tailgate washed. If you can be bothered it is the one higher up the reservoir, they are cheap enough on ebay.

Reservoir on the drivers side is for the headlamp washers which only work when the feel like it. Other times they just give you a gallic shrug.

[hairnet]

WHAT THE ACTUALL FUCK

[DSdriver]

WHAT THE ACTUALL FUCK

Its French... what do you expect

[Heidel_Kakao]

Today was a day of mixed emotions. Sadness as the Volvo departs after six years of being a reliable steed mixed with the excitement of a new car acquisition as the Citroen joins the "fleet", now I have another reliable car in the Subaru it felt time to mix things up a little and judging by Ebay alone an XM estate is a much rarer beast than a 700/900 series Volvo so if I want to experience one now seems as good a time as any. Stepping straight from the RWD Volvo with its conventional suspension into the FWD Citroen with its magical Hydro Pnuematic suspension was a complete culture shock.

 

My initial impression was, I am driving the future! Beginning with having to enter your PIN before you can start the engine and a interior filled with more buttons, LEDs and what not the Citroen just instantly felt more Hi-Tech even though both cars are contempories. The Volvo is the quicker car and so in fact I would say is the Impreza, the big Citroen once wound up goes well enough but acceleration is pretty leisurely. Ride and handling of the XM was everything I had been led to believe, it kind of feels like you are driving around in a big comfy armchair. The dogs also seem to like it and I am looking forward to see how it compares to the Volvo when it comes to car camping. I am going to have a read through the owners handbook now which should be fun.

 

[hairnet]

DOGU SAY THANK FUCK FOR THAT

 

NEIGHBOURS SAY WHAT THE ACTUALL FUCK

 

ps this is a massive fuck you to the SVM yes ??

 

looks ok it isnt rusty is it??

[Heidel_Kakao]

✖[/size]Japanese

✖[/size]RWD

✔[/size]Auto

 

Nice!

Fear not the hunt is still on for the ultimate large classic Japanese estate car!

 

 

DOGU SAY THANK FUCK FOR THAT

 

NEIGHBOURS SAY WHAT THE ACTUALL FUCK

 

ps this is a massive fuck you to the SVM yes ??

 

looks ok it isnt rusty is it??

Yeah hopefully the SVM will still speak to me following my betrayal as I move to the dark side.

 

It seems pretty solid to me, has a very clean MOT history in fact, straight passes with no advisories for the last few years so fingers crossed it will sail through the next MOT test in October.

[mk2_craig]

XM estate, nice! They must be down to the last few dozen taxed examples now.

[chaseracer]

James, I still have a few XM bits in the garage which I will give you next time I see you.

[DSdriver]

Glad to see the dogs think the XM is comfy.

I am now the owner of a retired retired greyhound transporting Volvo - I suppose I'll have to call it a RRGTV and get the SE badges replaced.

[DSdriver]

Just spotted the essential starter kit for future Jap/RWD/Estate ownership on ebay

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Toyota-Crown-1980-1985-Estate-Heavy-Duty-Mesh-Head-Rest-Car-Dog-Guard-Barrier-/391705804811?fits=Car+Make%3AToyota%7CModel%3ACrown&epid=565316765&hash=item5b337c400b:g:WxMAAOSw3v5YpKO3

[Heidel_Kakao]

I had a bit of a tinker with the XM this evening.

 

 

The glovebox was loose and clearly not properly attached. Once I had removed it I found two of the fixing points had broken clean off, I also found a very retro Argos points card. Using some serious glue I have stuck the broken bits back on and will leave it overnight to set. I have had good results with this glue before so hopefully the repair will be strong enough.

 

 

 

The door pins things on the front doors had become loose and didn't move with the central locking to indicate if the door was locked or not. I bodged it with some silicon pipe and now they work as they should.

 

I went to the Crooked House in Himley earlier in the week and took a photo of my piss poor parking. Tomorrow I should be doing my first ever ATF change so there will probably be a picture of dirty fluid to look forward to.

[DSdriver]

Good work, the damaged door lock knobs was due to me being cack-handed taking the door cards off to replace the door mirrors. Having broken the first one on the offside door I should have learned and been more careful when I did the second one a couple of months later. Either that or train my family to break both mirrors at the same time so that I have less chance of forgetting.

In other news the Volvo RRGT has had a bit of a scrub up and new struts on the tailgate.

[Matt]

That's an exact facsimile of my old one other than the gearbox and badges on the wings. I hope yours is a lot better than mine was though!

[Bear]

I like the silicon pipe bodge. Those little grippy bits should be easy to remake and improve but it used to drive me nuts when they broke, an affliction shared with many PSA cars - never thought of making the stick grippier!

[Heidel_Kakao]

Good work, the damaged door lock knobs was due to me being cack-handed taking the door cards off to replace the door mirrors. Having broken the first one on the offside door I should have learned and been more careful when I did the second one a couple of months later. Either that or train my family to break both mirrors at the same time so that I have less chance of forgetting.

In other news the Volvo RRGT has had a bit of a scrub up and new struts on the tailgate.

Good to hear, I can't believe I put up with the struts on the Volvo for so long but once you get used to a problem you feel less inclined to fix it I find.

[DSdriver]

Good to hear, I can't believe I put up with the struts on the Volvo for so long but once you get used to a problem you feel less inclined to fix it I find.

I was finding it to be a bit of a headache 

[RobT]

Well, that was unexpected.

 

Is the XM a keeper?  I need to sample one before prices go stupid, so will register my interest should you sell!

[DSdriver]

That's an exact facsimile of my old one other than the gearbox and badges on the wings. I hope yours is a lot better than mine was though!

 Ah yes, it still has badges on the wings, the local scrotes missed those when they nicked the rest.

[Heidel_Kakao]

That's an exact facsimile of my old one other than the gearbox and badges on the wings. I hope yours is a lot better than mine was though!

What was wrong with your old one dare I ask?

 

 

Well, that was unexpected.

 

Is the XM a keeper?  I need to sample one before prices go stupid, so will register my interest should you sell!

I can't see it being a keeper, once I have large Japanese estate the XM will be surplus to requirements. Consider yourself to have first dibs!

[Matt]

What was wrong with your old one dare I ask?

 

Rust, rust, rust, steering very notchy, more rust. Sold it to a guy who said he was going to put massive wheels on it and take it to the big Citroen National but it hasn't had another MOT yet.

[Heidel_Kakao]

 

The glovebox repair appears to have worked but I will have to see how durable it is going forward.

 

Time for my first ever ATF change, I have done gearbox oil before but never an autobox, it all went well and used ATF smells much better than used gearbox oil!

I got out about 3 litres from the drain plug and filter housing combined, the old fluid was dirty but not black and didn't smell burnt but in need of a change. I washed the filter in petrol, it's a double walled filter though so I think I will buy a new filter and then do one final fluid change for now.

Time for filling, the bonnet catch pegs also double as a handy place for hanging a filling funnel while gravity is doing its thing. I filled it up through the dipstick tube and it took a while but not too bad. I then took it for a quick drive and came back and repeated the whole process so I have put around six litres of fresh fluid through it today.

 

It may be my imagination but with the new fluid it seems to shift a little bit smoother. It seemed fine before the change to be fair although I am not an expert on judging how well an autobox is performing. It's kind of funny that I used to avoid auto's like the plague after the disaster that was the Granada but I have now acquired two of the things within the space of a few weeks.

 

Next up for the XM will be a CD player once it arrives in the post, the Subaru will also be getting some front brake pads.

[DSdriver]

Autobox fluid was changed when I first got it three years ago. Make sure you put the right stuff in as it is apparently critical. Which is why I got someone else to do it.  

[DSdriver]

Did you get the HBOL in today's post?

[Heidel_Kakao]

Autobox fluid was changed when I first got it three years ago. Make sure you put the right stuff in as it is apparently critical. Which is why I got someone else to do it.

Yeah I put Dexron II in it. I saw the whole thread on the XM forum where it apparently kills the box if you put Dexron III in even though it's meant to be backwards compatible.

 

Did you get the HBOL in today's post?

I got a missed delivery card from Royal Mail which must be the HBOL so will collect it tomorrow.

[DSdriver]

You seem to be managing OK without it.

[Ghosty]

ATF (and oil!) changes are a piece of piss, doing the one on the Rover took five minutes. It's daft that people don't bother/get fleeced for it.