Zel's Motoring Adventures...Volvo, Renault, Rover, Trabant, Invacar & A Sinclair C5 - Updated 13/11.

[Out Run]

New Lada Niva? 🤔

[LightBulbFun]

29 minutes ago, Zelandeth said:

It's from a manufacturer which has only featured once in my vehicular history so far, back prior to my moving south.

I think I have pretty damn good idea what this is  

let me guess the previous vehicle you owned of this manufacturer was 27 years older than the vehicle your now buying?

[Zelandeth]

56 minutes ago, Out Run said:

New Lada Niva? 🤔

Nah.  If I had another Niva it would be another late 90s one with the TBi injection system.  Or an earlier one and drop the 1.7TBi engine in...as I reckon it's by far the best to live with, but I far prefer the original interior.

Though being honest if a late 90s 1.7i turned up at the right price and I had space I'd have it absolutely bone stock and be over the moon.  I miss my one.  

Also Lada has featured plenty in my history as I've had four so far (Samara, Niva, Riva saloon, Riva Estate).

New new one just doesn't appeal.  Looks naff inside and out with more modern bits duct taped on, the multipoint injection doesn't really gain anything as it's still in the OMG tax bracket aside from complexity...and I can think of many things I'd rather spend £12K on!

45 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

I think I have pretty damn good idea what this is  

let me guess the previous vehicle you owned of this manufacturer was 27 years older than the vehicle your now buying?

Trying to do the math there and I don't think so...that would be older than anything I've owned so far aside from TPA.  If my math is right it's 22 years older than the previous one... though it's half two in the morning so I don't necessarily trust my math!

 

The Tesla is something we probably would have been considered sooner if we didn't keep finding more and more issues with the damned house we need to sort...it feels like an endless bottomless pit we're just throwing money into and setting fire to non stop at the moment.

[Zelandeth]

Stuff I usually forget gathered.

Aaaaaaand we're off.

ETA is just before 1300 so far.

[Zelandeth]

So far so good.  ETA is remaining consistent so far.

[hairnet]

are you going to filton for an aeroplane

 

[Zelandeth]

And we're off!

Can you tell what it is yet?

[Eyersey1234]

1 minute ago, Zelandeth said:

And we're off!

Can you tell what it is yet?

Saab of some description? 

[dave j]

MK3 VW Passat estate?

[Mally]

12 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

It's something we'll likely reconsider in a year or two - we've got north of £30K worth or work needed on the garden, roof, soffit boards, heating system and floors I can think of off the top of my head... isn't home ownership fun?

Once that's sorted we'll probably seriously consider looking at a Model S, question will probably be whether it's before or after we move again...as this is all stuff needed to get the house into a sellable state.

11 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

 

 

The Tesla is something we probably would have been considered sooner if we didn't keep finding more and more issues with the damned house we need to sort...it feels like an endless bottomless pit we're just throwing money into and setting fire to non stop at the moment.

 

OT, but I disagree with you.

A house is saleable in any state. It may sell for a little less, and yes you can buy a hovel, spend 30K on it and make 50K by selling on.

But.

I bought a house with a beautiful garden, ripped it up and concreted and flagged it all.

Others on my estate have ripped up concrete and planted flowers.

People buying a house always alter it. Sometimes a blank canvass appeals.

Check the prices around you, knock 20K off and advertise  yours for that.

It will* sell.  You save 10K and a load of hassle. Buy the house you want, and fix it up for you, not someone else who may not have your tastes.

[Zelandeth]

Aaaaand we're home.

[Fumbler]

Pope intensifies.

[LightBulbFun]

2 minutes ago, Zelandeth said:

Aaaaand we're home.

I was right on the brand at least! this is what I thought you might of bought

https://autoshite.com/topic/47899-for-sale-volkswagen-touran-7-seater-slighty-broken-coventry-£600

 

[Zelandeth]

Full report tomorrow.  Right now I've got a grade 8.2 out of 10 headache that's threatening to turn into a migraine so am going to go hide somewhere cool, dark and horizontal until it subsides.

Can't really give a tour just now as it's pitch dark outside.

Initial observations though are that it drives really incredibly well.

The SDi seems to have a reputation for being slower than a wet week, however it seems absolutely fine to me.  It's not a fast car, no.  Equally though it doesn't feel even remotely sluggish.  Didn't have any issue at all holding 70 on the motorway without needing to drop a gear or anything.  

[Missy Charm]

1 hour ago, Zelandeth said:

Full report tomorrow.  Right now I've got a grade 8.2 out of 10 headache that's threatening to turn into a migraine so am going to go hide somewhere cool, dark and horizontal until it subsides.

Can't really give a tour just now as it's pitch dark outside.

Initial observations though are that it drives really incredibly well.

The SDi seems to have a reputation for being slower than a wet week, however it seems absolutely fine to me.  It's not a fast car, no.  Equally though it doesn't feel even remotely sluggish.  Didn't have any issue at all holding 70 on the motorway without needing to drop a gear or anything.  

A number plate that says 'POO' and an interior that resembles the Millennium Falcon.  It's niche, certainly!  Hope it serves you well.  

[mat_the_cat]

9 minutes ago, Missy Charm said:

A number plate that says 'POO'

That was the first thing I noticed too...not sure what that says about me!

[Dick Cheeseburger]

I noticed that it says poo2! 

[mk2_craig]

4 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

Aaaaand we're home.

Congratulations, you’ve just knocked another 20 grand off the estate agent’s valuation. 

[mitsisigma01]

Can you convert it to an 8 or 9 seater and then sell it to me for peanuts 😬.  ....

Does anyone know if you can put two sets of side facing seats extra in the back ... Iirc when on holiday in Turkey I'm sure the official yellow taxis, usually Berlingo or Kangoo's had a similar set up in them .🤔

[cort1977]

3 hours ago, Missy Charm said:

A number plate that says 'POO' and an interior that resembles the Millennium Falcon.  It's niche, certainly!  Hope it serves you well.  

OO is an Essex plate I think. 

[Dick Cheeseburger]

5 minutes ago, cort1977 said:

OO is an Essex plate I think. 

Some Poos are more famous than others. 

PO from 2001 onwards is a Preston plate. 

[bobdisk]

18 hours ago, cort1977 said:

OO is an Essex plate I think. 

Except it  is  PO  "zero" 2  xxx.   PO is Preston, as Dick says !!

[cort1977]

20 hours ago, Dick Longbridge said:

 

PO from 2001 onwards is a Preston plate. 

As in so many things I'm out of date on registration codes.

[Zelandeth]

5 hours ago, bobdisk said:

Except it  is  PO  "zero" 2  xxx.   PO is Preston, as Dick says !!

Which makes a lot of sense, it seems that these guys were based in Southport, so just up the road.

So, what have I found, having had a chance to look over the...car?  Van?  It's half of one, half of another... we're just going to say "car" for the sake of simplicity.

Overall assessment so far is pretty much as expected.  Cosmetically challenged in a few areas, but fundamentally sound underneath it all.

Let's start with the usual walk round photos.

The only bit of rust which has me slightly concerned is the bit immediately below the window over the cab.

I have a horrible feeling if I start digging at that we're going to have a hole to deal with.  Properly sorting *that* would then require removal of both the front and rear headliners.  I'll obviously be doing a bit of investigation, sanding it back, attacking it with Vactan then paint it for now.  

Interior isn't too bad, needs a good clean and I've a few things to sort, but for a vehicle which has always earned its keep it's not bad at all.

Thankfully this just pre-dates the point at which VW switched over to using concrete for their seats, so they're quite comfortable actually.

Rear seats are a bit cramped, but will be absolutely fine for short trips which are the most likely thing they'll be used for 99% of the time.

That interia reel on the floor is part of the original seatbelt lashing arrangement so could be removed just a couple of bolts and could easily be refitted later if needed.  Would be nice to get it out of the way of people's ankles given room is already pretty limited.

Strange sitting so high up, you kind of look down into the cab a good foot or so above the driver.

Will surprise precisely no one that the pop out side windows appear to leak.

Hopefully a good clean and treatment of the seals will sort that out.

The rear door seals could do with a bit of a refresh too.  This will explain why the cabin fills up with exhaust fumes if you have a window open.

This is the real reason for buying this though.  Having two pretty large dogs, this is about as perfect a setup as I could ask for.  The rear two wheelchair lashing eyes even are perfectly placed to hook their travel harnesses to (via suitable leads with elastic to absorb the shock during an emergency stop).

I'm thinking I might make a panel to drop in over the dropped floor section so they have a bit more width, and it could also make a handy covered storage area.  Lack of anywhere really out of the way of prying eyes is a bit of a drawback to vans with a lot of glass like this.

It's a layout which just lends itself to being a really, really *useful* vehicle.

Words can't quite express how much I'm looking forward to attacking this engine bay with a couple of gallons of degreaser and the pressure washer.

That said, it's an honest looking engine bay.  No hugely obvious bodges that are immediately apparent.

 So let's make a start on the to do list.

One thing I immediately noticed the moment I started the van yesterday was that the idle tended to hunt a bit, especially when cold.

https://youtu.be/FOa03CZlPpk

Which was also accompanied by a tendency for a bit of white smoke to be visible occasionally when you come off the throttle.  It's definitely fuel related, not coolant based on the smell.

Took me about thirty seconds to spy a likely cause for the fuel system having a bit of a hard time with the engine running.

https://youtu.be/R5WR5FFaLfs

If you look carefully you can just see there are air bubbles in the feed line to the fuel pump.

An obvious suspect is this fuel line on the suction side of the pump which is very obviously perished and kind of squishy.

They're all a bit crusty looking, so I think they will get replaced along with the fuel filter.  I've picked up everything for a routine service today anyway, so that will be done soon.

There was an advisory on the MOT for the SRS warning lamp not lighting.  As the space for the radio was still empty it was easy to get to the back of...sure enough it was unplugged.

Plugging it back in and turning the ignition on resulted in it lighting up.

...Then after a couple of seconds going out, exactly as it should do.  Has continued to do so all afternoon too...so if that's sorted it I'll call that a win.

Next job was an obvious one.

Getting audio set up.  I'd actually asked the seller to take their head unit out as having only just bought this one and just about learned my way around it I'd rather stick with it.

Helpfully it's one of those which you can customise the colours of, so can match it perfectly to the dash lighting.

Speakers in there are pretty decent actually, nice not to have to mess around upgrading those for a change.

Which is where I left it today, as I'd clearly run out of daylight!

Next thing I need to investigate is the temperature control for the heater.  As is basically standard for this control assembly the cable has snapped off the back of it.  So the heater is currently adjusted by pushing or pulling a cable sitting in the dash cubby hole.  Which rattles.  A lot.  If nothing else it'll get relocated to one of the switch blanks above there to stop it rattling so much!  Hopefully while I'm in there I can see if I can sort the illumination for the heater controls as currently none of that works.

Not really going to have much time over the next few days, but I'll no doubt find a few minutes here and there to do something.

Overall though I'm really happy with it so far.  Was exactly as I expected based on the description I was given and is something I should be able to improve on nicely.  Really does drive nicely too.

Edit: I have no idea why those YouTube links are refusing to embed.  Have tried several times now and it's not playing nice.

[beko1987]

That does look like a perfect 'van'. Feels like a car, probably drives like a car but space! 

Wheelchair lift conversion but for dogs? 

 

[Zelandeth]

1 hour ago, beko1987 said:

That does look like a perfect 'van'. Feels like a car, probably drives like a car but space! 

Wheelchair lift conversion but for dogs? 

 

Yeah, it basically feels like driving a slightly heavier Polo of this vintage (which isn't a bad thing), until you look over your shoulder!

[dollywobbler]

I drove one of these when they were new. Never forgave them for what is an utterly shitty rear door/wiper layout for RHD. Jolly enough little things though, and very practical.

Returning to the post about home, I'm inclined to agree with the chap suggesting you don't spend out. People buy a house expecting to be changing things/decorating, especially in the sort of ballpark I'd expect for your place. I can't see that it makes sense to spend loads just to sell. 

[HMC]

Lovely, plus a perfectly shaped recess for a c5?

[beko1987]

We could set the bar high in the 'how many shitters can you fit in a polo' game at the fod in the summer 😂

My parents tarted up their old house prior to selling. Re-wallpapered and painted the rooms, new cheap carpet, other odds and sods. It hid the 80+ year old fucked plaster and other many reasons why they wanted out of the place before they got too old to manage it and they got decent money for it... New owners took the entire place back to the bare shell within a month and stuck a massive extension on the side. Also compacted the front garden so much it stopped acting as the soakaway (fucking high water table) and they flooded out the winter they moved in 😂

[Zelandeth]

The problem we have here is that at this end of the market it needs to be at least presentable.  Currently the back garden is basically a muddy hole in the ground from having had to get rid of the rampant bamboo infestation (courtesy of the previous owner, that alone cost us nearly £8k).  There's visibly a huge chunk of the main timber right over the front door missing (hidden by duct tape and paint when we moved in), the soffits are literally falling apart, and there are half a dozen areas where we have or have had water ingress issues.  These aren't jobs we need to do to "tart the place up" so much as "get it to a state we're not going to have to knock a huge chunk off the asking price." If we'd known half of these issues existed we probably would have knocked about £20K off what we offered.  However the "enhanced" survey failed to spot a single issue beyond the sliding doors in the atrium not having the correct type of safety glass that would be used today.  

-- -- --

First accomplishment of today was figuring out a way to stop the heater cable from rattling...it can be wedged in the handle of the ash tray.

Not a permanent solution, but will save it from driving me insane until I can properly sort it.

Having a slightly more in depth look under the bonnet than yesterday I spotted a couple of things amiss.

Firstly, looking at the radiator something didn't look right.

A bit of poking reveals it should sit more like this.

The top brackets appear to have either fallen apart of are totally missing.  Strange.

I deployed a highly technical cable tie to pull it closer to the right spot until I can properly Investigate and resolve that...has at least got some clearance between the top radiator hose and fan shroud now, this was previous touching.

Likewise this air conditioning line has rubbed a good 1/2 way through the outer casing of the line.

Will need to see if there is any gas in there whatsoever soon.  I suspect not.

Then I noticed this.

That's the state the main line coming off the vacuum pump was in.  That's not going to be doing anything any favours, especially as at the very least the actuator for the EGR system is vacuum controlled, and there are lines running off to several bits and pieces around the engine bay.

Ten minutes later it looked like this instead.

Sorting this appears to have completely eliminated the hunting idle, the ever present smell of diesel and obvious white smoke on the overrun/light throttle openings.  It has also made the throttle response far smoother, so that leak was definitely causing issues for a few things.  Likewise the brakes definitely feel stronger now, so I think the servo was also struggling a bit for vacuum pressure before.

It looks like there was originally a plastic cover that sat over the inlet manifold etc.  I'm not too bothered about that, as it's one less thing to remove for service access - if I come across one though I'll probably replace it just because I know it should be there.  Definitely at the bottom of the priority list though.

While I was in the area I changed the air filter.  Old one wasn't too bad so had definitely been done in the last couple of years, but for the sake of a few quid it's on my annual-ish list.  Especially on a normally aspirated diesel where getting as much air into the engine as possible is always a priority!

Nice to have got a couple of small jobs ticked off which have had a noticeable impact on the driving experience.