HMC architecte britannique

[2flags]

So, a lovely drive out in the sunshine, what there was of it. 

[HMC]

Oh dear. Basis for fiat 500 purchase- have something other than either a 28yo jag, or a 35yo communist car to depend on. 

Today on the commute- brake failure to add to the coolant leak. Turns out the heavy flywheel and 875cc are not so good at retarding the car as they might be. Anyway no accidents, except for in my trousers 😂

 

[lesapandre]

On 10/11/2024 at 15:22, HMC said:

Blasted the cobwebs off the Jag this afternoon. Despite being parked under a tree for a week and crapped on, it started perfectly. I was half expecting a discharged battery- because 28yo Jag.

Is that the Penrith Tea Rooms?

Enter louche Jaguar owner...

[Schaefft]

1 hour ago, HMC said:

Oh dear. Basis for fiat 500 purchase- have something other than either a 28yo jag, or a 35yo communist car to depend on. 

Today on the commute- brake failure to add to the coolant leak. Turns out the heavy flywheel and 875cc are not so good at retarding the car as they might be. Anyway no accidents, except for in my trousers 😂

 

Make sure the oilpan isn't too crusty, or you might be able to add an engine oil leak on top. It rusted through on my gf's 1.2 (maybe not an issue on the Twinair?), only caught it because it happened to have its MOT at the same time it must have started leaking.

[HMC]

I had a look under the 500 and theres a brake fluid slick in the OSF arch, so presumably a hose or pipe has let go. I can do brakes with confidence, but with the temperature lower and evenings dark, i simply couldnt be bothered so its gone into a local garage for that and assessing coolant leak- from somewhere between the block and the bulkhead under / behind the starter and alternator. 

Im hoping these are hiccups on the way to having a  cheap to run reliable and characterful spare.  Ironically the xk8 and samara are the dependable ones!

[HMC]

21 hours ago, Schaefft said:

Make sure the oilpan isn't too crusty, or you might be able to add an engine oil leak on top. It rusted through on my gf's 1.2 (maybe not an issue on the Twinair?), only caught it because it happened to have its MOT at the same time it must have started leaking.

Whilst inspecting the brake fluid leak i had a look and its got a finned alloy sump, thankfully.

[HMC]

Well the cheeky 500 is back. I dropped it at an untried local garage with brake fluid and coolant pissing out underneath it. 

So one brake hose and one coolant hose and its sorted. They fitted it in quick (against my expectations) and turned it around quick too. Im a firm believer in positive feedback (human nature these days feels like either you shout negative stuff the rooftops or stay silent) So i left them a great google review.

 

[2flags]

Glad they were able to get it done so quickly. Back on the road now. 

[DeanH]

They don't know what they've got themselves into do they? Who knows what chod you'll drop off next!

[JakeT]

Nice the 500 is back and fixed. My mum has had 2 of them since 2011. A 2011 cabrio manual and a 2013 dualogic (auto) one. Both 85hp Twinairs. Her current one she’s taken from new to 112k now, and it’s my parents only car after my dads X5 expired in July.

 

As everyone else has said, they’re laughably crap on fuel for an 875cc twin cylinder engine. I took it on my old commute once as I had to drop it off for a service. Driving like a saint in eco mode it did 52MPG. Hardly world beating. Otherwise I think they’re a massively characterful engine, sounding like an angry lawnmower.

The rest of a Fiat 500 is a you’d expect though. Lower arms and rear dampers are common. To change the front arms the front subframe has to be split, so it’s labour intensive. Door handles break off easily, I’ve done the drivers side on mums one before, and caught the passengers side early needing to just replace the pivot. The Bluetooth module failed and caused a battery drain, so I whipped that out and had it repaired.

Otherwise they’ve been relatively painless to own. They’re very rust resistant too, which is truly surprising for a small fiat built in Poland.

[HMC]

Took the Jag to drop off jr_HMCs to meet x_mrs_HMC at the drop off. Decided to take the long way back over Dartmoor and was treated to an atmospheric sunset, as the sunny daytime weather made way to overcast skies, with the sun reflected off the River Tamar estuary (separating Devon and Cornwall, some 10 miles-ish  in the distance) 

not seen- dirt and birdshit on xk8 panels

[Cluffy]

23 hours ago, HMC said:

Took the Jag to drop off jr_HMCs to meet x_mrs_HMC at the drop off. Decided to take the long way back over Dartmoor and was treated to an atmospheric sunset, as the sunny daytime weather made way to overcast skies, with the sun reflected off the River Tamar estuary (separating Devon and Cornwall, some 10 miles-ish  in the distance) 

not seen- dirt and birdshit on xk8 panels

Looks bloody fabulous in that pic. I'm missing having a High Days and Holiday car... One of these would do nicely!

[HMC]

Fleet news…

coolant leak still not resolved on the supposed front line 500. Apologetic garage sorting it- coolant feed to the oil cooler- moderns, eh?

Such elaborate engineering solution failures the samara need never be troubled by…. (this is now staying in the fold)

Meanwhile a sleepy cat was hibernating this morning…..

[HMC]

Well without a plan i sold the xk8, and the fiat 500 twin air is waiting for parts to arrive to fix a coolant leak. Hence i have been using the samara - which is no hardship as the heater is excellent.

But also i have done a buy. Cheaper than w126s and simpler than w220s, w140s are something ive been back to a couple of times.

This s320 has been in the same family for 20 years, and has some latvian gangster spec panel damage…

 

[wuvvum]

I do like those.  From a time when a Sonderklasse was something properly special.

[Schaefft]

Awesome, naturally I fully approve of this purchase. What happened to the S280 on tiny wheels in the end?

[Volksy]

I fancy one of these myself. 

If I ever get rid of my W126, I guess one would be it's natural replacement.

[BorniteIdentity]

What a buy! I love Mercs 77-99 but have never had a W140.

Sadly, I'm as poor as a church mouse at the moment so don't even DARE delve into the PH 1-5k barge thread these days!

Looking forward to seeing how you get on with it.

[HMC]

22 minutes ago, Schaefft said:

Awesome, naturally I fully approve of this purchase. What happened to the S280 on tiny wheels in the end?

Sold it to @Semi-C 

[wesacosa]

39 minutes ago, HMC said:

 

Lovely 

Would make a good pair with my C180K

 

[DeanH]

8 minutes ago, wesacosa said:

Lovely 

Would make a good pair with my C180K

 

Are you willing to stove the boot lid in to cosplay as HMC?

[Volksy]

14 minutes ago, wesacosa said:

Lovely 

Would make a good pair with my C180K

 

Glad my old C180 is still going well!

[hairnet]

https://classicmercedesparts.co.uk/products/15126-mercedes-benz-w140-s320-boot-lid-trunk-door

[dome]

Splendid purchase. An S Class is definitely on my bucket list. I look forward to your posts about it and will be watching the classifieds carefully👀

[camryv6]

You will have no trouble pulling out or changing lanes in that

[grogee]

Can't wait to swap my Partner for this S-class when I'm next in Tavi. W140 is an itch that just doesn't go away. 

[camryv6]

3 minutes ago, grogee said:

Can't wait to swap my Partner for this S-class when I'm next in Tavi. W140 is an itch that just doesn't go away. 

Wife or van ?

[grogee]

1 minute ago, camryv6 said:

Wife or van ?

Good question. 

I'll see if she's up for it, she always said she likes Tavi

[loserone]

21 minutes ago, camryv6 said:

have no trouble pulling out

The lengths to which people go never ceases to amaze me

[yes oui si]

On 12/11/2024 at 18:36, HMC said:

Oh dear. Basis for fiat 500 purchase- have something other than either a 28yo jag, or a 35yo communist car to depend on. 

Today on the commute- brake failure to add to the coolant leak. Turns out the heavy flywheel and 875cc are not so good at retarding the car as they might be. Anyway no accidents, except for in my trousers 😂

 

Glad you're okay. Fling the door open and plant a size 12 on the tarmac to slow it down? 

52 minutes ago, loserone said:

The lengths to which people go never ceases to amaze me

"I'd like to thank the catholic church for the rhythm method, without which I wouldn't be here."