Datsuncog's Heaps: Sept 2023 - Another Year's T-Met Exemption Certificate...

[hairnet]

go back via helens bay and pics if the sun out

 

[Shirley Knott]

Provided it's structurally sound you can't really go wrong with something like that IMO.

The patented Knott motor buying appraisal system is as follows- Think of all the big ticket items that can impede progress when they go tits up (Turbo/DMF/DPF), and then ask yourself one by one if  they're present on your prospective investment.... If the answer brings up recurring 'no' then you've picked a winner!

[artdjones]

A good buy. I can't say I like the interior, but at least it's not actually hideous like the earlier versions, just inoffensive. And they aren't rust prone cars. 84 hp is still more powerful than the VW equvalent, and much smoother. You may find it's a keeper because you can't wear it out.

 

[Matty]

Absolutely the right choice, especially with the house move and the last two car ownership experiences! Reliable and dependable. Like @artdjonessays above. So now you've got two bomb proof cars you'll have to hand your AS card in like 😄

[Ghosty]

Concur with the above, it's what you need - and if my Civic saloon is anything to go by, you're underestimating it's practicality and capability. 

[Amishtat]

Keep it maintained and the rust at bay and that'll outlive you. (See also Chevrolet Caprice, Volvo 7/940) The only thing that'll kill it is if or when you get bored of it. 

[Datsuncog]

Cheers, folks - good to feel the 'Rolla love happening!

Back safely with no issues; about 40 miles clocked today with no untoward noises, smells or warning lights. Everything seems tight, and the electric sunroof even works well!

It felt a little cruel driving home on the M5 at motorway speed, as I seriously doubt this car has done much more than around-town driving for the past few decades.

The cassette player seems to be broken - or at least, one of my vintage Y2K mixtapes is now jammed in it. Well, at least the radio works.

There's a curious feeling of déjà vu when driving this car, as a fair bit of the switchgear and other components like the sun visors are shared with the Yaris.

Seat fabric is, I agree, not quite as weird as it could be for a late-90s car.

Familiar?

It's called art, darling. Such sophisticate, so culture. Wow.

So there we go - a 100% early 2000s Japanese lineup on the Casa DC driveway. 

Futureproofed!

Just have to figure out what to do with the Outback now.

G'night, folks!

[Faker]

25 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Cheers, folks - good to feel the 'Rolla love happening!

Back safely with no issues; about 40 miles clocked today with no untoward noises, smells or warning lights. Everything seems tight, and the electric sunroof even works well!

It felt a little cruel driving home on the M5 at motorway speed, as I seriously doubt this car has done much more than around-town driving for the past few decades.

The cassette player seems to be broken - or at least, one of my vintage Y2K mixtapes is now jammed in it. Well, at least the radio works.

There's a curious feeling of déjà vu when driving this car, as a fair bit of the switchgear and other components like the sun visors are shared with the Yaris.

Seat fabric is, I agree, not quite as weird as it could be for a late-90s car.

Familiar?

It's called art, darling. Such culture, so 

So there we go - a 100% early 2000s Japanese lineup on the Casa DC driveway. 

Futureproofed!

Just have to figure out what to do with the Outback now.

G'night, folks!

Epic. Heath to enjoy 

[AnnoyingPentium]

40 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

The cassette player seems to be broken - or at least, one of my vintage Y2K mixtapes is now jammed in it. Well, at least the radio works.

Maybe just as well swapping the cassette player for another one that works, I suppose. At least then you can try and repair the other one, if that takes your fancy.

Good choice on the Corolla though. I like it.

 

[Noel Tidybeard]

i hope the wife likes her new car! 🤣

[Datsuncog]

As it happens, the aftermarket wheeltrims on the Toyota aren't quite the same as the ones on my old Fiesta c.2001:

They're similar, but not identical.

They may, however, be Halfords Value trims or something like that - they still look very familiar to me.

Corolla's tyres are brush-painted with some old-school tyre oil; that's something I haven't seen in general use for a long time. Giffer-tastic.

[OM646]

My uncle owned one, same color, Luna spec, but it had these wheels: 

he sold it in 2005 to buy a similar age Aldi, which he regrets to this day 

[Spottedlaurel]

Nice one Tim, I think that looks a great buy. If it has much life in it as the ex-Bornite Avensis then you have at least another 159,000 miles to go.

Like all the Toyotas I've had of this age, I imagine it will gradually earn respect due to thoughtful design touches and solid engineering that isn't immediately obvious.

You might struggle carting heavy stuff, but that hatchback shape certainly looks capacious.

I'd imagine it would sell well across the border if/when you get rid?

[beko1987]

Very sensible. No rust under it is there? 🙏

[Datsuncog]

On 4/2/2022 at 2:19 PM, Split_Pin said:

In an insane world, that looks like the sanest choice. #sarahconnor 

I do like these, especially ones like this with long term previous owners.

I hope it serves you well man!

Yeah, fingers crossed this time - I know I kinda had my fingers burned with my one owner from new Laguna (which basically meant I got to reap the benefit* of 19 years' worth of questionable bodging), but other than a few cosmetics it seems to be solid where it needs to be solid, and the engine runs very sweetly indeed.

In fact, I only realised later that the Corolla's collection coincided with the fourth anniversary of the green Laguna's rather messy demise on the M2, as reported way back on P.9 or something of this thread... but I'm trying not to read too much into that!

 

On 4/2/2022 at 2:21 PM, hairnet said:

go back via helens bay and pics if the sun out

I ended up in a bit of a rush to get home on Saturday, but I'd love to get some decent pics of this one somewhere nice!

 

On 4/2/2022 at 2:57 PM, Shirley Knott said:

Provided it's structurally sound you can't really go wrong with something like that IMO.

The patented Knott motor buying appraisal system is as follows- Think of all the big ticket items that can impede progress when they go tits up (Turbo/DMF/DPF), and then ask yourself one by one if  they're present on your prospective investment.... If the answer brings up recurring 'no' then you've picked a winner!

Yep, exactly this - after a few years of dashboards lighting up like Christmas trees and pissing about with Torq Lite to read fault codes thrown up by dicky sensors, something a little less... technologically advanced appeals greatly. Something basic to bomb around in for a while is probably what's needed after the techno-whizz AWD Subarus.

It's probably all in my head, but I don't feel threatened by the Corolla - I feel as if I can probably fix the things that will inevitably go wrong with it. Whereas with more modern stuff, there's a degree of anxiety always present that it's liable to shit itself catastrophically and expensively, and I'll be left potless.

 

On 4/3/2022 at 12:02 AM, AnnoyingPentium said:

Maybe just as well swapping the cassette player for another one that works, I suppose. At least then you can try and repair the other one, if that takes your fancy.

Good choice on the Corolla though. I like it.

Cheers - annoyingly, I got rid of half a dozen cassette and CD head units only a while back!

The green Laguna above also retained its original cassette deck, but to be fair the retro quaintness of the tapes hissing and clicking wore off pretty quickly - so I hauled it out in favour of a new Pioneer mechless unit that synched with my iPod.

Unfortunately that only worked for about 12 months before it started cutting out intermittently and then lost all power, and my efforts to trace the fault failed - so it went off to the dump.

Still, the Corolla's radio works well!

 

On 4/3/2022 at 12:40 AM, Noel Tidybeard said:

i hope the wife likes her new car! 🤣

Yes, it'll be interesting to see how this pans out... other than a quick swap midway through the test drive, she hasn't taken it out by herself yet.

She always wanted one of these since first seeing one while at primary school (and was impressed at the way the load area could swallow a double bass) - remains to be seen whether it remains my car or not!

 

On 4/3/2022 at 2:48 AM, OM646 said:

My uncle owned one, same color, Luna spec, but it had these wheels: 

he sold it in 2005 to buy a similar age Aldi, which he regrets to this day 

See, I think a set of spoked alloys such as those could set the car off quite nicely... although that's maybe an upgrade for another day.

It does need a set of new tyres, that much has become apparent. Although they may be legal from a tread perspective, they look pretty old and cracked - so that may be my first investment.

 

On 4/3/2022 at 7:18 AM, Spottedlaurel said:

Nice one Tim, I think that looks a great buy. If it has much life in it as the ex-Bornite Avensis then you have at least another 159,000 miles to go.

Like all the Toyotas I've had of this age, I imagine it will gradually earn respect due to thoughtful design touches and solid engineering that isn't immediately obvious.

You might struggle carting heavy stuff, but that hatchback shape certainly looks capacious.

I'd imagine it would sell well across the border if/when you get rid?

Here's hoping!

I did happen to pile it full of breezeblocks and timber yesterday, and it did make a bit of difference to the handling, it has to be said... but with any luck this'll mainly be used for stuff that's bulky, rather than heavy.

The new house is only a few streets away, so if a sofa has to poke out the back, so be it.

It also came with a set of Paddy Hopkirk roof bars, so that's not a bad thing either - may be handy enough for shifting lengths of skirting board and architrave when it comes to it.

These certainly have an appreciative following on both sides of the border, though I think when selling from North to South there's a fairly hefty fee payable to reregister in ROI, so I'm not sure - though ANYTHING with a Toyota badge seems to be snapped up for export to Africa, and I daresay this would have gone the same way if I hadn't stumped up sharpish with the asking price!

 

On 4/3/2022 at 8:15 AM, beko1987 said:

Very sensible. No rust under it is there? 🙏

Not that I can see - it's apparently been undersealed from nearly new, and has had a fresh coat of Waxoyl applied two years ago. 

No corrosion advisories to be found on the old MOTs - though then again, neither did the Forester...

😬

[Datsuncog]

So I went out yesterday and had proper look at the tyres.

When originally viewed, the tyrewalls were still wet with recently applied tyre paint; y'know, the weird oily stuff that oul lads used to brush on before aerosol tyre shine became a thing.

We used to sell it in Halfords but it wasn't exactly popular, compared to the spray-on stuff.

The stuff we sold wasn't battery operated, mind... 🤨

But I took this application of black goop to be an honest attempt to make a much-loved old family car look its absolute best for its new owner. A cursory inspection showed there was plenty of tread all round, so - after getting the oily stuff smeared on my hands and jeans, helpfully - I turned my attention elsewhere.

Fast forward a day or two, and I could see that the tyre paint had now soaked in - to reveal that the tyres are mostly quite badly fucked. I'd hazard a guess that the same tyre paint trick has been employed at MOT time for quite a few years now.

A pair of very cracked Chinese 'Mohawk' death rings on the back, and a mismatched single 'Tigar' and a 'Minell' up front.

All of which have varying degrees of cracking and crazing to the outer walls.

No... not great.

I had a look for date stamps moulded into the tyres, and perplexingly only the Minell had the expected four-digit code - indicating a January 2017 tyre.

It's probably the least lethal-looking of all of them, and could probably fulfil spare tyre duties.

Turning to the Tigar...

Sorry, Made In what now?

Either someone's reusing some old tyre moulds, or Kwik Fit desperately need to improve their stock rotation processes.

No three or four-digit date code in evidence anywhere on this one, ditto the Mohawks. Hmmm. Not great, really.

Quite the patina.

So I've booked the 'Rolla into a local tyre place tomorrow afternoon to fit a full set of Uniroyal Rain Experts, which I've found to be a pretty good tyre in the past.

Of course, I'd sooner not have to fork out another £200 quite so very soon - but if the previous owner's done nothing except potter across town every day for the past 15 years, then it's likely the tyres have barely even been warmed up. I'll be using this for motorway driving, so having decent rubber is a no-brainer. I once had a blow-out in the outside lane of the M5 south of Bristol; I didn't much care for the experience and have no plans to repeat it, thankyouverymuch.

[Split_Pin]

I wonder if the YU tyre is a retread? Strange that it's 8 years older than the car itself!

The previous owner of the Civic I owned used black spray paint to disguise cuts in the sidewalls that were down to the fibres!

[Datsuncog]

The internet tells me that Tigar are a Serbian brand, who have been making tyres since 1959 - and are still going. They're now owned by Michelin, having previously been in a joint venture with BF Goodrich.

Tigar | Strong and Agile (tigar-tyres.com)

I suppose that might explain why some of their tyre moulds are still showing Yugoslavia as the country of origin?

Still odd that I can't seem to find a date of manufacture on the tyrewall, though.

 

The Mohawk trade name is a sub-brand of Yokohama Tyres, according to a few tyre sites - and seems to position itself as a budget brand, perhaps unsurprisingly.

MOHAWK Tyres | Easywheels.co.uk | Cheap Next Day Tyres

They don't seem to use the same stylised Native American illustration on their logo anymore, funnily enough, which might give a clue about the true age of these rubber hoops.

Minell, equally, seem to be the sort of no-name budget ditchfinders you'd stick on a car purely to keep it legal, rather than for their dynamic handling properties. I can find no blurb about their long history and rich heritage online, and they seem to be grouped down with such esteemed brands as Linglong, Charmhoo, JoyRoad and Triangle.

Tyre brands | Cheap, premium & quality tyres | tyresavings.com

I mean, I'm hardly planning on taking the 1.3 Corolla on the Circuit of Ireland anytime soon, but...

I dunno, call me a wastrel but I'd sooner pay a bit extra and get a car shod with something decent, than save a whole £8 a corner in the hope that the cheapest, hardest, shiniest tyre I can find will somehow bend the laws of physics on a wet motorway.

The first thing I did after buying my Datsun Sunny in 1999 was fit a full new set of Firestones to replace a similar set of cracked, mismatched budget hoops.

I'm quite sure that me still being here is down to that decision.

[Split_Pin]

There appears to be 2 types of budget tyres, the slightly shit ones and the really, really shot ones. I had Rikens on my old Bini and I fitted a set of Road champs on the Civic as they were needed quickly and I didn't have any bother with them The Civic was pretty torque and they handled that fine. 

Generally though, I prefer something decent. I have had Falkens for a number of years now and they've been excellent.

[Datsuncog]

I used to fit cheap rubber to my old Fiesta, as it seemed to have a weird tracking issue no-one could sort and would scrub through a pair of front tyres in about 5000 miles - though that was back when a skinny 13" tyre could be had for about £16 from Kwik Fit.

I also threw a set of four cheapie HiFly hoops onto my last Breadvan Polo, purely to get it through an MOT so I could then sell it - it had four different brands on each corner, including what looked to be a decent Michelin but which turned out to be one of the original tyres from 1993... presumably the factory fitted spare. But I assumed (correctly) that whoever bought it would be throwing a set of ludicrous alloys on anyway, so it seemed a waste to fit premium rubber if it wasn't going to be used 

It's true though that there seems to be reasonable budget brands and then rather less reasonable budget brands - and it's not necessarily the cheapest that are the worst...

I always feel a bit happier knowing there's decent tyres on a car! I'd thought about leaving it a few more weeks, but then decided that I couldn't.

Never fitted Falkens, but always good to know how fellow-shiters rate different brands!

[Zelandeth]

1 hour ago, Datsuncog said:

I used to fit cheap rubber to my old Fiesta, as it seemed to have a weird tracking issue no-one could sort and would scrub through a pair of front tyres in about 5000 miles - though that was back when a skinny 13" tyre could be had for about £16 from Kwik Fit.

I also threw a set of four cheapie HiFly hoops onto my last Breadvan Polo, purely to get it through an MOT so I could then sell it - it had four different brands on each corner, including what looked to be a decent Michelin but which turned out to be one of the original tyres from 1993... presumably the factory fitted spare. 

It's true though that there seems to be reasonable budget brands and then rather less reasonable budget brands - and it's not necessarily the cheapest that are the worst...

I always feel a bit happier knowing there's decent tyres on a car! I'd thought about leaving it a few more weeks, but then decided that I couldn't.

Never fitted Falkens, but always good to know how fellow-shiters rate different brands!

Only used Falken once.  Grip was average, but they were bloody noisy and didn't wear well at all.  

I always look on it as the tyres being the single most safety critical component on a car - it's your one and only point of contact with the road.

I will not fit the cheapest tyres I can find, likewise I'll stick with a known brand for things like brake discs and pads rather than what ECP have stuffed in a box with their sticker one and are selling for £3.

Uniroyal so far are the one make of tyre that I've always been consistently satisfied with going all the way back to when I started driving in 2003.

[Stanky]

Just like in Gran Turismo or Forza, the best investment you can make in any car is 4 new, decent tyres. 

[beko1987]

That's the problem with tyres isn't it, you've got to get them done, would be silly not to. Isn't the cars fault. 

If your pally with the tyre place ask if you can stick your head under it whilst it's up on the lift and have a good look around? 

Also if the least_worse of those tyres is better than the spare is it worth a quick switch around and have an OK spare? Assuming full size matching wheel of course

I got 5 new tyres fitted to the Xsara and felt like a proper grown up... 

[Split_Pin]

23 minutes ago, Zelandeth said:

Only used Falken once.  Grip was average, but they were bloody noisy and didn't wear well at all.  

I always look on it as the tyres being the single most safety critical component on a car - it's your one and only point of contact with the road.

I will not fit the cheapest tyres I can find, likewise I'll stick with a known brand for things like brake discs and pads rather than what ECP have stuffed in a box with their sticker one and are selling for £3.

Uniroyal so far are the one make of tyre that I've always been consistently satisfied with going all the way back to when I started driving in 2003.

I guess it's down to preference. Falkens have been fine for me, no noise at all. I had Uniroyals on my first Corsa and I found that literally anything would puncture them.

[EightMegs]

On 4/5/2022 at 1:22 PM, Datsuncog said:

So I went out yesterday and had proper look at the tyres.

When originally viewed, the tyrewalls were still wet with recently applied tyre paint; y'know, the weird oily stuff that oul lads used to brush on before aerosol tyre shine became a thing.

We used to sell it in Halfords but it wasn't exactly popular, compared to the spray-on stuff.

The stuff we sold wasn't battery operated, mind...

But I took this application of black goop to be an honest attempt to make a much-loved old family car look its absolute best for its new owner. A cursory inspection showed there was plenty of tread all round, so - after getting the oily stuff smeared on my hands and jeans, helpfully - I turned my attention elsewhere.

Fast forward a day or two, and I could see that the tyre paint had now soaked in - to reveal that the tyres are mostly quite badly fucked. I'd hazard a guess that the same tyre paint trick has been employed at MOT time for quite a few years now.

A pair of very cracked Chinese 'Mohawk' death rings on the back, and a mismatched single 'Tigar' and a 'Minell' up front.

All of which have varying degrees of cracking and crazing to the outer walls.

No... not great.

I had a look for date stamps moulded into the tyres, and perplexingly only the Minell had the expected four-digit code - indicating a January 2017 tyre.

It's probably the least lethal-looking of all of them, and could probably fulfil spare tyre duties.

Turning to the Tigar...

Sorry, Made In what now?

Either someone's reusing some old tyre moulds, or Kwik Fit desperately need to improve their stock rotation processes.

No three or four-digit date code in evidence anywhere on this one, ditto the Mohawks. Hmmm. Not great, really.

Quite the patina.

So I've booked the 'Rolla into a local tyre place tomorrow afternoon to fit a full set of Uniroyal Rain Experts, which I've found to be a pretty good tyre in the past.

Of course, I'd sooner not have to fork out another £200 quite so very soon - but if the previous owner's done nothing except potter across town every day for the past 15 years, then it's likely the tyres have barely even been warmed up. I'll be using this for motorway driving, so having decent rubber is a no-brainer. I once had a blow-out in the outside lane of the M4 south of Bristol; I didn't much care for the experience and have no plans to repeat it, thankyouverymuch.

The rump state comprised of Serbia and Montenegro that remained after the rest of the republics seceded was still called Yugoslavia until 2003 when it was renamed to the much more descriptive "Serbia and Montenegro", so they might be under twenty years old if you're lucky.

[dome]

Did you check the spare? Might be worth keeping the 2017 dated tyre as the spare, depending on what is lurking under the boot carpet.

[SiC]

I remember reading that tyre paint/spray affects the rubber compound and causes them to crack up much quicker. 

[Dick Longbridge]

Another vote for Falkens here. The E91 is on its second set of Falken Ziex since we've owned it and they've been excellent. Just the right balance of grip/low road noise and mid-range pricing. 

[beko1987]

2 hours ago, Dick Longbridge said:

Another vote for Falkens here. The E91 is on its second set of Falken Ziex since we've owned it and they've been excellent. Just the right balance of grip/low road noise and mid-range pricing. 

How long have you owned the car though? If its only been 5 months that's not fab... 

[Dick Longbridge]

32 minutes ago, beko1987 said:

How long have you owned the car though? If its only been 5 months that's not fab... 

Five years