The new news 24 thread

[Ghosty]

Range counters are silly. It's like charging a battery for an hour, it saying 100% then realising 'oh hang on' and dropping drastically.

Trip computers always seem to bounce all over the place in my experience - they like to change depending on driving style/throttle position too, we've had the A4 read 200mpg because it was idling down the hill we live on.

[Richard]

The range computer on the Transit is bang on right up to the last 100 miles or so, just when you might want it to be accurate. The last 100 miles does about 45 miles and the last 50 is more like 20.

[Guest Hooli]

I test drove a couple of X300 Jags this evening. One was a 4.0 Sovereign, the other a 3.2 Sport (both being sold by the same seller). I actually preferred the Sport which surprised me, but it seemed to drive better than the other and felt like it was mechanically in better order (the Sovereign had a knock when turning left and didn't brake evenly). Paintwork on the bonnet, roof and bootlid was shit though, and the key fob wasn't working, so opening the doors was a manual affair which made the alarm plip loads until you fired it up. Bit annoying but I could probably live with that on a cheap Jag. Despite the paint it was solid with no evidence of welding, so needless to say I'm bloody tempted. I'm trying hard to make a rational decision for a change hence the test drive, rather than just buy any old knacker blind and hope for the best!

 

I'll go back and see it in the daylight, but here's a pic.

 

s-l1600-32.jpeg

 

The seller dude was a bit of a character but seemed a genuine sort and a total car nut. He let me drive both cars for an hour or so in rush hour traffic, and wasn't bothered when I launched over a few speed bumps a bit quick. Best bit was when he gave me a lift to where the cars were kept in his mint Silver Shadow 2. After the Jag test drives I commented how flippin' awesome it was and he said do I want to drive it! Like a total twat I politely declined, but narrow South London roads coupled with feeling pretty knackered at that point could equal monumental cock up.

 

If it's the same as XJ40s, the sport has lower firmer suspension.

[dollywobbler]

On X300s, check very carefully around front and rear windscreens, and the bulkhead around the brake master cylinder. They are truly awesome when in good form, putting a Citroen to shame for ride/handling. Which is pretty remarkable.

[panhard65]

Spent a little bit of time tarting the Porsche up today now the oil leak has finally been sorted.

The Brembo calipers had faded to pink but a quick clean up and some high temp clear lacquer has made a big improvement.

Also the recovery guys nextdoor towed this winner in ! I have no idea where he has been or is going to, but Peugeot 406 to tow his plane a very brave man.

[vulgalour]

I imagine he's off/has been for some sexy times in Africa judging by the stickers.

[gm]

the local tesco is doing redex for £2 a bottle, I picked up a pair of petrol type for the mazdas and a diesel type for the audi, I'm hoping it might help with a lumpy idle I'm blaming on a partly clogged injector. I keep a fuel log for the audi so will be interested to see if it makes any difference to the mpg over the next couple of tanks (I suspect not but we shall see)

[Tayne]

 

 

Also the recovery guys nextdoor towed this winner in ! I have no idea where he has been or is going to, but Peugeot 406 to tow his plane a very brave man.

ebay 622.jpg

 

 

 

The plate on the trailer is from a land crab!

[For Fiats Sake]

the local tesco is doing redex for £2 a bottle, I picked up a pair of petrol type for the mazdas and a diesel type for the audi, I'm hoping it might help with a lumpy idle I'm blaming on a partly clogged injector. I keep a fuel log for the audi so will be interested to see if it makes any difference to the mpg over the next couple of tanks (I suspect not but we shall see)

I thought the difference between branded fuels and supermarket fuels was the quantity of stuff added to make it cheaper, namely detergents? Or have I picked up some urban myth?

 

When I ran a toyota yaris on recycled oil, I'd alternate between it, supermarket fuel and branded in the hope of keeping it sweet.  I never had any bother with the engine, despite being a meter reader at the time so constant stop start all day.  I had to replace one glowplug.  More amazing was that before I had it, it belonged to a local driving instructor!  

[Skizzer]

Bad news: a friend is borrowing the Disco and apparently it's started doing about 6mpg. My random guess from 200 miles away is that the air flow meter has gone a bit Land Rover on us.

 

Good news: it's Keith the Dog's birthday today. He's five. Here he is celebrating with the present Mrs S gave him, a turtle called Amy.

 

 

Edit: bollocks, sideways photo because iPhone. Oh well.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

The Mini got through its last five or so MOTs without issue, so I figured a big fail was in the offing this year and it was no surprise to see a load of yellow crayon on the rear subframe. I compiled a list of things wrong with it and sent it off to a local specialist. In addition to the rotten bits on the bottom of the subframe, the top didn't look so rosy either:

 

 

 

Needless to say, it was hiding rot on the body too.

 

I got the car back yesterday evening with a fresh MOT and a new subframe which is shinier than the bodywork. It's also had a whole host of other work done, too numerous to mention. It's a joy to drive again. The engine steady mount has new bushes so it doesn't violently CLUNK when coming on and off the throttle and it's been tuned up a bit so it feels quicker. It really is a fabulous car to drive. 

 

Not all sunshine and roses, the exhaust downpipe join failed the same day I collected it, so I had to waste hours doing that today. 

 

 

Hours, because I did it once and it failed immediately, so I had to do the whole damn thing again. I've done this so many times over the last few years I've got it down to a fine art. 

 

 

A nice view of the well thought out fuses. They're factory (maybe not the blue one - dunno what that one's for), and there's more inside the car. The handbook page for fuses is something like - "tail lights: look behind the insulation in the engine compartment for an inline fuse with red and white wire, or maybe it's one of the fistful of inline fuses behind the dash trim panel, who knows? This is what you get for buying a 1959 car in 1993."

[Guest Hooli]

Makes a lovely change for someone to type Mini & show pics of a Mini. Those bloody BMW 0.5Series that have stolen the name will never be Minis.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

It was four pictures of rust and failure, but I get your point. 

[ShiteRider]

Bad news: a friend is borrowing the Disco and apparently it's started doing about 6mpg. My random guess from 200 miles away is that the air flow meter has gone a bit Land Rover on us.

 

Good news: it's Keith the Dog's birthday today. He's five. Here he is celebrating with the present Mrs S gave him, a turtle called Amy.

 

image.jpeg

 

Edit: bollocks, sideways photo because iPhone. Oh well.

Don't know what i love more, the fact he's called keith or the fact he looks like a diddy lion.

[plasticvandan]

My method of fitting mini (and minor) pipes was to use a bit of paste on the lip,then use a jack to push the pipe tight on the fannymould,then attatch and tighten the clamp

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

That's what I do too. Irritatingly I have to jack the car up about 2cm with a second jack to provide clearance for the first jack.

 

As soon as there's pattern parts in the exhaust I'm sure it never fits together properly again. 

[Ghosty]

Binis aren't all bad, you know...

 

Not great, but they're good for a modern.

[dollywobbler]

Ah, the good ol' bastard clamp. Ugh.

 

Hope you've soaked the new subframe in Dinitrol or something.

[RobT]

The Cavalier is in for its MoT this week...

It passed today with just a few advisories, so hopefully that's another year of cheap Vauxhalling ahead. Jobs to do now to set it up for winter are a service, coolant change, new wipers, and a couple of rear tyres. They passed the MoT fine but are old and crap budgets, and I had a moment on a wet roundabout a few months back where I ended up pointing the wrong way. It was mostly due to my idiocy as I knew I was going too fast, but I'm sure shite tyres didn't help the alarming way the back end just broke out.

 

I'll also treat it to an ATF change as it's due, and a cambelt - been playing roulette for 18 months as I've no idea when it was last done.

[Lukas]

You all know, I am not ver friendly minded to everything VAG. But somehow, I feel attracted to this as a winter-car to keep my Pajeros out of the salt:

 

http://www.gebrauchtwagen.at/detailansicht.php?id_fahrzeug=6804263

 

But after I asked Google what problems might occur, I am sick of it before even looking at this ******. The 2.6 V6 seems to be one of the most troublesome engines

in the older Audis. Not for me, thank you. 

 

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

So, the Mini's back box was gently knocking against the new subframe, so I moved it on its rubber 0.005mm. This, with the inevitability of a sunset, has caused the downpipe join to start blowing.

[Cavcraft]

Skizzer's Status Quo dog has actually made my day.

[Six-cylinder]

You all know, I am not ver friendly minded to everything VAG. But somehow, I feel attracted to this as a winter-car to keep my Pajeros out of the salt:

 

http://www.gebrauchtwagen.at/detailansicht.php?id_fahrzeug=6804263

 

But after I asked Google what problems might occur, I am sick of it before even looking at this ******. The 2.6 V6 seems to be one of the most troublesome engines

in the older Audis. Not for me, thank you. 

 

Now you tell me!

[320touring]

Despite not being in convoy with the SVM I happened upon a Volvo of much awesome at Tebay , as is tradition or old charter or summink

[Lukas]

Now you tell me!

 

I was surprised, I have to admit. Even Audi-fanboys, and Austria is full of them, told me that the 2.6 and 2.8 V6 engines

are quite troublesome and have a lot of common faults. 

 

I would have liked that mostly because of the blue velours inside. 

 

But as I am not an Audi-fan and it´s only a winter-car, I am not willing to bother. 

[Ghosty]

 The 2.6 V6 seems to be one of the most troublesome engines

in the older Audis. Not for me, thank you. 

 

 

Ours is about the only bit of the A4 that hasn't put a foot wrong. Responded absurdly well to an oil change and a set of plugs, too.

[New POD]

Binis aren't all bad, you know...

 

Not great, but they're good for a modern.

 

Generation 1 Binis are Great.

[fordperv]

im at a whole health consious moment in my life, today was my first visit to the gym and bloody hell im aching off now, i hope its worth it

[anonymous user]

I went to the gym once, all that lifting, pushing, grunting, sweating; still couldn't get the door open, so I never went back

[Kiltox]

If anyone wants some cheap Halfords tools I now have a trade card - I can order the 200pc socket set for £125!