The new news 24 thread

[Fat_Pirate]

Me: "I'm going to change the starter on the Jag"

Wife: "Ok"

Me, 10 mins later: "It's BITTERLY COLD out there, fuck that, it can go to the garage"

 

1 hour later:

Me: "I'm changing that starter, it's only 2 bolts and a cable, I can do this"

Wife: rolls eyes

Me, 5 mins later: "FUUUCK!  Ring the garage tomorrow and tell them to collect the bastard!"

 

90 mins later:

Me:  "It's going to cost about £500 to have the garage do this, if I take the starter off I can get it repaired for less than £100"

Wife: "OK, see you in 5 minutes"

Me, 5 mins later: "ARGHHHHH!"

[SiC]

Just come back from the MG & Triumph parts show up in Coventry way. Met up with the ever so friendly Purplebargken.

 

Managed quite a haul!

 

Suki our cat is even impressed. (I think?)

 

 

Rev counter is a lovely smaller Smith's unit but I have no idea what it's off. Damaged connections on the back but they look repairable. Actually bought for yet another project that probably won't get done...

[Kiltox]

@SiC - I sold an Astra H years ago because it was so uncomfortable and bought a nearly new Laguna II!

[SiC]

Mrs SiC is currently on the hard shoulder in the Aldi waiting for recovery. Hit debris on the road between Bath and Bristol M4 junction. Thinks it was a bumper or mudflap. Shes fine but at least one tyre flat. No idea if any other damage. Apparently 7 or so other cars on the hard shoulder too. Police did a rolling road block and the Highways agency patrol cars have just given her a blanket.

 

I'm hoping no more damage than a tyre. However that's still £120 per corner (Goodyear) for something recognisable and probably at least 2 to give a matched axle! Budgets are £65 each but I don't think I can be doing with cheap rubber on it.

 

Hmpfh.

[Steve79]

Just driven my grandads Astra H back from Northampton as he given up driving. I have no idea what the Vauxhall seat designer must have got his knowledge from but I suspect they must have been previously been tortured. Did 4 hrs of driving to Northampton in the Aldi (went to Birmingham first) and then I did another 2 hours back from Northampton in the Astra. My back and neck very much knows that I've just done a 2 hrs journey.

Also the radio was broken. It displayed the station it's tuned into but put no sound out. Just to make the journey more awkward.

It's a 1.4 petrol jobbie and it's been a very long while since I've done a long motorway journey in a car with such a low power to weight ratio. Reminded me that most decent engined modern cars have completely adequate power, as you can accelerate briskly at UK speed limits without any troubles. With the 1.4 Astra, when up a moderate incline at 70mph, you'd have to knock it back to 4th if you want to make any progress. Steep hills, 4th is required to keep it at 70mph. I'd hate to have to attempt any A-road overtake in it.

So glad that I don't have a Astra H over my Civic. The Civic seats aren't perfect but way, way better than the Astra's. It also accelerates in top gear at 70mph up a hill without any trouble. Also gives far more confidence in the corners.

What are you going to do with such a misery wagon? Are you selling it?

[SiC]

Mrs SiC is currently on the hard shoulder in the Aldi waiting for recovery. Hit debris on the road between Bath and Bristol M4 junction. Thinks it was a bumper or mudflap. Shes fine but at least one tyre flat. No idea if any other damage. Apparently 7 or so other cars on the hard shoulder too. Police did a rolling road block and the Highways agency patrol cars have just given her a blanket.

 

I'm hoping no more damage than a tyre. However that's still £120 per corner (Goodyear) for something recognisable and probably at least 2 to give a matched axle! Budgets are £65 each but I don't think I can be doing with cheap rubber on it.

 

Hmpfh.

Note to self. Audi put wheel locking nuts in stupid places. Thank god for the Pistonheads forum.

 

If your car is an Avant you have the normal lift up floor with the handle where the spare wheel / tools / battery are. Between this and the back of the rear seats is a section about 30cm wide (marked below) which is actually hinged the same direction as the boot floor.

 

This is the original alloy key location which fools many garages. From memory you might need to have the spare wheel flap lifted slightly to access it.

 

[SiC]

What are you going to do with such a misery wagon? Are you selling it?

Parents are having as a local runaround.

[Skizzer]

Have you tried the jump lead from battery earth to the engine for diagnosis yet?!

No, but that’s a very good idea though, thanks. Will need to string two jump leads together as the battery’s in the boot (which can’t help), but that’s an easily solvable problem.

 

The winter commuting you did in this was naive to the point of idiocy!

EFA.

[M'coli]

Me: "I'm going to change the starter on the Jag"

Wife: "Ok"

Me, 10 mins later: "It's BITTERLY COLD out there, fuck that, it can go to the garage"

 

1 hour later:

Me: "I'm changing that starter, it's only 2 bolts and a cable, I can do this"

Wife: rolls eyes

Me, 5 mins later: "FUUUCK!  Ring the garage tomorrow and tell them to collect the bastard!"

 

90 mins later:

Me:  "It's going to cost about £500 to have the garage do this, if I take the starter off I can get it repaired for less than £100"

Wife: "OK, see you in 5 minutes"

Me, 5 mins later: "ARGHHHHH!"

Garage:

"Someone wants a Jag starter motor changing."

"Those things are bastards to change, give them a high price to put them off..."

You: See above!

[M'coli]

Mrs SiC is currently on the hard shoulder in the Aldi waiting for recovery. 

<snip>Highways agency patrol cars have just given her a blanket.</snip>

 

Hmpfh.

Hence why there's always a "warm clothes bag" and/or a sleeping bag in my car at this time of year.

[SiC]

Hence why there's always a "warm clothes bag" and/or a sleeping bag in my car at this time of year.

My dad has always told me to bring a coat with me, despite how short or long the journey was. Luckily my wife does now too. She does feel the cold a lot though and was wearing two thick coats as well as the silver emergency blankets!

[loserone]

In an effort to contribute* to a possible thread tomorrow, I've just eaten a huge curry (Prashad's Paneer Massala if anyone's into it, plus various sundries) and am now tucking into a bad batch of homebrew.

[Jim Bell]

I was only joking mate. Though there is a nice public toilet (with defibrillator) in Wark.

[loserone]

Too late now!

[Tadhg Tiogar]

In an effort to contribute* to a possible thread tomorrow, I've just eaten a huge curry (Prashad's Paneer Massala if anyone's into it, plus various sundries) and am now tucking into a bad batch of homebrew.

Is the local sewage system prepared for this?

[Jim Bell]

Hope thats the last time I hear you say that for a while man.

[Hendry]

@SiC - I sold an Astra H years ago because it was so uncomfortable and bought a nearly new Laguna II!

 

I still see said Astra kicking about East Kilbride fairly regularly. I think it must be base models and 'non sporty' models which have uncomfortable seats because when I drove them at work, Club, Energy, Life, Breeze etc. they were uncomfortable but I always found the seats in my Design which were half leather sports seats to be very comfortable. 

[loserone]

I hope Bally is coming along ..

[Jim Bell]

No but ill bring poo bags.

 

I mean Becky.

[Lord Sterling]

...Even as a passenger I get a number arse...

 

What 'number' d'ya get? Number 2? 8? Or 3?...

 

[chodweaver]

Early Aldi TT did that to me. Colleague to whom it belonged, apologised profusely. But I still made us take my mr2 from Bristol to Huddersfield on our next outing.

 

I... was as comfy as you like. He... brought too much luggage.

 

Sent from my BV6000 using Tapatalk

[wuvvum]

The C4 failed its MOT on Saturday.  Not too badly though - three bulbs (sidelights are working but too dim, pulled one of the bulbs out and it is pretty black to be fair, and one of the brakelights has blown since I last checked), headlight aim, leaky offside rear shock and fast idle CO emissions slightly over.  Bulbs are easy enough to do on a C4, headlight aim I'll have a bash at but if it's still slightly out the place where I take my cars is happy to tweak it on the ramp, I've ordered a new shock off eBay for less than 17 quid including delivery (and without wanting to tempt fate, it doesn't look like a difficult job to change it) and the tester reckoned the CO emissions could be sorted with an Italian tuneup.  So not too bad overall.  As an added bonus when I dropped the car off there was a Bentley S1 which had been brought in to sort a non-functioning horn.  It was lovely - definitely got my horn functioning.

 

Today I have mostly been swapping batteries around.  I tried a decent 063 battery on the 205 but it would barely turn it over, so I think the battery being knackered is only part of the problem, the other part being the XUD being a twat to crank.  This was backed up when I lobbed the 205's original battery onto the Getz and it started it straight up.  So for now I've shoehorned a bigger battery into the Peugeot - it's too big really, the earth terminal is touching the underside of the bonnet, but it works.

 

I also swapped the Stilo's battery onto the silver Rover.  The Rover has been refusing to start from cold if left overnight, and I know the Stilo's battery is a good 'un as it will start the car even after standing for weeks in the freezing cold.  It's also slightly bigger with a slightly higher CCA rating.  I attempted to keep the Fiat's electrics alive with my little jump pack as I know from experience that old Fiats can be temperamental about losing their batteries - the attempt was a failure, I must have picked a poor earth, but the car started straight back up again anyway - although I now have to reset all the trip computer which is a bit of an annoyance.

 

On the subject of swapping, I changed the Audi's front and rear tyres around - the fronts were rather tired budget ditchfinders with zero wet weather grip (the car would light up the front tyres on the throttle on a damp road, which shouldn't happen in a big automatic saloon with only 90bhp), the rears were slightly older but less worn Goodyears.  So the Goodyears are now on the front - I'll have to wait until it next rains to see if they're any improvement (shouldn't have to wait too long at this time of year).  If not I'll have to fork out for a pair of tyres I suppose.

[vulgalour]

By the end of the week I hope to be driving the Princess on a daily basis again.   There's not much time to try and double the annual mileage (of 196 miles) before the next MoT so I'm hoping that this clutch problem can be resolved.  I've managed to acquire the clutch master cylinder, clutch slave cylinder, and clutch hose from OKK which should fit since it's the same age and engine and were working when removed very recently.  I've also got the clutch hose arriving by the end of the week that I found on eBay.  All being well, some combination of these parts and what's on the car will get to the bottom of whatever this clutch problem actually is and I'll be able to drive the car.

 

The intention is to have the Rover for the really rotten days and very cold night time runs and use the Princess for literally everything else until I move house at some point this year.  I've had my Princess as my daily before so I see no reason why I can't do it again, and it is a lot of fun to chug about in.

[holbeck]

Safrane caught in OMG snow chaos this morning.

 

[dollywobbler]

2CV sidelight fail sorted. Just a loose bulb connector.

 

Having a quick brew and then I'm off to the MOT station!

[xtriple]

Just got the renewal for the insurance for the Mazda - £116 fc. That includes £25 admin fee!

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Spotted another Cit CX at Hanger Lane on the way to work - LHD Prestige Turbo 2, plated as "D906 ELL"

[Bren]

Just watched the remake of Chips.

 

It simply reinforced why I no longer go to the cinema.

[Talbot]

I changed the Audi's front and rear tyres around - the fronts were rather tired budget ditchfinders with zero wet weather grip (the car would light up the front tyres on the throttle on a damp road, which shouldn't happen in a big automatic saloon with only 90bhp), the rears were slightly older but less worn Goodyears.  So the Goodyears are now on the front - I'll have to wait until it next rains to see if they're any improvement.

Patiently waits for the update:

 

"Oh my fucking god the back end now has zero grip and I've nearly stuck it in several ditches."

[loserone]