The new news 24 thread

[Cord Fourteener]

Last year I spent a year sorning and taxing my car, not on purpose: I taxed the 924 for summer then it had to spend the summer having bits and bobs of work done to it which meant it wasn't work taxing it. Anyway it turned out more expensive. I've taxed it and it's staying taxed, it's in good enough fettle to run for 6 months then I can do some more work to it I think.

[Cord Fourteener]

After a new sensor £80 fitted (it had to be put on a ramp and ripped out) and some drive way repairs of the intake hose my BMW is running sweeter than ever.

I have a code that's teasing me though: p1690. It apparently means that my check engine light has failed!

My oil warning light has failed previously. Also it leaks oil and looses a bit of coolant water.

The boot hinges are still very broken.

But it's driving lovely and (as long as I don't decide to get the boot hinges repaired properly) is actually still costing me very little to keep it running.

I'm going to call it a win.

[Split_Pin]

After 10 years ownership I think I am going to call time on the Corsa.

The O/S front strut tower is holed and the other is rusted through too. There are a few other areas which would need attention in the coming years too.

Scene tax is strengthening on them and I fitted a lot of good upgrades to it years before this happened. I have worked out that just counting these sought after bits there is about £800 in it. This would buy me a decent 75 and I'd get to keep my Clio too.

Obviously I can't do anything at the moment but, like others I'm sure, time on my hands means I have been mulling a lot of things over.

[BorniteIdentity]

4 years ago, Friday April 1st, this monstrosity joined the fold. I remember that day more vividly than I remember yesterday. It taking 2 hours to do the 15 mile journey, desperately trying to insure it at the side of the North Circular about 50m before the first ANPR camera, and absolutely HAVING to get to Milton Keynes by 3PM to be on the air. I bonded with it immediately, and am so grateful to everyone who played a part. 

Mojo is relatively low at the moment as the rear screen is in shards in the bin, and there’s nowhere to go even if we could. Still. The sun will shine soon enough, and we’ll be out lowering the tone once again. 

 

[paulplom]

Gonna investigate the binis stiff gear change. Looks a piece of piss on newtube. We'll see what happens.
I do only have my plumbing tools since my lock up got screwed over.

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[paulplom]

Strut brace loosed but it looks like I have to take the ecu out before I can remove the air box ffs.

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[paulplom]

Wasn't too difficult

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[paulplom]

Wd40'd up and it's changed it one million percent. It changes gear like a well oiled rifle bolt thing now.
Why hasn't another shiter attempted this yet?
I need to pack the cables/joints with grease to stop it happening again.
Will Lurpack do?

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[paulplom]

Didn't have any lurpack.
I did find chainsaw oil and anchor though.
Should last for weeks.

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[Split_Pin]

Good stuff. Hows it running now?

[paulplom]

Battery in the boot because race car.
Just been for an illicit spin and it's completely transformed it. Very very pleased.

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[paulplom]

Temperature guage has become dodgy. It beeps when you put the ignition on now. I hope it self heals.

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[BorniteIdentity]

Cant find the relevant thread.

Anyone want this knob? Came in a Sierra but I think it’s from a Mk5 Escort? 5 speed bottom right reverse. Condition 8.5/10. 

[N19]

15 hours ago, N19 said:

1st April tomorrow, therefore any vehicle manufactured in 1979 becomes a historic vehicle.

As far as I can see, the only way of doing this is to physically go to a post office, it can't be done online. Moral dilemma of whether this is appropriate or not is somewhat lessened by my having got a card to pick up an item from there anyway, and it's only at the end of the street. Need to do a couple of other bits too so combining it with a trip to the pharmacy (next door) tomorrow.

I have realised how much I missed our old (crown) post office. Although it was staffed by a bunch of old ladies like Maureen and Betty who were never in a hurry to do anything, they were helpful and they knew their stuff. Once you had got to the front of the queue, they'd do everything you wanted and helpfully advise. It's now run as an adjunct to a convenience store, ok useful to get groceries etc, but if you want anything that isn't a routine day-in-day-out operation for them, they claim it can't be done, shrug their shoulders and are just generally useless.

I usually do any posting of stuff up at Barnet, which still retains a crown office (presumably for political reasons), but going up there would not be an essential journey so...

[Tadhg Tiogar]

1 minute ago, N19 said:

I have realised how much I missed our old (crown) post office. ....It's now run as an adjunct to a convenience store, ok useful to get groceries etc, but if you want anything that isn't a routine day-in-day-out operation for them, they claim it can't be done, shrug their shoulders and are just generally useless....

Best avoid the PO in Ealing (at the back of WHS). This is an understaffed and inefficient operation even in normal times. The distancing requirements have only made the place worse, with c-arse-tomers having to queue all the way back through WHS and into the main areas of the Broadway precinct.

I now post the office outgoing post elsewhere as it takes less time to drive there and park than it does to stand in line in Ealing, and there's never a queue where I go....

[nacho man]

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5SkK6JvRy255jXAFFIKqID?si=xjTpWPoNTomWPhXKJ1NAQA

This is not a bad listen nice story about the mk1 mondeo slipped in there as well.

Don’t know if anyone listens to the collecting cars podcast by Chris Harris but he has a good couple of hour one with Nicky Grist recently uploaded.


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[N19]

4 minutes ago, Tadhg Tiogar said:

Best avoid the PO in Ealing (at the back of WHS). This is an understaffed and inefficient operation even in normal times. The distancing requirements have only made the place worse, with c-arse-tomers having to queue all the way back through WHS and into the main areas of the Broadway precinct.

I now post the office outgoing post elsewhere as it takes less time to drive there and park than it does to stand in line in Ealing, and there's never a queue where I go....

There's a similar arrangement at Watford Harlequin with WHS. Last time I was there, there appeared to be four staff on duty. One was serving customers, another was changing mailbags (for over 20 minutes), another was floating around and trying to encourage people to use the self-services machines which for most of us wasn't an option, and the fourth supervisor-type was looking very important with a clipboard. OK I'm sure they have to do paperwork and returns and so on but for 3/4 of them to be tied up at once is pretty poor planning, and/or lack of awareness ("I need to do this paperwork but there's a huge queue, I'll jump on a till for fifteen minutes and come back to it")

[Tadhg Tiogar]

1 minute ago, N19 said:

... there appeared to be four staff on duty. One was serving customers, another was changing mailbags (for over 20 minutes), another was floating around and trying to encourage people to use the self-services machines which for most of us wasn't an option, and the fourth supervisor-type was looking very important with a clipboard. ....

This is pretty much the same as Ealing, except that Ealing has no clipboard handler. Even before the distancing requirements were introduced, it was common to stand in the queue for long periods whilst the staff decided which one of them could be bothered to man the counter.

[Six-cylinder]

What car is this interior from?

[stuboy]

38 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

What car is this interior from?

zatava?

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Certainly has a sort of 'Cheap Italian car' look to it

[Fumbler]

Second with the Zastava idea- looks like it to me. That or its an incredibly cheap Fiat interior.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

3 minutes ago, Fumbler said:

....That or its an incredibly cheap Fiat interior.

Seat Marbella?

[Ghosty]

The Volvo has four egg shaped wheels and is currently riding so badly it's trying to shatter my spine. 

Fuck sake. Needs new wheels as they don't balance at all. No identical ones on the 'bay either - maybe buckling is TADTS on these?

Looking into options, though for now I might need to daily the Jag. Hehehehe. 

[AnthonyG]

I reckon the interior is of a Yugo/Zastava 45.  It’s definitely Fiat based from the column stalks, and is way too nasty for an actual Fiat and too 1980s for the 128 based cars (311 etc).

[Skizzer]

5 hours ago, AnthonyG said:

I reckon the interior is of a Yugo/Zastava 45.  It’s definitely Fiat based from the column stalks, and is way too nasty for an actual Fiat and too 1980s for the 128 based cars (311 etc).

This: I’ve driven one and you don’t forget such things.

Sports* seats and a vestigial centre console suggest it’s not the most basic variant, so I’m going Yugo 55.

[skattrd]

10 hours ago, Ghosty said:

The Volvo has four egg shaped wheels and is currently riding so badly it's trying to shatter my spine. 

Fuck sake. Needs new wheels as they don't balance at all. No identical ones on the 'bay either - maybe buckling is TADTS on these?

Looking into options, though for now I might need to daily the Jag. Hehehehe. 

What's the stud pattern and c/b?

It might be the same as something a bit more common,
I use this for comparison, although newer cars aren't listed: https://www.carlsalter.com/wheel_fitments_by_pcd.html

[clayts450]

Just checked the status of my fleet.

• Streetwise - started first time, went shopping, loose heat shield
• 620 - started first time, but battery is definitely wearing down, FW/REV, handbrake off, left in park
• Accord - started first time, FW/REV, handbrake off, left in park - alarm has however failed but doors still lockable
• 820 - started first time, FW/REV, handbrake off, left in first
• 420 - battery near enough dead, 20 quid off Amazon jump starter, fired up, REV/FW, handbrake left on as still rolls in gear
• 214 - who cares, in a garage 3 miles away
• Van - no issues

 

[Supernaut]

5 hours ago, skattrd said:

What's the stud pattern and c/b?

It might be the same as something a bit more common,
I use this for comparison, although newer cars aren't listed: https://www.carlsalter.com/wheel_fitments_by_pcd.html

https://www.wheel-size.com/size/volvo/c30/2007/

This says 5x108. Makes sense as the C30 is a Mk2 Focus in a fancy suit.

You can get 16" Mk2 Focus wheels for many cheaps, I've found. I put some on the Mk3 Mondeo I used to have.

[richardmorris]

On 4/1/2020 at 11:23 AM, BorniteIdentity said:

Cant find the relevant thread.

Anyone want this knob? Came in a Sierra but I think it’s from a Mk5 Escort? 5 speed bottom right reverse. Condition 8.5/10. 

Is that a knob in your hand or are you just pleased to be here?