The new news 24 thread

[davidfowler2000]

7 hours ago, paulplom said:

I'm very impressed with it. Not quite a bucket full for the mx5. 

Do you have a link for the 4ah battery?

I can make that big 20L jug featured in the video last a whole Volvo but when I've got it connected to a tap and not having to worry about water conservation I just let rip with it hence how I can go through a whole battery charge.  As for the 4AH battery, just search worx 4ah on amazon or ebay

[Bren]

Got back from Devon this afternoon. Covered 1355 miles in two weeks. According to the computer average consumption for the vectra was just over 40 mpg - not great,however it is an estate with an autobox - there are lots of hills in south devon along with lots of traffic jams.

Tomorrow I need to find out why the fuel filter housing is leaking.

[wuvvum]

Had a reasonably productive day of fettling.  I didn't manage to get everything done that I wanted to as some of the bits I ordered off eBay haven't arrived yet, but I got the replacement driver's seatbelt fitted to the V70.  That wasn't too bad of a job once I'd worked out how everything went together - the HBOL had Step 1 as "Remove driver's seat", but that turned out to be completely unnecessary, the book once again living up to its name (the manual for this car seems to be even more misleading than the norm for some reason).  I initially thought I'd been sold a duff belt as it didn't seem to want to unreel, but it seems that it's just very sensitive to mounting angle, as once it was bolted onto the B pillar it pulled out with no problem.  Battery earth was reconnected without anything exploding or any ECUs shitting themselves, which was good.  I've now got to ring the garage on Monday morning and book it in for a retest.

The other job on today's list was to jack up the CR-V and see if I could find out what the annoying rattling noise from the nearside front is.  Took a while to get the car jacked up - my trolley jack wouldn't go high enough, and I had to have several goes with the car's own scissor jack as the side steps are in the way of the jacking points.  Got the wheel off and soon found the cause - it's the brake caliper, there's loads of play in the guide pins so the caliper is rattling around.  That'd also explain why it stops making the noise under braking.  I'm going to buy a new set of guide pins first to see if that fixes it as they're pretty cheap - I'm hoping that it won't be the holes in the caliper itself which have got bigger.  There is also an occasional knock from the offside front over bigger bumps - I'm going to replace both drop links and see if that cures it as they don't look particularly recent and again, they're cheap.  Replacing fuses got the sunroof and rear fogs working again - the aircon doesn't seem to do much though (I can't hear the compressor kicking in), and the airbag light is on with my Delphi kit unable to find a fault code, so not sure what's going on there.  Overall it's still a nice thing to drive with pretty car-like handling, although with black leather seats it could do with working aircon.

The remainder of today's fettling time was spent fixing bicycles.

[PhilA]

On 8/7/2020 at 4:43 AM, Tadhg Tiogar said:

Almost there. Remanufactured starter motor to be tried....

I saw these as a child and was awed by their futuristic design.

Later in life I was horribly disappointed to discover they weren't running nuclear or turbines to propel then down the street. They look like they should.

Hence, remove engine and install thermonuclear propulsion unit to save on having to fix the starter motor.

[barefoot]

On 8/7/2020 at 9:50 PM, captain_cal said:

£1698, not including paint + fitting. Direct from Porsche in Germany (they have seven in stock!!!).

Get it ordered quick, I didn't know there were any left.

[HillmanImp]

With all the cleaning action on this thread at the mo, I'm gonna put up this picture of the Subaru after a dogs just pee'd on the wheel. 

[Tadhg Tiogar]

On 8/7/2020 at 8:06 PM, captain_cal said:

... someone hit my car, again.

Didn't catch the bastard in the act but got it on CCTV. Any guesses on how much a new front wing is (through insurance)?

I wonder if that's the result of yet another SUV driver blissfully unaware of the actual outer limits of his/her bloatmobile while attempting 3*-point turn.

What has CCTV shown so far?

[captain_cal]

2 hours ago, Tadhg Tiogar said:

What has CCTV shown so far?

5am, nobody else around, acres of room, the local dairy van pulled into the space in front of me to drop something off and collected my front on his way past. 

A cursory glance, no note, no apology, fuck all. Hopefully his employers get wind of the cost of fixing it and sack the dishonest cunt.

[Bren]

Gave the vectra a blitz inside and out - it was filthy from our holiday.

the fuel filter was leaking due to the locking ring not being done up tight enough.

I took it off and stripped it down. I used my chain wrench to tighten it up but it was not enough - I had to use a hammer and a screwdriver to knock the ring tighter. You also need a vice to clamp the housing. You can buy the correct tool but it costs around £80. No thanks.

[Pat Earrings]

Finally got round to wiring in the Parrot mki9200 Bluetooth streaming kit today to the Subaru. Bought the sot lead prior and honestly was actually so easy to do. Bought the kit second hand so need to get some double sided pads to stick the screen and controller but all working perfectly. Wired in my dashcam too, all nice and neatly. Really pleased.

 

[SiC]

Went to Glastonbury today as it always amuses me how hippy it is. Took the Boxster as nice weather and wanted the roof down. Did consider the MGB but this is where I should have got one with a Webasto, as I always moan about...

Talking about the MGB...

 

After the success of the 1100, I decided to pull out the MG as I haven't used it in quite a while. Quite unexpected how easily she started! Running really well too. 

Can you buy Webasto roof kits still? Maybe I should get one fitted and solve the one bugbear. 

[hairnet]

On 8/8/2020 at 5:05 PM, stuboy said:

Took stuboy junior to pick up some wheel trims new of Facebook,  then back home after tesco i fitted the trim and cabled tied them on for security and then stuboy junior,stuboy junior 2nd and future mrs stuboy set about cleaning the corsa thats hd named Sacha, no idea why..

frisbee trims and paint steels daft colour just for giggles

ps dress really suits you :P :D

 

[hairnet]

On 8/8/2020 at 6:13 PM, Frogchod said:

I'm no automotive engineer, but I'm guessing these brake lines should not get hot when operating the starter motor.

Bad earth methinks.

a man that deals with wires is worried about wires?

no problem pour vous

 

[somewhatfoolish]

14 minutes ago, SiC said:

Went to Glastonbury today as it always amuses me how hippy it is. Took the Boxster as nice weather and wanted the roof down. Did consider the MGB but this is where I should have got one with a Webasto, as I always moan about...

Talking about the MGB...

 

After the success of the 1100, I decided to pull out the MG as I haven't used it in quite a while. Quite unexpected how easily she started! Running really well too. 

Can you buy Webasto roof kits still? Maybe I should get one fitted and solve the one bugbear. 

NLA I think, unless someone new has bought out the rights; IIRC they just do refurbs and spares now.

[stuboy]

Popped out to nice shady places..lol, eastwells st marys church and st martins at wye village to check on the ancestors..

[Split_Pin]

I had a nice day bumbling about in the Audi today with the top down. It's been sat for about 3 weeks in my garage mainly due to me driving about in the newly resurrected Corsa.

I went to collect some tree loppers in the morning and then went for a run with my wife and son. I was dragged into IKEA but the nice drive was worth it and my son loved going under the short tunnel at Charing Cross as the roof was still down.

I'm a bit crispy now though!

[richardmorris]

Weekend in my sisters bubble in oxford. Back now and sitting outside with a cold drink watching the pink sunset. Managed to sell their 56 reg Renault scenic for them in about 5mins of sending photos to my mechanic friend. At which point my 8yr old niece burst into tears and said she loved the car and didn’t want it to go- she’s not known another car to be in!

 

 

[Popsicle]

4 hours ago, Bren said:

Gave the vectra a blitz inside and out - it was filthy from our holiday.

the fuel filter was leaking due to the locking ring not being done up tight enough.

I took it off and stripped it down. I used my chain wrench to tighten it up but it was not enough - I had to use a hammer and a screwdriver to knock the ring tighter. You also need a vice to clamp the housing. You can buy the correct tool but it costs around £80. No thanks.

Use one of these on mine https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DIESEL-FUEL-FILTER-REMOVAL-TOOLS-for-Vauxhall-Zafira-Vectra-Meriva-Corsa-Agila/262107397598?epid=25017007435&hash=item3d06d17dde:g:UNwAAOSwTpleI4n6 

For £15 it saves damaging the ridges on the ring with a screwdriver and hammer.

[wuvvum]

Went for a pleasant bike ride up to Walcott this afternoon - enjoyable despite the amount of traffic on the road.  On the way into the village there was an old dear out in her garden celebrating her 100th birthday with her family.  Beach was as rammed as you'd expect on a day like this, but I wasn't intending to sunbathe anyway.  Quite a few interesting old motors out and about - I got overtaken by a couple of old Yanks and a black MGA, and when I was nearly home a 3 litre Bentley came rumbling past, which was nice to see.

[richardmorris]

6 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

Went for a pleasant bike ride up to Walcott this afternoon - enjoyable despite the amount of traffic on the road.  On the way into the village there was an old dear out in her garden celebrating her 100th birthday with her family.  Beach was as rammed as you'd expect on a day like this, but I wasn't intending to sunbathe anyway.  Quite a few interesting old motors out and about - I got overtaken by a couple of old Yanks and a black MGA, and when I was nearly home a 3 litre Bentley came rumbling past, which was nice to see.

I didn’t spot anything interesting this weekend -my ‘94 merc was the oldest thing on the road in 110 miles.

[Saabnut]

11 hours ago, SiC said:

Can you buy Webasto roof kits still? Maybe I should get one fitted and solve the one bugbear. 

Don't do it! As the former leading MG Specialist in Scotland, I know a lot about MGBGTs and Webasto roofs. When new they are OK at best, but as they get older they allow water into areas of an MGB that otherwise would never see any. They are noisy. They drip condensation in cold weather. They reduce the value of the car significantly and will make it harder to sell. For every Webasto enthusiast, there are 10 who hate them. Regularly used to hear the phrase "Pity about the Webasto".

Just my thoughts, your car etc but not for me.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

^^

I have heard them referred to as "Wee Bastard" roofs.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

The MK4 Golf suffers from the ~~premium soft touch coating~~ on its Interior plastics breaking down. Everything inside feels sticky to the touch, and the coating scrapes off easily leaving everything looking distinctly non premium. Actually that's an understatement - the decaying soft touch coating makes the interior actively unpleasant. I read a few forum posts about it, which suggested that you can remove the coating with isopropyl alcohol and then either re-spray or leave as bare plastic. 

I don't have any isopropyl alcohol, but I do have a bottle of Cif Oven Cleaner which is quite aggressive, so I figured I'd try it on an inconspicuous area (the largest piece of plastic you see when you open the door). It worked beautifully! After an hour soaking in oven cleaner, the coating could be removed in soapy water with a dish sponge. 

The passenger door handle came out nice enough to go straight back on the car, but the driver's side didn't look as good so I painted it with some acrylic paint from Hobbycraft and then several deliberately slightly rough coats of lacquer to mimic the semi-gloss finish. Here's the before and after:

It's so much nicer. But there are a lot more sticky touch panels to fix. 

[cort1977]

Top tip there; I have a Passat that suffers from the same malady so will give it a go.

[gm]

I had the same issue of sticky buttons on the Saab, a quick rub over with isopropanol soaked into kitchen paper and the sticky coating was gone leaving nice smooth buttons underneath. Definitely worth a go, I bought a 500ml bottle for a couple of quid from a pharmacy a good twenty years ago, it had been coming in handy for various things ever since.

That door panel looks good as new, nice work  

[Rod/b]

Fitted a new tonneau cover and a remote start kit with long range RF kit to the truck last night.

In an underground car park at 40°c and 50% humidity. What the MERRY FUCK was I thinking? Had to go indoors for a full change of clothing TWICE. I’m still necking pints of water now, 18 hours later. Think i might need salts. 

And FORD you BASTARDS. Nobody has a 5.5mm socket. That’s 7/32in and by my reckoning there’s only 3 bolts that size on the entire truck, under the steering column. Which of course i needed to remove. 
 

 

 

 

[SiC]

42 minutes ago, Conrad D. Conelrad said:

I read a few forum posts about it, which suggested that you can remove the coating with isopropyl alcohol and then either re-spray or leave as bare plastic. 

The recommendation on the Clio forums is to use a product called Elbow Grease. 

[SiC]

5 hours ago, Saabnut said:

Don't do it! As the former leading MG Specialist in Scotland, I know a lot about MGBGTs and Webasto roofs. When new they are OK at best, but as they get older they allow water into areas of an MGB that otherwise would never see any. They are noisy. They drip condensation in cold weather. They reduce the value of the car significantly and will make it harder to sell. For every Webasto enthusiast, there are 10 who hate them. Regularly used to hear the phrase "Pity about the Webasto".

Just my thoughts, your car etc but not for me.

Funny enough the Webasto in my Dolomite is the only bit that isn't leaking!

Most of those issues you mention really are only a problem if you daily an MGB in all weathers. Realistically not many people do that anymore and they spend their idle time in garages. 

For the value, I've not seen any noticeable difference between ones with and ones without. Possibly because there isn't so many MGBs (or classics really for that matter) for sale at the moment either. Maybe also because the number of cars with Webastos is lower due to many rotting out, so supply-to-demand equalises. 

[Split_Pin]

1 hour ago, Conrad D. Conelrad said:

The MK4 Golf suffers from the ~~premium soft touch coating~~ on its Interior plastics breaking down. Everything inside feels sticky to the touch, and the coating scrapes off easily leaving everything looking distinctly non premium. Actually that's an understatement - the decaying soft touch coating makes the interior actively unpleasant. I read a few forum posts about it, which suggested that you can remove the coating with isopropyl alcohol and then either re-spray or leave as bare plastic. 

I don't have any isopropyl alcohol, but I do have a bottle of Cif Oven Cleaner which is quite aggressive, so I figured I'd try it on an inconspicuous area (the largest piece of plastic you see when you open the door). It worked beautifully! After an hour soaking in oven cleaner, the coating could be removed in soapy water with a dish sponge. 

The passenger door handle came out nice enough to go straight back on the car, but the driver's side didn't look as good so I painted it with some acrylic paint from Hobbycraft and then several deliberately slightly rough coats of lacquer to mimic the semi-gloss finish. Here's the before and after:

It's so much nicer. But there are a lot more sticky touch panels to fix. 

That looks great, nice work. Handily my wife works in a Pharmacy too if I ever need this stuff!

[gm]

Can you ask her if it is still available to the general public ? I recall having a bit of a debate when I bought mine many moons ago