The new news 24 thread

[grogee]

14 minutes ago, Popsicle said:

While idly looking at some vans for sale last week I noticed a Caddy van for sale that had extra door seals compared to mine. As mine has Dumbos ears for mirrors, causing some wind noise at motorway speeds, I decided to look into it . So as I'm a sad twat I did some googling and apparently a 'comfort equipment level' spec was available from new, managed to find the part numbers and did some looking around.

Item number 9, ouch at £51 per door though.

Hmm £7.99 for 16 feet of the stuff - thats more palatable.

Looks just the job, thanks auto x bert.

Quick wipe round the vans door frames.

Comfort equipment level achieved 👍.

Remarkably it makes a noticeable difference to wind noise at 70mph, well pleased with that.

Although I'm sure it will detach itself within a week and resemble a 2015 Ford Focus - why do they always look like that?

 

That's a good tip, may work well on other cars and vanz too. 

I remember seeing a Focus TSB (service bulletin) explaining how to 'fix' the floppy seals but it was basically more of the same: 3M adhesive tape and OMGKLEEN surface. 

My mind is still slightly boggled by bits that are stuck onto car panels. Surely it's just stuck to paint so you're relying on the paint not falling off? 

[Popsicle]

15 minutes ago, grogee said:

That's a good tip, may work well on other cars and vanz too. 

I remember seeing a Focus TSB (service bulletin) explaining how to 'fix' the floppy seals but it was basically more of the same: 3M adhesive tape and OMGKLEEN surface. 

My mind is still slightly boggled by bits that are stuck onto car panels. Surely it's just stuck to paint so you're relying on the paint not falling off? 

If 3m tape is an official fix then I'm happy with that! I went proper on the cleaning, alcohol wipes and a microfibre cloth. TBH I'm not convinced that they will stay attached with the 3m tape, like you say, it doesn't add up in my mind either that it can stay attached 🤷‍♂️.

[Wibble]

12 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

Today I have to say goodbye to my Dad.

I already miss not being able to show him my latest car purchase.

We didn't order a car to transport us to the Crematorium as I felt the 75 was a perfectly fitting vehicle. It was also the last car he took a ride in.

I have made sure that April is a packed month with 2 holidays and a new car to be attending to.

I hope all went to plan today. That is a great photo and using your car I think was a lovely touch.

It will have been a tough day, I know but I think you’re right, keeping busy is probably best. I’m still struggling to acknowledge that mine have both gone now and just keep myself very busy with work. Haven’t really got my car mojo back yet. Best wishes to you and yours.

[wuvvum]

1 hour ago, Popsicle said:

If 3m tape is an official fix then I'm happy with that! I went proper on the cleaning, alcohol wipes and a microfibre cloth. TBH I'm not convinced that they will stay attached with the 3m tape, like you say, it doesn't add up in my mind either that it can stay attached 🤷‍♂️.

It seems to vary from supplier to supplier.  The stuff I bought for the Renault 4 stayed firmly attached throughout my ownership, but I bought a roll from a different supplier to do the Toyota and that wouldn't stick for love nor money.

[Low ontime]

3 hours ago, Popsicle said:

While idly looking at some vans for sale last week I noticed a Caddy van for sale that had extra door seals compared to mine. As mine has Dumbos ears for mirrors, causing some wind noise at motorway speeds, I decided to look into it . So as I'm a sad twat I did some googling and apparently a 'comfort equipment level' spec was available from new, managed to find the part numbers and did some looking around.

Item number 9, ouch at £51 per door though.

Hmm £7.99 for 16 feet of the stuff - thats more palatable.

Looks just the job, thanks auto x bert.

Quick wipe round the vans door frames.

Comfort equipment level achieved 👍.

Remarkably it makes a noticeable difference to wind noise at 70mph, well pleased with that.

Although I'm sure it will detach itself within a week and resemble a 2015 Ford Focus - why do they always look like that?

 

It’s anything Ford from 2009 onwards….. the entire door seal is stuck on by double sided tape only no plastic pegs or anything to hold it on…. It’s a six Monthly  chore to reattach the top half 

[artdjones]

10 hours ago, Mr Pastry said:

Looking at those prices though, the Gilbern was a serious amount of money for what it was.  It's surprising they sold any when you look at some of the competition. 

Yes, 50% more than a TR6.

[artdjones]

On 24/03/2024 at 15:11, grogee said:

Do you like screwing things to other things at least 500 times? 

Can you decipher poorly drawn Chinglish instructions? 

Do you like slicing your hands on sharp metal edges? 

Build a metal shed and be like me!

(Ably assisted by the ever-obliging @Cluffy. Model's own clothes) 

I built one once where I worked. It was about 3ft wider than that and about 5ft longer, the instructions weren't very intuitive, and I was sick of the sight of pan head self tappers by the end. It all came in one very heavy cardboard box. Tbf, I see it regularly and it's still a good shed after 10 years.

[grogee]

4 minutes ago, artdjones said:

I built one once where I worked. It was about 3ft wider than that and about 5ft longer, the instructions weren't very intuitive, and I was sick of the sight of pan head self tappers by the end. It all came in one very heavy cardboard box. Tbf, I see it regularly and it's still a good shed after 10 years.

Yeah we've got another one as shown in the pic. Mrs Grogee thought she'd bought the same one but it's nowhere near as tall. Never mind it's only for bikes. 

People can get quite snobby about sheds but this is purely for storage and it's behind a wall so you can't even see it. Also it's by far the most cost-effective solution. 

But yeah, it came with approx 500 pan head self tappers... I'm still not finished but on the home stretch now. 

[Popsicle]

3 hours ago, wuvvum said:

It seems to vary from supplier to supplier.  The stuff I bought for the Renault 4 stayed firmly attached throughout my ownership, but I bought a roll from a different supplier to do the Toyota and that wouldn't stick for love nor money.

I'm hopeful that Bert from Auto X has used the finest genuine 3m tape, not some inferior copy.

I did about 40 miles this evening and its still attached, so its off to a promising start.

[Split_Pin]

I think I read somewhere that the A8 had a few dead glow plugs. My brother in law was visiting from Stockton yesterday and I was showing it to him. It slightly embarrassed me by doing a particularly hard start for me, with some smoke and rich diesel smell 😅 Thankfully his diesel Jaguar X Type is the same plus he is a mechanic so he didn't bat an eyelid.

NGK items are just over a tenner each so an inexpensive improvement to make to the car 😀

[SiC]

19 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

NGK items are just over a tenner each so an inexpensive improvement to make to the car 😀

Just be careful not to snap them! Might become a more expensive improvement. 

[Split_Pin]

41 minutes ago, SiC said:

Just be careful not to snap them! Might become a more expensive improvement. 

I'm leaving this particular job to my local garage!

[andyberg]

The Safrane is in for the MOT, I'm quietly confident.

[andyberg]

1 hour ago, andyberg said:

The Safrane is in for the MOT, I'm quietly confident.

Bollocks

[Split_Pin]

I did an oil change on the A8 today.

No idea how the last person used an oil extractor because the lance on mine wouldn't go all the way into the sump. Similar to the Saab, there is some kind of baffle at the bottom and I wasn't confident. So as there was no undertray I just dropped it out the bottom. The sump plug is huge! Just as well I did as there was at least 8.5 litres in the sump and I'd have been pumping for ages and got drenched when the heavens opened shortly after. Thankfully I was all done in half an hour, the tidying up took the same again.

I think I need a code reader to reset the service indicator.

[Wgl2019]

Another years ticket for the Volvo...... Has had the same advisory for 3yrs, thought I had sorted it before this test but may* have misremembered offside and nearside 🫢.. Cambelt and swirl flap replacement will be next on the cards.

[D.E]

On 27/03/2024 at 11:53, Mr Pastry said:

Looking at those prices though, the Gilbern was a serious amount of money for what it was.  It's surprising they sold any when you look at some of the competition. 

The initial demand for the Mk III Invader exceeded production capacity! Selling them wasn't the problem it seems, but attempting to increasing production output was (overworking essential staff members, increasing quality issues, which in turn made them waste a lot of time on correcting said defects), along with cashflow issues and the frequent changes of ownership. Shame really, another example of a manufacturer that offered a fairly okay product but went under regardless...

[artdjones]

12 minutes ago, D.E said:

The initial demand for the Mk III Invader exceeded production capacity! Selling them wasn't the problem it seems, but attempting to increasing production output was (overworking essential staff members, increasing quality issues, which in turn made them waste a lot of time on correcting said defects), along with cashflow issues and the frequent changes of ownership. Shame really, another example of a manufacturer that offered a fairly okay product but went under regardless...

Strange, because in my view those stupid wheelarch extensions really messed up the styling.

[brownnova]

6 hours in the Saab today. Amazing how comfortable and capable this 27 year old car is. Handled the whole journey there and back with ease, and I didn’t get in any way uncomfortable until I got stuck in a bit of traffic on the very last 15 minute to home and my clutch leg got tired. It’s true what they say about Saab’s legendary comfort! 
 

However, normally I see at least a few retro cars out and about. Today, the only other car from the 90s (or earlier) I saw was a K Reg Polo…. 

[Spottedlaurel]

Used the Carina E for some daily driver duties this week, found a 1996 friend:

It did well, apart from an unexpected FTP - went to a work meeting, came out and it wouldn't start. I'd left the lights on, silly boy. Luckily one of the friendly engineers there had a jump pack.

Ideally I should get the door switch for the interior lights working again, then I might have had a lights-on warning chime....

Although Mrs SL prefers the Lexus RX in terms of comfort she did concede that the radio in the Carina E sounds better to her. I recall @Alan Prost saying similar in comparison to his other half's more modern MINI.

In other fleet news, poor planning on my part means that all three of the other cars are going into garages for work this month. RX is going to the main dealer for a scheduled service (major one, so that won't be cheap), and I have both the LS400 and Laurel booked-in for service/MoTs on consecutive days next week......

[Yoss]

Went out for a drive in The Forest this morning and the whole area is as waterlogged as I've ever seen it. No chance of taking the dog off the major paths and even some of those were impassable. On the plus side , the place was deserted. We had one of the New Forests major car parks entirely to ourselves at 9 o'clock on a bank holiday morning which is unheard of.

[andyberg]

52 minutes ago, Yoss said:

Went out for a drive in The Forest this morning and the whole area is as waterlogged as I've ever seen it. No chance of taking the dog off the major paths and even some of those were impassable. On the plus side , the place was deserted. We had one of the New Forests major car parks entirely to ourselves at 9am on a bank holiday morning which is unheard of.

I love the new forest. I lived in Sway for a while.

[Twiggy]

Looks like Janesmoor ?

[barefoot]

On 20/03/2024 at 16:59, barefoot said:

Rover 75 - OMGHGF update.

Test drive time; to Loughborough in the slowest of crawling market day traffic and then to Manchester & back, twice in two days - Sorted.

[Yoss]

57 minutes ago, Twiggy said:

Looks like Janesmoor ?

Spot on. You can claim your free prize.

[andyberg]

On 28/03/2024 at 10:30, andyberg said:

Bollocks

I posted in my Safrane thread, but I forgot on here 🙄 

It's only a small patch required on the nearside sill and the spring mounting is the cup that the spring sits in on the shock absorber, so just a new shock needed no welding. Looking through the extensive history of the car these are still the original shocks! Who says french cars are tat????

[richardmorris]

[hairnet]

why is there a horse kneeling resting on your fiat?

steering wheel needs to be in the sea sorry 

[richardmorris]

10 minutes ago, hairnet said:

why is there a horse kneeling resting on your fiat?

steering wheel needs to be in the sea sorry 

It was tired. 
wheel is original if faded leather.

[EspenO]

On 26/03/2024 at 23:37, D.E said:

One chapter in this 1970s book ("The Small Business Casebook", S. Birley) is about the (mis)management of Gilbern. The price and specs of the Invader are being compared to other cars, but this list doesn't seem to make much sense? Cars in a totally different price and performance league (AC, Aston, Dino), the Citroen DS and GS, floppytop Cortina... Also, according to sir Google the Crayford William is a microcar!

 

 

The Morgan +8 seems to have been a bit of a bargain? Cheaper than a Triumph estate, half price of a 911.