The new news 24 thread

[davehedgehog31]

Small update on my two latest purchases. The first is this 1.6 hdi Peugeot 207 which came in at the beginning of December. The previous owner was a really nice lad and was SERIOUSLY fastidious, bestowing more work and parts than any 13 year old Peugeot 207 warrants. Full spec at link below:

https://www.peugeotforums.com/threads/peugeot-207-1-6-hdi-120bhp-inari-blue.375793/

It has been great, as you'd expect, 60+ mpg driven considerately and still does 54 if driven hard. Drives brilliantly. I've been impressed by the comfort and refinement levels for a little supermini.

Next, when I saw @Split_Pin post his Audi A4 Cabriolet for sale I impulsively had to have it! Knowing how well Iain keeps his cars and the fact it's a Cabriolet my lad can fit in the back of, I thought it would be an interesting thing to own. Again, chuffed with my purchase. It's comfy, quite fast and feels plush inside. 

[Split_Pin]

Glad you are happy with it, the A4 Cab is a great all round practical proposition with some fun. My other one continues to give great service! Enjoy the turbo noises too!

[bunglebus]

Today marks 30 years since I passed my driving test. Actually quite a scary amount of time!

[junkyarddog]

Nice day for it. 

Glen of Aherlow Co Tipperary for anyone interested. 

[Spottedlaurel]

Carina E did sterling service on Thursday and Friday, after using it for work I took it up to Loughborough for a stopover with Miss SL and her BF:

Good to this pair together again, with a combined mileage of around 420k. As well as trekking up there from home the Avensis has also been used for overnight airport runs to and from Stansted, getting four of them down there to head off for an overseas study trip.

With the help of ye olde navigation system.....

I then headed up to Chorley. Quite unintentionally, en-route I drove right past the Toyota factory at Burnaston where I think my Carina E (and presumably the Avensis) would have started out. I bet in years gone by there would have been plenty of them on the local roads.

Reason for this trip and to take the Toyota, when the daily RX would have been much better-suited to a long mid-January journey? Long-time friend and Japanese car enthusiast Peter Hunter of the Toyota Enthusiasts' Club sadly passed away just after Christmas and it was his funeral.

Even if you didn't know him those of you who've attended shows at the NEC or in the North-West such as Tatton Park and Cholmondley will have seen this estate, his Crown coupe or the older saloon which was the original press car. He also had an early '70s Corona MkII and I believe an Avensis or two. I first met Peter back in 1993/94 and enjoyed many happy times talking cars, models and brochures with him. A number of other TEC people were at the funeral too, having travelled from as far afield as Scotland and Belgium. The cars were just a part of a long and fulfilling life, and the enthusiasm and energy he had was incredible (and something of an inspiration, on the journey home it made me rethink a few things which I've found challenging in recent times). A remarkable family too, apparently his sister still has an MG Midget and his older brother 37 motorbikes (and that's after some were sold). RIP Peter.

So it only seemed right and proper to take take the Carina E. I suppose it shouldn't really be a surprise but it did a great job over the 550 or so miles I drove, spending most of its time in the outside lane when I was on the motorways. I got home late on Friday with more respect for it than ever.

There was another pleasing turn of events on the way back when it turned out part of the A14 was closed. No bad thing, the stretch from the M1 to Cambridge is one of the dullest roads I can think of and always good to avoid. So I kept going down the M1, turned off south of Northampton and drove past Billing Aquadrome. This is where the above photo was taken and I went to some great JAEs and other shows in the '90s and '00s. After that I drove on one of my favourite roads fromHigham Ferrers to St Neots via Kimbolton. I don't know it well enough to really clog it along there, and the Carina's headlights are not great, but it was still great to drive along there and remember the anticipation I'd have in driving along it on a Saturday morning then the satisfaction of heading home in the late afteroon sunshine on Sunday, usually somewhat later than planned after one final chat with Peter and his wife.

[stuboy]

 

Nothing exciting... visited the dealer today and he sold me a baggy of E5... lol

 

Was gonna change the fuel filter but suspected arthritis in my fingers said no son try next weekend..

[lesapandre]

(🎉Seems a life well-lived - good on him 🎉) I had one of those Crowns - a saloon 31 years ago - they were rare then even.

[bramz7]

@Spottedlaurel

Was he the chap who featured in TG mag 30 years ago? I probably have the issue in a cupboard. 

[richardmorris]

36 minutes ago, stuboy said:

 

Nothing exciting... visited the dealer today and he sold me a baggy of E5... lol

 

Was gonna change the fuel filter but suspected arthritis in my fingers said no son try next weekend..

It’s the wrong time of year to try changing old rubber fittings. Wait until it’s 20degrees!

[Spottedlaurel]

1 hour ago, bramz7 said:

@Spottedlaurel

Was he the chap who featured in TG mag 30 years ago? I probably have the issue in a cupboard. 

Maybe, pretty sure he was in C&S with his coupe many years ago.

[bramz7]

Ah no sorry, it was someone else. My mistake.

May 1995.

[Split_Pin]

The Saab is between V5s at the moment and showing as untaxed so I've been out an about in the E46 this weekend and covered quite a few miles with the family in it. I have barely driven the car since getting it back from having the gearbox replaced and I think I'm warming to it eventually. Now that it has a healthy gearbox I am learning to drive it properlyand using a bootful of throttle as a normal driving style is where it seems happiest. The exhaust note is very addictive too.

More miles to cover in it this week.

[vulgalour]

Did some Renault fettling today and now I can tell you how to replace the door handle and lock mechanism on a Renault 5 Extra.  Not a bad job really.  Couldn't find any guidance on it when looking online, kept pulling up pretty good tutorials and videos on basically every other Renault ever made, typically.

[Spottedlaurel]

31 minutes ago, bramz7 said:

Ah no sorry, it was someone else. My mistake.

May 1995.

That's Billy Wells, who sadly died last year.

[reb]

It's my birthday, twenty fucking nine!

Because I am old at heart I'm not doing much for it, just going for a curry this evening.

It doesn't feel that long since the last one. In fact it feels like only a few months since I turned 20!

[EyesWeldedShut]

14 minutes ago, reb said:

It doesn't feel that long since the last one. In fact it feels like only a few months since I turned 20!

Don't worry - once you get to 30 you'll just stop counting. Next thing you know - you'll be 60 (well, that's my experience).

Happy Birthday in any case - have a tasty curry.

[reb]

Just now, EyesWeldedShut said:

Don't worry - once you get to 30 you'll just stop counting. Next thing you know - you'll be 60 (well, that's my experience).

Happy Birthday in any case - have a tasty curry.

Honestly I've sort of already stopped counting. Recently-ish the cashier in Lidl asked how old I was when I was buying a shitload of wine and I heard myself say out loud "oh, that's a good question, I don't know"

I'm now older than my parents were when I was born, have been for a while I suppose. When I passed that point it was sort of a big step in the direction of really realising one's parents are, well, just people. And often are just as lost and confused as anyone else. Which it turns out a lot of people very much are.

As for the curry, we can't go to my favourite curry place because it's not open on Mondays, but the place we're going instead is still pretty good! Alas it doesn't seem to have any Naga curries, which has been my go-to birthday curry over the last few years.

[comfortablynumb]

Had to withdraw some cash over the counter at nationwide last week.

As part of the security questions cashier asked how old I'd be on my next birthday

Had to stand there and work it out!

Didn't look suspicious at all 🤦

[EyesWeldedShut]

3 hours ago, reb said:

And often are just as lost and confused as anyone else. Which it turns out a lot of people very much are.

I only sussed out that my parents had been winging it for years when I was 37 - I married the child bride who brought along an eight year old and a ten year old to the reception - I just started winging it too.
In times of real panic I'd just do what my Dad would have done it the same situation - seems to have worked as neither of the kids turned into axe murderers.

[comfortablynumb]

4 hours ago, reb said:

As for the curry, we can't go to my favourite curry place because it's not open on Mondays, but the place we're going instead is still pretty good! Alas it doesn't seem to have any Naga curries, which has been my go-to birthday curry over the last few years.

You know the answer to this is curry on Monday and Tuesday?

[Momentary Lapse Of Reason]

1 hour ago, comfortablynumb said:

You know the answer to this is curry on Monday and Tuesday?

[richardmorris]

[bunglebus]

Anyone with a yellow car up for this on Saturday? We're taking one of the Lupos

[Rustybullethole]

Man V tyre 1 ended tyre 1 man 0. 

My usual method of bead breaking using a spade and a big lever bar resulted in a bent spade and pulling the workbench out of its fixings to the floor.  I was tired and admitted defeat like a mature adult as the risk of regretful damage was high.

Went up the yard where the old boys fuckabout with tractors and whatnot to see if they had a bead breaker I could borrow. They lent me a pry bar they had used it for years. He used the claw end, smashed it in the bead and levered it over. May work with a stiff old big arse tyre though no joy with my soft sidewalls.

The flat end could be clobbered in though and doing that all the way round loosened the bead just very slightly.

More work with big bar and spade saw it off. 

Turns out my trusty rusty levers were better at this method than the pry bar. Which was just as well as rust had made the second one more of a battle than the first. In fact i'm calling that a full blown war. 

Could of just taken them to be fitted instead of spending a good hour sweating, bleeding and risking actual tears though what's important for me is i've walked away with a 2-1 victory.

When i find the bolts I bought i can fit them again to the gti alloys and have a matching set of four wheels. Am more than happy to settle for some grip though. Plus it'll give me time to club the curbed alloy straight and prep them for paint proper. 

[Rustybullethole]

Have also reattached the roof rack when it got ripped off sliding a bit wide on my woodland rally stage *shortcut. Sure the Toyos will help with that on the next run.

[loserone]

5 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Anyone with a yellow car up for this on Saturday? We're taking one of the Lupos

Someone needs to buy that Saab in the for sale forum.

 

Also, anyone after a free petrol paid trip to London on Saturday is welcome to borrow my Mégane.

[Split_Pin]

Oil change for the new-to-me forum Saab. It had only done 4k since the last change in November but I had the consumables ready and tonight was my only free night for a while so I went ahead. Very easy change although it's the first time I've ever seen a white oil filter, K&N no less! Replaced with a Bosch item and 4 litres of 5W30, mixture of Saab stuff, Comma and Castrol Magnatec fully synthetic. Not gonna lie, I had a full 5l of 5w40 Comma oil poised to go in before I realised that was incorrect and dashed to Halfords at lunchtime! Normally it would get what it's given but as it's an elderly Saab I thought best to put quality stuff in of the right grade. It's a bit like a cat that's been fed white fish all it's life, you daren't give it anything else 😂

It has been parked up for a few days and I noticed a few drips of coolant hanging off the offside splash guard, just under the subframe. This is obviously where the tiny amount of coolant has been going although I've done about 500 miles since I bought it and the level hasn't budged. Just means it's losing it and not using it which is a win in my book 👍

I've been having a few conversations recently with my son's head basketball coach who is in his seventies and I don't think has driven anything other than Saabs for decades. I'll park next to his at the game on Friday!

[Split_Pin]

Out and about in the E46 helping my mum this morning before work. After dropping her off I was pressing on, so to speak and the ABS, traction control and red brake light came on and hasn't cleared on restart. Doesn't seem to affect anything (apart from making it very easy to light up the rear without TC being on!) and importantly  the gearbox light remains off so that's good.

I may have to cave and order a code reader for this car as I'm actually quite enjoying it now!

[wesacosa]

50 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

Out and about in the E46 helping my mum this morning before work. After dropping her off I was pressing on, so to speak and the ABS, traction control and red brake light came on and hasn't cleared on restart. Doesn't seem to affect anything (apart from making it very easy to light up the rear without TC being on!) and importantly  the gearbox light remains off so that's good.

I may have to cave and order a code reader for this car as I'm actually quite enjoying it now!

it was one of the ABS sensors when my m3 did similar but it can also be the brake pressure sensors and one or two other things so think you might have to plug it in as you say

[JakeT]

I’d say wheel speed, as if a brake pressure sensor fails it will keep the ABS and lose only DSC and put the yellow handbrake light on. Sadly I’ve experienced all of those failures…