The new news 24 thread

[brownnova]

Declaring this back on the road.

Just before Christmas it started doing weird things for example if you indicated left or pushed the brake the dash radio and heater would die. It meant using the Saab convertible for the Christmas tripping. Took me a while to identify the issue, but eventually traced it to some wiring that ran though a well in the back which had taken on some water. All I needed was a day where it was daylight, not pissing down and I wasn’t busy. Last weekend was that time, so I stripped the wire, cut the corroded wire off, and then took to stripping and cleaning the connector. This has been about 90% successful. The car now operates perfectly, except that the connector isn’t 100% so I’ll pop a new one on when I can get one. And also now the SRS Airbag service required light is on… which it wasn’t before. Hopefully just needs a code clearing. 

Sadly on fixing the battery was flat, so having done an overnight charge on Sunday night today was the first day to do a daylight test run, which has been passed without issue. 

Our needs are changing though, so I think this one might be on its way out in the next month or two. 

[Split_Pin]

Got my Creator code reader for the E46 today.

I get these lamps on the dash and the car falls into limp mode:

Pretty much reflected in the codes:

They seem totally unconnected? It's the ABS pressure sensors that worry me, tales of doom and woe abound on the E46 FB pages

I have loved this car only when I saw the pictures in the for sale add. I have hated it ever since. It really is a piece of shit.

1x seized caliper

1 aux drive belt tensioner

New viscous fan clutch 

New oil pressure sensor

Replacement automatic gearbox

And now this. I've only had it  7 months. It's just one thing after another and it has totally failed to be anything approaching reliable since I got it. Useless.

I know, old cars, but so many have provided great service with the usual bits and bobs understandably required.

So, bearing in mind I'm losing my job soon, I'm going to spend on the 75 which has been a great car and just needs 2 bottom arms (which I have), some foutering with the handbrake and a bit more of the same with the airbag wires. I know after that it will give more good service.

I'll sorn the E46 until I decide to either fix and keep or fix and sell, once I get a new job sorted.

[S2000]

Sorry to here about the ungrateful bastard and the job situation….. if you don’t mind me asking what line of work are you looking for?

[Split_Pin]

I also had 2 free HVAC panels for the 9-5 and the existing one has gone dark on one side. Tried each of them, both pieces of shit, ah well at least the original one has nicer condition buttons.

[Split_Pin]

1 minute ago, S2000 said:

Sorry to here about the ungrateful bastard and the job situation….. if you don’t mind me asking what line of work are you looking for?

Cheers man, anything Risk Management in the financial world 😊

[vulgalour]

I now know how to replace the front door locks and window regulator on a Renault 5.  Not a terrible job as it happens with the added bonus of using a cable rather than scissor type mechanism for the regulator so no danger to the digits.  It also means I have a fully operational passenger door for the first time.  Tomorrow I'm hoping to do the driver's door.  Also finally got the sump plug crush washers for the Princess so it can stop sweating power every time it's parked, another job for tomorrow while I'm sorting the Renault door.

Once the Renault doors are sorted it should be time to book an MoT.  I know the locks and windows aren't technically vital for the MoT, it just looks better when you present a vehicle where basic stuff like that actually works the way its supposed to I think.  Hoping to give it a wash too so it's a bit less green on the outside, the inside isn't actually that bad.

[chaseracer]

17 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

I love seeing older equipment still being in use in non public facing settings, especially when there has clearly been an essence of make do and mend going on.  In this case some evidence of the one out of three service life cars and it's call panel that has been replaced with a modern one having donated a number of buttons to the control panel of one of the older cars.

No surprises that these 1981 Express Lifts units run waaaaaaaay more smoothly than the car shinier 2005 ones in the public facing areas of the hotel.  One of which was broken before we even got here (though we almost invariably break one through the course of the weekend), which is why we've been allowed to use the service lifts as well - as having 1500+ people in a hotel this shape trying to use effectively 1.5 lifts (one of the main ones is tiny) in a hotel this shape just ain't going to work!

Would have been better if the hotel had been more on the ball about making sure they were all working before we got here though.  Even though the engineering nerd in me has now been ensuring I make a point to use the older lift just because I can.

I'm not a total lift nerd, but I can see why some folks are.  The older ones really are some of the most nicely engineered bits of equipment that nobody ever thinks about.  I do kind of regret not getting some parts of the service lift from our old work building when it was being demolished.  It was the original one from when the building went up in 1968 and was astonishingly original aside from a couple of timers and a rectifier block.  All relay logic and thermal timers - the control cabinet was a work of art.  Unfortunately it also weighed about a quarter of a tonne and I had no way to move it.  Should have at least grabbed a call panel or something.

Glasgow?

[chaseracer]

17 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

I love seeing older equipment still being in use in non public facing settings, especially when there has clearly been an essence of make do and mend going on.  In this case some evidence of the one out of three service life cars and it's call panel that has been replaced with a modern one having donated a number of buttons to the control panel of one of the older cars.

No surprises that these 1981 Express Lifts units run waaaaaaaay more smoothly than the car shinier 2005 ones in the public facing areas of the hotel.  One of which was broken before we even got here (though we almost invariably break one through the course of the weekend), which is why we've been allowed to use the service lifts as well - as having 1500+ people in a hotel this shape trying to use effectively 1.5 lifts (one of the main ones is tiny) in a hotel this shape just ain't going to work!

Would have been better if the hotel had been more on the ball about making sure they were all working before we got here though.  Even though the engineering nerd in me has now been ensuring I make a point to use the older lift just because I can.

Glasgow?

[wuvvum]

1 hour ago, brownnova said:

Our needs are changing though

Another sprog on the way?

[Wgl2019]

1 hour ago, brownnova said:

SRS Airbag service required light is on… which it wasn’t before. Hopefully just needs a code clearing. 

On my wife's C30 it will ping up the SRS warning light if any connection relating to an airbag is unplugged (or just knocked a bit), won't go out when plugged back in and needs a code reader to reset.

[richardmorris]

9 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

Another sprog on the way?

He needs a TV.

[Zelandeth]

21 minutes ago, chaseracer said:

Glasgow?

Correct.  The Crowne Plaza next door to the exhibition centre.

[chaseracer]

Stayed there a couple of years ago.  A charitable description would be "a bit tired"...

[richardmorris]

4 minutes ago, chaseracer said:

Stayed there a couple of years ago.  A charitable description would be "a bit tired"...

And an honest description?

[chaseracer]

1 minute ago, richardmorris said:

And an honest description?

Needs thoroughly updating.  None of the electrics worked in the first room offered.  Very decent breakfast, though.

[Zelandeth]

Think it was five years or so back they did a pretty big refit. 

Haven't really had any complaints saved for the lifts not exactly being able to handle 1500 (think there's actually nearer 1700 of us this year) people absolutely hammering them for a whole weekend.

Admittedly this is the first year that there's been one broken before we even got here!

Rooms are clean, tidy and everything works.  Even if the ridiculously narrow baths make the showers incredibly awkward to use.

There is a not insubstantial amount of confetti in the ceiling lights in the biggest function room.  That is *entirely* our fault (or rather our over enthusiastic stage crew and an ongoing battle with another convention as to who can use the most of the stuff).  Sorry. 

[chaseracer]

And while I was in town I had the pleasure of a meal at a Greek restaurant and a pint in a really good pub with @davidfowler2000, who is always top company.

[Bren]

Visited the gym. In one of the gents traps somebody was making a sound akin to John Hurt when he dies in Alien.

[brownnova]

2 hours ago, wuvvum said:

Another sprog on the way?

No… definitely not that!

Just we have the wife’s car on a pcp coming to an end and we want to go to down to one family lugger car. But the XC90 just isn’t economical enough to fulfil that role, and Mrs_B’s car is too small. 
 

Create more space for proper shite for me to use! 

[Zelandeth]

Drums 'n' Roses are still bloody brilliant. 

Show finished best part of a. Hour ago - My *brain* is still vibrating.  

[davehedgehog31]

Spent the last week on holiday in the Netherlands. We planned to spend a day in Amsterdam with an overnight stay, before heading to Efteling Monday to Friday. This is a large fantasy and fairytale themed theme park, more for my son's benefit, but it turned out to be great.

Decided on the ferry from Newcastle to Ijmuiden, I hate the airport experience and always feel like the ferry is a bit of an adventure and an extension of the holiday rather than just a means of travel. The ferry is also good value once you consider the costs of flights, airport parking and car hire/onward travel at the far end. Car of choice was the Lexus GS450h, which is somehow nearly 12 years old so I'd say it belongs on this side of the forum.

Given there were four of us travelling and the Lexus weird luxury car trick of being huge, but having little cabin space, I advised the boy to pack light.

After a leisurely drive down to North Shields from Ayrshire we boarded the ferry quite early after a hearty lunch on land, the buffet on the DFDS ferry is very good, but also about £28 a skull. We spent a good few hours in the bar before going back to the cabin. We got a cabin at the front of the ship which made for a spectacular sunrise on Sunday morning.

We spent the day in Amsterdam doing to usual tourist stuff, had a wander around the centre and took a canal boat trip. I've been there a few times already, but we had a very pleasant but cold day for a look around. 

*Taken on OnePlus Potato Cam

Our digs for the night were at the Holiday Inn in Amsterdam Noord, just over the river from the city centre so we made use of the free ferry over the river and returned by Metro train. The public transport, road and cycling infrastructure in the Netherlands is absolutely incredible. 

We headed to Efteling on Monday morning, about an 85 mile drive south from Amsterdam on beautifully smooth roads with some hugely impressive tunnels and other roads infrastructure. 

We stayed at Efteling Monday to Friday, in a self catering holiday house:

We were very lucky with the weather, it stayed dry all week, albeit very cold. 

Efteling started in the 1950s as a fairytale forest attraction and has since grown into the second most visited theme park in Europe.

I had a sense of trepidation, we went to Disneyland Paris this time last year and while on the whole I enjoyed it, just about, the enjoyment was mostly gleaned from my lad having a good time. It was heaving with people, extortionately expensive and VERY American, obviously.

However, I loved our week here, it was busy enough to have a bit of a buzz of excitement, but there were no long queues. The park itself was great, the attention to detail is incredible, everything had a back story and given large parts of the park are over 70 years old, there's actual history to the place. We ate in the park a couple of times and was impressed with the quality and the prices were probably little different to what you'd have paid outside the park. Totally different feel to Disneyland where I felt like I was just to be milked of cash at every turn..

I didn't take many photos, but would highly recommend the place for anyone with kids, or if you're just a big kid yourself...

Our house was great too, huge inside, nice and warm and well kitted out with everything you'd need for the week.

Unexpectedly, I was sad to be leaving on Friday. We drove back up to Ijmuiden for the ferry. A bit of a choppy crossing and a different crowd on the boat so we spent a few hours in the coffee shop on board before getting an early night.

Visiting The Netherlands, Germany or our Nordic neighbours really highlight how neglected, outdated and unfit much of our transport infrastructure is here. Properly depressing returning to the UK and having to endure the A69 and A70. Near Muirkirk I scudded a fucking huge pothole which had also been there on our way out a week earlier, probably claimed a few wheels in the interim.

Given this is an automotive forum, I should probably mention the car. The Lexus was a fine tool for the job. It's serene at speed and a comfy drive, while being really decent on fuel (averaged 37.5mpg with four people, lots of luggage and not hanging about). It does suffer from that luxury car syndrome of the passenger compartment feeling a touch cramped, it's not that big in there to begin with, then the front  seats are enormous, so there's not huge legroom in the rear. 

TLDR - Netherlands is great, I liked Efteling, Normal Island as depressing as ever. 

 

 

[The Vicar]

The Riley is finally being pressed into Sunday driver duties:

[Jenson Velcro]

Three weeks ago I changed the clutch and a driveshaft on our old Polo SDI.

Two weeks later it shits it’s gearbox.
 

Common sense says it’s time for the bridge, it’s 20 years old and done over 180k miles. It owes me nothing. I’ve had it since 3 years old, and done most of those miles. The kids have known it most of their lives, learnt to drive and taken their tests in it.

A quick trip to the breakers for another gearbox and a few hours rolling around on the drive and the car lives to fight another day. Sentimental stupidity on my part but the ‘cockroach’ goes on.

 

[meshking]

3 hours ago, The Vicar said:

The Riley is finally being pressed into Sunday driver duties:

That looks amazing! Perhaps I’m late to the party, but I’ve never seen that colour scheme on a Riley. Suits it perfectly- very Bugatti almost

[Popsicle]

Couriering Caddy was due another service, got it all done between a CT scan at the hospital and rain this afternoon. It shouldn't have taken so long, but as usual I'd put myself under time pressure and everything went wrong!

Some of the air filter housing screw heads had rusted up and become buggers to remove, I'd ordered 10 new ones when I last serviced it, I put them somewhere safe, could I fuck as like find them, after an hour of turning the study upside down I found them on the floor between the computer desk and bookcase. When I gently tapped a flat head onto the old rusty screws I managed to break a chunk of the air filter housing off! It was a clean break so easy enough to glue back together.

As I was on fire and doing so well, two of the poxy little T20 bolts that hold the fuel filter housing lid on decided today would be the time to strip the heads! I've always thought they were fragile little buggers and some spares would be handy, unfortunately I never got round to ordering any. They only have to be 5 or 8nm tight (depending on who you believe) so thought I'd get away with it. After filling the engine up with nice fresh oil, I checked for leaks and found the fuel filter housing weeping. I had to stop at this point and get changed as I had a CT scan booked at the hospital, sorry to the folk at Royal Derby Hospital I stunk of diesel! Once back I've managed to nip them up a little more and I think its just a tiny weep now, so new bolts have been ordered.

Why does everything go wrong when you're in a rush?

Took the obligatory photo to update my boring maintenance spreadsheet.

Turns out that it was the 25th time I'd serviced it in my ownership. My record for servicing one vehicle is 26 times, so nearly my most serviced vehicle. Also I've passed my highest ever mileage of 389k, hopefully theres still some life left in the old girl (and me)!

[High Jetter]

Back on the road soon or still taking it easy?

[hairnet]

4 hours ago, The Vicar said:

 

 

 

mount melleray?

[Popsicle]

30 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

Back on the road soon or still taking it easy?

I've started doing a little bit of couriering as my bank balance is looking truly awful after 14 months off work!

Todays scan was to see if the past year of immunotherapy has been successful, so fingers crossed.

How are you getting on after your op?

[wuvvum]

Between showers this weekend I got the new oil filler / breather assembly fitted to the Visa.

It was a twat of a job, with lots of bits in the way of other bits - it was a lot more difficult than dismantling it had been, partly because getting a bolt back into an awkwardly placed hole is a lot harder than taking it out, partly because I couldn't tighten certain bits until other bits had been fitted, but the other bits then blocked access to the certain bits, and partly because I had to reroute the vent pipework due to the new breather being a different design to the old one, which also got in the way.  It's all back together now though - the hose running from the top of the breather to the air box is bent more than I'd ideally like, because it's been forced into a different shape to what it was originally designed for, but although there's a kink in it it's not enough to close it off so that should be OK.  I took it for a quick spin round the block and it didn't chuck out any oil or blow off any hoses so that's good - it still smells quite strongly of oil but I assume that's the oil it chucked out before being burned off the exhaust.

Didn't get much else done as that took up most of my time and most of my mojo, but I did run the Merc and the Eos down to the jet wash - both were embarrassingly filthy and I also wanted to give the underside of the Eos a blast as I don't know when that was last done.  They look more respectable now.   I also crawled under the Maxus with a torch to check that it hasn't completely rotted away since the last MOT - it actually all looks pretty good under there, although one of the rear brake pipes is going to need a bit of loving and both rear flexi ferrules are also going to want a going over with a wire brush and some Kurust before I take it in for a test.

[gm]

2 hours ago, Jenson Velcro said:

Three weeks ago I changed the clutch and a driveshaft on our old Polo SDI.

Two weeks later it shits it’s gearbox.
 

Common sense says it’s time for the bridge, it’s 20 years old and done over 180k miles. It owes me nothing. I’ve had it since 3 years old, and done most of those miles. The kids have known it most of their lives, learnt to drive and taken their tests in it.

A quick trip to the breakers for another gearbox and a few hours rolling around on the drive and the car lives to fight another day. Sentimental stupidity on my part but the ‘cockroach’ goes on.

 

all I can see here is a red bini and a gearbox, makes me shudder !