The new news 24 thread

[Ghosty]

It's even worse out here where I am, in at least 4 inches.

Our neighbours apparently got a brand new M3 yesterday, I feel sorry for them.

As for all our neighbours with recent financed crossovers (Sportages, Crapqais, a Mazda, Ford Ecosport, it goes on) - we're just laughing at them as our twenty year old four-wheel drive Audi soldiers on like it's nothing.

Only 4wd on the road

[Lukas]

Hopefully only with winter-tires, as a 4WD needs to stop too! 

[Coprolalia]

Don't be irritated, buy it and run it for pennies and laugh your socks off when the VW mob realise all the scarecrows are gone, the boat has been missed and the few that do still exist will surely be worth a few bob.

I went to the National Scirocco Rally and there were only 54 there.

 

 

You haven't seen one because it was already frightening everyone even before I paid £XX,XXX for welding & a pop top roof to be fitted last year.

That's when I thought I might have been better off buying a holiday cottage than a manky old VW van.

My current plan of attack thus far. There's gotta come a time when the scene tax kicks in right? Right???

 

What was the register national meet like? I was working that weekend (as always) but tempted this year.

[omegod]

Had a look over that last night bud, I'm feeling £600-£1500 dependent on mileage and mintiness

 

It's worth less than you think .... Check with these chaps: http://sciroccoregister.co.uk/carforum/

 

Had a good look over it , rust free 125k GT2 with a hanging damp dog hair matted interior and the ignition key is missing. She's been offered 500 so told her to push for 600 

[dollywobbler]

Obligatory (and yes, it's on winter tyres).

 

Downside to such a tiny car is that it doesn't fit in the ruts made by everyone else...

[Junkman]

Hopefully only with winter-tires, as a 4WD needs to stop too! 

 

Trust me, you don't need to buy Winter tyres for three hours of snow in five years.

[hairnet]

connect 2wd did stalybridge and back today

 

sacked off glossop due to i would need 4wd

[Lacquer Peel]

Trust me, you don't need to buy Winter tyres for three hours of snow in five years.

 

Winter tyres aren't only for snow. I agree that a decent quality set of rain tyres all year round is fine for most of the UK.

[Eddie Honda]

...but the 797 days of pissing rain and the 476 days it's fucking cold they have their uses.

[stuboy]

2 days ago had an ..

 

http://www.physio-pedia.com/Arthroscopic_Meniscectomy

 

so no ​driving for 2 weeks now... on crutches and bloody handbrake snapped on my car too.

​

[xtriple]

PDR guy came out, John, really nice bloke and good at his job (done stuff for me before) and we tried all ways to get access to the back of the dent in the wing. The only way is through the door hinge holes, but with the door open, it is totally covering the dent so he can't see to do it! He doesn't want to take the door off, and neither do I as it looks proper nasty. So bodyshops....

 

Anyone who thinks I'm bashing the trades, stop reading here................................................................

 

Phoned two, and got blanked straight away. Didn't even want to see it as it's 'not the kind of thing we do anymore'. A third said that he can do five 'Smart repairs' in the time it would take to do it right. So I said 'charge me for five Smart repairs then'.... he declined.

 

Finally got a half hearted reply, and told to bring it over. So I did.

 

They guy could not have been less interested in the job if I'd said I was only paying in jelly babies. So, I thought, lets sweeten the deal a bit.... and I asked him to quote for all the bits and pieces it needs doing - full respray if needs be. He said (honestly, no word of a lie) 'If you offered me ten grand to respray it, I'd turn it down, too risky, too much to go wrong'.

 

It's not just garage/bodshops though, a mate of mine had booked a guy to fit a new kitchen and bathroom in his flat, booked before Christmas at that and with the job due to start, the guy has cancelled as he can do a lot more small jobs in the same amount of time.

 

John (the dent guy) said he cannot get anyone to do the mechanical bits for him... and, he wants a patio building at home. There was chap parked on his street with a sign written van, doing patio's so he stopped and had a chat. Even though the bloke was already in his street, he wouldn't go round to Johns house, have a look and give him a price. He said he doesn't mind waiting....

 

Couldn't be bothered, too busy. Turns out this guy lives in Johns road.

 

What the fuck is going on?

 

I don't mind paying, I don't mind paying cash, I'm not in a hurry, I'm a decentish sort of bloke and I don't talk to people like they are cunts. It seems, from talking to people, getting anything done nowadays here is a nightmare.

 

Right, as you were, flame suit is donned and ready so whoever wants to have a pop at me is more than welcome.

[oldcars]

Shame the bother your having. I'm lucky my pal in a painter, old school very very good at what he does. Asked him to do the Reliant 2 years ago and he spent ages finding out all about painting grp as he had never done one before. He luckily knows a good pdr chap too. I called one pdr chap years ago, and when i told him i had a 7 year old Kia at the time he said, just leave the dent i wouldnt waste time on a cheap old car. Cheek!

[Junkman]

The first ever Jaguar dealership ceases to deal Jaguars.

It's RA Creamer in Kensington, est. 1927.

 

 

They say they can't meet the corporate requirements anymore and are handing back their franchise, and two royal warrants.

 

There is an article here: http://www.motortrader.com/motor-trader-news/automotive-news/jaguar-dealer-queen-exits-franchise-19-01-2016

[xtriple]

And fuck me if karma hasn't just got back to me!

 

Bloke I spoke to ages ago about doing the bumper on the car has just rung and said he's got a slot for me - March the 24th! Told him I now need a wing repair as well, and I said if you are feeling energetic... do the bonnet and a few other bits.... No problem.... 

[barefoot]

My current plan of attack thus far. There's gotta come a time when the scene tax kicks in right? Right???

What was the register national meet like? I was working that weekend (as always) but tempted this year.

We went last year.

To be honest it was deadly dull. All of the cars were polished to within an inch of their lives. Ours had that lived in look and had the back seat removed and a dog in the back. Cosford air museum was very interesting.

Folk were friendly enough, but we've not got involved in anything else they've done and probably won't go again.

Forum is very helpful, not entertaining like here. But questions are answered and parts can seemingly be found easily enough if you ask.

[cms206]

What have I become

My Swedish friend?

Every brick I know goes away...

In the end.

And you could have it all...

My empire of chod.

I will let you down

I will make you hurt

 

 

The workshops at CMS_TOWERS X-UD dizzler misery just now.

[hairnet]

i only see one misery

[cros]

I take back the nasty things I said about Kettering- I went to an auto-electrical place this afternoon for a relay and saw a pair that made me stop in the middle of the road to take these shitty photos. J reg in better shape than the Merc sat on its back, the car's front wheelarch was mostly eaten away.

 

 

[phil_lihp]

I would do terrible things to get a Mk2 Transit, it's quite possible there is no cooler way to travel.

[cros]

I have travelled many thousands of miles in Mk 1 and 2 transits in the 70's, they were absolute heaps driven flat out whenever possible. V4 is not a nice engine, but overall the vans never let us down. They were a heroic design, nothing else around at the time came close. 

[dieselassist]

...my ex-unit neighbour, a Latvian fella, who I bump into, occasionally in the local motorfactors/breakers, told me of a mega cheap mk2 transit 'Proper camper' down in Kerry for €800 - he works on a road line painting team, so comes across quite a few old heaps, travelling round with his work... he says its petrol pinto powered, n a bit 'shooky' looking (his English isn't gr12, but I took this as meaning/rusty/coming apart at the seams... one to investigate for the future....perhaps.

 

I spent the latter half of today, in the wilds of limerick (kilmallock), relieving a well 'shook' looking Disco of its steering box, as mine is hopelessly leaky, n failed the test on it; managed to trackdown a €70 one off a farmer who didn't "know fuggall' about the price o dem" so I offered 70 for it (they go for €150 for a 2nd hand one here), with the agreement I removed it... steering box n everything on the underside was caked in shite, it was impossible to see if was a leaker or not - minimum fluid, just in the lines...

 

His yard was a soup of bovine by-product, n I got majorly filty in under it, relieving it of its box with the front 6 foot high in the air via one tied strap, on the front loader of his tractor - a long bath has since been taken the washing machine

is fully loaded n set to 'pre-wash/heavy soil' - tho they may be for the bin...

 

..remarkably this was still on the road up till 3 weeks ago - missing left taillamps n one headlamp, n no front indicators, n completely hammered looking.... tis how the farmers roll here, but tis heap was on another mad'max level...

[catsinthewelder]

From that angle it looks slightly less battered than Ms C's pride and joy 200tdi,  I have bought the old girl a new headlamp surround though as the indicator lense of many quality street wrappers has become rather clear.  The breaker/mechanic chap I got it from was muttering something about replacing a gear in the transfer box with one with holes for better oil flow,  frankly if he can stop the bugger from leaking while he's at it then he has earnt the £100 he quoted.

[xtriple]

A 99 Mazda has its indicators on the 'correct' side (left like all modern stuff - even the Bentley) whereas a 98 Mazda of the same model has its indicators on the RIGHT hand side - much confusion occurred when in a strange city with road works and the one road you know you need to take to get out, is closed - wipers do NOT tell people behind you much!

 

Also heard an old Transit in Maccy Ds carpark and, dear God I was sure the crank was making a bid for freedom. I have never heard an engine make suck a loud and awful racket in a vehicle which is still being used!

 

Also, the bloody howl monster is laying in the sunny bit in front of the door... he has just managed to pull the phone and internet cables out and knocked two pictures of the wall.

[Lacquer Peel]

The right hand side is the correct side for the indicator stalk on a right hand drive car. Anything else is a LHD-RHD conversion compromise.

[fordperv]

I can't remember who it was who wrote the suggestion on here about using furniture polish on lazy to return seatbelts, a big thankyou whoever it was, my saphs passenger seatbelt has been lazy to return since I had it and it's been bugging me, I had a bit of time spare earlier and sprayed it up, moved it in and out a good few times and it now returns.

[Stanky]

Fixed the Saab central locking! Hooray!

 

since about October, the passenger side rear door refused to lock/unlock on the remote fob - just suddenly went on strike one day. I decided it was hardly a problem as it tends to be just me driving, however Micro_Stanky's seat is on that side so was occasionally a pain (though she's now a pro at unlocking it manually) - however a cursory google of the cause did throw up the concerning possibility that failure to operate on the RCL was usually swiftly followed by seizure of the entire mechanism. if this happens when its in the locked position - which is where I left it - a serious, and possibly life-threatening sense of humour failure could ensue, when the door is shut and locked and can't be fixed without getting the door to open - usually by using an angle grinder.

 

So today I stripped the door down, got the old mechanism out via the door handle hole, bypassing the need to remove the glass and window runners which looked like a right pain in the dick and got a replacement one in.

 

This video is an absolute lifesaver - anyone else with a Saab 9-3 or possibly vectra C take note!

 

A few issues occurred when I connected the lock actuator and door handle actuator the wrong way round, which meant when I tried to open it the first time nothing happened, but looking at the unit I removed made clear what I had done wrong and it was relatively easy to sort out, even though the door was closed - thankfully I'd not yet fitted the door card so still had OK access.

 

Full operation has now resumed! The iffy drivers-side rear will want looking at later in the year but I know what I'm doing now. It didn't even rain much while I was doing it.

[Lacquer Peel]

 

[Stanky]

Drill a hole through the floor so it can drain into the tank?

[skattrd]

I'd park on a hill and go for a walk.

[Stanky]

I'd park on a hill and go for a walk.

 

Just don't forget to approach it downhill on your return!