The new news 24 thread

[Dave_Q]

Fines for that sort of thing are normally means tested so to get a low fine the driver is either:

a)poor

b)blagging the court that he is poor

c)some sort of black market entrepreneur with no paper assets

[xtriple]

That's the boy. I get confused with TVRs, bring back the old numbers system I say!

[fordperv]

Regular viewers may recall me waffling on about an accident last year that happened right in front of me in That London . A fuckwit in a Range Rover Sport managed drive into a black cab and flipped over.in the process putting 10 people in hospital and closing The Euston Rd for 3 hours during peak traffic. image.jpg

 

Well today I received this:

image.jpg

 

I was only a witness and I'm pissed off, imagine how the people whose vehicles were damaged or who were injured feel.

6 points and £200, WTAF? I'd probably get worse if caught speeding in the early hours on a deserted motorway.

Makes me wonder why I spend £3,000 a year on car insurances too!

What the actual fuck he put 10 people in hospital and had no insurance, i got a bigger fine years back when the idiot on the other end of the phone didn't put my insurance that I paid for in place and I was pulled over a few days into the policy, the court could saw my phone bill and bank statement as evidence that I rung and paid so i thought I was insured, but I was 19 and the judge was notorious for being a hard faced bugger, so even though evidence was on my favour, I still got points and a fine, I'm still bitter about it now

[stephen01]

I'm not a massive fan of these 'aero' type blades theses however are a very good buty and for the money they are great. I splashed good money on bosh ones and they were crap, juddered u and down.

[egg]

Some Chod what I did see down the docks today.

[xtriple]

I saw an 'actual' Micro car today.... being driven... and it looked okay! I had no idea what it was when I let it out so had to get close to see the badge - 'Axiom' but no idea on model.

 

One of the places I went to get a quote for paintwork rang me back today (amazing in itself but only a full week after he said he would) and he quoted me ....

 

ready for this?

 

 

 

 

Sure?

 

 

 

Last chance to look away.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

£1200 to fill the dent (about two inches round and half an inch deep) and spray the wing. Only the bottom of the wing mind.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He seemed quite put out when I suggested he was joking

[Ghosty]

'Axiom' - Aixam?

[xtriple]

'Axiom' - Aixam?

Give me a break, I was close

[ruffgeezer]

Isn't an Aixam one of those shitty little pull back things you used to be able to buy on a keyring for 99p?

[Christine]

I saw an 'actual' Micro car today.... being driven... and it looked okay! I had no idea what it was when I let it out so had to get close to see the badge - 'Axiom' but no idea on model.

 

One of the places I went to get a quote for paintwork rang me back today (amazing in itself but only a full week after he said he would) and he quoted me ....

 

ready for this?

 

 

 

 

Sure?

 

 

 

Last chance to look away.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

£1200 to fill the dent (about two inches round and half an inch deep) and spray the wing. Only the bottom of the wing mind.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He seemed quite put out when I suggested he was joking

Coded paint most likely 

[purplebargeken]

At that price I'd be learning to love the dent. 

[xtriple]

Yeah its special paint only available to bona fide tradesmen who can prove to Bentleys satisfaction they have passed the course on how to prise open owners wallets and then make them feel grateful to have been so  relieved.

 

He hadn't passed...

[Slappy]

Valeo aero blade on mine is juddery and shit after barely 6 (admittedly hard) months. I'll give it a decent wash when I get the chance. Wiping the blade itself seems to help a bit for a short while. But I do need to properly clean my screen too.

 

Brakes felt odd this morning too, like they were cleaning rust off, as if having not been used in a week or so. Except I had used it last night. Same happened after work today too. Seemed to get up to temp ok, and no noticeable change in stopping ability in comparison to normal, so I think I can rule out a stone in the caliper hopefully.

 

The current pads are shit in any case, so I'm looking to upgrade from Britpart or whoever my garage found cheapest. Only a Fiesta, but I like to be able to stop which doesn't seem to be happening much right now, so any recommendations?

[stuboy]

Bored at home .. somehow removed battery from my scooter and put on charge, been off road 2 years and now this year it will be mot'd and used

[xtriple]

Today I have relegated the dollop to a different parking space and got the little Mazda into use. I have been all energetic..... and sprayed waxoyl  everywhere: wheel arches, sills, front chassis rails, underneath suspension components and inside the boot and doors. It was cold when I did it.... it is now warm.... the wax has run out EVERYWHERE!

 

Fuckstix!

 

I have also been to my storage unit (still amazed at how much I pay to store such utter crap!) and with the help of the boss there, removed and stored the hardtop.... watch it fucking snow now for the next three weeks!

 

Also, won 5 tapes on eBay auctions. Including postage, total cost, £9. I'm quite looking forward to playing tapes again, wonder how long it will be before one unravels or breaks and jams the cassette deck completely?

 

Right, off out now to get waxoyl off the car and see if its got a roof!

[dollywobbler]

This picture makes me happy for several reasons.

 

1. XMs are just gorgeous.

2. Sunlit Welsh hills are just gorgeous.

3. The trailer works again!

4. The next stage of Project 2CV can now take place.

[xtriple]

Washed the car and then got all the excess 'waxoyl' off with a combination of copious rubbing with a damp cloth and loads and loads of swearing - sticky stuff is 'waxoyl'!   Then gave it another rinse and decided to use my new leather.... which made a reet fuckin' mess! It seems to be full of soap or something! I had to chuck another bucket of water over the car and wash out the leather about ten times to get it clean.

 

It was brand new (synthetic - too cheap to buy a genuine leather!) and took ages to clean out.

 

Anyway, car now looks brilliant, Put the roof up, and fuck a duck, it's tight!  Suppose it didn't help that it's  been under the hardtop for Christ knows how long. Seems to be a gap between the roof and windscreen and I was pretty sure it was going to leak.... sprayed loads of water around the join with the hose and it 'seems' to be alright, dry etc. Maybe it'll loosen with a bit of use?

[Pete-M]

Today I've fixed one, bridged one and condemned one.

 

Condemned one was a 54 plate K series Rover 45. A stream of coolant from the head / block interface... obviously.

 

Bridged one was a Mk3 Golf 1.4. Camshaft knocking loud enough to drown out the Battle of the Somme and the shell required massive amounts of hot metal knitting action.

 

Bridged at £74 @ 0.94 ton, so that's an improvement on the £25/ton that was the price recently.

[Honey Badger]

Valeo aero blades on my Accord have been great for about 2 years now, the set on the Lexus are still good after 18 monyhs as well.

 

Enjoying a "spirited" drive home tonight i thought what a glorious sound the V6 was making. It was still making it when i stopped on the drive.

 

The flanges holding one of the rear silencers to the Y piece have rotted out, the actual pipes are fine the joint just opens up a bit when you give it some beans emmiting a nice V6 growl, dont people pay extra for that on new cars?

 

Any suggestions for a repair?

[rrsix]

Washed the car and then got all the excess 'waxoyl' off with a combination of copious rubbing with a damp cloth and loads and loads of swearing - sticky stuff is 'waxoyl'!   Then gave it another rinse and decided to use my new leather.... which made a reet fuckin' mess! It seems to be full of soap or something! I had to chuck another bucket of water over the car and wash out the leather about ten times to get it clean.

 

It was brand new (synthetic - too cheap to buy a genuine leather!) and took ages to clean out.

 

Anyway, car now looks brilliant, Put the roof up, and fuck a duck, it's tight!  Suppose it didn't help that it's  been under the hardtop for Christ knows how long. Seems to be a gap between the roof and windscreen and I was pretty sure it was going to leak.... sprayed loads of water around the join with the hose and it 'seems' to be alright, dry etc. Maybe it'll loosen with a bit of use?

 

If you don't know, wash the leather in the machine with non bio liquid (if you have it) and vinegar in the softener hole. 30/40 degrees I have a synthetics cycle on mine. Do a rinse wash after too. air dry and it should be grand.

 

Re the hood if you leave it up a few days and get it in the sun and I suspect it will stretch out. The one on my wedge was the same and this solved it. 

[AlabamaShrimp]

Mrs Shrimp tells me last night she's hit a big pothole in the ST but it's all OK. She went out in it all OK said no more about it.

 

I take it out and it's making a weird sound. Pulled to the left on breaking but I didn't think the obvious as it's such a hard ride normally but then found this.

 

 

 

Not too easy to see but there's a rip in the side wall

 

 

Wife was still sure it's not the hole near the house that's done it but now thinks she's driven in a few more on the way back from work yesterday.

 

Put on the never used space saver as it'll only sit on the drive till I get a yet another new tyre

 

Before I found the damage I'd tried to blow it back up. The mini compressor wouldn't work and was rattling. Took it apart

 

 

The pin at the bottom of the piston was out and the pot metal casing had all exploded. I know it was cheap years ago but what a day to break

[fordperv]

Oooh shit, any rim damage?

[AlabamaShrimp]

Not as far as I can tell. Will cry if there is when I get it balanced

[Rusty_Rocket]

Bad luck.  I've got to say, your wheels and tyres would last two miles 'round here before the gaping chasms in the road would smash them to sh*t.. 

[Asimo]

Brake pads? Have become a fan of EBC red pads since fitting them to the Subaru a few years ago. They felt a lot better than the OEM pads, they last well, and this is the best bit, none of that creeping rust from the edges of the disc that ruins discs so quickly. Whole swept area stays clean and shiny!

So well worth the extra cost. Would buy again.

[vulgalour]

Rover has been sluggish to start past couple of days.  With the MoT on Tuesday I think it's trying to break itself to fit in with all my other old heaps.

[wuvvum]

Well due to being monumentally f***ed about by the camper hire place, my planned road trip across the US isn't going to happen.  I'm still going, but rather than driving a camper from Chicago to San Francisco and then a Mustang down to LA, I'm going to be bumming about in the Midwest for a week or so in a hire car (Chicago for a couple of days, then up into Michigan, maybe even briefly across into Canada), staying in cheap hotels, then getting a flight to LA, hiring another car, driving out to Vegas, night in Vegas then across for a quick look at the Grand Canyon before driving back for a couple of days in LA. 

 

My two friends who I'm going with are going to visit Chicago with me, then fly to San Francisco and spend the week there before driving down the coast in the Mustang as originally planned, and we'll then meet up in LA for the last couple of days.  It's kind of a shame we're not staying together, but I've had holidays in LA and SF twice already (and driven the coast road once, albeit in a Chrysler Sebring convertible rather than a 'Stang), and I fancy seeing somewhere different.  It's also worked out more expensive this way, but that's life I s'pose, innit.  Plus being a self-centred twat I kind of like being able to do whatever the fuck I want without having to compromise all the time.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I've been up the garage tonight and fitted a new CV boot and timing belt on the campervan.

[vulgalour]

I'll second RRsix on the roof up advice.  Get some suitable cleaner/feed for it (vinyl or mohair?) to help it along.  Could well be the roof is tight because it's still effectively brand new, especially if it's spent most of its life with the hardtop on.  Or it could have shrunk like the one on my horrible old Golf floppytop but even that got better with some vinyl cleaner and use.

[dave21478]

Insured the Panda for 108 euros for a year fully comp. Im not sure if I should be happy or not with that. Its not a lot of money for a years insurance by anyones standards, but since its officially a "classic" over 30 years old every classic insurer advertises prices from 26 euros a year assuming its over 30 and you have a modern daily. I guess you have to have an 1876 Horsey Horseless and do less than 8 kilometers a year to get that sort of price.

 

Anyway, its done now, so shut up and stop moaning, Dave.

Except its not done as since its apparently still 1987 here it all has to be done by recorded delivery post, so Feck knows when the cover might actually start. I have sent the signed quote back to them today, they will receive it and send me a cover note and updated contract to sign....no mention of paying has been made yet. I assume they will actually want the money at some point. I will probably have to transfer it by Minitel or something.