The new news 24 thread

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Returned a crank sensor today to Euro Car Parts, the sensor was completely wrong. I thought to myself "typical euro car parts" but it turns out the sensor had been purchased by a garage, returned to ECP and the garage had just put a random sensor in the box to get a refund. Happens all the time apparently! Free sensor for the garage, doesn't help with my cynicism towards garages though. 

 

 

Similar thing happened with an air filter for me recently.  Was dirty and obviously used when I got it out of the box.  I don't normally go for Crosland ones but I might do from now on because their boxes have the tamper seal on them.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Non-car-related by I am a master of electronics shite.

 

Fixed my old iPod with an SD card adapter.  The old 1.8" HDD bit the dust a couple of years ago.  I'm going to New York in a few weeks and don't like listening to music using my phone, so thought I'd get the old beast working.

 

Nice thing is that if I want to, I can easily get a 256GB SD card if I need it.  The 128 in there is big enough but it's easy to change it out now I know how to take the iPod apart.

 

[vulgalour]

Getting antsy about houses now.  The chances of us moving in December is getting higher with every passing week.  We at least have a new shortlist, frustratingly some of the houses on the shortlist are properites that sold before we got to view them the first time around much earlier in the year and that makes me think there's probably something wrong with them and we'll have the same sort of merry old dance that has caused us to have three failed purchases so far.

 

I only need to give one month notice on my current place, bf needs to give 2.  That, combined with the predicted 4-6 weeks of paperwork from the point you agree to buy the house to being allowed to move in does not give me much confidence that there's enough time for it to happen this year.

 

If I never take part in trying to buy another house, it will be too soon.

[HMC]

Just finished up at work,

Quick trip to the car before I visit the local Chinese (back of shot)

 

As of tomorrow it’s my sole 4 wheeled transport (until next Thursday and Bramz7 and I go on a 100% Italian road-trip)

[tapir]

do i need my eyes testing?

https://approvedusedminis.co.uk/vehicle/201809190657381

[The Moog]

 

I only need to give one month notice on my current place, bf needs to give 2.  That, combined with the predicted 4-6 weeks of paperwork from the point you agree to buy the house to being allowed to move in does not give me much confidence that there's enough time for it to happen this year.

 

If I never take part in trying to buy another house, it will be too soon.

 Quickest I have ever bought and moved into a house is 3 months. That was with no chain, mortgage sorted and a repossession so a quick sale.  Everything takes forever.  Plus once you get to December, solicitors, estate agents etc pretty much stop working. 

[omegod]

having had a 'heated' telephone call earlier, I was a tad wound up so just wanted to do something different. In a flash of inspiration I decided to get the roof lining out of the Jaguar, didn't look tooooooo difficult to be honest so could fill an hour or so where my blood pressure would fall back to 'human' levels.

 

Bloody stupid poxy thing was the easiest job I've ever done on a car, it was out of the car inside ten minutes! But, just to 'not let me down' it proved to be a right mess, all the foam on the fibreglass board has just gone flakey and came off with a rub from the fingers. The cloth itself is in fine order but the back of it is stained with glue/foam and I have no idea how to get it off?

 

I was told that to have a successful head lining, 80% of the board should be glued, this I reckon has 20 - 30% at best. This bare in mind is a professional, new headlining made for the car at a cost of £350 (not to me - last owner). Utter crap.

I just went to a big fabric shop to re do my saab 9000 headlining at the cost of £12 for something very close to original, scraped/hoovered off all the foam dust and used some spray glue designed for neoprene I recall, lesser glue lasted literally 10 minutes 

[chodweaver]

I have used mine on not the greatest of concrete floors and they have worked ok.

If you can get help it is quite a bit easier on not the smoothest surface.

 

Oh, I'm going to need help alright. The front wheels are on dollies now. Is there the slightest hint of movement across the tarmac?

 

IS THERE FOOK!

 

I've been wandering round and round the car, offering up trolley jacks, farm jacks, pieces of wood, pieces of steel tubing, trying to figure out what I can push or pull against and with what, to even get an inch of movement in the right direction.

 

Why haven't a bought a winch? And a Defender attached to it? And a farm on which to park the Defender? In fact, if I'd done all these things, I wouldn't have the situation of a large piece of Yank/Austrian tin being in the wrong place....

 

<sigh> Try again tomorrow

[somewhatfoolish]

The cloth itself is in fine order but the back of it is stained with glue/foam and I have no idea how to get it off?

 

Perhaps lob it through the washer on a cold wash?

 

I just went to a big fabric shop to re do my saab 9000 headlining at the cost of £12 for something very close to original, scraped/hoovered off all the foam dust and used some spray glue designed for neoprene I recall, lesser glue lasted literally 10 minutes

It definitely needs to be high temp impact adhesive, otherwise you'll be wearing the cloth as a keffiyeh quite quickly.

[Kiltox]

Quickest I have ever bought and moved into a house is 3 months. That was with no chain, mortgage sorted and a repossession so a quick sale. Everything takes forever. Plus once you get to December, solicitors, estate agents etc pretty much stop working.

4 months and counting. Actually nearly 7 but that bit’s my own fault

[Ghosty]

Off to Peebo tomorrow, for some slightly straighter parts for my GTi. Good *enough*, anyway, if not perfect. I think I might end up wobbing a dent in the bonnet...

 

After we're done down there, I'm giving the parts vendor a lift to a car he won on eBay a few hours ago... don't think he's on here but he has JohnK and Dollywobbler on Facebook.

[eddyramrod]

Tomorrow is MrsR's birthday...

[Liggle]

4 months and counting. Actually nearly 7 but that bit’s my own fault

We started a week before Xmas and moved in 4th April, had to threaten to pull out in month 4 to get things moving. Don't let that put you off though Vulgalour we would do it all again, the house is worth it.

 

In contrast my first house purchase was a textbook no chain 5 week job.

[alcyonecorporation]

Off to Peebo tomorrow, for some slightly straighter parts for my GTi. Good *enough*, anyway, if not perfect. I think I might end up wobbing a dent in the bonnet...

 

After we're done down there, I'm giving the parts vendor a lift to a car he won on eBay a few hours ago... don't think he's on here but he has JohnK and Dollywobbler on Facebook.

Where in Poobo?

[R9UKE]

Realised the Laguna Baccara is now out of MOT so it's been getting the cobwebs blown off and will hopefully get a date next week.  

 

[Tickman]

I only need to give one month notice on my current place, bf needs to give 2.  That, combined with the predicted 4-6 weeks of paperwork from the point you agree to buy the house to being allowed to move in does not give me much confidence that there's enough time for it to happen this year.

 

 

 

 Quickest I have ever bought and moved into a house is 3 months. That was with no chain, mortgage sorted and a repossession so a quick sale.  Everything takes forever.  Plus once you get to December, solicitors, estate agents etc pretty much stop working. 

 

 

I have managed a 4 weeks from offer to keys but that is down to our solicitor being brilliant, he has managed a 10 days for someone once!

[beko1987]

Crikey it's an autoshite Peterborough convention, I'm off there tomorrow!

 

Well, I'm blasting through and out the other side, then London, then back, then Skipton, then back, then Essex, then back then home via Northampton!

[tobyd]

Stealth mode going on at the front left of that Laguna.

[Broadsword]

Today I drove a VW Lupo 1.7 SDi. It drove exactly like one of those lawnmower tractors. It was just about as fast as a lawnmower too. Given the lack of a service history and quite scruffy bodywork I determined £700 was way too much to pay. I might have took it home for £500. It was fun in a way but boy was it loud.

[bramz7]

Slightly regret not buying Bjorn's cheap as heck 9-3 today. I've somehow developed some massive Saab itch I feel the need to scratch.

 

(Has to be FJ compatible in any case before anyone tells me about the roffle one)

 

Are they any good or will my lust of comfy French barges and thrash til death Italian stuff sully my opinion?

[Ghosty]

Where in Poobo?

Ramsey Mereside, in the flats to the south.

[Guest Hooli]

Slightly regret not buying Bjorn's cheap as heck 9-3 today. I've somehow developed some massive Saab itch I feel the need to scratch.

 

(Has to be FJ compatible in any case before anyone tells me about the roffle one)

 

 

Why isn't mine FJ compatible?

[bramz7]

No idea, they won't quote me though.

[Noel Tidybeard]

Outside in the pissing rain trying to change the Xantia's drive belt (bits flew off it last week), I had a delivery. It's about time I bought a car off bramz...

 

20180922_135749.jpg

 

These were an optional extra on the GTS-X. Frickin' YES.

 

20180922_135941.jpg

 

Standard equipment was this snazzy interior and sports steering wheel.

 

20180922_143650.jpg

 

I've given up on Xantia fixage today. Much more fun to potter about with the 19.

 

Edit: after reading the brochure properly, the yellow fogs were actually standard equipment. PAS was an option. Steering at slow speeds requires monumental effort, so this doesn't have it! Must check the pressures.

 

powa steering on a renner nnn19 isnt finger light anyway even with itsy bitsy 13" wheels!

[MikeR]

For the hell of it .I bought a new wiper blade for the drivers side .... 2 squid ..

[DodgeRover]

If I never take part in trying to buy another house, it will be too soon.

I'm hoping the next house auction catalogue comes through soon (see previous grumps re buying and selling) then at least you are pretty sure there will be a problem with whatever you are buying but at you can actually just buy it !!

[New POD]

We started a week before Xmas and moved in 4th April, had to threaten to pull out in month 4 to get things moving. Don't let that put you off though Vulgalour we would do it all again, the house is worth it.

 

In contrast my first house purchase was a textbook no chain 5 week job.

A move from Birmingham to Keighley for work with a relocation package took almost a year.

 

1st buyer feel through.

1st seller didn't need to move and didn't like the risks in a flying freehold in the 350 year old cottage he was buying.

2nd buyer told us they'd pull out if we didn't exchange

1st seller pulled out when given a similar ultimatum.

2nd Seller promised to move to rented if they hadn't found something suitable within 8 weeks. Then refused. Denied they'd ever promised that. Then pulled out when we have them a deadline.

3rd seller was a small developer. There was a short delay die to our solicitor insisting that the Water supply management company was set up correctly. That's right. I had to become a director of the company that owned the 2 bore holes owned jointly by 16 houses

I went for the first interview in March. Finally moved into new house on the edge of the Dales in the following March.

What I discovered is that everyone is a lying cunt .

[Timewaster]

Ramsey Mereside, in the flats to the south.

Thought for a moment, there are no apartment blocks in Ramsey Mereside....

 

Oh yeah. Flat.

 

I could probably see Ramsey Mereside from here as it's only about 20 miles.

[HMC]

Why isn't mine FJ compatible?

From experience FJ operate to varying age restrictions-

 

Saab- 15years+ (That 9-3 was 02, think your 9-5 is a 54?)

Alfa 15years+

Fiat 30years+ ( if memory serves)

I remember the fiat Alfa thing as at the time my 92 tipo was a no but a 2000 166 was a yes

It seems very arbitary - they said no to that 1995 Escort recently too.

 

Presumably some suited people in a mood room run through makes and decide what brands seem suitable. How else do you explain the fiat Alfa difference where a GTV is a classic but the very car whose underpinnings sired it (tipo) isn’t

 

In 2004 they allowed a 1993 Saab 900 classic onto a classic policy- so the goal posts have shifted over time.

[bramz7]

Indeed my Y reg 156 is fine.

T reg Marea, arguably rarer..hell no.

Any 605, nope.

Safrane, nope

XM, any age.

Xantia, any age.

BMWs...fuck knows.

MK1 Espace, no.

R21s, no.

R19s, no.

 

 

My Tipo was fine. Was over 25 when insured though.