The new news 24 thread

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Won a prize of a litre of LHM at the CX Technical Day.

Currently broken down on Eastbound A40 between Longford and Innsworth due to dead alternator and flat battery....

[richardmorris]

2 minutes ago, Tadhg Tiogar said:

Won a prize of a litre of LHM at the CX Technical Day.

Currently broken down on Eastbound A40 between Longford and Innsworth due to dead alternator and flat battery....

Bugger.

did the dash light work? Mine used to glow at night with the lights on and heater fan working.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

25 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

Bugger.

did the dash light work? Mine used to glow at night with the lights on and heater fan working.

No warning lights at all. I've pressed the test button and nothing lights up.

AA Relay (using Walls Recovery as contractors) have sent a transporter so now on the long way home....

[RobT]

I did a collection for bramz today.  Must say for the money he paid it's pretty good.  Full test too, which is nice.  Many sellers at this level just wouldn't bother.

I'll leave him to go into detail once he's collected it.  All I'll say is it's a turbo dizzler with the digidash, and plenty of pogged paintwork.  Excellent.

[HMC]

Excuse me while I have a crisis 

[BorniteIdentity]

Someone posted this on Twitter earlier. I’ve never seen it. How I wish it was GVG. We’ll never know.

 

[Stanky]

4 hours ago, Lacquer Peel said:

The Passat needs a suspension bush, working out which part I need has melted my brain.

 

Yo LP, there are nearly 59 numbers there, each week replace the part that corresponds to Saturday's bonus ball on the lottery. Helps spread the cost of the full replacement over a bit over a year too.

[Jazoli]

Taps aff weather in Glasgow 

Oh so you bought it, I tried twice, and failed.

[Fat_Pirate]

That's Mrs Fat_Pirates Saab, I wondered where it had ended up... in other news, check out this beauty.  

[The Moog]

I’ve been looking at Mazda MX-5s more and more recently. Did my usual and also had a look at a scrapped one at U-Pullit to see how bad they get killed to death. Epic chassis front leg rot seems to be a thing. Unfortunately such things don’t put me off. They are just perfectly proportioned. A test drive of the Snagglepuss MX-5 sparkles a gradual rise in wanting to try one.
I’m thinking after the next couple of cars have sold, I might be consider buying one.

Do it.

They are brilliant things - avoid as much rust as possible. If it is a keeper then LSD is a must - totally changes the car.

Thing is everything is cheap and fairly easy to replace.
New water pump - £30, new rad - £30

Makes other cars look expensive. As you say non interference so less hassles

[bramz7]

1 hour ago, RobT said:

I did a collection for bramz today.  Must say for the money he paid it's pretty good.  Full test too, which is nice.  Many sellers at this level just wouldn't bother.

I'll leave him to go into detail once he's collected it.  All I'll say is it's a turbo dizzler with the digidash, and plenty of pogged paintwork.  Excellent.

Cheers Rob, really appreciate the help! 

 

I have the eBay thread to blame for this one. To be fair, cheap!

[Broadsword]

6 minutes ago, snagglepuss said:

Do it.

They are brilliant things - avoid as much rust as possible. If it is a keeper then LSD is a must - totally changes the car.

Thing is everything is cheap and fairly easy to replace.
New water pump - £30, new rad - £30

Makes other cars look expensive. As you say non interference so less hassles

Yeah I am more than likely going to do it sooner rather than later. The Xantia surely will sell eventually and the XJS will soon be for sale (that should be worth something!) so some money should be incoming. I’m not sure what sort of budget to set. The rust thing is making me think get one with as long an MOT as possible. They might be a bastard to get through an honest test. Scanning eBay the number of ones for sale with no MOT is worrying. If they are all going to be quite rusty then keeping the initial investment low might be the way to go.

I know the NA is the one to have, but I’m happy to compromise with a NB if that meant I had more chance at getting a less rusty example for cheap. The NA looks remarkably like a Lotus Elan doesn’t it? I also love the look of the engine in these, old school loveliness.

[Lacquer Peel]

That looks excellent Bramz, can't wait to enter a roffle for it.

[cort16]

5 hours ago, Lacquer Peel said:

The Passat needs a suspension bush, working out which part I need has melted my brain.

 

Worth doing as they do like to snap wishbones after they've been squeaking for a bit. It happened to me and I used the big lump of sheared aluminium as a paper weight for yeats.

[SRi05]

28 minutes ago, Jazoli said:

3 hours ago, SRi05 said:

Taps aff weather in Glasgow 

Oh so you bought it, I tried twice, and failed.

Third time a charm perhaps? 

[The Moog]

Yeah I am more than likely going to do it sooner rather than later. The Xantia surely will sell eventually and the XJS will soon be for sale (that should be worth something!) so some money should be incoming. I’m not sure what sort of budget to set. The rust thing is making me think get one with as long an MOT as possible. They might be a bastard to get through an honest test. Scanning eBay the number of ones for sale with no MOT is worrying. If they are all going to be quite rusty then keeping the initial investment low might be the way to go.

I know the NA is the one to have, but I’m happy to compromise with a NB if that meant I had more chance at getting a less rusty example for cheap. The NA looks remarkably like a Lotus Elan doesn’t it? I also love the look of the engine in these, old school loveliness.

I think NA rusts where you can see it, NB rusts where you can't!

[Spottedlaurel]

The little Datsun 1200 was left at the garage last weekend for an MoT-type lookover. For various reasons it didn't go into the workshop at all last year and, despite now being exempt, I felt it really ought to have someone check it over even though it seems to be running and driving well enough.

It obviously didn't need much attention, as they gave it a proper MoT and it went straight through with no advisories. Nice to keep the bill down, at some point the Camry needs to be put through an MoT but that can wait as having three cars to sort within a month is a bit silly/painful.

Apparently I've done just over 1200 miles since it was last tested in 2017 and a bit under 2000 since buying it in 2015. Can't see it doing that many this year - I'll try and use it as often as possible, but work is just 10 miles from home so even if I take it in once or twice a week it still won't go up that much.

Archive photo of it at another local garage when the previous owner had it:

1973 Datsun 1200 2dr (B110) c.2000 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

[vulgalour]

Spotted a white Rover 200 on generic aftermarket looking alloys at the Co-op just round the corner from my house today.  In the three or so years I was driving about in my 400 I never saw another R8, so it's typical that not long after selling it I should see one pretty much on my doorstep.

Also saw what looked like a '34 Ford hot rod, in beige-ish, coming towards me, in the rear view mirror it had a Beetle engine (and soundtrack) hanging out the back.  Thought that was pretty neat.

[stuboy]

was going to go to motors by the moat at leeds castles, but at £26 entry fee (yearly ticket to a place i not want to go to much ) ill take a rain check on it..

[lanciamatt]

Wired a new radio into dedra this morning, had to solder it as couldn't get a adapter for it, electric ariel even works. 

[richardmorris]

I bought this dab adaptor from Aldi this morning. Fitted to the 2cv as the existing pure Highway was getting in the way.

https://www.aldi.co.uk/dab%2B-%26-fm-receiver/p/098154267771500

 

I was planning on putting the aerial on the back window as there really isn’t much space on the front screen. But, it needs to make a body contact to earth itself, and so had to go on the front and the earth is on the door a pillar. 

I scanned the channels, sorted and preset the ones I wanted and it’s great. Even connected my phone with Bluetooth too- a 2cv with handsfree phone- something not even David Beckham’s Bentley has!

for £35 with the aerial included it’s very good value. I would have got another for the fiat but it’s cigar lighter socket is very oddly positioned behind the steering wheel, and so I don’t think it will fit.

 

[gm]

I was just out for a run to sweat out last nights excesses and happened across the durham MG owners club show in riverside park - lots of shiny mgs obviously but a few other cars worthy of a pic

 

[stuboy]

More welding and grinding, and bit of free hand metal to metal connecting via electrickery..

[puddlethumper]

Mobile phones  can be a bit dangerous. This is what happened last night

while it was charging. I think it may be f**ked.

Not a very good pic.

 

 

[Jazoli]

19 hours ago, SRi05 said:

Third time a charm perhaps? 

 

 

Haha do you want an Avensis?!

[nacho man]

Took a trip out to Bicester this morn and there was some lovely stuff there.

 

[barmatt]

On 5/6/2019 at 12:10 AM, wuvvum said:

Been having a look round my newly-purchased BMW today.  One thing which surprised me is that the compressor for the rear suspension kicks in as soon as you unlock the car - it doesn't wait for the engine to be fired up.  Could be an issue if the battery is a bit borderline (although the one on the car seems to be in rude health).

 I think I'm going to have to try and get the tailgate trim off and then find a way of operating the catch manually - probably less of a faff than trying to sort out the problem with the electric release, especially on a car as overly-electroniced as an E39.

 

There's an emergency release for the tailgate on e39's behind the toolkit flap, open it up and on the left hand side there's on oval shaped plastic bung, pull it out and give it a yank (fnar) that'll pop the boot. Mine was the same, I just removed the mechanism and gave it a damn good clean, had to do the same for the bonnet as well and the rear opening window. Oh the joys of e39 ownership. 

What model have you got?

Edited May 12, 2019 by barmatt
Flappy thing is on the left, not right. DOh!

[spike60]

On E39 the heated mirrors kick in as soon as you you open the drivers door as well.

It sounds like you've got a small leak on the air suspension, not really a problem unless it gets worse. Speaking from experience don't buy £40 air bags from Ebay, mine abruptly let go on a Dutch motorway 6 months after i fitted it.

[SRi05]

1 hour ago, Jazoli said:

 

 

Haha do you want an Avensis?!

Hmmm, probably one pedal too much for me, since going down to 1 item of chod I like it to be auto so the wife can drive it ?

[mrdelmonti]

On 5/11/2019 at 4:26 PM, Broadsword said:

I'm really stumped as regards selling my white Xantia. Zero interest, and I mean zero. I've tried advertising everywhere to no avail. It clearly won't roffle either. It's a decent frugal, dependable car. That I can say with certainty, but two months on the market with zero interest is a worry. Admittedly I had to pull it off an action as it was not going to make much more than scrap value, but it was worth a go. I've never struggled to sell a car like this. I've sold rough cars for more money and quite quickly, but this just the Xantia just seems cursed. Any suggestions?

I'd be very interested if it wasn't for the little nagging voice in the back of my head reminding me of what happened to my last Xantia. I had a braking fault, the valve regulating pressure failed meaning you'd stick your foot on the brakes, the suspension would lift and you wouldn't slow down. I couldn't find a replacement for love nor money and ending up sending it to the scrap yard.

They really are lovely cars to drive though, pure comfort and becoming rarer by the day.