The new news 24 thread

[Noel Tidybeard]

On 08/04/2022 at 11:05, grogee said:

This is probably old news to the BL lickers among you, but I've just learned there was a Portuguese-assembled Morris Ital (badged Marina there) with a 37bhp 1.5 B-series diesel. 

Imagine that. Whatever you are driving today, and no matter how badly it is behaving, it isn't going to be as arse-clenchingly awful as a diesel Ital.

Massive amounts of want from this quarter, of course. 

that would be the same as Maurice Marina could have- i remember hearing one many years ago and thinking diesel marina?

[Fumbler]

18 minutes ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

that would be the same as Maurice Marina could have- i remember hearing one many years ago and thinking diesel marina?

I remember posting an ad for a Maltese diesel Marina on the tat thread. Same B-series boat anchor chugging away under the bonnet.

[GMcD]

Got out of shopping commitments (yay!) to wait in for a delivery. So I replaced the disks on the red MX-5 this evening. 

The disks on it were put on very recently. They have no lip, but they were starting to pit and try as I might I could not clean the face of them off. 

£48 for "quality" unipart branded discs. Will see how I get on.

[paulplom]

Off to Peterbogghorror to collect a free tower scaffold from a trusted wobber and former shiter.

Three and a half hours each way in the ex kiltox shitroen relay. I've brought Morty on his first road trip. Look at him, he can hardly contain his excitement.

[ETCHY]

8 hours ago, SiC said:

To be fair, you have to give him some points for being so dedicated in trying to keep the damn thing on the road!

CVT Micra's are lovely cars we had a K11  for years.

[SiC]

2 hours ago, ETCHY said:

CVT Micra's are lovely cars we had a K11  for years.

That one hasn't been so lovely going by the fuel injection system issues it's constantly had..

[barefoot]

I've said it before & I'll say it again...

[Split_Pin]

75 performed very well on the trip down to Manchester although it returned a less than optimal 38mpg in free flowing traffic. Hopefully I can restore this back to 40 on the return leg on Saturday. 

[RoverFolkUs]

10 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

75 performed very well on the trip down to Manchester although it returned a less than optimal 38mpg in free flowing traffic. Hopefully I can restore this back to 40 on the return leg on Saturday. 

I forget if yours is manual or automatic, but I was under the impression the manual diesel 75's could comfortably get 45-50mpg combined and upto 60mpg on a run? 

[richardmorris]

Topless for an essential pre Easter trip to  Laithwaites. Old chap getting into a burgundy 75tourer in Sunningdale waved.

[SiC]

I've never mentioned this and always tried to avoid photos of it (for obvious reasons), but the only thing stopping someone breaking into my garage is this tiny bit of spring loaded metal. A good thump on either door would get it open. Always has been a concern.


I've been putting off changing the doors as the cost of doing so, is as much as buying another car/rotten wreck...
But it got to the point where one door is jammed and the other kept falling off its rollers. So I finally bit the bullet and had this installed today.

(Just need to convince the neighbours they need to change theirs now)

The other big thing is without the pillar in the way, it makes getting a car in and out so much easier. Makes a massive difference and hopefully also mean I can get two cars in.


Also why I've had the big push to get the Dolomite back on four wheels as access to the front was needed. With the old doors, I had it as close as it could go to the front for maximum access at the back.


It's definitely the best thing I've bought in a while and should have done it much sooner. Not got bored of doing this yet either.

[Split_Pin]

4 hours ago, RoverFolkUs said:

I forget if yours is manual or automatic, but I was under the impression the manual diesel 75's could comfortably get 45-50mpg combined and upto 60mpg on a run? 

Yes my manuals would easily do 45mpg but mine is an auto with a remap so 40 is the target!

[paulplom]

I got 34mpg over 400 miles today in a mwb citroen relay with roof rack. Fully loaded on the way back too.

It is limited to 70mph though which is 2.5k revs in 6th. Were you tanking it? A remap doesn't usually affect economy.

[RoverFolkUs]

2 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

Yes my manuals would easily do 45mpg but mine is an auto with a remap so 40 is the target!

That makes perfect sense, I'd be very happy with 38-40 from something like that being an Auto. 

I just about scrape 40mpg in a 1.6 petrol manual Focus that's less than 100bhp!

[RoverFolkUs]

Quelle surprise... 

The new family bike Xsara Picasso has electrical faults

I'm currently storing it off the road so that I can sort everything out and service it etc, basically give it the obligatory new ownership once-over. 

It's had a new battery recently from the previous owner. Last started it up on Sunday and it was fine. This afternoon I unlocked it and for some reason the CD player was playing music (🤔) switched it off and thought nothing of it, but despite me repeatedly switching the interior lights off, they still kept coming back on. 

Putting the key in the ignition, on the second turn the wipers come on very slowly and there are various weird noises and interior lights flashing on and off. Tried to start it and nothing at all. Starter doesn't even click

Removed the battery and brought it indoors to test it. Showing 10.8 volts, so it has a serious battery drain somewhere.

It's currently sat outside trickle charging 

Fantastique! Don't you just love French cars...! 

[stuboy]

Took carb apart again on the mighty moped, de varnished some bits and put on, though I waiting on new fuel pipe couldn't resist starting it up..

 

[High Jetter]

3 hours ago, SiC said:

I've never mentioned this and always tried to avoid photos of it (for obvious reasons), but the only thing stopping someone breaking into my garage is this tiny bit of spring loaded metal. A good thump on either door would get it open. Always has been a concern.


I've been putting off changing the doors as the cost of doing so, is as much as buying another car/rotten wreck...
But it got to the point where one door is jammed and the other kept falling off its rollers. So I finally bit the bullet and had this installed today.

(Just need to convince the neighbours they need to change theirs now)

The other big thing is without the pillar in the way, it makes getting a car in and out so much easier. Makes a massive difference and hopefully also mean I can get two cars in.


Also why I've had the big push to get the Dolomite back on four wheels as access to the front was needed. With the old doors, I had it as close as it could go to the front for maximum access at the back.


It's definitely the best thing I've bought in a while and should have done it much sooner. Not got bored of doing this yet either.

Is that a Garador? We had one fitted after they spashed ads in our local rags for weeks on end on offer* at £895 for a single. Very pleased with it so far. Local specialists (known to me though his wife's family) wanted nearly that for an up-and-over, and about £1700 for an auto one.

[Barry Cade]

Spotted this sad wèe thing today. Wanted to take it home but Mrs Cade absolutely hates them.. I may go back tomorrow 😆

 

[richardmorris]

1 minute ago, Barry Cade said:

Spotted this sad wèe thing today. Wanted to take it home but Mrs Cade absolutely hates them.. I may go back tomorrow 😆

 

Bet she’s never driven one.

 

[AnnoyingPentium]

7 hours ago, barefoot said:

I've said it before & I'll say it again...

Dance while the record spins? 

[Barry Cade]

14 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

Bet she’s never driven one.

 

No, but it's an irrational thing.. I'd be living in it I think 😆 her French teacher had one, and she was a right bitch by the sound of it!

[High Jetter]

21 minutes ago, Barry Cade said:

I may go back tomorrow

[Ghosty]

22 hours ago, Fumbler said:

You didn't know?

Not sure if didn't know, forgotten due to how boring it is, or repressed. 

[richardmorris]

30 minutes ago, Barry Cade said:

No, but it's an irrational thing.. I'd be living in it I think 😆 her French teacher had one, and she was a right bitch by the sound of it!

Like x1/9 haters, they’ve never been in one.

[Yoss]

5 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

Like x1/9 haters, they’ve never been in one.

Do such people exist? Surely that's like hating puppies. Or chocolate. 

[brownnova]

95 years to the day since the first Volvo was produced… so I took mine to the local dealer for an official celebratory photograph! 

[artdjones]

1 hour ago, RoverFolkUs said:

Quelle surprise... 

The new family bike Xsara Picasso has electrical faults

I'm currently storing it off the road so that I can sort everything out and service it etc, basically give it the obligatory new ownership once-over. 

It's had a new battery recently from the previous owner. Last started it up on Sunday and it was fine. This afternoon I unlocked it and for some reason the CD player was playing music (🤔) switched it off and thought nothing of it, but despite me repeatedly switching the interior lights off, they still kept coming back on. 

Putting the key in the ignition, on the second turn the wipers come on very slowly and there are various weird noises and interior lights flashing on and off. Tried to start it and nothing at all. Starter doesn't even click

Removed the battery and brought it indoors to test it. Showing 10.8 volts, so it has a serious battery drain somewhere.

It's currently sat outside trickle charging 

Fantastique! Don't you just love French cars...! 

If the CD is constantly switched on it could explain the battery drain, radios are one of the main causes of battery drain in any car. The wipers coming on could be the Comm2000 unit, which is the unit behind the steering wheel which incorporates the column stalks. Also the BSI, the body computer/fusebox can malfunction. It can be easily reset, the procedure is on YouTube.

[SiC]

1 hour ago, High Jetter said:

Is that a Garador? We had one fitted after they spashed ads in our local rags for weeks on end on offer* at £895 for a single. Very pleased with it so far. Local specialists (known to me though his wife's family) wanted nearly that for an up-and-over, and about £1700 for an auto one.

No, Garador was a good 35% more expensive for equivalent secure roller door than this. This is (iirc) an Aluroll Secureroll. Fully fitted cost just over £2300, so a decent amount of wedge. It was an extra £300 since I got the original quote in 2020. Thankfully the original house builders put in a RSJ above the two old doors, so saved a lot not having that done.

Garador have external motors which are far easier to replace. But as I won't be using the door daily, it won't get anywhere near enough use to justify the extra cost. If I was using it to store a daily driver, I'd have got a Garador. 

[HMC]

[Split_Pin]

4 hours ago, paulplom said:

I got 34mpg over 400 miles today in a mwb citroen relay with roof rack. Fully loaded on the way back too.

It is limited to 70mph though which is 2.5k revs in 6th. Were you tanking it? A remap doesn't usually affect economy.

Nah man I stuck to the limits. Its an auto though. Cruise kind of fucks things up as the box doesn't lock up when it's on whereas if you leave it alone it locks up even to quite low revs.

Could be lack of use which has stunted the average figure.