The new news 24 thread

[GMcD]

5 hours ago, wuvvum said:

I trust you will also be wearing a red and black checked lumberjack shirt?

This was said to me before and it went right over my head. Should I hand in my card on the way out the door?

[Split_Pin]

New wheel spacers fitted to the red 93 today. 15mm on the front and 25mm on the back.

The backs initially confused me as the bolts didn't seem long enough. Once I'd given my brain a bit more choke, I realised that the wee bolts hold the spacer to the hub and then the other 5 holes are for the original bolts to hold the wheel on.

The fronts had 10 holes with longer bolts just going straight through them but that was just for different PCDs I assume, hence being confused at the different layout at the back. 

Good quality bits of kit though, these are the same ones as @Jazoliused on the black one, cheers for the link.

Lucky my handbrake is good as I had to tighten the spacers with the car off the ground.

It sits appreciably higher at the back than the black one for some reason but I'm still happy with it.

Before

After

Oh and the advisory for a tyre was generous, they know I'll sort it though.

[wuvvum]

25 minutes ago, Gerrymcd said:

This was said to me before and it went right over my head. Should I hand in my card on the way out the door?

There was a chap on Retro Rides years ago who was selling a matt black Triumph and there were some amusing photos in the sale thread of him standing in front of it in a lumberjack shirt and shades with his arms folded looking quite menacing.  It became something of an AS meme at the time, he got the piss ripped out of him royally - he actually joined up here briefly to defend himself and turned out to be an OK bloke.

[OM646]

Every time I bring up Portugal's used cars, I talk about a problem. A big one.

Our cars might have no rust, but the climate means you'll see a lot of yellow headlights, Pogweaseled paint....

 

Today, this happened.

Fuck.

 

Every time I fix a thing in this Aldi, something else breaks. Guess I'll look for a spare dashboard 

 

[Split_Pin]

Might as well do the heater matrix while it's out (presume it's still cold enough in winter in Portugal to need one)

[OM646]

4 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

Might as well do the heater matrix while it's out (presume it's still cold enough in winter in Portugal to need one)

Fellow Audi 80 (and derivatives) owners already figuring it out! hahahahaha

 

That's exactly my plan. Replace dash, do the heater matrix (which is indeed not working), and pull a switched live from the ignition switch to the radio (being a 1993 my car still doesn't have one!) 

[Yoss]

2 hours ago, wuvvum said:

There was a chap on Retro Rides years ago who was selling a matt black Triumph and there were some amusing photos in the sale thread of him standing in front of it in a lumberjack shirt and shades with his arms folded looking quite menacing.  It became something of an AS meme at the time, he got the piss ripped out of him royally - he actually joined up here briefly to defend himself and turned out to be an OK bloke.

Went right over my head. Anyway I just got back from Swanage. Top day out, well documented on the Railshite thread. I drove all the way the home with the roof open so I now smell of both diesel and petrol fumes at the same time which is an achievement. 

Had to stop to snap this at Corfe Castle. 

Just the right amount of shabby and the back was stacked full of cardboard boxes. 

The only slight downer was the Triumphs gearbox or clutch started making a funny, quite loud noise on the way back. Fortunately only two miles from home and it goes away when you dip the clutch so I managed to coast most of the way home with my foot on the clutch. Hopefully it's something simple like the clutch release bearing. I'll add it to the list of jobs to do. 

 

 

Edit: Oh, yeah, and this was parked near Harmans Cross Station. 

[D.E]

Dashboard reassembled, next step will be a new battery and some fresh petrol...

[Longbridge Apologist]

On the way to Gatwick early doors in a local taxi firms Zafira B. Never been in one before but I’m really rather impressed. Good ride. Quiet at speed. A rare exceptionally smooth taxi driver.

Either it’s the lack of sleep or I’m turning into the sort of shiter that admires an old shite Vauxhall. (Send help!)

 

[AnnoyingPentium]

4 hours ago, Longbridge Apologist said:

I’m turning into the sort of shiter that admires an old shite Vauxhall. (Send help!)

Welcome to the dark side...

[Spurious]

15 hours ago, OM646 said:

Every time I bring up Portugal's used cars, I talk about a problem. A big one.

Our cars might have no rust, but the climate means you'll see a lot of yellow headlights, Pogweaseled paint....

 

Today, this happened.

Fuck.

 

Every time I fix a thing in this Aldi, something else breaks. Guess I'll look for a spare dashboard 

 

Don't the Aussies have something they put on the dash for this? Like a carpet? Remember seeing something like that in @dollywobbler's antipodean videos... 

[dome]

On 05/05/2022 at 21:50, cort16 said:

My Megane has been playing up a bit after getting it through it's mot. I did 90 or so miles in it last night and the eml would flash for a few minutes then go off periodically on the journey  .  Then on the way home I noticed the dash lights weren't  working and today the eml started to flash, then it came up check traction control and it felt like something was pulsing the brakes even when I didn't have my foot on the brake. I turned it off and on again and both the EML and the traction light went out and the pulsing stopped.

I'm hoping this isn't the start of some kind of french electrical mental break downs it's been well behaved up until this point. 

Check your alternator is charging and the battery is healthy, my Clio 182 did all sorts of crazy shit like that when the alternator started to fail

[cort16]

23 minutes ago, dome said:

Check your alternator is charging and the battery is healthy, my Clio 182 did all sorts of crazy shit like that when the alternator started to fail

I hope it’s working the engine needs to come out to change it apparently 😩

[Lankytim]

17 hours ago, wuvvum said:

There was a chap on Retro Rides years ago who was selling a matt black Triumph and there were some amusing photos in the sale thread of him standing in front of it in a lumberjack shirt and shades with his arms folded looking quite menacing.  It became something of an AS meme at the time, he got the piss ripped out of him royally - he actually joined up here briefly to defend himself and turned out to be an OK bloke.

I seem to remember people ribbing him over ruining the car- a matt black paintjob often being the last job on a car before it winds up in a scrapyard. A few weeks later a photo emerged of said Triumph, sat in a scrap yard with it's roof caved in.

[RoverFolkUs]

7 hours ago, Longbridge Apologist said:

On the way to Gatwick early doors in a local taxi firms Zafira B. Never been in one before but I’m really rather impressed. Good ride. Quiet at speed. A rare exceptionally smooth taxi driver.

Either it’s the lack of sleep or I’m turning into the sort of shiter that admires an old shite Vauxhall. (Send help!)

 

I do find the Zafira B moderately appealing, and a factor of 10 less shit than a Zafira A

[HMC]

Bit of a tinkering session

[GingerNuttz]

1 hour ago, HMC said:

Bit of a tinkering session

V8 Toledo

[High Jetter]

1 hour ago, HMC said:

Bit of a tinkering session

Did you take them there for a service?

[SiC]

On 5/5/2022 at 9:50 PM, cort16 said:

My Megane has been playing up a bit after getting it through it's mot. I did 90 or so miles in it last night and the eml would flash for a few minutes then go off periodically on the journey  .  Then on the way home I noticed the dash lights weren't  working and today the eml started to flash, then it came up check traction control and it felt like something was pulsing the brakes even when I didn't have my foot on the brake. I turned it off and on again and both the EML and the traction light went out and the pulsing stopped.

I'm hoping this isn't the start of some kind of french electrical mental break downs it's been well behaved up until this point. 

Fusebox and it's integrated computer in the wheel arch is a common source of Mégane II troubles. It can get wet and cause all sorts of weirdness as it's a main body control module too. 

[stuboy]

Felt having money in your pocket was not the done thing.. as using the daddy wagon for the weekend I should really get the front tyres replaced as advisory from last MOT, £200 quid later I got sumitomo 215 55r16.. 

I need a lay down now...

 

[cort16]

33 minutes ago, SiC said:

Fusebox and it's integrated computer in the wheel arch is a common source of Mégane II troubles. It can get wet and cause all sorts of weirdness as it's a main body control module too. 

That is interesting as the bottom part of the wheel arch liner broke off. I wonder if water is getting in there?

[SiC]

9 minutes ago, cort16 said:

That is interesting as the bottom part of the wheel arch liner broke off. I wonder if water is getting in there?

It's on the nearside iirc. But yes it's prone to water ingress and corrosion. Happens if the liner isn't put back into place properly especially. Often because whoever changed a light bulb on the awkward access to them, in a hurry don't bother to reassemble it correctly!

It's called the UPC but sometimes UCH in Renault speak. Iirc the Mégane II is UPC. 

[cort16]

3 minutes ago, SiC said:

It's on the nearside iirc. But yes it's prone to water ingress and corrosion. Happens if the liner isn't put back into place properly especially. Often because whoever changed a light bulb on the awkward access to them, in a hurry don't bother to reassemble it correctly!

It's called the UPC but sometimes UCH in Renault speak. Iirc the Mégane II is UPC. 

I think I'll have a look at that tomorrow and see if I can see any signs of water getting in.

[SiC]

3 minutes ago, cort16 said:

I think I'll have a look at that tomorrow and see if I can see any signs of water getting in.

I have a vague recollection that it's upside down too, so water spraying up can easily get into the fuses and connectors. Great bit of French Engineering. Probably was absolutely fine when the R&D test drives was done between vineyards on the south coast of France. 😆

https://www.meganeownersclub.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8855

"Symptoms

electrical failures and poor running seemingly unrelated to each other.... windows going down instead of up, auto lights not working...battery discharging itself...wipers not working etc etc

 

Possible Cause

missing cover in the nearside wheel arch (for changing the headlight bulbs)..and water entering the UCH electrical unite ensure the cover is not missing and is well sealed..can be expensive if the UCH is corroded by water damage basically water & electrics don't mix."

[SiC]

My mate had an R26 F1 that he bought when it was only a few years old. He looks like this everytime I mention it to this day.

 

The final straw for him was when the headlights failed and the dealer quoted £1k for a new headlight unit as the ballast had failed from water ingress. 

[cort16]

Just now, SiC said:

My mate had an R26 F1 that he bought when it was only a few years old. He looks like this everytime I mention it to this day.

 

The final straw for him was when the headlights failed and the dealer quoted £1k for a new headlight unit as the ballast had failed from water ingress. 

The missing liner on mine is on the door side. I was digging through the boot the other day and found a few cans of electrical contact cleaner left by the previous owner, which probably tells a story.

I'm pretty sure the EML is the injectors as it's very rich on start,  shit on fuel and is a common issue. The other stuff sounds much more like what you're describing. 

[MrDuke]

Today I done gone caught some trains and now I have this:

It wafted me home smoothly, and has one of the nicest cockpits I've sat in for a long time.

I was expecting the dreaded 'rattle' to be horrific, but it barely registers tbh. Around town it sounds a little worse, but at cruising speeds it's basically a mouse's fart.

Good times.

[SiC]

1 minute ago, cort16 said:

The missing liner on mine is on the door side. I was digging through the boot the other day and found a few cans of electrical contact cleaner left by the previous owner, which probably tells a story.

I'm pretty sure the EML is the injectors as it's very rich on start,  shit on fuel and is a common issue. The other stuff sounds much more like what you're describing. 

Yeah I re-read your OP and I wouldn't have thought EML and such would be from the UCH being at fault. Unless it was interrupting power to it. Does the F4RT nom the injectors as much as the F4R on the 1*2 does? 

Pulsing could be reluctor rings? Again a common thing on them.

Possibly a whole bunch of issues that are coinciding together. 

[andyberg]

The autoshite cab bug has a friend, black is much nicer😁

[Cord Fourteener]

Not only is it a great daily but its a handsome beast, in my humble opinion. 

Only drawback is that in today's geopolitical climate its not so cheap to run.