The new news 24 thread

[Metal Guru]

57 minutes ago, loserone said:

I seem to recall that a 1.3 maestro did 0-60 in the same time as a BMW 520i and faster than a Ferrari Mondial 

Not really. 12.5 secs v  10.4. v 7.6 sec. 
(sorry to sound like wee wee).

[stuboy]

I had an idea... I'll maf cleaner spray the sensor... let it dry then go to tesco... would go over 22mph .... it was a long 2 mile drive there then back... replaced it with 30quid ebay one and vroom off it went... I. Have asked about bosch complete unit for sale on ebay.

 

So have an idea.. think it through.... look a dickhead... ha ha ha

[Yoss]

ULEZ PEZ station shot of the day.

It's the first time I've had to pay my £12.50 to nice Mr Khan and had to top up before I hit the motorway. Then this hero pulls up in this. I wanted to go and shake his hand but I controlled my urges and just went over and said how impressed I was that he was still using such a fine machine in London. He said unfortunately he is now restricted to just using it at weekends and he'd thought about selling it but its value had plummeted so he may as well keep it. I've been having a good day anyway but this was the cherry on top.

[stuboy]

44 minutes ago, Yoss said:

very nice....

[Six-cylinder]

9 hours ago, SiC said:

I'm sure there certainly is cases of this. But we all know the vast majority of SUVs around London are purely shiny city transport status symbols - aka Chelsea Tractors. 

Is telling people they should not drive SUVs as bad as being told you should not drive old cars because they are polluting and unsafe!

[Noel Tidybeard]

On 04/11/2023 at 09:29, wesacosa said:

Looking to buy my first low budget vehicle from the general public since my 9-5 in 2013 (and that was an unseen eBay punt) since then my cars have come from a classic auction, friends of friends and forums.  Is it just me or has it got far more frustrating.  Nobody seems to write anything worthwhile in adverts so you have to ask even the most basic questions. Bumtree and Facebook seem to be full of wannabe Mike Brewers, usually pretending they are private sellers. eBay seems to be full of traders asking 50 percent over the odds for some scabby Focus polished to within an inch of its life.   I'm sure the nice cars are still out there but it seems much harder to sniff them out than I remember 

8gen civic in 1.4/1.8 flavour are ulez and less boring than an car

[Noel Tidybeard]

6 minutes ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

8gen civic in 1.4/1.8 flavour are ulez and less boring than an car

...and a 1.8 civic is so much better on fuel than it has every right to be

[wuvvum]

10 hours ago, Eyersey1234 said:

Just seen this chodtastic Land Rover being towed on the M1

FTFY.

[wuvvum]

I bought another Spacy yesterday.

Well sort of.  It's actually a US market Elite, but it's basically the same bike with a 150cc engine rather than 125.  There are differences, such as the separate rear indicators and the fact that you can't turn the lights off, and there's an engine off / run switch which the Spacy doesn't have, but those are relatively minor things.  Interestingly it has both a centre stand and a side stand - the Spacy never had a side stand from the factory.  It also has an awful lot of what appears to be emissions bollocks bolted to the engine for a nearly 40 year old scooter.  I spotted it on FB Marketplace on Saturday evening about 20 miles away, and headed over on Sunday morning in the Maxus - my first successful FB vehicle purchase.

It was imported about 18 years ago and has never been registered, and the paperwork has long since been lost, so there's little chance of it going back on the road.  I bought it for spares anyway - it's been dry stored in a shipping container so the plastics have suffered a bit but the metal bits are in good nick, including an excellent exhaust.  These are completely unobtainium, so I removed it today and it will be carefully stored in a temperature- and humidity-controlled environment until it's ready to be fitted to the Spacy in the spring.  It also has a working pop-up headlight mechanism, so that's going to be finding its way onto the Spacy at some point too, along with a few other bits that are in better nick on this bike.   I did think about swapping the engine over but with all the emissions crap it probably makes less power than the 125 anyway.  I'm proper chuffed because I'd been looking for more Spacy bits (especially the exhaust) for years with no luck, then this turns up dirt cheap (for a Spacy) and practically on my doorstep.

Much of the rest of this week's fettling time has been spent trying to stop water getting into cars.  I had a heater running in the nearside rear footwell of the Toyota most of the afternoon trying to dry out the carpet.  All my efforts to stop water getting in round the rear door have failed, so I've now sealed the whole top half of the door aperture and all round the windows with Gorilla tape.  The Rover has also been letting water in again through the roof as the headlining was soaked - on inspection the silicon sealant I put round the GPS antenna last year has cracked.  I broke out the Captain Tolley's and applied it liberally to the cracked bits - will see if that does any good, if not I'll have to get some more silicone sealant.

The Getz is also getting very damp inside, although I'm not sure whether it's actually letting water in somewhere or whether it just suffers really badly from condensation as some cars do.  I've not found any signs of water ingress so far.  In the wet weather though I've been having to drive around with the aircon on - just the blower on its own can't seem to keep the screen clear unless it's flat out, in which case I can't hear the radio.  I also had great fun* pulling the centre console apart to replace the bulbs in the backlights for the heater controls as I was getting annoyed fumbling around in the dark and trying to remember which dial was which (this would probably be easier if I didn't have so many vehicles with different control layouts).

The Renault 6 is getting slightly less wet inside since I fibreglassed over the holes in the scuttle panel, but it's still nowhere near watertight.  That will be going away in the garage for the winter soon, which means that the Innocenti will need to come out - less than ideal but I think the Innocenti has a better chance of not dissolving completely.  In theory I could squeeze the Innocenti into the back of the Maxus if I took the bumpers off, but then I'd have to find another home for all the stuff that lives in the back of the van.  I should buy another van really, but I seem to keep spending all my money on other stuff...

I topped up the antifreeze on the two Renaults and the Volvo and started them up to let them get warm and circulate the coolant.  I drove the Renault 6 up the road and was pleased to find that the front brakes are still nice and free, so the new piston has evidently done the trick.  Then I got back to the car park to see steam pouring out from under the bonnet of the Volvo.  Like a twat I'd forgotten to switch on the radiator fan, but when I looked at the temp gauge it was still in the green, albeit towards the top of it.  Turns out the radiator cap, which had been a bit dodgy for a while, is now completely failing to make a seal - to the point that once everything had cooled down I squeezed the top radiator hose and heard the whistle of air coming out from round the cap. 

So the system obviously isn't pressurising at all, which is lowering the boiling point of the coolant.  I'm not sure what to do - I don't think it's the cap itself that's the issue as that's relatively new, I think it's where it fits onto the rad that isn't quite straight meaning I can't get a flush fit.  A new rad is out of the question (because £££).  I might try a smear of Tiger Seal round the hole, see if that sorts it.  I took the car for a drive and the temperature is holding steady at just under half when the car is moving, even when I caned it to pull out onto the bypass - it's only when I come to a stop that the needle moves up to half way and it starts steaming.

I also jet washed the underneath of the 107 and was going to Lanoguard the back of the sills (I did most of the underside of the Rover and Toyota a couple of weeks ago which has used most of the bottle but there's still enough left I think) but it hadn't dried out enough by the time it got dark so that'll have to wait until tomorrow, which is supposed to be a nice day.

[stuboy]

1 minute ago, wuvvum said:

I bought another Spacy yesterday.

 

Well sort of.  It's actually a US market Elite, but it's basically the same bike with a 150cc engine rather than 125.  There are differences, such as the separate rear indicators and the fact that you can't turn the lights off, and there's an engine off / run switch which the Spacy doesn't have, but those are relatively minor things.  It also has an awful lot of what appears to be emissions bollocks bolted to the engine for a nearly 40 year old scooter.  I spotted it on FB Marketplace on Saturday evening about 20 miles away, and headed over on Sunday morning in the Maxus - my first successful FB vehicle purchase.

It was imported about 18 years ago and has never been registered, and the paperwork has long since been lost, so there's little chance of it going back on the road.  I bought it for spares anyway - it's been dry stored in a shipping container so the plastics have suffered a bit but the metal bits are in good nick, including an excellent exhaust.  These are completely unobtainium, so I removed it today and it will be carefully stored in a temperature- and humidity-controlled environment until it's ready to be fitted to the Spacy in the spring.  It also has a working pop-up headlight mechanism, so that's going to be finding its way onto the Spacy at some point too, along with a few other bits that are in better nick on this bike.  I did think about swapping the engine over but with all the emissions crap it probably makes less power than the 125 anyway.  I'm proper chuffed because I'd been looking for more Spacy bits (especially the exhaust) for years with no luck, then this turns up dirt cheap (for a Spacy) and practically on my doorstep.

pics??

[JJ0063]

Two MOT fails in a week ffs, Mrs JJ’s fiesta now!

Typically checked the lights last weekend and they were all working so ones blown in the last week. 
 

I guess a pair of TRE’s in nearly 16k miles in the last year isn’t bad going though. 

[greengartside]

Another SMOLL update on the Fiesta from t’auction.

I put on my brave pants and decided to tackle the blue smoke issue with this one. I’d pre-empted that the air filter and plugs were going to be absolutely gopping. I was not disappointed.

 

That’s some serious neglect, the air filter is fucked! The plugs were terrible, this is after I’d cleaned the plug threads of oil, they were all absolutely saturated - I’d say the rocker cover gasket’s given up.

So after a quick set of new parts, it was time to sort this once and for all. Armed with a can of Wynn’s stop smoke snake oil, I poured the gloop into a warm engine (which was more responsive after I’d replaced the air filter - what are the chances?!) and then I let it do it’s thing.

 

After 10 minutes of running, this is at idle. I’d call that a win. It still produces a bit of condensation but the blue smoke has virtually all gone. I’m hoping it’ll scrape an emissions test and then we will be good to go for a year.

MOT booked for December 4th at 10am!

[chaseracer]

21 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

Is telling people they should not drive SUVs as bad as being told you should not drive old cars because they are polluting and unsafe!

QED.

[Metal Guru]

13 minutes ago, chaseracer said:

QED.

The higher pollution is offset by not consuming the resources needed to make a new car. 

[RetroShite]

Today's marketplace bargain!

 

[stuboy]

On 31/10/2023 at 12:40, SiC said:

Don't discount changing this again soon. The cheap MAFs are generally absolutely dogshit. It'll work for a bit but they don't last and often bugger up the fuel economy too. My TT had a BBT branded unit from Euro Car Parts on it. I was getting ~20-25mpg with reduced boost. Replacing it for a genuine Bosch (only £60 too) restored it to 30+ mpg and all the power back.

decided too buy complete unit ( price for a bosch sensor on its own was naff all difference), wever i just separate it cause i is lazy yet too be decided

[SiC]

decided too buy complete unit ( price for a bosch sensor on its own was naff all difference), wever i just separate it cause i is lazy yet too be decided

The Bosch sensors usually have a weird security screw on the MAF sensor to housing that is a bugger to find. Looks like a security torx but it's not and one doesn't fit.

The complete unit makes sense. Also the air guides on the front are an important calibrated part of the complete sensor.

[stuboy]

27 minutes ago, RetroShite said:

Today's marketplace bargain!

 

u buy it??

[RetroShite]

11 hours ago, stuboy said:

u buy it??

Yes, for £750

[EyesWeldedShut]

The fleet expanded yesterday with the purchase of a smol, red thing (Bini R50, Getrag Box, 1.6 petrol) that dumped the coolant someplace near Lichfield. Went rather well before that tho'.
Feck.
Nice man with lorry turned up from Telford and we negotiated a deal with Brittania rescue that suited all three of us. He dropped me at Telford train station about 30 seconds before the hourly train home.
Result.
Got into the Ovlov at the station and wafted serenely homewards. 15 minutes later it's FTP'd. In the rain. With no mobile signal.
Feck.
Trudge 15 minutes up a dark road and summons the Cactus Girls* (wife & sprog), who attend quicker than Brittania Breakdown, and we limp home with sprog towing, wife instructing and me dangling off the back, on the end of the strop, in a darkened car with little brakes. Downhill was interesting.
Result

*Cactus Girls? Comes from the FreeLander terrain mode button - road, snow, Welsh forest, cactus crushing modes. Low ratio box would be better but, hey, it's an SUV really.

[JMotor]

12 hours ago, RetroShite said:

Today's marketplace bargain!

 

Good buy that.

That era of 626 takes me back. Dumfries Tech college  in the motor vehicle bit had at least three of them. It's one of those cars that were either ropey looking/fucked or were mint like that one.

[Rod/b]

It was my father in law’s funeral yesterday. He was big into hit Triumph TRs and a number of the local club joined the cortege, including a gorgeous Swallow Doretti. It was nice to have them all along. SSK565 was his TR4, which was sold to his friend Michael shortly before he passed. 

 

 

 

[egg]

The side repeaters on the i10 were looking tired so got a pair of aftermarket ones from China £6.11 delivered (via ebay) including new bulbs! They actually fit and work too. @tooSavvy just in case you need some for the Stan Getz, they'd be the same...I had to finagle one of the connectors tho.

[tooSavvy]

19 hours ago, RetroShite said:

Today's marketplace bargain!

 

MOT trail as unsullied as a maidens wossname 😮.

🎉🎈 Creamed It 😎

🚙💨

[Bren]

Passed my C+E today. Zero minors. To say I am happy is an understatement.

[Eyersey1234]

19 minutes ago, Bren said:

Passed my C+E today. Zero minors. To say I am happy is an understatement.

Congratulations 

[wuvvum]

46 minutes ago, tooSavvy said:

MOT trail as unsullied as a maidens wossname 😮.

You do have a way with words Savvy.

[richardmorris]

Rainbows end- looks like mine is the only car there.

[vulgalour]

4 hours ago, egg said:

The side repeaters on the i10 were looking tired so got a pair of aftermarket ones from China £6.11 delivered (via ebay) including new bulbs! They actually fit and work too. @tooSavvy just in case you need some for the Stan Getz, they'd be the same...I had to finagle one of the connectors tho.

It's not just me that thinks these look like little coffins is it?  Back me up on this one @RichardK

[RichardK]

11 minutes ago, vulgalour said:

It's not just me that thinks these look like little coffins is it?  Back me up on this one @RichardK

Very much so, they could have some black lines on and be the pod thing that Kai, last of the Brunnen-G, sleeps in on Lexx...