The new news 24 thread

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Can be fiddly and definitely dirty! If you do it 'properly' and split the shaft/UJ then a new boot will go on dead easy, but splitting the damn things can be a right fiddle and you need someone with more specific knowledge than me to know whether it's a 'bash it' or circlip type.  You can get huge expending things to fit a new boot but I have never used one, so no idea.

 

I have been known to cut the old boot off, split the new one down the seam and then put it on and glue it together! You need to keep it clean and use good superglue as oppossed to 'Poundland' rubbish but it works fine!

I suspect that'll probably end up being a garage job given my propensity to get impatient...

 

Which is annoying.  My garage is fantastic but they're a little high on the labour costs.  I will happily accept the labour costs given that they're both old boys that have worked together since leaving school and actually show you the parts they've replaced when you come in to pick up...

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Weather was awful today. Traffic too. Took 2.5hrs to go from Bristol to Sidmouth this morning. Then the way back tonight was throwing it down and huge puddles along the M5.

 

Watch out on the fuel pump on the Focus. Firstly they're weak anyway (pain to change too). Secondly running out of fuel often seems to bugger them up as they run dry and overheat. If old pumps it can be what kills them off.

 

So if you get intermittently cutting out, then restarting when cooled, etc it could well be the pump. Took a while to discover it happening to me. My profile picture of the Scenic II with the bonnet up is where I learnt the hard way about this...

I was in Sidmouth this evening, at the observatory.  Absolutely fucking awful weather.

[Hertz]

Fleet update. The BM 645 has gone, it was a great car but too much of a ticking time bomb so moved it along.

 

The T4 is now for sale and I have a few people interested already, again it's a great van but we just don't use it as much as intended. Hopefully it will go as quick as the beemer without too much hassle.

 

 

Next up is the Clio I bought recently. It's cleaned up quite well, got it running so now for sale. Needs a lot of welding.

 

 

I was then tasked with finding a replacement for the van for Mrs Hertz. She wanted another beetle. I think someone mentioned it last week, finding a genuine private sale low mileage/owner car is getting harder and harder. To be fair I just think people can't be arsed with the stress or worry and just part ex or ring up wbac. Anyway after trawling the usual websites and viewing two or three nails I struck gold. It's a face lifted one (which we prefer) and a two owner car from new. It was also cheap for one of these, however there was a downside...

 

 

Fucking bastard stickers! There were even ones on the rear hatch!

 

 

Spent the afternoon with a trigger esque attitude to getting on with it and managed to get rid. The bastard things came off in finger nail pieces then left that sticky residue behind. Nail polish remover then a t cut and we were cooking on gas.

 

 

Tother side tomorrow, plus a new aerial and it's a bonnie thing. She's chuffed, and I can now relax from Gumtree, Autotrader and ebay searches. For now anyway.

[Dan_ZTT]

Looks like VW are handling the emisions fiddle differently in the states

300,000 cars bought back!

https://mobile.reuters.com/news/picture/volkswagens-diesel-graveyard-idUSRTX5F0A2

Oh my.

 

Also, cars don't come in many interesting colours these days do they?

[trigger]

That looks spanking!

[ProgRocker]

Also, cars don't come in many interesting colours these days do they?

 

Any colour you like. As long as it's white, grey, silver or black.

 

A work colleague has a solid red colour 13 reg Ford Focus. It actually stands out because even solid red coloured cars seem to be less common these days.

[dollywobbler]

fleet status update......

 

little gay jeep has, we hope*, blown a wheel bearing. its making all manner of unusual noises fron the o/s/f wheel which was marked on the mot has having a grumbling wheel bearing.

 

marvin the metro is currently sat under its new waterproof cover, the battery is as flat as a witches tit after been on charge apparently for several days. it seems the £8 wilko charger has not made it through the winter. the battery charger has though made it into the dustbin. a new battery charger has been purchased, though i did't think to bring the battery back home with me, cos that is where the new battery charger is.

 

cocopop the orange mini has had its soft tire blown back up, but its battery too is flat, its not as flat as the metro's is (that one is so flat not even the dash lights will come on) its battery is still fitted in the back of the car, in the garage, and is also no where near where the battery charger actually is.

 

the rover 75 (elsie rova) continues to look like a mechanised skip provide sterling service inspite of the abuse and neglect that it routinely gets. its about due a service, so i've bought the filters and oil, and a local chap is going to fit it in sometime soon. 

 

the black mini, (rodney) is going for an mot tomorrow. it will not pass, not a hope in hell but at least with a fail list i'll know what actually needs doing. been and bled the brakes again today, this time we've had help from someone who knows what they are doing..... result? same as before. soft pedal initially followed by pedle been much firmer when pressed again. we are agreed, that there is not any air in the system, and that the brakes are indeed working just without inspiring a lot of confidence. we now wonder if the shiney new master cylinder is af fault. we didn't fit that, the previous owner did, and while it says AP Lockheed on the side, we wonder if it is really what it says it is, and if its working as it should. tomorrow will tell...... oh and the petol gauge now works. we've run a replacement wire from the back of the gauge to the sender in the bottom of the petrol tank. and now the gauge works! thats right, sweet audience, we have actually managed to bodge fix something!!!! sort of anyway....

 

kerry also put all of the hubcaps on, well just to see what the looked like, and just because. kerry did this cos by now i was having a sense of humour failure full kinckin' stuff about type strop cos bloody car wasn't playing nice. bloody thing.

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and then finally the lexus. i broke this today. i had to go and get some more brake fluid from the local motor factors. as the jeep is shagged, i took the lexus, i pulled up, and knocked off the engine. the steering wheel which is supposed to move away from you when turning off the engine didn't move. i couldn't get the key out of the ignition, and when turning it back on, all i got was the pretty lights on the dash, no engine....

 

shit, arse, fuck, shit, wank, what the fuck??

 

so i'm now stuck in norton with a 2 ton immobile car, no phone, nothing........

 

5 minutes of panicing later, i realised it was still in "drive", moving the gear selector to "park" it started straight back up.

 

oop!!! what a dipstick...........

 

we took that car down to the NEC last weekend. it managed 34mpg. which i thought was bloody amazing!

 

Can I just say, it might be fighting you, but that Mini looks absolutely fantastic. I love everything about it - the number plates, the aftermarket reverse lights, the 10" wheels with chrome trims. Gorgeous. 

 

34mpg from the Lexus is some achievement. Despite attempts at frugal driving, I could never quite crack into the low 30s in mine.

[trigger]

My old 63 plate Focus was solid race red and was the reason why I bought it although I was told by a dealer when I was looking at trading it in that "we don't offer much for red cars as they don't sell" which sounds like bullshit.

 

I had a hell of a job to find the Focus above that wasn't in black, silver or grey.

[Skizzer]

Oh my.

Also, cars don't come in many interesting colours these days do they?

Any colour you like. As long as it's white, grey, silver or black.

 

A work colleague has a solid red colour 13 reg Ford Focus. It actually stands out because even solid red coloured cars seem to be less common these days.

I’ve just ordered a new Skoda to replace the BMW as my work car and solid red is about the only actual colour option, apart from a rather dull blue. Everything else is shades of white, black, grey or brown. There was briefly a nice sage green available but they soon put a stop to that.

 

Shame, as Skoda does some quite snazzy colours in its home market and other points eastwards.

 

(Obviously I’ve gone for beige.)

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Why would a company not sell certain colours in certain markets I wonder? Surely there's no downside to them offering all the colours they can do, to all potential customers. Weird.

[SiC]

Why would a company not sell certain colours in certain markets I wonder? Surely there's no downside to them offering all the colours they can do, to all potential customers. Weird.

I'd hazard a guess that bland colours are easier for the dealers to resell once off the first finance deal. This is of course important to mass market car manufacturers and their networks.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

On the subject of colours, I had a great idea the other day. Why don't BMW offer new minis in all those great old BL colours? Pageant blue, applejack and all that. They could offer a 1970's range and a 1980's range. I reckon mini buyers would lap them up nowadays as everyone is into 'retro' stuff!

[Vince70]

Now that the rover 400 has passed another MoT I’ve splashed out £10 on a new drivers side mirror and 2.99 on a resistor pack so my heater works on all speeds.

 

I’ve even been down Poundland and bought some spray adhesive to glue the door panel material back on

I might even lift the bonnet up and free up the linkage for the heater as it gets hot with stuck on and only one speed on the heater.

[Supernaut]

I, for one, am not interested in buying a second-hand just off finance car in a bland colour! So take that car companies!

 

Just ignore the fact I'm nowhere near ever being in the market for a car that new.

[Skizzer]

It’ll either be that it simplifies the production line operations/planning, or it’s a way to get people into higher margin VWs and Audis instead (mind you they’re all black/white/grey too), or most likely hardly anyone in north western Europe wants a coloured car so it wouldbugger up the PCP maths.

 

Edit: beaten to it by several people who can think/type faster than me.

[phil_lihp]

Overall I'm pleased with this one, it drives very well and doesn't seem to need anything horrific.  The idea is I can have this for a while now (more than 3 months would be an improvement on recent ownership stints) and its value should at least stay stable.  These are quite popular despite being slated when new for not being properly fast.

 

From what I've experienced so far, it has plenty of power but it's subtle - flexible with bags of torque and it'll happily stay in 6th from surprisingly low speeds right up to the limit.  It does need a service which I'll attend to soon.

 

 

There's some marks on the bodywork but overall for a Focus it's pretty good, one front wing has some rust blebs and doesn't appear to be original anyway.  A big stack of paperwork and no real signs of neglect, I think the right amount of fresh oil and a new set of plugs and leads should be very good for it.  It has no record of a timing belt change either but as I have their details I'm going to write to a couple of previous owners to see if they have any record of it and see if the owners' manual and/or spare key are still around somewhere.  I might also try contacting the garages on a couple of the invoices.

 

 

And on the subject of colours, I do like this - it's had a very thorough machine polish recently and is mega shiny, it's eye catching without being loud.  

[Skizzer]

Very nice looking Focus that Phil.

 

Ford (along with its former offspring Volvo and JLR, actually) is one of the few manufacturers with a good recent/current colour chart, I think. That blue and a rich metallic red are lovely, and they do/did a nice bronze that’s a dead ringer for the Talbot Bronze of my Rancho.

[loserone]

I absolutely loved st170s when I worked at a ford dealer circa 2005. Still would, great combination of ride, steering, torque and cold knobs.

[Jim Bergerac]

I’ve just ordered a new Skoda to replace the BMW as my work car and solid red is about the only actual colour option, apart from a rather dull blue. Everything else is shades of white, black, grey or brown. There was briefly a nice sage green available but they soon put a stop to that.

 

Shame, as Skoda does some quite snazzy colours in its home market and other points eastwards.

 

(Obviously I’ve gone for beige.)

I saw one of these in this colour the other week:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201710300785801?

 

Build it and someone will buy one. I don't think it's a good colour for that type of car but at least it's something different.

[320touring]

"New cars are all boring Greys"

 

*Wobbly wibbly timey wimey lines*

 

Welcome to 1959..

 

 

Car colour doesn't matter!

[Pillock]

Manufacturers are nervous about bright colours because so many cars are PCP'ed or whatever - so if you go mental and order an Applejack Mini Clubman, you might love it for three years but then you give it back and the dealer has to find someone else with the right state of mind to buy it. 

 

I guess years ago, if you bought a mental colour car it was your own responsibility to shift it on and take the price hit to get rid.

[Jim Bell]

Overall I'm pleased with this one, it drives very well and doesn't seem to need anything horrific. The idea is I can have this for a while now (more than 3 months would be an improvement on recent ownership stints) and its value should at least stay stable. These are quite popular despite being slated when new for not being properly fast.

 

From what I've experienced so far, it has plenty of power but it's subtle - flexible with bags of torque and it'll happily stay in 6th from surprisingly low speeds right up to the limit. It does need a service which I'll attend to soon.

 

20180331_110630.jpg

 

There's some marks on the bodywork but overall for a Focus it's pretty good, one front wing has some rust blebs and doesn't appear to be original anyway. A big stack of paperwork and no real signs of neglect, I think the right amount of fresh oil and a new set of plugs and leads should be very good for it. It has no record of a timing belt change either but as I have their details I'm going to write to a couple of previous owners to see if they have any record of it and see if the owners' manual and/or spare key are still around somewhere. I might also try contacting the garages on a couple of the invoices.

 

20180331_110642.jpg

 

And on the subject of colours, I do like this - it's had a very thorough machine polish recently and is mega shiny, it's eye catching without being loud.

 

That looks smashing man. If you dont mind be being a nosey basthard, what are these worth in these modern brexit times?

[Jim Bell]

 

Car colour doesn't matter!

Unless is yellow. Then it matters the most.

[cobblers]

What have I become? My mate is selling his VW Tiguan and I quite fancy it cos it's got a smooth ride and the dogs would fit OK in the back. But do I really want to spend 3k on a 10 year old 130k mile VW dieselgate yacht with DMF, DPF and that's had the emissions fix? I'm scared.

[phil_lihp]

That looks smashing man. If you dont mind be being a nosey basthard, what are these worth in these modern brexit times?

 

I think the official pricing is 'what you can get away with'.  I've seen some low mileage, tidy ones in the right spec/colour going for £2000+.  This one's fundamentally tidy, in the right colour and a late one but without the xenons/climate control that some prefer and has a few minor niggles.  It was sold as spares or repairs by the Ford specialist I bought it from on the basis of the timing belt age being unknown and the clutch release bearing being noisy (clutch itself was replaced in 2014) and I paid £850.  It was advertised for £895 and there was apparently a lot of interest which I can believe.

[Jim Bell]

That seems very good value for a PERFORMANCE FORD. Specially a decent one. I think I may just have to set up an ebay search alert with keywords ST and Focus.

 

Cheers fella.

[clayts450]

Wahey - generous MoT tester -another year of urban on-roading in the Streetshite

 

 

[SiC]

DIY DISASTER!

 

Replaced the bonnet release handle on the TT and cleaned up the lock mechanism. Put all back together and tested it many times with the bonnet open.

 

Shut the bonnet again and the release wire now has come detached on the bonnet catch.

 

Anyone have any ideas on how to open the bonnet back up again?

 

I'm hoping I'm not going to have to resort to cutting the front grill off.

 

 

Where this screwdriver is, is where the wire should attach to.

 

There is a heavy chunk of steel where the catch goes, so not really possible to get a screwdriver up there to actuate anything.

[cobblers]

Take the undertray off and go from below? I've had to do it to a couple of VAG motors but never a tt

[Angrydicky]

My mate managed to operate the bonnet catch in about 30 seconds, lying underneath with a long screwdriver, when the cable jumped off on the Sierra Base.

 

Sorry, that's not much help really.