The new news 24 thread

[Kiltox]

You better get this sorted!

Screenshot 2016-06-29 23.29.06.png

It's booked in for Sat morning, fingers crossed...

[Barry Cade]

The trouble with DRLs is they don't do the back lights. If they did they'd be a lot more use as you'd see the idiots in front of you with no lights when it's raining too.

The Iveco breakdown truck has DRL's, but front lights only. Sometimes I need to sit on the wrong side of the road facing oncoming traffic at night. Do I take the risk of being shunted up the rear, or blind oncoming cars... Stupid. Y no sidelamps...

[Ghosty]

Right then, I appreciate this is one of those irritatingly vague questions that no one's going to be able to answer properly, but my great aunt died at the weekend and as her closest relative the right side of 90 my mum has various things to sort out. Not the biggest priority for her right now, but apparently someone has already left a note asking if my aunt's Mini is for sale. No pictures and only a vague description as it's the other side of the country, but it's a mid-90s Mayfair auto with 30k-odd and owned by my aunt from new. We've been offered £2k but looking on eBay and Car and Classic asking prices seem to be all over the place. Seems a bit low to me though, any thoughts?

 

Mileage under 40k will indeed command a generous premium. I concur £4k is doable.

[RayMK]

Re: Selling the mini.  Although many people go ahead and deal with someone's estate without difficulty or come-back, I think (from my own experience) that probate should be involved if there is a will, or letters of administration if not.  

 

£4K is about right if the autobox is healthy and the bodywork sound.

[worldofceri]

I hate it when people drive during the day with dipped beam on...

 

Why?

[worldofceri]

I've been experiencing a phenomemon lately, familiar to anyone who's visited the reptile house at the zoo, in that whenever I get in the Laguna after leaving work on a sunny day my sunglasses steam up.  

 

Time to sort out the leaky sunroof then.

 

I tried rodding the drain tubes, but didn't have a long enough bit of wire to hand.  Luckily someone posted a link in someone else's Gooner thread to a video someone's put on Youtube that shows where the drains come out.  Inexplicably, behind the wheel arch liner.  The bloke in the video must only have worked on Series Land Rovers and Morris Minors previously because he didn't have a Torx bit to undo the screw at the very bottom of the liner.  (You can get a set for about £1.59 from Wilko's, ffs.)  He does have a great work-around for this though as long as you don't need any skin on the back of your hand for the next six weeks.

 

Fortunately, I have a basic set of modern tools so I had no problem getting the liner off.

 

 

That's the end of the drain tube, right there in the middle.  Took out that little bit of plastic and a load of shite fell out.

 

 

And this little fella!

 

 

That's the end of the drain tube there, with a little stopper of gunge in the end.

 

 

Cleaned it all out, did the other side, stuck 'em back together and a quick test...

 

 

Result.  No more footwell swimming pools.  

[Guest Hooli]

Did all that with mine, didn't work

 

Must have a bigger blockage than you...

[Guest Hooli]

Achievement unlocked today!

 

Over a full tank of fuel the ONLY warning light to have come on in the goona is the low fuel light. Hows that for reliability? (yes the tank is nearly empty)

[Kiltox]

For every Renault that is working there is another that is FTPing - my Trafic wouldn't start this morning!

[Guest Hooli]

Happy to help

[phil_lihp]

There was, a couple of years ago, a Universal Volvo Welfare Balance operating which had similar effects.  Any time I did anything positive to my 940, one of CMS206's would go wrong - sometimes in a quite significant way - soon afterwards.  I couldn't live with the guilt and stopped trying to mend it in the end.

[Kiltox]

It's working again..... The roulette wheel spins

[holbeck]

Going to an (house clearance) auction viewing tomorrow, in the catalogue is a 1998 Hyundai Coupe only 8600 miles on the clock, but no MOT since 2013.

 

Am I mad to even consider this? WCPGW?

[angle]

Re: Selling the mini.  Although many people go ahead and deal with someone's estate without difficulty or come-back, I think (from my own experience) that probate should be involved if there is a will, or letters of administration if not.  

 

£4K is about right if the autobox is healthy and the bodywork sound.

Thanks for the help everyone. My immediate reaction was that £4k was about right. Now I've just got to work out how to drag it here from the Cotswolds...

[Tamworthbay]

Thanks for the help everyone. My immediate reaction was that £4k was about right. Now I've just got to work out how to drag it here from the Cotswolds...

sorry to pee on your fireworks but I fear that is very strong money. I am one of the mods on the mini forum and keep an eye on the prices so I can help in the valuations section. For a Mayfair auto to reach £4K it would need to be absolutely mint with low mileage, low/ one owner and a following wind. It's it's in good useable condition with 12 months mot then £2-£2.5k is closer to the mark, if it needs a bit of work then take £500 off that. They can also look really nice on the surface but be properly fooked in the vital bits so make sure you get pics up under the wings, rear heel board ends, bulkhead, sills (over sills will put off a lot of people so hopefully it doesn't have them) rear closing panel and inside the rear bins. The prices are based on trawling eBay for cars that have sold (as opposed to dreamers prices) and contacting members who have sold cars through the forum.

 

No harm in asking more but if it doesn't sell you will at least know why.

[For Fiats Sake]

Finally got the drive widened, tow bar fitted to modern so was able to collect this from Stockport today:

 

 

1993 Rapido pop top, so in period for use with the older pandas.

 

Couldn't put it on the drive tonight as the fucknugget who drives a british gas van decided to park it across the end of my garden.  Obviously he did not take kindly to  me parking three cars at the bottom of the road whilst I moved the fleet about.  

I did go out and move the maestro out of "his" way, but then an hour later though fuck it and added it to the uno and donor panda stack.

 

Very annoying after my first domestic tow, which was great, very easy going and no wobbles just a bit of bobbing up and down on rougher surfaces.  The large hill up to the village was taken with relative ease.

Best bit is as the caravan is same width (or a little less) than the panda so can thread it through roadworks with confidence.

Now all I need is somewhere good to go with a bit of nice weather!

 

 

 

 

[stuboy]

Anyone a framing renault scenic with range rover today on the a260? Near eastry

[andrew e]

I was nearly run over by a black MG6 this morning - do I win a prize?

[Ghosty]

I was nearly run over by a black MG6 this morning - do I win a prize?

 

Your life, and a more dignified and successful departure when the time comes.

[gnorwebthgimi]

I was nearly run over by a black MG6 this morning - do I win a prize?

I was crossing the road once and a car pulled up abruptly at the crossing, the driver did nothing wrong but it was enough to get my attention. It was none other than local mp Ben Gummer, in his* ford focus. Imma just sayin' there could be less dignified ways to shuffle the mortal coil.

[saucedoctor]

Going to an (house clearance) auction viewing tomorrow, in the catalogue is a 1998 Hyundai Coupe only 8600 miles on the clock, but no MOT since 2013.

 

Am I mad to even consider this? WCPGW?

 

Not much goes wrong with those IIRC. 1.6 is a bit gutless, 2.0 is pretty good. I think 1998 is too early for the 2.7 V6 option, but they're not worth having anyway - barely faster than the two litre, and very thirsty. Noisy as well. If the car's cheap enough I reckon it could be worth a punt. Seen a few crashed ones in breakers, never seen one with much grot.

[twosmoke300]

They do rust tho !

[Rusty_Rocket]

Hyundai Coupe does rust- my friend's 1999 one had had patching to both inner and outer sills.  Otherwise this particular car has been totally, utterly reliable, putting all the 'quality' marques to shame.  It sees next to no maintenance either, much to my disgust.

[Kiltox]

FiL's car was smacked up the arse a couple of days ago as per my previous post - he is insured TPFT but it's a non fault claim so the insurer have referred it to their legal services company

 

He's being asked to get 2 quotes for the repair - car isn't legally driveable because the tailgate doesn't shut any more and the number plate is on the tailgate (I suppose it could be tied down but that's not the point really)

 

How the fuck is he expected to get it to multiple body shops for estimates? Should he be expected to?

[garbaldy]

If the car was not moted when it was shunted then I wouldn't rock the boat just get the quotes in and take the payment.

[holbeck]

Going to an (house clearance) auction viewing tomorrow, in the catalogue is a 1998 Hyundai Coupe only 8600 miles on the clock, but no MOT since 2013.

 

Am I mad to even consider this? WCPGW?

 

Went to see this earlier although I forgot my camera.

 

It looks tidy enough although the steel sunroof is going rusty and the leather interior is mouldy.

The auction house told me that it had arrived on a transporter and had not been started. The last tax disc expired in Dec 2011.  The service book had nothing in it except the 1000 mile service back in '98, although the fluids look clean enough.

The tyres are matching Michelins, so I presume it's original set.

 

So, I reckon I'm out 'cos It's going to need trailering away then oil / coolant / brake fluid / belts / tyres &  battery, all doable but I don't think there's a lot of upside in it and I don't really want it as a daily.

[Kiltox]

If the car was not moted when it was shunted then I wouldn't rock the boat just get the quotes in and take the payment.

It has a MoT - previous reference to MoT-less cars is my Scenic

[garbaldy]

Oh right well call them and tell them to sort it out,

[Skizzer]

I prepped my Audi for its MOT by putting new wiper blades on it (as well as glueing the rear view mirror back on, but that's another story).  I fitted the correct size - the old ones were an inch smaller.

 

...which OF COURSE means it's now failed on 8.3.1d having a windscreen crack in the swept area (zone B ). 

 

 

So I'm now back to my 4-month battle to get fucking Autoglass to come and fit a new windscreen - or I could buy some smaller wiper blades.

[xtriple]

Just had a call from Specialist cars, the ignition switch box has returned from testing with : 'no fault found'.  Ideas now seem to be centred around the alarm ecu which is being removed and sent away for more tests.

 

So many things have been changed on this car now it is far beyond 'funny' anymore. All the relays (including hidden ones behind fuse boxes and so on) all the wiring checked/cleaned, starter motor checked, ignition switch box...

 

Once again, it's costing a FUCKING FORTUNE! Sick to death of it but, when it's here and going, it is sooooo nice to drive.