The new news 24 thread

[twosmoke300]

Was gonna ask where you guys are getting your suspension parts. Some cheap stuff is complete rubbish .

[RobT]

Was gonna ask where you guys are getting your suspension parts. Some cheap stuff is complete rubbish .

I think the front shock absorber bushes on my XJ6 need replacing, anywhere you'd recommend? Britishparts have them for 15 quid the complete kit, which sounds reasonable unless they turn out to be shit!

[MarvinsMom]

suspension parts? well, fleabay, if desperate, i've tried dealers off of the 75 owners club forum, rimmer bros and the local motor factors. 

 

all have been much of a much-ness though the range of prices asked does vary widely!

 

after trying expensive MGR genuine? parts and cheaper bits, i've come to the conlusion that they are all crap.

 

so, i won't use firstline ones (about £12 each for drop links), as they are shit lasting only a couple of months, and the genuine ones (they were £25-30 each?) and were pretty rubbish too, lasting 6 or so months before the rattle started again.

 

i've settled on Delphi ones. they were maybe £15 or so each, but are cheap enough to change as a service part if needed and imo they seem to be better than some on sale, and no worse than others.

 

as BMW's use the same wanky bit of crap to fasten the ARB to the bottom of the strut, i have wondered what parts they use, and if they are interchangeable with the Rover ones?

[Barry Cade]

Stay away from ecp ocap stuff,in a black box. It really is chocolate. Why can't people make rubber stuff that lasts now either?

[Pete-M]

I got a call from a friend yesterday. "Can you come and help me, I'm buying a car on ebay and want you to check it over before I give the guy the money". "Where is it?", "Down south somewhere".

 

So, I get the number of the bloke who's selling the car. Ask the usual questions and the seller gives all the right answers, car is described as "lovely, totally reliable, used every day, had it for ages, whatever it has needed it's has had, money no object. Only selling due to having bought something more family friendly, etc". Car sounds like exactly what my friend is after, but the seller will only be around either early in the morning or late at night as he's an electrician. My pal takes the day off work and we set off at 3.30am this morning to go and collect the car.

 

5.5 hours and 286 miles later we're outside a house on the Sahhhhf coast. Mr 'electrician' is nowhere to be seen but has left his son to deal with 'signing the paperwork'. The house has all the signs of a home trader, there's a scruffy Range Rover sport up the drive along with a dead Jag X type, a couple of dead Peugeot x07s and the back end of a recovery truck half hidden out of sight.

 

The car we've gone to get, a Mazda MX5 is in the street. Filthy and seriously abused. The 'used daily' Mazda has all four brake discs rusted around the brake pads, plants growing through the alloys, cobwebs half an inch thick around the crank and alternator pulleys, and an engine with a big end a knock you could probably hear from Ohio.

 

According to the 9 month MOT the car has done just over 3000 miles since passing the test 3 months ago. I don't think that car had moved for a minimum of six months.

 

So, as usual, the 'avoid cars with 9 month remaining MOT' rule should have been adhered to.....

 

Didn't buy the car.

[SiC]

Bleeding heck. That's a long way to drive for an MX5 no matter what spec it is!

[mercrocker]

What do these berks think when mis-describing their scrap?    That people are going to rock up and say "Fuck me, thats shit....Tell you what, though, we've come a long way so we will buy it anyhow?"  

 

Probably be re-advertised due to "timewasters".......Pity there is no "fuck-knuckle" button on Ebay listings.

[Bear]

What do these berks think when mis-describing their scrap?    That people are going to rock up and say "Fuck me, thats shit....Tell you what, though, we've come a long way so we will buy it anyhow?"  

 

 

Pretty much...

[wuvvum]

Tell us more.

It's as it was in the for sale thread (http://autoshite.com/topic/25698-mgf), except it's now had the front to rear coolant pipes replaced (good) and I poked holes in the back of both outer sills (bad).  It's going to need the rearmost 8" or so of each sill welded for the next MOT in March next year, and probably another smaller patch further down on the nearside.  Underneath is all good, as are the front half of the sills.

[Timewaster]

I got a call from a friend yesterday. "Can you come and help me, I'm buying a car on ebay and want you to check it over before I give the guy the money". "Where is it?", "Down south somewhere".

The house has all the signs of a home trader, there's a scruffy Range Rover sport up the drive along with a dead Jag X type, a couple of dead Peugeot x07s and the back end of a recovery truck half hidden out of sight

5 minutes looking on Google earth could have saved a lot of time and grief.

[Pete-M]

5 minutes looking on Google earth could have saved a lot of time and grief.

Yup. The ebay seller not being a lying tw@ would also have the same effect. The house wasn't on street view, not all of them are.

 

Also, if you look at my house on street view, there's a Granada Mk2 estate, an XJR and an Impreza WRX outside. I've not owned any of the above cars for something like three years.

[320touring]

Apparently my new sparkly stick of metal gluage is due today:)

 

Woooop!

[Supernaut]

Apparently my new sparkly stick of metal gluage is due today:)

 

Woooop!

Look at you, all prepared for your next addition to the fleet!

[320touring]

Look at you, all prepared for your next addition to the fleet!

It'll likely see deployment on a large silver thing that leaves green slime everywhere..

[RobT]

I also bought a new boot lock for it the Jag as the old one is shot, 26 quid so not too bad but delivery is estimated for 7 days time. It's only coming from Hampshire FFS.

 

 

It arrived early, so rather than stay in the warm and watch Wayne Carini chase some classic cars I fitted it last night.  Only took me 30 minutes of mucking about so I now finally have a boot that opens.  A relatively small job but I was quite chuffed to actually fix something for a change.

[Guest Hooli]

I think the front shock absorber bushes on my XJ6 need replacing, anywhere you'd recommend? Britishparts have them for 15 quid the complete kit, which sounds reasonable unless they turn out to be shit!

Jaguar. Their classic parts section is surprisingly cheap & you they are good quality. I can't recall the web address, but it's easy to find & displays all the diagrams so you can see how it all goes together too.

[Lord Sterling]

Er...yeah. Well today I have picked up, for work, the oldest vehicle I've been sent to pick up and deliver, an '05 Volvo V70 2.4. Nice car, always wanted to try one. The leather interior reminds me of the seats in my KV6 Sterling interior, real worn-in leather, not that matt-plati-leather stuff you find in newer vehicles. Not a huge amount in the oomph department but then maybe I've been spoiled by all the newer vehicles I've been driving. I feel strangely honored and 'at home' in this car. It really has got the grey cells whirring...

 

One IMPORTANT question though, the steering is so very light, feather light, you steer with a broken small finger. It doesn't firm up with speed either but seems pinpointed sharp and responsive, is this normal?

[SiC]

Probably. Old people drive Volvos. Old people have arthritis and limited movement.

 

Volvo know their market.

[SiC]

Hit my self imposed limit of £257 on this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272432428406

 

Shame. A robotic-gearbox early 2000s Renault seems a right laugh* to own. I do like French cars with crazy gearboxes. However I'm not that crazy to pay too much!

 

I noticed quite a few bids by a zero feedback. I bet it was a shill bidding to push it up. It's why I didn't fancy bidding more than my limit. I should have done a last minute bid to avoid that though.

[dollywobbler]

Er...yeah. Well today I have picked up, for work, the oldest vehicle I've been sent to pick up and deliver, an '05 Volvo V70 2.4. Nice car, always wanted to try one. The leather interior reminds me of the seats in my KV6 Sterling interior, real worn-in leather, not that matt-plati-leather stuff you find in newer vehicles. Not a huge amount in the oomph department but then maybe I've been spoiled by all the newer vehicles I've been driving. I feel strangely honored and 'at home' in this car. It really has got the grey cells whirring...

 

One IMPORTANT question though, the steering is so very light, feather light, you steer with a broken small finger. It doesn't firm up with speed either but seems pinpointed sharp and responsive, is this normal?

 

I've driven a V70 D5 of that vintage and don't remember hideously light steering. Thought it a jolly steer in fact. Whereas my S-MX has the lightest steering of any car I've ever driven. And that includes 1960s Jaguars. It's like the front wheels are off the ground. I don't think I'll be driving it much in ice...

[omegod]

Brother in law rings earlier

Me " Alright"

Him" No broke down, focus won't start"

Me " You got breakdown cover"

Him"No"

 

I look fumingly at the Mrs and her look say's please just go help the useless twat.My jump leads are fucked so £6.99 at Aldi later I meet the daft twat and it's starts with a jump but the battery's fucked.

 

Me   " Your battery's fucked"

HIm " Oh, I need it for work"

Me  " I can get one with trade discount at Halfords so it'll be £37 for a brand new one instead of £50"

Him , Blank look and shuffle of feet that says, wordlessly " I haven't got a bean"

Me   " Just drive home and I'll go and get you one, and don't fucking stall it you daft cunt"

 

So an hour later it's all fitted spangly new and starting perfectly, I've had no tea, it's freezing,i'm dirty and I'm 45 quid out of pocket.

 

He's quite happy,

 

His parting question of " Any chance you can get rid of the old battery cos the binmen won't take it" was met with much joy on my part as i'm sure you can guess.

 

3rd fucking time this has happened, he's 45 and has better holidays and a better social life than me. 

 

Wife is very grateful as he's a completely useless twat who everyone feels sorry for...even me for some unknown reason   

[Timewaster]

Yup. The ebay seller not being a lying tw@ would also have the same effect. The house wasn't on street view, not all of them are.

Also, if you look at my house on street view, there's a Granada Mk2 estate, an XJR and an Impreza WRX outside. I've not owned any of the above cars for something like three years.

We must be on Googles watch list, we get updated every couple of years.

I have used it to give an idea of the area before heading out (or not).

 

But you are right. Sellers not being twats would help a lot too.

[cort16]

I've put the wheels back on the cortina and put the door back on . It looks more like a car again ,which make me feel slightly better . The doors still fit like shit with the door seals on .

[Guest Hooli]

Er...yeah. Well today I have picked up, for work, the oldest vehicle I've been sent to pick up and deliver, an '05 Volvo V70 2.4. Nice car, always wanted to try one. The leather interior reminds me of the seats in my KV6 Sterling interior, real worn-in leather, not that matt-plati-leather stuff you find in newer vehicles. Not a huge amount in the oomph department but then maybe I've been spoiled by all the newer vehicles I've been driving. I feel strangely honored and 'at home' in this car. It really has got the grey cells whirring...

 

One IMPORTANT question though, the steering is so very light, feather light, you steer with a broken small finger. It doesn't firm up with speed either but seems pinpointed sharp and responsive, is this normal?

 

Any idea if it was a 140 or a 170?

 

Sounds like a 140 as they go flat as a fart over 4k & the 170 pulls like a healthy engine.

[Lord Sterling]

140bhp, I thought it was a "bit flat" performance-wise.

[Guest Hooli]

Yeah they were like that new too. First one I drove I thought it was broken.

[SiC]

Isn't it just a map as a difference between them? I seem to remember reading it somewhere, done as a way to meet tax thresholds or something.

[wuvvum]

I may have been caught speeding this evening.  Scamera van parked up on the Norwich inner ring road, I drove past it at about 37 (30 limit).  There was an RS5 Audi right in front of me doing the same speed, and another car on the left, so don't know if the camera will have picked me up or not, but I'm sure I'll find out soon enough.  Still, 37 in a 30 should be a speed awareness course job I would have thought?

[adw1977]

Still, 37 in a 30 should be a speed awareness course job I would have thought?

 

Yes, as long as you haven't already done a course in the last 3 years.

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

I think the front shock absorber bushes on my XJ6 need replacing, anywhere you'd recommend? Britishparts have them for 15 quid the complete kit, which sounds reasonable unless they turn out to be shit!

 

British parts suspension bushes don't have a good reputation. They don't always fit and don't last very long. Hooli's Jaguar Classic parts link is the Jaguar Cars site for their older cars. I always go there first to find the part numbers - then look round to see if I can find OE parts cheaper from SNG Barratt or David Manners. If no OE part is available (front shock absorrbers on the X300 are Sachs/Boge) - then I buy the part from JCP/Jaguar. JCP is also very helpful if you phone them or email them with questions - even if there is no sale in it for them.

 

http://www.jaguarclassicparts.com/uk/jaguar-xj-x300-parts/steering-and-suspension/road-spring-and-damper-front/road-spring-and-damper-front

 

 

This is the relevant page - if it is the shock absorber top bush, the part you need is part 8 on the diagram. MMD2144AA

 

http://www.sngbarratt.com/PartSearchResults.aspx?partno=MMD2144AA

 

http://www.jagspares.co.uk/Manners/PartView.asp?partno=MMD2144AA&perpage=10&imageField.x=45&imageField.y=15

 

Neither have OE part listed (aftermarket can be hit and miss on Jags in my experience) - so I would get the part from JCP if I was buying it!

 

Edited to add:

 

The British parts ones are much cheaper aren't they! They will work, but may well not last as long - so if you don't mind doing them more than once if you're keeping the car a while it is quite a saving!