The new news 24 thread

[Craig the Princess]

Yup. Start of the slippery slope. I'm staring at my driveway of vehicles thinking 'how did this happen?!"

Ditto

 

And they you move house and think, where the hell do I park all 18 of the buggers? Luckily the new house is in rural Norfolk so there is plenty of space and few people around.

[ashmicro]

Drove the bag off a Z3 2.8 some years ago around Duncrue Industrial Estate, Belfast. I'm 5 foot 8 and 9 stone, and I nearly got thrown out of it when it suddenly found grip. That's what I get for not wearing my seatbelt! I liked the car, but bought a C36 AMG instead (from the same chap).

[vulgalour]

Thankfully, most of the houses I've been eyeing up for purchase around here have driveways, often with single garages at the end, with enough space for 3-4 cars and easy access to the back garden where there's space for another 6 cars, sometimes more if I want to sacrifice the whole plot to rusty old heaps.

 

This is the ideal, my grandparents used to have a Blue Star Garage. Can you imagine turning that into a house? Hopefully it comes with the collection outside again.

[dollywobbler]

I nearly got thrown out of it when it suddenly found grip. That's what I get for not wearing my seatbelt!.

 

Funnily enough, I did almost exactly the same thing. I was wearing my seatbelt and it never lost grip in the first place, but I did create enough G-force for it to actually hurt.

 

Moments earlier, I'd created enough G-force in the 2CV for the ignition wiring to come apart. That was embarrassing.

[Pete-M]

Been getting insurance quotes today for a friend of mine. She's 31, clean licence, been driving for 14 years or so, lives in a slightly shit post code (decent enough area, but it's lumped in with somewhere that was a car crime hot spot in the '70s..) rides a motorbike and has 5 years car NCB and similar for her bike, works as a precision engineer.

 

Wants Fully Comp on something reliable and cheap to fix. Must be reasonable to drive and capable of motorway work. No Corsas or Renaults.

 

Quotes as follows.

 

Peugeot 106 diesel = £1000.

Fiesta 1.25 Ghia / Zetec = £1000

Peugeot 306 TD = £1200

Golf Mk2 1.6 Driver = £645

Ka = £695

Golf Mk2 GTi 8v = £850

Micra 1.0 = £900

Impreza WRX = £6490

Polo 1.4 = £850

Golf Mk3 1.4 (NO) = £690

Jag XJR = £1660

Fiesta Zetec S = £1710

 

Go figure.

[Pete-M]

She didn't have a car last year, but her car NCB is still ok for a couple of months.

 

It has gone up since her last insurance, but her bike insurance has dropped by more than the car ins has raised.

[STUNO]

Thankfully, most of the houses I've been eyeing up for purchase around here have driveways, often with single garages at the end, with enough space for 3-4 cars and easy access to the back garden where there's space for another 6 cars, sometimes more if I want to sacrifice the whole plot to rusty old heaps.

 

This is the ideal, my grandparents used to have a Blue Star Garage. Can you imagine turning that into a house? Hopefully it comes with the collection outside again.

 

Leave the upstairs garage and put a window from the bedroom. The ramp will also be great for starting cars in the morning! With a fully concreted front yard the view will be spectacular when you buy enough to cram it full.

[wuvvum]

Bit of a mixed bag on the MoT front today.

 

The Solara passed easily, only needing a quick scrape with a screwdriver and squirt of WD40 to fix a temperamental offside brake light, so that's good to go for another year.

 

The P6 failed dismally. Well maybe not dismally as P6s go, but it needs three areas of welding, none of which are particularly easy to get to, and a set of rear brake pads. Which is a pain seeing as I can't weld, so I'm going to have to find someone who can do it and won't charge the earth - problem is I find a lot of places don't like working on cars that age.

[vulgalour]

Chucked some Redex in the Maestro, it rewarded me by painting the drive gates black. I wouldn't have bothered, but it has started to run on quite badly today for the first time so I didn't think it'd hurt, not like it's a pricey thing to do, feels and sounds better for it too.

 

The Maestro has been receiving many favourable comments too, mostly from the oldies, but it's great to be tootling around in something that makes people smile. Even the housemate was pleasantly surprised when we went to do some shopping, he said it feels very upright but in a good way, and found it quite comfortable. I think I'm finally getting the hang of the auto box too, I've almost stopped trying to put the handbrake in neutral when I park up.

 

We shall see how the little beast copes with the 5am drive to work tomorrow, it's set to be a cold one!

[cort16]

I'm out my mind with work trying to get stuff finished before I bugger off to Barcelona at the end of the week so couldn't really afford to leave at 5 to go and get the Mrs's new Puma but we need to get it before I leave else she'll have no car. The car looks as described but I noticed there was no tax on it so the guy said he'd stick 6 months rent on it for free tomorrow, which is good but it means I have to leave at 5 again tomorrow to go and get it but time is short and I'm streeeeeesssssed.

[wackywacerwill]

Real time MOT update is as follows;

After the Mrs found the unopen reminder over the weekend the van was promptly booked in for this morning to refresh it's lapsed ticket. After a full 20 mins prep with gaffa and zip ties I'm now standing in the watching bay with fingers crossed. I need the van this weekend for framing a sold pug and picking up a big old 90's caravan so am a little on the nervous side as it does have issues!

[wackywacerwill]

Stress placed upon ones ownself is always the worst hey.

[dollywobbler]

BX now wears a full set of steel wheels with winter tyres. Thanks are very much due to Catsinthewelder for donating a pair of steelies to the cause, and Dieselnutjob for donating a set of wheel bolts.

 

Sadly, I attempted to use the standard jack to do the wheelchange. This was a mistake as it slipped off and punched a great big dent in the sill. DOH! Then the bloody thing wouldn't rise up, just to let me know how pissed off it was with my clumsiness - of course it was now so low that I couldn't get my trolley jack underneath it. Me and the BX had a short but fiery debate which involved a certain amount of name calling and pulling frantically on the height control lever. Eventually, my superb wit outfoxed the BX and it gave up and gracefully rose into the air.

[Micrashed]

Bollocking Shitbags

 

MOT tomorrow morning, my only day off for 2 weeks - gave Micra cursory going over, nothing obvious apart from covered in mud, took it to Morrisons on the way home from work at 9pm and took it through the car wash - cue front wiper ripped off and wiper linkage borked.

Then cue standing in the street trying frantically to take the plastic scuttle trim off to get to linkage, wiper arm seized on to spindle, cue cursing, cue throwing adjustable spanner into hedge and kicking bmper in a fit of Basil Fawltyesq rage.

 

Fuck it, the garage can have the pleasure of sorting that out tomorrow.

[vulgalour]

It's not the Micra you should be cross at, you should have instead set fire to the car wash for causing the problem in the first place.

[dollywobbler]

Bit late now, but in the old days, when I used to use car washes, I'd always stop the wipers in the up position (took a bit of co-ordination if it had a rear wiper too - at least the Micra has an upright one). There's a technique to getting stuck arms of as well. Usually involves levering the non-arm side while lifting the arm and requires at least three hands.

[Negative Creep]

This is the reason I've never once used an automatic car wash. I used to love them as akid though, and wathcing the brush ominously roll over the car looked rather cool

[Morgan84]

Whats wrong with a bucket and sponge;it means you can get into the door shuts etc,plus its cheaper = Shitewash

[Pete-M]

268 mile round trip to Coventry to look at a seemingly perfect little Polo 1.4. R reg, but immaculate with low mileage, recent belt service at VW and one lady owner.

 

Got there, car was tidy enough - as it should be as it was priced up there with the newer shape ones.

 

Clutch was right on its last legs and the bloke flogging it wouldn't have it that there was anything wrong with it; "It doesn't slip, so it's ok. Pedal on these is always right at the top". I reckon the clutch had 2-3 thousand miles in it so left it.

 

Went and grabbed a pub lunch then off to Birmingham to look at a 2001 Polo 1.4 for the same money. Which was abused to put it mildly. Walked away from that as well.

 

Get back home and the Autotrader is full of tidy 2000+ spec 1.4s which weren't there yesterday. All nearer home too.

 

Still, the Impreza somehow managed 32 mpg overall today, so that's a bonus. Seats are pretty shit for extended motorway work though.

[vulgalour]

The Mk2 Polo clutch sits quite high normally, but I've not heard of the later R reg ones being like that so perhaps he was confused? Good luck with the hunt, at least there's plenty of Polos to pick from out there.

[Pete-M]

There's high and there's 'about to die' high. This was the latter.

[wackywacerwill]

Cushion and lpg for the preza? Or is this the car for the friend?

 

Well, the tranny passed today so I'm dead chuffed. I've put it through 4 tests now and it has passed first time on each occasion, not bad for a £150 purchase I did have to put a tyre on it before the first test and a battery too as it had been off the road for 2 years. Between that and the second to plates needed welding into the chassis rails and it's had nowt other than oil changes since then. It's well overdue some love this winter mind as it's starting to look (more) shabby plus the advisory list is long.

Zip tie door pulls FTW

[Pete-M]

Cushion and lpg for the preza? Or is this the car for the friend?

 

Pretzel is mine. LPG? It's doing 32 mpg man! That's almost a record high for the stuff I tend to own!

[cort16]

I picked up the Mrs's Puma last night and all went well (other than her driving at 30mph on an a road and driving me insane). Once we got the car home I took it out for a shot and was taking in the FULL driving experience by revving the nuts off it when the oil pressure light starts to flicker. Ah bollocks.

I nursed it home with the light flickering now and again and parked it up in a huff knowing that either 1: It's totally fucked, 2: It's not got any oil in it. I got up at 6.30 this morning and checked the oil and sure enough there was nothing onthe dip stick. I glugged 2 litres of oil into it, took it for a spin and all seemed fine.

The Mrs took it to work and I got a text saying at 8.30 saying "It's really fast isn't it??", which I presume means all is okay. It's actually an excellent little thing to drive so I may keep it for a wee bit once her new, new car arrives.

[Micrashed]

Whats wrong with a bucket and sponge;it means you can get into the door shuts etc,plus its cheaper = Shitewash

9pm, pitch black (no street lighting) and I CBA.

 

So far for the MOT

Exhaust back box (I kind of knew this was on its way out) and wiper linkage (no shit!).

[dollywobbler]

Cushion and lpg for the preza? Or is this the car for the friend?

 

Pretzel is mine. LPG? It's doing 32 mpg man! That's almost a record high for the stuff I tend to own!

 

That is impressive. My 2-litre non-blower Legacy would only do 27mpg. Mind you, it seemed to do that regardless of how it was driven. Never better, never worse. Consistent!

[DSdriver]

It was a toss up whether to put this in the grumpy thread or not. The evil pug206 went in for it's first service in two years. It's a W plate car and has only done 26 odd thousand miles but garage has confirmed OMGHGF. I had my suspicions about this a year ago when I noticed some sludge in the rad header tank but had forgotten all about it. £450ish. Arse.

[Micrashed]

Micra passed MOT, though wiper linkage cost me £48

Bastard Morrisons Leyland drive through car wash.

 

Advisories - CV boots perishing but intact and front cross member corroded.

 

Exhaust replaced, linkage fixed, serviced MOT'd and new pads today.

 

That said they quoted £200 for replacement of the crossmember which is a bit cheaper than I thought it would be given the labour involved in deconstructing the front end, chiselling off the old one and then weldorizing up a new one and painting with gunk. I will however in true Autoshite fashion cover it with gunk and leave it till next year before worrying about it. I might also Black Sikkflex the CV boots to extend their life.

 

So all told £240 for another 12 months motoring - not bad really, I couldnt buy a 50K mile Micra with 12 months ticket for that.

[dollywobbler]

Had the lower balljoint replaced on the BX today. I knew it was bad, but the chaps in the garage did laugh...

 

Was glad I farmed the job out as it was a pig to get out of the wishbone. Heat, chisels and big hammers did the job nicely. We then discovered play in its opposite number, though thankfully not very much.

 

Car is transformed now. Feels much more secure and doesn't sound like the entire front end is trying to fall off! MOT now under a month away and I still need to sort out the rear arm bearings. The plan is that I'll remove both arms, chuck them in the Bluebird and then nip up to my mate in Snowdonia who has handy kit and the know-how. I'm hoping the rear axle tube hasn't been damaged as one of the bearings is entirely ruined. Amazes me that people can drive around in a car that is that knackered and not notice that anything is wrong.

[skattrd]

Oooops, I appear to have won another car on ebay, a Mitsubishi RVR.

In my defence I didn't think my bid would meet reserve as these things are basically Mitsubishi evo's under the mini people carrier skin.

If anyone's interested: ebay link