The new news 24 thread

[Supernaut]

The joke.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ghosty's head.

[SiC]

Good luck. I had a tennis ball in the eye in the early 1980s. The scar tissue is still floating around - thankfully it is only really noticeable during Snow White out conditions. I think the brain tries harder to see things then.

Touch wood my vision seems to have recovered pretty much to normal now. Still very red though.

 

I'm avoiding driving until it's a bit less sore, so having to take alternative transport.

 

So what does an Autoshitter** do when they can't drive in to work? We'll take an AutoShite bus in of course!

 

Back end because I forgot to take a picture until I got on.

 

Interior shot.

 

Registration is G614 OTV, owned by South Gloucestershire Bus company. Google says it's a Volvo Citybus B10M-50 23509 Alexander RV RV48/1089/3 H47/37F (I can't pretend I'm a bus expert).

 

Google shows a few front pictures of said bus.

 

 

 

It's gear change between 1st and 2nd is by far worse than my Saab ever is! It also shakes + rattles at idle and wanders a bit at motorway speeds (realistically its probably 50mph tops). But then the bus fare is only £1.80 each way...

 

 

 

 

 

** I'm not a proper AutoShiter really, sorry to those that really are.

[wuvvum]

motorway speeds (realistically its probably 50mph tops)

 

The Autoshite Big Yellow Bus would leave it for dead then.  The bottom deck of that will hit 75 given a long enough run-up, although for some reason the top deck seems to max out at 70.

[MrDuke]

Probably because it's full of smokers.

[Lacquer Peel]

It rotates with the dial it's on.

Skoda Fabia estate?

Aye. I hired a "Fiat 500 or similar" and ended up with this. VAG SHITE

[Steve79]

Cant be any worse than the 08 plate double deck number 42 first bus i caught to bristol city centre couple of weeks ago. Belching out thick black smoke under acceleration and the thumping being transmitted through the floor at the back of the bus need to be felt to be believed.

 

First drivers must really hammer these hard. That, or first servicing and repair is dire!

[Guest Hooli]

 

First drivers must really hammer these hard. That, or first servicing and repair is dire!

 

 

I used to drive for stagecoach & it's mostly the latter. Buses are always floored everywhere, they are so slow it's the only way they can be driven & being autos you can't really trash them.

 

I booked one bus off the road because it took three times as long to stop with double the pedal pressure of all the other buses of the same model. The result was the workshop manager shouting at me that it's stops in the end so it's ok. That was typical. Whoever it was that also drove out of the Worthing depot might remember 30013...

[SiC]

Cant be any worse than the 08 plate double deck number 42 first bus i caught to bristol city centre couple of weeks ago. Belching out thick black smoke under acceleration and the thumping being transmitted through the floor at the back of the bus need to be felt to be believed.

 

First drivers must really hammer these hard. That, or first servicing and repair is dire!

They do! The older first buses with no DPFs are flipping horrible to be near when on the bike.

 

The number 48 (First) bus I went in on was a brand spanker 66 plate. The stop/start literally stopped the engine on every stop. Often it would only have the engine stopped for 2-3 seconds. One of the restart attempts took a good while before it catched.

 

I like the South Gloucestershire buses. Apart from they use alsorts of shite for the local routes (apparently the owner is a bit of a bus nut), the drivers are all very friendly and you can have a good chat with them. Unlike First bus drivers are all grumpy shits.

 

They also run all the Bristol based national express busses too. These aren't so shite.

[SiC]

Of course, they use only the best* quality buses for the school runs & trips:

40 children evacuated from burning South Gloucester bus on motorway near Swindon

 

 

 

[Guest Hooli]

I cooked the brakes on a Dennis Dart so well all they did was smell, no difference to the speed at all.

[Guest Hooli]

LOL, no it was in service with a nearly full load of passengers.

[loserone]

 

Pissing about with rubbish old vans is for fools. Cheers Arnold

What have you done, LP?

 

Edit: just seen it was a rental, TFFT.

[tommotech]

Not necessarily - diesel is rather less flammable than pez.

Yes it is, but at a possible 1600 bar the fuel squirts out of a cracked pipe as atomised particles, the DPF is close coupled so not a good recipe.

[Richard]

We had a power cut tonight, it blacked out the whole town and even took out all the mobile networks. It was quite exciting, just like being back in the 70s.

 

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/local/fife/342825/cupar-suffers-electrical-blackout/

[wuvvum]

If the reg of that renault is H131FVC then its my old one!

 

Nope, H347FOT, soz.

 

[mercrocker]

Just realised my resolution last year to not have consecutive MOTs on my fleet was never carried out.   I still have one next month, two the month after and the fourth in April.   I might* have to defer the one that doesn't need it legally.    Thank God for direct debit tax (and exemption)....

[garbaldy]

/\ nice eary setting now let's see more of the car😉

[wuvvum]

Yes it is, but at a possible 1600 bar the fuel squirts out of a cracked pipe as atomised particles, the DPF is close coupled so not a good recipe.

Ah yes, I forgot about all that newfangled common rail bollocks.  The injectors in my old L-series Rover run at about 12psi or something.

[Ghosty]

 

I've got a couple of questions to ask...

[bub2006]

Been enjoying myself this evening, so I thought I'd give you this for 2017:

 

A picture of my Calibra for the masses before it killed its rear diff and gearbox.

 

 

Even the fog couldn't be arsed with it.

It is now very broken and about 100 miles away being fixed.

 

Sorry for my opening comments. I'm twitchy and snide, and these habits die hard.

Agree with garbaldy. Very good photo even if eerie.

[Lacquer Peel]

What have you done, LP?

 

Edit: just seen it was a rental, TFFT.

I'd never be accepted for finance!

 

It's a refined car on the face of it but it bobs and shimmies over the same roads and surfaces the Berlingo floated over a couple of weeks ago, the steering is very artificial and though I'm sure the handling is safe it's not confidence inspiring.

The wee 4 pot turbo is nice, stick it in a 1990s Polo saloon, then we can talk.

[17-Coffees]

Having spent the last two and a half weeks in rural Oregon, USA, I was massively disappointed upon return to Aberdeen.

On the bus from the Airport to my flat it was all finance spec cars in silver I was seeing, as opposed to the massive range of cars you'd see stateside. 

 

Oh well, until next time i'm there...

[cms206]

Just realised my resolution last year to not have consecutive MOTs on my fleet was never carried out.   I still have one next month, two the month after and the fourth in April.   I might* have to defer the one that doesn't need it legally.    Thank God for direct debit tax (and exemption)....

 

I've just checked my current "roadworthy" fleet, currently numbering six.

 

Kia Pride - January 2nd (done)

Volvo 850 - February 5th

Volvo 740 Turbo - February 14th

Volvo 740 Council Estate - February 27th

Volvo V40 - February 28th

Peugeot 406 Estate - March 8th

 

Looks like I'll be on the bones of my arse for the next few months then!

[mercrocker]

Bloody hell that's nearly £400 if they all pass!    

[M'coli]

The 106 has just shat its alternator belt...

[Lacquer Peel]

 

I've been offered my late grandfather's Almera auto to get me about while I'm van-less. A bit of giffer damage but only 40k on the clock, regularly serviced and the fluids look good. Bloody miles away though

[loserone]

A horrible car, if I may say so.

 

(I had a manual one for years, so I think I'm entitled.)

[Lacquer Peel]

They really aren't my cup of tea (I don't even drink tea) but what do you want for nowt?

[oldcars]

Need to keep the Almeria,  Nothing like holding onto families old motors. Would never get rid of my Kia.

[Junkman]

A man with a big van arrived at the Junktowers today.

When he left, the van was still big, but no longer empty.