The new news 24 thread

[cort16]

I took the Puma to work today now that I've taken it into protective custody from the wife. My first impressions are that it's pretty great. I'm so used to driving lardy german diesel cars that driving something light with a revvy petrol engine is a nice change and I just can't believe how easily it changes direction.. 125bhp isn't that much but it always seems pretty eager to go whatever gear you're in and sounds pretty fruity over 4000 rpm. Unfortunately my one smells. The previous owner must have smoked like a russian power station and there's ash everywhere. There's also a big dent in the door and one arch is rotten. I'm thinking about doing the arch and sticking a new door on it as if I do that it'll be one of the tidier ones out there and there doesn't seem to be that many tidy ones left.

[Craig the Princess]

Took a trip to Trains, Planes and Automobiles at the Midlands Air Museum, Baginton Airport, Coventry. Really good day, entry to the Air Museum and the next door Electric Train Museum. Always good to see the cockpit of a Vulcan, Argosy (pictured) and the car of a 309 EMU. Allegros were parked under the Argosy, possibly the best plane name ever.

 

[DaveAspley]

Buick decided to blow its speakers one by one today. There I was happily listening to "Rock 107, north pa's rock authority" via t'3g when BOOOM CRACKLE FIIIIZ and the osf door speakers signed their resignation. Whipped into layby and un plugged them. A mile later the bloody rear one went! Upgrade time maybe.

In other news, in my trade as a pro motor fettler, I suggested to a bunch of narrowboat owners a while ago that I can change the filters in their boats for much less than £165 that the "specialist" charges. Now I've got a bloody 5.6 Fordson diesel with a leaking accelerator shaft seal to sort..

[Shep Shepherd]

Fitted a Richard Grant Mouldings 'Rearguard' rear bumper protector to TV2 today. Covers up the various marks that the top of the bumper picked up during the car's time with its original owner and looks like a proper Volvo accessory:

 

 

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

I did argue with him, told him the repair quote was irrelevant thanks to the contacts and parts I could access and that the car was worth at least £800 in its present condition. He wouldn't budge an inch on it and I cba to argue it any further, I just want my car back.

 

You can always threaten them with small claims court action after you've had it sorted. They're more likely to pay up than spend money on professional lawyers travelling to argue and probably lose a case worth a few hundred quid. Just don't sign anything funny, or, if you do, mark it 'signed under protest' or something.

[CreepingJesus]

I could use one of those 'Rearguards' things too: the top of the bumper on mine is well scuffed. Sadly, skintitude precludes that purchase.

Oh well, I'll keep on explaining the scuffed bumper by relating, with an entirely straight face, how dragging bodies and spades in and out of the boot causes that.

[michael1703]

Fuck!

 

Did I really just win that on Ebay?

 

I wasn't even drunk,cheeky bid with 25 mins to go and I just looked in my emails and got a "Enjoy you ****** ** "

 

Will see how many thousands it costs to get it home in the morning

[trigger]

Go on then Mike, Spill the beans, I hope it's Russian and 4x4.

[barefoot]

Interesting experience yesterday.

Had a few noisy hydraulic tappets replaced on the 944 - at frightening expense.

Picked car up and it was absolutely as flat as a fart, felt like it had about 50bhp.

Ran as smooth as smooth thing but just completely gutless.

Cam timing out!

 

Sorted completely now, but it was totally bizarre.

[cort16]

New Fiesta Saloon looks shit shock horror.

 

[Cavcraft]

Fuck!

 

Did I really just win that on Ebay?

 

I wasn't even drunk,cheeky bid with 25 mins to go and I just looked in my emails and got a "Enjoy you ****** ** "

 

Will see how many thousands it costs to get it home in the morning

 

 

Well?

[Junkman]

Fitted a Richard Grant Mouldings 'Rearguard' rear bumper protector to TV2 today. Covers up the various marks that the top of the bumper picked up during the car's time with its original owner and looks like a proper Volvo accessory:

 

 

Fail. It doesn't look shite.

[Shep Shepherd]

Fitted a Richard Grant Mouldings 'Rearguard' rear bumper protector to TV2 today. Covers up the various marks that the top of the bumper picked up during the car's time with its original owner and looks like a proper Volvo accessory:

 

 

Fail. It doesn't look shite.

 

The car it's fitted to is, though - photos of TV2 make it look far better than it actually is

[Junkman]

Fail. It doesn't look shite.

 

The car it's fitted to is, though - photos of TV2 make it look far better than it actually is

 

OK, it's a pass then.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Got my new battery yesterday, fitted it without issue today. Checked tyre pressures after about a month with almost no driving, one of the tyres was down to 14, so I went to a local fast-fit mini-chain (Dexel) to see what's up with it. It was a slow puncture, and I am a bit miffed at the cost of sixteen quid for sorting it. It wasn't that long ago when you could have a puncture repaired for a fiver.

[Pillock]

I'd have spent 20p a month at the petrol station on the air machine instead, you wouldn't have hit £16 before the tyre wore out anyway

[dollywobbler]

Got my new battery yesterday, fitted it without issue today. Checked tyre pressures after about a month with almost no driving, one of the tyres was down to 14, so I went to a local fast-fit mini-chain (Dexel) to see what's up with it. It was a slow puncture, and I am a bit miffed at the cost of sixteen quid for sorting it. It wasn't that long ago when you could have a puncture repaired for a fiver.

 

My last leaky tyre repair cost me 'a drink.' Very pleased to have found a garage that works on my terms! (the trick is to send big jobs their way, then little stuff like this gets nicely discounted).

[ashmicro]

[quote name="dollywobbler

(the trick is to send big jobs their way' date=' then little stuff like this gets nicely discounted).[/quote]

 

This. I send a load of people every month to East Antrim Motor Factors. Consequently, when my mate Colleen's C Max needed a turbo, we got a bloody good deal.

[wuvvum]

Fuck!

 

Did I really just win that on Ebay?

 

I wasn't even drunk,cheeky bid with 25 mins to go and I just looked in my emails and got a "Enjoy you ****** ** "

 

Will see how many thousands it costs to get it home in the morning

This. Except I bid last night, then forgot about it until I got home from work.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

I'd have spent 20p a month at the petrol station on the air machine instead, you wouldn't have hit £16 before the tyre wore out anyway

 

They didn't really quote a price- I was expecting them to tell me that my alloys are in need of refurbishment, then they came back and said 'we fixed it, that'll be £16'.

[skattrd]

Fuck!

 

Did I really just win that on Ebay?

 

I wasn't even drunk,cheeky bid with 25 mins to go and I just looked in my emails and got a "Enjoy you ****** ** "

 

Will see how many thousands it costs to get it home in the morning

This. Except I bid last night, then forgot about it until I got home from work.

 

Come on then, what have you guys bought?

[vulgalour]

On the way to work today, the Skattrd Maestro decided it didn't want to idle at road ends and even threatened to break down! I nursed it to work, left-foot-braking at road ends, and parked up waiting for my lunch break. On coming out, a G reg Pug had parked up next to me, a nice match to the G reg Maestro. Started up the car, got the idle advanced, the cutting out went away... only, I think I advanced the idle a bit too far as it's a little eager to keep moving all the time so I'll tweak it back again tomorrow. I'm not sure how it managed to reset itself, but I suspect the vacuum pipe isn't vacuuming properly as one end of it has a fresh looking split.

 

Still, the Maestro is doing sterling commuter service and using much less fuel this week. One of my work colleagues was delighted to see me leaving in the Maestro because he's been asking around the entire building to find out who came to work in it to no avail. He very nearly had a crisis when I explained just why I was using it to get to work and back, I think I went significantly further up in his estimation for driving about in a Princess and a Maestro.

 

Today has, overall, been a good car day and I enjoyed spannering in the work car park far more than having lunch in the canteen watching BBC news.

[philibusmo]

The Alfa is currently up in the air while I wait for a new ARB droplink to cure the clunking front suspension.

I gave the oil and filter a change which was a right mare. The old filter was old enough to be rusty and ceased to the oil filter housing. Even hammering a screw driver through it would not make it budge as levering the screwdriver just cut the rusty metal of the filter in half. Additionally putting a G-clamp on it and levering that just bent the G clamp in the end. Eventually I managed to get it off with a large welding clamp.

 

With this done and the light drizzle ruling out welding the Lancia, lack of funds meant there was nothing to do on the Rover and the Fiesta as always needs nothing I found myself bored.

I did something I never thought I would do and I expect shall never be repeated. I began to clean the engine bay. I only really managed the engine cover before I got too bored but I think its come up quite well. Cleaned with Turtle Wax Tar, Insect and Tree Sap Remover. What it can't do is remove tar, insects or tree sap but it does clean old oil and gunge off an engine cover very nicely.

[ashmicro]

Not shite, but Oops! I did it again!

 

 

 

Long wheelbase. I get the car on Sunday. Heart says Mercedes, head says NOOOO! Heart won. Now Katie can arrive everywhere like Puff Diddly.

 

 

Tesco trainers in a 75k car. Despite its size and two-tonne weight, it goes like a stabbed rat. The S350 badging is misleading - it's a 3 litre, diesel, These things have really come on. Troy Queef types talk about a wave of torque at low revs - bollocks, in this case anyway: you can rev this thing to 5000 and he sings! Not as engaging as a big Jaguar, but hangs on bloody well for 18 odd feet of German metal. Freeview built in, so I can watch Dave while Katie's in the loo (whatever women do in there). True tell: I love Mercs. I fell in love with a blue 190E and had to have it. BUT: and you'll think I'm mad: my Rover 25 drives better. Maybe it's a case of the rose-tinted spectacles

[trigger]

OMG DATS SO NOT SHITE. UR BANNED. Etc...

[ashmicro]

If I keep it for long enough, it will be shite, Trig! My current record is 10 years and 6 months (Rover) which has seen off my ex-fiancée and 7 girlfriends (not including Patricia, who died). Katie is really excited about this - I had one before, but this one has the rear electric blinds and WORKING Air ride. Honestly, it's a bloody monster, but goes like shit off a shovel. Quiet when you're pootling, WHOOOOOSH-PFFFFT when you're giving it the shoe. I could sell my house and live in this thing.

[dollywobbler]

I can forgive engine bay cleaning if it's an Alfa Romeo. Few other manufacturers design their engines to look nice.

[cort16]

If you put some mocassins on and take that photo again you'll be un-banned.

[ashmicro]

Can do! But c'mon chaps - big Mercs are automatically Autoshite. 10 years down the line, it'll be sitting at an auction and no bugger will want it. As for now, Katie loves this thing, I don't think she can wait or will sleep until Sunday. I'd better get used to having a passenger in the back! Fundamentally, it's a fucking great car, but so is my Jaguar, and it was 1/8th of the money. It was the right car, at the right money and at the right time. A wee bit of madness. Now, I have confetti to get rid of!

[cort16]

I bet it's mega. I love big barges like this A8, Phaetons etc just so much car for the money.