The new news 24 thread

[skattrd]

After roughly 3yrs standing outside unused my Scirocco doesn't appear to be in too bad condition, a few rusty bits here and there, but nothing major.

Current shopping list: cambelt, aux belt, radiator. If that's all it needs I'll be very happy.

It still needs the gearbox swapping over and minor electrical niggles sorting ... I think I know what I'll be doing between xmas and new year

[dollywobbler]

You got to the bottom of that yet Wuv?

 

Just used the BX to collect half a ton of sawdust briquettes. The problem with such a light car (1050kg or thereabouts) is that you really notice when you drop half a ton in it. Suspension self-levelled (just about) and we had a gentle drive home. Still cruising at 60mph, but treating bends with the caution they required. Good to get the rear brakes working though - they need a bit of weight to be coaxed into doing much. It was probably pushing the payload limit a bit with two of us on board but felt stable enough.

[Lacquer Peel]

I love hydropneumatic suspension. I towed about 2 tons of Ifor Williams trailer and unseasoned birch firewood 40 miles with my Xantia 1.9D, it just shrugged it off and gave the impression to the world that it was towing a trailer full of feathers.

[cobblers]

Just had a snoop round my mums MX5 which has been intermittently misfiring. Had a wiggle at the coilpack connector while it was running and nearly got my pissing arm blown off:

 

 

 

There's the problem, 18 month old eBay HT leads, they were only about £8 though so I should have known better really

[Jim Bell]

*clears throat*

 

Thats shocking.

 

 

*weak rimshot*

[dollywobbler]

I love hydropneumatic suspension. I towed about 2 tons of Ifor Williams trailer and unseasoned birch firewood 40 miles with my Xantia 1.9D, it just shrugged it off and gave the impression to the world that it was towing a trailer full of feathers.

 

My striped estate, despite being a 1.9 NA diesel, once happily towed by absolutely shite Bond Equipe on a car trailer - I reckon that was 1500kg so a fair chunk over the recommended 1100kg limit, but it barely noticed. Helped that we lived in the flatlands at the time mind...

 

Obviously I don't recommend going beyond safe limits - this is an experience not a recommendation!

[Skizzer]

Had a rather bizarre voicemail from my insurance broker today - they have a Rover 75 listed under my policy, and they were calling to verify the reg. as they weren't sure about what was on their system. When I got home I checked the reg. they had given me and it doesn't match up to anything on the DVLA records. It also doesn't match, or even closely resemble, the reg. of any car I can recall owning, and it certainly bears no resemblance to that of the only Rover 75 I've ever owned, the one I sold to Skizzer - it's not even the same year. I'm going to have to ring them up in the morning and find out what's going on...

 

If you ever do fancy insuring your old 75 for me though, feel free to step in!

 

Good luck unwinding this one...

[wuvvum]

Had a rather bizarre voicemail from my insurance broker today - they have a Rover 75 listed under my policy, and they were calling to verify the reg. as they weren't sure about what was on their system. When I got home I checked the reg. they had given me and it doesn't match up to anything on the DVLA records. It also doesn't match, or even closely resemble, the reg. of any car I can recall owning, and it certainly bears no resemblance to that of the only Rover 75 I've ever owned, the one I sold to Skizzer - it's not even the same year. I'm going to have to ring them up in the morning and find out what's going on...

 

If you ever do fancy insuring your old 75 for me though, feel free to step in!

 

Good luck unwinding this one...

Spoke to the broker yesterday - apparently my insurance company have just started using a third party service provider to do their MID updates for them, and it appears this fictitious 75 somehow crept into my most recent update. I've been assured that it will be removed forthwith...

[wuvvum]

I love hydropneumatic suspension. I towed about 2 tons of Ifor Williams trailer and unseasoned birch firewood 40 miles with my Xantia 1.9D, it just shrugged it off and gave the impression to the world that it was towing a trailer full of feathers.

 

My striped estate, despite being a 1.9 NA diesel, once happily towed by absolutely shite Bond Equipe on a car trailer - I reckon that was 1500kg so a fair chunk over the recommended 1100kg limit, but it barely noticed. Helped that we lived in the flatlands at the time mind...

My old BX 19TXD estate (207,000 miles on the clock at the time) dragged a 1938 Renault Novaquatre (all 2.4 litres of it) from Southampton to Norwich without complaining. Well, I say without complaining, the temperature light did come on a couple of times on a particularly hilly stretch of the A3, but once on the flat it buzzed along at 60 quite happily. Suspension didn't seem to mind either, although to be fair the nose weight of the trailer was probably less than your half tonne of sawdust briquettes...

[dollywobbler]

One practical classic.

 

OMG RATLOOK INNIT! Note appalling paintwork on bonnet and unnecessary roof adornment, also stance. I'm so cool it's ridiculous.

[skattrd]

Ooops, I appear to have had an accident on ebay.

I honestly thought I'd be outbid, oh well, better start working out logistics for collection ....

 

Oh, what is it? Hopefully a not too rusty Lancia

[philibusmo]

Ooops, I appear to have had an accident on ebay.

I honestly thought I'd be outbid, oh well, better start working out logistics for collection ....

 

Oh, what is it? Hopefully a not too rusty Lancia

 

CONGRATULATIONS.

You have just ruined your life. Welcome to the ruined life club.

[philibusmo]

I have had a decidedly mixed bag when it comes to cars this weekend.

Saturday was looking so promising, I had the cover off the Lancia, and was making good progress on fitting up the new sill, and then it started raining and wouldn't stop so I went with a mate to go and look at a mk4 Escort with fucked sills instead. It was £120 and overall really clean apart from the sills. Sadly he can't weld and I don't have the space so it has gone to a specialist breakers instead. Bit of a shame but at least it won't die in vain.

 

Today I started by sleeping until about 10 without meaning to so that eliminated most of the usable day. I set to work trying to remove the Alfa Romeos original cassette player which I do intend on using but don't have the code for - it is one that no code is available for on the internet - and I asked Vospers, the main dealer for it, they have found it, allegedly, but have been arsing around for about a week now not emailing it to me like they said they would despite me chasing them up. As I am driving to Bournemouth in it, I decided some music was in order so pulled the cassette player out and popped in an older Alpine Cassette player I found sat in the back of my drinks cabinet the other day. This now works which is good, even if it does look hideous and doesn't really fit properly so it just roughly pushed into the dash. Soon I think I will give up on Vospers and look for an independent audio specialist and see if they can re-code it or something.

 

With this done, work was started on the electrics of the Rover, to get the indicators and head lights working correctly. It took no more than spray of anti-static electronics cleaner and some WD40 on the insides of the column switches and they are now working a treat. Unfortunately the rain has highlighted one big weakness, it isn't water tight and there were large puddles in the drivers side foot wells. I'm sure its coming in through a bit of corrosion at the screen base and I'm sure it will be an absolute pain in the bollocks to fix.

 

I began sorting through the Lancia bits in the back of the Rover in preparation for taking the interior out, whilst my dad took the MR2 to fill it up with petrol. He came back without filling up as it had started missing and then on the drive it ran out of electricity. The fault with it not charging the battery is continuing. Despite being overall quite solid and the engine being good, this returning issue which has so far seen us through 2 alternators, two voltage regulators and an ignition switch, and still not fixed, is moving the MR2 closer and closer to the crusher.

[sporty-shite]

Ooops, I appear to have had an accident on ebay.

I honestly thought I'd be outbid, oh well, better start working out logistics for collection ....

 

Oh, what is it? Hopefully a not too rusty Lancia

 

I noticed that the other day, too. However, no space, no money, and certianly not enough balls.

 

TOP PURCHASE

[rml2345]

More Volvo woes...

Started as a wheel pull to the offside, so tracking and balance. Keeps getting worse so checked calliper sliders which we're fine, but the caliper was yagged. No bother, new caliper and pads posted out and spend 4 hours swearing as the flexi hoses as they refuse to come off. Order new hosees and resign to having to replace them. Spend another three hours applying penetrating fluid, force, hammering and liberal swearing before removing the bloody brake pipes.

Now going to learn how to do brake pipes...

[Cavcraft]

Spent a day and bit (on/off) piss arsing about charging the Cavalier battery up. Lobbed it on the car, messed about with the alarm and the bastarding battery is bloody well bollocksed. Jump start off the 306, it fired up second whang then ran out of petrol

I'm getting pissed off with it now, not the cars fault (lack of use, battery was too small, my fault there's eff all juice in it) and didn't want to tax it but might have to now so I can use it.

[cort16]

I see you can now finally buy an MG Magnette Diesel.

 

it's 22 grand.

 

http://mg.co.uk/6-magnette-diesel/

[messerschmitt owner]

I see you can now finally buy an MG Magnette Diesel.

 

it's 22 grand.

is that a fanny magnette?

[FredTransit]

I see you can now finally buy an MG Magnette Diesel.

 

it's 22 grand.

is that a fanny magnette?

 

personally I would say no, but 22 grand would be.......

[Bobthebeard]

I see you can now finally buy an MG Magnette Diesel.

 

it's 22 grand.

is that a fanny magnette?

 

personally I would say no, but 22 grand would be.......

 

 

ROFL!

[barefoot]

Ever since I've had the Scirocco it's had a dodgy headlight switch, I've ignored it for two years but went out monday pm & it was like being at a disco - flashing on & off.

Phoned GSF - £7.80 delivered the same afternoon.

 

What a twat - should have done that a long, long time ago.

[Guest]

Speedo on the 460 is on the way out. ARGH.

[254575]

picked up a new family motor. a Vauxhall Sintra. i've never understood the bad reputation these cars had, they piss all over Zafiras, sliding doors, useful seating, much bigger.

[Lord Sterling]

Sick. I've have just found the last expansion tank I have to spare, it looks a good'un, hardly any crackiing around the usualy areas, so if Friday is a free day for me, I shall stick my head under the bonnet and get it changed, not looking forward though, to all the swearing and coolant pissing around everywhere.

[andrew e]

109, those Sintras have magnesium seat frames. I thought this important* news might brighten your morning.

[Cavcraft]

I see you can now finally buy an MG Magnette Diesel.

 

it's 22 grand.

is that a fanny magnette?

 

 

Yes.

 

 

 

 

*You'd have to be a twat to pay 22 grand for one.

[dollywobbler]

picked up a new family motor. a Vauxhall Sintra. i've never understood the bad reputation these cars had, they piss all over Zafiras, sliding doors, useful seating, much bigger.

 

The wipers annoy me on those thing. They're really violent! Pics though please.

[dollywobbler]

BX has returned and no longer has a hole in the boot floor. Job looks well done but the weather is bloody horrific here at the moment, so pics will have to wait.

[cobblers]

Finally gave up bump starting the van down the drive every morning (its apparently a real no-no on t25s and often ends up snapping something important in the gearbox) and spunked £50 that I don't have on a new battery. GSF were cheaper, but they brought an 063 battery three times even though each time I told them to take it back it wasn't big enough and to fetch an 096 or an 010. For some reason they just kept sending whatever their computer said. In the end I gave up on them and stopped at bullseye on the way home. As a result the van starts a shitload faster than it ever has, the old battery was far too small (smaller than the one on a KA) as well as being fucked out.

 

Still needs a radiator, and the new brake pads I fitted a few weeks back still don't bite anywhere near as well as the old ones, and now they have bedded in they are squealing their heads off despite me spunking copper grease all over the brakes like some kind of robot/machinery themed bukkake scene.

 

Considering washing it for the first time in at least 6 years, and possibly removing the offensive signwriting now that I'm going to have to use it to commute to a respectable job, I'm not sure how much of a sense of humour my bosses have.

[ruffgeezer]

I see you can now finally buy an MG Magnette Diesel.

 

it's 22 grand.

is that a fanny magnette?

 

No, but give it a few years and it'll be a fridge Magnette

 

 

In other shite news, I've decided to put my brave hat on and have go at repairing the sill on the C15 myself. This is in spite of only ever having welded (badly) exhausts in the past...

 

Wish me luck!