The new news 24 thread

[busmansholiday]

My wife wanted an MGB for her 50th birthday pressie. I'm not an MG fan, Sumbeam / Hillman are my poison. Anyway, a couple of years later I bought her an MGB for a pressie when visiting her sister in Torquay. Drove it back to the People's Republic no problems. Took it off the road a year later to overhaul it. Took longer than expected. Spotted another one locally so bought that to have some thing old to drive.

Then her brother, one Friday evening after a couple of 'pops' went on e-bay, he's less mechanically competent than my sisters husband (who now owns a '61 Volvo Amazon'), and he bought a roadster. Yes the one I now have !

 

Take your time fixing it, aledgedly it is worth it, otherwise you might end up in my boat...

[andy18s]

I have just realised that I have owned my car for seven years today. Not quite a record (Saab 900 8 years) but I think it is likely to eventually be.

Longest I owned a car was 7yrs

'twas my MG Maestro,px'd an 83 Celica for it and kept it till a Carlton Gsi took my affections....

[Lord Sterling]

I threw away a load of car mats today including a set I had since 1995 - my wife bought them as a gift for my then new car - my E reg senator.

Nothing lasts forever.

Ah no

 

Were there any fitted ones or were they just universal jobs?

[fordperv]

Started back on weight training today. I'm damn sure I won't be able to move in the morning, but that's what a five year gap does for ya...

I bloody love it only been doing it for a year now, i wish I'd started sooner

[richardmorris]

Longest I owned a car was 7yrs

'twas my MG Maestro,px'd an 83 Celica for it and kept it till a Carlton Gsi took my affections....

2cv is now 21years and 6 months, x1/9 11years, and the Mercedes 5 years 6months. I don't like change

[Guest Hooli]

I bloody love it only been doing it for a year now, i wish I'd started sooner

 

I missed feeling healthy, so glad to get back into it.

[cobblers]

Flattened the battery on the Talbot Express because I only held my finger on the power button of the stereo for 4 seconds instead of 5, so it went into "standby" where it keeps the screen on and displays the word "standby" forever.

I reckon its a few weeks since I used it so when I got in this morning at 6am and saw the stereo glowing I knew I'd fucked up. Sure enough it barely wound over and wouldn't start.

One of the builders milling about the place heard me trying to get it going and offered to ask around for some jump leads (which was a nice gesture) but I've got safety in numbers and just locked it back up and went to work in the T25 instead.

 

My back is killing today so rather than drag a heavy battery down to jump start it, I got some bits out of my "drawer of ebay chinese electrical shit" and bodged a boost converter together that steps 5v up to 14v with a ciggy lighter plug on the end, then used a USB power bank to charge the battery through the ciggy lighter. It was a steady charge at about 1A, but by the time I'd had my tea it started straight up. I left it running for a bit, I reckon the alternator might need some brushes - it's charging fairly well, but the current is all over the place.

[Shep Shepherd]

I have just realised that I have owned my car for seven years today. Not quite a record (Saab 900 8 years) but I think it is likely to be eventually.

 

Next month, I will have owned The Volvo for 14 years ^^

[Guest Hooli]

I like points, never broke down due to them as long as I replaced them on schedule. Plus like you say you can carry the old ones as spares.

 

I forgot to mention in this, keep the old condenser too. They are more prone to failure than the points these days.

[Royale80]

Just insured the Royale for another year. Flux wanted £120 for renewal-I got it for £89 with Lancaster.

 

Steve

[Parky]

Just carried out a super quick pre winter oil and filter change on the daily. Should see me through to April

[vulgalour]

Bought some tools and the shop forgot to remove one of the security tags so now I look like a criminal.

[Bobthebeard]

Bought some tools and the shop forgot to remove one of the security tags so now I look like a criminal.

Been there and done that. Got chased across the car park in Tesco due to the alarm thingy beeping. The woman in front of me got away with whatever it was. I had a receipt and it wasn't me!

[OwdChina]

Hmm.......sorry if this has posted before, but I just came across it.

 

https://www.motorsport.com/general/news/eu-directive-close-down-motorsport-964469/

[beko1987]

My mum used to have a coat with a zip that set off all the shop beepers. And she would always forget and wear it out!

[Kiltox]

My mum used to have a coat with a zip that set off all the shop beepers. And she would always forget and wear it out!

Did she buy it from that bloke down the pub?

[clayts450]

My £2.35 out of print version of this turned up today

 

 

Will now be the most boring person ever to discuss driving techniques with. As long as it's a discussion about techniques prior to the year 2000.

[Guest Hooli]

I've got a copy of that somewhere, it has a surprisingly large amount of useful stuff in it.

[holbeck]

 

Maybe I was lucky, but I drove around in this for 4 years as a semi regular daily driver. Apart from servicing, all I had to replace were a set of perished tyres and a choke cable.

[mercrocker]

Brief seasonal update....

 

VW T25 now in winter storage.  Still not SORN'd as I found that too restrictive in previous years.   Direct debit making tax a bit more palatable too....

List of jobs to do none of which I expect will happen before I get it out again in March.   Business as usual, then..... 

 

Minor - in village garage all week for front-end re-bush and fettle.  Didn't take all week but that's how they work with old stuff.   Drop in on Monday morning, pick up when done.  Apparently eye bolts were a bastard and involved mechanic hanging off grunt-bar in inspection pit.   Glad I didn't try that at home.....Feels a lot better now its all done though.   Nice to get a job done that actually shows an improvement.... 

 

Merc - still in hands of Mrs R. who only submits the keys for cleaning and re-fuelling (she hasn't been to a garage since they brought out V Power Diesel as well as Petrol).   Got its three monthly wash and polish this week and I found the first very small bleb on a wheel arch, luckily it looks like a stone chip rather than a break-through from behind....

 

Cowley - Has been my only car this week and performed admirably, although I have reservations about the scrap-yard sealed-for-life battery that has been in the car since I rescued it five years ago.   It will go off next week for body work - MOT man I use has known the car since the Seventies and reckon's its never had any before!     

 

WBoD - Had harboured thoughts of a shitter this year after seeing the deterioration on the Minor outer panels from 13 years of salt.   We'll see.....

[stuboy]

Really need kick up the arse to strip/get rid/decide future of the monturdo

[stuboy]

Another change.. lower grill swapped for st jobbie... adds 50 bhp...

[They_all_do_that_sir]

Another change.. lower grill swapped for st jobbie... adds 50 bhp...

I think these wee foci are seriously underrated. Ours was supposed to be a temporary car while I sorted the daily out, but it's been here a few months now.

 

They really handle too, even on crap tyres!

 

I can only imagine how it felt to go straight from an escort to one of these back when they came out. Night and day.

 

Ours doesn't have a mark underneath. Bit of rust starting to poke through on the arches but that's it

 

Sent from my SM-A510F using Tapatalk

[egg]

Saw an 08 Audi A4 estate with a rusty wheel arch today. All modernz...

[stuboy]

I think these wee foci are seriously underrated. Ours was supposed to be a temporary car while I sorted the daily out, but it's been here a few months now.

 

They really handle too, even on crap tyres!

 

i got mine to tide me over till next year... now thinking of putting in for mot when expires..

[Shep Shepherd]

Nearly took my Class 2 driving test in West Thurrock today, after a week of driving tuition, but was thwarted due to the road network on both sides of the Dartford Crossing going into meltdown for hours:

 

 

I'm now waiting for the driving school to give me a new test date. They're paying for it, which is nice. 

 

I did get to drive some nice back roads in The Volvo on the way home in a successful attempt to avoid the traffic carnage, however, so all wasn't lost

 

In a way I'm glad that the test didn't happen, as I wasn't at all confident that I'd pass. Perhaps fate stepped in to prevent me from an inglorious failure? 

[xtriple]

Why am I putting this here? It's neither a grump nor a grin but it's hardly news either...

 

Went to the Doctors, I got an MOT and passed (lungs, heart BP, temp the lot) and there's nothing wrong there so I got more painkillers of a different sort that will mix okay with Fentanyl and an appointment to have blood tests done. Oooo-err, I hate needles and waiting for results.

[Bren]

A work colleague has taken delivery of a brand new A class AMG.

 

I have taken delivery of used mudflaps and a used k&n filter for the vectra - total cost £30.

 

I may be in the gutter, but I'm looking up at the stars.....

[D Spares & Tyres]

Somebody in my town has a Merc AMG estate. It looks big, grey and boring but sounds evil. I want it

[drum]

My transit failed its mot today. No surprise there then.

 

 

I'm quite happy with that really, for a 15 year old fordy.

 

I should have given it a good razz before dropping it off. Might have got the emissions down a bit. What's the best snake oil to add to the tank for the retest?

 

I wonder if I'll get away with adjusting the rear drums?

 

The tester was impressed with how solid it was underneath, especially around the footwells/steps areas. Two wee plates to weld onto the chassis legs is all it needs in the rot department along with an advisory for some minor corrosion elsewhere..