The new news 24 thread

[Lacquer Peel]

In my experience the air always finds its way out, but I've not tinkered with a DI Transit.

 

Bypassing the filter head might work, they're a common source of woe on old diesels.

[dollywobbler]

We'll see what the RAC make of it. I know it was dirt cheap, but I'd still hoped it'd have the good grace to actually work!

[Guest]

Still sat at the services on the A458 waiting for the RAC. Took over an hour to get through, and only then on a completely different number to the one Aviva gave me. They've been delayed again because despite me giving the address and postcode out for the services three times, they've managed to send their patrol out to somewhere on the A442 instead. Christ

[vulgalour]

You poor bastard. I owe you for this.

[wuvvum]

I've been with the AA for years, never had any major cause for complaint. One year I managed to use up all my "lives" with the AA so joined the RAC. I used them once, when I managed to snap the propshaft on my 635CSi whilst participating in a traffic light GP with a Punto GT.

 

It took them three and a half hours to get to me. I was on the Norwich ring road.

 

Sounds like it wasn't a one-off.

[dollywobbler]

Sounds like this might actually be a failed pedal box - can be a weakness on the BX, though I've only had one fail - and that was in 1999. The autoshite solution would have been to make a hand-throttle but a recovery truck is probably best! Shame the RAC have been so effing useless.

[Pillock]

AA have always been better than RAC for me for speed of turning up. Average callout for the AA for me was probably less than 45 minutes including some calls to random places out in the sticks, where I've waited four hours for the RAC before - and even then they sent a patrol for a charging problem on a '65 Beetle, he took one look at it and decided it needed recovering.

 

Their only redeeming incident was turning up in less than a minute once - he was parked up literally around the corner in Sheffield when I phoned through with an overheating Mk4 Escort. Got newspaper out of the boot, sat back in car, looked in rear view mirror to find it full of RAC Transit. Oh, and I once had an RAC man completely strip a Beetle carb at the side of the road, AND get covered in petrol through epic hydraulic action, in an effort to get it going - still took hours to get there though.

[R9UKE]

Unbelievably, given the shite I have and have had, I've only had to call the RAC once. I joined them because they were cheaper than the AA for the personal cover. They took an hour in a pretty central location. What's the maximum times you can call them out before you get told to fuck off?

[dollywobbler]

Unbelievably, given the shite I have and have had, I've only had to call the RAC once. I joined them because they were cheaper than the AA for the personal cover. They took an hour in a pretty central location. What's the maximum times you can call them out before you get told to fuck off?

 

They got a bit sniffy with me (or rather the AA did) when my old clunkers used to break down a lot AND I didn't have the knowledge to sort it out. After four call-outs in a year, they were a bit shirty.

 

I've got breakdown cover through my insurance. I've had to use it once - when a toughened windscreen exploded into my face on a German autobahn in 2007. I've not had a car fail to proceed for a very long time, apart from last July when the 2CV broke its cooling fan. Even then, it was still running but I didn't want to risk cooking the engine. This BX suffered a failed cooling pipe in France in 2009, but kept limping on until we could find a replacement. It did about 600 miles with a coolant hose bodged up with gaffer tape.

[Lankytim]

Hey WAT, I'm in Stoke so not a million miles away. Not sure what I could do to help though.

[Cavcraft]

Sounds like this might actually be a failed pedal box - can be a weakness on the BX, though I've only had one fail - and that was in 1999. The autoshite solution would have been to make a hand-throttle but a recovery truck is probably best! Shame the RAC have been so effing useless.

 

Snot that, least don't think so. I spoke to Jon earlier and mentioned it because it's a common Achilles heel on the BX, but it doesn't look like it's the problem here.

I'll chuck my hat into the ring and say I can't really complain about the RAC, they've served me very well over the years and they don't do that ridiculous 'relay' caper that's takes you forever to get home if you're hundreds of miles away. The Transit incident (mentioned earlier) was a good car, they got to me quite handy, fixed me and followed me home to make sure I got back ok.

[dollywobbler]

Well, it sounds like something of that nature as it seems the throttle won't open properly. Last thing you need on an NA diesel is a throttle that won't open fully! Does confirm that it wasn't just me though. I had been wondering if it was more sluggish than it used to be, but had nothing to measure it against other than a 2CV (still slower) and a BX Turbo Diesel (much quicker!). I'd decided it was just me. Wrong.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

What a nightmare

[trigger]

I bet Jon's wishing he stayed at home now. Do we know if he's back yet?

[Albert Ross]

Having just read this thread to here, is it possible that the clip has popped off the throttle cable and the outer is now sliding in the hole as opposed to the inner inside the cable.... and a tie wrap would secure it?

[Cavcraft]

I reckon you're right, Trig. He's got to get back home from Angyl's yet and I'm not even sure he's got as far as that. Recovery truck involved, no cable tie job this I'm afraid.

[warren t claim]

Still sat at the services on the A458 waiting for the RAC. Took over an hour to get through, and only then on a completely different number to the one Aviva gave me. They've been delayed again because despite me giving the address and postcode out for the services three times, they've managed to send their patrol out to somewhere on the A442 instead. Christ

 

You don't have very much luck in not killing XUD powered estate cars do you?

[vulgalour]

I'm expecting him here within the next hour or so, then I'm ferrying him to the last train which, according to online info, is a three hour slow-train trek. If absolutely necessary, there is crash space here though I hope it doesn't have to come to that.

[Cavcraft]

Can't fault you. I wouldn't want a Manc sleeping on my floor either

[Albert Ross]

Porous diaphragm in filter head maybe? Rotted by vegoil?

[Cheggers]

Crapola, if only I'd known this was going on. I was probably no more than 30 minutes behind him on the road after picking up the Saab from Welshpool, and I had a pretty decent toolkit on me

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

What a nightmare

Makes a good thread though.

[Lord Sterling]

Shit Jon, sorry to hear that. Hope you make it home. Lady luck doesnt seem to favour you.

[shedvan]

No good deed goes unpunished

[vulgalour]

Right, finally got chance to sit down and let you know that Jon and the car arrived safe and sound. The problem looks like it's not too serious and is pedal related, I'll let you know in full tomorrow when I've got chance to actually see what I'm doing. Jon has been sent on the last train to Manchesterland and will hopefully get home safe about 4am thanks to the unique way in which British transport is operated.

 

What an event it has been, but so far I am thoroughly delighted with the BX and how super comfortable it is. Uppy Downy lever novelty is yet to wear off.

[Mr Lobster]

I'll chuck my hat into the ring and say I can't really complain about the RAC, they've served me very well over the years and they don't do that ridiculous 'relay' caper that's takes you forever to get home if you're hundreds of miles away.

 

They do do the relay thing now - when my Kangoo snapped a torsion bar last September when I was in Cornwall it travelled home firstly via a truck from Cornwall to Exeter, then from Exeter to the RAC place at Bristol, then Bristol to the RAC place at Birmingham then finally from Birmingham to Burnley. Left Monday morning and arrived some point on Wednesday.

 

Not that I'm complaining, their service was superb tbh. Offered me a hire car so I could get home and even suggested they would contribute to repair costs rather than recovering it if I preferred (I didn't).

 

Previous to that, the only other time I've had them out recently you'll be staring at for the month of March and they were there within 15 minutes of me ringing them which was handy.

[Cavcraft]

Ah, they might be doing what some of their drivers implied a while back now. When I've used them in the past for longer haul jobs (ironically getting two separate, broken down BXs back from dahn sarf) the contractors said they heard the RAC were recruiting for more of their own recovery drivers.

The contractors loved the work though, they said the further the better for them as they got paid per mile and it was far easier hauling one car a couple of hundred miles up motorways, than piss arsing about in city centres stuck in traffic.

 

Come to think of it the last time I broke down and called them out (stupid bloody Audi 80TDi) they followed me home to make sure I got back too. Drivers always friendly and helpful and good at tips about certain cars, too. Still my favourite was when my Megane broke down, I retrieved a bolt which had fallen off and asked the driver if he could refit it. he burst out laughing and said if he had every tool needed to fix Renaults he'd need a forty foot trailer! Anyhow on the way back towing it home I asked if he could stop at my mates house so I could collect my other wheels. His face was a picture when I rolled out of the drive in my recovery truck and he was still laughing his bollocks off when we got back to my house.

[Mr Lobster]

The driver that picked me up in Cornwall and dropped me at the car rental place said much the same - they are trying to use contractors a lot less and their own trucks more, partly to save money and partly as it provides a better experience for the customer - uniformed drivers, clean trucks, smarter and all that.

[M'coli]

Now there's a funny thing: the first time I called them out RAC guy turns up, realises he can't fix it (pinion out of steering rack) and phones contractor for recovery. On the way home, same RAC guy passes the contractor on a dual carriageway; contractor says, "We've got the contract to clean their vans, he's a right dirty bastard, the cab's always mingin'!"

[vulgalour]

The problem on the BX is definitely a broken pedal box. They develop a crack and then split on the right angle that holds the accelerator, I've seen a few examples of this online. Solution seems to be to reweld it or to replace it. Other than that, the deep clean has begun and I made sure to drive it around the block to find it's a car that fits me properly and has gloriously comfortable squishomatic seats just like in Dad's old Peugeot.

 

I am a happy chappy, I think buying this BX was the right choice.