The new news 24 thread

[cobblers]

IMO there are two types of cars worth bothering with - sub £1000 bangers you can bin if they’re too crap and brand spanking new/pre reg. Everything in the middle has the opportunity to be a huge bastard pain in the arse.

 

Since buying my van I am warming to the idea of buying damaged write offs though if you can live with driving something beat up - nearly new for used money. SWS have a 17 plate Skoda Citigo for just over £3k with 700 miles on the clock, body is beaten up but it doesn’t need any work to be usable as far as I can tell.

Spot on, my next motor is probably going to be a nearly new fiat 500 type thing that's had the side stoved in. Might cost 3k but it's a cheap way to get around long term. Cheap to repair with scrapyard bits too.

[Supernaut]

All my best cars have been sub-£1000 bangers.

 

Both cars I spent over £1000 on have also needed the most spent on them afterwards.

[dollywobbler]

Found a car I like the look of. No response to emails, so finally give in and call. They can tell me absolutely piss all about it. "Is it solid underneath?" "Not even looked mate." 

 

Gee, so helpful. Do you want to sell the bloody car or not? It's 370 miles away, I'm hardly going to pop up for a quick look. Arseholes.

[Exiled_Tat_Gatherer]

Spot on, my next motor is probably going to be a nearly new fiat 500 type thing that's had the side stoved in. Might cost 3k but it's a cheap way to get around long term. Cheap to repair with scrapyard bits too.

 

Thirded........ almost all of my motors have been way under £1000 and I've had far better reliability than a lot of friends in their shiny new boxes. Easier to fix too!

 

GF dragged me into looking at these newer Fiat 500s - a 4x4 twinair..... I fell for the sound - loved it. If she's paying - then I'll play now n then I suppose

[DVee8]

Found a car I like the look of. No response to emails, so finally give in and call. They can tell me absolutely piss all about it. "Is it solid underneath?" "Not even looked mate." 

 

Gee, so helpful. Do you want to sell the bloody car or not? It's 370 miles away, I'm hardly going to pop up for a quick look. Arseholes.

Where is it?What is it maybe one of the North East shiters could have a look.

[dollywobbler]

Where is it?What is it maybe one of the North East shiters could have a look.

 

Er, bit further north - Kircaldy.

[DVee8]

Er, bit further north - Kircaldy.

Oh well,not this time..

[wuvvum]

I found some bloody enormous potholes on the M11 last night. The motor I was in has 80 aspect 15" van tyres and soft suspension so must be one of the lesser affected, but I dread to think what it's like in something modern and sporty. Its also unfair on Bond drivers, the poor little buggers must have a job to climb out of some the holes I've hit.

images.jpeg

The M11 was fucking terrible yesterday.  Especially on the bit around the Stansted turn-off.

[wuvvum]

That's the big challenge. Finding a car that's good at both. Big barges are great for distance, but hopeless around here. The 2CV and Nippa are fantastic on Welsh roads, but hard work for distance. What I really want is a fairly small car with great handling and great comfort. Something like a beige GSA. *shakes fist at 320Touring*

Peugeot 205 Gentry.

[MarvinsMom]

yesterday we went to the unit to spend a couple* of hours on the mini.

 

i say a couple of hours, when we arrived it was dinnertime, and we left at 8pm and it was dark...

 

we got the last brake pipe on, and then had a go at bleeding the brakes. i friggin' hate doin' friggin' brakes....

the Haynes book of lies says bleed the n/s front, o/s front, then n/s rear then o/s rear. the front brakes, no bother at all as they are new cylinders the back ones? HA HA HA HA!!! not a chance. coverd in shit and not touched since adam was a lad, those bleed nipples won't move.

 

bugger. shit arse wank, drat......

 

as we have both wheel cylinders and brake pipes in the box of bits, we had to change them too.

now, back to bleeding them brakes, go around the car, all done. but no brake peddle. 

so, go around again. still no brake peddle.

 

OH FOR FOOOKS SAKE!!

 

i don't think i've ever, ever sucessfully bled a cars brakes, even with the humourouly named "ezi-bleed" thing. this one is fastened to a tire and pressurises the brake master cylinder, and hopefully the rest of the brake system. (i don't think it does)

 

in other news i don't think the fuel gauge is working, pulling the wires off and bridges across the contacts, still no movement in the gauge. so the gauge doesn't seem to work.

 

and i'm unsure about the tempreture gauge, we did let the car run for abit, though the needle didn't seem to move. next plan there is to take the temp sender out of the cylinder block, give it and the contact a clean and see what if anything that does. 

 

bugger it, home time, we'll worry bout that later.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Peugeot 205 Gentry.

Because in-joke.

[Tickman]

Er, bit further north - Kircaldy.

 

I'm sure a trip to Kircaldy could be arranged, there are a few of us that it is not too far for.

[3VOM]

Mk1 Ph2:

 

ph2.jpg

Those alloys are awful. It looks like you ran over a turtle then chromed it.

[vulgalour]

Feel your pain, MarvinsMom, hydraulics are a ballache.  Have you checked the flexi lines?  Given the state of the other stuff you've been dealing with, I wouldn't be surprised if they're completely knackered and no amount of bleeding will help you without replacing them.

[cros]

The M11 was fucking terrible yesterday.  Especially on the bit around the Stansted turn-off.

It was indeed. My Mrs said its 'cause its mother's day. Being woken up with half a cup of cold tea slopped in the saucer obviously not good enough these days so they're taken out for a fucking good queue.

I was more than a little foolish myself, having filled up with lpg at St Neots I did an orbit of the m25, went to Maidstone and was startled when the Rover started spluttering at Cambridge. Onto petrol and it misfired like buggery which is not useful as they've taken the hard shoulder away. Just made it to the A14 services but need to get the carb working properly.

[MarvinsMom]

Feel your pain, MarvinsMom, hydraulics are a ballache.  Have you checked the flexi lines?  Given the state of the other stuff you've been dealing with, I wouldn't be surprised if they're completely knackered and no amount of bleeding will help you without replacing them.

the front flexi's are new, the back ones.... less so!

 

we may yet end up changing those too, it could be that we were just trying to bleed them quick, more quickly than they need. certainly some of the brake fluid coming out was frothy in nature. what we need is to take more time with it. 

 

the odd thing is that the peddle was soft as a soft thing with the first press, then it was firming right up. 

 

we have got a pocket of air trapped somwhere, so i'm hoping that with further effort we will get all the air back out.

[vulgalour]

You just have to out-stubborn it.  That's the only language they understand.

[dollywobbler]

Can't say I've ever struggled with bleeding. I just ensure the reservoir is topped up, and get Mrs DW on pedal/handlebar duty. Slow application to the floor/end of travel, lock nipple, remove pressure, open nipple, repeat. I did see something saying that master cylinders are best bled on the bench, but couldn't really see how to achieve that without making a ton of mess. Key thing is to keep an eye on the reservoir, so you don't accidentally pump air into the system. That is annoying.

[Noel Tidybeard]

the front flexi's are new, the back ones.... less so!

 

we may yet end up changing those too, it could be that we were just trying to bleed them quick, more quickly than they need. certainly some of the brake fluid coming out was frothy in nature. what we need is to take more time with it. 

 

the odd thing is that the peddle was soft as a soft thing with the first press, then it was firming right up. 

 

we have got a pocket of air trapped somwhere, so i'm hoping that with further effort we will get all the air back out.

 

you can get trapped air in that STUPID pipe that goes down to subframe for brakelight switch

[dollywobbler]

Three years of mighty Nippa!

 

I think it's done 12,000 miles in that time.

[tooSavvy]

Pushing the brake pedal all the way to the floor... FIAT alloy* m/c... can result in a locked piston/jammed at bottom.

 

*other shonky alloy brake part suppliers are possible!

 

**fandongdrippingnipple mfg co would appear on [such] a list

 

 

TS

[C1am]

I'm sure I heard that if it's on the register a lot of insurance companies won't touch you and if they do it's a lot more expensive than a non write off?.

Not in my experience. I bought a car (Cat D) from chez Krujoe nearly four years ago and have insured it with two insurers at no additional cost. 

[Kiltox]

I'm sure I heard that if it's on the register a lot of insurance companies won't touch you and if they do it's a lot more expensive than a non write off?.

My van’s insurer couldn’t give a flying one

[trigger]

Maybe they don't then, a friend bought his daughter a 206 as a first car and when he went to insure it for her they came back saying it was a Cat C and wouldn't cover her so he had to sell it at a loss.

[twosmoke300]

Bleeding No1 - the bleed nipple has to be at the highest point of the cylinder/ caliper or you will never get the air out . That pic looks like the nipple is lower than the pipe in

[vulgalour]

Does anyone know where to buy 3-4mm thickness plain steel wire?   I reckon it's going to be the easiest way to sort out the rear arches on the Princess and retain strength while giving maximum lip clearance for the Lotus alloys.  My rear arches aren't shot, but they're on their way and panels aren't available.

 

I would just use old coat hangers, but all the ones I'm finding are galvanised and plastic coated, which I don't want, and I'm pretty sure it'll be more expensive to go that route than just buy a decent length/roll of suitable thickness plain steel wire.

[tooSavvy]

^^ Spoilt(damp) welding rods.... ?

 

... As ms wire

 

TS

[vulgalour]

Actually, that might be a good call.  I've got a bunch of welding rods of unknown quantity if they haven't already been binned.

[New POD]

Can't say I've ever struggled with bleeding. I just ensure the reservoir is topped up, and get Mrs DW on pedal/handlebar duty. Slow application to the floor/end of travel, lock nipple, remove pressure, open nipple, repeat. I did see something saying that master cylinders are best bled on the bench, but couldn't really see how to achieve that without making a ton of mess. Key thing is to keep an eye on the reservoir, so you don't accidentally pump air into the system. That is annoying.

 

I've struggled with Bleeding Mini's.  The trick when one wheel cylinder starts top leak is to replace the whole lot, because finite life.

 

Plus the front adjusters on mini drums. Shit.

[bramz7]

I don't actually mind this Stilo I've just got. The rides a bit crud on rough surfaces but it's actually quite fun to hustle. The gearing is spot on too, and the engine is pretty rapid when needed.

 

Obviously it has some niggles because 15 year old Fiat. Certainly worth the measly money it cost me though.