The new news 24 thread

[Guest Hooli]

Around a quarter of council funding is raised through council tax, the rest is via the government and there are austerity hawks in charge. There's your problem.

 

If only 95% of it wasn't wasted on stupid unneeded projects and/or bad management.

 

I could have saved Donny council £70million in one year, by not building new offices/ruining that part of town & refurbishing the old offices for £250k.

[xtriple]

Are you sure about that Xtriple?? DVLA site says anything over 225g/km but regd pre-March 2006 is 315£

Pretty sure, I was reading the DVLA website last night and it seemed to say (though I am thick and could have misread) that it was now up to £555. I shall check again as that would make me happy to be wrong... opens up a load of other cars/ I really object to paying £500 for road tax when you see the state of the roads!

 

Yes, I know it hasn't been 'road tax' since God was a lad but it still is to me!

[xtriple]

https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-tax-rate-tables/rates-for-cars-registered-on-or-after-1-march-2001

 

COuld someone with mire active brian cells check please?

 

Okay, finally saw the little asterisk and I am, as usual totally wrong! I am not the only one though as all the Autotrader details say £555 for cars I like.

[Ghosty]

That looks fantastic. Couldn't tell you the last time I seen a standard one either.

 

I had that engine (I think it's the same lump?) in a Ronda 620 ages ago. Bullet proof.

 

The vti manuals are what people seem to *think* they want but I think you have the perfect grand tourer spec there.

 

Get a thread up.

 

Sent from my F3211 using Tapatalk

There were three engine choices in the UK, 2.0i (SOHC), 2.3i (DOHC), and 2.2 (DOHC VTEC). I think the latter two got four wheel steering. I think you're right and the 2.0 and 2.3 (maybe with slight differences?) are common to the Accord and Rover 600. Bulletproof indeed! The D and F series engines really don't compare to anything else.

I agree about the GT spec, it's an ideal cruiser, floats everywhere effortlessly, but if you want to push it you can, and it's rewarding when you do. The equivalent Celicas at the time were badged GT too, to further reinforce the point. They're much more plentiful than Preludes but the styling isn't as good.

 

Sent from my Moto G (5S) using Tapatalk

[AlabamaShrimp]

Couple of days ago the Frontera did this

 

[bub2006]

Certainly readsto me they cocking about with price tiers again.

[dave21478]

High quality* lock in this week's Aldi special buys. Still, some deterent better than no deterent.

 

IMG_20180406_135430~2.jpg

 

Please dont.

 

Shit like this literally makes your car EASIER to steal by providing a nice handy lever for the scrote to snap your steering lock. Once done, he will likely be able to bust that off with a pair of pliers.....12.99....yeah, no.

 

Disclock or death.

[puddlethumper]

Couple of days ago the Frontera did this

 

20180403_165721.jpg

Run in then.

[angle]

Hot live windscreen action:

 

 

From this angle, the massive dent in the bonnet is depressingly obvious...

It was annoying me, so I busted out the wallpaper scraper. Autoshite Friday nights...

 

[Chris2cv]

Went to see the 2cv earlier. It went for MOT and brake attention in mid February and is still there!

 

The  brakes turned out to need rebuilding which I could understand as it doesn't get as much use as it should. The main concern was the floors. When they lifted it up, they found the floors and sills utterly rotten. While I could understand rust, the level of bodgery was horrific. The mechanic showed me stainless steel plates that were either riveted or masticed to the floor! These were obviously barely attached, and every repair just led to more work being uncovered  . The drivers door was barely attached!

 

If I had been maintaining the car it would be one thing, but I PAID "mechanics" and "specialists" to do this on the understanding that they knew what they were doing and they were making the car better. Perhaps worst of all, it has done only a couple of hundred miles since the last MOT, so how the hell did it pass!

 

Clearly I wont be using my previous mechanic again, and I admit that I thought that this garage was looking for work and ripping me off, having now seen the scale of the rot ,it is terrifying. I took my nieces and nephew in that car!

 

 It upsets me that people would do such shoddy repairs to people's cars. I do not have a great deal of money, but have never scrimped on the cars (myself yes, but not the cars) If they need something doing it is done. They could have charged extra and done it properly or just told me that they couldn't do it.

[MikeR]

my learning curve was too buy a car that broke down on the way home ... just serviced they said ...... bollocks

 

then I met the previous owner , how much was it worth !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

then a wheel got noisy , needed sorting ,     it was  ,  then it got noisy again , and I had a look , same bearing ........ just more grunt applied

 

 Fiat ownership  was a good was to learn . fix a car yourself or be skint ....

[Asimo]

This tired old ratchet strap was the only tie-down this old FreeLoader had.

 

 

OK, the handbrake may have been on but I kept my distance after the lights changed.

[busmansholiday]

Went to see the 2cv earlier. It went for MOT and brake attention in mid February and is still there!

 

The brakes turned out to need rebuilding which I could understand as it doesn't get as much use as it should. The main concern was the floors. When they lifted it up, they found the floors and sills utterly rotten. While I could understand rust, the level of bodgery was horrific. The mechanic showed me stainless steel plates that were either riveted or masticed to the floor! These were obviously barely attached, and every repair just led to more work being uncovered . The drivers door was barely attached!

 

If I had been maintaining the car it would be one thing, but I PAID "mechanics" and "specialists" to do this on the understanding that they knew what they were doing and they were making the car better. Perhaps worst of all, it has done only a couple of hundred miles since the last MOT, so how the hell did it pass!

 

Clearly I wont be using my previous mechanic again, and I admit that I thought that this garage was looking for work and ripping me off, having now seen the scale of the rot ,it is terrifying. I took my nieces and nephew in that car!

 

It upsets me that people would do such shoddy repairs to people's cars. I do not have a great deal of money, but have never scrimped on the cars (myself yes, but not the cars) If they need something doing it is done. They could have charged extra and done it properly or just told me that they couldn't do it.

Fully understand. The MGB roadster I bought off BIL was apparently "professionally" restored. Now the body filler and underseal are falling out and it's just a bodge job with a good coat of paint!

[richardmorris]

Went to see the 2cv earlier. It went for MOT and brake attention in mid February and is still there!

 

The  brakes turned out to need rebuilding which I could understand as it doesn't get as much use as it should. The main concern was the floors. When they lifted it up, they found the floors and sills utterly rotten. While I could understand rust, the level of bodgery was horrific. The mechanic showed me stainless steel plates that were either riveted or masticed to the floor! These were obviously barely attached, and every repair just led to more work being uncovered  . The drivers door was barely attached!

 

If I had been maintaining the car it would be one thing, but I PAID "mechanics" and "specialists" to do this on the understanding that they knew what they were doing and they were making the car better. Perhaps worst of all, it has done only a couple of hundred miles since the last MOT, so how the hell did it pass!

 

Clearly I wont be using my previous mechanic again, and I admit that I thought that this garage was looking for work and ripping me off, having now seen the scale of the rot ,it is terrifying. I took my nieces and nephew in that car!

 

 It upsets me that people would do such shoddy repairs to people's cars. I do not have a great deal of money, but have never scrimped on the cars (myself yes, but not the cars) If they need something doing it is done. They could have charged extra and done it properly or just told me that they couldn't do it.

 

 

Whereabouts are you in London? I can recommend somewhere in isleworth.

[Chris2cv]

Whereabouts are you in London? I can recommend somewhere in isleworth.

 

Car was mostly based in Bromley, but moved a few years ago down to my parents house in Birchington, Kent. This means that it is safely garaged, but also means that it does not get as much use as I would like, being 70 miles away from me. I believe most of the damage to have been done by a Kent "specialist".  Should clarify that I DO NOT mean Silly CVs, Alan having done some work for me a few years ago, but not welding.. 

[egg]

As a Kent resident near Birchington, might be useful to know who to avoid (if you prefer PM me!), thanks.

[Chris2cv]

As a Kent resident near Birchington, might be useful to know who to avoid (if you prefer PM me!), thanks.

 

Probably not fair to answer on here, as I cannot prove it. I believe that he retired earlier this year, but maybe he just doesn't want any more to do with my car! PM sent. 

[fordperv]

Exhaust noise is clearly in excess of that emitted by a similar vehicle fitted with a standard silencer in average condition

That looks a cuntish fail, ive never failed on exhaust volume and I've had some blooming loud cars, ive been advised a few times on the rs turbo but that's because its a 1 box mongoose 3" bore system with 4 inch tail so it is actually loud

[MarvinsMom]

adventure in mini brakes episode 238....

 

new brake master cylinder on, and back flexi's changed, which was a bugger of a job as i don't think they had ever been changed in 44 years. every union was stuck but eventuially we got the brake lines all joined up, and then had a bash at bleeding it, again.

 

result? well i think that the brakes now are worse than ever!

 

woefull, hideous, heinous, completly bloody useless, these and other, more colourful words do not describe how crap they are.

 

kerry says, oh if you pump 'em they feel fine. this just after i nearly ran her over cos the pedal don't feel like they are attached to anything.

 

i'm really friggin' fed up of that little shit box now. it is still no where near ready inspite of our best efforts. any one want a mini with broken brakes? no one? sure? i thought as much.....

 

in better news, the orange mini is road legal again. it needs, like desparatley needs new bushes in the steady bars cos the knock from the engine moving, no matter how careful you drive it, really ruins the driving experinece. plus it needs its wheels balancing. but it has been nice to get to drive it. 

 

the metro too is back on the road, the battery was jiggered. halfrauds changed it without question. and it scampered home oer the moors this evening. it was lovely to be able to drive it. for the first tme in quiet a while, i actually enjoyed driving back home in it. i suppose its the been reunited with an old friend you haven't seen in an age, which is nice. and we even got it over to the new (to us) lock up. the garage is a good size, and is bone dry but its in Recar. now that is 4 or so miles from home, but its better it been there than sat under a cover on the FiL's drive. it has a Disclok thing on the steering wheel so hopefully that will discourage any oppotunits scrotes from taking it. but if they want the car, then they would take it no matter what. there is next to no petrol in it currently!

[Guest Hooli]

Are the wheel bearings good on the Mini?

 

I've just recalled having to pump the brakes once on my Midget due to a small amount of play in a rear bearing. I think the shoes were lining up with the wear ridge & working, then falling off it or something. Whatever it was, fixing the loose bearing sorted the brakes.

[SiC]

Got a replacement crash beam for the Civic today and fitted it. The top hole was slightly out of alignment to the bar. I suspect it's moved/bent slightly from the impact. Nearly in the right place, so a minute with a Dremel taking a millimeter of metal off got it sorted. Need to get it sorted asap and off my drive now.

 

Also jacked up the TT and took off the nearside wheel to take a look and see if the clonking was obvious. I gave the droplink/ARB and tie rod end a pry, jacked up the shock. Saw nothing moving untoward. Couldn't feel any play in the wheel bearing.

 

However the strut was making noises when jacked. Not sure if this is normal for magneride, I suspect not. Top mount looked ok from what I could see. Didn't look at it when jacking though. Don't like sticking my head around there when putting things under load like that.

 

Lifting the corner up and dropping it back down, when on the ground, makes a squelchy, swishy noise. I suspect that's the remaining magic magnetic fluid washing around. No visible oil leak from there though. Unless it washed off ages ago.

 

So I guess it's probably likely going to be likely that mega expensive strut. *sigh*

 

No pictures because I'm getting fucked off with cars at the moment and really can't be bothered with them.

[Guest Hooli]

Jack up the other side & see if it makes the same sounds.

[MarvinsMom]

Are the wheel bearings good on the Mini?

 

I've just recalled having to pump the brakes once on my Midget due to a small amount of play in a rear bearing. I think the shoes were lining up with the wear ridge & working, then falling off it or something. Whatever it was, fixing the loose bearing sorted the brakes.

 

we've changed the front ones, but not the back ones, we'll investigate them next time we are down at the unit.

 

i'm at the stage where we will look at anything cos we are about out of ideas with what it could be.

[dozeydustman]

I hang my head in shame at not reading this thread since the news that Hendry had passed to the dealership in the sky. Saab passed her MoT this week, and I might be moving house soon.

 

More pressing news is after 3 months of asbstaining, I've drunk 4 bottles of wine this evening and fitted an Autoshite dealer sticker to the rear window of both the Saab and Mrs Dustman's Corolla.

[SiC]

Jack up the other side & see if it makes the same sounds.

Lifting the other side by hand doesn't make the noise like it does the other side when lifting that by hand - I tried that. It's also a lot harder to lift, which I would expect from a shock absorber.

 

The main thing was to check that nothing was about to fall off in that corner, which is doesn't look like there is. It's going into the garage on Monday to be sorted. I imagine an experienced mechanics ear will know in seconds what the noise is.

[MarvinsMom]

4 bottles of wine, and you can still see???

 

are you sure that the dealer stickers are fixed to the relavent cars windows??

[dozeydustman]

4 bottles of wine, and you can still see???

 

are you sure that the dealer stickers are fixed to the relavent cars windows??

 

 

I can still hold my liquor by all accounts, and I put the stickers in before the vino flowed. I'll still check in the morning though!

[Kiltox]

Got a replacement crash beam for the Civic today and fitted it. The top hole was slightly out of alignment to the bar. I suspect it's moved/bent slightly from the impact. Nearly in the right place, so a minute with a Dremel taking a millimeter of metal off got it sorted. Need to get it sorted asap and off my drive now.

 

Also jacked up the TT and took off the nearside wheel to take a look and see if the clonking was obvious. I gave the droplink/ARB and tie rod end a pry, jacked up the shock. Saw nothing moving untoward. Couldn't feel any play in the wheel bearing.

 

However the strut was making noises when jacked. Not sure if this is normal for magneride, I suspect not. Top mount looked ok from what I could see. Didn't look at it when jacking though. Don't like sticking my head around there when putting things under load like that.

 

Lifting the corner up and dropping it back down, when on the ground, makes a squelchy, swishy noise. I suspect that's the remaining magic magnetic fluid washing around. No visible oil leak from there though. Unless it washed off ages ago.

 

So I guess it's probably likely going to be likely that mega expensive strut. *sigh*

 

No pictures because I'm getting fucked off with cars at the moment and really can't be bothered with them.

Dodgy trader cunt bodging up write offs on the drive

[Slowsilver]

 

new brake master cylinder on, and back flexi's changed, which was a bugger of a job as i don't think they had ever been changed in 44 years. every union was stuck but eventuially we got the brake lines all joined up, and then had a bash at bleeding it, again.

 

result? well i think that the brakes now are worse than ever!

 

Had exactly this problem many years ago on a Mark 1 Mini 850.

Replaced the brake master cylinder, all 4 slave cylinders, all 4 flexible hoses and all the metal brake lines, so new hydraulics throughout.

Tried bleeding the brakes the conventional way numerous times but pedal was still spongy and pumped up.

Finally in desperation I topped up the master cylinder reservoir, opened all four wheel cylinder bleed valves at once, pumped the pedal as hard as I could about 6 times then tightened them up again.

Result: one hell of a mess on the garage floor, but brakes were much better.

Left for a day to settle then re-bled normally and finally achieved the desired firm pedal.

 

May be worth a try since all your other efforts seem to have failed?

 

Some years later, when working with a mechanic friend on a Citroen GS, we had the same problem and solved it by opening all the bleed valves and driving it at speed onto the four-post ramp.

Because the suspension and brakes on the GS use the same fluid, pressurising the suspension forced fluid out of all the nipples and solved the problem.

 

[hpi_matrix]

Went to a Discovery breakers today, must have had 15-20 of them.

 

This sort of place:

 

 

I put a wanted ad out for an air con pump and he had replied:

 

Facebook messager went like this:

 

Me: How much for the pump

Breaker £30

Me: For a 300tdi?

Breaker: Yep, 300tdi

Me: got any decent steering dampers you can chuck in for an extra fiver

Breaker: Yea no prob

 

Get there to find the pump is off a V8 so won't fit, and he doesn't have any dampers at all. Complete waste of time.

 

On the flip side I decided to get the damper new, from a local LR spares place, guy couldnt have been nicer, good discount compared to buying it from ebay and even offered to stay after hours if I was running late.