The new news 24 thread

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Something amazing happened today.

 

Saw another bloke coming the other way in a Golf Mk IV Estate like mine.  I gave him a thumbs up and he waved back.  That's never happened before.

 

I think this officially means that my car is becoming unusual.  Give it another ten years and it might actually qualify as shite.

[Tickman]

Are you using Latex/Nitrile gloves? Palm gloves like these https://www.toolstation.com/shop/Workwear+%26+Safety/d70/Gloves/sd570/Palm+Gloves/p51069 are easier to work in, don't tear and don't make your hands sweat.

 

I usually wear these with a pair of latex gloves underneath as oil will leach through.

 

I have also discovered expensive latex gloves can be very tough.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

This mini of yours. Is it new or have you had it for a while but hidden away? I've never seen a thread or even mention of it before, that's all.

 

My dad bought it in 1993! It was a surprise gift for Mum. We (him, 9 year old me and my 6 year old sister) waited for her to go out for the morning, then took a taxi to the dealer to collect it. The dealer cranked up the radio and gave us a bunch of helium balloons, which wasn't as fun for Dad - he seemed a bit stressed on the way home, driving an unfamiliar new car while a radio blared (we couldn't figure out how to turn it off) and several helium balloons roamed freely around the cabin. 

 

Before the Mini, the garage was home to the Capri Suns. The plan was for me to ask Mum to get me a Capri Sun, and be surprised by the car. Instead she told me to get my own damn drink. Dad suggested she might want to get the drink from the garage, and she liked this even less. Eventually we gave up and told her there was something she wanted to see in the garage. 

 

I started doing the maintenance a few years ago when I found out the garage who serviced it had been filling it with 5w30 synthetic and had fitted shitty cover sills. It gradually became my car over the next few years as Mum stopped driving so much.

 

That must be the only 90s era mini not on minilite repicas. I’d almost forgotten those trims ever existed.

I know, I'd buy a better set of those trims but no-one kept any! I was lucky enough to find a set in 1:24 scale...

 

[wuvvum]

I've spent most of this evening attempting to update my spreadsheet of owned vehicles, which I've completely neglected and which hadn't been updated in years.  It's quite hard to remember everything I've owned - I'm up to 544 but I'm sure I'm missing some - as I was going through I remembered a couple which I'd owned 10 or more years ago which weren't on there, so I'm certain to be overlooking some more recent purchases as well.  I'm going to have to dig out my old digital cameras / phones when I get a spare minute and see if they can help me along the way.

 

The new ARB brackets for the Rover arrived today, and there was a card through the door saying there's a parcel waiting for me at the PO, which I assume is the cat.  Wheel bearing arrived yesterday, so it should be all systems go to try and get it fixed this weekend.  If it all goes smoothly (LOL) I might even get time to do the Audi's CV joint as well.

[Ghosty]

I wish I could tell the same story about my mum's Bini.

 

It's duller: my mum has traditionally always driven small auto hatchbacks, and British was her thing - her first two cars were 1275 Metros. 

She'd been taken with the Bini since its release in 2001, and eventually after a succession of shit cars (K11a, offset pedals; sad face Fiesta, gearbox routinely grenading and thermostat issues; 9N Polo, slow, gutless, dull, and regularly throwing up EMLs/limp home mode), it finally got to the point where she could afford a new or nearly-new car: we looked at VW Up!s, Fiat 500s, Kia Picantos, Binis, and so on. The Mini was a standout compared to anything else we looked at: the 500 came a close second, but the driver's seat adjustment was lacking, and the folding passenger seat on the dealer demonstrator jammed while we were looking at it, and the autobox option was... questionable.

 

Mum decided on a Bini and even specced a new One, which would have been a 2015, and one of the first F56s. Times changed anyway, and we couldn't afford a brand new one, but used would be doable. We asked about it but there was sod all in the dealer network (or nationally), as auto Minis just weren't that common (Mini would have about 30 nationally at any one time). However, in stock the dealer had a low spec Cooper auto, MV60NXZ - it had a few styling options, but the interior had hardly anything ticked (it's the only auto Mini I've ever seen that didn't have paddle shift or a three spoke steering wheel specified). It was red with a white roof, mirrors and bonnet stripes - my mum was never that keen on the red, she always said it was her least favourite colour for a car. It was a case of having that or waiting who knows how long for another (I hadn't indoctrinated her to collection missions at this point!), and after saying to her 'nothing ventured, nothing gained' she decided to give the car a chance and didn't regret it. She could have been happier, but until something better came along she'd keep it.

We knew the car was low spec, and after a year and a bit, out of interest we went to look at a nicely specced black Cooper S auto in a dealer in Sheffield, we'd have had it but couldn't broker a good enough deal on price so walked.

 

A few months passed, and we didn't say much on the matter, then one day I brought it up, and my mum said 'why not look on Auto Trader?'. I duly did, and a very low miles Cooper S auto showed up, being described as low miles, auto, and white, easy on the detail and pictures hadn't yet been taken. It was listed at £6k or something that was an absurdly good price.

We arranged to view, and it turned out they'd priced it on limited information sight unseen - whoops. When they saw it they wanted to raise the price - turns out it was sub-20k miles, one family owned from new, almost perfect bodily, etc. They'd also named the colour wrong in the ad, and it turned out to be Pepper White (that's just Old English White by another name), with black bonnet stripes and a black roof, and black full leather interior with cream piping, a colour matched dash, custom colour matched standard Mini option wheels, chrome mirrors, a full length sunroof, cruise, steering wheel buttons for that and the radio, heated windscreen, - the option list was endless - pretty much all it didn't have was satnav, and who needs that?

My mum fell in love immediately: and as it happened, her red Mini was at about the right stage in depreciation that the upgrade to a slightly older but much higher spec car was academic: the values of the two cars were roughly the same, and a high spec MCS would bottom out much higher than a cooking Cooper ever would - not that she'd ever sell, of course - she has no intention to, and I'll likely end up with it one day, can't complain about that, the only way it could have been better is if it was a Clubman. I'll keep it too if I ever end up with it as it's a lovely car, decent enough to work on for a modern, and a nice enough thing to drive and knock about in, especially with it having so many options. We still have MT58EKJ, and it gets used sensibly and sparingly: at the moment, my mum is mostly dailying my 416GTi! I keep telling her to get her own Rover... she adores the GTi, we all do, it's just a better car than my GSi will ever manage to be.
I'm happy to have the Mini around, and I'm looking forward to the day I finally get to noodle about in it, whenever that is. They're wonderfully built machines.
 

[SierraMikeHotel]

That's a cracking Mini. Most envious and I've never even had the pleasure of driving one, sadly.

If you get the chance, grab it. They really are as much fun as everyone says.

 

I had use of a totally rotten Clubman 1275GT for a day and loved every minute of it.

[wuvvum]

Yep.  As long as you don't have to do more than 30 miles at a time, Minis are bloody brilliant.

[RobT]

I'm biased, but Metros on the other hand aren't too bad on a run.  Pedals are off set, but once placed in something approaching a comfortable position I can do 250 mile round trips and still be able to walk at the end of it.  Lack of 5th is a pisser though, so nothing above 70 otherwise it's a bit deafening.

[D Spares & Tyres]

Something amazing happened today.

 

Saw another bloke coming the other way in a Golf Mk IV Estate like mine.  I gave him a thumbs up and he waved back.  That's never happened before.

 

I think this officially means that my car is becoming unusual.  Give it another ten years and it might actually qualify as shite.

Dubber camaraderie...

[They_all_do_that_sir]

Gen2 prius any good? Specifically longer runs, extra urban type mileage......

 

A thousand minicab drivers can't be wrong.....

 

Sent from my F3211 using Tapatalk

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Gen2 prius any good? Specifically longer runs, extra urban type mileage......

 

A thousand minicab drivers can't be wrong.....

They're the ones who won't go any quicker than 28mph because fear of petrol engine cutting in.

[Exiled_Tat_Gatherer]

RAF used to have Metros, Maestros and Montegos as staff cars...... god they got a hammering. Used to thrash the knackers off the Metro on the pool. It was mercilessly flogged to almost death consistently by all of us. Fantastic little thing - the whine was utter joy to hear. 

Mate worked for Mini Spares.... so his looked a bag of shite but Jesus it was special underneath all that..... just incredible. I passengered down from London to Brighton on one of their runs - it was great fun - but longer journeys would've driven me insane I think.

 

Obviously looking for a 'proper' mini constantly. 

[xtriple]

Ordered bits from David Manner spares at 4:30 yesterday afternoon, here at 10:30 this morning and delivered by DPD! I would like to complain and whinge, but really can't!   Pretty impressive I think.

[wuvvum]

Drove to work in the Rover 75 this morning, after almost a week of wafting around in the ex-Skattrd C270.  Bugger me does the Rover feel slow after the Merc.  I floored it to get past a dithering artic this morning and nothing seemed to happen.  When I actually looked down at the speedo after getting past I was doing 70, so it's not actually that slow, I've just got used to the Merc which surges forward on a wall of torque [/cliché] as soon as you touch the throttle.

 

The Rover's seats are comfier though.  Lovely and squishy.

[beko1987]

Does anyone live near Leyburn in Yorkshire?

 

Got my eye on a hard floor washer but they wont post. There is one in Ealing too but I don't think my car is allowed to drive there. Neither will post annoyingly

[Tadhg Tiogar]

....There is one in Ealing too but I don't think my car is allowed to drive there. Neither will post annoyingly

I happen to work in Ealing....

[beko1987]

I happen to work in Ealing....

Oooh!

 

Do you ever happen to come out towards Buckinghamshire at all?

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Oooh!

 

Do you ever happen to come out towards Buckinghamshire at all?

I was in Bucks a couple of Saturdays ago (Stoke Mandeville)

[beko1987]

I'll PM you!

[Tadhg Tiogar]

I'll PM you!

Replied.

[xtriple]

I ordered sensors and rad caps from David Manners yesterday at 4:30 in the afternoon, they arrived at 10:30 this morning! I thought that was pretty good? Changed the caps and they feel rather different when you put them on: the old ones almost turn by themselves (not quite but very loose) whereas the new ones actually require effort to screw down, I think after 33 years, the old ones had 'had it'. I shall do the sensors sometime over the weekend, even went and got a selection of spanners ready... of course, I won't have the one I require!

With regard to the gauges: all the work on the cooling system seems to have achieved 'something'. The temp gauge now moves from the bottom to about a third of the way to the 'N' mark and the idle is rock steady at 700 rpm - I know it should be 750 but that's close enough for now! I checked the actual voltage at the battery with a multi-meter, it was 12.2 before I started it (been messing around with the car with the door open and various starts/stops etc so the battery was a little down) and went to 13.8 as soon as it started. Later on, running it was 14 volts but the gauge never climbed from the top edge of the 'red' mark - off charge. I think all my gauges read low except the oil pressure which reads high! I shall pull the gauges and do a thorough clean of all the earths and feeds etc and see if that makes a difference.

Actually drove it though, it is nice though there is a slight pulse on the brake pedal but other than that it seems great! Steering is light and a bit dead but the engine and gearbox are both smooth as silk. Went and bought new front speaker grilles as somonekicked the drivers off when the car was serviced and the lack was/is annoying me!

Any ideas on the gauges?

[Mally]

Today I replaced the front suspension cones on the Mini. 

 

 

 

Did you change the  ball and cup in the cone as well as the rubbers?

Cones are actually the aluminium bit with the ball in one  end and rubber at the other end.

When I replaced the nylon cup and ball I always had great difficulty compressing it enough to get it together again.

Sometimes the aluminium cone splits when you knock the ball out.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Dubber camaraderie...

 

 

I've never had Dubber camaraderie.  It's a Mk IV Golf... the least 'Dubber' car going...

 

I really would like a Mini one day but I'm 6'2" and a fat git.  The last time I sat in one was about 2005 and I remember it feeling very, very small.  I was uncomfortable in my Ka as well and I was much, much slimmer then.  Sadly I don't think I'd ever be able to afford a halfway decent one and I can't do the electric Pritt-Stik...

[dozeydustman]

That's a cracking Mini.  Most envious and I've never even had the pleasure of driving one, sadly.

 

 

Surprisingly spacious behind the wheel for even a 6ft 5 lump like me. Driven the 1975 850 my classmate had when we were in the 6th form (he is 6ft 7) and a 1984 "Sprite" special edition a girl I was sort of seeing on and off before meeting Mrs D. Many smiles per mile, I don't think you need the 1275 in a mini to have a laugh.

[Kiltox]

Gen2 prius any good? Specifically longer runs, extra urban type mileage......

 

A thousand minicab drivers can't be wrong.....

 

Sent from my F3211 using Tapatalk

I think that’s the opposite of what they’re good at

[SiC]

My dad bought it in 1993! It was a surprise gift for Mum. We (him, 9 year old me and my 6 year old sister) waited for her to go out for the morning, then took a taxi to the dealer to collect it. The dealer cranked up the radio and gave us a bunch of helium balloons, which wasn't as fun for Dad - he seemed a bit stressed on the way home, driving an unfamiliar new car while a radio blared (we couldn't figure out how to turn it off) and several helium balloons roamed freely around the cabin. 

 

Before the Mini, the garage was home to the Capri Suns. The plan was for me to ask Mum to get me a Capri Sun, and be surprised by the car. Instead she told me to get my own damn drink. Dad suggested she might want to get the drink from the garage, and she liked this even less. Eventually we gave up and told her there was something she wanted to see in the garage. 

 

I started doing the maintenance a few years ago when I found out the garage who serviced it had been filling it with 5w30 synthetic and had fitted shitty cover sills. It gradually became my car over the next few years as Mum stopped driving so much.

 

 

I know, I'd buy a better set of those trims but no-one kept any! I was lucky enough to find a set in 1:24 scale...

 

minimini.jpg

 

Lovely story.

 

I'd love to have a classic car that's been the family a long time with history and nostalgia attached to it. Unfortunately the best I've got is my Grandads, owned from new, battered old Laguna II.

 

I really would like a Mini one day but I'm 6'2" and a fat git.  The last time I sat in one was about 2005 and I remember it feeling very, very small.  I was uncomfortable in my Ka as well and I was much, much slimmer then.  Sadly I don't think I'd ever be able to afford a halfway decent one and I can't do the electric Pritt-Stik...

I can't afford a Mini either, but I'm hoping my 1100 is going to give similar levels of Mini like driving while being a bit different/rare than them.

[wuvvum]

I think that’s the opposite of what they’re good at

My dad's got a hybrid Auris (so mechanically the same as a Prius 2) and he reckons it's brilliant on a run.  Obvs you don't get the benefit of the electric power, but he still got 60mpg out of it on a recent run from Bristol to Liverpool and back, which isn't too shabby for a 1.8 pez.

[jumpingjehovahs]

Gen2 prius any good? Specifically longer runs, extra urban type mileage......

 

A thousand minicab drivers can't be wrong.....

 

Sent from my F3211 using Tapatalk

Just achieved this on the shown run (extra-urban ish), not a Prius but same hybrid synergy drive system. Haven’t driven a Gen-2 Prius but my ex had a Gen-3 that was a real fuel sipper.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Did you change the  ball and cup in the cone as well as the rubbers?

Cones are actually the aluminium bit with the ball in one  end and rubber at the other end.

When I replaced the nylon cup and ball I always had great difficulty compressing it enough to get it together again.

Sometimes the aluminium cone splits when you knock the ball out.

 

The aluminium bit is the trumpet, no? I didn't renew the knuckle joints because the old ones were in such good condition I felt it was better to leave them alone. I did clean and re-grease them. The bearings and shaft in the upper arms were in excellent condition too, all that greasing paid off!

[Mally]

Yes trumpet, memories not what it was, sorry.

The ball rests in a nylon cup, normally the nylon is worn through and the ball is metal to metal.

Yours looks high at the front though so it's all good.