The new news 24 thread

[LightBulbFun 3,522]

7 minutes ago, brownnova said:

Nope, I haven’t ever bought any. All mine are ones I collected when I was a youngster. My 70s ones are all Tractor ones from a friend of my parents farm. 

Neat!  

your pile of tax disks reminds me of when I was quite young, 4-5 years old

the local criminals used to dump their stolen cars in the dead end here and smash them up

and when Id noticed such a car in the dead end, I would crawl through the broken glass etc, and pillage any intact car bulbs I could find in the wrecked car  

anyways I remember one car had a shit load of tax disks scattered around inside, and I thought to myself at the time "Oohh money!" and then also "but I haven ever seen circular bank note before I wonder what these are"

I saw the colours and large numbers and initially thought they were some sort of bank note!

[brownnova 5,131]

I used to approach random strangers and ask fir their discs! I was a strange child. But it prepared me well to be a strange adult 🤪

[Ghosty 12,908]

On the topic of radios, the Jag has a full 1990s(?) Alpine system. Head unit, CD changer, amp, sub speakers tweeters the lot. Sounds great. 

Volvo's sound system was also made by Alpine for Volvo, and I have multiple head units for it, that sound equally excellent. 

[chaseracer 17,146]

9 hours ago, brownnova said:

The plan is to do the coffee table something like this and put the tax discs under Perspex to protect them. 

Apparently the old ones (60s & 70s) are too old for the table and need to go in a frame. - Her words not mine. 

KEEPER.

[reb 1,654]

I'm away to fit MavisNotMavis' 3rd or 4th aux belt in my ownership, though this time actually the right length! It's been eating belts for as long as I can remember, it seems though that ECP spec two lengths for AC cars and it's always got the shorter one. This seems to have been the cause of the exploded crank pulley that caused omg-exploded-timing-belt panic. It's currently squealing its tits off with a 6 month old belt and brand new tensioner.

I had a rummage in my box of bits and found a belt I bought as a spare when I got the car, it's the right one!

I'm going to deal with it now because the last time I neglected preventative maintenance on alternator belts I ended up with both of my cars shitting their belts within 48 hours of eachother and having to summon a drunk Keith with a big knife to remove the remains and drive carefully home with minimal lights.

[Tartan58 319]

17 hours ago, brownnova said:

 

This is evening I have been playing with my tax disc collection (about the only place I’ll admit to this...) 

Got a few hundred, mainly 90s. 

Mrs_b and I played a fun game of who can find a car that’s still on the road first.... using tax discs from 1996. 

I won with a K reg Isuzu Trooper. 

Another cutting edge evening in the brownnova household... 

Man after my own heart but it's been a while since I've had mine down from the loft (I'm talking about my tax disc collection not my Mrs!).

My interest was sparked off in the early 90s when my grandfather gave me a box with all the ones from his old cars going back to the early 50s, to which I added ones from my Dad's cars then mine up until 2014 or whenever it was they stoped. I had hoped to have a complete collection of one from every year but there's still a few gaps mainly in the 70s and 80s - I remember putting an ad in the local paper (days before the internet) asking people to send me theirs, don't think I got a single response! I must get them down then get myself onto ebay!

I like the sound of your game although unfortunately as all the discs in my collection are from cars my family used to own I don't think there's any still on the road from pre 2000s.

[egg 25,790]

Been meaning to pap this for a while, a little serviced pez station (but they only had diesel today) in place called Egerton on a hill near Ashford

A couple of doors up is the associated garage

It has quite a good view for a Petrol station

The whole set-up

 

 

[richardmorris 9,703]

I've just been out for a Dentist appt. in the XM. Running late  - it can hustle if provoked (and kept in 3rd), doing my best Ronin tribute. Then it threw the low coolant light STOP at me. But level fine when I checked. 

[vulgalour 35,483]

TADTS, it's the dodgy connectors, get some cleaner in the plug for the sensor and clean as much of the connection off as you can and it shouldn't do it again unless you need it to.

[xtriple 7,738]

I think I qualify for 'clever sod of the day' today. As we car idiot savants do when we get a new (to us) car, levels of various fluids are checked and if needed, adjusted. So I did all the levels and the washer fluid was low (corrected without any visits from the fuck up fairy) and so was the power steering. Only a tad low but still I have ATF in the cupboard so top up. Incidentally, MB really make it easy for non car savvy people to check these things, PAS resevoir is under the engine cover and so totally hidden (Yes really!) and therefore never likely to be checked.

Possibly for the best...

Now, somewhere along the line, some snippet of information has weedled its way into the porridge between my ears and I had a sudden fear that the PAS doesn't use ATF but some MB specific shit. So I checked, yes, yes indeed it does use MB specific stuff (though it's not actually MB specific!) Pentosin CHF11S which is green. Mixing of the two fluids will result in the outbreak of WW3 in the digestive tract of power steering and hence a HUGE bill for a new pump, rack, associated pipework... Of course, you will also get a visit from nice men from the ministry of Mercedes Benz who will give you a kicking you are unlikely to forget.

In the whole of Torbay there was precisely 1 litre of Pentosin CHF11S. Just one and that was at Euro Car parts, my least favourite place. They also wanted £29 for one effin' litre of green shit!

Once I had recovered (though I did beat them down to £18.08 by judicious use of the 'I'm trade you bastards!' phrase) I went home and with the aid of the smallest syringe known to man (previous use was in administering a drug to Phoebe and a pretty small dose at that) got all the fluids out of the resevoir and replaced it with Pentosin CHF11S.  Putting new in was a damn sight quicker and easier than getting the old stuff out. 

I ran it up and down, went to the shop, took the dog to the park and then drained it again - somewhere around the 5000 syringe full I was losing the will to live but it got done, another load of new in and it should be all good now?

It should, shouldn't it? someone PLEASE tell me it's all gonna be okay...

Sorry for the rant,

Yours,

Concerned of Torbay.

[hairnet 8,718]

19 hours ago, brownnova said:

The plan is to do the coffee table something like this and put the tax discs under Perspex to protect them. 

Apparently the old ones (60s & 70s) are too old for the table and need to go in a frame. - Her words not mine. 

DO AS YER TOLD

[richardmorris 9,703]

I’ve just given the mercedes’ Engine bay a quick wipe and shine ( autoglym engine degreaser stuff and vinyl and rubber cleaner), after the work done.

[17-Coffees 1,715]

ROAD TRIP...

Aberdeen to Somerset to look and watch tanks this weekend, so first stop of the night. 

 

 

 

 

[SiC 15,434]

Road trip in an Astra G? Grim

 

[richardmorris 9,703]

There was some sort of tank* thing outside work today. USA with star front tyres and rear tracks, canvas top and flat rear deck with what looked like rocket launchers under a canvas cover. Makes a change from mclarens,

[Vince70 1,957]

It’s the last time I buy anything from GSF as I ordered a set of pads for the rear of the Z3 and when they arrived in the post I received front pads.

So when I emailed and phoned them they lied and said I ordered fronts but I had the receipt that categorically said Rear Pads.

When that didn’t work I was told that the fronts are the same as the back which they are not so I took photos of the different sizes/specs and part numbers off their own website to then be told to send them back for a refund at my expense with no offer of sending me out the correct parts.

 

[SRi05 1,588]

Just had my cheapest insurance quote ever, £278 for the Civic. Almost half my usual price, I'm normally always around the 500 mark. 

[hairnet 8,718]

3 hours ago, richardmorris said:

 doing my best Ronin tribute. 

video vhs or else

[richardmorris 9,703]

1 minute ago, hairnet said:

video vhs or else

I can’t video and drive at the same time. I’m not hubnut’s DW! The xm is growing on me, but it’s missing a litre and a manual gearbox from the ronin cars. 

[Lord Sterling 8,026]

More Micra saga...

Bored today so took it out for a 3 hour drive, all local roads, no fast carriageways. Battery light still on.

Upon arrovong back, I noticed the airbag light flashing.  Parked up and switched off engine. Tried to switch it back on and it turned over very slowly indicating battery borked again, so it looks like alternator is toast. Back to the garage tomorrow.

[richardmorris 9,703]

22 hours ago, brownnova said:

The plan is to do the coffee table something like this and put the tax discs under Perspex to protect them. 

Apparently the old ones (60s & 70s) are too old for the table and need to go in a frame. - Her words not mine. 

I’ve every one for the 2cv - from 1985, and every one for the x1/9 from 1988. All in a nice folder ( for each car).

[Supernaut 13,880]

1 hour ago, SiC said:

Road trip in an Astra G? Grim

 

You've seen the thread for the car, yes? Grim is an understatement.

Latest updates from him is that they're still somewhere north of Preston (the overnight stop) and it keeps putting the EML on and cutting the boost.

 

I bet that's fun*.

[SiC 15,434]

16 minutes ago, Supernaut said:

You've seen the thread for the car, yes? Grim is an understatement.

Latest updates from him is that they're still somewhere north of Preston (the overnight stop) and it keeps putting the EML on and cutting the boost.

 

I bet that's fun*.

I haven't. Now I've read the thread it makes you wonder if he's passing the coast at anytime. That way it can be left to get into the sea. 

Maybe Uphill beach just outside Weston Super Mare?

[beko1987 15,530]

1 hour ago, richardmorris said:

I can’t video and drive at the same time. I’m not hubnut’s DW! The xm is growing on me, but it’s missing a litre and a manual gearbox from the ronin cars. 

I dunno, from what I remember of my auto xm, if you fucking booted it it went, had many a win at traffic light racing! Had to start off gently then once it was 'off the clitch' Bury your foot! I saw 4mpg once... 

Still haven't beaten my Marlow to stokenchurch time (after a phonecall from a heavily pregnant Amy with pains). It just held the road and kept itself straight (long sweeping corners). Darednt try and repeat it in the zx, I'll be in a field in no time

[GrumpiusMaximus 4,401]

On 9/11/2019 at 7:32 AM, egg said:

Yes, my Mazda does a bit of that - ideal* for listening to Test Match Special.

The AM radio in my Golf does this but it's so shit that it won't even go down to 198LW.  I found an obscure repeating transmitter in London but I live too far out now to get it.  So I had to put an aux jack in and use my phone instead.

That cost me £35 for the adapter box.  But it did mean I got to listen to Stoke's antics in the third test...

[GrumpiusMaximus 4,401]

5 hours ago, egg said:

Been meaning to pap this for a while, a little serviced pez station (but they only had diesel today) in place called Egerton on a hill near Ashford

A couple of doors up is the associated garage

It has quite a good view for a Petrol station

The whole set-up

 

 

I used to live a couple of miles away from that one and always enjoyed driving past.  Never needed to fill up there, sadly.  Good find.  Egerton's nice.

[egg 25,790]

5 minutes ago, GrumpiusMaximus said:

Egerton's nice.

It is, they even leave the church unlocked, which is fairly rare in rural Kent these days. I like the WW1 bench too.

[17-Coffees 1,715]

1 hour ago, SiC said:

I haven't. Now I've read the thread it makes you wonder if he's passing the coast at anytime. That way it can be left to get into the sea. 

Maybe Uphill beach just outside Weston Super Mare?

Blackpool is only 15 miles west from where I am now, but that would mean I’d have to go to Blackpool...

It’s grim, but it’s a good grim with character. The car that is, not Blackpool...

[Mally 4,246]

Pretty fair description of Blackpool itself TBH.

[Tadhg Tiogar 5,168]

13 hours ago, 17-Coffees said:

Blackpool is only 15 miles west from where I am now, but that would mean I’d have to go to Blackpool...

It’s grim, but it’s a good grim with character. The car that is, not Blackpool...

 

16 minutes ago, Mally said:

Pretty fair description of Blackpool itself TBH.

One of my colleagues took herself and her family up to Blackpool a few weeks ago for a week's break. This was the first time they had ever visited the place (usually they jet off to exotic places), so I gave them a potted history of the town and its purpose as the place for a good old-fashioned working-class holiday, i.e. don't expect too much.

They apparently had a whale of a time, and she is making plans to go back there!!!