The new news 24 thread

[SierraMikeHotel]

Anyone here own two Talbots, a Solara and a Horizon? One had RAC in the reg, didn't have my phone on me for a pic.

[stuboy]

Positive delivered tools to get on with the shalaxy driveshaft...

And for bacefook page I'm on took some pics of the car and missus( who thinks  she's fat and ugly, the female mind..lol )

[BorniteIdentity]

Happy Birthday, @RayMK ! Brilliant cake. Hope you’ve had a good day.

[barefoot]

I have just seen the future, in the daily mail.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7592485/Father-eight-invents-electric-car-battery-drivers-1-500-miles-without-charging-it.html

[Cord Fourteener]

1 minute ago, barefoot said:

I have just seen the future, in the daily mail.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7592485/Father-eight-invents-electric-car-battery-drivers-1-500-miles-without-charging-it.html

Sounds just epically awesome, shame it's in the Daily Hate Mail because I simply don't believe anything they write. The article doesn't even cite any sources, which means that I have to dig to see if it's utter codswallop or not.

I hope it's actually based on something (Which for the Daily Hate Mail would be a refreshing change) as a leap forward in battery tech has been mooted and is long over-due...

[LightBulbFun]

6 hours ago, RayMK said:

Today I was presented with this excellent edible Reliant by my son, made by one of his colleagues from work. It made reaching 70 with a Reliant more bearable (i.e. possible ?).   

Happy birthday

I love the cake! I hope it was as yummy as it looks 

[busmansholiday]

6 hours ago, RayMK said:

Today I was presented with this excellent edible Reliant by my son, made by one of his colleagues from work. It made reaching 70 with a Reliant more bearable (i.e. possible ?

 

The first car my dad bought was a Mk 6 Reliant in that very same blue. Reg was, IIRC, 6307WA, think it was about 1961. I can remember the first trips in it with my younger sister, and her being car sick. Went all over in it ( and broke down a few times), four adults (mum, dad, grandad and grandmar) sis and I plus the dog. 

That pic really does bring back many happy memories.

Happy birthday, may you have many more.

[RobT]

The alternator in my S60 packed up last weekend.  Being 100 miles away I needed recovery home, and Autoaid did the job.  Kiltok of this parish also assisted by giving up his Sunday morning and helping with diagnostics.  A+ shiter, cheers m8.

£73 later for a refurbed replacement and I was dreading doing it, but cracked on today.  Ancillaries moved/removed.

Interesting* photo of the shiny new one in situ.

Despite the fact it took me all fuggin' day because I'm a slow coach, there were no major dramas and the process was quite logical.  Thank you Volvo.  I was almost afraid to start the car in case the aux belt shredded or slipped off, but all seems well.

Now the electric boot release doesn't work, but I'll leave that for another day.  I also noticed it needs a ball joint, after investigating the occasional front end knock last week.  It never bloody stops, does it. 

However, I mustn't forget this car took us to Sweden and back recently without fault, so I feel lucky the alternator decided to shat itself in Lechlade rather than Malmo...

[wuvvum]

Got a new front drop link fitted to the A2 on Saturday - fairly drama-free considering, in fact it would have been a 10-minute job had some gibbon not torqued the nuts up to about 400 ft-lb.  Still probably the easiest droplink swap I've ever done - and it's cured the knock from the front suspension.  I haven't managed to sort the slight hesitation yet - it was previously showing up a code for the MAP sensor, but I cleared that code and it hasn't returned.  I did have a look for the MAP sensor but couldn't spot it in the engine bay - anyone have any ideas?

I'd also bought a drop link for the V70 which was also clonking from the nearside front.  Last time I drove it though the clonking had got a lot worse - too loud to be  a drop link - and the steering was feeling odd and occasionally going into a wobble. 

Didn't take too much investigation to find the issue:

That was just with me pushing against the front wheel with my knee, with all four wheels still on the ground.  So I need a strut top mount.  Unfortunately in order to get the strut out I need to remove the drop link anyway - had a go this afternoon and got the top nut about half way undone before the Allen socket in the end of the bolt rounded out.  To be fair there wasn't much thread left on that bit of the bolt.  So I think the dremel will have to come out, but that can wait until I've got the new top mount.

The other thing I was hoping to get done this weekend was to trace the source of the battery drain on the LDV.  Except that when I connected the multimeter with everything switched off, it was showing a drain of 70 mA, which is not going to drain a 95AH battery in the space of a few days.  So that's going to need some more thought, which is annoying.

[Royale80]

Clutch on the wife’s Focus has started slipping quite a bit-been nursing it for 8 months. Had the car 7 years and 70000 miles-it’s now on 110000. Apart from the clutch, power steering pipes and a wheel bearing its been super reliable. Also a petrol. In for a clutch on Wednesday. The car is not worth much- but if hopefully I can get a few more years out of it. Paid £2000 for it 7 years ago.

[andy18s]

9 hours ago, RobT said:

The alternator in my S60 packed up last weekend.  Being 100 miles away I needed recovery home, and Autoaid did the job.  Kiltok of this parish also assisted by giving up his Sunday morning and helping with diagnostics.  A+ shiter, cheers m8.

£73 later for a refurbed replacement and I was dreading doing it, but cracked on today.  Ancillaries moved/removed.

Interesting* photo of the shiny new one in situ.

Despite the fact it took me all fuggin' day because I'm a slow coach, there were no major dramas and the process was quite logical.  Thank you Volvo.  I was almost afraid to start the car in case the aux belt shredded or slipped off, but all seems well.

Now the electric boot release doesn't work, but I'll leave that for another day.  I also noticed it needs a ball joint, after investigating the occasional front end knock last week.  It never bloody stops, does it. 

However, I mustn't forget this car took us to Sweden and back recently without fault, so I feel lucky the alternator decided to shat itself in Lechlade rather than Malmo...

Is that belt fitted the right way round?

Or am i missing something?

[barefoot]

944 with shitty idle, no power & curious water consumption collected and taken away for repair this morning...

[RobT]

5 hours ago, andy18s said:

Is that belt fitted the right way round?

Or am i missing something?

There are grooves either side, as it loops around various pulleys.  I think the way it goes over the alternator means it has to be.

@wuvvum I'm sure you know this already, but the internet recommends getting the more robust XC90 strut top mount and bush as a replacement.  From memory it was only a few quid more.  I wimped out and gave that job to my mechanic.

[Bren]

Dropped the 545 off this morning - took me 3 hours to get to Nuneaton from Warrington. I hope they don't find anything amiss other than the valve stem seals....

[17-Coffees]

In the undercover parking at the other half’s apartment, I saw this in the space next to hers

The grill and way the cover sits around the front wings caught my eye, as well as the long bonnet. Asked her about it and said it’s been parked there undercover for as long as she’s been here (a few years) which got me interested. More so as could see the years of cobwebs around the wheels.
Im respectful so as much as I wanted to lift the cover a bit for a peek I resisted, also it’s rural USA and I don’t fancy getting shot. But had an idea of what it could be...

Yesterday it was clear so have a quick walk around and my suspicions were correct, as could make out the badge under the cover!

I’m 99% sure it’s a early model of the 2000’s gen Maserati Quattroporte!

Considering the fact this is rural Oregon, my guess is bought cheap, something broke and now it’s became a 2 tonne luxobarge paperweight as it’s too much to repair? Low cost, but liability much? 

[skattrd]

Not really news, but potential news... There are two cars on my ebay watch list which I am considering bidding on tomorrow. No spoilers, but they have a few things in common, both being many hours away by train and £70 being the cheapest advance split ticket train fare away. 

[wuvvum]

Coincidentally, I'm currently kicking myself for not bidding on something on my eBay watch list which was many hours and £70+ away by train, and which went for such an absurdly low price that even with the cost of collection it would still have been a bargain.

[egg]

Not that big Merc on the tat thread?

[wuvvum]

The very same.  300 quid for an MOT'd and running diesel M-Class is just silly.

[stuboy]

Today's plan is to fix the shalaxy...

Hoping for an early start... but missus needs me to take youngest stepson to his swimming class booster session... 

 

Not like I'm busy ffs

[Fumbler]

Just put the MR2 on ramps to look at the underbody. The smell of clutch has driven us away.....

[clayts450]

Third FTP in 30 months for the Streetwise. Poor little thing hardly gets driven these days so now the weather's gotten cold the battery threw a hissy fit last night. Swapped for a fully charged one this morning and all's good in the hood again. That was my reward* for sorting out the rattling heat shield on Saturday afternoon

Shall kowtow to its demands with a commute or two into work for the rest of the week.

[Lord Sterling]

On a collection.....

[Tadhg Tiogar]

4 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

Tatra?

 

Looks like a Tatra. Tatra 77a, according to a Google search....

[richardmorris]

Just now, Tadhg Tiogar said:

Looks like a Tatra. Tatra 77a, according to a Google search....

Thanks, looks lovely, but had to be pushed  -looks very heavy too!

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Just now, richardmorris said:

Thanks, looks lovely, but had to be pushed  -looks very heavy too!

They were quite advanced for their day, it seems. Most people are familiar with the much-later Tatra 603.

[stuboy]

AAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

struggle on the floor changing complete shaft, all 3 parts and still clunky, ordered passanger side.

 

got fed up came in threw tools in shed, ate homemade beef stew from misses..

[taxi paul]

Lovely to meet lord sterling today. He really suited the vectra has he drove off in the direction of camp cavcraft. So the fleet is now a modern appliance for family duties and the celica fir polishing and fiddling with. In for mot on thursday . Should be fine. New wheels fitted and polished courtesy of no 1 son. 

[skattrd]

17 hours ago, skattrd said:

Not really news, but potential news... There are two cars on my ebay watch list which I am considering bidding on tomorrow. No spoilers, but they have a few things in common, both being many hours away by train and £70 being the cheapest advance split ticket train fare away. 

Ok, so I need to start planning logistics to erm, Peterhead, that's basically Norway innit?

[SRi05]

43 minutes ago, taxi paul said:

Lovely to meet lord sterling today. He really suited the vectra has he drove off in the direction of camp cavcraft. So the fleet is now a modern appliance for family duties and the celica fir polishing and fiddling with. In for mot on thursday . Should be fine. New wheels fitted and polished courtesy of no 1 son. 

That's a beaut!