The new news 24 thread

[Cavcraft]

Sodding winch went to shit after one use (but it sort of paid for itself with that one job) as the wire got all bleeding tangled up. The lad who fitted it for me said that would happen and to buy some synthetic rope, but just ignored him. Anyhow, just carefully* tried to untangle it using a screwdriver, then carefully* tried to untangle it using a jemmy, then finally very carefully untangled it using an angle grinder. The bastard (wire) is off now, in several pieces. Just ordered some really shit looking synthetic rope from an internet auction site, via China. 

[Aston Martin]

Unsurprising

[Aston Martin]

The Halfords Autocentre experience.

Because it's in the town centre, I parked in their yard. But also on double yellows as they had no spaces.

"We've saved you a parking ticket, the warden asked if we knew about this car"

 

So, thank you for that. I didn't tell them what the car needed, but the rear drums make a horrible sound when wet. That noise has gone, they've filled my washers with blue shit and the oil is new.  

 

Maybe not the worst place as they are franchised, but it was pricey.

[JeeExEll]

???

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-50529593

[Tadhg Tiogar]

9 minutes ago, JeeExEll said:

???

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-50529593

I'm not sure we should even begin to ask how that came to be. 

[BorniteIdentity]

I find literally anything interesting. Ironically, that probably makes me a dullard - but if someone tells me something that I don’t know, I’m almost transfixed by it for a short moment. I’ve realised twice in the last 24 hours that my world is a small one, and there’s a whole world out there I never knew existed.

Talking to a girl at football yesterday - she runs a company who specialise in pet friendly things. Hotels, foods etc. Do you know there’s a world glass shortage? Me neither. Know that green glass is particularly hard to come by? Didn’t think so. Boring but interesting.

Then I saw a gorgeous £30 magazine in a shop today, dedicated to architecture and design. I had no idea this was a thing. Check this!

Blueprint magazine. A whole piece on junction design. It could probably be a 60 minute documentary for BBC4 tbh.

Beautiful publication. 

Edited November 23, 2019 by BorniteIdentity

[bramz7]

Came across a bit of a bargain on gumtree late last night, text the seller and viewed this morning, despite LUs best efforts to scupper my journey. 

Left a deposit, collect Wednesday. It's an estate. With a 5 pot engine. It's not from Sweden. It's done a smidge over 100k. 

[loserone]

Marea weekend PLS!

[richardmorris]

46 minutes ago, Tadhg Tiogar said:

I'm not sure we should even begin to ask how that came to be. 

Made me spit wine over the sofa.

[bramz7]

11 minutes ago, loserone said:

Marea weekend PLS!

Bloody hell I wish. No sadly not, but the next best thing IMO. 

[Lacquer Peel]

Bloody hell I wish. No sadly not, but the next best thing IMO. 

156?

[bramz7]

Correct. Late 10v with 150hp. Sounded gorgeous, and the torque....

[Noel Tidybeard]

On 11/21/2019 at 5:58 AM, paulplom said:

I'd like to think it would go back to it's natural home, in The Cotswolds.

ovlovs were designed for antique stealers, they are in the cotswolds ergo that is the true home for any self respecting I roll

[Eyersey1234]

2 hours ago, BorniteIdentity said:

I find literally anything interesting. Ironically, that probably makes me a dullard - but if someone tells me something that I don’t know, I’m almost transfixed by it for a short moment. I’ve realised twice in the last 24 hours that my world is a small one, and there’s a whole world out there I never knew existed.

Talking to a girl at football yesterday - she runs a company who specialise in pet friendly things. Hotels, foods etc. Do you know there’s a world glass shortage? Me neither?? Know that green glass is particularly hard to come by? Didn’t think so. Boring but interesting.

Then I saw a gorgeous £30 magazine in a shop today, dedicated to architecture and design. I had no idea this was a thing. Check this!

Blueprint magazine. A whole piece on junction design. It could probably be a 60 minute documentary for BBC4 tbh.

Beautiful publication. 

I thought they were designs for wind turbines for a moment then 

[wuvvum]

Been doing a lot of driving today.  I ran the LDV down to Mr. Foxhake of this parish, who then kindly drove me to Reading to pick up this.

I've been wanting to try one of these for a while - I just love the look of them - and this one came up for a price that was too good to refuse.  Its main issue is that the EGR valve has been removed so under hard acceleration it puts out an impressive amount of clag and occasionally it'll splutter briefly until it clears its throat, but cruising at motorway speeds you'd never guess there was owt amiss.  It's the 150bhp JTD so goes well enough, and 70 is 2,000rpm in 6th so it's pretty quiet at speed, and the stereo is decent.  It's an old Alfa so it has a couple of minor warning lights (parking sensors and a spurious warning about the bonnet being open), but all the essentials work.

It feels a bit different to a 156 - not quite as poised - but it certainly handles nicely and feels a lot more Alfa than Vectra.  It has the typical high-geared Alfa steering, which means the twin mini roundabouts down the road from me can be dispatched with a flick of the wrists rather than the manic arm-twirling required to get the Elantra round them.

 

Speaking of the Elantra, it and its incongruous spoiler have been doing sterling work running me to work and back for the last week.  It's the first car I've owned where the trip computer is notably pessimistic when it comes to average fuel consumption - the computer reckons it's doing 42mpg, but I make it high 40s - it's definitely better on diesel than the 75.  It drives OK, although it's by no means a driver's car - the steering is light, vague and oddly low geared.  The clutch has been behaving itself all week, even when caning it through the gears.  It's quite an old-fashioned car in some ways, from the general styling which is vaguely Carina E / P11 Primera to other features that weren't seen much by 2004 such as an electric aerial.

I still need to refit the driver's door card and reseat the window seal after the window derailed last weekend, but other than that all I've done to it is fit a pair of wiper blades (which I had lying around anyway) and swap the bulb holders round from the rear fogs to the reversing lights - the reversing lights didn't work which made reversing on unlit roads interesting - now I just flick the rear foglight switch and I can see behind me.  I almost never use rear fogs anyway, but if I did ever need them it'd be a 2-minute job to swap the bulbs back round.

That spoiler really is ridiculous though.  I mean look at it.

[bramz7]

I was feeling quite canny with my 156 purchase today @wuvvum, but that's a beautiful 159. 

 

Dibs. 

[LightBulbFun]

2 hours ago, Eyersey1234 said:

I thought they were designs for wind turbines for a moment then 

happy to know I was not alone with that thought!

[brownnova]

2 hours ago, wuvvum said:

Been doing a lot of driving today.  I ran the LDV down to Mr. Foxhake of this parish, who then kindly drove me to Reading to pick up this.

.

 

Mrs_brownnova has currently got a hankering for one of these. As I do too I’m encouraging said hankering.

Its either a 159, a V70 or a Freelander... apparently.

I think a 159 may well end up gracing the driveway soon... 

[jonathan_dyane]

Your Skelmersdale correspondent reports a spot

[paulplom]

10 hours ago, Tadhg Tiogar said:

I'm not sure we should even begin to ask how that came to be. 

Obviously the famous zafira dash fire.

[egg]

Amazing that Hyundai were making that Elantra in 2004....and look at them now...the spoiler is a little better 'integrated'

[Timewaster]

15 hours ago, BorniteIdentity said:

I find literally anything interesting. 

Blueprint magazine. A whole piece on junction design. It could probably be a 60 minute documentary for BBC4 tbh.

Beautiful publication. 

I went for starfish and mermaids purses. 

[ProgRocker]

Yesterday I bought 4 new tyres for my Almera. All season 'Nexen' tyres. The car steers beautifully now. I may put the car up for sale after Christmas so I decided just to go a budget brand. 

The old mid range Cooper tyres needed replacing. I got advisories about them from the MOT in July. The rear ones were 7 years old, still had plenty of tread but were perishing. The front n/s one appears to have been suffering with a slow puncture and was getting near the limit. 

[clayts450]

Just kicked the 214 back into life by buggering about with the ignition coil - it helps* that it's located in the nearside front wing behind the headlight where it definitely won't* be exposed to all the elements, including all the torrential rain we've had recently.

Disconnected battery, pulled off the HT lead and connectors, wazzed a load of WD40 in there, checked the primary/secondary resistance (all good, coil  not fucked) , cleaned up the connectors and smeared a load of Vaseline all over everything. Hooked the battery back up and it started first time. Free fix FTW.

Will reward it with a run out tonight. Not far, mind, in case the ungrateful bastard stabs me in the back.

[barmatt]

21 hours ago, JeeExEll said:

???

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-50529593

 

21 hours ago, Tadhg Tiogar said:

I'm not sure we should even begin to ask how that came to be. 

Having lived on the Outer Herides for a few years in my earlier days, I would say there is an eleventy million percent chance alcohol was involved.

[rusty998]

Could be another Tesco PR stunt gone wrong?

[Tadhg Tiogar]

1 hour ago, ProgRocker said:

Yesterday I bought 4 new tyres for my Almera. All season 'Nexen' tyres..... 

Nexens are good all-rounders. I had them on the diesel Borat, and may have them on the CX when the current Maxxis set gives up.

[egg]

My Sister's Tigra has a leak from the sump (haven't seen it, just reported to me). Is that a known problem before she takes it to a garage? Perhaps better in ask a Shiter.....soz.

[richardmorris]

I have spent most of today travelling to and from, and attending the Traction Owner’s Club AGM. It would be a fair assumption that I was the youngest person there ( and my beard is already turning white) - I was going to add, by a couple of decades, but suspect @Three Speed was next oldest and he was in charge of the meeting and not that much older I expect.  

Does anyone here attend the NEC restoration show? I’ve not been but the Citroen clubs are considering a joint stand next year.

[richardmorris]

1 hour ago, Tadhg Tiogar said:

Nexens are good all-rounders. I had them on the diesel Borat, and may have them on the CX when the current Maxxis set gives up.

Stone the Heretic! Putting non Michelin’s on a CX will get you excommunicated from the club ( it’s why I no longer look at the club website as people are very intolerant of such heretical thinking).IE Michelins aren’t what they used to be.

 

i like Goodyear efficient grip performance- good in the wet, wear well and are quiet and not very expensive in the size I need (£55).