The new news 24 thread

[Burnside]

Finished up cleaning the Fiat Stilo SW rather grim boot area today. Forgot to take pictures of before though as just got stuck in. 

Previous owner had got mud and who knows what else, over and under the carpet, toolkit and spare wheel. 

The boot carpet was so bad (dirty & torn)  that I already brought a 2nd hand replacement months ago. Pretty happy with the results and smells alot more pleasant too! 

Have also managed to improve the outside. Mainly cutting an polishing out the various scratches etc. An using a touch up stick for some of the scrapes an chips.

Apart from the dents and the ruinned headling this car is starting to finally look half decent. Overall pretty happy with my Days work. 

Got more cutting and polishing to do tomorrow. Also might try cleaning the seats again as there still grubby. 

[Zelandeth]

The Stilo is a design which has aged well I think.  Though being honest I always quite liked the look of them.  Never been in an estate, but we had a couple of the hatchbacks through the garage just towards the time I finished there and they seemed to drive nicely...though thinking about it I don't think I've ever driven a Fiat I didn't like really...even down to a Uno 60S with the 1.1 litre engine in...

This evening's task for me: Get a bloody website update pushed through.  It's not been touched since 2017, and it's about bloody time I did something about that.  I've got nearly a dozen half finished updates sitting in the Work in Progress folder, so time to pick one and run with it.

[Cavcraft]

Back to work today, four trips out in a 19 plate Berlingo. Stupidly compact (when you're long and fat) in the leg area, and no air con. Still, it was great to be out on the open roads which were very quiet. Plenty of traffic coppers about though and a two traffic womble cars were hunting in pairs, so I'm guessing VOSA were open somewhere. 

[Timewaster]

6 hours ago, danthecapriman said:

Nobody can accuse me of not doing my bit for the environment now! I can’t wait to get the Beech, lovely looking trees! I suppose it offsets the carbon footprint of my car collection.

How many thousand trees have you planted then? 

I doubt Epping forest offsets your collection. 

[somewhatfoolish]

5 hours ago, New POD said:

I'd be asking to see the exact terms of the trust and seeing if they are allowed to sell it. 

 

That's the problem, councils are sometimes run by slippery eel types, and even when not government edicts can oblige them to do shitty things even if against local sentiment; if people want to leave land for common good or similar it needs to be legally tied up with a double bow and fingers crossed to prevent scumbaggery.

[fairkens]

If they've not already been felled apply for tree protection orders for some of the key trees. 

[danthecapriman]

17 minutes ago, Tayne said:

 

I'm assuming you've seen the plans on your local council website?

You can find out whether its 2 or 3 houses and whether  they will overlook you.

Just put your postcode in the search box halfway down.

 

https://www.hants.gov.uk/landplanningandenvironment

 

 

Just looked on that as it happens! Nothing showing.

The only reason I know what’s likely is because I was in the garden when the new owner was next door talking to some other guy. His words were ‘a two bed in this area and a three at the bottom’. So that’s at least two, on the same size plot as every other house on this street which only has one, and all the houses are more or less in line with each other. By doing what he’s suggesting he wants to means our house and many of the neighbours will be overlooked badly, but also the only house at the rear of the plot will face directly into all our back windows. It’s certainly not in keeping with the other houses in the street. The guy who lives on the other side of that land is in an even worse situation for privacy because of how his bungalow is laid out.

Of course what the developer wants to do is completely different to what he will be allowed to do in the end. But it still means the loss of all those trees.

 

[danthecapriman]

4 minutes ago, fairkens said:

If they've not already been felled apply for tree protection orders for some of the key trees. 

Too late sadly. He bought the land at auction then came straight in with a team of tree cutters and machinery and took the lot down. I think he deliberately did it quick to stop any sort of fight back from residents, plus I think he’s trying to take advantage of the current situation - much of the council seems either closed for the duration or minimal staff. 

Im not sure if it applies but there wasn’t much social distancing going on that day either!

There was a pretty big oak tree over there, sadly now gone but the bigger trees were right in the middle of the land so would have been hard to work around. Fortunately though there’s a really big oak (must be a good few hundred years old) just on the wrong side of his border line so that’s survived unscathed. Though I think it might still lose a few branches yet.

[Burnside]

2 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

The Stilo is a design which has aged well I think.  Though being honest I always quite liked the look of them.  Never been in an estate, but we had a couple of the hatchbacks through the garage just towards the time I finished there and they seemed to drive nicely...though thinking about it I don't think I've ever driven a Fiat I didn't like really...even down to a Uno 60S with the 1.1 litre engine in...

This evening's task for me: Get a bloody website update pushed through.  It's not been touched since 2017, and it's about bloody time I did something about that.  I've got nearly a dozen half finished updates sitting in the Work in Progress folder, so time to pick one and run with it.

I must admit as a Fiat fan when they came out. I thought they were rather bland looking, but after spending time driving a hatchback version a few years after they came out. It quickly won me over and as they have gotten older. I've grown to rather love it's styling too. 

Despite the abuse this poor car received by it's previous owner it's held up rather well. Though having what I believe is a genuine 49,000 has possibly helped. I'm not sure how far I can go with improving it, but it's certainly looking better than it did when I brought it last year!

 

 

 

[paulplom]

7 hours ago, danthecapriman said:

Just looked on that as it happens! Nothing showing.

The only reason I know what’s likely is because I was in the garden when the new owner was next door talking to some other guy. His words were ‘a two bed in this area and a three at the bottom’. So that’s at least two, on the same size plot as every other house on this street which only has one, and all the houses are more or less in line with each other. By doing what he’s suggesting he wants to means our house and many of the neighbours will be overlooked badly, but also the only house at the rear of the plot will face directly into all our back windows. It’s certainly not in keeping with the other houses in the street. The guy who lives on the other side of that land is in an even worse situation for privacy because of how his bungalow is laid out.

Of course what the developer wants to do is completely different to what he will be allowed to do in the end. But it still means the loss of all those trees.

 

You need to completely fill your garden with horse manure. Pile it really high. Nobody will want to but a house next door to a garden full of horse shit.

[00833827]

Yesterday i changed a rear seized caliper on the wifes golf. I had left it since i noticed it seized when chaging pads but now we were down to the metal so had to go at it. Had a casualty during the change too. The caliper brake pipe / when turning the nut to remove it twisted the pipe and snapped.  A mate of mine is in a local dealership (closed but servicing emergency vehicles so can partially operate) so his mechanic made one up for me with the flagging tool. Fitted last night and 40 min test drive this morning, jumping on the brakes all the time she performed well. I checked the joints for leaks when home and all dry so i am confident enough to send her off in it again this morning. Told her take it easy,  listen out for noise on the ten mile drive to work, stereo off, and if any warning lights come up pull in and call me.

 

 

While at my mates garage, he asked if I was still interested in a 2006 Kangoo I had inquired about a few months back. He had been using it as a van as they had none at the time, but were now done with it. No test since September, 1.2 16v petrol (think its the D4F from same as a clio), roof bars, tow bar, body pretty clean, interior is so sparse that hard to tell but everything seems to work, drivers bolster is torn, clutch is fairly heavy (i had a 1.5 diesel one of these for a while and i remember the same thing so might just be a thing with them) - i think it said 171000 kms on it, i literally just took it and drove it the 2 mins to my house, parked it up the road so my other half didn't see it. will unveil at the weekend

My mate would not take anything for the brake pipe so i felt obliged to take the kangoo off him - thats what i am going to say to herself anyway

 

[richardmorris]

Still looks a very good shaped design.

 

[egg]

Ok so I split open the pressure machine and the power cable has (waterproof?) spade connectors. Do I just yank these sort off? And this makes the reconnection process harder? I was expecting to have bare wires to remove...

[Jazoli]

Just gently (not yank) pull them off, its easy.

[beko1987]

They might have a locking tab on one side, dysons do, then they put those stupid rubber boots over it. Possible to do in situ with a small screwdriver though, push the tab down and it releases and comes up

[brownnova]

Going for a drive to work or shopping is more such an event I seem to photograph it every time... 

I’m so glad the soft top was the one I kept taxed! 

[Lankytim]

The aircon clutch on the V70 seems to be making a right whine, inspection showed the pulley section was a bit wobbly. I’ve got a spare pump in the garage so to avoid letting all the gas out I had a look at swapping the clutches and pulleys over. After finally getting the outer part off and then the large circlip on the outside got stumped by an inner circlip. I’ve broken my elderly circlip pliers, can anyone recommend a decent set? They seem to range from 99p up to £999.

[Ghosty]

New wheels ordered for the C30 as it's driving on 4 eggs. Nice simple five spoke design off a V50, straight swap OE fitment so I can keep my tyres.  But easier to clean and no corroded to hell

[Split_Pin]

Got someone to cut me both front suspension turrets from a dead Corsa to replace the rotten originals on mine.

I don't think all of the strut tower needs replaced but better to have the whole section just in case. 

[Burnside]

More jobs done on the Stilo SW. Have clay barred and polished up the Bonnet. Touched in some more chips an mark's. Then blacked up the exterior plastics. 

A nearside brake bulb had randomly failed, so sorted that. 

Inside looking better too. I've cleaned out the front interior light of dead insects. Yuk. An have replaced one of the rear headrest and the manky drivers door card. As had used replacements already to hand. 

I think long term though some replacement seats would be the best option. An the headlining as that's beyond help.

The pictures still flatter it, but I'm really pleased with today progress. 



[HMC]

Good to read about all the fettling going on; all I did was to take a flattering photo of the Mercedes (The paint is quite rough in parts and it’s been attacked with a golf club at some point) and make an ultra low budget what do we have lying around darth Vader outfit.

 

[somewhatfoolish]

Darth seems to be wielding a broken-off pool cue, so clearly spoiling for a fight.

[chodweaver]

You need to completely fill your garden with horse manure. Pile it really high. Nobody will want to but a house next door to a garden full of horse shit.

Yeah, like Paul sez, if it were me, I'd be doing my damnedest to fuck them up. You might have missed the boat with tree preservation orders, but you might try looking for some endangered species of moth or newt on it. Or find and 'rehome' some badgers onto the land and then make sure their presence is well publicised...

My parents bought their dream plot in 1951. Land adjacent to and being sold by the local church. A 1/2 acre thicket of bramble and apple orchard. Next to it, a paddock, also church land. My folks enquired if the paddock would be available to purchase in the future and the local vicar told them it would be, so they built their house close to the boundary with the paddock, in expectation of buying it too and ending up with their house in the middle of a large garden - they were both keen gardeners.

In 1952, they asked the vicar if the land was available. He told them 'not yet'.

Then developers turned up, and built 13 houses ('bungalows' the plans said) on the paddock.
Four of the houses were within five yards of the wall that separated the two plots of land, every one with four first floor windows overlooking my parents' house and so close that any privacy on that side of my parents house was gone.

Relations between my parents and the local church soured somewhat after that.

When my parents built an extension, they were prevented from putting any windows on that side of the first floor because it would compromise the privacy of the new builds.

So I understand the anger you feel towards the school and the developer. Fuck em up, any way you can.

Sent from my BV6000 using Tapatalk

[mitsisigma01]

Japanese knotweed and asbestos will cost them time and money!! 

[danthecapriman]

9 minutes ago, volvov70 said:

Just report the sighting of a Great Crested Newt to the EA. No end of pain for the developers

What does your local planning portal say about the development? Has it been approved?

There are newts here, wether or not there’s any great crested ones I don’t know. Down the bottom of all our gardens in the land still owned and used by the school there’s a big pond, the land all slopes down towards it with all our houses along the top of the slope along the road. Obviously the bottom half of the land is quite wet and we’ve got loads of frogs and newts around if you look for them. There’s a massive willow tree there too which is usually a big give away for wet ground. This is a concern too, if they build where he’s planning too and then puts an access drive in as well, that could very well mean the run off water ends up in the garden either side. 

Theres problems with waste/sewage water drainage too, the street and underground drains are very old now, they’ve never been replaced or upgraded and now the amount of houses using them has doubled. A few years ago a bent local councillor bought two big old bungalows opposite our house and tried to build 80 retirement flats on the site, it made the local news because of said dodgy deals with the councillor, but planning was rejected a few times before they finally relented and approved 30 retirement flats. Since then in wet winters we get major overflow problems with the drains! Our next door neighbour has the lowest garden and he had a river of sewage in his back garden a few years ago! 

 

This lot trying to develop now didn't even attempt to look for things like newts. They just went straight in and levelled the site, so anything that was there is probably dead now! There’s no plans submitted yet as far as I know, what I know is only from being a nosey bastard and listening to the owner when he was there discussing things a few days ago. I think he was with an architect or something. I think it’ll take him a while to get anything through at the moment with all the virus shutdown etc, but it will come.

[Semi-C]

This prime slice of smut has not been forgotten about since I relieved mr Sri05 of it last May!!

My dad is it’s custodian and hasn’t stopped jetting his malennaise on, at and around it since he took delivery.

There’s been little to report until now, flawless service has been it’s fortê and it has rekindled my dad’s enjoyment in driving (he’s an HGV tramper so not an unimpressive feat), as well as piquing his new found interest in polishing.

An unknown battery drain sapped all the electricity from the car without warning and rendered it incapable of starting or shifting gear. No amount of fully charged batterys could encourage a start so, a journey of googling, component swapping and discovery was embarked upon.

The brake light switch had failed so a replacement was fitted, to no avail sadly. Swapping the body control module did nowt as did replacing the ecu/swapping relays/etc.

With my meagre understanding of cars exhausted, I was directed towards Jaguar smartypants’ Roach Classics in Acton, Suffolk by a pal who was formerly an employee there. 
I had the XJ6 collected yesterday noontime and by 1630 o’clock it was running and driving fine! All of it’s original electrical modules were refitted and reprogrammed so we’re back in the game.

I’ll be fetching the car back home next week as my dad has elected to get the abs pump pre-emptively overhauled whilst the specialists still have it.

 I cannot wait to drive it again, my journey back from Glasgow to Suffolk was blissful and if I didn’t have an LS400, I would be x300 mounted right now.

[Broadsword]

48 minutes ago, Semi-C said:

This prime slice of smut has not been forgotten about since I relieved mr Sri05 of it last May!!

My dad is it’s custodian and hasn’t stopped jetting his malennaise on, at and around it since he took delivery.

There’s been little to report until now, flawless service has been it’s fortê and it has rekindled my dad’s enjoyment in driving (he’s an HGV tramper so not an unimpressive feat), as well as piquing his new found interest in polishing.

An unknown battery drain sapped all the electricity from the car without warning and rendered it incapable of starting or shifting gear. No amount of fully charged batterys could encourage a start so, a journey of googling, component swapping and discovery was embarked upon.

The brake light switch had failed so a replacement was fitted, to no avail sadly. Swapping the body control module did nowt as did replacing the ecu/swapping relays/etc.

With my meagre understanding of cars exhausted, I was directed towards Jaguar smartypants’ Roach Classics in Acton, Suffolk by a pal who was formerly an employee there. 
I had the XJ6 collected yesterday noontime and by 1630 o’clock it was running and driving fine! All of it’s original electrical modules were refitted and reprogrammed so we’re back in the game.

I’ll be fetching the car back home next week as my dad has elected to get the abs pump pre-emptively overhauled whilst the specialists still have it.

 I cannot wait to drive it again, my journey back from Glasgow to Suffolk was blissful and if I didn’t have an LS400, I would be x300 mounted right now.

Thanks for posting on what was formerly one of my many Jags. It’s looking like it’s had some real love, which make me smile. I think it’s the visually the best looking X300 I ever had mainly due to the colour being bang on (I was told it had been resprayed not long ago). The battery drain seems a bit strange. A failed BCM kills the car dead. I think you did the right thing just handing it over to a specialist to get out of hole. Just for future reference if you get that non-start issue again with a full battery out of the blue look carefully at the P on the J-gate. It will not start if it doesn’t illuminate red. This is controlled by a little micro switch which gets tired over time. Usually just wiggle the stick in park and it will be fine. TADTS! There is an interlock on the gearbox that can also fail sometimes (I have a spare). Happy to lend advice if you need it on any other X300 issues!

[danthecapriman]

56 minutes ago, volvov70 said:

When did they level the site? Pre or post March? If it was post March then they will already be in trouble - nesting season and all that.

Doesn't matter if GC newts are there or not, just reporting a sighting of one on a construction site gets the EA in a right tizzy

Your local councils planning portal (may be district council) must have some info - even if it is just a basic site plan

They cleared it a couple of weeks ago. There were loads of bird nests, all gone now! There’s one tree left that has a nest in, but obviously that’ll be gone once the birds fly. Why they cleared the others and left just one I don’t know. Probably just a token gesture to appear to be doing the right thing I expect. I know there’s newts around here though as we’ve got a small pond ourselves, we cleaned it out after winter and found quite a few of them in and around it.

I can’t find anything yet for plans, but they might not have submitted any yet.

[Joey spud]

This development stuff really boils my blood.

Up here in Kent with have Medway city council who are mostly a bunch of corrupt fuckers.

They shut down the local golf course as they claimed it was loosing them money (the only council run course in the country ever to manage this so more like mis management tbh) and within two weeks totally ruined the greens and cut down any tree's and hedges on the site.

They then revealed plans to build a few thousand homes on it but we have kicked the local Tory councillors out and replaced them with our own independent ones to slow the fuckers down.

This has pissed the Tory lead council off somewhat so in retaliation they turned the Golf courses club house and restaurant into offices for the council owned waste and maintenance arm (Medway Norse) and allowed the car park to be littered with shipping containers and used for parking of a fleet of refuse collection trucks,access to the site is down a narrow lane.

You or i couldn't  just turn a golf course in to a refuse site but medway council can and when this was pointed out to them they basically said tough.

So we complained and made them submit retrospective planning permission but as they are the council it obviously got granted as they were already there and said there was nowhere else suitable.

I could go on and on about the amount of money they waste and how their leader blocks any attempt to build in his ward where there is suitable developer owned land sitting empty instead he wants stick 12000 new houses on Hoo penisula which is a mix of farm land and flood plains with one road in and out.

 

[Split_Pin]

Aye let's destroy a public place/green space/local place of manufacture and employment and replace it with 1300 sterile 'luxury homes', instantly creating a cultural desert for Mr & Mrs Whothefuck with an A class and Audi A1 on the drive together with their 2 hyper active children permanently dressed in football strips.

Can you tell how I feel about that?