The new news 24 thread

[Cavcraft]

Doesn't look like the seller of the S320 wants to know. 

Strange really, especially given he is actually a self employed Mercedes (service and repair) expert*.

 

[Yoss]

On 1/16/2021 at 8:02 PM, Tim_E said:

I was hoping for larger circles from the rear wheels than the front...

I was hoping for a full sideways arrival a lá Bodie and Doyle. 

[Yoss]

MOT time for Felicia today. Nothing to report of course, it's a Felicia, it just goes straight through. 

It's 23 years old now and still does this every year. 

These were parked outside. Not shite or even interesting but there is something satisfying about identical vehicles with consecutive registrations. 

Or is that just me?

[goosey]

This morning I did a fluid change on my gl320 Transmission fluid + filter,  transfer case, front and rear diffs.

old oil came out immaculately clean and probably didn’t need changing, oh well it’s done now etc......

[vulgalour]

Got my first "I've not seen one of those in ages" today at the shops.  I would have chatted more, the guy seemed genuinely delighted to see a Maestro and eager to talk about his Montego he had years ago, but I wasn't really in a position to chat.  It's also been weird seeing the Maestro referred to as a 'classic car' by younger people, who aren't even bothered that it's not the performance model.  I'm told Maestros were very popular in the south as a 'car Mum did the shopping in' which probably explains why it turns the heads of women of a certain age wearing puffer gilets, while up north my experience of them was as a lower-middle class family car when new, or the sort of thing the local farmer owned until it literally fell apart around them.

[Cord Fourteener]

3 hours ago, vulgalour said:

Got my first "I've not seen one of those in ages" today at the shops.  I would have chatted more, the guy seemed genuinely delighted to see a Maestro and eager to talk about his Montego he had years ago, but I wasn't really in a position to chat.  It's also been weird seeing the Maestro referred to as a 'classic car' by younger people, who aren't even bothered that it's not the performance model.  I'm told Maestros were very popular in the south as a 'car Mum did the shopping in' which probably explains why it turns the heads of women of a certain age wearing puffer gilets, while up north my experience of them was as a lower-middle class family car when new, or the sort of thing the local farmer owned until it literally fell apart around them.

I remember some car media pundit scoffing that not just any car is a future classic, and making some BL /Austin Rover joke. 

It turns out that Allegro, Marina, Metro, Maestro/Montego are all capable of attracting nostalgia, indeed I remember our neighbour owning a Montego for what seemed to me as ages. Northern lower middle class family car, that!

It's nostalgia that drives demand which drives up prices...

 

[davehedgehog31]

Driver's seat in the Fuckus is a bit shagged. Almost feels like the bolster has jumped off the frame. 

@cms206 identified a matching Focus in a yard in Paisley so went over for a gander. Unfortunately the seat was similarly humped, must be a TADTS. 

They did have a Zetec with a full interior present and offered it for a half decent price, I decided I just couldn't be arsed and that it probably wasn't worth the hassle/expenditure.

I did at least manage a small improvement;

And I finally had a look at it in the daylight;

[richardmorris]

Mercedes is having its mot on Friday ( well it’s booked). 4700 in the last twelve months. When I first had my 2cv back in 1993 it was doing 24000 a year! 100miles a day commuting - it was having four services a year!

[Cord Fourteener]

16 minutes ago, davehedgehog31 said:

Driver's seat in the Fuckus is a bit shagged. Almost feels like the bolster has jumped off the frame. 

@cms206 identified a matching Focus in a yard in Paisley so went over for a gander. Unfortunately the seat was similarly humped, must be a TADTS. 

They did have a Zetec with a full interior present and offered it for a half decent price, I decided I just couldn't be arsed and that it probably wasn't worth the hassle/expenditure.

I did at least manage a small improvement;

And I finally had a look at it in the daylight;

My 56reg Mondeo had a shafted driver's seat, and it was horrible, totally broken in every way.

I've replaced it, it's so much better. I think you're probably right with the TADTS sentiment.

[richardmorris]

17 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

Mercedes is having its mot on Friday ( well it’s booked). 4700 in the last twelve months. When I first had my 2cv back in 1993 it was doing 24000 a year! 100miles a day commuting - it was having four services a year!

The very same week I decided it was too much travelling, and leased a room in an apartment in Llandudno with four women I was made redundant. Ho hum.

[Cord Fourteener]

When I heard a certain Aussie motor journalist talk about 'Stellantis' being the new name for Fiat Chrysler PSA group I thought it was one of his elaborate pisstakes.

It turns out it's not.

[wuvvum]

45 minutes ago, davehedgehog31 said:

Driver's seat in the Fuckus is a bit shagged. Almost feels like the bolster has jumped off the frame. 

@cms206 identified a matching Focus in a yard in Paisley so went over for a gander. Unfortunately the seat was similarly humped, must be a TADTS. 

They did have a Zetec with a full interior present and offered it for a half decent price, I decided I just couldn't be arsed and that it probably wasn't worth the hassle/expenditure.

I did at least manage a small improvement;

And I finally had a look at it in the daylight;

I hope you've christened it Zebedee.

[wuvvum]

10 minutes ago, Tim_E said:

When I heard a certain Aussie motor journalist talk about 'Stellantis' being the new name for Fiat Chrysler PSA group I thought it was one of his elaborate pisstakes.

It turns out it's not.

And apparently they're Dutch.  🤨

[High Jetter]

7 hours ago, Yoss said:

MOT time for Felicia today. Nothing to report of course, it's a Felicia, it just goes straight through. 

It's 23 years old now and still does this every year. 

These were parked outside. Not shite or even interesting but there is something satisfying about identical vehicles with consecutive registrations. 

Or is that just me?

No, very satisfying. More than 2 even better.

[Cord Fourteener]

1 hour ago, wuvvum said:

And apparently they're Dutch.  🤨

It does appear that they have chosen the Netherlands to base their business.

[Carlosfandango]

Such a pain in the HOLE with the restrictions at the minute so I’m guessing we are all either unable to indulge in the passion for shite vehicles or simply lacking the motivation to do anything motoring related - currently a 5km limit here. 
However, had to bring my elderly dad for routine procedure today so decided to give the P38 a proper scrub. You need to be one brave bastard to depend on one of these to get you to a hospital on time. She started well and drove faultlessly all day. In fairness of all the shite cars I’ve owned over the years as dailies (and there has been a LOT) I especially fupping love this one. It brightens up an otherwise very dark January indeed..

 

CFD
 

 

 

[somewhatfoolish]

Attention shiters with itchy feet/unemployed/furloughed/etc with facilities maintenance experience in the vicinity of Weybridge, Surrey; the Brooklands Museum has a vacancy.

[reb]

It's my birthday today. No real news, but I'm pretty sure my last one was only a few weeks ago.

[Supernaut]

19 hours ago, vulgalour said:

Got my first "I've not seen one of those in ages" today at the shops.  I would have chatted more, the guy seemed genuinely delighted to see a Maestro and eager to talk about his Montego he had years ago, but I wasn't really in a position to chat.  It's also been weird seeing the Maestro referred to as a 'classic car' by younger people, who aren't even bothered that it's not the performance model.  I'm told Maestros were very popular in the south as a 'car Mum did the shopping in' which probably explains why it turns the heads of women of a certain age wearing puffer gilets, while up north my experience of them was as a lower-middle class family car when new, or the sort of thing the local farmer owned until it literally fell apart around them.

I got that shortly after getting the Saab 9000. I was at @17-Coffees' house and his neighbour across the street, who's into his cars, sauntered over for a chat. He waxed lyrical about how a 9000 Aero was the best car he ever owned. Shame mine isn't an Aero, but he was still properly impressed by it.

I just see it as an old shed...

[Cord Fourteener]

54 minutes ago, reb said:

It's my birthday today. No real news, but I'm pretty sure my last one was only a few weeks ago.

That must have been a hell of a party then for your last one!

I'm glad you're back, back here at least. I hope you're doing a bit better now, all the best to you and happy birthday👍

[Cord Fourteener]

1 minute ago, Supernaut said:

I got that shortly after getting the Saab 9000. I was at @17-Coffees' house and his neighbour across the street, who's into his cars, sauntered over for a chat. He waxed lyrical about how a 9000 Aero was the best car he ever owned. Shame mine isn't an Aero, but he was still properly impressed by it.

I just see it as an old shed...

I used to get it with the 924. It's nice when people enjoy seeing your car. Time will tell if people enjoy seeing the Volvo 740, I know I am when I see them in the wild.

[yes oui si]

[Eyersey1234]

Fuming at the moment, this fuckwit opened his door straight into Henry while I am sat in the car and didn't seem to care. Arsehole. 

[Cavcraft]

Sledgehammer, meet nut

 

 

 

Got absolutely fucking drenched, but it's gone now. Had to use a boost pack to move it on the starter to get it from where it was, and then to line up with his truck.

[Broadsword]

Got caught out with a fine from DVLA for an untaxed vehicle. This happened because I got trapped aboard over the Covid Christmas chaos. This meant I didn’t have access to the V5, which was still in the post and the warning was several days old by the time I got back. I SORNed the car on Jan 16th there and then. I got a fine notice today saying I was getting a fine because the car was untaxed on the 16th. I wonder if an appeal will be successful because I have an email receipt of SORN for Jan 16th? Bloody annoying. Got trapped abroad for weeks and now that I’m back it’s an absolute shitstom of things I couldn’t fix while I was away. This has all been very costly.

[somewhatfoolish]

3 minutes ago, Broadsword said:

I wonder if an appeal will be successful because I have an email receipt of SORN for Jan 16th? 

Worth a try, worst they can say is no.

[Fumbler]

32 minutes ago, Cavcraft said:

Sledgehammer, meet nut

 

 

 

Got absolutely fucking drenched, but it's gone now. Had to use a boost pack to move it on the starter to get it from where it was, and then to line up with his truck.

Nice work. Where's it off to?

[NorthernMonkey]

1 hour ago, Cavcraft said:

Sledgehammer, meet nut

 

 

 

Got absolutely fucking drenched, but it's gone now. Had to use a boost pack to move it on the starter to get it from where it was, and then to line up with his truck.

Fuck me....you sold it to Cazoo?

[Cord Fourteener]

Floods floods floods. And I live on a hill! I dread to think what the folks in the valley are going through.

[Zelandeth]

4 hours ago, Broadsword said:

Got caught out with a fine from DVLA for an untaxed vehicle. This happened because I got trapped aboard over the Covid Christmas chaos. This meant I didn’t have access to the V5, which was still in the post and the warning was several days old by the time I got back. I SORNed the car on Jan 16th there and then. I got a fine notice today saying I was getting a fine because the car was untaxed on the 16th. I wonder if an appeal will be successful because I have an email receipt of SORN for Jan 16th? Bloody annoying. Got trapped abroad for weeks and now that I’m back it’s an absolute shitstom of things I couldn’t fix while I was away. This has all been very costly.

Think you should have solid grounds for an appeal there - you can demonstrate to them that you've made all reasonable efforts to resolve the situation as quickly as you could.  I doubt they're going to argue the case too much.

 

I'm waiting for the fine letter from Horizon Parking right now.

Parked up in the Brunel Centre car park when picking up a prescription for a friend who is still Shielding - realised as I walked away from the car that I had zip by way of cash on me.  I can't actually remember last time I opened my wallet as I just use Google Pay for everything these days, especially since the arrival of Covid.  Turns out, checking my jacket that I didn't even *have* my wallet on me.  Nor did I expect to need it given I wasn't even buying anything.

That car park is one of those CCTV controlled, pay before you leave jobs.  The only payment method is by coins.  No card options, no pay-by-phone option, if you don't have your £0.30 in coins on you, you're stuffed.  The helpline number on the signs doesn't work - just get a "Beep...The number you have dialled has not been recognised, please check and try again..."  There's also no free grace period.  As soon as I realised there wasn't going to be an option to resolve it properly, after faffing around looking online for an up to date phone number that worked etc, I legged it - but had probably still been there for about ten minutes though.  Then spent about half an hour trying to find an on-street parking space because everywhere was rammed.

Ticks me off that the ones around here now accept contactless but NOT Apple/Google Pay - but at least there is an option to pay through the Ringo app there - albeit having to use the horribly, horribly clunky piece of software that is their app.  Whereas you arrive down there and don't have cash, you're stuffed!