The new news 24 thread

[SiC]

On 5/5/2022 at 9:50 PM, cort16 said:

My Megane has been playing up a bit after getting it through it's mot. I did 90 or so miles in it last night and the eml would flash for a few minutes then go off periodically on the journey  .  Then on the way home I noticed the dash lights weren't  working and today the eml started to flash, then it came up check traction control and it felt like something was pulsing the brakes even when I didn't have my foot on the brake. I turned it off and on again and both the EML and the traction light went out and the pulsing stopped.

I'm hoping this isn't the start of some kind of french electrical mental break downs it's been well behaved up until this point. 

Fusebox and it's integrated computer in the wheel arch is a common source of Mégane II troubles. It can get wet and cause all sorts of weirdness as it's a main body control module too. 

[stuboy]

Felt having money in your pocket was not the done thing.. as using the daddy wagon for the weekend I should really get the front tyres replaced as advisory from last MOT, £200 quid later I got sumitomo 215 55r16.. 

I need a lay down now...

 

[cort16]

33 minutes ago, SiC said:

Fusebox and it's integrated computer in the wheel arch is a common source of Mégane II troubles. It can get wet and cause all sorts of weirdness as it's a main body control module too. 

That is interesting as the bottom part of the wheel arch liner broke off. I wonder if water is getting in there?

[SiC]

9 minutes ago, cort16 said:

That is interesting as the bottom part of the wheel arch liner broke off. I wonder if water is getting in there?

It's on the nearside iirc. But yes it's prone to water ingress and corrosion. Happens if the liner isn't put back into place properly especially. Often because whoever changed a light bulb on the awkward access to them, in a hurry don't bother to reassemble it correctly!

It's called the UPC but sometimes UCH in Renault speak. Iirc the Mégane II is UPC. 

[cort16]

3 minutes ago, SiC said:

It's on the nearside iirc. But yes it's prone to water ingress and corrosion. Happens if the liner isn't put back into place properly especially. Often because whoever changed a light bulb on the awkward access to them, in a hurry don't bother to reassemble it correctly!

It's called the UPC but sometimes UCH in Renault speak. Iirc the Mégane II is UPC. 

I think I'll have a look at that tomorrow and see if I can see any signs of water getting in.

[SiC]

3 minutes ago, cort16 said:

I think I'll have a look at that tomorrow and see if I can see any signs of water getting in.

I have a vague recollection that it's upside down too, so water spraying up can easily get into the fuses and connectors. Great bit of French Engineering. Probably was absolutely fine when the R&D test drives was done between vineyards on the south coast of France. 😆

https://www.meganeownersclub.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8855

"Symptoms

electrical failures and poor running seemingly unrelated to each other.... windows going down instead of up, auto lights not working...battery discharging itself...wipers not working etc etc

 

Possible Cause

missing cover in the nearside wheel arch (for changing the headlight bulbs)..and water entering the UCH electrical unite ensure the cover is not missing and is well sealed..can be expensive if the UCH is corroded by water damage basically water & electrics don't mix."

[SiC]

My mate had an R26 F1 that he bought when it was only a few years old. He looks like this everytime I mention it to this day.

 

The final straw for him was when the headlights failed and the dealer quoted £1k for a new headlight unit as the ballast had failed from water ingress. 

[cort16]

Just now, SiC said:

My mate had an R26 F1 that he bought when it was only a few years old. He looks like this everytime I mention it to this day.

 

The final straw for him was when the headlights failed and the dealer quoted £1k for a new headlight unit as the ballast had failed from water ingress. 

The missing liner on mine is on the door side. I was digging through the boot the other day and found a few cans of electrical contact cleaner left by the previous owner, which probably tells a story.

I'm pretty sure the EML is the injectors as it's very rich on start,  shit on fuel and is a common issue. The other stuff sounds much more like what you're describing. 

[MrDuke]

Today I done gone caught some trains and now I have this:

It wafted me home smoothly, and has one of the nicest cockpits I've sat in for a long time.

I was expecting the dreaded 'rattle' to be horrific, but it barely registers tbh. Around town it sounds a little worse, but at cruising speeds it's basically a mouse's fart.

Good times.

[SiC]

1 minute ago, cort16 said:

The missing liner on mine is on the door side. I was digging through the boot the other day and found a few cans of electrical contact cleaner left by the previous owner, which probably tells a story.

I'm pretty sure the EML is the injectors as it's very rich on start,  shit on fuel and is a common issue. The other stuff sounds much more like what you're describing. 

Yeah I re-read your OP and I wouldn't have thought EML and such would be from the UCH being at fault. Unless it was interrupting power to it. Does the F4RT nom the injectors as much as the F4R on the 1*2 does? 

Pulsing could be reluctor rings? Again a common thing on them.

Possibly a whole bunch of issues that are coinciding together. 

[andyberg]

The autoshite cab bug has a friend, black is much nicer😁

[Cord Fourteener]

Not only is it a great daily but its a handsome beast, in my humble opinion. 

Only drawback is that in today's geopolitical climate its not so cheap to run. 

[richardmorris]

Booked a ticket for Beaulieu next weekend for the autojumble. Is anyone going?

[Yoss]

7 hours ago, Lankytim said:

I seem to remember people ribbing him over ruining the car- a matt black paintjob often being the last job on a car before it winds up in a scrapyard. A few weeks later a photo emerged of said Triumph, sat in a scrap yard with it's roof caved in.

I'd like to point out that mine only has a matt black bonnet (and wing tops if we're being picky) and it's not even matt black it's satin. Also it's been like that since 2008 and I've owned the car since 1995 so it is definitely not following the same career path. 

 

Today I have driven to Northampton to pick up a brand new Favorit bumper. 

The new car has this exhaust sticking out in the wrong place for which they have cut an extra lump out of the bumper. 

It should protrude from that recess just to the left. It's not the hairiest of boy racer exhausts but it is a little noisy and I would prefer a standard looking one in the right place at some point. In which case I now have an unmolested bumper to go with it. 

[MikeR]

heads up chaps !!

Switch Island lights are FUBARED

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/traffic-lights-out-week-busy-23893843

[Mrcento]

7 hours ago, RoverFolkUs said:

I do find the Zafira B moderately appealing, and a factor of 10 less shit than a Zafira A

A factor of 10 more flammable, though!

[brownnova]

3 hours ago, Cord Fourteener said:

Not only is it a great daily but its a handsome beast, in my humble opinion. 

Only drawback is that in today's geopolitical climate its not so cheap to run. 

Yeah, but you can’t put a price on the awesomeness of daily-ing an old Volvo… 

Our Volvos should meet sometime! 

[davehedgehog31]

Fired a pair of eBay springs on the back of the @NorthernMonkey320d touring.

Sketchy;

 

Sitting a bit more nicely now, even with a fully laden boot and full tank of fuel. 

Really happy with this old tub, first BMW I've owned and I think I "get" it.

Feels quite cosseting and all the controls have a direct feel. Steering nicely weighted and it's fun to plot down a twisty road. 

[Cord Fourteener]

49 minutes ago, davehedgehog31 said:

Fired a pair of eBay springs on the back of the @NorthernMonkey320d touring.

Sketchy;

 

Sitting a bit more nicely now, even with a fully laden boot and full tank of fuel. 

Really happy with this old tub, first BMW I've owned and I think I "get" it.

Feels quite cosseting and all the controls have a direct feel. Steering nicely weighted and it's fun to plot down a twisty road. 

I had the 2.5 6 cylinder petrol one of these, my first BMW, I get it. I entirely agree, it's direct and well weighed, from the switches, stalks and door shut to the steering and handling. Everything is purposeful and well designed.

No car is perfect but this is pretty dam good. I'd love to try newer BMWs just to see how they've improved, and if I had another I'd have a 5 series diesel estate just for the space. The 3 series e46 estate is great but I have a Mondeo and very little compares with the boot of a Mondeo, only older Volvos, Granadas and Omegas and newer Passats and 5 serieses.

[Cord Fourteener]

1 hour ago, brownnova said:

Yeah, but you can’t put a price on the awesomeness of daily-ing an old Volvo… 

Our Volvos should meet sometime! 

I agree, it's just that you can put a price on 97 octane petrol. In our house we consider 45mpg to be pretty poor, we are both achieving that in our respective modern shitboxes so the estimated 25mpg of the Volvo isn't really affordable right now. 

However that's not the car's fault, this car was designed and built in the Cold War so modern fuel prices were not a consideration. 

As for our Volvos, they totally should meet! I can't wait to see yours, I'll show you mine if you show me yours. 

[17-Coffees]

A Smart can Green Lane just as good as the Landy boys can...

🤣

[MorrisItalSLX]

On 07/05/2022 at 18:53, Spurious said:

Don't the Aussies have something they put on the dash for this? Like a carpet? Remember seeing something like that in @dollywobbler's antipodean videos... 

Indeed we do, behold the dashmat!

They work in 2 ways, either protecting a good dash from cracking or hiding the cracks on a bad dash.

[HMC]

In today’s Sunday Times magazine.

From Photographer Nick Waplington’s “Living room” series, Nottingham 1991…

 

“chronicled the domestic world of working class Britain”

https://1972.agency/artists/nick-waplington/projects/living-room

[Dick Cheeseburger]

6 minutes ago, HMC said:

In today’s Sunday Times magazine.

From Photographer Nick Waplington’s “Living room” series, Nottingham 1991…

I've seen that one doing the rounds on Twitter recently. Marina was last taxed in '89 so the photo looks to be more like early 80s I'd have thought. Almost twenty years of life for the Marina was pretty impressive to be fair...

[HMC]

Maybe he bought it as a project and was trying to nurse it through an mot? The date was given in the caption, but that could be publication date.

edit- apparently he started taking those images in 1983- so you are spot on.

[AnnoyingPentium]

14 hours ago, Mrcento said:

A factor of 10 more flammable, though!

From Briskoda.

[beko1987]

1 hour ago, HMC said:

In today’s Sunday Times magazine.

From Photographer Nick Waplington’s “Living room” series, Nottingham 1991…

 

“chronicled the domestic world of working class Britain”

https://1972.agency/artists/nick-waplington/projects/living-room

I've had the road outside my house looking like that before though 🤔 And that's been fairly recently 😂

Does that make me working class now? 

[Cord Fourteener]

What a beautiful garden! 

[Asimo]

RIP Dennis Waterman

[stuboy]

Did some more digging through the garage.. 

Various engine blocks without heads or sumps...

2x v6 engines... think they Essex lumps.. anyone confirm?

Back end of a white lada..

Bootlid, 2 wings and pair of doors for a zephyr..

Anyone I'd the dash clocks??

Villiers pump?

Anglia glovebox lid?