The new news 24 thread

[Asimo]

No real reason. I'm just idiotic.

I thought you were just taking the peas.

[Jim Bell]

I thought you were just taking the peas.

Wheyhey!

[wuvvum]

Yesterday evening I rejoined the ranks of Pug 406 owners by purchasing this heap:

 

 

Despite appearances, it's tested until the end of July, and also has a month and a half's rent.  No epic collection tale as I bought it from Cambridge - jumped on the direct train from here to there, and seller lived 5mins from the A14 so the journey home was straightforward too.

 

It's a diesel LX model (I think that's bottom of the range in 406 terms - it does have aircon (no idea if it works) but it has keep fit rear windows).  It has the 2.1TD engine and it does make a hell of a difference over the underpowered 1.9.  It's been a while since I drove an old school indirect injection turbo diesel and the lag did catch me out a bit to start with, but soon got used to it.  It's got a Lucas pump so GR0 4 veg, but I never really got round to trying any of my cars on veg anyway, so it's no big deal.

 

It runs and drives fine - I'd forgotten how well these things handle, and the estate if anything feels better balanced than the saloon, presumably due to more weight over the back.  The lad who owned it had been running it on a mixture of diesel and used engine oil, so it idles a bit lumpy at the minute and also chugs a bit if driven on a light throttle around 2,000rpm.  I don't think a new diesel filter would hurt it.

 

The bodywork is absolutely hanging, but the interior isn't too bad.  The boot is filthy (the lad I bought it from rebuilds Rover V8s in his spare time - he was a pretty sound bloke actually, picked me up from the station in a tidy E30 320i which is shortly coming off the road to have a turbocharged M50 engine fitted), but the rest of the interior isn't too bad.  It still has its original Philips radio/cassette, which works as well as an old Philips stereo can be expected to.  Surprisingly, it also still has a full complement of Peugeot wheeltrimz.  One thing that I found odd is that it has a one-piece folding rear seat - which surprised me given that even the LNA manages to have a 50/50 split.  It also has a towbar, which will come in useful.

 

It's now taken over from the Carina as a daily hack.  Hopefully it'll last longer than my last foray into the world of green French diesel estates...

[dollywobbler]

Nice. Pre-facelift 406s seem to be disappearing at a rate of knots. Wasn't keen on the facelift.

[dugong]

Nice. Pre-facelift 406s seem to be disappearing at a rate of knots. Wasn't keen on the facelift.

Neither was Jonathan Pryce.

[derskine]

Going to be changing polo's head gasket, timing belt, alternator belt, and cleaning the crankcase breather out.

Much needed maintenance that I've put off for a while due to the weather, but has to be done.

Gives me an excuse to try my new impact wrench out where possible too.

[Jimcit]

Collecting the SAAB from specialist later - has fixed the gearbox and quoted for repairs to rear inner wings.  Going to cost a lot, but not as much as thought, plus his waiting list means he can't fit in until September time which will give me more time to save up / sell other car(s) to pay for it.

 

Was worried that the cost of repairs would make it unviable as all SAABs appear to be inexplicably worthless.

 

This also means I get to leave work early and drive cross country from Worcester to Leamington on some lovely roads.

[vulgalour]

Found this posted by, I suspect, Derskine on here over on the blue forum.  I like louvres, that's no secret, but check out the fake cloverleaf wheel trims on the red Escort!

 

 

I bet there isn't a single set of those trims left in existence.

[fordperv]

^ you are a bad man vulgalour I have been lusting for a mk3 escrote for fun and frolics but so far I've managed to control my urges

[cms206]

Made an insulting offer on a tested, taxed Volvo 940 Turbo manual estate without asking SWMBO.

 

Offer has been accepted.

 

Ohhhh shit...

[hairnet]

a man was admitted to the royal alexandra today with...........

[vulgalour]

It's okay, if she tells you that you're sleeping in it at least there's plenty of space to do so.

[dollywobbler]

The 2CV was starting to display poor starting, both hot and cold. It's a year since I changed the spark plugs, so pulled out the old ones. One was far too largely gapped and both looked tired. In went a pair of brand new NGKs and she's running sweetly once more. It's not all pain-in-the-arse stuff it seems! 

 

Seemed a bit of a feeble way to celebrate her 195,000th mile, but a good hooning test drive was had nonetheless.

[scooters]

Arseing mingejuice!

I just spent 4 hours on the hard shoulder of the M8 in the pissing rain wating for the RAC after the cunting P38 threw a critical oil seal and dumped the transfer box oil and gearbox oil. I was going to take the old 109" but thought - no, I'll take the Mrs car instead as the wipers are playing up on the old one. 

This means that until I can get down to Brum to collect red5's giffer rocket or have the time to fix this seal that the CX will once again be allocated to family duties, it took me hours to get the bloody dog hairs out of the seats and shampoo them last week!

arse!

[Bobthebeard]

A P38 breaking down? Never. You are a liar and I claim my £5!

[skattrd]

And there was me once again toying with the idea of getting a P38 ... That'll be that idea scrapped again (I am not brave enough).

[scooters]

P38 - surprisingly reliable - and much maligned reputation based on the air suspension which, like anything else needs servicing. I'm happy as you can pick em up for buttons because of this

This is the v8 and it looks like this is the main crankshaft seal  - 120k on the clock and much long distance so can't complain too much.

It's a gearbox out job though - oh joy!

[skattrd]

P38's air suspension doesn't scare me, my old RRC had air suspension and I thought it was gr9, added to the fact my local garage is quite happy to change bags etc. on them.

The engines and electrics are what worry me, I've heard of various issues with the BMW engines, from porous blocks, to god knows what.

[scooters]

p38 electrics are a LOT better than later rangies. we do a lot of work on all rangie models and out of all  of the 'newer' models i would have a v8 P38 over any of the others any day

 

Mind you - any range rover is essentially a car for hair dressers and interior designers. MEN drive leaf sprung landys not these air puff bint wagons or a gurly defender with gay coil springs!

 

I knew I should have taken the old series!

[Bobthebeard]

P38 - surprisingly reliable

It's a gearbox out job though - oh joy!

Hmmmm.......

P38 and reliable? Possibly.

[scooters]

And as for Ecocks and Gaylanders - less said the better. I turned an Ecock driver away from our business 2 months ago he 'understood we were land rover bodywork specialists' I said 'yes, we are - so why are you here exactly?'

he stomped off red faced to howls of derision from my loafing employees - service with a smile! can't beat it!

[Mr Livered]

What's an Ecock?

[dollywobbler]

By most accounts, later P38s were a fair bit better. Still a bit iffy in terms of electrics. I'm quite tempted by a Disco II at the moment. Exact opposite of the Disco I in that the body is pretty much rust-proof, but the chassis are made of Silhillian Fromage.

[skattrd]

What's an Ecock?

 

RR Evoque (or ewok) at a guess

[scooters]

P38 - folk are just scared of the air suspension, the 'lectrics are fine on them. They don't rust like discos and provided you either have the budget to have them serviced properly (ie, NOT at land rover) or are handy with spanners AND a laptop they are fine. Ours is 2002 vintage, when I compare it to my mate's C class estate, whose 'black death' I fixed last month it's a much better vehicle. The problem with any car of this type is that once it reaches pov prices they get bought by folk who don't maintain them. The biggest problem with the P38 was land rover's service policy. By beinf secretive about service intervals and propitiatory about software all they did was give the car a reputation for expensive repairs - the repairs are expensive because land rover are expensive and they forced punters to go to them to get fixed. Now the software is available and folk understand that the air suspension system needs an annual service (I change the O rings in the valve block every 6 months - an hours job) then it's easy peasy. P38 - unreliable? nah - pub talk - I wouldn't have a 2.5 diesel but the rover v8 - come on, one of the best engines EVA.

 

would I have a new land rover- no

the defenders are now built for hair dressers and we need the leaf springs for stable towing coil springs are for cowards! where's the fun if your knuckles aren't white?

the rangies are pimps cars and are unreliable

the discos are going the same way as the rangies.

 

Last car that Land rover built that I would consider owning is a 2002 p38 - like this one and even that is a bit of a shirt lifting option...

[scooters]

RR Evoque (or ewok) at a guess

indeed

[scooters]

By most accounts, later P38s were a fair bit better. Still a bit iffy in terms of electrics. I'm quite tempted by a Disco II at the moment. Exact opposite of the Disco I in that the body is pretty much rust-proof, but the chassis are made of Silhillian Fromage.

rip out the egr valve, change the fuel filter every 5000 miles and don't use supermarket diesel and you won;t have any issues, they do seem to be holding their value though and I've not seen a decent one for under 4k. as you can get a mint disco 1 for under 2 grand

[Lacquer Peel]

And as for Ecocks and Gaylanders - less said the better. I turned an Ecock driver away from our business 2 months ago he 'understood we were land rover bodywork specialists' I said 'yes, we are - so why are you here exactly?'

he stomped off red faced to howls of derision from my loafing employees - service with a smile! can't beat it!

 

Maybe he had an old Land Rover at home.

[scooters]

or worse - was Ops director of an oil refinery where we are bidding for work!

 

even so - I couldn't help it - an Evoque -it's a matter of principle even if it costs us!

[Mr Livered]

RR Evoque (or ewok) at a guess

Oh yeah, those crappy things with tiny windows, I know the ones. Cheers