The new news 24 thread

[adw1977]

Legislation was passed last year to give a "right to repair" on a lot of consumer electrical items, making manufacturers supply parts, publish technical info for repairers and so on.

Looks like we need something similar for cars.  Requirement 1 ought to be all fuses and bulbs should be replaceable by the user within five minutes using only a screwdriver. 

[Popsicle]

3 minutes ago, adw1977 said:

Requirement 1 ought to be all fuses and bulbs should be replaceable by the user within five minutes using only a screwdriver. 

After having to remove a Vectra front bumper and the headlight unit to change a bloody indicator bulb a couple of weeks ago I 100% agree with this.

[cobblers]

9 minutes ago, adw1977 said:

Looks like we need something similar for cars.  Requirement 1 ought to be all fuses and bulbs should be replaceable by the user within five minutes using only a screwdriver. 

There's absolutely no point, new cars won't/don't have bulbs and replacing a blown fuse won't fix anything. Every lamp is going to be LED, non replaceable. The ECUs that do the switching have inbuilt overcurrent protection and will automatically reset. There are fuses on the vehicle but if they blow, it's because there is some major fault that requires proper investigation and just replacing it is fairly unlikely to get you back on the road.n 

Sadly putting fuses and bulbs in stuff is not the future of motoring

[juular]

5 hours ago, Mrs6C said:

A few years ago, I had to help drive a train into a Ford Galaxy for the same reason...

 

Great photo of an ancient blue heap of noisy, archaic, unreliable and smoky diesel.. and a Class 37.

[High Jetter]

5 hours ago, Mrs6C said:

A few years ago, I had to help drive a train into a Ford Galaxy for the same reason...

 

You were surely tempted to twist it more...?

[davehedgehog31]

I have always said my ideal fleet is three cars, enough redundancy if one breaks or needs work and enough variety to keep it interesting. 

I had a fleet of four, the LS, Kangoo, Rover and Subaru so needed to do something to address the situation. 

So I bought this from @sdkrc

[wuvvum]

The approved Autoshite solution to too many cars is indeed to buy another. 

[dome]

1 hour ago, davehedgehog31 said:

I have always said my ideal fleet is three cars, enough redundancy if one breaks or needs work and enough variety to keep it interesting. 

I had a fleet of four, the LS, Kangoo, Rover and Subaru so needed to do something to address the situation. 

So I bought this from @sdkrc

The Kangoo is a van so you're only one over...

[JJ0063]

Scirocco has started a top mount sounding knock from the NSR so ordered a top mount and thought I’d whip it off today.

Think I’ve found the issue, my shock isn’t absorbing much. 
 

Typically these are the adaptive ones so cost a stupid amount of money! 

[chaseracer]

19 hours ago, Mrs6C said:

A few years ago, I had to help drive a train into a Ford Galaxy for the same reason...

 

Not hard enough! 😁

[Popsicle]

The high mileage Vectra has plodded through another MOT this morning.

Just an advisory for a tyre wearing on the inner edge - I'll call that a win.

 

[ruffgeezer]

A new motor arrived, sadly as I'm on nights at the moment I've only seen it in daylight once so far.

Many electrical woes to attend to.

[horriblemercedes]

My brother has just had some prime brand new shite delivered

[JJ0063]

7 hours ago, JJ0063 said:

Scirocco has started a top mount sounding knock from the NSR so ordered a top mount and thought I’d whip it off today.

Think I’ve found the issue, my shock isn’t absorbing much. 
 

Typically these are the adaptive ones so cost a stupid amount of money! 

Just found you can fit normal shocks and just unplug the DCC button, meaning there will be no dash errors

That’ll do me, £30 odd for a shock rather than £280

Proper shiter, me.

[JMotor]

Got a Lanoguard kit for doing the Altezza. So cracked on with it. Dead easy to apply. I was being lazy (and stupid) to just go with it, as there is cheaper options. Found the smell although not horrible, doesn't half stay on your hands! 

Anyhoo, hopefully it'll keep the car protected for a while. 

While I was doing that. I saw how the wheel was sat up and it gave me ideas to how it'd look lowered. Also found the tyre won't clash the arch either. So for now I won't need to roll them. 

[richardmorris]

spotted this morning on a walk in ash vale, alder shot.

living from year to year by the mot history.

[doug]

Got a Lanoguard kit for doing the Altezza. So cracked on with it. Dead easy to apply. I was being lazy (and stupid) to just go with it, as there is cheaper options. Found the smell although not horrible, doesn't half stay on your hands! 
Anyhoo, hopefully it'll keep the car protected for a while. 
While I was doing that. I saw how the wheel was sat up and it gave me ideas to how it'd look lowered. Also found the tyre won't clash the arch either. So for now I won't need to roll them. 

Spent today spraying the VW Caravelle with waxoil. Most of it landed on the monoblock and me.

Sent from my SM-A127F using Tapatalk

[SiC]

2 hours ago, JJ0063 said:

Just found you can fit normal shocks and just unplug the DCC button, meaning there will be no dash errors

That’ll do me, £30 odd for a shock rather than £280

Proper shiter, me.

Are you sure? I'd thought it would need coding out, especially with VAG. Certainly does on Audi's Magneride and that's not trivial. The ride height sensors are connected to the suspension ECU and transfer data to the headlight ECU. So no suspension ECU caused the headlights ECU to throw the headlight adjustment light on the dash. That's an MOT failure item. I bit the bullet on my TT and just replaced the shock - £450 for a rear.

Neighbour down the road has a R8 and the Magneride shocks needed replacing on that - £1k per corner. He replaced them with conventional shocks and plugged in the delete modules on each corner to keep the suspension ECU happy and thinking they're still attached. 

[JJ0063]

3 minutes ago, SiC said:

Are you sure? I'd thought it would need coding out, especially with VAG. Certainly does on Audi's Magneride and that's not trivial. The ride height sensors are connected to the suspension ECU and transfer data to the headlight ECU. So no suspension ECU caused the headlights ECU to throw the headlight adjustment light on the dash. That's an MOT failure item. I bit the bullet on my TT and just replaced the shock - £450 for a rear.

Neighbour down the road has a R8 and the Magneride shocks needed replacing on that - £1k per corner. He replaced them with conventional shocks and plugged in the delete modules on each corner to keep the suspension ECU happy and thinking they're still attached. 

Yeah certain as when I bought the car one of the front sensors was snapped, all it does is make the little DCC button near the gearstick flash which you just unplug the button. I’ve searched the scirocco FB group and lots of people do it when they fit coilovers.

I’ve just ordered a normal shock off eBay to tide me over until I decide whether to either fit a new DCC shock or maybe even stick a set of coilovers on myself if I keep the car. 

[brownnova]

Went to a reindeer drive through with the toddler today. A kind of drive through light show with reindeer pens etc… 

Of course by drive through it actually meant over an hour of the car idling… 

And I’d taken the one car I own with a K-Series engine…

Can you guess…

 

 

Yep it performed perfectly.

[hairnet]

9 hours ago, chaseracer said:

Not hard enough! 😁

galaxies are ace 211 kmh

[MrGTI6]

Covered 300+ miles in my recently-acquired Saab 9-3 this evening and it was fantastic. Cruise set to 70mph and it was ticking over at 2200rpm. No wind noise whatsoever at motorway speeds unlike most convertibles I've driven. 

I think it's a rare situation where the tall gearing meant it was probably more frugal than the equivalent manual. 

44.1mpg with an average speed of 60mph according to the trip computer. For a 210bhp petrol auto, I think that's pretty good going. 

The airbag light remains on, so I might try and investigate that tomorrow if I can muster up the enthusiasm. 

[High Jetter]

33 minutes ago, brownnova said:

A kind of drive through light show with reindeer pens etc…

I read that wrong. Reindeers can write?

[Metal Guru]

3 hours ago, High Jetter said:

I read that wrong. Reindeers can write?

Snow idea!

[JJ0063]

As some of you will have seen on the Shitemove thread, we are all being well due to complete on a house purchase in around 3-4 weeks… our current house is on oil fired heating and our oil level is very low.. it was virtually empty when we moved in so I’m certainly not buying more.

This has left us having to be very careful with how we use the boiler at the moment. Shower is fine as it’s electric, dishwasher takes care of the dishes so it’s basically warmth and some hot water for hand washing etc. 

I have managed to perfect putting the hot water on for 1-2 hours and it staying hot enough for most of the week, heating wise it’s bloody freezing. Our cottage is very old and drafty… we have an electric blanket on the bed and a couple of electric throws downstairs which are brilliant. Thermostat in the lounge today says it’s 12.5c 😂

I’d rather do this than buy heating oil off the pump for £1.25 a litre or having to waste bulk buying 500l.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

1 minute ago, JJ0063 said:

As some of you will have seen on the Shitemove thread, we are all being well due to complete on a house purchase in around 3-4 weeks… our current house is on oil fired heating and our oil level is very low.. it was virtually empty when we moved in so I’m certainly not buying more.

This has left us having to be very careful with how we use the boiler at the moment. Shower is fine as it’s electric, dishwasher takes care of the dishes so it’s basically warmth and some hot water for hand washing etc. 

I have managed to perfect putting the hot water on for 1-2 hours and it staying hot enough for most of the week, heating wise it’s bloody freezing. Our cottage is very old and drafty… we have an electric blanket on the bed and a couple of electric throws downstairs which are brilliant. Thermostat in the lounge today says it’s 12.5c 😂

I’d rather do this than buy heating oil off the pump for £1.25 a litre or having to waste bulk buying 500l.

Do you have Scottish ancestry?

[JJ0063]

1 minute ago, GrumpiusMaximus said:

Do you have Scottish ancestry?

It’s Sunday and I’m not fully awake, thus may have missed the joke, do explain 

[Rusty_Rocket]

5 minutes ago, JJ0063 said:

As some of you will have seen on the Shitemove thread, we are all being well due to complete on a house purchase in around 3-4 weeks… our current house is on oil fired heating and our oil level is very low.. it was virtually empty when we moved in so I’m certainly not buying more.

This has left us having to be very careful with how we use the boiler at the moment. Shower is fine as it’s electric, dishwasher takes care of the dishes so it’s basically warmth and some hot water for hand washing etc. 

I have managed to perfect putting the hot water on for 1-2 hours and it staying hot enough for most of the week, heating wise it’s bloody freezing. Our cottage is very old and drafty… we have an electric blanket on the bed and a couple of electric throws downstairs which are brilliant. Thermostat in the lounge today says it’s 12.5c 😂

I’d rather do this than buy heating oil off the pump for £1.25 a litre or having to waste bulk buying 500l.

I do exactly the same.  Except I'm not moving house, I'm just tight saving my precious oil for when the weathers freezing!  Room 'stat showing 15c this morning, so not too bad...

Good luck with the new place!

[horriblemercedes]

23 minutes ago, JJ0063 said:

It’s Sunday and I’m not fully awake, thus may have missed the joke, do explain 

He's saying you're parsimonious 

 

I think it sounds pretty reasonable not to want to buy oil just as you move out  

[wuvvum]

11 hours ago, SiC said:

So no suspension ECU caused the headlights ECU to throw the headlight adjustment light on the dash. That's an MOT failure item. I bit the bullet on my TT and stuck a bit of insulation tape over the warning light.

EFAS.