The new news 24 thread

[Split_Pin]

As a punishment for contemplating selling it, the 75 has shat its 2nd windscreen washer pump in 18 months.

Thankfully a replacement is only a tenner and I can get the bumper on and off in about 15 minutes now!

[tooSavvy]

2 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

As a punishment for contemplating selling it, the 75 has shat its 2nd windscreen washer pump in 18 months.

Thankfully a replacement is only a tenner and I can get the bumper on and off in about 15 minutes now!

People with lonngggg memories will recall my Savvy wash pump going pop....

Studied anything relevant on t'Web [Savv = Not much 🙄] and decide I wasn't going to #ukonn removing fender/liner to fix (REAR wash motor same place/share reservoir... Working tikettyboo) SO >>>

eBay a Pug motor/grommit... Slotted a 5lite hard skin container into o/s engine space... Drill grommit hole & chop rubber feed tube/chop power loom AND >>>

Bleach bottle washers 100% 🚀

.... Worked till I palmed it off 😎

🚙💨

[Zelandeth]

1 hour ago, Nyphur said:

Been trying to figure out a knocking noise on the Roomster which has got progressively worse in the last couple of weeks. A hollow sounding "clonk" coming from the nearside over bumps, seems to be worse over slightly uneven road rather than big bumps. I couldn't tell for sure whether it was coming from the front or rear, a couple of passengers said "sometimes from the front, sometimes from the rear". Hmmmm.

Spotted the rear shock had spaffed all its oil, and was nice and dry when I was last under there a few months ago. Internet wisdom suggested shocks can make a clonking sound as they no longer compress evenly but suddenly jerk into place. I fitted a new pair today with new covers and bump stops. Nice easy job and only ~£70 all in.

Well that helped identify why the noise was "sometimes the front, sometimes the rear" as the clonk is not as bad or as frequent now, but still present and definitely from the front nearside corner. I must have had 2 noises all along.

I can't for the life of me figure out what the noise is though. Spring, all joints and dust covers, top mount etc seemingly fine, ARB bushes, bottom ball joint, drop links all good - all checked with and without the corner loaded up. Driveshaft nut still tight, even checked to make sure battery was still secured correctly. Fuck knows. My suspicion falls to the front shock now - it was alright with a brief "bounce test" but that's obviously not conclusive.

Housemate had a Fabia which developed a similar sounding noise by description, it turned out to be that it had lost one of the little rubber dome shaped stoppers that the bonnet is meant to sit on on one side.

Also, not wanting to state the obvious, but while you checked the hub nut was still tight, you did ensure that the wheel nuts/bolts were too didn't you?

I *definitely* haven't gone chasing ghost faults which turned out to be loose wheel nuts in the past.  Nope...never.

[HMC]

Currently off roading in the transit….

[Split_Pin]

34 minutes ago, HMC said:

 

That looks great.

I can see a camper in my distant future!

[Snake Charmer]

Managed to get my hands on Old Nail today, it needed a push! 😊

[dome]

51 minutes ago, Snake Charmer said:

Managed to get my hands on Old Nail today, it needed a push! 😊

As in the ex Gerry Marshall Old Nail?😳

[stuboy]

9 hours ago, Ghosty said:

Cav continues to be a cunt, random cutout in an ALR bit of the M62. Thank fuck it got started again before it rolled to a stop. 

 

not like a cav they normally pretty good

[RoverFolkUs]

5 hours ago, Nyphur said:

Been trying to figure out a knocking noise on the Roomster which has got progressively worse in the last couple of weeks. A hollow sounding "clonk" coming from the nearside over bumps, seems to be worse over slightly uneven road rather than big bumps. I couldn't tell for sure whether it was coming from the front or rear, a couple of passengers said "sometimes from the front, sometimes from the rear". Hmmmm.

Spotted the rear shock had spaffed all its oil, and was nice and dry when I was last under there a few months ago. Internet wisdom suggested shocks can make a clonking sound as they no longer compress evenly but suddenly jerk into place. I fitted a new pair today with new covers and bump stops. Nice easy job and only ~£70 all in.

Well that helped identify why the noise was "sometimes the front, sometimes the rear" as the clonk is not as bad or as frequent now, but still present and definitely from the front nearside corner. I must have had 2 noises all along.

I can't for the life of me figure out what the noise is though. Spring, all joints and dust covers, top mount etc seemingly fine, ARB bushes, bottom ball joint, drop links all good - all checked with and without the corner loaded up. Driveshaft nut still tight, even checked to make sure battery was still secured correctly. Fuck knows. My suspicion falls to the front shock now - it was alright with a brief "bounce test" but that's obviously not conclusive.

Have someone rock the car from side to side whilst you feel around everything, paying particular attention to the shock absorber top nut and steering rack. I've found that this can invoke a tricky to find knock as it extends the suspension through a wide range of movement. I've also found that knocks over uneven surfaces/undulations rather than bigger bumps/potholes can be caused by internal steering rack wear

VAG drop links and lower ball joints can be tricky to find play in due to the angle they are installed in - depending on model they are often under some form of tension regardless of whether the suspension is loaded up or free hanging. This is where rocking it side to side helps. 

Also steer it out to full lock one way or the other and get someone to rock the steering about 45-90° in a reciprocal motion while you look at the bottom ball joint. That's another way of checking them. (Different methods work for different designs)

I've often had this with PSA stuff as well, a terrible knock/clonk over slightly uneven surfaces with seemingly nothing wrong, no play felt at the wheel, and seemingly nothing with a lever bar either. Just today I've had it on a Pug 207 which has been plagued with a knock for months that we couldn't find at first, it's now here for an engine replacement(!) and having separated the lower ball joints from the hub, now discovered they are knackered with a relatively small amount of play but just enough to cause the problem. The arms on them are under so much tension that it masks the play really well in situ

[RoverFolkUs]

8 minutes ago, Nyphur said:

Thinking about this more.....

When I had the nearside wheel off but the suspension loaded up I was wiggling the drop link about and thought I could maybe feel a tiny bit of play in it. So I lowered the jack and put the offside in the air too to compare - definitely no play felt, went back to the nearside again and now definitely no play felt their either, loaded up or not. Put the offisde back on the ground, and still could feel any play in the nearside link, loaded or not.

I wonder if there is a bit of play in it and I got lucky finding it that one time. 

Something else I forgot to mention (and have only just engaged my brain about...) is that I can induce the noise on a flat road by wobbling the wheel from side to side above 15mph or so. It doesn't do it stationary, so could be another pointer towards the drop link, or possibly the rack?

A couple of more tips with that drop link then, place the palm of your hand under the anti roll bar end (not the ball joint) and try to push upwards, first gently and then with more force the second time. 

If that doesn't help, thwacking the end of the anti roll bar with a rubber mallet will either create an audible knock, or if not then potentially you'll feel a click in one of the joints, if there is any play 

I have had that before with slightly worn drop links where you feel a tiny click once and then it disappears. Even once you've taken the joint off you can only feel it if you really gently pop the ball joint in and out. Using any great force it will seem fine

On the last point, I would be inclined to lean towards steering rack or top mount. Again, hopefully the steps in my previous post *might* help to narrow that down

[RoverFolkUs]

@Nyphur another thought that's just popped into my head, is check the steering column UJs, I've had that before where they somehow wear out, it took quite a while to find! It's very unlikely but possible

[Christine]

Worn slider pins on the brake caliper too .

Micra k11 calilpers can clonk  like fuck  until they're shimmed up with a bit of coke can 

[greengartside]

What’s this???

this can mean only one thing….

She’s on the road! Frontline transport!

I taxed and insured it last night. Only £27 a month TPFT and £17 a month for tax. A change in circumstances means I need to travel a lot more now and I don’t particularly want to knack up my nice Fiesta so I thought sod it, why not. It’s also better on fuel too.

One small stumbling block before all this became a reality.

One leather steering wheel procured from a 2002 Fiesta (a very early one to boot). Didn’t need the airbag as mine was all good. A quick YouTube sesh told me how to remove my old airbag and replace the wheel. A simple 10 minute job.

2 hours later I manage to wrestle the airbag off the wheel. The only issue was that I gorilla’d the airbag off and in the process, destroyed the airbag wiring plug which smashed into a million bits. Long story short is that £20 later, I now had a new airbag and wiring. The new one went on straight away and the airbag didn’t blow up in my face.

Now on for the Christmas duties! What a car!

[MrGTI6]

Currently sat in the car opposite my house having a standoff with a middle-aged couple walking their two dogs stood outside my house. 

Their dogs have done a crap on the path outside my house and they clearly don't have the means to pick it up in a sanitary manner. 

They keep looking up from their phones to see that I haven't moved. I'm going to make this whole situation as awkward as possible. 

[Jazoli]

22 minutes ago, MrGTI6 said:

Currently sat in the car opposite my house having a standoff with a middle-aged couple walking their two dogs stood outside my house. 

Their dogs have done a crap on the path outside my house and they clearly don't have the means to pick it up in a sanitary manner. 

They keep looking up to see that I'm still sat in the car. I'm going to make this whole situation as time-consuming and awkward as possible for them. 

Still there?

[SiC]

30 minutes ago, Nyphur said:

It's definitely the drop link. Rocking it side to side on the ground I could feel a slight click through the top nut. With a hand on the bottom joint on the drop link and repeated shaking there's a very definite clunk to be felt. 

Thanks for your help.

Droplinks are almost a regular service item on the Fabia/Ibiza/Polo that I think the Roomster is based on?

Having a quick look at Wikipedia on the Roomster, it looks like VAG cut and shut the Fabia Mk1 platform on the front and the same platform as the Audi TT Mk1 on the rear 🤣

(Of course that platform on the rear had other, more similar users too)

[SiC]

4 minutes ago, Nyphur said:

I didn't realise the rear was TT based.

Also Golf Mk4/A3 Mk1/Leon Mk1/Octavia Mk1/etc which all make more sense but have less comedic value!

[MrGTI6]

1 hour ago, Jazoli said:

Still there?

A bit of an anti-climax I'm afraid.

After 11 minutes, the lady walked over to my window and said her husband had forgotten to bring any bags, and wanted to know if I had anything she could use. I went back into the house and donated one of the many carrier bags we have under the stairs. In hindsight I should have charged 5p like the supermarkets do these days.

She seemed pleasant and very talkative but her husband didn't say a word!

I expect one of two things to happen going forward. Either they'll never let their dogs shit outside my house again, or they'll do it all the time now out of spite.

[Rust Collector]

I once got caught out like that - my jacket had 3 poo bags in and I reckoned that’d see me right with only 1 dog at the time.

He then did 4 separate shits on one walk.

Luckily* the last one was near a bin and I had a McDonald’s serviette in my other pocket…

[brownnova]

Finally shifted the stubborn ht lead on the 2CV. Several overnight applications of WD40 and liberal plier action hadn’t done it, heat and levering it off with a screwdriver did in the end!

 Never ever had one stuck like that before. 

[greengartside]

Last one, I promise.

Decided to treat the old girl to a car wash and I then hoovered the inside out and made it smell a bit nicer.

Rocker cover gasket turned up today so that’s the next job.

[wuvvum]

Drove down to Somerset today to visit my parents for Christmas.  Was dreading the journey having listened to all the dire warnings about OMGtrafficchaos, but ended up doing the 250 mile drive in 5 1/2 hours, including a 20 minute stop for lunch.  Ampera seems to have used a bit more fuel than usual, but then there was a quite enthusiastic headwind for most of the journey. 

[Metal Guru]

10 hours ago, Rust Collector said:

I once got caught out like that - my jacket had 3 poo bags in and I reckoned that’d see me right with only 1 dog at the time.

He then did 4 separate shits on one walk.

Luckily* the last one was near a bin and I had a McDonald’s serviette in my other pocket…

I caught sight of McDonald’s before I read it. I was anticipating the story said you left the last shit in situ and hoped it was mistaken for a piece of McDonalds burger.

[chadders]

On 23/12/2023 at 13:59, Nyphur said:

I've not needed to fit any since I got the car in 2020 fortunately but ordered a pair up.

Yeah it's a Fabia MK1 from the dash forwards apparently - the Fabia Haynes manual does the job for most stuff. I didn't realise the rear was TT based.

Ours is a 2013 one that we've had since 2017 and not had to replace them.

The only repair it's needed is a clutch cylinder.

[lesapandre]

On 23/12/2023 at 23:45, wuvvum said:

Drove down to Somerset today to visit my parents for Christmas.  Was dreading the journey having listened to all the dire warnings about OMGtrafficchaos, but ended up doing the 250 mile drive in 5 1/2 hours, including a 20 minute stop for lunch.  Ampera seems to have used a bit more fuel than usual, but then there was a quite enthusiastic headwind for most of the journey. 

Yea - I followed all the OMG the world is ending warnings.

Tickled that both the RAC and AA were heavily featured in the press releases picked up by media as both are private businesses who want to drum up breakdown business.

Didn't hear anything from the Highways Agency?

The real-time BBC traffic reports are provided by this US company:

https://inrix.com/products/speed/

The BBC should have been in a position to make congestion predictions on the data they have purchased under their contract - I think the Highways Agency get their data from the same place.

The kind of jeopardy being peddled must have a chilling effect on everyday life. As usual with a lot of what is in the media - it needs to be taken with a massive pinch of scepticism, even on the BBC these days - that seems riddled with 'click bait' - and promoting vested interests or political hobby-horses.

I find the live updates by the Highways Agency on X (Twitter) work ok - but that has it problems😂

[lesapandre]

Had enough of the in-laws and TV?

Escape to Leamington Spa - and it's comprehensive motoring past  - on this well put together website:

https://motoringhistorylw.com/

🦃🌲🍗🎄🥂

[stuboy]

bar xmas shizzle.. a new fuel filter for the galaxy and keeps bogging down as if fuel amount restricted unless cold start

[RoverFolkUs]

So, MOT in the morning.

Cleaned + hoovered inside - check ✅

Cleaned outside - [will stop off at the Shell jetwash on the way there...] Check ✅

Emptied out of rubbish and clutter - check ✅

Lights, levels etc - Check ✅

All the main repairs done, such as the suspension and welding - Check ✅

Rectify last year's only advisory - Check ✅

Fix that loose rear number plate.... Ahhh fucksticks... I knew there'd be something I'd forget 🥲

Scurrying around indoors for my double sided foam tape... Obviously it's gone missing and can't be found. Found the next best thing - some ancient looking Halfords branded number plate adhesive strips.. except they don't 😂

Now, do I - 

Leave it, which may or may not get an advisory which will eternally bother me

Take the number plate off, clean off all the old residue and start again IF I can find the adhesive tape.. this does run the risk of having a removed number plate which I have no way of reattaching less than an hour before the test...

Peering underneath I can see the factory screw fittings which would appear to have snapped, and someone has attempted to drill through them and given up half way. Do I attempt to rectify this?

Time is of the essence

I could just leave it the fuck alone, but getting a silly advisory for something like that would bother me to an insane degree. I will lose sleep over it. 

[adw1977]

Leave it alone.  Better to get an advisory than risk a fail for it being not attached at all.

[stuboy]

3 hours ago, RoverFolkUs said:

So, MOT in the morning.

Cleaned + hoovered inside - check ✅

Cleaned outside - [will stop off at the Shell jetwash on the way there...] Check ✅

Emptied out of rubbish and clutter - check ✅

Lights, levels etc - Check ✅

All the main repairs done, such as the suspension and welding - Check ✅

Rectify last year's only advisory - Check ✅

Fix that loose rear number plate.... Ahhh fucksticks... I knew there'd be something I'd forget 🥲

Scurrying around indoors for my double sided foam tape... Obviously it's gone missing and can't be found. Found the next best thing - some ancient looking Halfords branded number plate adhesive strips.. except they don't 😂

Now, do I - 

Leave it, which may or may not get an advisory which will eternally bother me

Take the number plate off, clean off all the old residue and start again IF I can find the adhesive tape.. this does run the risk of having a removed number plate which I have no way of reattaching less than an hour before the test...

Peering underneath I can see the factory screw fittings which would appear to have snapped, and someone has attempted to drill through them and given up half way. Do I attempt to rectify this?

Time is of the essence

I could just leave it the fuck alone, but getting a silly advisory for something like that would bother me to an insane degree. I will lose sleep over it. 

just drop it off, go get a hot drink .