The new news 24 thread

[trigger]

I love the look of those Paos, I'd rate one of those much more than the Figaro but they are well out of my price range and they are automatics, Mrs T won't drive a auto...

[Cavcraft]

That's the Corsa out then!

[dollywobbler]

Daihatsu Sirion. Best car of ever. Unless you like ride comfort.

[brickwall]

Battery went dead in a car-park and got a  boost of a van. Hmm, alternator appears on it's way out so headed home on the battery and I was nearly there and then....the sky went black and the rain, sleet an hail just came piling down and I couldn't pull over so on went the lights and the wipers and you know the rest.

 

Made it to an entrance of a water process place and had to get the flatbed home. Just ordered an noo leccy unit.

[EssDeeWon]

Got my BM back after a week locked up in a garage awaiting the new bleedin door lock, it finally arrives the same morning as Angela Merkel, I recks she only came over to smuggle in hooky german car parts. Anyway the original issue which was forcing me to use the door lock rather than the remote is now down to the key so BMW will kindly cut me a new one for £140, Is that all I hear you say? Why not get two at that price for peace of mind hmmm yeah.

 

Has anyone had any of these modern shite keys repaired/batteries replaced before? This thing looks sealed for life

 

p.s. I know this seems like an OMGPISTONHEDZ post but I don't use it or ever will.

[vulgalour]

Dad's just priced up new keys for his Omygod and it was a similar sum of money.  Something to do with a remote button not working or something, I don't know, I put the key in the door and the lock kerjigger pops up, I put the other key in the ignition and the engine goes vroom.  My keys cost about £3 to get new ones cut at the cobbler.

[sporty-shite]

Looks like I've sold the Celica. Had a very polite, enthusiastic and no nonsense Irish gent on the phone and have done an agreeable deal. Just need to sort out money transfer and get it to Liverpool docks.

 

In two minds whether to risk driving it there so I can have one last go, or whether to do the sensible thing and arrange transport. Decisions decisions.

[dugong]

The Amazon runs.

 

Sort of.

[EssDeeWon]

Dad's just priced up new keys for his Omygod and it was a similar sum of money.  Something to do with a remote button not working or something, I don't know, I put the key in the door and the lock kerjigger pops up, I put the other key in the ignition and the engine goes vroom.  My keys cost about £3 to get new ones cut at the cobbler.

 

My dad had his Discovery key repaired last year but his away on hols so until his back I cant get this guys number. But as above Vulgalour I was also told the LOCK button aint working so may just need a new one, I cant think of anything better to spunk 140 sovs on at the moment anyway

[Richard]

 

 

Has anyone had any of these modern shite keys repaired/batteries replaced before? This thing looks sealed for life

 

 

I believe Ford keys have some kind of inductive charging system, maybe the BMW has something similar.

[EssDeeWon]

Yep they charge while they are in the ignition, that's not the issue, its just the LOCK bit aint sending a signal but the boot release and UNLOCK buttons are fine.

[Anglevan]

A question for Hirst -- Hows the rest of your fleet doing ? Is it just the Escort that's on the road now ?

[stuboy]

well mate put it back together..

[Angrydicky]

Hirst, have you still got the Colt Galant?

[Anglevan]

Not so bad actually! Three in use at the moment - Escort, 323 (BF) and 156. I've been using the Escort a lot lately though as I'm planning on selling it, I've got too many projects to be tooling around in it pointlessly, although it is at least living proof that some of these long term projects get done eventually. Another will be rolling into the MOT station early next month and a more major project I'm hoping to deliver to the welders in the near future.

Know the feeling. I've had a clear out myself selling the fiesta pop and the XR2 . But i did buy a subaru pick up so i dont learn. !

[EssDeeWon]

Are you still using the dealer for maintenance?

If so, you need to find a good local BMW independent.

 

Mine is ace, he's ex-main dealer and has spent time investigating my car on at least two occasions and told me I'm being paranoid at no charge and he's so anal he put's post-it notes over the service book stamps to avoid them smudging.

He's not too local for you though.

 

Hiya Tayne, No way I don't use BMW, I also have a good indy not far from me, just let me store the BM in the corner of their workshop for a week while this bloomin door lock was broken, had to wait a week for BMW to send over the new barrel. All sorted now but both keys are abit naff locking remotely so its off to BMW for a new one @ 140 quid OR might be able to get it repaired by a local guy who says he can take apart and repair all these remote keys, replace batteries etc for about 35 quid.

[Ratdat]

Saturday AM, I shall depart Ratdat Acres to collect a car transporter upon which I shall later be placing the very finest example or Japanese-Italian automotive co-operation ever before dragging my loot homeward. Then I think I'm going to sit in the shed all of Sunday and look at it.

[wuvvum]

I bought a new car battery off eBay this week.  Not something I'd really considered before, but they're cheaper on there than in any of the local motor factors, even factoring in postage.  The one I bought is an 063 battery, so small enough to fit in the Innocenti (whose existing battery, fitted while the car was still in Italy so 2001 at the latest, finally gave up the ghost this winter), but it also had enough grunt to crank a long-dormant Rover of Doom into life.  It arrived fully charged and ready to go, and was a shade under 30 quid including delivery - which is only a tenner more than scrappies are charging for second hand batteries of unknown age and provenance.

 

Not as exciting a purchase as an Alfa Arna, admittedly, but I was pleased with it.

[Ratdat]

That's bloody cheap! Got any linkage to the vendor? I could do with a battery or two shortly.

[wuvvum]

Here you go.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181324750038?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

 

Next day delivery too.  He has quite a range, all the way up to BFO van batteries.

[Ratdat]

Ta! That'll save a few much needed pennies!

[saucedoctor]

Just done the easiest dashboard bulb change of EVAH. Heater controls not lighting up on my mate's daughter's Fiat 500. Just pull the panel off with your fingers, and there are the bulbs.

[Cavcraft]

Got some plugs and an air filter for the 1.0 yesterday. Twenty bleeding one quid for the plugs, filter was a tenner or something! Luckily my H-LAFF-ORDS Trade Card got the total price down to £10.68 or something like that. The car's been struggling a little every now and then, so hopefully this will sort it. The 1.4 auto has a brand new rad I noticed, so if they're the same I will swap them before it gets weighed off I think.

[saucedoctor]

I think those 973 jobs have a EGR, Bill. ISTR someone telling me a good clean up of that helped the running.

[Cavcraft]

Cheers, I haven't looked under the bonnet since the day I got it and I reckon it's not been serviced in a while. I might do oil and filter too if I'm feeling flush. I'll check for an EGR, for some reason the same engine and engine code have slightly different plugs twixt B and C. Chart says mine are BKR6EK, I think the C were BPR5EK, or something like that, hopefully the later ones have all that EGR shit!

 

Tell you what probably isn't helping, after a nice little thrash to Manchester and back I noticed it looked like someone had put several cans of Silly String up the exhaust. On further inspection I think the sound deadening stuff is coming adrift!

[saucedoctor]

Exhaust Horse's Tail!

 

I found the photograph of the holed 3 pot Corsa I looked at last year. The EGR is under the air filter housing.

 

 

[saucedoctor]

Possibly a grump, this. However, the blower in my sister's fatarse Scenic II has stopped working. The indi dealer they got the car from want 300 clams plus vat to fix it, as they say that the dashboard has to come out. Does it bollocks. You can get to the resistor pack by pulling out the instrument LCD surround. Chiselling bastards.

[Cavcraft]

Cheers, Ketchup Medic, I'll have a gander over weekend. What a joy* it is to change the plugs when they're 350 fucking miles away, I had to dig out a long reach socket small enough to get into the orifice. Anyhow job done and the plugs that came out were GM ones! I doubt they're the originals as they were reasonably clean and came out without a fight, so possibly it was last serviced at a dealer. The air filter wasn't too bad either but I replaced it anyhow. 

 

Edit: just been for a blast in it and it's loads better. Pulls really cleanly now and at 'around' motorways speeds there's a more comfortable 10mph increase. Just got past the first 1,000 miles in it and starting to actually enjoy using it.

[Ghosty]

I'm back from Switzerland!

It's all very Swiss shitewise - there just isn't any. A few old Golfs and 205s around, but nothing really interesting - just Dacia Logan MCVs (and van versions), a few Opel Fronteras, a Jetta GTI and a 2CV. No classics at all...

The only thing I saw that was even photo-worthy was a probable futureshite:

 

 

A curry sauce yellow Cygnet. 

 

Edit: I forgot, I also saw a beautiful red, Swiss registered Scimitar SE5A, and it was RHD! Gave the guy driving a thumbs up for having such a wonderful choice of cars.

[The Moog]

Fixed non starting xantia. Whipped out the in tank pick up and it was blocked solid with black gunk. Shone torch in the tank and noticed more rubbish. Fished it all oh and cleaned the gunk out.

After some cranking and big cloud of smoke it lives!

 

Whilst i was under the bonnet i found a split vacuum hose. Replaced with blue silicon one and now i haz turbo. Whistling and everfink . It was slow because it was effectively a NA

 

Brill except now fuelling in knackered. Fine up until turbo kicks in and veg cant be pumped quick enough.

 

Plan is to pull the hose back off and run without the turbo till i have used half a tank then fill up with deaded dinosaurs and see how i go then.

 

In some ways i would love the xantia to die as i am bored of it but in others the ridie is amazing