The new news 24 thread

[DeanH]

12 hours ago, Ohdearme said:

Mot fail for the beige Octavia for things I expected but also a thing I didn’t.

Headlamp mount insecure…there’s a twizzly plastic screw in the top of the headlight that secures it in the mount.

It dark so no picture but it’s proving hard to find the part number.

It’s like a big black plastic screw head with a bulky head and a plastic thread.

Any ideas? Googling engine bays and stuff to find a part number or photo.

There's a VAG breakers in Huddersfield that specialises in the local taxi market. Might be able to just turn up and get one off a shell they have. It's at the far end of Lower Viaduct Street.

Or smashing VWs in Leeds?

[Snake Charmer]

1935 Duesenberg SJ.

 

[auntiemaryscanary]

Garage racking shelving now boarded out

@Mally My head is now safe 

Stuff going on the shelves will be that which is useful/required with a good chunk destined for a car boot sale. Anything that doesn't sell will go straight to the charity shop or tip. That's the plan, whether it happens or not is another matter.

[richardmorris]

I’ve been lying alongside the 2cv this morning with a wire brush and bottle of lanoguard. A couple of areas I knew about to keep an eye on, but hopefully most will go when I get the bulkhead floor done. However I did notice the absence of the near side rear bump stop. The bracket and thread in the plate are all there so it must have vibrated loose.

[Split_Pin]

Never too old:

Like when I was 10, I had some birthday money so bought this. For anyone interested, its in offer at Smyths at the moment.

This will go superbly with my Mercedes Arocs that I got 7 years ago.

[4wheeledstool]

Sent this one back to its owner last week.

And replaced it with this one.

Eventually I'll run out of G40s to give "the treatment" and I'll have to try something else.

[brownnova]

Led a 2CV club run to the absolutely superb Gwydir Castle in Llanrwst today. It was like stepping into the 1600s in there! And there were many many peacocks! 

[wuvvum]

Took the Merc to the local tyre place yesterday to get the second new Uniroyal Rainsport fitted to the front, and at the same time they fitted the pair of part worn (>5mm tread, 2023 date code) 235/45x17 Falkens I'd bought off eBay on the back wheels.  So it now has a full set of decent tyres.  A run up the road confirmed that the vibration at 70mph has disappeared - how it'll cope with Autobahn speeds I'm not sure, there isn't really anywhere to safely wind a car up to 150 round here.  I've spent far too much money on this car, and I'm not entirely sure why - it's rather unlike me to splash out on new premium tyres for anything I buy.

I was supposed to be getting the new CV boot fitted to the Ampera this weekend, but I appear to have lost the locking wheel nut key so that was a non-starter.  I did manage to get the front end up on the ramps, with the help of some judiciously-placed bits of wood, so I was able to crawl underneath for a proper look at the subframe.  As MOT man said, it's looking somewhat scabby (most of the original underseal has peeled off) but it's still solid.  I started to have a crack at cleaning it up with a combination of grinder + flap wheel and drill + wire brush attachment, but to get at the front half the undertrays need to come off, and they are all of a piece with the front half of the wheelarch liners, so the wheels will need to come off, so we were back to square one again.  There's quite a bit of metal there to clean up - it's probably going to take half a day to get it properly cleaned and rustproofed / Lanoguarded and squirt cavity wax into the box sections - so I'm hoping we'll have a dry, mildish weekend in October so I can have a day of rustproofing shite (the rear subframe on the Z4 also needs doing, and I'll probably give the Merc a few squirts as well).

My original plan for today was to back the Z4 up onto the ramps and make a start cleaning up the rear subframe on that, but when I finally managed to get myself up and running this morning (I've been sleeping really badly recently) I decided I really couldn't be arsed crawling around under cars again.  So I spent some time clearing some of the crap out of the Merc (I'm still intending to take it on holiday in a week's time) and then fitted the new air filters that the previous owner supplied with the car - the old ones weren't in the first flush of youth so that was hopefully time well spent.

It's driving pretty nicely now, although I think the gearbox could do with a service in the medium term if I keep the car as it's a little jerky sometimes from cold.  It also still seems to be using a little bit of oil, but not enough to be a major issue - I'll just stick the gallon of cheap eBay Mannol 10W40 in the boot when I go on holiday in case it needs a top-up or two.  I possibly should have used 10W40 when I did the oil change, rather than 5W30 - that's the recommended spec but it seems a tad thin for a 19-year-old engine with nearly 200K on the clock, I'm pretty sure the tolerances won't be as tight as when it was new...

[egg]

Another family run indie garage closes, my dad used to supply parts to them.

“But there are fewer and fewer independent garages like mine. In Walmer and Deal 30 years ago there were at least 30 - now there are only three or four.”

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/deal/news/sadness-as-popular-family-run-garage-has-to-close-after-96-y-312853/

[andy18s]

Today's spottage whilst chasing up insurance issues.

[loserone]

@PSAPerv 

[Lankytim]

I’m the mystery buyer of @HMC’s P4!

It was transported up from the bottom of Devon to my Dads driveway in Birmingham last week and I collected it from him this Sunday and drove it home to Stoke.

First impressions are it’s a bit tattier than I hoped it would be, although it starts and drives pretty nicely, the straight 6 exhaust note sounding fabulous, it’s also no slouch either! 
 

Body wise it’s quite crunchy although on first inspection the chassis looks to be in good fettle. It will need rear arches, plating to the boot floor and both sills repairing, also much of the electrics aren’t working but they shouldn’t be too much of a disaster to sort. The rear springs have gone flat and also need replacement. 
 

It’s a nail but I had to pinch myself driving home that I’m at the helm of a P4, such a buzz! 
 

In other news, the Laguna has been throwing up a message for the ABS for the last few months and recently it became a permanent feature on the dashboard . I borrowed a code reader to find out which ABS sensor was the culprit only to find that it’s the ABS pump. This is in a really awkward position on the Laguna 3 and with a month of MOT remaining and some other jobs necessary it might be the end of the road. That Mondeo auto that was for sale recently fitted the bill as a replacement but it’s now sold so I’m keeping my eyes peeled for any cheap similarly sized cars that can munch some motorway miles. I’ve got a month or so to find something nice before the MOT runs out so hopefully something will turn up in time.    

 

[captain_70s]

Rubbing balm into my hide. Ooh er missus.

[somewhatfoolish]

Have you bought another old heap or is it just the seats? 😁

[Matty]

Ooff. Love it @Lankytim

[captain_70s]

44 minutes ago, somewhatfoolish said:

Have you bought another old heap or is it just the seats? 😁

I have a strict "one out, one in" policy and have sworn off projects. Especially ones old enough to have unobtanium parts, and which are full of rusty holes, and which have been entirely dismantled by somebody else...

Anyway. Here's a nice picture of my cardboard box of chrome that lives in the spare bedroom with the seats...

 

[doug]

On 14/09/2024 at 22:02, artdjones said:

Looking through a gate in an Honfleur backstreet.

Was in Rouen on Sunday.

[doug]

Also saw these wacky kids driving around tooting their horns. 

[wuvvum]

It was a nice evening, so after work I went for a bike ride to Peru.

[Rust Collector]

After a 2am start, we’ve made it this far:

Adios amigos, look after the place whilst I’m gone!

[doug]

You know how it is, you go to a car show and see something you really like/want/need.So you start searching and doing all sorts of voodoo economics in your head. Or is it just me.

 

[andy18s]

Few more whilst out shopping.

Market day does bring the stuff that's probably only used once a week. 

[SiC]

17 hours ago, Lankytim said:

other news, the Laguna has been throwing up a message for the ABS for the last few months and recently it became a permanent feature on the dashboard . I borrowed a code reader to find out which ABS sensor was the culprit only to find that it’s the ABS pump. This is in a really awkward position on the Laguna 3 and with a month of MOT remaining and some other jobs necessary it might be the end of the road. That Mondeo auto that was for sale recently fitted the bill as a replacement but it’s now sold so I’m keeping my eyes peeled for any cheap similarly sized cars that can munch some motorway miles. I’ve got a month or so to find something nice before the MOT runs out so hopefully something will turn up in time.    

Does the ABS pump still work okay?

My Laguna II had an internal fault with the ABS module (brake pressure sensor) I lobbed (well a garage did for me) on a second hand unit. No coding, no pairing, it just worked. From a 2.2dci I put onto a V6 petrol. ESP still functioned fine and didn't get confused with different power outputs either. 

 

[grogee]

On 14/09/2024 at 14:11, 320touring said:

 

Got the caliper off and pushed back, pads out and carrier off no bother. Came apart beautifully.

Disc rusted to the hub.

I must admit I've never bothered with the block of wood but I do use ear defenders and eye protection while smashing the shit out of them. 

I suppose my method is a bit one-way although I've never failed to shift a disc yet. 

[grogee]

1 hour ago, SiC said:

Does the ABS pump still work okay?

My Laguna II had an internal fault with the ABS module (brake pressure sensor) I lobbed (well a garage did for me) on a second hand unit. No coding, no pairing, it just worked. From a 2.2dci I put onto a V6 petrol. ESP still functioned fine and didn't get confused with different power outputs either. 

 

May not be applicable to Mk3, but my Espace abs pump lived in front of the front nearside wheel (I think) and the light came on. 

I managed to rescue it by taking it off the bracketry and cleaning out the rust, then giving it a good clean and lube. It was fine after that. 

Eventually the bracket itself was severely rusted so I had to buy a new one which was a bit pricey as I remember. 

Neither job required opening the hydraulic circuit though so that was a bonus. 

Where is the pump on the gooner 3? 

[320touring]

30 minutes ago, grogee said:

I must admit I've never bothered with the block of wood but I do use ear defenders and eye protection while smashing the shit out of them. 

I suppose my method is a bit one-way although I've never failed to shift a disc yet. 

Would be happy to do that if it was mine.

But it's his car and he had to pick up his missus at 2pm (this was 11am and 40miles away)

[stuboy]

48 hours...lol

 

Popped to the local too see if anything nice... definitely my favourite was the dbS... there was 20 of harley Davidsons turn up... let me know if u want too see them...

[Bren]

Just heard that RPI ( roverpart International) closes at the end of September after 45 years. Owner Chris Crane wants to retire - he also cited the poor quality parts that are everywhere that make things more difficult for the likes of him.

I remember when he used to break SD1's - he used to advertise regularly in fast car magazine.

[SiC]

Feels like I've not stopped travelling the last month. Both personal and been travelling with work. Getting a bit fed up of it now.

Cambridge office at the end of the month for a few days. Pretty place. Office isn't too interesting though.

Wells at the weekend after. Saw an old van.

A stag do in Manchester a day later. Did it there and back in a day (7hrs round trip).

Then Sidmouth a day after.

Then a week and a bit after went to Llangollen, a nearby viaduct (I can't spell it) and Chumley (soaked out).

.

 London office the week after. Fantastic views from the office, mega jealous of my colleagues who have it as their main office.

Then last weekend I went to Morehampstead motor museum as it shuts at the start of November. I'll upload the photos of my visit when I get a chance. Possibly it's going to be the last time to see the collection together.

Now currently in Vienna for a conference this week on Linux plumbing.

U-bahn 4 is flooded so had to walk to the hotel from the main train station that went from the airport.

Saw this old Jag on the way. Also saw an old style (but modern) land rover defender and a Omega. Surprised to see all of them in just a short walk.

Right now I'm looking forward to going home and having some time to myself hopefully soon. It's been months since I've had any proper time to do any work on the cars. Even longer since I've had a chance to do more bodywork on the Midget.

(Also heard that I'm probably going to be carted out to Taiwan soon, so still might not get a chance to chill 🫤)

[wuvvum]

I mentioned previously that getting the new tyres fitted to the Merc had got rid of the vibration at 70.  In preparation for my upcoming road trip to That Europe, I found a handy stretch of private road and wound the car up to a bit* more than the UK legal limit, and I noticed that the vibration through the steering came back at higher speeds - not badly, but enough to make sustained Autobahn speeds tiresome.  So I've got it booked in on Saturday morning to have the front wheels balanced again, which will hopefully sort it.  It does have a broken wheel bolt on the nearside wheel, but I can't see that causing the issue - it's just the head which has snapped off so probably all of 20 grammes, and it's too close to the centre of the wheel for centrifugal force to have much of an effect.

The replacement locking wheel nut key for the Ampera arrived today (impressive service, I only ordered it yesterday), and I made a start on changing the CV boot - didn't manage to get it finished due to a combination of finishing work later than I intended and getting stuck talking to my neighbour for ages, plus the fact that the clips on the old boot were an absolute arse to get off (I had to take the dremel to one of them).  So that will hopefully get finished tomorrow evening.

The Z4 threw up an ABS fault yesterday - nearside front wheel sensor.  I cleared the fault but it came back as soon as I started driving again.  So I plugged the Delphi back in to have a look at the live data from the sensors - the nearside front was initially reading 1km/h for a bit, then it suddenly woke up and started reading the same speed as the other three, and the fault cleared itself (dashboard beeped and ABS light went out).  So not sure what was happening there - possibly a bit of muck on the sensor, I'll whip it out at some point and give everything a spray of brake cleaner.