The new news 24 thread

[John F]

The fuckwit at the top of our street, who backs his company Audi A6 out of his drive,

bounds across the street & up the kerb opposite (on 45/50 series tyres on big wheels)

has finally hit the lamp post.

Sadly the bumpers are not the correct colour to repair with Gaffa tape.

 

Haha, sounds like this has been a long time coming

[theorganist]

Well I was expecting to be taking the Megane to the scrapyard after the MOT this week but all it has failed on is a cracked headlamp. One duly sourced for £15 from a local scrappie!

 

The Maxi is having its first MOT since 1997 next Wednesday (If I can get it there) I know it will fail (particularly on the electrics) but I want to see what else is needed as it seems fairly solid!

[Negative Creep]

Bluebird went for its MOT today. Failed on front pads and a wheel cylinder. It may need shoes as well, but all in all I don't think that's a bad result

[cort16]

I had my first proper drive of the 740i today. Impessions are that it drives really well given it's done 271,000 miles. Every BMW I've ever owned, which ranges from ones built in 1982 to 2000 have always had that really bloody annoying 55mph shimmy but this one doesn't suffer from that. It feels really tight infact and handles quite nicely for a car that weighs 14 tonnes

Down sides are the front discs are completely shagged and are doing an ABS whenever you touch them. It's £70 for a set so not the end of the world. The head unit with the telly and radio works sometimes but not others. There's power getting to it but it won't switch on and the body has a few scabby bits the worst being where a slate decided to end itself by jumping off a roof and sconing the BMW on the boot lid.

 

740i Front by cort16, on Flickr

 

740i Back by cort16, on Flickr

[dollywobbler]

Perhaps a bit bigger than you thought though?

 

They are lovely looking barges. They have a grace that the 5-Series lacks, and which the replacement 7-Series missed by a country mile.

[cort16]

Bigger size wize? Na I know they're massive. My boss has a new 7 so I might compare the sizes. I don't think the 7's swollen quite the same as the 5.

[dollywobbler]

It was a slight reference to your parking...

[cort16]

Never being one to catch on quick I realised this I was driving down the road.

I normally drive an a6 in which it's mandatory to park like a twat so it's hard to break the habit.

[cobblers]

I've just remembered there's barely any antifreeze in my T25, and its going to be about minus eleventy if the weather reports are to believed. I'll give it a run before bed to get it nice and warm, and I'm off out in the morning. I'll probably be OK. Might also leave the decklid off, so the engines exposed to the "inside of the van" temperatures more than the outside.

[dollywobbler]

I've just remembered there's barely any antifreeze in my T25, and its going to be about minus eleventy if the weather reports are to believed. I'll give it a run before bed to get it nice and warm, and I'm off out in the morning. I'll probably be OK. Might also leave the decklid off, so the engines exposed to the "inside of the van" temperatures more than the outside.

 

Eep! I'd give the hoses a squeeze before you try starting the engine tomorrow. My dad once snapped the cambelt on his Montego by starting the engine when the coolant had frozen. Water pump didn't want to go around...

 

My CX survived frozen coolant. I left it until the hoses were at least mushy again, then let it tickover for a goodly while so it could gently heat up.

[cobblers]

I've got 645* feet of solid plastic water pipes underneath the van which will probably freeze first, luckily the water pump is driven off the aux belt .The cams are geared in these I think - I've never paid much attention owing to the fact that it's an awful engine in absolutely every respect.

 

Plan was, as you say - squeeze the water pipes near the engine, if they are OK then I'll get on my way. If the engine is in two pieces on the floor with a perfect ice sculpture of the coolant passages stood betwixt them, I'll swear a bit but in all honesty no love will be lost, and it'll give me the kick up the arse to get the engine swapped. I'll just have to ride to work.

 

*18

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Sister's Polo 1.4TDI has blown a headlight bulb. Couldn't get my hand anywhere near the bulb because the fuel filter is blocking all access. It's still under warranty but who designs a car where you can't replace bulbs FFS?

[M'coli]

Sister's Polo 1.4TDI has blown a headlight bulb. Couldn't get my hand anywhere near the bulb because the fuel filter is blocking all access. It's still under warranty but who designs a car where you can't replace bulbs FFS?

FTS, man - I'd end up fitting a pair of kit-car lights rigged up to look like spots.

Demon thieves list the Cibié Oscar H4 spots at less than 2 hours main dealer labour...shame it each!

http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/performan ... ibie-oscar

Edit: Europa spares do the smaller 5&3/4" H4 for about £50 a side:

https://www.europaspares.com/product/4/ ... 534CK.html

[HMC]

cort16-

so does the 7 have the 4.4 v8-? even given its size that thing must shift!

[cort16]

It's a an earlier 4.0 rather than the 4.4. It still goes like stink though. I recon I got 25 mpg today on my journey to work, which isn't bad for the size of the engine. I got a bit less on the way back as was being a fanny and lighting up the tyres at junctions.

[Lankytim]

The company I work for uses a storage facility close by, in the corner of the warehouse we rent is a P reg 7 series BMW which the owner is trying to offload. Found out today that the place is closing next month, maybe I can snap up a bargain- it looks mint!

 

Anyway,this evening I borrowed the works van and picked up that TIRFOR lift thing. Its a beautiful piece of kit! Unfortunately it didn't like being on its side on the back of the van and pissed out loads of hydraulic fluid all over the floor. Dunno how i'm going to blag that with the boss.

 

It looks expensive and is in great condition, its frigging big though, maybe too big for what I want it for...

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Sister's Polo 1.4TDI has blown a headlight bulb. Couldn't get my hand anywhere near the bulb because the fuel filter is blocking all access. It's still under warranty but who designs a car where you can't replace bulbs FFS?

FTS, man - I'd end up fitting a pair of kit-car lights rigged up to look like spots.

Demon thieves list the Cibié Oscar H4 spots at less than 2 hours main dealer labour...shame it each!

http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/performan ... ibie-oscar

Edit: Europa spares do the smaller 5&3/4" H4 for about £50 a side:

https://www.europaspares.com/product/4/ ... 534CK.html

 

FTS is right - someone else's modern = someone else's problem.

 

I am tempted by some pointless auxiliary lighting on my own car though...

[wuvvum]

The Rover of Doom seems to have lost the first two speeds on the heater fan, so at the moment I'm either freezing my nads off or getting jet-blasted. I suspect it's a fuse as a lot of moderns (!) seem to have a separate fuse for the higher fan speeds. I'll check over the weekend, but in the meantime I'll probably use the 607 as long as the temperature is above freezing (it seems to suffer badly from frozen washer jets, which is not ideal with the amount of salt and crap on the roads at the moment) - I've taken it to work a few times now and it seems to manage 43mpg on my 15-mile commute, which isn't bad given the size of the car and the density of the traffic.

[Cheggers]

The Rover of Doom seems to have lost the first two speeds on the heater fan, so at the moment I'm either freezing my nads off or getting jet-blasted. I suspect it's a fuse as a lot of moderns (!) seem to have a separate fuse for the higher fan speeds. I'll check over the weekend, but in the meantime I'll probably use the 607 as long as the temperature is above freezing (it seems to suffer badly from frozen washer jets, which is not ideal with the amount of salt and crap on the roads at the moment) - I've taken it to work a few times now and it seems to manage 43mpg on my 15-mile commute, which isn't bad given the size of the car and the density of the traffic.

 

Could also be the resistor pack (assuming it has one). Porsches & Renaults are both notorious for this problem.

[Rocket88]

Sister's Polo 1.4TDI has blown a headlight bulb. Couldn't get my hand anywhere near the bulb because the fuel filter is blocking all access. It's still under warranty but who designs a car where you can't replace bulbs FFS?

 

At the last count, about 98% of all manufacturers......................I still think it's illegal for rhe "man in the street" not to be able to replace a light bulb. It should be mandatory that all bulbs can be charged in 10 minutes or less, using tools only from the vehicle's own tool kit.

[ashmicro]

The Rover of Doom seems to have lost the first two speeds on the heater fan, so at the moment I'm either freezing my nads off or getting jet-blasted. I suspect it's a fuse as a lot of moderns (!) seem to have a separate fuse for the higher fan speeds. I'll check over the weekend, but in the meantime I'll probably use the 607 as long as the temperature is above freezing (it seems to suffer badly from frozen washer jets, which is not ideal with the amount of salt and crap on the roads at the moment) - I've taken it to work a few times now and it seems to manage 43mpg on my 15-mile commute, which isn't bad given the size of the car and the density of the traffic.

 

 

Wuvvum - see my website for a how-to. It is indeed the resistor pack.

 

http://class-ni.weebly.com/engineering.html

 

Top article "Meeting some resistance"

[cort16]

The company I work for uses a storage facility close by, in the corner of the warehouse we rent is a P reg 7 series BMW which the owner is trying to offload. Found out today that the place is closing next month, maybe I can snap up a bargain- it looks mint!

 

They are great, very relaxed cruiser and cheap too. Mine was £400 with a years mot.

[dollywobbler]

Another vote for resistor pack, seeing as I've got two cars that both have 'fast only' fans at the moment.

 

My back still rules out Maverick progress, but it's going to be sunny tomorrow, so I plan to crack on regardless - especially as I'm due to go laning in it the weekend after.

 

However, the BX is now refusing to start. Not even trying to fire so I suspect a fuelling issue. 2CV finds itself as the only working car again...

[barefoot]

Porsche booked in for MOT on Friday.

 

must remember to stick on the legal number plates

 

Failed - track rod end!

Part not immediately available

Booked in again for free re-test next Friday.

[ashmicro]

TRE and change plates. Not bad at all barefoot.

 

Speaking of feet, just ordered off eBay:

 

 

I've ordered the grey ones (they're slippers). Katie has insisted on the Autoshite brown ones

[DSdriver]

Self-healing Pug 206 MOT shock

 

Bunged the pug in for an MOT today to find out what it would fail on and to my great surprise it passed with no advisories. It seems that the five advisories from last year have magically healed themselves in 4,389 miles of motoring, about half of which was clocked up on a driving holiday to Spain.

[ashmicro]

For any of you Northern Ireland shiters who knew him - Stephen Mitchell from East Antrim Motor Factors lost his battle with cancer on Thursday morning. Steve was at work until 10 days before he died, a true legend in the local car world.

 

 

Steve's funeral is at 13:00 on Tuesday at Roselawn.

 

RIP Steve, a true gentleman. You will be greatly missed.

[Cavcraft]

/\

Sorry to hear about your mate, Andrew.

 

Good news (at last) on the Audi front: my lad has been outside for ages today fitting the plastic flange housing 'thing' that the temp. coolant sensor fits into, along with the new sensor and seal. Took him bloody ages to bleed the system and get the engine up to temp but he's done it and the fan kicked in as it should. It's never been anywhere near half way on the temp gauge since I've had it but it does now so really happy with that.

Was going to change the 'stat too but it's such a bloody stupid place to get to (there's a bracket with a wanky allen key bolt that's almost impossible to get at) so it was jibbed until another day.

He also found out where the fuel leak is coming from, the top cover and the one below it are dripping away. Luckily it doesn't look a bad job at all apparantly, as long as we can get a seal kit for it it should be ok.

[wuvvum]

The Rover of Doom failed to proceed this morning, which I was not impressed by. It didn't manage to start before the battery started to flag, and it had to be jump started off the Audi. To be fair, it was BLOODY cold last night. I think I might have to invest in some glow plugs for it though if the cold snap continues - I think they've been knackered for ages but in anything above Arctic temperatures it starts fine without them so nobody's bothered to replace them.

 

The Metrocab didn't want to know this morning either, and the Ligier took three goes of the glowplugs to get going - that went off to its lucky new owner this afternoon, who came up with a diesel C4 and A-framed it home to Surrey (unlike some of the idiots who were bidding expecting to drive it to Kent / Hampshire etc). I had to knock him 50 quid off the price as the boot wouldn't open (it has two solenoids, one on each side, and the nearside one wasn't releasing) but that's the nature of these things unfortunately.

[trigger]

I popped round my dads this afternoon and was surprised to see this Kia in the driveway, It turns out he had bought it during the week.

 

A local doctor had brought it over after from Guernsey a few years ago after working there for a while, he got home and the ECU died so he left it in the garden for 2 years until he asked dad if he knew anyone who would take it away to scrap it, after some fierce negotiations £100 was handed over and dad bought it home.

 

He took the key to the local key shop and had a new battery fitted and it started straight away after a jump start!, It runs really well, even on 2 year old petrol!.

 

It's only covered 45000 miles and has full Kia history from Guernsey, the plan is to re register it, (it's a 1999 V-reg) and get a mot on it and use it for a while, it may even be replacing his 07 plate Focus TDCi with it as he's only done 1000 miles in 2 years in it due to his bad back which means he can't get in and out of cars easily.

 

I don't know what these Kia's are like but it's a Mazda 2.0 engine but it has the worlds most annoying beeper that goes of when the engines running with the door open.

 

1999 Kia Sportage 2.0 by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr

 

1999 Kia Sportage 2.0 by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr

 

1999 Kia Sportage 2.0 by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr

 

1999 Kia Sportage 2.0 by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr