The new news 24 thread

[lesapandre]

And in other news - Railtrack need to survey all their other railway parapets very fast. This should not have broken off hit by something as light as a car. Something has gone very wrong apart from the nut behind the wheel. These things are supposed to be terror proof.

Salford.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c0k5214vn6pt

[High Jetter]

19 minutes ago, lesapandre said:

And in other news - Railtrack need to survey all their other railway parapets very fast. This should not have broken off hit by something as light as a car. Something has gone very wrong apart from the nut behind the wheel. These things are supposed to be terror proof.

Salford.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c0k5214vn6pt

Flipping 'eck!. (Photo credit for that pic is, appropriately, Rowan Bridge)

[lesapandre]

3 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

Flipping 'eck!. (Photo credit for that pic is, appropriately, Rowan Bridge)

Shambollock. Utterly 'I don't believe it'. 🫣

[artdjones]

26 minutes ago, lesapandre said:

And in other news - Railtrack need to survey all their other railway parapets very fast. This should not have broken off hit by something as light as a car. Something has gone very wrong apart from the nut behind the wheel. These things are supposed to be terror proof.

Salford.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c0k5214vn6pt

Obviously some weakness there. On the other hand, I'm not sure why it's national news. I was walking to work in 1979 when I came across a Leyland Marathon on its side on a railway bridge. The trailer had just taken out a steel parapet and deposited a load of scrap metal all over the 4 track South Wales Main Line. 

That's where the accident was.  About 10% of the fuss was made in the news media about that incident compared with the one that just happened.

[lesapandre]

Because it closed the line with OMG chaos I suppose. It is a serious fault. If that had happened as a train came through it would have been very nasty. Also just a car did that. Nuts.

[comfortablynumb]

Not unusual, near me there's a bridge over one of the drains ( river channel here in Norfolk) which had had it's parapet smashed out by something which was capable of driving away afterwards.

All the highways lot have done is to put temporary traffic lights on it, been like that for at least a month 

[lesapandre]

No rebar used - just snapped like a biscuit.

[stuboy]

nothing exciting... mondeo is at 16.9 mpg, i need to fuel up as only 33 miles in the tank, i do like this car, other news i drove a horrendous MG hs auto too dartford too take out 3 aca;s after they had woopsies driving ambulances, in the rail and hail stones

[Zelandeth]

I love seeing older equipment still being in use in non public facing settings, especially when there has clearly been an essence of make do and mend going on.  In this case some evidence of the one out of three service life cars and it's call panel that has been replaced with a modern one having donated a number of buttons to the control panel of one of the older cars.

No surprises that these 1981 Express Lifts units run waaaaaaaay more smoothly than the car shinier 2005 ones in the public facing areas of the hotel.  One of which was broken before we even got here (though we almost invariably break one through the course of the weekend), which is why we've been allowed to use the service lifts as well - as having 1500+ people in a hotel this shape trying to use effectively 1.5 lifts (one of the main ones is tiny) in a hotel this shape just ain't going to work!

Would have been better if the hotel had been more on the ball about making sure they were all working before we got here though.  Even though the engineering nerd in me has now been ensuring I make a point to use the older lift just because I can.

I'm not a total lift nerd, but I can see why some folks are.  The older ones really are some of the most nicely engineered bits of equipment that nobody ever thinks about.  I do kind of regret not getting some parts of the service lift from our old work building when it was being demolished.  It was the original one from when the building went up in 1968 and was astonishingly original aside from a couple of timers and a rectifier block.  All relay logic and thermal timers - the control cabinet was a work of art.  Unfortunately it also weighed about a quarter of a tonne and I had no way to move it.  Should have at least grabbed a call panel or something.

[reb]

Not really a grin nor a grump, it just is.

By chance I was sent a photo with my 850 in it

Didn't recognise it at first until I spotted the plate on the dash.

[matt79]

1 hour ago, reb said:

Not really a grin nor a grump, it just is.

By chance I was sent a photo with my 850 in it

Didn't recognise it at first until I spotted the plate on the dash.

Also a Lancia Thema (top right of the pic)

[reb]

Just now, matt79 said:

Also a Lancia Thema (top right of the pic)

That was the car the OP cared about!

It's sheer chance that someone I know spotted my 850 in the foreground!

[bramz7]

Just back from a few days in Bari. Lovely area, Puglia is a real gem of a region (for a tourist like me anyway). And there is loads of tat still on the road. 

 

I took 340 odd photos on my actual camera. And managed to dodge most of the dog poo in the rougher areas. 

[Schaefft]

1 hour ago, reb said:

That was the car the OP cared about!

It's sheer chance that someone I know spotted my 850 in the foreground!

Poor facelift E38 on the right, too 

[wuvvum]

I never knew they sold the FSO Caro with a Daewoo badge!

[barefoot]

I went to a car show this morning, it was OK. I've always fancied a run in a bug...

Bloke took me for a ride in the one on the right. 850cc apparently. You know everything you imagine that a ride in a Bond Bug might be like? It was like that, but ten times that. And noisier and  much narrower. I don't need to go in another.

[bramz7]

40 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

I never knew they sold the FSO Caro with a Daewoo badge!

Yep, badged Daewoo-FSO. Tbh Italy has always been a great market for cheap vehicles so I always end up seeing new budget rubbish and old stuff that's somehow survived. 

 

In other news I've booked in the 525d for an MOT and full service next week. I don't think it's going to tank the MOT, the handbrake is a bit rubbish and maybe the offside front tyre, but it seems fine otherwise. I really like it now, it's nice to cruise in. It's still far too big but I can't really do much about that. 

[brownnova]

Declaring this back on the road.

Just before Christmas it started doing weird things for example if you indicated left or pushed the brake the dash radio and heater would die. It meant using the Saab convertible for the Christmas tripping. Took me a while to identify the issue, but eventually traced it to some wiring that ran though a well in the back which had taken on some water. All I needed was a day where it was daylight, not pissing down and I wasn’t busy. Last weekend was that time, so I stripped the wire, cut the corroded wire off, and then took to stripping and cleaning the connector. This has been about 90% successful. The car now operates perfectly, except that the connector isn’t 100% so I’ll pop a new one on when I can get one. And also now the SRS Airbag service required light is on… which it wasn’t before. Hopefully just needs a code clearing. 

Sadly on fixing the battery was flat, so having done an overnight charge on Sunday night today was the first day to do a daylight test run, which has been passed without issue. 

Our needs are changing though, so I think this one might be on its way out in the next month or two. 

[Split_Pin]

Got my Creator code reader for the E46 today.

I get these lamps on the dash and the car falls into limp mode:

Pretty much reflected in the codes:

They seem totally unconnected? It's the ABS pressure sensors that worry me, tales of doom and woe abound on the E46 FB pages

I have loved this car only when I saw the pictures in the for sale add. I have hated it ever since. It really is a piece of shit.

1x seized caliper

1 aux drive belt tensioner

New viscous fan clutch 

New oil pressure sensor

Replacement automatic gearbox

And now this. I've only had it  7 months. It's just one thing after another and it has totally failed to be anything approaching reliable since I got it. Useless.

I know, old cars, but so many have provided great service with the usual bits and bobs understandably required.

So, bearing in mind I'm losing my job soon, I'm going to spend on the 75 which has been a great car and just needs 2 bottom arms (which I have), some foutering with the handbrake and a bit more of the same with the airbag wires. I know after that it will give more good service.

I'll sorn the E46 until I decide to either fix and keep or fix and sell, once I get a new job sorted.

[S2000]

Sorry to here about the ungrateful bastard and the job situation….. if you don’t mind me asking what line of work are you looking for?

[Split_Pin]

I also had 2 free HVAC panels for the 9-5 and the existing one has gone dark on one side. Tried each of them, both pieces of shit, ah well at least the original one has nicer condition buttons.

[Split_Pin]

1 minute ago, S2000 said:

Sorry to here about the ungrateful bastard and the job situation….. if you don’t mind me asking what line of work are you looking for?

Cheers man, anything Risk Management in the financial world 😊

[vulgalour]

I now know how to replace the front door locks and window regulator on a Renault 5.  Not a terrible job as it happens with the added bonus of using a cable rather than scissor type mechanism for the regulator so no danger to the digits.  It also means I have a fully operational passenger door for the first time.  Tomorrow I'm hoping to do the driver's door.  Also finally got the sump plug crush washers for the Princess so it can stop sweating power every time it's parked, another job for tomorrow while I'm sorting the Renault door.

Once the Renault doors are sorted it should be time to book an MoT.  I know the locks and windows aren't technically vital for the MoT, it just looks better when you present a vehicle where basic stuff like that actually works the way its supposed to I think.  Hoping to give it a wash too so it's a bit less green on the outside, the inside isn't actually that bad.

[chaseracer]

17 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

I love seeing older equipment still being in use in non public facing settings, especially when there has clearly been an essence of make do and mend going on.  In this case some evidence of the one out of three service life cars and it's call panel that has been replaced with a modern one having donated a number of buttons to the control panel of one of the older cars.

No surprises that these 1981 Express Lifts units run waaaaaaaay more smoothly than the car shinier 2005 ones in the public facing areas of the hotel.  One of which was broken before we even got here (though we almost invariably break one through the course of the weekend), which is why we've been allowed to use the service lifts as well - as having 1500+ people in a hotel this shape trying to use effectively 1.5 lifts (one of the main ones is tiny) in a hotel this shape just ain't going to work!

Would have been better if the hotel had been more on the ball about making sure they were all working before we got here though.  Even though the engineering nerd in me has now been ensuring I make a point to use the older lift just because I can.

I'm not a total lift nerd, but I can see why some folks are.  The older ones really are some of the most nicely engineered bits of equipment that nobody ever thinks about.  I do kind of regret not getting some parts of the service lift from our old work building when it was being demolished.  It was the original one from when the building went up in 1968 and was astonishingly original aside from a couple of timers and a rectifier block.  All relay logic and thermal timers - the control cabinet was a work of art.  Unfortunately it also weighed about a quarter of a tonne and I had no way to move it.  Should have at least grabbed a call panel or something.

Glasgow?

[chaseracer]

17 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

I love seeing older equipment still being in use in non public facing settings, especially when there has clearly been an essence of make do and mend going on.  In this case some evidence of the one out of three service life cars and it's call panel that has been replaced with a modern one having donated a number of buttons to the control panel of one of the older cars.

No surprises that these 1981 Express Lifts units run waaaaaaaay more smoothly than the car shinier 2005 ones in the public facing areas of the hotel.  One of which was broken before we even got here (though we almost invariably break one through the course of the weekend), which is why we've been allowed to use the service lifts as well - as having 1500+ people in a hotel this shape trying to use effectively 1.5 lifts (one of the main ones is tiny) in a hotel this shape just ain't going to work!

Would have been better if the hotel had been more on the ball about making sure they were all working before we got here though.  Even though the engineering nerd in me has now been ensuring I make a point to use the older lift just because I can.

Glasgow?

[wuvvum]

1 hour ago, brownnova said:

Our needs are changing though

Another sprog on the way?

[Wgl2019]

1 hour ago, brownnova said:

SRS Airbag service required light is on… which it wasn’t before. Hopefully just needs a code clearing. 

On my wife's C30 it will ping up the SRS warning light if any connection relating to an airbag is unplugged (or just knocked a bit), won't go out when plugged back in and needs a code reader to reset.

[richardmorris]

9 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

Another sprog on the way?

He needs a TV.

[Zelandeth]

21 minutes ago, chaseracer said:

Glasgow?

Correct.  The Crowne Plaza next door to the exhibition centre.

[chaseracer]

Stayed there a couple of years ago.  A charitable description would be "a bit tired"...