The new news 24 thread

[lesapandre]

Classic US hubcaps - local fleamarket today.

[comfortablynumb]

44 minutes ago, lesapandre said:

Classic US hubcaps - local flemarket today.

But did you buy them?

[lesapandre]

No. The FoMoCo ones were nice and both in sets of 4 - but I have enough crap...I bought a 5L can of Waxoyl (can about 20yo) and 1 litre anti-freeze that had been in somebody's garage. 😂

[dome]

21 hours ago, Fat_Pirate said:

That must have been exciting times!  Any interesting stories?  

Jeez, it was over 20 years ago so it's pretty hazy. It was owned by Scottish Power(Thus PLC) at that point so past the "glory days" I belive

When I started with Demon we were only doing inbound sales calls for dialup in Glasgow, this amounted to sending out the CDs so folk could get online. During my time there we expanded to bring in customer service for dialup and the new fangled ADSL and tech support for all of these. I was involved in recruiting and training as we expanded which I enjoyed. They were good times, right up until they shipped the whole thing over to India and laid us all off

One memory is of a woman who phoned up complaining that her phone bill was astronomical. For those who too young to remember, we supplied a phone number to the customers which was charged at whatever the rate was. Back in those days if you visited any dodgy special interest sites the way they would get you would be that you clicked a box which then changed the number you dialed to get onto the internet to a premium number which cost a fortune. The woman was adamant that it was our fault and that there was no way she could have visited any suspect sites. When asked who else would have access to the computer she replied "Oh it's just me and my 14 year old son" 😁

 

[High Jetter]

Our local Hendy Renault, Dacia and Mazda site seems to have suddenly closed down, I noticed all the windows were boarded up when I went past yesterday

[Stinkwheel]

10 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

Our local Hendy Renault, Dacia and Mazda site seems to have suddenly closed down, I noticed all the windows were boarded up when I went past yesterday

Theres a lot of it about.

Actual bricks & mortar dealerships are a dying breed unfortunately

[beko1987]

I jinxed it by tutting at a vag bombing up lane 3 with its undertray flapping around this morning on the way to work. 

Driving home tonight I took my usual corner at my usual speed and scraaaape... Got home and the singular cable tie holding the entire rear of my undertray has given up. Best sort that this weekend 😂

It's gone since Tuesday though. That started badly* as my rear pads had seized on. I last drove it the Tues before in the wet, then it sat frozen solid for 7 days. Big old clunk when I pulled away and then a nice big pedal vibration as the disc rotated around the rusted spot. 

Picked up my mate who I lift share with and told him and we proceeded with caution. Until 4 miles later a waitrose van behind me started flashing. Proper "m8 there's something wrong" repeated flashing, my mate confirmed it. We pulled over, and I did the usual "oh fuck what's wrong" rolling around on the floor looking everywhere. Nothing. My mate stood and watched my drive up the road and back and said all was fine and it was. The brakes cleared after 10 miles of m40 and all was well. 

[stuboy]

Just finished another 3 days working with the training team teaching banksing skills and assessing new recruits driving ability to reach company's requirements. 

 

[Tayne]

You can say that again. 

[stuboy]

4 minutes ago, Tayne said:

You can say that again. 

bloody phone...grrr

[chaseracer]

I have no working cars!

Dyane: shat its alternator on the M66 weekend before last.
Blingo: at 2CV race HQ with its front end off, awaiting an engine loom.
C180K: rural Shropshire pothole 1, German OS/F coil 0.

Had to borrow the DS3 for work today...

[wuvvum]

The Eos has developed a quite badly sticky offside front brake, and on the way in to work today it got hot enough that it's warped the disc.  I'll probably end up just bunging a new caliper on it - they're only about 30 quid so seems pointless buggering about trying to unseize the old one.  I've found the source of the slight exhaust blow - it's blowing at the very end of the flexi section just where it becomes solid pipe again.  I've fixed* it with Gun Gum - it's not easily weldable being in a fold, and on the model of Eos I have the flexi is part of one long section from manifold to tailpipe, including the cat, so a replacement is £££.

[Stinkwheel]

10 hours ago, chaseracer said:

I have no working cars!

Dyane: shat its alternator on the M66 weekend before last.
Blingo: at 2CV race HQ with its front end off, awaiting an engine loom.
C180K: rural Shropshire pothole 1, German OS/F coil 0.

Had to borrow the DS3 for work today...

Autoshite fix = buy another car 

[hairnet]

13 hours ago, chaseracer said:

I have no working cars!

Dyane: shat its alternator on the M66 weekend before last.
Blingo: at 2CV race HQ with its front end off, awaiting an engine loom.
C180K: rural Shropshire pothole 1, German OS/F coil 0.

Had to borrow the DS3 for work today...

the electric myvi in the cheap sparks thread obvs cos you cant be trusted with ice

[Rustybullethole]

New shoes

 

[alcyonecorporation]

On 13/01/2025 at 22:45, alcyonecorporation said:

My Leon is back in the garage, owing to a bad leak from the secondary cooler that sits under the radiator. 
It needed £717-worth of work to the heater matrix and heat exchange in November, which cost me three weeks' work. 

It began leaking in the loading bay last week at my erstwhile role:  they told me that I was expected to make deliveries regardless so I told them to stick the job up their arse, resigned on the spot and nursed it to the garage.
Fuck off am I blowing my car up for 35p a parcel. My mum is ill up north and if I have to go, I need to go. They can call me for 'letting them down' until the heat death of the universe; you get many jobs but only one family, and this supposed 5 day a week casual contract 'let down' had a business loan ready to buy a Peugeot Partner to carry all the parcels. 

That can now be spent on the fucking SEAT, because, and I cannot stress this enough, that job can shit snow out of its mouth until it chokes.  I haven't gone off on someone like that for about 15 years. 

I have a Dacia Sandero courtesy car in the meantime, and start a CIH job at a Chinese takeaway this Friday. 

The writing's sporadic. 

Update: the radiator failed rather than the cooler. 

I feel I made the right decision to quit that job given that revelation. 

They can, still, and will, violently fuck themselves for asking me to carry on regardless. 

[lesapandre]

Morning fleamarket home-made toy garage find - just right for my battered motas. Was about to go in the skip.

[EightMegs]

Higher lift than the old one 

[lesapandre]

Socket set purchased from Lidl today. £17.99 as recommended by someone on here (I can't remember who) but many thanks for drawing this to my attention.

[brownnova]

Youngest daughter came home from nursery today and decided she’s calling me Papa… so I decided she can be called Nicole… which is confusing her three year old brain…

[EyesWeldedShut]

4 hours ago, lesapandre said:

Morning fleamarket home-made toy garage find - just right for my battered motas. Was about to go in the skip.

My Dad made just that for me & my twin brother when we were 5 or 6 - ply and balsa wood - white gloss paint and some Ford stickers.
I'm guessing a plan from 'Modellers' World' or some similar 1960s magazine as he was an ardent DIY woodworker.

[lesapandre]

Yes it's quite well done - the blue has a white stipple finish that looks like it must have been hand-applied. 

Lovely little find.

[EyesWeldedShut]

32 minutes ago, brownnova said:

Youngest daughter came home from nursery today and decided she’s calling me Papa… so I decided she can be called Nicole… which is confusing her three year old brain…

That's so retro - what about the one with our recent Dead Pool nominee?

 

[cpjitservices]

6 hours ago, Rustybullethole said:

New shoes

 

Im trying to scope ebay for new shoes for the Allroad bargain, trying to find some good all weather boots!

[comfortablynumb]

12 minutes ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

My Dad made just that for me & my twin brother when we were 5 or 6 - ply and balsa wood - white gloss paint and some Ford stickers.
I'm guessing a plan from 'Modellers' World' or some similar 1960s magazine as he was an ardent DIY woodworker.

I had one very similar, it survived years of abuse, went through my kids and survived that, and now my two grandsons have it.

Becoming quite the heirloom 😁

[EyesWeldedShut]

Hot news folks!

Tonight, for the first time ever, I have fitted new cylinder, shoes, springs and clips in under three days - just over an hour * thanks to ...... drum roll .....
Haynes Manuals.
Yes, the infamous Book of Lies actually speaketh the Truth as regards rear drum brakes on a FreeLoader - it's even got decent pictures that work under headtorchlight
Here's to you, Mr Haynes, brake drum mojo may be back **

*this included cutting off the old cylinder from the inside of the back plate. The alloy block on the old one had corroded so badly that the build up of shite has kinked the backing plate, the old shoes were also stuck to the backing plate - a tribute to ABS systems and hooky MoTs?

** previous, long term ownership of drums-all-round brake systems as fitted to Series Land Rovers and Bedford/AWD lorries has promoted an allergy to such high maintenance, low stopability systems.....

[Boycie]

59 minutes ago, brownnova said:

Youngest daughter came home from nursery today and decided she’s calling me Papa… so I decided she can be called Nicole… which is confusing her three year old brain…

If she thinks she confused now wait to you turn up to nursery in a mk1 clio ...

 

 

[High Jetter]

2 hours ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

My Dad made just that for me & my twin brother when we were 5 or 6 - ply and balsa wood - white gloss paint and some Ford stickers.
I'm guessing a plan from 'Modellers' World' or some similar 1960s magazine as he was an ardent DIY woodworker.

I think my Dad subscribed to that or something similar. He made many wooden things, including a chest of drawers I still use daily.

[brownnova]

3 hours ago, Boycie said:

If she thinks she confused now wait to you turn up to nursery in a mk1 clio ...

 

 

I turn up regularly in a 2CV… she’ll find the Mk1 Clio luxury! 

[beko1987]

On 16/01/2025 at 17:34, beko1987 said:

I jinxed it by tutting at a vag bombing up lane 3 with its undertray flapping around this morning on the way to work. 

Driving home tonight I took my usual corner at my usual speed and scraaaape... Got home and the singular cable tie holding the entire rear of my undertray has given up. Best sort that this weekend 😂

It's gone since Tuesday though. That started badly* as my rear pads had seized on. I last drove it the Tues before in the wet, then it sat frozen solid for 7 days. Big old clunk when I pulled away and then a nice big pedal vibration as the disc rotated around the rusted spot. 

Picked up my mate who I lift share with and told him and we proceeded with caution. Until 4 miles later a waitrose van behind me started flashing. Proper "m8 there's something wrong" repeated flashing, my mate confirmed it. We pulled over, and I did the usual "oh fuck what's wrong" rolling around on the floor looking everywhere. Nothing. My mate stood and watched my drive up the road and back and said all was fine and it was. The brakes cleared after 10 miles of m40 and all was well. 

Had the car jacked up this morning and there's nothing wrong. Undertray is cable tied on well, one of the arch liners is a bit loose though, but nothing rubbing or scrubbing or falling off that I can see 🤷 The angle I'm usually parked at must have made it seem lower than it is on flat tarmac

Will have to wang around that same corner on Tuesday and see if I can reproduce the issue