The new news 24 thread

[Supernaut]

I'm taking this to a vintage car show on Sunday, but today it's a tractor.

We keep an IBC of water up at the building site to water the trees etc with. It was looking a bit low.

[jonathan_dyane]

Not sure whether this is a grump or a grin so I'll put this here.

I changed the headgasket on the 406 daily because increasingly terrible oil leak.

Imagine my delight after completing the job (which is a bit of a ballache, poor access, inlet and exhaust manifold studs need winding out by feel etc) and finding oil still pissing out.

I lay underneath with the engine running and I could see the oil running along between the head and block up the back of the engine. I was perplexed how I could have fucked the job up but resigned myself to having somehow done so.

I used the P4 for work a few times but it isn't ideal because I do loads of miles often in heavy traffic. In fairness the Rover handled it fine however for various reasons not least of which MPG it wasn't ideal.

So I bought this Golf which seemed to be the cheapest car available within a reasonable difference that wasn't totally fucked.

I had to replace the wing on the Golf because it was both accident damaged and totally rotten and the interior was pretty hanging but it isn't a bad car.

Meantime I had been ruminating about the 406 and trying to summon the energy to pull the head back off.

I did however have a thought, the vacuum pump is right by where all the oil is leaking and there is an oil gallery from the head which supplies it. It occurred to me that I could have fucked up fitting it somehow and the leak was in fact from that.

Pulled the pump off earlier (two bolts and a nut, quick and easy) and guess what! The o-ring that fits in to the pump body to seal the oil gallery was MIA! I fitted another o-ring, started her up and let her run up to full temperature. No more oil leak!

So now I have a spare car. Will have to mull over whether I should move one on (in which case which one!) or whether actually it makes more sense to keep a spare on the drive.

I might as well drive round in the Golf for the next couple of months and see how in behaves and how I take to it...

 

[wesacosa]

I don't need another car. I dont want another car. Another car is the absolute last thing I need.  I have no motivation to work on old cars despite having projects clogging up my drive.  I been trying to sell the Panda without success for getting on two years. I've finally moved the XM on and being enjoying having one less car to lose sleep over.  I don't need another car 

so why the feck am I going to view another car tomorrow morning 🤦🏼

[dome]

On 02/05/2025 at 08:04, SiC said:

First thing I reckon is to read the adaptation values as it's easy to - any decent scantool should be able to do it. Or if you have a DCAN cable & OTG USB cable with an android phone, you can use xHP Flash Tool. Comparing with the ZF values, it should give a good indication of the condition of the seals and clutch packs. If very high values (+/- 500mbar+) then perhaps it's probably not worth putting money into that box. Especially as they're readily available second hand in good condition for not much more than the seal+fluid kits (which you'd want to service before fitting anyway).

I did debate strongly about doing mine as it shifted absolutely fine on the whole, as I didn't want to make it worse. However now I know it was all factory, I'm pleased I did as old fluid isn't good and the seals are a weak point. Far better to change these parts when the box is not broken from being worn out because they've not been changed!

@SiC Had a quick look at this, as is the way with these things I have no idea whether it's good or bad though.

Readings taken at idle.

 

[Schaefft]

2 hours ago, wesacosa said:

I don't need another car. I dont want another car. Another car is the absolute last thing I need.  I have no motivation to work on old cars despite having projects clogging up my drive.  I been trying to sell the Panda without success for getting on two years. I've finally moved the XM on and being enjoying having one less car to lose sleep over.  I don't need another car 

so why the feck am I going to view another car tomorrow morning 🤦🏼

It can't hurt to look, riiight...?

[SiC]

2 hours ago, dome said:

@SiC Had a quick look at this, as is the way with these things I have no idea whether it's good or bad though.

Readings taken at idle.

 

They're in spec and not particularly close to the ZF limits either. Definitely is trying harder to shift than the original factory limits. Extra mbar and time on needed on many of the clutches and brakes.

How is it shifting?

If it was mine I would get the seals and fluid+filter changed if I liked it. I think it's unlikely it'll make things worse. 

[wesacosa]

23 minutes ago, Schaefft said:

It can't hurt to look, riiight...?

well that's true. Although unless it's terrible I will no doubt buy 

[Stinkwheel]

 

Car levitating - check

 

Tools to hand - check

 

I decided not to let the 206 die after the MOT fail last month, so started work at long last.

Brake servo and master cylinder replaced and bled up - check

Lower arm N/S replaced - check

Still some welding and a CV boot on the other side to do, but that can wait for another day. 

[loserone]

Thank you @Stinkwheel! I have a nice plastic boot liner for that when you are passing next 

[Stinkwheel]

5 minutes ago, loserone said:

Thank you @Stinkwheel! I have a nice plastic boot liner for that when you are passing next 

Amazing, thank you. Will take you up on that as long as I can remember when I’m up your way 😂

[loserone]

Pair of GTI front seats too if you wanted

[Yoss]

Coming home from work yesterday in the blue Favorit, a two tone maroon and gold Toyota Picnic was coming the other way. It was one of those moments where we both pulled in to a space and waved each other through at the same time. After a bit more gesticulating I eventually got him to go first. As he came past he slowed down and said to me 'I guess you're never in a rush when you're driving something as cool as that'.

I replied that it doesn't go fast enough for me to be in a hurry. I was a bit overwhelmed by the compliment so forgot to mention that owning two P reg Toyota Picnics is quite cool too. At least it is in these pages. It's the sort of thing most people wouldn't bat an eyelid at but to those in the know like us it's quite an achievement. 

I have previously photographed them. 

I'm just pleased he's noticed my car too. 

 

[beko1987]

Same colour as my 206 was! Mine was a 3 door though. I didn't hate it tbh, I'd have a 206sw hdi if required...

 

[Supernaut]

Tops off weather today.

Or TAPS AFF!

Door tops, that is.

It's so much fun I don't want to put them back on until at least autumn. I might figure out a better way to mount that mirror though. Maybe through the hole left in the door by the absence of the top half.

[Stinkwheel]

57 minutes ago, loserone said:

Pair of GTI front seats too if you wanted

Oooo now that’s interesting

[lesapandre]

A poet's car. I came across this today.  Poet Philip Larkin writing about his cars in the 1960's.

Larkin went on holiday returning to locations in Dublin and on the west coast of Ireland he had visited via slow steam trains from Belfast in the 1950s. He calculated that he would cover at least 2,000 miles and was looking forward to testing his new car. A month earlier he had exchanged his Singer Vogue for an Austin Princess Vanden Plas which he described to novelist Barbara Pym as:

‘an enormous 4-litre Vanden Plas Princess, with a Rolls Royce engine . . . love at first sight, one of the few cars I can bear the look of . . . huge and ponderous, like an old drawing room, and does 80 without turning a hair.’

He even took a snapshot.

[lesapandre]

And a new book purchase - very good very comprehensive.

[richardmorris]

1 hour ago, lesapandre said:

A poet's car. I came across this today.  Poet Philip Larkin writing about his cars in the 1960's.

Larkin went on holiday returning to locations in Dublin and on the west coast he had visited via slow steam trains from Belfast in the 1950s. He calculated that he would cover at least 2,000 miles and was looking forward to testing his new car. A month earlier he had exchanged his Singer Vogue for an Austin Princess Vanden Plas which he described to novelist Barbara Pym as:

‘an enormous 4-litre Vanden Plas Princess, with a Rolls Royce engine . . . love at first sight, one of the few cars I can bear the look of . . . huge and ponderous, like an old drawing room, and does 80 without turning a hair.’

He even took a snapshot.

Not huge by today’s standards though.  I drove into Richmond ( and back) today, an awful lot of congestion would go away if people had car sized vehicles not audi q7s and bmw beaver faces.

[richardmorris]

31 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

Not huge by today’s standards though.  I drove into Richmond ( and back) today, an awful lot of congestion would go away if people had car sized vehicles not audi q7s and bmw beaver faces.

 

[stuboy]

On 09/05/2025 at 02:36, stripped fred said:

I pay £415 a year which is steep and I pay the same on my mk1 TT

mondeo £415 same but galaxy £315 

[stuboy]

On 09/05/2025 at 17:06, jonathan_dyane said:

Not sure whether this is a grump or a grin so I'll put this here.

I changed the headgasket on the 406 daily because increasingly terrible oil leak.

Imagine my delight after completing the job (which is a bit of a ballache, poor access, inlet and exhaust manifold studs need winding out by feel etc) and finding oil still pissing out.

I lay underneath with the engine running and I could see the oil running along between the head and block up the back of the engine. I was perplexed how I could have fucked the job up but resigned myself to having somehow done so.

I used the P4 for work a few times but it isn't ideal because I do loads of miles often in heavy traffic. In fairness the Rover handled it fine however for various reasons not least of which MPG it wasn't ideal.

So I bought this Golf which seemed to be the cheapest car available within a reasonable difference that wasn't totally fucked.

I had to replace the wing on the Golf because it was both accident damaged and totally rotten and the interior was pretty hanging but it isn't a bad car.

Meantime I had been ruminating about the 406 and trying to summon the energy to pull the head back off.

I did however have a thought, the vacuum pump is right by where all the oil is leaking and there is an oil gallery from the head which supplies it. It occurred to me that I could have fucked up fitting it somehow and the leak was in fact from that.

Pulled the pump off earlier (two bolts and a nut, quick and easy) and guess what! The o-ring that fits in to the pump body to seal the oil gallery was MIA! I fitted another o-ring, started her up and let her run up to full temperature. No more oil leak!

So now I have a spare car. Will have to mull over whether I should move one on (in which case which one!) or whether actually it makes more sense to keep a spare on the drive.

I might as well drive round in the Golf for the next couple of months and see how in behaves and how I take to it...

 

is the golf PD powered?

[junkyarddog]

Today's purchase. 

2015 Citroen Berlingo multispace wheelchair accessible vehicle.

Bought out of necessity,my 83 year old Dad has Parkinson's and due to a fall in February has ended up in a wheelchair. 

Living in the sticks means a wheelchair taxi would be hideously expensive,so this will hopefully make things a bit easier carting the poor old bugger about to various appointments. 

117k,1.6 diesel,with a 5speed.

No cruise,but working A/C.

Few marks here and there,but nothing I'm bothered about.

Let's hope it's a decent tool to do the job.

Sadly it means I'll probably have to sell my beloved Mondeo after 14 years!

[Wibble]

19 minutes ago, junkyarddog said:

Today's purchase. 

2015 Citroen Berlingo multispace wheelchair accessible vehicle.

Bought out of necessity,my 83 year old Dad has Parkinson's and due to a fall in February has ended up in a wheelchair. 

Livingi n the sticks means a wheelchair taxi would be hideously expensive,so this will hopefully make things a bit easier carting the poor old bigger about to various appointments. 

117k,1.6 diesel,with a 5speed.

No cruise,but working A/C.

Few marks here and there,but nothing I'm bothered about.

Let's hope it's a decent tool to do the job.

Sadly it means I'll probably have to sell my beloved Mondeo after 14 years!

Sorry about the Mondeo but glad you’re looking after your Dad.

[jonathan_dyane]

26 minutes ago, stuboy said:

is the golf PD powered?

Yeah GT TDI 115

[High Jetter]

3 hours ago, lesapandre said:

A poet's car. I came across this today.  Poet Philip Larkin writing about his cars in the 1960's.

Larkin went on holiday returning to locations in Dublin and on the west coast he had visited via slow steam trains from Belfast in the 1950s. He calculated that he would cover at least 2,000 miles and was looking forward to testing his new car. A month earlier he had exchanged his Singer Vogue for an Austin Princess Vanden Plas which he described to novelist Barbara Pym as:

‘an enormous 4-litre Vanden Plas Princess, with a Rolls Royce engine . . . love at first sight, one of the few cars I can bear the look of . . . huge and ponderous, like an old drawing room, and does 80 without turning a hair.’

He even took a snapshot.

A VDP 4 litre R is in my dream garage. I have a soft spot for any ADO16, the VDP widened the customer pool, but the changes were only cosmetic.

[lesapandre]

Only about 7000 made in four years - an absolute shame. And production stopped in 1968 with the Leyland merger. 

A stonking 175bhp from the RR-6 - poor fuel consumption though - but very nice inside.

Could it have continued in the 'small Rolls' role? Possibly.

[EyesWeldedShut]

Had a bit of a funny turn yesterday and I committed the annual feat of waxing and valeting some of the cars - even hoovered one of them out.
Then I tinkered with the latest purchase (finished a service/check over - all good other than a weeping rocker cover gasket) and took the wee thing for a a proper spin hoon.
Jings - this really is a hidden gem It's now - officially - my wife's weapon of choice but I have permission to borrow it from time to time so long as I maintain it.

[beko1987]

12 hours ago, junkyarddog said:

Today's purchase. 

2015 Citroen Berlingo multispace wheelchair accessible vehicle.

Bought out of necessity,my 83 year old Dad has Parkinson's and due to a fall in February has ended up in a wheelchair. 

Livingi n the sticks means a wheelchair taxi would be hideously expensive,so this will hopefully make things a bit easier carting the poor old bigger about to various appointments. 

117k,1.6 diesel,with a 5speed.

No cruise,but working A/C.

Few marks here and there,but nothing I'm bothered about.

Let's hope it's a decent tool to do the job.

Sadly it means I'll probably have to sell my beloved Mondeo after 14 years!

At least it means you can take the old boy out as much as you can!

One of the small thought processes behind me trying a qashqai was it's tall-Ness. Both sets of parents and my grandparents find it much easier to get in and out of, so it means we can go out more 👌

When the ex's Nan was in her last year's of life I had an xm and it became her taxi after a while, even the ex begrudgingly drove it occasionally as we could raise the suspension right up for her to be helped in and out 😂

[lesapandre]

2 hours ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

Had a bit of a funny turn yesterday and I committed the annual feat of waxing and valeting some of the cars - even hoovered one of them out.
Then I tinkered with the latest purchase (finished a service/check over - all good other than a weeping rocker cover gasket) and took the wee thing for a a proper spin hoon.
Jings - this really is a hidden gem It's now - officially - my wife's weapon of choice but I have permission to borrow it from time to time so long as I maintain it.

Very nice cars. Very unappreciated. Bargains atm. That won't last for ever as numbers dwindle. Post 2002 ULEZ compliant.

[Split_Pin]

My SLK was great fun and I'd always wanted a silver one since having a model.of one in the late 90s. 2 seats aren't much good for me though 😞