The new news 24 thread

[Zelandeth]

2 hours ago, Snake Charmer said:

Twice today l have encountered interior mirrors with stickers on covering 1/3 of the rear view.  A new level of fuckwitery over all the shite stuck in the windscreen or hanging from the mirror.

Had to put 3.5ltrs of oil in one car to test it too.

It's the folks driving around with phone stuck to the windscreen RIGHT in the middle of their field of view that really gets me.  Often immediately next to a dash cam just so they have evidence of their fuckwittery when they blindly drive off a cliff.  

Or sadly more likely mow some poor sod down at a pedestrian crossing or run into the back of stopped traffic.  Somehow it'll never be their fault though.

[EyesWeldedShut]

Did some car work* yesterday.
FreeLander 1 with water ingress. Front two mini-sunroofs were fine - the rear 'removeable' top thing?

Early shot of me pulling out TigerSeal. I ended up with what must be about two full cartridges worth. Every, single seal on the back (including those front to rear mouldings in the solid fibreglass roof (?) was slathered. They'd got so much in that the internal guttering arrangement was blocked at the front corners - water was just pooling in the top section until either you put the brakes on (wet head) or go around a roundabout (wet lap).
Took bloody ages.
Cleaned and lubed up all the seals (messy, messy crud everywhere) put it all together and it's at least garden hose tight -need a good storm now

 

 

[lesapandre]

Flea market find today - 1999.

[lesapandre]

And more...

[lesapandre]

9 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

It's the folks driving around with phone stuck to the windscreen RIGHT in the middle of their field of view that really gets me.  Often immediately next to a dash cam just so they have evidence of their fuckwittery when they blindly drive off a cliff.  

Or sadly more likely mow some poor sod down at a pedestrian crossing or run into the back of stopped traffic.  Somehow it'll never be their fault though.

Or dozens of stuffed toys on the dash or windows. Mad.

[barefoot]

Anyone seen this bizarre predictive Lexus/Bose suspension?

 

[MVX11V]

42 minutes ago, barefoot said:

Anyone seen this bizarre predictive Lexus/Bose suspension?

 

Amazing, but since I'm sooo0 busy at work, it lead me down a rabbit hole where the byd yangwang U9 appeared. Is that some kind of black magic?

[horriblemercedes]

1 hour ago, barefoot said:

Anyone seen this bizarre predictive Lexus/Bose suspension?

 

I remember it in Autocar years ago. They did a couple of pages on it.

I've never seen it in action though

[EyesWeldedShut]

I think the next two jobs have turned up.
CLK: pad wear warning, wife panicking. Told her it's just the sensor - either that or the inner pad that holds the sensor is at zero while the outer (visible) pad is at about 10mm. (!) She decided to road test the FreeLoader instead.
I think the n/s handbrake cable needs some work  :

[artdjones]

1 hour ago, lesapandre said:

Flea market find today - 1999.

It's amazing how many manuals Haynes did, even for foreign built cars that couldn't have sold more than a few thousand. And they had the competition of Autodata, who made superior manuals (in my opinion).

[Schaefft]

3 hours ago, horriblemercedes said:

I remember it in Autocar years ago. They did a couple of pages on it.

I've never seen it in action though

One of the prototypes ended up on Craigslist not too long ago, which is incredible to think about. There's a whole story about that, too. A guy ended up buying it as parts car since so many components were just too specific to the bose setup to ever work again.

[alcyonecorporation]

Took Amazon for a very short spin (as I was in North Wales for family stuff). 



It is fairly happy, but it could do with new door seals all round (they're a bit shit and let water in) and a new wiring loom, as the original is horribly bodged (and indirectly responsible for it cutting out at junctions, which it now doesn't do most of the time). 

[loserone]

I always forget you have that.  Another very smart car.

[Fat_Pirate]

Exciting Qashqai news:

[alcyonecorporation]

On 26/11/2025 at 23:36, loserone said:

I always forget you have that.  Another very smart car.

Probably the smartest old thing I have. I forget I have it, sometimes. I live so far away and it's a bit of a mission even from my folks' to go and get it. 

And it can still throw strops. And it leaks. And the interior is a shit house. And I lost half the garage to a Beetle 1500 belonging to another famalam. 

The 605 could be very nice if my invoices were actually paid! 

I have a question for @LightBulbFun about the Volvo's V5, too. 



It says there was a log book issued in 2012 - there bloody wasn't, I bought the bleeder in 2006! 
Is this an internal update, or was this the red fronted V5 that was updated (I presume around that time)?

There's a similarly dated one for the Beetle 1500 it lives with now - although that may well have been when my aunts traded it back between themselves. 

[RayMK]

51 minutes ago, alcyonecorporation said:

Probably the smartest old thing I have. I forget I have it, sometimes. I live so far away and it's a bit of a mission even from my folks' to go and get it. 

And it can still throw strops. And it leaks. And the interior is a shit house. And I lost half the garage to a Beetle 1500 belonging to another famalam. 

The 605 could be very nice if my invoices were actually paid! 

I have a question for @LightBulbFun about the Volvo's V5, too. 



It says there was a log book issued in 2012 - there bloody wasn't, I bought the bleeder in 2006! 
Is this an internal update, or was this the red fronted V5 that was updated (I presume around that time)?

There's a similarly dated one for the Beetle 1500 it lives with now - although that may well have been when my aunts traded it back between them. 

AI, which I know we all trust* says:

The V5 registration document was first introduced in 2004, though it has undergone several updates since then. The blue and green version was introduced in 2004, followed by a newer red and pink version in 2012, and a further update that took effect in April 2019. 

[IronStar]

You know how sensible people get rid of cars when there’s upwards of 2x of the car’s value in repairs needed? 
My Alfa 156 is really at that point. So I did the sensible thing.

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Hello 119 injectors and R65 high pressure pump. I’m also looking for 1756VK turbo.

Yes, of course I’m not just fixing it, I’m making it significantly faster. 🙈😄

[LightBulbFun]

1 hour ago, alcyonecorporation said:

Probably the smartest old thing I have. I forget I have it, sometimes. I live so far away and it's a bit of a mission even from my folks' to go and get it. 

And it can still throw strops. And it leaks. And the interior is a shit house. And I lost half the garage to a Beetle 1500 belonging to another famalam. 

The 605 could be very nice if my invoices were actually paid! 

I have a question for @LightBulbFun about the Volvo's V5, too. 



It says there was a log book issued in 2012 - there bloody wasn't, I bought the bleeder in 2006! 
Is this an internal update, or was this the red fronted V5 that was updated (I presume around that time)?

There's a similarly dated one for the Beetle 1500 it lives with now - although that may well have been when my aunts traded it back between them. 

that would of indeed been for the Red V5c, they issued  one to every active vehicle at the time after a bunch of blue logbook blanks got stolen

44 minutes ago, RayMK said:

AI, which I know we all trust* says:

The V5 registration document was first introduced in 2004, though it has undergone several updates since then. The blue and green version was introduced in 2004, followed by a newer red and pink version in 2012, and a further update that took effect in April 2019. 

the V5 was introduced with the introduction of Vehicle record computerisation starting on the 1st of October 1974, here is an original A suffix serial letter (with no document revision date) V5  

 

 

[RayMK]

@LightBulbFun  I have found Google AI assisted answers to be different according to how you ask the question (hence my asterisk  in previous post).  E.g.:

Q: When was the v5 introduced?

AI Answer: The V5 registration document was first introduced in 2004, though it has undergone several updates since then. The blue and green version was introduced in 2004, followed by a newer red and pink version in 2012, and a further update that took effect in April 2019. 

Q: Was the v5 introduced in October 1974? 

AI Answer:  

Yes, the V5 vehicle registration document system was introduced as part of the computerisation of vehicle records on 

October 1st, 1974, when responsibility for vehicle registration was centralised by the Department of Transport (now the DVLA). 

Before this date, vehicle registration was handled by local County and Borough Councils, which used paper logbooks (RF60 forms). The process of digitising all existing records from paper logbooks into the new V5 system continued for several years, lasting until around November 1983. 

 

No doubt students have to be careful when getting AI to do their homework 😆.

[alcyonecorporation]

6 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

that would of indeed been for the Red V5c, they issued  one to every active vehicle at the time after a bunch of blue logbook blanks got stolen

the V5 was introduced with the introduction of Vehicle record computerisation starting on the 1st of October 1974, here is an original A suffix serial letter (with no document revision date) V5  

 

 

Ah yes, that well-known anime, Gunsmith...Tractor. 

[Lacquer Peel]

Fixed. 

The garage reckons the front springs are too tall, sending the rear end downwards but I want the tall springs all around - does anyone know which model is fitted with tall rear springs? I think I read that the convertible rear springs are taller. 

The W124 is infallible. 

[BorniteIdentity]

Can anyone help me with an absolute mystery on my Avensis?  I was going to text @Spottedlaurelbut wasn't sure he'd know.

So.  The Toyota.  A little hesitant under big load so thought I'd start with the leads.  They're overdue.  Three changed (albeit a bit of a war as I'm not the most dexterous) but the fourth?  It's queer.

See here on the coil pack how it's different? Right angled plug for a start.

The 'tip' (fnar fnar) looks female.  Has a hole

But the new set is all like this?

So it won't seat.  It'll rest over the coil pack but wont latch or stay put.  

What is going on?! I'm confused as the other lead on that coil pack is now a new one and sits fine.  All four new leads in the set match, there's no king lead as it's a coil pack and not dizzy set up.

My head is about to explode.

Thanks for any help.  

Dx

[BorniteIdentity]

7 minutes ago, BorniteIdentity said:

Can anyone help me with an absolute mystery on my Avensis?  I was going to text @Spottedlaurelbut wasn't sure he'd know.

So.  The Toyota.  A little hesitant under big load so thought I'd start with the leads.  They're overdue.  Three changed (albeit a bit of a war as I'm not the most dexterous) but the fourth?  It's queer.

See here on the coil pack how it's different? Right angled plug for a start.

The 'tip' (fnar fnar) looks female.  Has a hole

But the new set is all like this?

So it won't seat.  It'll rest over the coil pack but wont latch or stay put.  

What is going on?! I'm confused as the other lead on that coil pack is now a new one and sits fine.  All four new leads in the set match, there's no king lead as it's a coil pack and not dizzy set up.

My head is about to explode.

Thanks for any help.  

Dx

Ugh - I'm guessing the sleeve of the old one is still on the pack?

[SiC]

3 hours ago, BorniteIdentity said:

Ugh - I'm guessing the sleeve of the old one is still on the pack?

That would be my guess going by the crusty end of that lead.

Long nose pliers maybe?

Or a small flat headed screwdriver down the hole to try pulling it up with friction/pointy end dug in the metal?

Probably easier to do with the coil pack off the car.

At least worse case it's only a new coil pack.

[mat777]

When the weather outside is frightful 

And the barn is jam-packed shite full 

Something really has to go 

So back to swearing at this Range-Ro 

[purplebargeken]

Let it go, let it go….. let it go.

[stuboy]

Carrier arrived.. old pins and grease removed, new grease, gaiters and slide pins, finally the weather held up today so fitted it, and just last bolt on caliper heavens opened up !!, got wheel on and all torqued up, quick test drive and brakes much better, finally on all 4 wheels after 10 days...

[davehedgehog31]

The Halfords sale is a dangerous mistress, between a blue light card code, discounted gift cards and cashback I got this big Halfords Advanced toolbox set for £370. It's huge and very good quality for the money.

I then tried and failed to resist the draw of their 200 piece socket set, I probably have pretty much everything in this already, but for £144 it was too cheap... Especially when you can burst something and just walk into the shop and be handed a replacement.

 

[Hawkeyethenoo]

Permanent fault pointing to an ABS sensor replaced with a genuine Mopar part very recently indeed. More on this story later. 

 

 

[calebaaront]

My new daily, a 4.3 V6 Chevy Astro!