The new news 24 thread

[Ratdat]

I've just sent an email to a guy in France who's selling a rusty car that I can't really afford. I have even worked out how much the ferry is going to cost already. I thought I was cured of all that but clearly not. 

 

All systems go! Just having a quick cup of coffee then it's off for a night-time jaunt to Dover avec Prairie et remorque. Hope I can get some Euros on board!

[320touring]

pure Vulgaloured mah motah:)

 

Painting with rattlecans iz for winnahs!

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Tell us more Ratdat!!

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I went with LankyTim to collect my new Primera GT today. As a bonus i got to drive his XM 2.5 diesel from Nantwich to Derby, and found it to be absolutely fantastic to drive. Super comfy, more than fast enough, great steering and handling, loads of space, 50 mpg, cool styling and high shite factor. Could be absolutely everything i want from a car.

[twosmoke300]

With the hondas only the dohc vtecs are the quick ones. The sohc ones are economy vtec and work differently. The 1.6 is revvy with a big jump at switch over . 1.8 just wasnt as much fun but smoother transition. At that age the hot ones will be badged as a vti unless its an import (jdm yo )

 

The 2.2 was a cracker but likes a drop of fuel and the 1.8 in the integra was something else , titanium con rods etc.

[anonymous user]

 i got to drive his XM 2.5 diesel from Nantwich to Derby, and found it to be absolutely fantastic to drive. Super comfy, more than fast enough, great steering and handling, loads of space, 50 mpg, cool styling and high shite factor. Could be absolutely everything i want from a car.

Is the Primera now a crushing disappointment?

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Not yet!!!

[Angrydicky]

Saw a couple of shiters cars yesterday. Skoze in his Capri at about 8pm last night (Eastern Avenue, London bound), and earlier on Shep Shepherd's 'TV2' outside Kirby's in Rochford, with £595 in the window. A shame to see it end up there, looked really clean for a P reg.

[Shep Shepherd]

^

 

Caveat Emptor.

[Anglevan]

Bit of an update on my fleet. The lancer screen has started to delaminate big time. Got a price for a new one £100 fitted but he can't save the mouldings so I might still use him but ill take the screen out in an attempt to save the mouldings or might contact shitsubishi to see if available.

I've also just started converting my l300 to a camper van at early stages but most parts here. Ferry booked in 3 months time so no pressure ! Had it 2 years now. Time flies.

My anglia is very nearly at starting stage after a 6 year rebuild. Capri not touched and mothballed and subaru pick up not touched. Was thinking of a separate thread if interest but time is always an issue. !

[vulgalour]

I wonder what Ratdat is collecting...  It's bound to be something very obscure with a high chance of it being just a little bit silly and yet somehow utterly practical.

[Angrydicky]

^

 

Caveat Emptor.

Indeed.

[cms206]

Took the Montego a run this morning, gave it a good scrub... then realised I can't drive it properly because it feels so nimble and precise compared to the 940.

 

Montego. Nimble. Precise.

 

Let that sink in for a minute...

 

[xtriple]

Took the dogs to the field yesterday and parked next to a Triumph Herald! It was proper shite as it was really faded and had an odd coloured drivers door, gaffa tape holding the bumper moulding on etc. But, it was obviously in everyday use and it was great to see. I took pictures of it on my phone for you lot.... but can't work out how to get them off my phone!

 

Technophobes rule!

[vulgalour]

Being told the Princess probably won't start because it's been sat idle for so long, sticking the key in the ignition and having it fire up on the first attempt.  Like my faith in the car was in any doubt whatsoever.  Of course, it did leave a trail of water all the way down the drive because of that there thermostat housing... I'll be getting a head gasket kit to rebuild the orange car's head and swap it over to resolve this as that car has a really good housing.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Blimey, a head swap for the sake of a thermostat housing. I know what a total bastard those housings are though so i can believe it.

[dave21478]

I was given one of these driving experience things as a birthday gift a while ago, so this morning was spent at my local circuit.

 

A couple of recce laps in a Nissan 4x4 while the dude talked through braking points and apex's etc then to wait my turn. It was mobbed, with dozens of folk for the morning session. There was some kind of ferrari which was easilly the loudest there, a porsche 911, a porsche caymen, a lambo, a chevrolet camaro, an audi r8 and a few scoobies and megane RS things. Im not so hot on identifying this sort of car, but they all had fancy names like supperleggera and stuff like that.

 

I was supposed to have been in the cayman, but with several people driving quite slowly and time running out I was bumped into the Camaro instead. It was some kind of special version running close to 500bhp and sounded fabulous.

The laps zipped by in what seemed like milliseconds, with the instructor sitting in the passenger seat looking non-plussed and occasionally shouting at me for turning in too early.

 

I used to do trackdays years ago in a pug 205 mi16, but this was another level altogether, with the car just surging forwards in a massive wall of torque at the slightest shove of the pedal.

 

 

The drive home in the c15 van seemed grimmer than normal for some reason!

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Cheq out this fruitcake i just spotted

 

[richardmorris]

Head gasket finished I've just heard but it's developed a misfire on 2 and 5 so now he's checking the coil wiring on the loom that Mercedes in their wisdom made out of dried pasta.

[gordonbennet]

Head gasket finished I've just heard but it's developed a misfire on 2 and 5 so now he's checking the coil wiring on the loom that Mercedes in their wisdom made out of dried pasta.

 

Hell fire, that's the first bloody thing he should have done (checked minutely) before starting the job, a MB indy of all people should know that.

[richardmorris]

Ah, well it was running perfectly before so presumably it's just disturbed something. It was the main thing I was worried about but he says it's not a huge problem as repair patches can be madeup without wholesale replacement.

 

I've had it two years now, and with this expenditure will need to keep it a couple more - not a bad thing as I've no idea what to replace it with.

 

I've long stopped worrying about cars when they're with someone to fix them rather than with me at the side of the road A glass of wine helps too  - nice NZ sauvignon blanc 1/3 off at waitrose. But if you want big bargains, ALDI's exclusive range is pretty good.

[wuvvum]

This morning saw me getting up at the crack of sparrow fart again to set off on yet another ridiculously long mission to collect yet another ancient scooter.  This time it was this bad boy:

 

 

It's a 1983 Honda NH125.  It's another two-stroke, but this time I knew that before I bought it.  I had the 80cc version a few years back which I used to buzz to work on, and it was a nice little thing but rather underpowered for A-road commuting, its top speed being around 40.  This one goes substantially better - it maxes out at just over 50 but gets there in very short order.  It's quite torquey for a two-stroke, and the bike is pretty light for a 125 (about 89kg), so it's proper nippy off the line.

 

It's cosmetically a bit scruffy, but the mechanics seem in good fettle - it's only done just over 7K miles from new.  It was £25 more than the Beluga, but it's taxed and MOT'd and ready to go so probably a much better buy.  It was even small enough to shoehorn into the back of the Scenic so no van hire shenanigans required - and the Renner managed about 54mpg over the 400 mile round trip (to Seaford in Sussex), which is rather better than the 38 that the Peugeot Expert I hired managed over a similar distance.  The old crate didn't miss a beat all the way, although I did have to chuck a litre of oil in when I got to Seaford. 

 

It wasn't a bad run - traffic wasn't bad at all until I hit the south coast.  Disappointingly little shite in evidence for a bank holiday weekend though.  I was overtaken by a speeding H-reg AX 10E on the way down the M23, and overtook an immaculate beige 1967 Commer camper on the way back up.  Passed a Citroën Traction Avant going the other way on the A11, and was overflown by a de Havilland DH89 just north of Stansted, but that was about it.  Shitloads of VW campers though, obvs.  I also saw a modern car the existence of which I was hitherto unaware of - a Mercedes CLA.  Hideous thing from every angle - looks like a C-Class that's melted in the microwave.  The CLS sort of works (I think anyway), but at 2/3rds scale it just looks ridiculous.

[gordonbennet]

I like the cut of your jib Richard.

 

Problem with the looms on our cars isn't the fact they fail, its that when they do, the coils shorting back can spike the ECU output transistors.

 

Yes i have that T shirt.

 

edit....a proper repair section is made by MB for this very problem, it may or may not work.

[richardmorris]

I like the cut of your jib Richard.

 

Problem with the looms on our cars isn't the fact they fail, its that when they do, the coils shorting back can spike the ECU output transistors.

 

Yes i have that T shirt.

 

edit....a proper repair section is made by MB for this very problem, it may or may not work.

 

 

I have heard about that too. But, I've had two glasses now, and am in an easy-come easy-go mood. Slightly helped by the fact that I don't actually need the car for a while - it does take the pressure off. Of course if it needs a loom and ecu I may have to sell a kidney!

[richardmorris]

This morning saw me getting up at the crack of sparrow fart again to set off on yet another ridiculously long mission to collect yet another ancient scooter.  This time it was this bad boy:

 

 

You could date that to early 80's by the styling - it looks like a space invaders machine; all straight lines and lights

[gordonbennet]

I have heard about that too. But, I've had two glasses now, and am in an easy-come easy-go mood. Slightly helped by the fact that I don't actually need the car for a while - it does take the pressure off. Of course if it needs a loom and ecu I may have to sell a kidney!

 

If it needs a loom then there's no getting away from that...indeed should i ever buy another 124 then a new one will be the very first job i get done.

 

All is not lost if its spiked the ECU, i have had two repaired well some years ago,  the present car still going strong, by the chap on the Isle of Wight, http://www.carelect.demon.co.uk/ , and my indy, a man not easily impressed seems to be impressed by BBA Reman too.

 

Be wary, following the first ECU failure on an earlier 124 i thought the isle of wight mans charges to be a bit steep, circa £300 all in incl 2 way postage, so tried 2 other places that appeared to offer cheaper solutions when the second one failed.

Boy what a mistake that was, i found, nearly to my heavy cost that an impressive sounding and looking website means absolutely bugger all.

First place i sent it to could find no fault at all, second shyster came up with all sorts of bollocks about the perts which had failed be unobtainium, and to cut postage costs for me, how kind, suggested he didn't send my ''scrap'' unit back, i smelt a rat, so insisted it was returned...as precaution i'd photographed and taken notes of every number on the thing and noted marks from years of use, sure enough i got the unit back.

 

Then did what i should have done i the first place, sent the unit to the man who can and not been a twat trying to save meself a hundred quid...nearly a £1500 lesson that, i'm certain the second wide boy wanted the unit for parts or for onward sale.

A week later the unit came back fully repaired and the car runs perfectly many years later.

 

What you need to know Richard is that if you have the green/red door lock lights on the drivers door and the boot lock, then your ECU is unique to your car, it will not work in another car so its not a case of buy an ecu to fit and bung it on.

[richardmorris]

Interesting! Actually mine is a '94 so just before these mercedes green/red locks. It had a scorpion remote locking system when I got the car (sticker on the window says "fitted with a mercedes benz approved alarm") but we killed that last year.

 

I will keep you informed / bore you to death  - delete as desired

[derskine]

Bloody french cars.

On its maiden razz after fixing the rust issues on the drivers side, the 18 cut out just after I picked my mate up and wouldn't start again.

Most electrics not working, no spark, no heater blower, no headlights, indicators, brake lights, central locking, electric windows or horn.

Dash lights still work and car still turns over on the starter fine.

Someone has suggested the neg terminal to body connectors and they look pretty corroded to be honest so this will be my first port of call tomorrow.

[Micrashed]

Ive seen a car that tickles my fancy.

 

Train ticket to Poole - £59

6 hours.....

 

Hmmmm

[Cavcraft]

Love that Honda (scooter) and as it's a two stroke it just makes it even better. Hat doffed in your general direction, Wuvvum.