The new news 24 thread

[dollywobbler]

In happier news, Ebay have refunded my seller fee on the Peugeot. I did finally get an email from the 'buyer' saying that his son was just messing about. I shall remember Wuv's tip next time and set buyer preferences to exclude zero feedback folk.

[coalnotdole]

I've Just got back from the DVLA local office (which was packed)

 

The Rebel van is now a Historic Vehicle and I can expect a tax refund in the post in a few weeks time.

[worldofceri]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/230339435882

 

The original front number plate on my 405 was pretty rotten so I got a pair of these as I needed a trailer plate anyway. Saves messing with post-2001 font plates on an old car, which look awful, and plastic plates that degrade very quickly.

 

Have you got any pictures of these? £20 a pair seems quite good for ally plates; not sure if they'd look right on a V reg Volvo but I'd quite like to get rid of the post '01 font I've got now.

[cms206]

Was put "on loan" to the company we share a yard with today to take an 09-plate Optare Solo down for a pre-MOT brake and light check. I am not a fan of Solos at the best of times but there definately seemed to be a lack of brakes and the retarder was engaging at random, and occasionally not disengaging, or engaging at at all. It kept losing throttle as well, which made for some interesting roundabout incidents. Phoned the depot, "It's fine, the brakes have just been rebuilt. They'll just need bedded in."

 

Went a run for half an hour, got the brakes nice and warm, then went for the pre-test. I have to say I was impressed at how well it failed.

 

 

A quite comprehensive 94% imbalance on the back brakes. Never seen a fail quite so spectacular on something quite so new.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

The Scorpio has gone in to get the (supermarket?) dent sorted. In the interests of keeping my blood pressure within reasonable levels, I didn't take any pics of the damage...

[cms206]

YAY - it appears I've fixed the central locking on the Cavalier Classic!

BOO - header tank is hissing coolant through the cap. Bollocks.

[CreepingJesus]

Surprised myself this morning: I followed an immaculate E-plate Capri 280 along the road. Had something to do, so I hoped it would head for the Tesco, so I could hunt it down, and snap it on the way back. No, it turned into the crematorium, along with various other cars (some of them black...), and when I went back that way, it was sat there in the crem car park, all lovely and green. Could I bring myself to drive into the crem car park, snap it and bugger off? No.

I've done some daft, unlikely, and plain old dodgy things to add to my scalps, in my great automotive I-Spy game; but somehow that just seemed disrespectful. I'm not sure whether I'm pleased or disappointed with myself! Normally if a spot gets away, I just keep my eye out for it. They usually turn up again sooner or later; I'm not so sure about this one. Ho hum.

Still, I consoled myself by chipping away at the Volvo's minor issues. It didn't take me long to track down the lack of washer fluid at the rear window. Push the button, and the pump whirrs ok...but there's washer water dripping off the front bumper. Probly just the pipe then, 'cos the front one works fine, and doesn't piss bright green fluid onto the street (Halfords screenwash looks like nuclear effluent!). Pleasingly, the bottle's fairly easy to get to, unlike some, so that'll be getting bodged when I've got 10 minutes.

 

EDIT: Easy fix. I get the tools out, select the right ones, think about it. Have smoke, chuck dog-end in puddle of nuclear effluent, fail to incinerate street. Replace JPS with tiny torch, peer into mass of loom and rubber tubes...oh hello end of rear washer hose, hiding in a corner. Why don't I push you onto this vacant bit of T-junction? Crikey jings help ma boab, is that dilute nuclear effluent on my manky rear screen? Why yes it is. Pack up, stride into house proclaiming titanic victory. Just between you and me, it*

[Cavcraft]

Pre-MOT carried out on the Aldi. Not too bad: drop link, fuel pump gaskets and maybe a tyre.

[cort16]

GM create an Alliance with Peugeot. This is surely near on the perfect recipe for the shitest car ever made. It just needs a sprinkling of the shitey dust used to to turn those Lancia's into Chryslers and it'll be perfect.

 

http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/emergency_news/0229_psa

[cobblers]

GM create an Alliance with Peugeot

If the resulting vehicle isn't so mind bogglingly wank that it puts the Alfa Romeo Arna to shame, I'll eat some hats.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

GM create an Alliance with Peugeot. This is surely near on the perfect recipe for the shitest car ever made.

 

You (almost) read it here first. See my posts in latest 'Vauxhalls are/aren't shit' thread.

[Pete-M]

Starship mileage 5 series off to a new home.

 

I'm actually quite sad that it's going, but I'm totally out of space and any real use for it now the Heep is back on the road.

[trigger]

After a lot of faffing about I've managed to get my Cortina exhaust sorted, It's cost me £137 which wasn't expected and that's not including the £40 rear box which was wrong.

 

New Exhaust! by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr

 

Still it's nice and quiet now and the cabin doesn't smell of exhaust fumes any more which is nice.

 

1974 Ford Cortina 2000 XL Mk3 by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr

[Cavcraft]

I was 'lucky' enough to drive one of these this week

 

Admittedly not (driven) very far but that wasn't such a bad thing. Dash mounted gearstick was a bit fiddly, the interior plastics appeared to be made from Mondeo Mk2 bumpers and the door windows are hopelessly, laughably small. No wonder you see so many riddled with dents.

Pulled well though and the back was enormous. Not sure I'd fancy one as a daily driver.

[Wilko220]

Dash mounted gearstick was a bit fiddly

 

I just don't get dash mounted gearsticks in vans. What the hell is wrong with a big stick coming out of the floor? I actually don't think it's possible to buy a van (other than a car-derived one) without a dash mounted gearstick now, is it? Makes no sense to me.

[dollywobbler]

I drive one regularly. They're ok. You sit so far away from the side windows though. Very odd and not that nice. Visibility is pretty poor. I hate the pedal position - they're very oddly spaced - but the clunky gearchange is easy enough to get used to. I severely dislike the right-hand handbrake, especially as its too low down. I much prefer driving the VW Crafters we've got, or even the older Merc Sprinter. They've got really nice dash-mounted gearsticks. The Sprinter especially is much nicer than the year-older VW LT with clunky floor-mount. I prefer a dash-mount myself.

[Negative Creep]

Using my bodywork "skills" to repair the OAP scars and door rust. Went on ok, but 26 year old metallic paint and the fact it's an odd colour means the paint match isn't great. Might have to repaint the whole bumper, but at nearly £16 a can it's not something I'm looking forward to

[Pete-M]

More Jeep fettling today.

 

Discovered that camber isn't adjustable by itself on 'em, have to adjust the caster and toe in order to bring in the camber.

 

Bloody weird setup. Still, it drives a bit nicer now.

[cobblers]

My van is lowered quite a bit (but nowhere near enough) and the front end is well underdamped, and the stock dampers are too long really so it's on the bump stops more often than I'd like.

I emailed GAZ about some custom adjustable dampers making, about 50mm shorter to give me a bit more travel. Was mega surprised when they said they could do some for £50 a corner.

That's cheaper than anything "off the shelf", plus they will be the right size, and adjustable. Well happy!

I'm going to strip the old dampers off the van we're weighing in and send them down as patterns.

 

Even if you aren't an idiot like me who wastes loads of money making a panel van marginally closer to the ground, £50 a corner for custom made, adjustable dampers is good, especially if you've got some obscure motor with nothing available.

 

I think I'll get them to do a pair for the rear while I'm at it.

[Pete-M]

Yet more Jeep fettling today. Front anti-roll bar bushes. Piece of piss to do and it's made another big difference. It's actually quite nice to drive now. Once the exhaust manifold blow has been fixed it'll be very quiet, too.

 

Anyway the reason The Heep has been on the receiving end of a load of fettling this week is I realised to run it is remarkably inexpensive. Daft really, with driving new diesels all day and always seeing 50.something MPG on the fuel readouts the Heep has been making me miserable with 13.something on the computer readout in town.

 

Then I did the maths.

 

LPG is 68.9p/litre near me, petrol is 136.9. Diesel is 146.9. The Heep MPG-o-Meter is US gallons so needs VAT adding to get the correct MPG.

 

13 x 1.2 = 15.6 MPG (UK).

68.9 x 4.546 = £3.13 for a gallon of LPG.

136.9 x 4.546 = £6.22 for a gallon of unleaded

146.9 x 4.546 = £6.67 for a gallon of diesel.

 

So, unleaded is 1.987 times the price of LPG meaning that my lousy 15.6 mpg is the cost equivalent of 30.99 mpg on petrol or 33.22 mpg on diesel.

 

On a run the Heep will just about do 20 US MPG on the computer. Which is 24 proper MPG. So on a run I'm paying for 47.68 mpg (petrol) or 51.12 mpg (diesel).

 

LPG rocketh mightily. Who needs a diesel 4x4 when LPG ones exist?

[cms206]

Passed a 12-plate Suzuki Kizashi today - guaranteed futureshite?

 

 

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/firstdrives/275212/suzuki_kizashi.html

[Shep Shepherd]

Changed TV2's engine oil and filter using the facilities* at work today. The job took me 40 minutes from start to finish, and for once I didn't get any of the old oil on the ground

 

I'd like to do the same job on The Volvo tomorrow, but I think that the weather will prevent me from doing so...

 

 

 

*A clean, dry and level piece of concrete in one of the disused trailer storage compounds

[Negative Creep]

More bodywork and rear drums painted (black, which is the only permissable colour)

[HMC]

Had a quite productive saturday. Got the p4 back from my local bodyman, where basically the car had had a lower half respray in the original dove grey. Once back home I removed the knackered and ripped original leather seats, and replaced with a better second hand set.

[eddyramrod]

Now that's nice! Next-door had a 90 back in the early 70s, I remember it well. Huge red leather benches, and it always seemed dark inside compared to outside. It was like a mobile living-room.

[ashmicro]

That Rover is stunning.

[DSdriver]

In the news today: 3 used-to-be-Russian scrotes banged up for nicking over 150 Sprinters from Heathrow area. Must have had a white van fetish.

[j-j]

Had a quite productive saturday. Got the p4 back from my local bodyman, where basically the car had had a lower half respray in the original dove grey. Once back home I removed the knackered and ripped original leather seats, and replaced with a better second hand set.

 

This is awesome and that colour is just right. Really nice.

[Cavcraft]

+ infinity on the Rover, it's lovely!

 

280 odd miles in the Merc this weekend. Snowed coming back over the Peak District (between Sheffield and M/cr) today and some wankshaft in an Astra estate decided to stick about 3mm from my back bumper, so I just slowed down a bit to piss him off.

Cracked 31.9mpg and discovered that the new weapon of choice for shiney suited gobshites is an Audi 2.0TDi of some sort, two of which were despatched with ease to small objects in the rear view mirror on the M56 and M53 respectively.

The rev counter decided to throw it's hand in when a few miles are done then mysteriously works again once the engine's been switched off. Was pleasant to just waft along then occasionally give it some right foot action and I'm obv. glad we didn't take the Corsa as first planned.

Oh, and Lincoln appears to be THE private reg. plate capital of the world.

[Lankytim]

My mum was hit by a motorbike and killed while crossing a road on Thursday evening. Still taking it in really and trying to keep it together for Dad's sake. So much to do and take care of, Police liason officers, insurers e.t.c. The guy on the bike was injured but is out of hospital now, I feel pretty bad for him really. Just sounds like a terrible accident rather than any sort of recklessness on his part. He has made a full statement to the police (rather than just saying "no comment") and has expressed his deep remorse and regret. Unfortunately he has admitted to having no insurance so at the very least he will be getting done for "causing death through driving while uninsured" which quite often means prison and a pretty long ban.

 

So begins the endless merry go round of Coroners reports, solicitors, and Police statements,