The new news 24 thread

[outlaw118]

I'm going to break my silence to add to the many words of condolences Tim; we've never met, but thanks to forums like AS we get to "virtually" meet people on a daily basis. As has been said before, you're among friends here, and nobody is going to complain if you feel the need to "grump" and vent a bit.

Best wishes mate, hope all the shite you're wading through at the moment is straightforward and not too soul-destroying.

 

Bob.

[RoadworkUK]

Glad you're still out there, Bob...

 

Tim, I know I'm late to the condolency party, I've only just caught up with the site after a few days working on houseshite, but I felt moved to report that reading your sad news had me sobbing. I'm desparately sorry to hear about your Mum. For me life's been going pretty wonderfully of late, so much so that I'd lost sight of reality and that your world can be turned upside down without a moment's provokation. I must add, though, that I'm blown away and quite moved by the way this place rallies around when support is needed.

 

Hope your sun starts shining soon, Tim.

[Craig the Princess]

All my condolences Tim, really sorry for your loss.

[wuvvum]

Oops, not been on this thread for a few days. Condolences to you and yours LT.

[Father Ted]

Condolances Tim, I know how much stuff there was to sort out when "Father" Father Ted passed on.

 

In Motoring News the C8 passed its MOT yesterday with only minor 6am fitting of new wheels and swearing madly at Citroens bloody silly spare wheel hanger arrangement.

[Lord Sterling]

My deepest of condolences Tim. My thoughts are with you.

[John F]

My condolences as well, Tim.

[Lankytim]

.. oops, double post.

[Lankytim]

Feel free to talk about anything else, I don't want this thread to end up all doom and gloom because of me!

 

My Dad rang earlier on and told me about a weird coincidence. He was visiting my Mums family in Coventry and spoke to one of Mums sisters. She had just come off the phone to her daughter who is a chiropodist. Apparently she was working with a client and telling him about what happened to her Aunt. Turns out the client was actually at the scene of the accident. He witnessed the guy on the bike driving recklessly and stayed with Mum until the ambulance arrived. He didn't see the accident happen but he did say that it was obvious Mum had died instantly, which Isn't nice to think about but I guess i'ts better than lingering on and suffering.

 

What are the chances of that eh? Accident happened 30 miles away in Birmingham and a family member randomly starts chatting to someone who happened to be there. We have his details and have passed it onto the rozzers, who will probably want to speak to him . We'l see.

[Shep Shepherd]

^

That's more than a little bit spooky

[Lankytim]

It is a bit.... I'm not sure if I believe it, but its what my Dad told me.

[Shep Shepherd]

If your Dad told you, then it must be true!

 

Pawnote: I feel bad about going on A55s, Volvos, etc. at the weekend when everyone else was offering their sympathies. Sorry about that

[red5]

Condolences to you and yours mate. Only just seen it.

[red5]

On a car-related note, tomorrow is the first day of using the TR7 as my daily driver. Oooer.

 

Despite the n/s/f wheel bearing being on the A14 somewhere, no carpet, window dropping on me as I drive and a chocolate layshaft.

 

Can't wait.

[barefoot]

the 944 appears to have developed (again) rattly tappets.

Fires up fine without a grumble, potters along for a couple of hundred yards & then sounds like a bag of spanners for a mile or so.

After that, as sound as a whatsisname.

Unlikely to be serious since all were replaced at horrendous cost a couple of years ago,

So nipping down to the specialist for a flush, an oil change and an addition of additive (sawdust & hypoid)!

 

And arse biscuit of arse biscuits, been planning to re-tax the van & get it back on the road beginning of April and what had I forgotten?

Have to re-tax Scirocco the same day.

[Shep Shepherd]

Finally got around to buying a replacement overdrive solenoid for The Volvo. Salvation awaits?

[cort16]

I had this to drive yesterday. It's an A5 3.0TDi Quattro. By crikey it can shift but I was a bit meeugh with the rest of the car especially given it's 45 gran d!

 

a5 by cort16, on Flickr

[R9UKE]

A5s really bore the life outta me. Well, any Audi to be honest, apart from the Q7 as they're almost always driven by desperate housewives.

 

How someone could spend £45k on that is beyond me!

[Rocket88]

A5s really bore the life outta me. Well, any Audi to be honest, apart from the Q7 as they're almost always driven by desperate housewives.

 

I think a quick once round the block in my mate's RS6 could possibly change your mind...............550 bhp [remapped] bloody terrifying!

[cort16]

I've got an A6 TDi and it's yawn tastic. You really want one with petrol v8 (or v10 for the RS6 and S) and Quattro for it to be exciting.

Colc I drove one of those RS6+ with 550bhp and it's the most terrifying thing I've ever driven. It was liking eating a really, really hot curry. You've no time to think you're just holding on going AAAAAAAAAAAAARGGHHHH!

[Shep Shepherd]

Changed The Volvo's engine oil and filter this morning, as not only did I have enough new oil left over from TV2's oil and filter change and a new oil filter to hand, the last time I did the job on the car was in October 2010, much to my chagrin.

 

The job only took an hour from start to finish but it wasn't made that easy by my losing the sump plug in the drainer can - I ended up having to cut a hole in said can to retrieve it, thus destroying it. Not only that, the old oil filter was extremely reluctant to come off the engine due to how long it had been in situ - after a lot of hard thought, I hammered a big screwdriver through its body, which I used as a lever to get it to unscrew, something which I have never had to do before.

 

Anyway, the engine seems run better as a result of the oil and filter change, and it doesn't seem to have suffered from having the same oil and filter for almost a year and a half, which is good. I won't be leaving it for so long in the future

 

Hopefully, I'll get around to replacing the car's overdrive solenoid within the next couple of weeks, thus restoring normal transmission operation and allowing me to use the car for long trips once again, which it really excels at

 

I also installed one of my recently-purchased fire extinguishers in the car's boot, it taking the place of the Firemaster BCF/Halon one which had been in the car from new and at some point over the past nine years had emptied itself, and was therefore not only technically illegal due to being doubleplusozoneunfriendly, but useless too. Note the sticker on the side of it:

 

 

If I recall correctly, there was a lot of fuss in the media in the late 1980s and early 1990s about burning unleaded petrol being harder to extinguish than leaded. Never had any problems, myself...

[Cavcraft]

Quite like the look of most modern Aldis but forty five large for a poncey saloon is just stupid.

[Father Ted]

I used to have a Halon extinguisher nabbed from Woolyworths, used in anger on a back seat fire from a carelessly discarded dimp.

[sporty-shite]

New addition to the family fleet collected today. Bought Mrs S a Lupo as a tide-me-over for when the 156 sells, so we don't have to rush into buying her another car.

 

Have to clean the 156 tomorrow, and hopefully get it in the Trader for weekend. Window-lickers and dreamers ahoy!

[wuvvum]

The A3 passed its MoT today. Now I have to decide whether I'm going to attempt to fix the faulty speedo, oil pressure switch and passenger door window, or whether to just flog it as it is for less money. The thing owes me about £450 so I'm unlikely to lose money on it even if I just sell it as it is - it's a tidy car for a V-reg and drives well. Might bung it on Gumtree at the weekend and see what happens.

[HillmanImp]

Quite like the look of most modern Aldis but forty five large for a poncey saloon is just stupid.

 

Yeah but most of them will be fleet company cars bought in bulk at a knock down price. Any mug who buys one himself to keep up with the Jones's is a fuggin idiot.

 

Re the fire extinguisher, I got one of those ones you stick on the wall of your kitchen but did not read the 'only use once' sticker. When the Imp was on its side it was laid on several layers of cardboard for cushioning. Had a small fire whilst welding and put it out with the extinguisher. A week later had a BIG fire and went to use it again. Nothing. Panic as I have to wait for the electric garage door to slowly open and I unlock the back door, run into the house and fill up the kettle with water and run out to put out the fire which was properly flaming by then.

 

Scary monkeys.

[Cavcraft]

Nothing too exciting to report, but I have started some MODS on the spaz chariot. Trial fit of the mirrors and with a bit of work (read shit metal bracket) seems to suggest they'll fit.

 

 

I think it runs on car batteries (or at least some form of 12V ones) so the potential to fit a CD player and some spot lights is there. Obv. if I'm going to have any form of lighting it'll have to be some blue neons down the sides but maybe a single rottating orange flashing light on a stick behind the seat would look better?

[eddyramrod]

I thought you had a grey one? Is this red one the swapper you mentioned?

[Cavcraft]

Aye, this is the part-ex one. Quite a bit newer and just as slow but I may have a play round with it to try and make it quicker.

[eddyramrod]

It definitely needs an orange beacon on a pole then!