The new news 24 thread

[dave21478]

Fuck all insurance companies in the eye sockets.

 

Its just plain extortion, and they specialise in just pumping the prices up and hoping people are too apathetic to do anything before the policy auto-renews.

 

 

Im struggling to think of any other situation in life where I am legally required to purchase something from a private company. Especially companies that are a law unto themselves.

I have always thought our car insurance system to be deeply flawed, but I am over the same barrel as everyone else...what choice do we have but to put up with it?

[Richard]

Is it the same sort of story in France?

[Cavcraft]

Swinton are ace. Got a quote of £48 on motorbike insurance on a comparison type website, then rang them.

 

'The best we can do is £88.'

Oh, I've been offered it for £48.

'We can't match that, can't get anywhere near it. Are you getting like for like cover?'

Yes.

'Oh, can I ask who that was?'

Yes, it was Swinton. 

(Long silence) 'Erm, are you sure?'

[burraston2006]

I love the fact the mirror is folded in..

 

Wouldn't want the side of the car to looks scruffy;)

 

10 for a suction dent puller from a tool shop and some effort should reduce that considerably. .

Mirror is folded in as the bxstard road is so narrow they get knocked off every five minutes and I'm not spending £280 for another mirror!

tried the suction cup but the crease at the top of the wing is too tight for me to pull it out!

[burraston2006]

I pay the insurance in one go at the start. That way I don't get the automatic renewals. Just get a reminder that the insurance will run out. Gives mean 28 days to sort it. Works for me!

[dave21478]

Is it the same sort of story in France?

 

Yeah, same enforced robbery.

 

Attitudes are different to it though - people tend to insure through a local office of whatever company they choose and stay with that company for life, plus have house insurance etc with them too.

Internet insurance companies have only really taken off here in the last few years. I have always carried on the British way and shopped around, changing companies each year to follow the cheapest price. People actually think Im crazy doing this, or trying to pull some kind of scam - its just not the done thing.

They dont make it easy though - the paperwork required to change insurers can be astounding like producing physical proof of NCB from each and every company I have been insured with for the past X number of years...."oh, you have a break of 3 days between policies in 2010, therefore we cant count your NCB...."

Wankers.

[Pete-M]

Bought myself a Jaaaaaagdeo. 2.5 Sport auto. 

 

Surprised how inexpensive these things are. It's not bad. Aircon works, slight graze on the bumper as you can see in the pic. 4x4 one so handles well. Spotless inside. 107k on the clock. 02 plate so an early one .. no cupholder.

Are these shite yet, or are they still to be sniffed at for sharing bits with a Mondeo?

[vulgalour]

No longer do these make me think something heavy squashed the headlights.  These days they just put me in mind of a bad copy of a Mitsuoka Orochi and there must be a certain irony in that.  Either that or I'm overdue at the Opthalmist's.

[dollywobbler]

I am increasingly liking them. Must be because they rot in quite hideous ways. The estate is especially nice. I don't much like black though, and they're far too modern and complicate for me to consider owning one.

[Cavcraft]

They're incredibly cheap for what they are, but not as nice as the S class.

[dugong]

Love the way folk get sniffy about the X Type sharing bits with a Mondeo. More often than not they're Audi A3 \ A4 owners. Funny how no-one seems to mind about the Skoda Octavia connection with those.........

[Pete-M]

I'm no fan of the S type. Mate of mine has an 07 plate 2.7d Sport S type and I think it's hideous. Even in black with the 19" rims it still looks like someone left a chocolate design on a radiator for too long.

 

The X type is slightly strange proportionally, and the oval headlights are a bit strange, but I think it's better looking than the S type.

 

As for Mondeo bits. They reckon 30% is shared with the Mondeo, some floorpan, a couple of front suspension bits and a few engine bits. The AJ-V6 has different heads, injection and block thickness from the Mondeo / Cougar 2.5.

The only (Ford) things I've noticed are the indicators sound like the ones in my Focus, and the central locking sounds the same.

[Pillock]

I like the looks but having seen since of the pics from the MOT threads on here, I'd only buy one for disposable money. 4x4 is a great idea in an express executive though, I've always found Quattrified big Audi's to be much more confident than the driver in a corner.

[Jim Bergerac]

It is odd, not least because the Mondeo is actually a good starting point in terms of dynamics, I'd have thought. I like them, rust aside.

[Pete-M]

I can't actually see any rot on this one at all. Which is nice. The only scabby bit is the bonnet catch plate under the bonnet.

[saucedoctor]

I can't actually see any rot on this one at all. Which is nice. The only scabby bit is the bonnet catch plate under the bonnet.

 

TADT,S. Seriously. The year-old Sov I had was the same.

 

Today, I have been at an propa old-skool breakers. Take bits off yourself, people walking about smoking and big piles of engines. Love it. (The photo is only one wee small bit of it)

 

 

 

[derskine]

Shit pic that doesn't really show a lot but the rivet, o ring and tiger seal appears to have worked, it's not leaking anymore.

Time will tell how long it lasts, but if it lasts till I find another tank that's good enough for me.

 

[Cavcraft]

SAAB is ready at the garage, new alternator inc. fitting £230. Watch it piss down for ages now. 

[John F]

I have many & varied automotive woes at the moment.

 

The Discovery 300 TDi is in many, many pieces. A punched-through clutch fork meant that strip-down became inescapable so the long-overdue gearbox recon has now happened... box now back from reconditioners & is awaiting refitting. In the meantime I decided to address the crusty boot floor, which revealed an ABSOLUTELY MUNTED rear body crossmember. I chopped this out yesterday & started fabricating a replacement out of industrial racking supports. Sills also need attention. Much weldage will be required over the next week or so. Sigh.

 

The Calibra is unhappy about being my main vehicle again. At least one wishbone is knocking, centre exhaust is blowing (now an unavailable part), the heater blower resistor pack needs changing, it's using a shocking amount of water (unlikely to be OMGHGF, more likely to be the leaky rad but new ones are again unavailable, re-core the only option) and the handbrake mechanism is borked.

 

Maserati is still sulking under a tarp, rusting away like the little bastard it is.

 

109 is awaiting its turn for final tweaks before it goes for MoT, buyer is already lined up.

[Cavcraft]

I never though I'd see the day you couldn't get Calibra exhaust parts. Have you tried any of the associated forums for the bit you need, John?

[John F]

Yeah, tried all the forums (including French & German ones).

 

You can get full stainless exhausts (which cost £shitloads) but exhaust sections - at least for the V6 - are no longer being manufactured. I managed to get a rear section from Andrew Page's though, they still had a few in stock.

[xtriple]

Embarrassed about this: I'm always careful where I park 'cos I hate people hitting my car with their doors. I've just done it myself to someones van!

 

It was a bit tight and I was putting the mutts in the back of the car with the rear door half open (so loads of gap to the van next door) and Chester slipped and his 31kgs pushed the door open right into the van next to me. It's a new van as well.

 

Found the owner and told him what had happened, we had a look and it's just a black mark from the door rubber off my car and was coming off just with spit and a finger rub, so he was fine about it.

 

I felt soooooo guilty though!

[Mr_Bo11ox]

It just happens man, don't worry about it. Cars have to park side by side, and they all have massive flaps on both sides. Car park dings are gonna happen.

[trigger]

I've been playing about in old cars this afternoon, my mate has fitted a new gearbox to his 2.3 Zetec powered Orion this morning so me, him and another mate went for a ride in it, it's ridiculously quick and torque steers like a bastard as this new box hasn't got a LSD like the last one.

 

Anyway we nipped round another friend who lives around the corner who just got his Cortina back on the road again...

 

 

It's lovely! A very rare 2.3 Ghia with the 4 speed manual box, we went for a drive in it and it's totally different to mine, it sounds more like a upmarket car with the lush V6 singing away and the mega comfy seats.

 

 

 

 

 

 

He's a bit worried about it as it's got a few scabs here and there, personally I think it makes a nice change to see one which isn't restored.

[AnthonyG]

Re Jagdeos, I think there's a lot less parts commonality than 30%, in terms of actual shared bits it's more like 10%, if that. Part of the floorpan is the same pressing IIRC , the sill panels must be pretty different because I've never seen a Mondeo Mk3 go rusty on the sills to the extent of holes.

 

I guess no-one notices what mud/salt and other assorted crap gets lodged behind the X-type's plastic sill covers until the MoT man comes a-tapping with his hammer 8 years down the line.

 

These have to be a bit of a bargain now and I like the estates in particular as the C pillars and rear quarters of the saloons are the most compromised bit of the model's styling.  As for the S-type, I don't mind the overall shape but the detailing and interiors of the first-gen ones were horrible. The facelift circa 2002 made them look a lot better, although still nowhere close to the Rover 75, which is just so right in comparison.

 

Edit: Trig - that Mk5 is gorgeous!!

[Lankytim]

I can actually hear that V6's lovely burble from here. The 2.3 was a great lump.

[twosmoke300]

I disagree about the parts cominality . Engines and gearboxes on the diesels are the same. Suspension and brakes look very similar. Keys locks etc are all Ford with different badges on. As far as part numbers go 10 percent maybe right but that's probably down to tiny little differences in colour , finish etc.

[vulgalour]

If I've understood the manual correctly, to remove the box/block from the remains of the orange princess I need to knock out the retainers for the driveshafts and undo four engine mount bolts and the whole lot should just fall out onto the drive and spill oil everywhere.  All the other bits you're supposed to disconnect have been removed already so I'm hoping it'll be an easy job.  I'm not taking the box/block with me, it's not really of any use.

 

WCPGW?

[wuvvum]

Well the Solara left the fleet today.

 

It's gone to a good home though - the chap already has an Alpine and a Horizon, as well as a number of old Vauxhalls and various bubble cars.  He came down from Scotland this morning on the train; I got a text this evening to say that he'd reached his overnight stop in Yorkshire with no problems - the longest run the car's had in years.  I'm going to miss it.

 

I consoled myself by buying something off my bucket list, which I picked up this evening.  More on that tomorrow - going to sleep now.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I can actually hear that V6's lovely burble from here. The 2.3 was a great lump.

From what I remember about 2.3 Cortinas and Sierras it was all about the noise, they weren't actually any faster than the 2.0 Pinto, but the extra fuel was worth it for that burble.