The new news 24 thread

[dollywobbler]

Flushed with success after the XM business, I headed out in the Perodua to shoot a video of it on my Samsung Galaxy. I have some editing to do, but blu-tacking the phone to the dashboard seems to have worked well!

[derskine]

Decent summer shake down run in the Cortina tonight, drove for about 3 hours and never missed a beat.

[FakeConcern]

While cutting the grass today (usually I never do this, but wife has a bad back atm) I noticed our mower fits well with this forum! as the Mountfield body rotted, I added sheet aluminium to hold it together. Now known as Frankenstein mower.

[JohnK]

Why do the smallest jobs always turn into the biggest headaches?

 

I've taken custody of my dad's old Omega 2.2 seeing as he wanted rid, did a pre MOT check and identified it needed wipers and a backbox.

 

Ordered a backbox from eBay for £36.50 with clamps, which I thought reasonable as my local fast fit centre quoted £65 to supply part only when I dropped in.

 

It arrived today so thought I would crack on. The old clamps removed straight away with no sheared nuts which was great, but the backbox was completely moulded into the centre section. Just as I went in for the cut with the grinder, it sparked (from the electrical end!) and conked.

 

I attempted a repair but it still seemed a bit lairy, so I skipped it. It's had 10 years of hard abuse I guess, so identified a suitable replacement in B&Q and had a run out to pick it up.

 

On the way back, decided I would get some new exhaust rubbers as the current ones seemed tired. Now, it's been a few years since I did any exhaust work, but when did fast fit centres stop stocking exhaust hangers? And also clamps it seems. 'We don't do 'em mate we just order them in with the exhaust'

 

Arseholes. After trawling 4 motor factors I got what I needed and completed the job. A quick half hour job turned into 4 hours!

 

It's in for MOT in the morning though and I'm fairly confident it will pass with no advisories...

[Bren]

Vectra sold.

 

Had an offer too good to refuse and ended auction.

 

It's gone.

[FakeConcern]

Just been watching "The Good Life" WTF (with the family)

[Stroller133]

Vectra sold.

 

Had an offer too good to refuse and ended auction.

 

It's gone.

On a Vauxhall isn't that just an offer?

[Bren]

I got £2450 for it.

 

Considering I only paid £3600 for it in 2012 its probably the best value car I have owned.

[Parky]

ECP in wrong parts shocker!

Have they ever provided the right parts first time out??

[Mike D]

Please excuse the state of the garage! Shock towers on and back on its suspension!

 

[bub2006]

Have they ever provided the right parts first time out??

Never had issues myself

[dollywobbler]

The 2CVs MOT expires a week today. I'm currently trying to drive the 2CV every day. The weather is helping!

 

However, the bodywork really is only just hanging on in places. The offside rear wing is held on with gaffer tape and I'm amazed that the headlamp bar hasn't just fallen apart. There's still a part of me thinking I should sell her on for spares and buy something else - a Dyane perhaps or that dream Ami 6. I'm also being forced to realise that my days of daily A-Series use may be drawing to a close. Whether I buy another or get her restored (again), I fear I may end up going down the 'high days and holidays' route just to try and keep corrosion at bay.

[cms206]

Have they ever provided the right parts first time out??

 

 

They managed to get me a Bosch coil pack and a set of Bosch HT leads for a Renault 19 and the king lead for the plugs didn't fit the coil. I was quite stunned by that, but I don't quite know why.

[Semi-C]

Alas I wasnae successful with my attempted Proton procurance last night.

My Lass sure looked disappointed*

[spike60]

Have they ever provided the right parts first time out??

I've bought a lot of stuff down the years and the only time it was wrong was a water pump for a 2.4 JTD Alfa which no-one could identify correctly from the reg, gawd knows what it was registered as.

[RobT]

Alas I wasnae successful with my attempted Proton procurance last night.

My Lass sure looked disappointed*

 

 At £245 is it heading to Wuvvum Towers I wonder...?

[derskine]

I've reserved parts online at ECP and went to collect them, when I've turned up they're either not in stock or the wrong part.

Our local ECP replaced a unipart which was comparitively much better, I refuse to use ECP now and go down the road to the local TMS - which I've found to be far better both in parts accuracy and customer service.

[STUNO]

Seeing as it hit the local newspaper today, I can tell you all.

Next month Jon of this parish is to take part in the 2015 firefighters Sky Tower Challenge. 51 flights and 1103 stairs in full gear with 25 kg of firefighting gear. Time to aim for is 16 minutes. The aim is to raise money for charity.

The best of good luck Jon, and given your current circumstances,how's the training going ?

[Richard]

I bought brake pads for the V70 at ECP last week. I wanted the little square pads Volvo have been using since the 70s but it turns out the car is from the year they finally changed. They didn't tell me there was a choice, just gave me the wrong kind.

 

I wonder if there is some kind of target culture that makes supplying wrong parts preferable to just admitting they don't have the right ones.

[Skizzer]

 

I wonder if there is some kind of target culture that makes supplying wrong parts preferable to just admitting they don't have the right ones.

 

Or possibly just a culture that means they don't give a shit because they're on minimum wage and going to be famous on the internet any day now.

[oldcars]

The Shuma in is for its MOT today

[The Moog]

Flat battery today on the peugeot 405. left the lights on because there was no courtesy switch.

 

stole the one from the rear passenger side and fitted that instead, now I have warning buzzer working.

 

Also remove thermostat so that I can see if it affects the cars running heat.

[JohnK]

Omega breezed it's MOT today so now has a full 13 months and a completely clean sheet. That is the expectation of one of my meticulously maintained* motors though.

 

Has a chuckle checking the MOT sheet mind, in 2012 it had 72k on the clock, 2013 t had 182k and last year 90k. I think we had an over eager MOT tester kicking about in 2013.

 

Now just to decide whether to sell it or keep hold of it...

[Skizzer]

After doing 10,000 miles a month in it in 2013 and then going to the trouble of clocking it, you might as well keep it

[seth]

I've just fitted a new trunnion to Mrs_Seth's Herald.

 

 

I seem to think someone on here was only recently made aware that this was a real component.  What they may not have yet learnt is that to do this job on a Triumph means having to loosen the paffawafa, take the oujapiddlypush off and gently bend the jimbob out of the way.

[chaseracer]

...to do this job on a Triumph means having to loosen the paffawafa, take the oujapiddlypush off and gently bend the jimbob out of the way.

 

Is your Harold an early one with the single doobrey, or the 1965 upgrade with twin contra-rotating throstle sprockets?

[tooSavvy]

.. throstle sprockets .. I've heard of those somewhere before?

 

TS

[danthecapriman]

Finally got off my arse today and took the V5 for my Capri down to the post office to change tax class to historic vehicle.

 

Easy! Filled in section 7 with the new class, sign and date. The cashier just scanned the barcode and sent it off to DVLA. They didn't even check my mot or insurance. I now have another tax exempt 'classic'. Must be one of the first mk2 Capri's to get to tax exempt. Little wait for the next two cars though.

Couldn't believe how easy it was. I normally expect a right long winded load of bollocks when doing anything involving the DVLA!

[vulgalour]

A friend of mine has bought his first car, having recently passed his driving test.  A 2011 Chevrolet Aveo strikes me as quite a sensible first car for tootling around Sheffield and exploring the countryside of Yorkshire.  All I know about Aveos is that they're basic, quite heavily styled but fundamentally reliable.  Are they a relative to the Daewoo Matiz, as the Spark was?

[tooSavvy]

Aveo rolls on Proton SAVVY sized f.w.brg

 

WCPGW

 

 

TS