The new news 24 thread

[cort16]

I did one a couple of months ago. It was okay we had coffee breaks and stuff although it was 4 hours long. I actually found some of it quite useful.

There was a couple of know it all lorry drivers who kept pipeing up every 5 minutes. Just shut up and serve your time like the rest of us!

[fordperv]

Are there any shiteists going to the VBOA do at Billing Aquadrome this weekend? The sister-in-law is staying and she's a royal pain in the butt, so I'll probably need a day out on Sunday to escape. I'll have to take something non-Vauxhall as the Cavalier will be in use, but I need a few bits for the Cav so the autojumble will come in handy.

Sutty2006 is he will be on the manta owners club stand with his manta hatch, you will recognise it because the 3 letters of the number plate are SUT

[skattrd]

My speed awareness (done 2 weeks ago) was 3hrs with one 20 minute break.

48 in a 40mph average speed, roadworks on dual carriageway ... I thought it was 50mph limit.

[Tetleysmooth]

Now I've got confirmation the framed artwork I posted arrived safely I feel confident to post this.

 

 

I've got five pieces up for grabs and while I won't be at the show because I'm on house-move duties for my brother please do go check out the show if you can.  I don't really know much about the show, I was just given an opportunity to show off and hopefully sell some artwork and I wasn't about to pass that up.

 

www.fueledsociety.com

 

 

 

 

 

I know the event is likely not very brown forum, but my artwork totally is.

 

Love the location.

 

I should have them for flouting the copyright laws.

[dugong]

Are there any shiteists going to the VBOA do at Billing Aquadrome this weekend? The sister-in-law is staying and she's a royal pain in the butt, so I'll probably need a day out on Sunday to escape. I'll have to take something non-Vauxhall as the Cavalier will be in use, but I need a few bits for the Cav so the autojumble will come in handy.

Should be there in my Piazza, yuk yuk.

[dugong]

On Sunday, I hasten to add.

[Tetleysmooth]

Had a really hairy moment in my truck last night.

Our trucks are Merc Axors with an autobox.

I was going from Thurrock to Colchester Highwoods.

I got to the junction of the A130/A12, which is controlled by traffic lights. It was about 6pm and veeerrryyy busy.

I had to stop at the last set of lights on the junction. Loads of traffic behind me.

The lights changed, I tried to go, but the truck just revved. Looked down at the dashboard readout to find the 'box had dropped into neutral.

With it was the message 'clutch failed'.

Oh shit. Frantic running around telling people behind me what was happening. Traffic already starting to build.

Jumped back in the truck, switched off, switched on again. Still the same. Traffic backing up big time by now.

Switched off again, switched back on, and the bugger re-set itself. Phew. Did my delivery and got it back to Thurrock ok, but had to put it in the workshop for a 'gearbox re-learn'.

Glad I didn't have to push it to the side of the road, it weighed 36 tonnes.

[fordperv]

Should be there in my Piazza, yuk yuk.

I wonder if you'll have hoards of people telling you that your diff is a good upgrade for mantas

[oldcars]

I did one a couple of months ago. It was okay we had coffee breaks and stuff although it was 4 hours long. I actually found some of it quite useful.

There was a couple of know it all lorry drivers who kept pipeing up every 5 minutes. Just shut up and serve your time like the rest of us!

I have always fancied learning how to do a J turn, do they tell you this kind of thing on these courses? If so i'm off to do a ton down the highstreet 

[worldofceri]

Ahh, J-turns!

 

Back when my mate and I used to fancy ourselves as the next Oasis we would go down to my mate's brother's mate's dad's disused abattoir (!) and make a lot of noise for a few hours.  When we'd exhausted our repertoire of late 90s guitar hits we would go outside and J-turn ourselves dizzy in my Renner 5 Campus round the gravel yard.  Happy days...

[dollywobbler]

I did a Bloggage on Semi-C's Cortina. Sadly, it beat Will's 205 in the voting - though I'll try and get a write-up done on that next week.

http://wp.me/p1jtbd-B7

[ruffgeezer]

I didn't buy the local 306 cab as it was just too ropey even at £375.

[Six-cylinder]

Took my DS to a hand car wash today, one of the team got his hose stuck so gave it a good yank, trouble is it was wrapped around my reversing light and he pulled the lens of it breaking the plastic. To add to his mistake he then lodged it back as if nothing had happened. I saw something was up and went to investigate finding the broken lens, no English spoken. I did get the managers tel number and he was apologetic and says he will pay for it.

[holbeck]

The 205 is just plodding along, taking me to work and back. But if I'm honest I'm a bit bored of it now.

Just waiting for shite inspiration to grab me.

[dollywobbler]

Took my DS to a hand car wash today, one of the team got his hose stuck so gave it a good yank, trouble is it was wrapped around my reversing light and he pulled the lens of it breaking the plastic. To add to his mistake he then lodged it back as if nothing had happened. I saw something was up and went to investigate finding the broken lens, no English spoken. I did get the managers tel number and he was apologetic and says he will pay for it.

 

Jeepers. Sorry but I would not let anyone lose on my car to clean it, not even the XM - definitely not something actually nice!

[purplebargeken]

No feathered bastards have crapped on my 75 since I put the cling film over the bootlid and rear window - WTF?

[cort16]

They know there's no point because you've already ruined your paint by putting cling film on it.

[beko1987]

Lick their eyeballs, then take the clingfilm off. They'll understand!

[cort16]

Fucking hell I sailed past 10,000 posts to 10,100 and didn't even notice. I really need to get a life.

 

At one minute per post that's only 7 days of my life. Time well spent*

[Six-cylinder]

1980s afternoon at the car wash! I took my 1988 735i for a wash and brush up ready for the Kimbolton show on Sunday. There was a 1986 Mercedes 380SE having a wash and the carwash boss turned up in a 1981 Golf convertible.

 

[Six-cylinder]

Jeepers. Sorry but I would not let anyone lose on my car to clean it, not even the XM - definitely not something actually nice!

They do a much better job than I can do.

[alf892]

1980s afternoon at the car wash! I took my 1988 735i for a wash and brush up ready for the Kimbolton show on Sunday. There was a 1986 Mercedes 380SE having a wash and the carwash boss turned up in a 1981 Golf convertible.

 

What are you taking to Kimbolton? I'll be there on a club stand........right mix of stuff hopefully. Look out for an Autoshite dealer sticker in a green Rover

 

 

Edit...to note I idiot....will look out for you!

[fordperv]

I have always fancied learning how to do a J turn, do they tell you this kind of thing on these courses? If so i'm off to do a ton down the highstreet

J turns are really easy, go somewhere with plenty of space, hoon it in reverse, swing the steering round, my preference is left hand down, clutch in as your front is swinging around, select 1st then when your front end is almost all the way around with the momentum, get your revs up and pop the clutch, away you go, just don't try it in your 3 wheeler

[oldcars]

J turn in a Reliant, now there's something not to try 

[dollywobbler]

J turn in a Reliant, now there's something not to try 

 

Same with 2CVs. They just fall over.

 

In other news. I fitted new Osram nightbreakers to the XM. Then the glow plugs wouldn't work. Had to just cope with a claggy start as I had to dash off on school bus duty. Got back, removed the relay, problem identified.

 

Ah. That'll be it! One new connector, refitted and back to tea and test match. Sorted. I was getting a bit nervous given we're driving to Derbyshire in the morning.

[derskine]

Set out to fix both the water pump and exhaust on the 18 today.

I was hoping the water pump leak was just the gasket between the block and pump but sadly not.

There's quite a lot of play in the pulley which leads me to believe it's leaking from the pulley area, so will need a new pump.

 

The exhaust fell off about a month ago and I haven't driven it since then because it sounds like a chavmobile.

I managed to sort the rusted out bit by putting a sleeve over it and welding it to good metal, it worked just fine, so I saved myself £25 there.

 

Also found this cracked brake hose, which I'm a bit disappointed with considering its about 6 months old.

 

[NorfolkNWeigh]

1980s afternoon at the car wash! I took my 1988 735i for a wash and brush up ready for the Kimbolton show on Sunday. There was a 1986 Mercedes 380SE having a wash and the carwash boss turned up in a 1981 Golf convertible.

My local car wash boss drives an SL55, do you think the fact I get my car cleaned 5 or 6 times a week is in anyway related to this ( plus a couple of other family heaps most weeks).

[purplebargeken]

Will it/has it fucked it re: clingfilm? Each morning there is usually a ton of the bird shite stuff on the bootlid and rear screen and if I am out the shite will sit there and bake. I thought it might be a reasonable solution other than shooting the feathered bastards.

 

It isn't skin tight, just lightly applied.

 

I can't win either way, sigh. 

[Skizzer]

I have now completed my re-programming. 

 

3 hours with a 20 minute break?  You slacker.  This was 4 hours with two breaks of 10 and 5 minutes respectively.  It was quite interesting, no more patronising than was inevitable, and mostly full of slightly bewildered pensioners.  It was certainly a lot better than points and I don't regret the time spent.

 

 

Will it change my driving?  Probably not massively - I drive quite cautiously around town and rural roads, and my hazard awareness is generally pretty good (riding a motorbike in and around London hones your concentration, observation and anticipation like nothing else).  But I do/did drive over motorway limits in free-flowing traffic fairly regularly, and will try to do less of that now.

 

 

One sobering thing I did learn was that by the time a car doing 70mph has braked hard to a stop (including real-world reaction time), a car doing 80mph will still be doing 40.  And a car doing 100mph will still be speeding.

[Ghosty]

A4 got an interior valet today too, and it's had three partworns put on (fourth in time). Old Man is working on rim kerbing with paint, files and a dremel. He's doing a good job... Couple of bits of touch-up paint, bit of wax, it's really starting to look good.

Oil change tomorrow...