The new news 24 thread

[Craig the Princess]

Brought the Clove Brown Metro up to London earlier, fully loaded with presents, food and dog. Needed to make use of the split rear seat, amazing what you can get in a Metro.

 

 

All was going well up the A10 and M11 until just before the drop to 50mph coming into London when the alternator light came on. Then the temperature gauge shot up, we stopped in an authorised vehicles only ramp behind an armco barrier and fortunately I hadn't removed the toolbox and spare belt. 20 minutes later we were back in our way.

 

 

Glad we didn't need to call out the breakdown company, the amount of traffic about I'm guessing the waiting time would have been huge.

So after this the second fan belt lasted 2 days doing Christmas shuttles between various family members in South East London before giving up a quarter mile from the in laws house on Sunday morning. Managed to reverse parallel park without the engine to face it overheating.

 

Fitted the second and last spare fan belt and waited to Halfords opened to try and get a couple of spares.

Not so fast, apparently a fan belt (any fan belt will do) is now an order in part??? So after seeing my Dad I nursed the Metro back via M25/M11/A10 convinced we would expire and need a rescue. But no, it made it fine which was nice. Going to replace the alternator which we think has a failing regulator as it seems to occasionally surge making the lights really bright etc.

 

Today we were unpacking all the Christmas goodies and Beige1100 brought the Rover 414's battery back after charging it up, checked oil and it only started! Right result. No coolent in the expansion tank is a concern and the bonnet catch is seized and needs at least a new cable.

 

[cort16]

When I bought my xr4i it had a Sierra RS badge on it, which it removed and replaced with the original xr4i decal. I didn't have anything better to do with it so I glued it to my PC at work and it sat under my desk for years and forgot about it.

 

My PC was replaced a few days ago and I found it again.

 

 

 

I was visiting my Dad yesterday and stumbled across this (well my Dad told me about it). The house has been sitting empty for 2-3  year and it looks like the last tax disc ran out in 2012 and it's not on sorn.. I did a looked up on it and it is a cosworth. It doesn't look too bad on the face of it it but the door on the passenger side looks like it;s dropped to me, which can't be a good sign. 

[fordperv]

Its a sierra left standing, no doubt it will have rot, if it's too bad "reshell" into 1.8lx,

 

from the look of the rust stains on the bumper I'd say the crossmember is rotten as well

[cort16]

It didn't look hanging but who knows what's under those sill covers..

[Bear]

E320 gone, New Beetle acquired!

 

"NO RESERVE AUCTION. 

TRADE CLEARANCE THE FOLLOWING VEHICLE OFFERED WITH NO RESERVE.

VEHICLE WILL BE SOLD WITH NO WARRANTY IMPLIED OR GIVEN."

 

Well, yes, we all know what those words are worth when selling to a private individual, but I'll play nice. Maybe.

 

2002 VW BEETLE OFFERED WITH MOT TIL 4/10/2016.

 

SERVICE HISTORY WITH SERVICE STAMPS AND DOCUMENTED,05/02 PDI, 05/04 12453, 01/06, 11/07, 08/09 48867, 09/12 76404, 06/13 86867, 03/15 108168. 

 

If random scrawls count, sure.

 

NOW FOR THE NEGATIVE SADLY THE VEHICLE SUFFERS FROM CONDENSATION DUE TO LACK OF USE, HAVE TRIED TO CLEAR SUNROOF DRAINS [GLASS SUNROOF CONDENSATES BADLY].

 

HAHAHAHA!

No, the vehicle suffers from BEING FULL OF FUCKING WATER because some incompetent twat replaced the sunroof cassette without sealing it, and left off the sunblind, and forgot to wipe off the scrapyard markers, then didn't do anything about WATER PISSING INTO THE CAR.

 

This is really a master understatement...

 

OVERALL THIS CAR DRIVES WELL AND IS IN TIDY CONDITION

 

It does drive well. Admittedly one balljoint or OS wishbone bush is bad but it sounds good, pulls well, gear changes well. Which is why I didn't run away, however...

 

A sill with filler flaking out, lacquer peel roof, broken console, broken/missing trim parts, fucked radio, MOULD EVERYWHERE, lights adjusted by Marty Feldman, white indicators and side repeaters... Methinks 'tidy condition' is pushing it a bit. I fucking hate traders sometimes.

 

11 owners. Some appear to be related. I think some vandalism in the past, hence sunroof cassette. Now on the hunt for interior parts whilst the poor thing dries out, but - mould and stink aside - I think it's alright

 

More tomorrow when I've had a chance to clean up.

 

 

[fordperv]

It didn't look hanging but who knows if there's anything left under those sill covers..

Fixed that for you, joking aside it doesn't look 3 bad, give it a wash and sell it with some omgrscosworthtax driveway find not barn

[HH-R]

Sounds like it's on the road to omgratlook so just take a Dremel to the paintwork and you're done!

[wuvvum]

Just got back from visiting friends & family in Somerset and Devon.  655 miles in 3 days in the Project Drive Rover.  It nommed 75 quid of pez, which I work out to be almost exactly 40 mpg - not brilliant, but then I had a mo' fo' of a headwind all the way down, plus my parents and their luggage, and north Devon is quite hilly.  It also drank about a pint of water - not bad for a hard-worked kettle over that sort of mileage.  One minor annoyance is that a small section of the outer rubber seal on the driver's door window is missing, which leads to a bit of wind noise at speed, but other than that and having to replace a rear indicator bulb before leaving, the car behaved impeccably.

[Bear]

Attacking the Bugs in the Bug. I think I found four new species of fungus.

 

Seriously though, how can someone manage to break EVERY bit of trim. Centre console, buttons, gimps (that's the rubber filler parts), tops... it's like, someone systematically went through breaking each part just a little bit. Even the little light that shines on the cupholders.

It's cleaning up, slowly, though. And looks a lot better for losing the stupid Betty Boop stickers and strange black line on the rear bumper. Of course the door protectors were hiding damage.

Dashboard slowly getting cleaner, Carpets are going to be hard work.

[vulgalour]

Actually looking forward to seeing the clean up and damage on this one as I've never really had a proper look at one before.

[cort16]

Fixed that for you, joking aside it doesn't look 3 bad, give it a wash and sell it with some omgrscosworthtax driveway find not barn

Given no one lives at the house and the whole place looks untouched I've no idea how I'd go about getting.

[fordperv]

If there's no way of contacting the owner and it is definitely abandoned, People have done it in the past by applying for a log book, like this fella

 

http://passionford.com/forum/general-car-related-discussion/62326-the-escort-cosworth-that-cost-me-450-a.html

[Pillock]

That only gets you as far as being a keeper, not an owner. There was some example of a bloke applying for logbook, restoring an old car, took it to a show and the original owner went "oooh thanks for sorting my car out, can I have the keys please?".

 

If you go down that route, you're best off not telling ANYONE about it, lob a personalised reg on it, and obscure the VIN if it goes to a show.

[worldofceri]

An unexpected spell of blue sky coincided with me having a couple of hours to kill the other day, so I thought I'd investigate the leak from the Saab's sunroof.  It's been a bit leaky since I bought it nearly a year ago but through the summer it didn't seem to matter too much as it would drip onto the passenger seat when it rained but then quickly dry out again.  However it's getting worse and the passenger footwell carpet is now sodden so a remedy is urgently required before the floor disappears (it might have already - daren't look).

 

 

J_Dog_Dyane, the previous owner, told me the sunroof didn't work so I haven't so much as touched the switch til this week.  I prodded it experimentally and to my mild surprise there came whirrings and tickings although no movement.  Electrical tape had been stuck over the join twixt sunroof and roof but was clearly not keeping water out, so I ripped this off.  Underneath was some sort of black sealant which I prodded dubiously; there was a faint squelchy sound and water bubbled out.  Methought the sealant might actually be harbouring water rather than keeping it out.

 

 

Tentatively I began scraping the black gunge out.  Not sure if it is some sort of proper sealant or what, but it was for the most part hard and brittle, not pliable as one would expect, and it came out easily in most places as there was indeed water trapped between it and the proper rubber seals.

 

 

The problem with not being able to open the sunroof was that I couldn't check if the drains were clear, so I decided I'd have to drop the whole sunroof cassette.  This was easy because: no headlining!  I undid about half a dozen bolts; enough to drop the front down a couple of inches.  Wrestling the rubber drain tube off and blowing through confirmed this wasn't blocked.  Returning to the more stubborn bits of black gloop, I discovered - by accidentally leaning on it - that I could raise and retract the 'roof by hand (albeit to the sound of the teeth being pinged off some cog or sprocket or other).  This allowed me to confirm that the drain outlets were definitely not blocked and also revealed the state of the inner seals, wherein, I reckon, lies the problem.

 

 

Where the sunroof cassette bolts to the roof there is a seal which is kind of soft and squishy rather than rubbery.  This was dried out and pitted with flakes of rust.  Basically the roof where the sunroof bolts up has gotten the tin worm.  The only remedy I can see is to drop the sunroof totally and clean the rust up to give a nice smooth surface for the seals to sit against.  However, by this time I was being given a five minute warning that I was required to be sociable with some Christmas guests, so I quickly cleaned everything up as best I could and rubbed a bit of teak oil on the seals in the hopes it will restore a bit of their suppleness.

 

Having bolted the lot back together and left if for a few days it does seem a bit better; just the occasional drip which I can live with temporarily.  I'll hopefully have a burst of enthusiasm before long and get it sorted properly, although that will require a couple of days of guaranteed fine weather, so I may just end up going shopping for more black gunge and electrical tape...

[Angrydicky]

Sierra Cosworths don't get abandoned without reason. I reckon either a very expensive MoT or mechanical failure, a sad story involving the death of the owner, or the owner is away spending time at Her Majesty's pleasure.

[Bear]

Beetle progress:

I have found caulk on everything. Caulk on rear windows. Caulk on wiring boot, on sunroof drains, on window channels, in the gutters, covering the outlet for the drains.

 

Removed the drain hoses. They should be a straight downward run connected to the outlets on the cassette.

They're folded over with a permanent kink and have never been connected.

 

How the fuck does anyone reach the stage of caulking everything and ripping bits of the interior out without checking that first?!

[Eddie Honda]

That only gets you as far as being a keeper, not an owner. There was some example of a bloke applying for logbook, restoring an old car, took it to a show and the original owner went "oooh thanks for sorting my car out, can I have the keys please?".

 

 

Only thing I can remember in recent times was this case in Ireland involving a XK120 (there may be other cases)

 

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/circuit-court/man-who-spent-40k-restoring-car-declared-owner-by-judge-1.2244370

[Pillock]

I'm sure someone can full in the gaps as it was on here I read it.

 

Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk

[DeeJay]

 I've never really had a proper look at one before.

Richard, cunning plan.

Buy stardrops. bucket Q.tips and scrubbing brush.

Drag Mr V to your gaff.

Hand over newly acquired items. 

You get clean car and Mr V gets a proper look at said  car.

2 happy people.

[Bear]

Hahah! It's already about 1/4 done. Debating whether to drop headliner (and replace sunblind) or clean in situ.

[cort16]

It's a small town so someone will know the story. My Dad's going to ask about and see what he can find out.

[dave21478]

IIRC our own ScaryOldCortina fell victim to this sort of situation with an ex owner of a car turning up and claiming it stolen?

Didnt end well, I think.

[oldcars]

I was given a selfie stick as a christmas gift. Sorry i am now a complete moron. Of to take photos of ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME 

[Stanky]

Spent a happy morning tinkering with the cars, the Nissan got a coolant flushed, headlight replaced and refill with lovely fresh coolant. The Saab got new oil and filter which is a doddle of a job as the filter is just an element that you take out of it's little house near the top of the engine, rather than a spin-on affair which slops oil in your eyes and beard as you remove it from underneath.

 

Went down to the municipal waste redistribution facility and offloaded all the oil, a gallon of old coolant (I was amazed they took this as its not really 'household') the old kippered clutch and a load of boxes. Sadly they had no mowers, as my stock is severely depleted after one went on the 23rd and another one went this morning. I shall have to have another scout in a couple of weeks time.

[Bren]

Our focii passed it's MOT with no advisories.

 

I told the tester about the previous advisories on corrosion, he told me the car was very clean for its age - he then asked me if it was tested previously at a certain garage in town?

[scaryoldcortina]

IIRC our own ScaryOldCortina fell victim to this sort of situation with an ex owner of a car turning up and claiming it stolen?

Didnt end well, I think.

 

Yeah, sort of. I bought a derelict and scrap Datsun 240z from an old guy who was moving to a nursing home and selling his house. When I sold it on eBay some time later a different guy with a logbook reported it stolen, and I got arrested and lost the car.

[HMC]

Feeling very much like the NHS should be offering me a counselling service as I have agreed to buy yet another alfa. Full details to follow. It's done 200k, was cheap, and has over 6 grands worth of bills just over the last couple of years. All of which leaves me undecided as to how wise I've been.

 

WCPGW?

[anonymous user]

Don't worry, think of the £6k someone else spent on the Alfa as a saving and put it towards private psychiatric care

[dollywobbler]

Want a video of a hopeless mechanic? Well, it's your lucky day.

[drum]

I could have made a similar vid today DW!

 

The disco's brakes failed on Saturday. As in, I pressed the pedal, had some braking effect then the pedal went to the floor with a clunk. Luckily, I wasn't going fast or going down a steep hill or approaching a junction, and pulled in to the side of the road for a wee look. Turns out a pad had fallen out the near side rear calliper.

 

That's what happens when you ignore noisy brakes for a few miles.

 

With no pad in place the piston pushed against the disc, but it wasn't providing much braking effect and by the time I had gingerly driven home, it had worn an edge off.

 

 

Meanwhile, the alfa failed its mot this morning. Brake judder, cv boot and an advisory for front discs.

 

With Frank (the storm) blowing in tomorrow I hit the credit card hard at the local motor factors (£360! Although that included a £55 surcharge for the disco calliper and about a ton for a land cruiser wheel bearing) and endeavoured to sort both cars today.

 

Did the disco first and nearly came undone when the wheel nuts wouldn't. Bent the wheel brace in the process. Silly 12 pointed bolt heads holding the calipers on were originally 13mm but I had to hammer a half inch socket on them. One new n/s caliper and a stripped and cleaned the o/s with fresh grease and gaiters on the slider pins.

 

 

Bleeding a disco 2 seems to be a right pain, took me ages. I thought I would have to bleed the master cylinder but I got a pedal eventually.

 

On to the alfa. I thought I would cheat and try one of those split boots that glue together. It was a faff but saved time. Will it last though?

 

Both front discs and pads replaced reasonably painlessly. Hopefully I can get it in for a retest tomorrow.

 

In other news the alfa's turbo actuator isn't doing anything. Not sure yet whether it's the solenoid or no vacuum.