The new news 24 thread

[Sigmund Fraud]

Guy my boss knows wants a price for all three cortinas.

He specialises in punting on barn finds and low mileage classics. I'm thinking £3500 for all three, the beige one is worth three at least privately, similar cars are being advertised at nearly double at dealers.

It's a loss but one i'm prepared to take. It'll save me a load of stress and generate much needed funds.

It'll be the first time without an old rwd ford in my life though..........

 

Couldn't you keep the good one and get rid of the other two ?

 

Oh... Hang on... This is AS, so let me rephrase that...

 

Couldn't you keep the worst one and get rid of the other two ?

[xtriple]

The last couple of days have seen me with a newish Skoda Fabia parked outside. It is a high spec thing, TSI or something and a pretty blue colour (metallic of course), oh, and it's manual.

 

Today, I actually drove it.

 

I do not like manuals anymore! My leg just does not want to work a clutch and is worse because this seems to be a high biting point. Also, the seats are really low down (I found the lever to lift it) and it feels... odd. Nothing I can put my finger on. It is a pleasant car and goes well, seems to be well equipped (more toys than the Bentley for definite!) but I just feel really unhappy driving it.

 

Maybe it's the clutch....  More that it feels tinny and and distant, as though you are driving by remote control. I guess it is not cheap but it feels insubstantial and indirect. Nothing quite feels connected...

 

Maybe the Bentley has spoiled me but I think it's more about makers trying to distance drivers from the act of driving itself!

 

Anyway, very nice of them to give me a nice new car with a full tank of petrol and immaculately clean... I shall NOT put the dogs in it!

[panhard65]

I am sure the 806 hates me. I give it a bit of attention and replace the shagged rear axle bushes and how does it repay me. Bloody thing shits it's clutch master cylinder. I had been warned that it played up every now and again but in the couple of thousand miles I have done since buying it not once has it misbehaved until today. What a fiddly poxy job it is as well.

Hopefully it is the master cylinder and not the replacement clutch packed up.

[trigger]

I've been looking for a head gasket set on eBay for my Dolomite for the last few months but only cheap makes and unbranded makes only ever turn up so i've bit the bullet today and ordered a new Payen one, the only trouble is there's only 2 left in the world according to Payen and they are in Belgium and are a 7-10 days wait, I didn't think £42 was too awful either.

 

Annoyingly I have a car meet on Sunday in Colchester which I wanted to take the car too but I don't know if it's a good idea to risk it so I might have to drag the Cortina back out of storage for the weekend and use that instead.

[fordperv]

I'd be tempted just to use the cortina, to save damaging anything on the dolly

[trigger]

I've just spoke to my old man and he recokens it's probably ok to use as its only losing oil and running into the clutch making it judder and it's not overheating or anything and being a cast iron head and OHV there's not much that can get damaged, it's just that the tick over has got slower and we think it could be because the compression has dropped?.

[twosmoke300]

DW , does the passenger courtesy light work on the door ? If the switch in the door shut is pooped then the alarm won't know it's been opened and will passively rearm

[dugong]

605 is being a twat. 

HOUSE

[dollywobbler]

DW , does the passenger courtesy light work on the door ? If the switch in the door shut is pooped then the alarm won't know it's been opened and will passively rearm

 

I shall check. Would seem odd to only wire that feature up to one door.

[twosmoke300]

Used to see quite a few failed courtesy light switches on older Hondas .

[derskine]

I've just spoke to my old man and he recokens it's probably ok to use as its only losing oil and running into the clutch making it judder and it's not overheating or anything and being a cast iron head and OHV there's not much that can get damaged, it's just that the tick over has got slower and we think it could be because the compression has dropped?.

Be careful RE oil going on clutch, my Mk1 is leaking oil from the crank seal and going onto the clutch.

Sometimes it's okay but sometimes the clutch slips like mad and you can't go anywhere.

[Inspector Morose]

605 is being a twat. 

HOUSE

Wappen?

[Lord Sterling]

Someone crashed in Pa_Sterlings Avensis Estate a couple of weeks back. Not a good time for us owning Black estates it seems are they invisible or summat?

 

Insurance company are writing the car off. Hope pa gets a better deal than I did. It was a nice car (although it looked like a Belgian taxi being Black)

 

I think he will as he is off to see a '09 Volvo V50 eDrive (?).

[plasticvandan]

Just a quick one,theres no reason why I cant get my bike mot'd early is there? Doesn't run out till march but the insurance isdue for annual bumrape at the same time so wanted to stagger it.

[Dave_Q]

Just a quick one,theres no reason why I cant get my bike mot'd early is there? Doesn't run out till march but the insurance isdue for annual bumrape at the same time so wanted to stagger it.

No course not, my wifes last car had 2 tests in 3 months as the trader we bought it from tested it anyway even though it hadnt long been done.

[Bear]

Here is today's news

 

[Jim Bell]

A Mace ing.

[vulgalour]

Mike got the rear suspension off the Rover.  Sheared the same bolts on the passenger side as on the driver's.  Just as well we bought lovely bushes for everything, especially since the big trailing arm bush on the driver's side came out in three separate pieces.  Guess it was due then.

[gm]

http://metro.co.uk/2016/01/26/police-release-brutal-footage-of-hit-and-run-to-try-and-track-down-driver-5645016/

 

police have released CCTV footage of a hit and run accident - incredibly, the guy survived. I hope the driver gets caught and they throw the book at him.

[Jim Bell]

Her.

 

It was a Fiat 500.

[panhard65]

Phew I have a clutch again. I was worried the box was going to have to come out but a master cylinder has sorted it. I can see why they give you 2 hours to do the job, why they use torx bolts I don't know. I swapped the bottom one for an ordinary bolt as it is so tricky to get a tool on it.

[worldofceri]

Torx bolts 'for the lolz'.

 

Changed the air filter on the Saab the other day.

 

I always think of this as a Zero Spanner job (in the Haynes sense) as, on my first car - a Renner 5 - you could swap it with no tools whatsoever.  (One wing nut and four or five clips hold the filter housing cover on.)

 

Well, on the Saab it's a pita.

 

First remove big Turbo Intercooler pipe.  (I know what this is called because it's written on it.)

 

 

Next, remove big rubbery thing.  (I don't know what this is called because it's not written on it.)

 

 

Then, remove six Torx  screws holding top bit of filter housing on.

 

N.B.  Two will undo okay, one will be missing and the other two will have been replaced at some point with cross-head screws that are completely rusted to shit.

 

 

Got them undone eventually, with the aid of a couple of mugs of coffee, lots of swearing and about forty-five minutes of my life that I'll never get back.  Old filter was manky.

 

 

The End.

[beko1987]

The alternative way is do all that you say, then find the filter is spotless and didn't need changing anyway! But you change it just because you've got that far and bought the bastard thing...

[dome]

Not sure what to replace the Merc with(when it goes) 

The Manta I was dreaming of has fell through with no other reasonably priced coupes on the horizon. I was toying with the idea of a big GT-928, XJ-S or an 840 but then I realised the 330d does a great job of covering distance quickly so something more old/pointy/quaint would be a more interesting fleet companion for it. 

 

There's an interesting looking Avenger not far from me, that could be a suitable way to go. Been offered a Mk3 Mr2 for the Merc but it's not really my thing, although I dare say it would drive well

[dugong]

Guy my boss knows wants a price for all three cortinas.

He specialises in punting on barn finds and low mileage classics. I'm thinking £3500 for all three, the beige one is worth three at least privately, similar cars are being advertised at nearly double at dealers.

It's a loss but one i'm prepared to take. It'll save me a load of stress and generate much needed funds.

It'll be the first time without an old rwd ford in my life though..........

Did your Cortinas sell, sir?

 

PM me with details as we're on CORTY ALERT at work because of the sheer number of the sods disappearing.

[xtriple]

The big green dollop is back! Yet another (brand) new rack, left front suspension strut top mount replaced (again) a couple of hoses tightened (very slight water leak.... very, very slight but while I was whinging....) washed and delivered.

 

I think Bentley get their parts from ECP as they seem to be as reliable!

 

Pretty dreadful really that genuine parts (Bentley genuine not eBay 'genuine!) that cost a bloody fortune should fail so quickly. The rack is a right mess apparently - leaking from the right hand side like no bodies business.

 

I feel sorry for Specialist cars as, while they can get the money for the parts back, they still have to stump up for the labour. I even offered to pay again (part pay - I'm not THAT generous!    ) but they declined.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

This is probably the most valuable Jaguar in existence. It's certainly one of the most famous.

You'd think if it was been moved around , it would be in a transporter or at least a covered trailer, you'd think......

 

On the M1 this morning.

[panhard65]

The big green dollop is back! Yet another (brand) new rack, left front suspension strut top mount replaced (again) a couple of hoses tightened (very slight water leak.... very, very slight but while I was whinging....) washed and delivered.

 

I think Bentley get their parts from ECP as they seem to be as reliable!

 

Pretty dreadful really that genuine parts (Bentley genuine not eBay 'genuine!) that cost a bloody fortune should fail so quickly. The rack is a right mess apparently - leaking from the right hand side like no bodies business.

 

I feel sorry for Specialist cars as, while they can get the money for the parts back, they still have to stump up for the labour. I even offered to pay again (part pay - I'm not THAT generous!    ) but they declined.

They should get paid the labour but at a lower rate. The rack I fitted came from the same people who supply flying spares but at half the price.

[anonymous user]

This is probably the most valuable Jaguar in existence. It's certainly one of the most famous.

You'd think if it was been moved around , it would be in a transporter or at least a covered trailer, you'd think......

 

 

Or better still let me drive it for them, they used to drive them out to Le Mans all the time, fair play though for letting people see it. I once saw Babs being trailered down the M4, it took me a while to work out what was on the trailer.

[dollywobbler]

The Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust folk often drive their rarities about. I was astonished after the NEC one year when I overtook NUB 120 on the A45. In my 2CV! Not sure if the JDHT own that one though.