What makes you grin? Antidote to grumpy thread

[DVee8]

When I had the belts changed on the Astra in February this year the old belt looked brand new and hardly any different from the new.

[DVee8]

Also I have had the Astra 5 years today.

[vulgalour]

Even though I've had to spent a buttload of cash early in ownership of the Rover, it has rewarded me with lower fuel and tax costs.  I wasn't expecting it to be better than the Xantia on fuel for what I use the car for, but it is, so that's good.  I'll blow the cobwebs off my Fuelly account and figure out what I'm getting from it more properly.

[Craig the Princess]

R8s are good on the old Dino-juice.

Relax it's a Rover.

[The Moog]

Even though I've had to spent a buttload of cash early in ownership of the Rover, it has rewarded me with lower fuel and tax costs. I wasn't expecting it to be better than the Xantia on fuel for what I use the car for, but it is, so that's good. I'll blow the cobwebs off my Fuelly account and figure out what I'm getting from it more properly.

That would be interesting to know.

[Lacquer Peel]

I think an old diesel is only worth running if A: you like them B: you can get free/cheap fuel.

[vulgalour]

I've put about £60 unleaded in it and done something like 600-800 miles in it.  I should have made a note of the mileage when I tanked it last.  I reckon I'm getting about the same as the Corsa does and that did around 55mpg at NSL and returns somewhere around 28-32mpg around town.  The Xantia I was getting at best 55mpg on the motorway and mid-20s around town.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

^ Goes to prove what I keep saying, timing belts don't fail on their own. The two main causes (in my experience) of belt failure are a tensioner or idler collapsing and knackered cam bearings causing extra drag.

 

It's no coincidence that most engines that suffer a belt failure also have a poor service history and oil that looks like tar.

A bloke I know employed a mechanic* in a little unit to service his fleet of cabs. At the time mostly Mk3 Cavaliers and Carltons all pez and about 4 Montego Dizzlers.

He'd have them religiously serviced and cam belts done every 40,000 miles- might as well as he was paying wages and rent anyway( don't think his idea oft he unit paying for itself in outside work ever came off)

Anyway after about 3 years he got pissed off with the lazy grease monkey and fired him, he employed a young lad to do part worn tyres,so needed to clear out the storage space.

Guess what they found? Yep,about 100 cam belts and tensioners, the lazy fucker had been pretending to do them and doing his private work instead. The only thing he did was oil changes.

In those 3 years not one cambelt failed and some of those Cavaliers were well over a quarter of a million miles.

[dollywobbler]

I used to get 45mpg no bother at all in my 'bubble' 400. Given how brisk the K was, it makes you wonder why they bothered fitting that horrible Honda 1.6 in the R8s. I would be staggered if you're getting 55mpg though. That would be impressive.

[Richard]

1.9 TD Xantias are quite thirsty for what they are, I think they are too heavy for the engine.

[Lacquer Peel]

Frugal as they are, I don't think a Rover 414 is capable of 55MPG at the national speed limit, and a Xantia TD definitely wouldn't achieve 55MPG at motorway speeds.

Brim to brim calculation?

[vulgalour]

at a steady and constant 70mph no, I can't get 55mpg out of the Xantia, my statement was a bit misleading.  But at a steady 56-60mph I certainly could.  I have no figures to prove this to you so you'll have to take my word for it.  Fact is, I could get more miles out of the same quantity of fuel in the Xantia reliably than anyone else that drove it.  I've surprised myself at just how little fuel I can use.

 

We'll have to see exactly how I do with the Rover but I'm certainly using less fuel than I was in the Xantia because I'm driving more miles on less litres.  The only thing that made the Xantia cheaper was the ability to run it on veg oil.

[hairnet]

mongwaffle on ebay a day after i ended to auction for the bike cos it sold last night

 

id like to buy bike - how much

 

even tho it says on ad its no longer available and if the auction had ran its course till today it would have ended 3 hours ago

 

are people just thick?

[scaryoldcortina]

^ Mostly I think they are, yes.

 

Take for example the ones that wander unannounced into my yard and ask how much the cortina is. The answer is always "it isn't for sale" but that prompts the response "How much would it be if it was for sale?"

[Pillock]

Have you tried asking them to price up their children? "Yeah, I know.... But if they were for sale, how much?"

[scaryoldcortina]

No, that's too risky round here. I might end up owning some children I didn't actually want.

[Pillock]

OK, their Staffie then.

[wuvvum]

My Volvo appears to be possessed...

 

[hairnet]

no its burgandy

[Pillock]

MUDFLAP_KITTEH SEZ NUTHIN TO SEE.

[Noel Tidybeard]

I used to get 45mpg no bother at all in my 'bubble' 400. Given how brisk the K was, it makes you wonder why they bothered fitting that horrible Honda 1.6 in the R8s. I would be staggered if you're getting 55mpg though. That would be impressive.

i think they used the hondar engine due to a lack of 1.6 kettles

[Lacquer Peel]

Should have used the S series.

[tooSavvy]

 

are people just thick?

I'm not the right person to consult at this time...

 

 

TS

[fordperv]

Last night i went to see my mates house she bought, oh my the kitchen had fantastic decor, she doesn't like it but I think it's great.

 

 

She then showed me this. I really hope it's the previous owners pets inside.

 

 

Old wilko carrier bag

[J-Rod]

^ Mostly I think they are, yes.

 

Take for example the ones that wander unannounced into my yard and ask how much the cortina is. The answer is always "it isn't for sale" but that prompts the response "How much would it be if it was for sale?"

I was going to suggest their first born too. Should we be concerned that so many of us round here (i.e. more than one) think that trading in children is an acceptable response?

[J-Rod]

Last night i went to see my mates house she bought, oh my the kitchen had fantastic decor, she doesn't like it but I think it's great.

She then showed me this. I really hope it's the previous owners pets inside.

Old wilko carrier bag

Someone died there, didn't they...?

[fordperv]

I don't actually know if the previous owner died there or went into a home, the house did belong to an elderly person going from the placement of grab handles, the bathroom is a wet room and has a sliding door.

[J-Rod]

I don't actually know if the previous owner died there or went into a home, the house did belong to an elderly person going from the placement of grab handles, the bathroom is a wet room and has a sliding door.

Without wanting to sound like a total bastard, there are some good deals to be had on houses because of this. We're thinking of moving to Kings Lynn and you can pick up some right bargains there due the previous owner no longer being on this mortal coil... It's a bit grim though

[dollywobbler]

i think they used the hondar engine due to a lack of 1.6 kettles

 

Well yes, that's true. They didn't exist at the start of R8 production, but I'd question why they bothered with a 1.6 at all. The K does everything you want from an engine, is far more responsive and far, far better on fuel.

[beko1987]

Giving my stepdads car a good clean, to pay him back for lending me £40 to pay ruffgeezer. Its bloody hot, but Id forgotten how much I enjoy a good detail.

 

Wish I had some bloody clay though, could really do with it!

 

Its washed and dried now, having a fag and a cuppa then Ill pack the wet stuff away and get polishing!