Ask a Shiter

[wuvvum]

I've been looking through my old pictures and came across this one. I didn't take it and I'm not sure why I'd saved it.

 

 

I think the man with his back to the camera is Nigel Bickle but who are the others? Are they still around?

That must have been the meet at the bubble car museum?  I went up myself in the Renner Six - I'm not in the photo though.  Must've been 2008 I reckon as I bought the 6 in late 2007.

[Inspector Morose]

Old Saab 900s (80s/early 90s)

whats the consensus?

Yes.

[skattrd]

Old Saab 900s (80s/early 90s)

 

whats the consensus?

 

I lusted after 900s as a kid and always wanted one, several years ago I bought a 900 T16s and hated it. I kept it 3 years and drove it frequently, but I never liked it.

Gr9 engine the T16s, but the 900 had hideous jelly like handling, mine was a 2 door notchback, which are the stiffest of the lot and handle better than the hatchbacks as well.

Summary - no, unless you just want to drive in a straight line.

 

That said I'd have a 9000, as my thoughts are it should handle better, and maybe even a bit like my old Thema, which was eleventy times better than the 900.

[Inspector Morose]

I've had 5 900 turbos, including a couple of t16s and not one of them handled like the utterly fucked 9000 turbo I had.

 

But I still would.

[skattrd]

I've had 5 900 turbos, including a couple of t16s and not one of them handled like the utterly fucked 9000 turbo I had.

 

But I still would.

 

So even a fucked 9000 handles better than a  900?

[Richard]

That must have been the meet at the bubble car museum?  I went up myself in the Renner Six - I'm not in the photo though.  Must've been 2008 I reckon as I bought the 6 in late 2007.

 

The EXIF data says 2nd June 2007, I don't think it's the bubble car museum meet.

[Lacquer Peel]

So even a fucked 9000 handles better than a  900?

 

I don't agree, 9000s handle like crap. C900s handle decently - but I wouldn't put a load of power through either chassis.

[Asimo]

Old Saab 900s (80s/early 90s)

whats the consensus?

The last SaaB, untainted by Italy or GM.

A lot to like, definately a nice place to sit, love the view through that wraparound windscreen. I'd buy a new one.

[62 Austin]

If you owned a 1986 Jaaag, a 1992 Merc 600 SEL, a 1980's BMW that was a theft recovery, and a few randomly-selected American cars that didn't run (but worn-out, rusty and cheap), would you have covered the high points of the autoshite world? If putting together an autoshite museum/indoor junkyard, can people take you seriously if you don't have Yugoslavian, East German, French, and Italian cars of ill repute? 

[LC Torana]

If you owned a 1986 Jaaag, a 1992 Merc 600 SEL, a 1980's BMW that was a theft recovery, and a few randomly-selected American cars that didn't run (but worn-out, rusty and cheap), would you have covered the high points of the autoshite world? If putting together an autoshite museum/indoor junkyard, can people take you seriously if you don't have Yugoslavian, East German, French, and Italian cars of ill repute? 

 

Nope.

 

If you want credibility, you need to have owned a Marina, Allegro, any Hillman or Talbot, a Rhonda or a Renault Laguna.  Or something epically rusty.

 

I don't qualify either, by the way.

[steve_earwig]

Yugoslavian

Where? If it'll help you fill out your quota I can sweep up a Yugo and post it to you.

[The Moog]

Old Saab 900s (80s/early 90s)

 

whats the consensus?

Oooffff 

 

And 1, 2 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 when time comes 

[sierraman]

Check all metal brake pipes and unions on the flexis, if there's any rust, sand it off and grease it.

 

If there's any oil weeping on shocks then spray or paint waste oil all over that area as a 'rustproofer'

 

Any stone chips on screen? Maybe you could adjust wipers so it isn't in swept area

I would say they'd just fail it if they saw the shockers covered in oil. If there was a fine mist on the other hand it might warrant an advisory. Not just that but it would make the task of replacing the shocker infinitely more messy as you attempt to remove it as you're hands are struggling to grip the thing through the oil you've pasted it in.

[Bobthebeard]

Pictured on location and possibly the only existing photo of the cast of Autoshite, The Movie.

At a cinema near you soon....

[egg]

I've got a front bumper for my Ford fusion (2002) to replace the current one (broken) - anyone know what clips I need assuming I'll break some taking the old one off? Thanks.

[cort16]

Are parts for Daihatsu's easy obtainable? I don't mean old ones I mean the ones they built just before they fled the country.

[62 Austin]

Where? If it'll help you fill out your quota I can sweep up a Yugo and post it to you.

Not me, some other chap who thinks he'll save money by buying junk cars and fixing them up. But if you buy random cheap used cars, sight-unseen on places like ebay, sell-and-run, plenty-of-crap, buymyPOS, etc., they all turn out to be autoshite. Then, if you're rich, you repeat the process. See Advert-Buy-Ship-See Car-Throw Up-Sell-Repeat. 

[skattrd]

Are parts for Daihatsu's easy obtainable?

 

Yes, parts for standard cars no problem.

 

I have a couple of contacts in Japan for harder to find parts for rarer cars. Then there's the cheap parts from Malaysia made for Peroduas.

I got my Daihatsu exhaust manifold from Malaysia and I'm about to place an order with a Japanese firm for Storia parts.

[Lacquer Peel]

My VAG VAN has a few grotty bits that I need to attend to. Really not keen on fiddly cosmetics but I want to nip it in the bud.

What's the easiest rust remover to use, that I can slather with white Hammerite when it's done?

[fatharris]

I've only heard good things about Bilt-Hamber de-ox gel.

 

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

[sierraman]

My VAG VAN has a few grotty bits that I need to attend to. Really not keen on fiddly cosmetics but I want to nip it in the bud.

What's the easiest rust remover to use, that I can slather with white Hammerite when it's done?

For an old van I'd whack on some Kurust. A lot of people slag it off but if you follow the instructions to the T, you won't go wrong.

[garbaldy]

I'm not a fan of kurust anymore here's why,

1. I kurusted the rusty spots on a transit with two coats and left to go purple/black

2. I used a wire brush on a grinder and got the metal down to a shiney but slightly rough surface,

3. I then allied another couple of coats of kurust.

4. Then I applied two coats of lovely pink hamerite rust proofing primer,

5. Then three good coats of white hamerite smooth paint.

 

The outcome was three months later the piant was turning that horid rusty orange colour,

Now I am a bit of a stickler for reading and following Instructions and I am 99% sure I did as manufacturers recommendations but the van still looked like Mr blobbys ghost after a few months.

[steveo3002]

dont agree with the rust convertors myself either

 

roar at it hard with a wire wheel , then bilt hamber gel until its bare steel , then good primer and paint

 

hammerite isnt very good either 

[daveb47]

If sheep could fly where would they go to in the winter?

 

 

Baa-bados of course.....

[LC Torana]

One thing puzzles me about "part-worn" tyres:

 

Who are these people who change their tyres not only before they are worn out, but in fact when they have so much tread left they are resaleable?

 

I say again, who the dickens are these people?

[steveo3002]

germany has differant tread depth rules to us

[Cheggers]

One thing puzzles me about "part-worn" tyres:

 

Who are these people who change their tyres not only before they are worn out, but in fact when they have so much tread left they are resaleable?

 

I say again, who the dickens are these people?

I believe a lot come from write-offs & scrappers.

[steve_earwig]

yeah its forrin alright.. see this thread

http://autoshite.com/topic/22576-renault-safrane-brake-bleeding-issues/

Oh, thread seems to have dried up. The warning I quoted comes from Haynes, so I just checked the repair manual for my Pug and the first thing it says is the engine must be running It actually has two procedures, the first is using a pressure bleeder but the second is the manual method, with a warning not to use this method if the car has ESP. and that, if air gets into the system, you'll need DIAG 2000 to bleed it properly.

 

I guess Haynes is being cautious because if you do get air into the system and you don't have PP2K/Diag Box the car will need transporting to the dealers for some wallet draining.

 

This still sounds like a good way to spray brake fluid everywhere to me, with the engine running there will be a lot of pressure at the caliper end and someone will have to watch the reservoir like a hawk.

 

I just checked the reaper Manuel for the revolting RAV, it says you must use diagnostic gear.

 

I guess the bottom line is it depends on the car, if it's a boggo system then don't run the engine, if it's a modern infested with all sorts of electronic garbage then you'll need to investigate and definitely proceed with caution.

[sierraman]

How often do you need to bleed the entire system though. Usually you'd clamp the hose and bleed the brake on that corner. Unless though you were swapping the fluid. In which case a lot of garages wouldn't charge a lot to do that then you've not got the mess around getting shut of the old fluid.

 

Back to the tyre question. I've wondered this, the local 'pre owned tyre retailer' near me wanted £25 for a continental with 4mm of tread, checked the date on it and it was made nearly 13 years ago!!! Where's it been all this time? In a shed somewhere? Sat in a pond? I sacked them off and went to national tyres who did me a pair of very acceptable Barums for £41 a tyre. Then you've got a new tyre with some sort of come back on it. Don't get me wrong I'd use part worns again but not from there and on something I didn't anticipate keeping for more than a few months.

[steve_earwig]

It's probably been on a spare - both my* yoyos had spares that have never been used, the current heap has a lovely Yokohama M+S all terrain jobbie which is now 9 years old, I do wish I could buy them here.

 

Brake fluid - you're meant to change it every 3 (or is it 5?) years as it absorbs bullshit from the air. They test it on the MOT* here, not sure if they do that in the UK yet.