Ask a Shiter

[KruJoe]

Yeah, Cavs. This one is still winking at me from my watch list...

 

 

 

 

No, really it was the Mk3 Espaz. I read int' grin thread some appreciation of 'em, here's Lobster:

Making me grin? A 53 plate Renault Espace (and that surprised me a bit too) ... Amazed that it drove absolutely spot on, everything worked and it was proper comfy. I was properly impressed. Thats it was for sale for £3.5k did tempt me a bit but the every present fear factor that would accompany ownership put me off.

Apparently its had new clutch, head gasket, pistons, oil cooler, engine rebuild, turbo and a fair few other bits in the last twelve months Still, it did drive well.

 

...I'm not buying though, don't need a seven seater for a start but I was quite impressed with it.

 

Had a 1998-ish 2.2 diesel Grande Espazz a couple of years or so ago. It was actually quite impressive with a nice driving position, shit loads of room and was good to drive. Obv. it had to do something to remind me who it was made by and promptly shit it's gear selector cable 'thing'.

 

The earlier 2.2dti was a million times better from what I can make out. God knows why they replaced it...

 

My brother has owned a 54 plate 2.2 Espazz from new. It grenaded at 90ish k. It cost him the best part of £3k to rebuild it all, but to give the thing some credit, it ain't bad. No electrical faults yet!!!

 

Drove a 2.2 DCi Espace when I worked at the garage:

 

 

I really very much liked it, it was great to drive, comfortable, responsive, great driving position, certainly one of those cars I wouldnt mind owning sometime in the future.

 

I also drove the V6 auto version which was pretty nice and smooth, right engine for the size of the car.

 

...That reminds me - my favourite thing about the Espace was those alloys...

 

So, a few positive comments there about them (in amongst the tales of woe!)

[CYANIDE STEVE]

This may be a stupid question so this seems the correct place to ask.

I bought some stardust silver basecoat for my sisters mondeo as I stupidly offered to replace the rear arches and the gaffer taped rear bumper for a new one as she was fed up with it looking like every other Mk2 Mondeo.

I have some activator left over from another job, enough to use in the silver basecoat. I forgot when I was at the paint place that the lacquer also needs activator.

My stupid question is, can I use the same activator in the lacquer as I do in the paint??

I've only painted solid colours in recent years and this is the first basecoat and lacquer job I've done for years

[cobblers]

You don't need activator in the basecoat assuming it's the normal 1k base that you'd put under a coat of 2k lacquer. Just thin it down about 40-50%, whack a few coats on (it goes on dead thin and doesn't cover very well but flashes off pretty quickly)

 

By the time you've cleaned the basecoat out of your spray gun and mixed the lacquer up, the basecoat will have more than likely be ready for you to go at it with the lacquer.

 

You'll probably be fine using whatever left over activator in the lacquer, providing it's not some specialised stuff.

[CYANIDE STEVE]

Oh ok Thanks

I was going to put activator in the basecoat so thanks for telling me!

My Iveco is solid black and white and that was supplied as a kit with 5 litres of paint and 2.5 litres of activator but that wasn't basecoat and lacquer just straight shiney colour

I'll try mixing a little cupfull of lacquer and activator then pour a little drop on to the old bumper and see what it does.

[Cavcraft]

Does the paper autotrader magazine still exist?

 

 

Also, when cashing in a tax disc can you just dander into the post office, fill out the form and bung it in an envelope?

Or do you need some/all of the V5?

 

 

1) Yes.

 

2) I don't think you need the V5, BUT it has to be registered to you to obtain a refund, the bastards stopped anyone else from cashing them in a while back now.

[barefoot]

Goodride Tyres - I seem to recall reading recently that these were the worst of the worst - is this true?

Local tyre place has offered a pair of these for the back of the T2 - 185 X 14 8 ply

I don't really need too much in the way of performance from them, but I'd be a little disappointed if they made it GR9 4 DRFTN

[Albert Ross]

Avoid. Tbey're shit.

[Des]

I've been rolling Barum Vanis tyres for a couple of years and they seem pretty good.

[explosive-cabbage]

Does anyone know of a tried-and-trusted company that will clean my SP Injector?

 

Thanks

[Cavcraft]

So if I scrap or trade in I need to get round to the post office quicksharp and hope for a victory in the postal race to swansea?

 

No huge rush now I suppose as you've missed this month because we're four days into it and they'll only refund full months. Still not a bad idea to send it off pronto though with a V14.

 

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/motoring/ow ... g_10012526

[willswitchengage]

Is there any reason not to buy a late 90s Rover diesel on ebay? There seem to be some cracking £500 bargains that the equivalent GMs and VWs would be going for well over a grand.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Does the paper autotrader magazine still exist?

Maybe not for long.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/news ... -axed.html

[skattrd]

Is there any reason not to buy a late 90s Rover diesel on ebay? There seem to be some cracking £500 bargains that the equivalent GMs and VWs would be going for well over a grand.

 

I nearly bought an MG diesel last year. The main thing that stopped me was the interior appeared to be disintegrating on all the ones in my price range. Trim seems to fall off left and right, and various bits and pieces stop working. The suspension on the MG one I test drove was great (Honda based double wishbone) and the engine pulled fine. The Rover L-series found in quite a few of these things doesn't seem bad, and I have heard does good things about a "Rover Ron Tuning box" for them.

 

I think Wuvvum's got a Rover diesel, so should know more than my test drive experiences

[Cavcraft]

Thanks, I shall pre-prepare a V14.

 

This side of the month is irrelevant as I need this car to get new car, we'll see what happens over weekend.

 

 

Spill the beans old boy, spill the beans...

 

 

It'll be sad it AutoTrader folds, yet another thing (along with some real life car auctions) that eBay has killed off imho. In it's day AT was fantastic, if you wanted a motor there was always something really cheap in there but you had to be up and outside the paper shop at 05.30, get home and have a pen and phone handy and started calling round.

Selling was a laugh too, avoid all the spam calls you always got, then start fielding interest from 6.00am Thursday morning. If your motor was priced right the phone would ring itself daft and you'd still get calls six days later. It was also king for two bob arseholes who'd feign interest but not turn up then two days later when similar cars had sold (at more money) they'd call back and climb the walls when you told them it had been sold. I often wondered if these dickheads ever really learnt a lesson, probably not.

[messerschmitt owner]

the autotrader print edition is what is going not the website - still useful for finding the odd bargain.

[willswitchengage]

Trim seems to fall off left and right, and various bits and pieces stop working

 

Ha, reminds me of my only experience with one - getting a lift in a 420D at Download festival - the guy had "experimented" to see how far the seat would tilt backwards, then the dial broke leaving him having to sit upright on this psychiatrist's-bed seat

 

Spoke to someone who worked at Ricardo consulting on the L-series and he said it was durable, powerful, reliable etc - just quite agricultural in nature and very noisy.

[ashmicro]

My ex had a 330Ci and I thought it was brilliant. Kate didn't like it though.

[Cavcraft]

Not wishing to have gran/egg sucking INTERFACE here but are you aware that anything over 2.5 (i.e 2.8+) needed a mod to the subframe as they liked to rip them out?

 

http://www.bimmerforums.co.uk/forum/f18 ... uk-t86508/

 

I can vouch for the 2.5 engine being mega fun to whang round in, a really nice engine that one and I'd imagine the 2.8 and above must be an absolute riot.

[cort16]

Hey Tayne this Alpina B3 looks good value even if it's a slightly iffy colour.

http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/bmw-alpina-b3/105575385

[cort16]

Hmm, right then what about this one? 330i Coupe Sport, face lift with full black leather and manual gearbox and 86k. 2 grand and in Glasgow.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201225476441462/

[messerschmitt owner]

My ex had a 330Ci and I thought it was brilliant. Kate didn't like it though.

I saw a Hawaii registered 330Ci yesterday in Gloucester - oh, the joys of a Nato base on the doorstep.

[cort16]

Cort - hoping to see that tomorrow.

 

That's the perfect spec for one I hope it turns out to be a goodun.

[Cavcraft]

Does look bloody nice that, Tayne. I think he (or she) has been out with the MAT BLACK, YO! paint on the grilles, though that might not be an issue to you of course. Is it only a manual you want?

 

 

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3866933.htm

[cobblers]

Hmm, right then what about this one? 330i Coupe Sport, face lift with full black leather and manual gearbox and 86k. 2 grand and in Glasgow.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201225476441462/

 

 

That's lovely. I was 100% unaware that you could get such a vehicle for 2 grand (which is basically as much as I'll ever dare spend on a vehicle)

In the last couple of years I've sold a T reg lupo with 120K and an L reg 106 XSi for £500 more than that!

[cort16]

I don't mind the matt black grill on the BMW's especially on the cars with the shadowline trim like this one. It doesn't look like it's suffered any other "modifications".

[Spiny Norman]

If tomorrow goes well and I want to offload the Audi in Glasgow can anyone recommend a scrapyard?

I think the BM is in Govanhill / Queen's Pk so ideally not too far from there.

 

There's a couple in Helen Street in Govan I know of. Haven't been down there for a while but they used to be OK. There's also the one in Renfrew in Meadowside street that keeps going up in flames...

[Negative Creep]

When coming to a stop in a carb'ed car, is it more economical to change down through the box or just clutch in and brake?

[Station]

Hmm, right then what about this one? 330i Coupe Sport, face lift with full black leather and manual gearbox and 86k. 2 grand and in Glasgow.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201225476441462/

 

We had one as a company car in work years ago, a silver 330Ci on a Y reg and it was great.

[M'coli]

When coming to a stop in a carb'ed car, is it more economical to change down through the box or just clutch in and brake?

Clutch in and brake is how I've always done it in a carburettor car.

[ashmicro]

Just a thought, are German skidmarks now skideuros?