Shitting in the shallow end. *Arse friends Electric*

[Jim Bell]

I had no compressor and better yet, an inspection of the interior revealed that there was no 12v outlet. It's so base that it doesn't have one. WELL GR8. 

 

 

Me creeping around asking strangers if they have a compressor, and if they could park their car REALLY CLOSE to mine so that they could plug it into their own car so that I could pump my tyre up. 

 

The first 20 or 30 people/families that I asked just looked at me like I planned to murder them using this complex ruse as a ridiculous introduction and scurried away to make their pisses. 

 

Eventually a kind man in a Golf agreed. 

 

 

 

The worst rear tyre was on 5psi and the other wasn't much better. I pumped them up to 33psi and headed for Berwick. 

[Jim Bell]

At Berwick, which was the next available fuel stop, I checked all the tyres. Rears were down to 20psi ish. So they're leaking. 

Right. 

Pez shot.

I'm sure it'll be grand if I stop a couple more times on the way home. I'd made it 80 miles and it was about the same to go. A couple of stops and gas ups should be fine. 

[Jim Bell]

Drivers seat analogue Tyre monitoring sytem activated. 

 

Hold on you 13inch clownarse. 

[Jim Bell]

Two more stops to top up and made it home grand.

 

 

Well done little panda. 

[chaseracer]

29 minutes ago, Jim Bell said:

It's the colour of bile. 

It is small. 

It is not a Dacia, Kwashkwai or Juke. It's much worse than any of these things. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whatever it is, it's a very long way from Shrewsbury.  TOP BOMBIN', WOR JIM.

[Datsuncog]

That looks vindictively miserable.

Well done!

(On both the purchase, and nursing it back home with GREAT SUCCESS)

12V sockets are for poseurs anyway.

👍👍👍👍

[N Dentressangle]

The colour mings, it's got nothing pleasant inside and the tyres are shagged.

Mission accomplished, I'd say.

And yeah. Why d'you need a 12v sockit when you've got a battree FFS

[Eyersey1234]

12 minutes ago, Jim Bell said:

Two more stops to top up and made it home grand.

 

 

Well done little panda. 

Chodtastic 

[fatharris]

Jim Bell collection threads are my favourite collection threads.

[Jim Bell]

Well the front two tyres were worn on the edges, which was an mot advisory and the rears weren't holding air so I decided to go completely off-script in Autoshite terms and signed up for FOUR  MATCHING BRAND NEW TYRES FROM A MAJOR HIGH STREET CHAIN. 

 

It was booked in at 17:00 on a Friday.

FORESHADDOWING.

I collected it, checked nothing and drove home. 

 

When I got most of the way home I thought I'd better stop and check the wheel nuts were actually tight. They were, but I noticed that there was no valves on the tyres. Well, there were valves, but they were trapped behind the wheel trims, which are the type that bold on with the wheel bolts. 

GR8. 

The wheel trims were not fitted correctly because they'd put a balance weight where the trim clip has to engage if you want the cut out for the valve to be where the valve is. 

But it was 1700 o clock on a Friday so theyd just rotated the trims 45 degrees, trapped the valves and rattlegunned the nuts to 19000 newton meters, hi fived each other and gone to the pub. 

Me:

 

 

 

Tyres are good though. 

[Stanky]

Sorted!

[Jim Bell]

I haven't got a rattle gun so I bust out my biggest breaker bar and did some early morning Saturday swearing. 

Looks better with the trims off anyway. 

 

 

 

[Jim Bell]

It was all kinds of filth inside so I had a good go at it today with wet cloths and a hoover. 

The boot was in a similar state of DIRT to the rest of the car. 

 

Before 

 

*Insert hoovering montage*

 

After

 

Better

 

Best. 

[Stanky]

Please provide urgent update on car mats situation!

Edit - TBF that boot liner is giving me a bit of a semi, so sculpt, many stain resists...

[Jim Bell]

It actually drives great.

It runs straight, brakes straight, rides really well, has no suspension conks, and is generally a fun enough and economic way to scoot about. Once cleaned, the interior is tidy and undamaged. It's a happy little thing and I'm really pleased with it. 

It needs a few jobs but once done I think it'll be a very good little car. 

 

 

 

Fiat Pa-cma-nda. 

[Jim Bell]

3 minutes ago, Stanky said:

Please provide urgent update on car mats situation!

Edit - TBF that boot liner is giving me a bit of a semi, so sculpt, many stain resists...

Mate. 

I ordered mats online before I set off and they're STILL in the post. 

It's got my shit itching having a car with 0% mats in. 

[jaypee]

excellent work as always sir! 

[yes oui si]

JB THRED UPDAYT

AMAZE

[Supernaut]

6 hours ago, Jim Bell said:

[Spiny Norman]

GR9 Write up. Would recommend to a friend. 🤓

 

[cort1977]

Top collection M9, wud read agayne.

Boring question, what is the insurance group on such a fine conveyance? My oldest is closing in on driving age and this looks like it would be both cheap to insure and a long range contraceptive.

[Lacquer Peel]

2 hours ago, cort1977 said:

Top collection M9, wud read agayne.

Boring question, what is the insurance group on such a fine conveyance? My oldest is closing in on driving age and this looks like it would be both cheap to insure and a long range contraceptive.

If you use Total Car Check and input the reg you can check the insurance group for almost any car, this Panda is 1E, the lowest rating. 

Was impressed with this jaundiced boxy lad on the test drive and drive on big roads to its secret short term storage location, nippy at low speeds, cushy suspension and lots of visibility. Happy at an indicated 90 but does feel flat at high speeds. I could be a Panda convert. 🐼👍

[N Dentressangle]

21 hours ago, Jim Bell said:

I ordered mats online before I set off and they're STILL in the post. 

It's this level of commitment that keeps us coming back for more

[Jim Bell]

On 25/02/2024 at 07:54, Lacquer Peel said:

Was impressed with this jaundiced boxy lad on the test drive and drive on big roads to its secret short term storage location, nippy at low speeds, cushy suspension and lots of visibility. Happy at an indicated 90 but does feel flat at high speeds. I could be a Panda convert. 

 

In all my excitement on collection day, I forgot to thank all that made it possible. The car was in a different country to me and @Lacquer Peel and @juular very kindly gave it a good inspection, picked it up locally* and stored it till I could collect. Thank you gentlemen for all your help and thanks to @MrsJuular for sensibly pointing out the lack of air in the tyres and for excellent hospitality on collection day. 

Now, what's been going on with it?

 

Well, first up and probably not the most pressing issue but what came first in alphabetical order, was the alternator bearing. 

 

Pandas do seem to get through these and for peace of mind* I demanded a new one rather than swapping on a used one. Thankfully @Jimbob McGregor is fantastic at managing demands and he was kind enough to cast his thorough eye over the cars few failings. 

 

Alternator was changed out, front brakes stripped, cleaned, greased and popped back together. The handbrake was as close to vertical as physics would allow and barely held the car on steep gradients so that was adjusted down to the trademark Jimbobmcgreggor two click specification. Great improvement all round. 

Happy new alternator. 

[Jim Bell]

Next was onto small service items. The car did seem a bit flat and felt a bit missy occasionally at times so start with plugs I guess. 

 

 

 

 

using the power of my sheepskin house slippers I was able to read the plugs in mystical ways and came to the conclusion that yes, I'm pretty sure it's about time that these be changed. 

 

Air filtre. 

 

 

Out with the old, in with the new. 

Also did the oil and filter and added a go slower sticker. 

 

Rear wiper improvements. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jim Bell]

While the bonnet was up I dug out the duck bill scuttle drains. They tend to back up with mulch in pandas, which dries, compacts, blocks, then fills the scuttle with water, which then leaks into the footwells. 

Pics are terrible but you get the idea. 

 

Dug out with a finger so there's plenty of room for spread to drain the fluids. Gape action!

[Jim Bell]

Have some pics from various famous* local* landmarks and from general pottering. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jim Bell]

I also fixed this smoll hole. 

 

 

Perfect* fit*. 

[Surface Rust]

I love these Pandas. There's one round the corner from me in that bright blue that I ogle enviously.

I've noticed Sainsbury's sell the perfect colour matched paint for yours, handy for touch ups:

[Jim Bell]

On 24/02/2024 at 18:42, Stanky said:

Please provide urgent update on car mats situation!

Edit - TBF that boot liner is giving me a bit of a semi, so sculpt, many stain resists...

 

Most importantly update. 

 

 

Textured. 

Rubber. 

Action.