big Al & Flat4 fleet fred--- from famine to feast

[big_al_granvia]

good news the saab of many shiters has passed its mot, coming home on 1st feb to get the most out o the tax, volvo taking its place at tame mechanic's shed... so yestrday i thought it would be a good idea to prep it for the 50 mile drive, battery had no volts, couldnt get into boot where it lives, so get spare battery with volts to operate central locking thus opening tailgate.... supposed to be a point to attach a jump lead but couldnt find it, okay attach to positive alternator terminal, couldnt reach due to coolant hoses etc, so clip spanner to jump lead and gravity took spanner, found magnetic pick up tool, rescued spanner and used a 12" extension bar, central lockin worked, got battery out o boot and charged... sorted

merc, the windscreen washers  hadnt worked since arrival so got prepped with sparky tools, meter etc, hmm that wiring plug just clicked when i pushed it, press stalk wifey.... 3 jets of water, job done... happy days

[Flat4]

What you actually mean is, the bloke who's supposed to be reading the Volvo's codes lost the charger for his laptop that has VIDA installed, therefore I can't go take it for that en route to MOT until his new one arrives. Hence, may as well wait another week for swappage so I'm not paying £30 to drive the Saab for 10 days....

[Flat4]

And then there were 3, again.

A different 3 this time but these are all road legal and working

Altho one of the Saab's replacement tyres is refusing to hold air and the others don't seem to have sealed properly. Al will be cleaning up the alloys and attempting to re-seat them. The brake and running lights on the tow bar electrics have also failed which has pissed me right off as it stopped me going to collect a near perfect caravan, that was too heavy for the Fozzie. I'm still gutted over it but the wiring is a priority in case of any more bargains. It was bought as a back up tow car so it needs to be fit for purpose.

New suspension for the Granvia should be here next week and it'll be moving to a new storage facility which has level ground and power, to make if easier to work on.

Hoping the Volvo may be back from MOT the following week. Codes from VIDA revealed no current running issues. Random codes because some one has chopped out the in-car phone without telling the car about it and some issue with a sunroof sensor. Relieved nothing's pinged up for the gear box but let's see if any come back once it's in traffic again.

[Tickman]

Brake lights worked with the trailer I hired, side lights I didn't switch on.

[big_al_granvia]

long overdue fleet update, so in no particular order

fozzy, running well but mot due, needs coil packs, front brakes

saab, drinking fuel but good to drive, still scabby as fuck

volvo, has mot but no 2nd gear, have to use geartronic and put into 3rd

newbie paddy the corolla, fuck we bought a car that works, needs a stereo and good polish

bus, in storage, have all bits to rebuild suspension and a new rad, 

almera, full of caravan bits, think a young shiter wants it, will get running and see whatswhat

focus, full of bits, if immobiliser is fucked then its razor blades or if any shiter wants it then take it away

leggy, tame mechanic has removed shagged engine, might be progressing

merc, sold to yesoui of the parish 

civic, sold to local dealer, has been mot'd

[Flat4]

Today the incoming Big Blue Bastard was introduced to the outgoing Silver Bullshit, and the rest of the fleet - these are the 4 road legal ones.

The Fozzie is just out of MOT and will be heading to tame mechanic shortly, followed by the Granvia and then the Almera.

The plan for today was merely to swap the silver wheels on the front of the silver one on to the back of the blue one, for obvious reasons....

This would also have the added benefit of rotating the tyres, once the black wheels on the back of the silver one have been painted silver too.

What actually happened was, the lock nut for the silver one got chewed to fuck trying to remove a very stuck nut and we had at it with the ugga dugga, not realising we were actually just spinning the locking key and not turning the nut with it :/ So the silver wheel on the passenger side is stuck until we can take both up to tame mechanic and swap the remaining wheel there. In the mean time, I've chucked a black one on the back because, of course, we'd already changed the passenger side rear before the calamity with the lock nut....

Can I call this a fashion statement and be done with it? 😆

Anyway, the Big Blue Bastard now has a matching pair of Crossclimates on the rear, replacing a Triangle and a Goodyear Eagle F1, which has a 2018 date code so I reckon I'll keep that for my spare.

The front tyres are Event Roadx which are apparently okay in the dry but have a distinct lack of grip in the wet! Glad it's summer...which also means paint should dry quickly!

It also needs a pair of discs and pads on the rear.

Which I kinda suspected when I test drove it as the handbrake points at the sky and discovered today when trying to replace the wheel on the driver's side that it isn't holding at all on that side I did manage to get £150 off the screen price even tho the dealer said it was a fixed price, mainly because of that and the odd wheels, so the deal ended up being good enough to sort out these little niggles

Not sure atm if it's worth swapping the relatively fresh discs and pads off the silver one, which also arrived with a similar handbrake pointing at the sky, or just shelling out for new. It depends really, whether we scrap or sell the silver one. We're going to swap it's Xenons and the dog guard on to the blue one, but if it goes for scrap then I may pinch the rear calipers as well, as I believe these are a weak point on V70s.

If anyone is interested in an AWD D5 auto with a missing 2nd gear, 177,000 miles and MOT till next March, feel free to give me a nudge. I'll take scrap price from a Shiter if anyone wants to attempt to fix, replace or manual swap the box. It's been a great car but just not financially viable for us to fix.

Very much looking forward to getting to know the Big Blue Bastard, and hope it behaves itself! Thus far, it's started both times we've moved it again with no need to prime the fuel pump but we'll see once it's in regular use if it keeps going and hope it doesn't cut out again!

 

[big_al_granvia]

wee update

saab is away to roffle winner colin

scooby has mot after replacing front pads and number plate

volvo no longer has locking wheel nuts as we didnt want a repeat of the issues on the silver bullshit

paddy has a working radio, actually did some work on my daily today, we bought a kenwood cd radio years ago from a shiter for the civic, i found a loom adaptor in paddy's box of parts, plugged in and i have a working radio.. happy days

3 of the fleet saw work in 1 day, thats unusual

[Flat4]

Today has been a good day! Finally got this handsome beast out of storage and back on the road, albeit temporarily. Started 2nd turn of the key, after priming the fuel filter, after sitting for months. Taking it up to tame mechanic for some long-overdue fettling and TLC. Only drama on the way there was a slightly low oil level, which is coming from a slight weap on a turbo return pipe, which was bodged until we could order in a new replacement part from Toyota. Apart from that, it ran perfectly! (The 2nd hand one I purchased was cracked in the same place and difficult to spot unless you know to look for it.)

Part duly sourced, this is the list of jobs I left him with....

New radiator
Change front wing
New turbo oil return pipe
Change oil and filter
Replace bulbs in dash display

Fit new rear fog light (that I smashed off reversing on to a grass verge that I didn't see in the dark!)
Change shocks and springs all round
Front torsion bars may need wound down to match the rear
Check wheel bearings and diffs for play
Fit straight pipe of some sort to rear section of exhaust
Fit new wipers
Fit kill switch for battery
Swap wheels front to rear and vice versa
Fit tow bar
MOT

I may also replace the tyres as while they have decent tread and look in good condition, they are 8 years old now and Michelin have started making Cross Climates in commercial sizes, so that's a no brainer. Hopefully nothing else crops up while it's being worked on! Like an alternator dying on the way to the last MOT....

Then it's a case if trying to tackle/improve the body work damage caused by the previous owner, which will likely involve copious amounts of filler, front wheel arch extensions and decals/vinyl of some sort on the rear to cover said filler. And to make it look more like a camper than a tradesman's van....

I had forgotten how nice it is to drive! For a van, it's quite civilised but I'd also forgotten how fucking thirsty it is! 2 tonnes and 4WD will do that but thankfully it will drink waste veg oil ;) Practical, economical, reliable, buckets of torque...really looking forward to getting back on the road with this, properly, this summer

[Noel Tidybeard]

goodyear do all season van tyres now

our new ambulances have them or michelin

[Flat4]

Fleet update - I am scared for my bank balance atm.

Outback is still with my trusted Subaru specialist, likely generating me a fairly hefty bill in diagnostics with no guarantee it can be fixed economically after that.

Granvia is with tame mechanic and may need some welding - I'm too scared to phone and find out!

Paddy the Corolla is going for his first MOT with us today. Not expecting any issues given how well he's been looked after and coz Toyota but yeah. Holding my breath until after 2.30.

V70, touch wood, continues to be as reliable and dependable as ever. Even when *some one* left the side lights on for 6 hours, it still started up fine the next day. Due a service - it's oil is expensive and needs a lot of it!

The other Subaru (Forester) is also due a service and cam belt change but first we need to sort the brakes out. Front pads arrived, rear discs ordered, hopefully get both jobs done before I'm back at work on Wednesday.

[Flat4]

All is not well in our motoring world today

Paddy the Corolla didn't even get tested because the bonnet catch failed/stuck and the tester noticed the dip stick is showing a bit over the full line, so wouldn't run it for the emissions. Didn't realise checking oil was part of the test but either was, test aborted and we'll try again when we've sucked out some oil and cleaned up the bonnet catch. Least he doesn't have a fail recorded against him this way.

Outback is finally home and the news is not good - loss of compression on cylinder 5 The other 2 in the bank were a solid 220psi each, cyl 5 down to 140-150 Most likely the valves but to confirm it absolutely would require stripping the engine, and I ain't going there....Despite that it can still be driven if you keep the revs up and I thoroughly enjoyed an unexpected detour (thanks Google Maps) down Glenniffer Braes on the way home. I now have a really difficult choice of do I run it til the engine gives up and then sell it on, or do I cut my losses now and see what I can recover while it still runs? 

Shout out to Craig at Seedhill Services in Paisley tho - he's had the car for the best part of 2 days because he knew there was a lot riding on his diagnosis and he wanted to be sure of the problem before he gave me it back, but he's only charged me 2 hours labour! I think he's also waived the standard flat fee for plugging it in too.

I have yet to phone tame mechanic about the Granvia because they say bad luck comes in 3s....

[Flat4]

Also, does it give anyone else major anxiety when out of a fleet of, say, 4, one spits the dummy, one has dodgy brakes and 1 may not be road legal for much longer??? What did we do when we only ever had 1 car each?!

[big_al_granvia]

Fozzie brakes is a easy fix, hardest job is jacking up and wheel removal, paddy was a wanker tester that usually only does taxis, out back rock until it drops and pray for the bus.... 

L

[Flat4]

Paddy is off for a 2nd attempt at his first MOT with us today. Wish us luck!

Big Scoob has met wee Scoob 😁

 

[Flat4]

Failed But only on an exhaust leak, which we suspected could be an issue and a ball joint. Not bad for a 26 year old car!

[big_al_granvia]

Wee bit of good news, paddy the corolla is back legal, needed a drop link, exhaust tidied up and lambda cleaned. Fortunately in the village there is a tame mechanic called Geordie and tester by the name of wullie dick (I widnae make any wisecracks, he is a big biker). Happy days

[Flat4]

The Fozzie has reverted to problem child status again and has sprung a water leak from some where I can't see but only when the engine is running....It's not looking good but I'm sincerely hoping lightening won't strike twice and I end up with yet another Scooby with head gasket failure. Seems to lose more water when in traffic and eventually starts overheating. 20 miles on the motorway today and it didn't appear to lose any.... So it's now at Seedhill for Craig to try and find the leak. Wish us luck!

[Flat4]

Good news and bad news - good news is the source of the leak has been traced to 2 weeping pipes, one of which is a common fail point so I would have expected to replace that at some point. No biggie. What IS a concern is one of said pipes is bulging and at this point it's not clear if it's wear and tear on the hose, or if it's pressurising....

Been quoted £1200-1400 for a head gasket repair....Going to fix the pipes for now and see how it behaves. I will be crushed if I need to sell it but at the same time, could I buy a better Subaru for £1400? Or is it better the devil you know? I just don't know right now. Serious thinking to be done.

[Dyslexic Viking]

3 hours ago, Flat4 said:

Or is it better the devil you know?

I would say so. If the car you have is solid and not rotten, it is worth fixing. If you buy another one, you risk a head gasket fail there as well.  That's my thinking.

[big_al_granvia]

42 minutes ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

I would say so. If the car you have is solid and not rotten, it is worth fixing. If you buy another one, you risk a head gasket fail there as well.  That's my thinking.

my suggestion was to put in snake oil and replace the dodgy coolant pipes to keep it in traffic, then try to source another lump and have it rebuilt. the present lump will need a set of belts and a refresh anyway. there is the issue of getting a clean but tired lump to rebuild

[Flat4]

1 hour ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

I would say so. If the car you have is solid and not rotten, it is worth fixing. If you buy another one, you risk a head gasket fail there as well.  That's my thinking.

The paint work is pretty tired, albeit no major dents, etc and the suspension could do with some poly bushing in places but apart from that, it's solid. Plus it has a massive folder of history which even the garage, who is a Subaru specialist, said very few Foresters have. It was only ever intended to be a stop gap until my GTB goes back on the road, but I've grown to bloody love the damn thing too.

That's another consideration is that I could potentially spend that £1500 getting Craig to swap my good engine in to that and then sell on the Fozzie, as originally planned. The question then becomes, do I want to keep both?

[Flat4]

Some better news - all pipes replaced on the Fozzie and ready to come home We shall see how it behaves from here!

Craig has also agreed to swap my engine back in to my Legacy GTB and estimates around a grand for the work. Less expensive than doing the head on the Fozzie and gets my pride and joy back on the road! 😁 So I think that might be decision made but I have some time to mull it over as he doesn't have space for it atm. Or maybe I fix that first and then fix the Fozzie. Again, a decision for later.

To cap it all tho, I've just been offered a Transport Co-Ordinator position with a local logistics company, who I interviewed for last month. They are coming back to me with full details of their offer in a day or 2, and I'm interviewing for a promotion at my side gig on Thursday, so either way, I should be able to secure the funds to fix my toys 😁

[Rust Collector]

2 minutes ago, Flat4 said:

my Legacy GTB

Can we have some pics of the Legacy GTB pretty please? 😁

A 2001 GTB E-tune II was the first car I ever imported from Japan, so they have a special place in my heart!

[Flat4]

7 minutes ago, Rust Collector said:

Can we have some pics of the Legacy GTB pretty please? 😁

A 2001 GTB E-tune II was the first car I ever imported from Japan, so they have a special place in my heart!

I will dig some out, yes It's actually a manual GT-V which was a limited edition run for when Subaru won the WRC. Believe they only came in 2 colours, black and the blue mine is. Different interior and a red GT badge. Has the same engine as your E-tune but with a Type RA gear box and a different map. Even compared to a standard GTB, it fucking flies!

I've updated the suspension with the GTB Bilsteins and put 4 pot brakes on the front with the larger discs. The original brakes were feeble!

[Flat4]

Digging out these pictures has made me remember how much of a sleeper it is...

How it was when I collected it, with original gold 16s.

With colour-coded Impreza/GTB wheels to fit over the 4 pots.

It's currently wearing these Speedlines, which came with another GT-V I had once this one went off the road. Was very pleased to see they cleared my 4-pots, just!

And finally, probably my favourite configuration, wearing my favourite wheels 😊 (Those are currently on the Fozzie and will be kept if I do ever sell it on.)

[Flat4]

Tentative bit of good news - now the hoses have been done, the Fozzie isn't losing any water and didn't overheat on the 20 mile run home, even deliberately taking back roads where I'd be changing speed and therefore revving the engine. That provoked it into running hot on the way up but no such problems now 😁

Jury is still out on whether the dreaded HGF is imminent or not because it did release a bit too much pressure from the expansion tank cap when I had to top it up mid way through the run to Seedhill and even now, I'm kinda agreeing with Craig that it feels like too much pressure in the top rad hose. Al doesn't think so though. 

Plan is to replace the rear brakes, get it MOT'd, stick some Subaru coolant conditioner into it and run it, see what happens. If it behaves, it can have a new cam belt and water pump as planned 😊 I can't think about what to do if it doesn't....

[Flat4]

Do you ever get really fucking fed up of being a petrol head? For the first time ever, I'm actually thinking I should buy something sensible and stop tinkering. We now have only 1 car that is 100% working and road legal!!! The Volvo has sprung a water leak which appears to be a relatively easy fix but come on ffs!!! The leak seems to be coming from a metal pipe that joins on to a rubber hose and back again, that runs underneath the fan. Can't see exactly where as it has an undertray in the way but looks like access should be relatively easy once for some one with a ramp. We've actually moved a few miles away from a garage that brands themselves as a Volvo specialist so both them and the very nice chap who did Paddy's MOT will be getting phone calls on Monday. We don't have time atm to piss about DIYing because of course it has to happen to the car we're currently using the most!

It's also right when we have both the least money coming in and the most expenses due out. 7 fucking cars between us and only 1 of them is actually useable - the oldest one on the fleet, Paddy!

Fozzie still needs rear brakes changed and MOT'd, then see how the engine is.

The Outback is still out on loan and shows little sign of being back any time soon as my friend is in an even worse predicament than me.

Tame mechanic hasn't had time to look at the Granvia.

Can't afford to recommission the Legacy yet.

The Almera may or may not be financially viable to MOT, depending on whether we can get the calipers to un-seize or not.

Thought this fucking retrograde was supposed to be over by now??? To cap it off, I'm really struggling for energy atm, 2 ferrets are being admitted to the vet next week for X-rays and dentals (including the one with a heart murmur 😬), 2 dogs need to go for one of their regular check ups for their limpy legs, we have an electrician coming because we apparently need new smoke alarms so having to gut the house and move shit about for that, then our oldest dog needs to go for a check up for her repeat medication.

Can we stop the world for a bit so I can get off????

[Flat4]

Small piece of good news - my friend has actually had her own car fixed so we can go fetch the Outback 😁 It's not perfect but it is running and MOT'd, will give us a modicum of breathing space.

[St.Jude]

Only just realised you have a thread!

Now following for obvious reasons!!!

[Flat4]

Took the Volvo in this morning, to the garage that MOT'd Paddy and the news isn't great - the bottom left of the rad has rotted out, combination of age and road dirt most likely. It might be the original and has done 170-ish thousand miles now so no shame to it I guess. Just a pisser that it's going to be off the road for probably another week while we source a new rad, which garage actually told me to go find because anything he could supply would be silly money....Beginning to like him! So, where's cheapest for genuine Volvo parts? The car's a keeper so thinking future proofing here.

Paddy has been giving sterling service this week and did 2 big runs to our specialist exotics vet, there and back twice in one day. Over 100 miles round trip on twisties and motorways, and touch wood, hasn't complained once. Very glad of this wee car atm.

In other news, both ferrets handled their anaesthetics fine and their bloods were perfect. Nicky had 4 teeth out, poor boy but is doing well so far, again, touch wood. Still to get the results of each of their x-rays, Nicky's to assess his heart murmur, Mars to assess why he's acting like an in-season wanker when he's already had his nuts off. Will get the details of those when Nicky's in for a check up next week.

Finally, I'm off to bring the Outback home over the weekend. It's been in it's natural territory for a while, on a farm, so I'm just hoping it's not too filthy to spruce up when I'm ready to sell it on. It'll be a relief to be back up to 2 working (sort of) cars again 😊