Fleet update - Cookie's adventures in shiteing

[NorfolkNWeigh]

12 hours ago, Cookiesouwest said:

I don't know who had it before @NorfolkNWeigh

That’s a a surprisingly nice car to drive, isn’t it.  I got it for one of my daughters from an actual hairdresser in , I think Nuneaton. It was always reliable and we only got rid  of it because the  back window started falling out and water started falling in. That and Covid meant she was working from home so it was sitting for weeks ata time not moving. 
There was always a knack to unlocking and starting the thing without the alarm going off, I overcame this by not locking it , much to the Leah’s ( the owner) annoyance. She never seemed to wake the street up when she used it. 

Here it is this time last year in Mid-Wales, the last time it was used by us.

[Cookiesouwest]

Road trip. Today drove up to Hexham to visit MIL for a few days.

Obviously took the least fuel efficient car - Mrs CSW's CRV.

Not bad considering.

[garellikatia]

On 8/19/2021 at 5:40 PM, Cookiesouwest said:

Road trip. Today drove up to Hexham to visit MIL for a few days.

Obviously took the least fuel efficient car - Mrs CSW's CRV.

Not bad considering.

Decent mpg that! What year is it? 

[Cookiesouwest]

2 hours ago, garellikatia said:

Decent mpg that! What year is it? 

Mk2.5 2005

[garellikatia]

26 minutes ago, Cookiesouwest said:

Mk2.5 2005

Petrol too? 🤔

[High Jetter]

6 hours ago, garellikatia said:

What year is it? 

2021. Time to wake up. 🤣

[Cookiesouwest]

9 hours ago, garellikatia said:

Petrol too? 🤔

Yes 2.0 petrol.

[Cookiesouwest]

At Alnwick today.

At the Castle and Gardens.

 

[garellikatia]

That's brilliant! Especially compared to most other 4x4 suvs of that era

 

[Cookiesouwest]

Tynemouth today for the market at the train station.

Then to Morpeth.

Where I spotted this. The first I have seen in the wild.

 

[yes oui si]

58 minutes ago, Cookiesouwest said:

Tynemouth today for the market at the train station.

Then to Morpeth.

Where I spotted this. The first I have seen in the wild.

 

If you're still in Morpeth, there's a great bottle shop at the bottom end of the High Street, lots of great local beers, plus wines etc. 

[Cookiesouwest]

24 minutes ago, yes oui si said:

If you're still in Morpeth, there's a great bottle shop at the bottom end of the High Street, lots of great local beers, plus wines etc. 

Yes we saw that, while the Mrs was raiding the charity shops

 

[yes oui si]

42 minutes ago, Cookiesouwest said:

Yes we saw that, while the Mrs was raiding the charity shops

 

Hope you've enjoyed your time in my ends. It's nice up here

[Cookiesouwest]

6 minutes ago, yes oui si said:

Hope you've enjoyed your time in my ends. It's nice up here

It is. I think the Mrs secretly wants to move back.

[Cookiesouwest]

Arnold Clark - nearly every other car has an Arnold Clark sticker, up here in the North.

How many bloody cars do they sell????

[yes oui si]

58 minutes ago, Cookiesouwest said:

It is. I think the Mrs secretly wants to move back.

Don't blame her, best to wait until the nonsense wears off though... 

[Longbridge Apologist]

How's Norman? I had a Mk1 Focus with the 1.8 TDCi so curious whether it manages to move a Mondy!

[Longbridge Apologist]

On 2/21/2021 at 11:11 AM, SRi05 said:

There's still quite a few older cars that are Euro 4 compliant. My 2003 406 Coupe and Mini were 

My 2001 (but designed and released in 1997) 1.7 Ford Puma was ULEZ compliant before the Zetec borked itself.

[Cookiesouwest]

7 hours ago, Longbridge Apologist said:

How's Norman? I had a Mk1 Focus with the 1.8 TDCi so curious whether it manages to move a Mondy!

Norman is ok. Just got back so going to find out if the battery still works.

Norman has the 2.0 tdci (think its a pug unit). It really shifts. Plenty of grunt.

[Cookiesouwest]

Back home.

8hrs to get back thanks to multiple incidents on three motorways.

Nearly a thousand miles done in 5 days.

Considering the CRV is a petrol tank, I think its mpg is quite respectable.

[Longbridge Apologist]

5 hours ago, Cookiesouwest said:

Norman is ok. Just got back so going to find out if the battery still works.

Norman has the 2.0 tdci (think its a pug unit). It really shifts. Plenty of grunt.

Ahh nice.

[Cookiesouwest]

Quick update.

Thankfully Mrs CSW loves the bug. Her CRV has seen no action, since we returned from the North East.

Three things she doesn't like.

1) No temp gauge. She has driven many a K series and KV6 over the years. The temp gauge is the most important dial in the cluster! She finds it weird.

2) Alarm / central locking issues. She has now found a way to open and start car without alarm throwing a wobbler. Its a faff but she can live with it for now. I suspect a pricey visit to an auto electrician will be on the cards shortly. I know the interior drivers door switch is knackered. I've ordered a replacement to see if that helps.

3) Parking. Difficult. Can't see the corners of the car. Its becoming a spectator sport in our street, watching Mrs CSW, trying to get safely into a space large enough for a LWB transit

Bug now has a name. Bartholomew.

My fleet - I have to reduce fleet by 2. 3 to choose from. Cant really decide, so all 3 will be put up for sale soon. 

The market will decide, which one I get left with.

Mondeo will be getting new DPF sensor pipes shortly. Gonna get CRV serviced and very early new MOT. R75 will be investigated iro slight wheel shake (suspect its balancing or crap tyre issue). Then they go up for sale. Shitters discount will be available.

 

[Cookiesouwest]

Well Audrey has been put up on club website with the worst classified add ever written.

I will now await the usual comments of - thats scrap mate, you are taking the p!ss with that price OR you should send that to classic auction you will get millions lol

[Cookiesouwest]

Quick fleet update.

Audrey has left the fleet. Off to Devon for further adventures. As a bonus, got to meet @HMC again, her new owner.

Bartholomew the Bug had a flat battery this morning, which a jump start sorted. Will probably need a new one.

Mrs CSW is struggling to park it as she can't see the corners. Hasn't driven it for a week, since she came out of Hospital. If she can't get her confidence back, not sure it will be around for long.

The Mondeo. Total failure of instrument cluster this morning. Not sure what to do with it. I can weigh in and only lose 50 quid on what she owes me, or throw money at her. Weirdly, I really like the car, so I'm reluctant to send her over the bridge.

Both CRVs still boringly reliable.

[Cookiesouwest]

On Thursday, Mrs CSWs CRV failed its mot.

4 fails. Both headlights. Light output was just a blob and both washer jets non functioning.

My fault. No washer juice in the bottle Headlights were advisories last year. Thought I would get away with it. Didn't.

Trip to the local Romanian car wash. 28 quid for both. Now shiny

Retest on Monday, then get advisories (3) done later. Just dust covers.

I've ordered a second hand instrument cluster for the mondeo. Rumour has it they are plug and play. If it is, shes back on the road and original cluster can go off for a refurb.

[Cookiesouwest]

It might be dark but those lights are shiny like new.

[andyberg]

That's not bad. About the price for a decent headlight kit anyway. And this way someone else does the hard work, I call that a result 😁

[Cookiesouwest]

Chasing bugs in the bug.

The bug cannot be opened normally without the alarm going off. There is a workaround, but its a slight faff (press unlock button twice on remote, then use key).

The drivers door interior door lock button is knackered. Also the electric mirror switch is broken, only the passenger side mirror can be adjusted. So, too kill two birds with one stone, I bought a second hand door switch pack and set to work.

This is the part I'm replacing.

Door card needs to come off.

Behind the inside grab handle

Are two Phillips screws. Prise off the handle cover.

And remove the screws

At the bottom of the door card are 3 T20 screws. 

Which need to be removed

Then prise around door card to pop out the fastners

Then lift up and she is free.

Lots of electrical connections to remove.

Then once the card is off, time to get the switch pack out.

One screw and a bit of pissing about and new one is in.

Then reassembly is a reversal of whats been done.

Feeling satisfied, I locked her up, then unlocked and opened the door.

A lovely alarm sound was heard. So the switch pack didn't fix the issue and drivers door mirror still not electrically adjustable

Oh well. Next part to be thrown at it, will be a drivers door lock, as I now suspect its the central locking actuator that's knackered.

[Cookiesouwest]

The mondy has been misbehaving. Numerous little issues with the radio.

Oh and the instrument cluster is dead.

Given a lot of the electric for a mk4 is run through the cluster, I guessed the radio issue might be due to knackered cluster. So it needed to come out.

As I still want a usable car, while I summon up the balls to spend 150 quid on a cluster refurb, I bought a second hand cluster for 25 quid.

First up, remove the steering column upper cowel

Then remove two screws and prise the top of the cluster out.

Unplug the harness

And pull out the old cluster

Refit is a reversal of the process

I now have working cluster, but the car has gained some mileage!

The radio now remembers the date and time and the buttons light up at night

Only difference is the cluster does not have instant mpg on the trip. Replacement was a couple of years older, so maybe not part of the package at the time.

 

[bunglebus]

On 26/09/2021 at 13:10, Cookiesouwest said:

Next part to be thrown at it, will be a drivers door lock, as I now suspect its the central locking actuator that's knackered.

Same old same old. VWs have had problems with the lock mechanisms for years - I think 3 out of the 4 on my Passat are faulty in one way or another, and the Lupo refuses to operate the interior light/lights on buzzer despite not even having central locking. It's only a microswitch that fails but it's easier to get pattern locks for £25 a pop off eBay