Ghostly Goings On - over the moon

[Ghosty]

Home. 

 

 

[Ghosty]

So, the story is that dad's mate had a Qashqai on hire purchase for 3 years. He used up the mileage in two so bought the Mini as a runabout, but then found a good lease deal on an Insignia and didn't use the Mini much.

 

Factory satnav. And it only bloody works, and it's got the restore disc with it. 
Auto climate (needs attention, cooling fan on the condenser is broken)
Heated front screen. 
Harman/Kardon speakers. 
Blue leather seats and carpets.
Factory floormats in mint condition, tailored rubber mats on top.
Full length sunroof. 
Xenon lights.

A bit nice, innit. 

[Ghosty]

There's a big wad of receipts with the car, it's had plenty of care and attention it seems. A lot of the bushes/TREs were done last year, there's a shiny looking alternator, and a new battery to name a few things. Apparently there was a battery drain issue - I think someone had left the interior light on personally. Going to charge up the other battery as it's a handy spare. 

Drive home was easy and uneventful. 

Current to do list: 

intermittent EML - o2 sensor and MAF fault codes 
dent in bonnet 
passenger window inoperative 
radio working but doesn't output sound 
buy polisher; machine polish paint
rear wiper loose 
replace expansion tank 

It's all easy stuff for once, touch wood. 

[Jenson Velcro]

Wow, I would definitely have some tickets for the Mini.

[Ghosty]

The Mini likely won't be for sale, as I'm a grand better off selling the Volvo. 

[New POD]

what is wrong with the gear box on the volvo.  ???

[Ghosty]

 

1 hour ago, New POD said:

what is wrong with the gear box on the volvo.  ???

I think the clutches have gone. Changed the fluid three weekends in a row and it came out black, and it doesn't shift like it should. Throttle modulation is pants which only makes matters worse. I'm cashing in before it becomes a liability. 

Besides, the Mini is better in every way. 

 

[BorniteIdentity]

Great work - you deserve a bit of good fortune man. 

That said, these MINIs terrify me and I’d be sorely sorely tempted to just sell it for proper money before the inevitable. But that’s just my attitude to risk - If someone hands me a golden ticket I’m always tempted to cash in rather than gamble.

That leather is amazing too! 

[Ghosty]

Had a poke at the Mini tonight. 

The bonnet scoop trim is bare plastic, and has clearly been replaced as such. It's held in place with four flat headed bolts that slide into recesses on the trim, this then clips into place and four nuts hold the bolts on. 
Three of the bolt housings have sheared off, only one was holding it on.  I'm taking the trim into work tomorrow as there's some black carbon effect vinyl knocking about that'll stop water pooling on it, and it'll look slightly less shit. I'm shit at painting and like how it looks in black. 
With the scoop out, there's quite a lot of access inside the bonnet between the skins:



so I levered most of the dent out with a bit of wood! 

And gave the car a wash despite it raining, as it was really quite dirty. 

I then decided to investigate the non-working radio. No fuses are dead in the fusebox. Some googling revealed that the symptoms I have (no sound from radio, no Harmon Kardon settings) mean the amp has failed, and that it's reasonably common. Apparently you can bypass it by unplugging it, but I'm yet to find any detailed instructions on how to do so. The amp is in a compartment accessible from the boot, but the end of it with the wires on is inaccessible from there, and unless I'm being stupid it seems the interior trim has to come out, and that stretches from the back of the car to the B-pillar. 
Also, passenger window doesn't open, the relay clicks but no action. More investigation needed there as well.

[ianjobber87]

For the window try giving the inside of the door a good hard wack as this sometimes frees them off. Watch the header tank issue as it could boil up causing omg hgf. They are great fun. I loved mind even if it was crap on fuel!

[Ghosty]

Well aware the header tanks split, that's one of the  first things I'm going to change.

[Ghosty]

Finally got to the bottom of the C30's vibration issues, the o/s driveshaft is fucked. Collecting the Mini drained the last of the life from it. Changing that then it can go up for sale. 

I've just got a £170 refund from Amazon for a monitor that never came, so that's enough for the driveshaft, and a couple of bits to MOT prep the Mini. 

The 205 has been a pig to start today, I really need to look at the trigger wire on the starter. I was helping a friend move and the thing needed bump starting about six times. 

One time I had to do it myself, starting outside the car with it in neutral. I have to say I'm a bit impressed with myself for that one... 

 

[Matty]

Ghosty spotting. Ashton? About 5 past 11 this morning? Can't be many lads in 205s wearing baseball caps these days surely!

[Ghosty]

6 hours ago, Matty said:

Ghosty spotting. Ashton? About 5 past 11 this morning? Can't be many lads in 205s wearing baseball caps these days surely!

Yep, that was me on my way to work!

[wuvvum]

7 hours ago, Matty said:

5 past 11 this morning

 

30 minutes ago, Ghosty said:

on my way to work

Alright for some...

[Arthur Foxhake]

I also wear a baseball cap and own a 205.

Can't really drive it at the moment though, unfortunately.

So, it wasn't me.

[Ghosty]

Had a poke about the Mini. 

It's had paint. Lots of bad paint. 
Seems like most of the grey bits have been redone, and the masking was poor. 

Needs a balljoint. 
Outer skin of the backbox has rotten through.
Wheels need refurbing. 
Expansion tank was empty. I know it leaks but that's worrying. Oil is clean. 
A sidelight isn't working as it's only getting 3v input.  
 

On top of the £160 dead radio I think this needs giving a swerve, I'm going to fix it for the MOT as the PO is paying for the parts then aim for something like £1k-1200 on the open market.

The car isn't mine yet but that would mean I made £400 on it. If I do that and sell the Volvo too I'll be able to find something a lot better.

[Matty]

3 hours ago, Arthur Foxhake said:

I also wear a baseball cap and own a 205.

Can't really drive it at the moment though, unfortunately.

So, it wasn't me.

I don't have a 205 or a baseball cap. I do have a bmw. Maybe I should buy the cap ?

[blguy1975]

Both Cars are lovely

[Ghosty]

11 hours ago, Matty said:

Can't be many lads in 205s wearing baseball caps these days surely!

Excellent

[SiC]

12 hours ago, Ghosty said:

If I do that and sell the Volvo too I'll be able to find something a lot better.

MX5! MX5! MX5! MX5! Manual of course this time...

Or what about a Clio 172/182, EP3 or something interesting like that now you've remembered how to stick fondle? 

Personally for £800 I'd be running this around a bit more while making sure the coolant stays in the tank and if it does then having it. None of the stuff sounds like much of a show stopper apart from coolant loss (at least for me..). Ball joint simple enough and then realignment at a local garage. Wheels I bet you can get a cheap replacement set off a Mini Facebook group.  Backbox is only outer skin, so as long as the inner one is ok, it'll last like that for a good while. Radio, fit an aftermarket? But then you've seen it in person while I'm just viewing through pictures. 

[SiC]

Does it have the Harman Kardon speaker setup? If so, it sounds like the amp goes bad on them. 

This is a cheaper way to fix if you know someone with a soldering iron:

https://gethypoxic.com/blogs/technical/16457913-how-to-really-fix-a-mini-cooper-harman-kardon-amp

[Tickman]

If you are not keeping the Mini then @sporty-shite might be interested.

 

[Ghosty]

Just got home and going to send Sporty a PM. 

It is the HK system @SiC - completely proprietary and only works with itself. I could try and fix it but I really don't want to lol. 

 

[ChinaTom]

You are a young Johnny Winter AICMFP

[Ghosty]

Update time. 

The Mini's owner has agreed to pay for it to go through an MOT, and anything it needs. The test expires on the 7th, and I'm insured to drive it until the 8th. 
I'm currently going off my rocker as my boss is on holiday and I'm watching over the shop and fending off customers: the landlord is in tearing out the floor, as the building is more rotten than @captain_70s' Dolomite.
This means I'm pressed for time and generally a bit knackered, so I've left the Mini to my dad to work on, as it gives him something to do and he's not buggering about with my cars that way. 
He's done all the MOT jobs - expansion tank, ball joint, track rod end, a tyre (huge cut in the tread), wired up a sidelight that was only getting 3v, and possibly something else. Test is booked for Monday morning. I might get to drive it about a bit more as my dad's OKd it, I think he basically wants me to use the petrol that's in it. 
C30 needs an o/s driveshaft as an integral bearing and the CV have failed, which I ordered, but J&R seem to have sent me the wrong part and aren't replying to my emails (a bit odd as every time I buy something from them it's on my doorstep the next day). That's a bit shit, so waiting for a resolution. My mum's using the C30 at the moment as her Mini is in the body shop, they're putting right something they buggered up first time round. (It had a very similar dent in the driver's door to the R53...)

205's starting issues have got worse and frequent bump starts are needed if I'm stopping and starting a lot, so if I can use the Mini for a day or two before the MOT then I'll leave my dad to investigate the earths and/or rewire from the starter relay/solenoid to the starter. I'd do it myself but I just don't have time while I'm running the shop. 

I mentioned my mum was using the C30. 
She was at a motorfactors yesterday (I think for nitrile gloves for her OCD) and a bloke in another C30 saw my C30, clocked it was auto, then approached my mum and asked if it was for sale. 
After explaining that it was mine and not hers, and that I was indeed thinking of selling, mum passed me his phone number. Turns out his wife has an automatic licence but likes hubby's C30, and he was looking for one for her. He's talking the right sort of money for it, but also 'stepdad's a mechanic m9' - though he did explain something about wiring looms which he'd had done on his, so could be a valid point. He said he'd ring me back and sort something on the weekend, but wasn't 100% pending being able to bring his stepdad with him, and something about a young offenders institute (?!). 

Still, could be an easy sale. Who knows. 

[Ghosty]

Mini went for MOT this morning. 



Not awful then, but enough that I don't have a way to get to work. Not such a bad thing as the boss is on holiday and his landlord is in redoing the floor. And he's a miserable bastard, incredibly rude and trying to get me to help with heavy lifting for nothing in return. Called me workshy for fuck's sake. 
So yeah, having a few days off while I wait for parts. 

J&R aren't getting back to me about the C30 driveshaft in a hurry, and the 205 now doesn't start unless you twat the starter with a hammer. 
Turns out the starter is a fairly common part shared across various PSA cars and the Fiat Doblo, so I got a recon unit on eBay for £30. 
That's in the post and I'll go back into work when it's fixed. 

[Ghosty]

Phoned J&R about my driveshaft and the woman on the phone said it wasn't her problem as she only did sales, and they hadn't got my emails or anything about a C30. I emailed them three times this week... 

Useless isn't the word. Angry email sent, if they don't help I'll just get PayPal on it. 

 

[Ghosty]

Lol, instant reply 'please confirm your contact details so we can send you a replacement and take the wrong part back at the same time'. 

Should bloody well think so... 

[Ghosty]

Volvo is fixed. For the first time in my ownership there's nothing wrong with it. I'm using it for the time being while I look for a larger replacement, and the 205 won't reliably start. 

Speaking of, I've no idea what's wrong with it. I replaced an earth strap that had disintegrated, and the central locking fixed itself, the passenger window started clicking a relay (but not opening), and the car started reliably... for about an hour. Took it out for a drive stopping and starting it a few times, and got home. Started the car and it worked fine. Locked and unlocked it a couple of times, then suddenly the central locking slowed down stopped working again, and the car then wouldn't start. 

Confused isn't the word...

The Mini's MOT advisories are slowly being ironed out - the brake pad warning light is off now.