Marm's Motors: MOT day

[Marm Toastsmith]

I want to peel off this dealer sticker...

[Marm Toastsmith]

No sticker peeling action but I did fix an interior light. Used an LED replacement which is surprisingly dim.

Then started cleaning up some of the giffer-tastic paint work. It had been brushed on and was peeling off - the painter hadn't even bothered to wipe the sill clean before applying. Obviously then the door had been closed when the paint was still drying...

Anyway, good news is it's all very sound underneath. Put some kurust on for now but will probably just do a better job with a brush. Also started rubbing down the rear quarter. Already improved IMO although I can't decide how involved to get with tidying this...

[Marm Toastsmith]

Honest, I wasn't ignoring the advisories... in fact I was planning to deal with both fairly soon but with the Polo in the garage for longer than expected I just decided to use the Micra.

Unfortunately this evening on the way home from work the brake binding issue seems to have come to a head - there's been a minor squeak but it got noticably worse at the top of my road, and took a good stomp on the brakes to stop the squeak (normally a gentle dab on the pedal clears it up). By the time I had parked I noticed a chemical burning smell inside the car - when I got out there was a definite hot brake smell, and sure enough the n/s wheel was pretty hot.

Bad timing as the Polo is also out of action. I'll enjoy using the Honda for a change though.

 

[Marm Toastsmith]

Brakes sorted.

 

[Marm Toastsmith]

Free wardrobe on £200 car. Winnah!

[Marm Toastsmith]

[Marm Toastsmith]

At the station. Poo count = 2.

[Marm Toastsmith]

Windows seat achieved.

[Marm Toastsmith]

London again!

 

[Marm Toastsmith]

This is gonna b nostalgic.

 

[purplebargeken]

Thank god you included a poo count, sadly no evidence of snack choices, disappoint.

[Marm Toastsmith]

Very flat here.

 

[AnnoyingPentium]

Just now, Marm Toastsmith said:

Very flat here.

 

How the fuck did you end up in Australia so quickly?!

[Marm Toastsmith]

28 minutes ago, purplebargeken said:

Thank god you included a poo count, sadly no evidence of snack choices, disappoint.

Some remnants.

[Marm Toastsmith]

Long story short...collection aborted due to too much filler in sills. A bit of a silly experience (travelled a long way) but the seller was very nice about it.

As ever the experience has given me a chance to reflect and completely change my mind about what vehicles I "need". The (very enjoyable) train journey even led me to question whether I actually want a car.

Anyway, note to self: next time stay local (or stick to deals on this forum).

[Marm Toastsmith]

Trying hard not to buy anything else although a new motorcycle is (finally) inbound... looks as if I'll have to put the CR-V through another MOT as my half-hearted attempts to sell it have not found it a buyer. Nobody wants a thirsty car right now.

The Micra continues to be the perfect family lifestyle vehicle. Lidl paddleboard FTW.

I'm thinking I might treat it to a service at the local garage - I bought a few bits with good intentions but I'm just not getting round to it... I can do the next oil service and for now maybe just concentrate on tidying up the bodywork and fixing the passenger window...

Anyone with a crystal ball want to hazard a guess at why it's making a slight burning rubber smell? I'm thinking a belt - they look tired - but that's very much an uneducated guess.

 

[Marm Toastsmith]

Fixed* the passenger window, it had come out of the clips on the regulator for some reason, I think because the runners at the front were out of place/distorted and the glass had got stuck. A generous squirt of UHU which is currently setting, fingers crossed. Also sprayed some silicone lube on the runners (and attempted to straighten up the wonky bit to encourage the window to glide down nicely). It'll probably fall out again as soon as I use it. Welcome tips on the best glue to use if I need to bodge it a second time. Glass appears to have previously been fixed with self adhesive sticky pads.

Also lubed the locks. Now I can open and lock the passenger door without swearing.

Am now polishing...slowly...will update.

 

[Lord Sterling]

On 16/01/2022 at 23:39, Marm Toastsmith said:

Gave it a good scrub today having removed the wheel trims. I prefer bare steels (I think white would look good) but I'll keep the original hub caps and couldn't resist just buying a suitably scruffy replacement for the missing one off eBay...

It's in bloody good nick for a £200 car really...  

Hey Marm, I've got some white-painted wheels trims, or a replacement for the missing one you have if you wanted ti paint them.

The trims are only spray canned white and paint is peeling. Can get a photo when I'm back in the UK?

[Marm Toastsmith]

On 8/10/2022 at 2:16 PM, Lord Sterling said:

Hey Marm, I've got some white-painted wheels trims, or a replacement for the missing one you have if you wanted ti paint them.

The trims are only spray canned white and paint is peeling. Can get a photo when I'm back in the UK?

That's a very kind offer but I've got a set of 4 now so probably surplus to requirements. Part of me wants to fit a set of alloys and pretend I'm 17 again. Nice selection at JBW.

https://www.johnbrownwheels.com/wheel-finder/nissan/micra/194/0

Oh, and it now has one shiny panel. Well, 2 if you count the filler flap.

[AnnoyingPentium]

3 minutes ago, Marm Toastsmith said:

That's a very kind, offer but I've got a set of 4 now so probably surplus to requirements. Part of me wants to fit a set of alloys and pretend I'm 17 again. Nice selection at JBW.

https://www.johnbrownwheels.com/wheel-finder/nissan/micra/194/0

Oh, and it now has one shiny panel.

5x13 Minilights deserve a chef's kiss. 

[Lord Sterling]

Ronal Teddy Bears FTW:

[AnnoyingPentium]

2 minutes ago, Lord Sterling said:

Ronal Teddy Bears FTW:

Okay I retract my earlier comment. Get these bought.

[3VOM]

Painted Ronal Teddy Bears

[Marm Toastsmith]

New arrival! Battery is on charge, a new (yuasa) one is £how much?!?! but I’ll probably have to pony up in the end. I don’t know when this was last used, currently debating between draining the tank or just attempting to fire it up.

[hairnet]

tayna ftw

just google the number on the battery - prices for batts vary wildly - dont buy the cheapest and itll be fine

powerline are ok - i bought from them recently and the diff between the mid price and varta/exide meant i bought the varta

as is always the way with comsumables car or bike always find out the manufacturer of the part and do that dont buy from the vehicle maker - example is filters from honda 16 quid equiv part no cross 3 quid for an accord one

[Marm Toastsmith]

1 hour ago, hairnet said:

tayna ftw

Yep, thanks, just ordered a Varta for less than half the price of the Yuasa above.

[Marm Toastsmith]

The battery arrived and I was able to check the mileage. Not yet tried starting.

[Marm Toastsmith]

Instead I've been finishing putting the Micra's interior back together, creating another shiny panel, and touching in a few paint chips as I go. Peugeot blanc for the authentic giffer look. Also removed the non-functional wiper motor for a noticeable* gain in power to weight ratio and carried out another "delete" what I threatened to do earlier.

On 3/5/2022 at 2:15 PM, Marm Toastsmith said:

I want to peel off this dealer sticker...

The wiper motor was noticeably hot when I'd removed it which at least indicates that it was getting power and so is presumably toast.

The shonky rear seal was also removed and I've cleaned the area up ready to reaffix it.

It's all a total waste of time but I'm enjoying playing with it and happily getting classic car enjoyment from a cheap banger. I should be doing a service on it instead but I've stupidly booked it in to the local garage for this.

[Marm Toastsmith]

Picked up the Nissan from the garage. They were quite positive about the car’s condition and the bill was very reasonable. Oil leak diagnosed as being a corroded sump which I’ll get them to do at some point.

Found the perfect blanking grommet for the rear wipe delete. Much better…

Also cleaned the head (and pinch roller) in the cassette deck so it now plays tapes without chewing them up…touch wood.

[Marm Toastsmith]