RichardKs wanderings: bought another Focus CC

[RichardK]

1 minute ago, Jazoli said:

It was always going to be a difficult sell for an expensive PT cruiser, I couldn't give mine away for 1500 quid and that only had 40k on it (non cab), they are incredibly niche cars and as you have found out, no one wants them at all as there are so many 'better' cars out there for the money, the £710 VED will also put everyone off, it was a brave buy in my opinion, can you not crash it into a wall and claim off your insurance? (joke btw)

My daughter has just had a successful pip claim and it was quite straightforward tbh, it has to be worth filling out the forms for.

What hacked me off was the Huddersfield dealer who came down during October storms, shook hands on £4K, got me to remove the private plate ready for collection, eSure then cancelled the (cheap) insurance when I tried to change the plate "due to a computer error" - chased them, they confirmed they wanted it, then... just nothing.

Before that I was only mildly irritated by its existence!

If I keep it I'll put the plate back on at least.

[N Dentressangle]

The current tax situation is a hot mess, and what you end up with when you have no joined-up policy on anything at all. There's no way I'd consider one of the high tax bracket cars. I don't do enough miles to make it seem anywhere near good value, and there's more chance monkeys will fly out of my arse than car tax being reduced on them.

I would ditch the PT Cruiser and cut the losses. Ebay with a 99p start and low reserve, and make the £710pa someone else's problem asap.

[Dan29]

7 hours ago, RichardK said:

So... now I have a dilemma.

The blue SLK MOT is up, I have too many cars. The universe has demonstrated that no-one wants a 14,000 mile PT Cruiser Convertible for any amount of money beyond a 150,000  mile knackered shitbox (and to be fair there are 26,000 mile and 54,000 mile examples which have been unsold on eBay forever) and the increase in VED may be small ish in numerical terms but it looks fucking horrible at £710 a year after April.

Given the number of ULEZ-banned, smoke-belching knackered-at-80,000 mile zero VED diesels that this petrol punishment inspired, it really annoys me that a 355g/km new car pays £180/year but surviving 226 and up pre-2017 petrol cars continue to be hammered 😕

(I technically qualify for PIP though it's a nightmare to claim. Almost worth it to get the disabled class on the Cruiser).

Do I try selling the Cruiser again and keep the SLK (which has not put a foot wrong since I got it), flog the SLK as-is with a couple of weeks MOT left and save myself the mental space, or MOT the SLK then sell?

Yeah the tax situation is a mess, they need to sort it out for pre-2017 cars. I assume the general public feel the same way as ASers and are put off buying a car in a high tax band, but I'm not sure. Most people only have one car each, so it would make less difference per year, and do they even bother to check before buying? Not sure, but I've just switched to paying monthly for the first time, which I assume most people do, and it definitely makes the difference seem less noticeable. 

Personally, unless you really hate the PT Cruiser now or won't be able to afford the tax (and aren't going to go down the PIP route), I'd MOT the SLK then sell, my thinking being that someone will buy the PT Cruiser but it will take a long time to find that right person. Maybe in the meantime the government will reform the car tax, especially if we get a new government soon in place of the current bunch 🤞

[RichardK]

Well, the SLK failed the MOT, but not in a big way

Need to clean up and grease or replace the brake pipes. I always lean towards replace, but then there's the risk of bleeding them, and of course they go over the subframe.

And I'm really busy.

So either sell it as an MOT failure needing brake pipes and with an advisory for a tie rod, or wire brush and grease but then worry if the pipes are weaker 😕

[yes oui si]

On 06/03/2024 at 08:40, RichardK said:

 

(I technically qualify for PIP though it's a nightmare to claim. Almost worth it to get the disabled class on the Cruiser).

My experience wasn't as horrendous as others have had, it just took a fair amount of time. Definitely do it, having disabled class on the 75 boggler makes things so much easier if we need to go to An City. 

15 hours ago, RichardK said:

Well, the SLK failed the MOT, but not in a big way

Need to clean up and grease or replace the brake pipes. I always lean towards replace, but then there's the risk of bleeding them, and of course they go over the subframe.

And I'm really busy.

So either sell it as an MOT failure needing brake pipes and with an advisory for a tie rod, or wire brush and grease but then worry if the pipes are weaker 😕

Personally I'd get a ticket on it then sell. If you prefer the PT then keep it, the market for it must be vanishingly small. 

[RichardK]

52 minutes ago, yes oui si said:

Personally I'd get a ticket on it then sell. If you prefer the PT then keep it, the market for it must be vanishingly small. 

Yeah, I will try and get the brake pipes brushed, checked and greased this weekend - the steering tie rods are cheap so I'm tempted to fit one of those as well.

I might have preferred the PT once,  but that timewaster buyer, taking plate off, losing insurance (and wanting the money after buying the RR-XKR then going through winter without, instead having to swap cars around to try and keep the RR garaged but not wanting to leave the PT outside either) has made me absolutely hate the damn thing.

At the same time it is a 14,000 mile, rust-free, serviced, large interior four seater convertible automatic with heated seats, air con and tyres, brakes and everything as you would want on a car so "new" - and I just can't stomach the thought of it only being worth the same as a 150,000 mile knackered New Beetle or Audi cab. Hell, if I found a new Beetle Cabrio with the horrid 1.6 and bare bones spec with 14K miles I am sure the asking price would still be crazy - and they handle just as badly, are more cramped, are equally badly made (the roof is worse, IMO) and use more fuel!

Maybe I should sell the Range Rover instead but I just know I'll get pisstake offers if I actually want to sell it, so I'm keeping it until someone actively wants to acquire it, I can afford to send it to a restorer for a mad refit (never, then) or something goes bang (unlikely, it's actually really well converted and the chassis is excellent).

[RichardK]

I could use some tiny axle stands to feel comfortable, but I think these should be okay wire brushed and greased - for now? I reckon the tester wouldn't suggest it if they looked too bad.

Definitely not the worst SLK I've seen!

[MJK 24]

I know you can’t tell until you cut the brake pipes, but the wall thickness of the pipe tends to be very good on the old Mercedes models.

I replaced the rear section of my 190 due to an MOT advisory.  It was only when I took the hacksaw to them that I knew they were years away from causing issues.
 

 

[RichardK]

I have brushed them with a wire brush, but it seems I have no grease or black underseal lurking so I'll have to get some in the morning.

The rattly exhaust is the heatshield that's dropped because a corner has corroded where it fits on. WD40 on that then a BIG WASHER. I can see a couple of bits of surface rust on the floor so I'll treat those 'one day' if I don't sell the car. It does seem to be SLK season on Autoshite again.

[RichardK]

Well, wire brushing, and a load of black waxoil (the parts shop sold me spray on copper grease, what a horrible mess that makes) and...

Not sure whether to sell it now. Hmm.

[RichardK]

Rise and shine! Wake and shake!

Quick rinse off with the hose and a foam brush, like washing an elephant. The camper-port is very effective.

Then avoid last year's tea-making error.

[RichardK]

Did the roof. That was fun...

No leaks seen yet despite pressure hose and whirly brush action

Missed a bit of course...

[AnnoyingPentium]

Always something I hated as a valeter.

Approve of the Djungleskog inside the camper, by the way.

[Zelandeth]

I do have to confess to having never done the bulk of the roof!  Furthest I went was as far over the back as I could reach with a ladder.

I really need to make a run up to yours with the last few bits soon, I keep forgetting there's still stuff here.

[RichardK]

Big camper update time!

I've done very little with this, so most things are learning the same things again.

But it got a run out:

Some nice views:

Improbable or not, it made it up some hills.

Reassuringly close to a beach

Glad I cleaned the roof

Very cheerful place

Scarborough's attitude remains intact

But so does some of the niceness of these places

I'm always looking for abstract angles anyway

Two nights out and we had forgotten water for the tank, thinking it would be easy to fill. And I was worried that I only seemed to have electricity from the main battery.

So we called it a weekend and caused a lovely tailback down the A64 for a bit.

[RichardK]

Home, and time to solve mysteries!

First of all, the toilet. UGH. Not fun if someone wees in it, but doesn't open the door, then you remove it...

But it meant seeing the shower floor again. It was stained badly with glue or something.

This is it after being cleaned. It's worrying, in a loo.

Better, I think, though it rewarded me by having the drain hose split when I was reconnecting it after taking it off to drain without sending all the glue into the waste tank.

Now the water things.

This seems to behave very randomly, like, not showing waste or water tank levels if I switch the pump on, never showing 'run' for the pump, always saying the battery is low.

So first of all I investigated this. It wouldn't light.

It needed a D-cell battery installing. Now it lights. Still can't budge the temperature control even with WD40 and molegrips, so I might have to replace that part, but...

Turn on the hot tap and "Whirr whirr whirr (it pressurises, then stops, then starts, unless at full flow, which cause the heater to not detect flow and shut off. Interesting approach!).

Hot water!

Power:

The heater didn't want to work. It has definitely worked. I notice the battery charger terminal for the leisure battery was on the floor rather than on the battery. I really need to suss this lot out.

First job - remove the old gas pipe. It's just not needed.

Next - I think I'll get some bus bars and install something with a fusebox rather than having a lot of inline fuses.

Mystery bare wire - I suspect once connected to the charger or to the battery here.

It also looks like I should be able to route the wiring for the diesel heater controller away from the garage door, as that tube of trunking isn't doing anything else.

The inverter can probably just go, I can't think of any reason to use it, but I'll keep the red socket. I'm thinking that panel might be very useful for mounting a fuses and controls type thing behind the driver's seat, but I also like the idea of not having loads of exposed wires where I chunk things like cables and steps.

While pondering wires, I thought I'd check out the non-opening passenger window.

Cable ties. Known for their 'moving' ability. But this all looks wrong.

The door panel is bent right out. The regulator teeth don't even meet the gear when the window is wound up. Its also falling apart.

I think the issue is that delightful mess of spammy crap that is Autodoc. Search for a new window regulator for a T1 and at first you're bombarded with ads for vaguely related (or totally unrelated items) and 50 results saying T1 window lift regular. Some even have a plausible Febi or similar OEM part.

And in component terms, they're the same. Except the quadrant has different holes for riveting the arm on. The cheap £14 part is for a lorry and the arm is 60 degrees out.

The part for the T1 doesn't seem to have a pattern/OEM equivalent and is £100+ new. Of course.

However, the bolt holes, regulator placement and design look like a part from an early Sprinter that is the same geometry and dimensions at a glance, but simplified into one cast arm and gear,

Either way, I'll be sorting that window out as it's bugging me that I can't open it. The driver's side feels a bit iffy and I wonder if it's received the same replacement part at some point.

Meanwhile, I'll attack some rust in the door. It still feels extremely solid so getting this sorted now might buy it a few more years of life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Zelandeth]

Part number for the window regulator.

Was still available from Merc for £80 ish including the VAT when I asked a few years ago.  

The cable ties are mine.  I have no idea what on earth someone did to that window mech, but the cable ties were the response to the window very slowly working it's way further and further open when I got the van!

Really should make a run up to talk through what does what on the electrics as well.  A fair chunk was somewhat jury rigged around the original fuse board as it was an absolute disaster when I got it and I always had plans to completely rip that all out and redo it from scratch.

From memory, the heater power is currently only fed from the output of the newer switching supply in there, as I'd been using that when using ground power for long periods.  

Let's try to get something in the diary as it'll be way easier to point and remember stuff than trying to remember here and describe what I did when half full of COVID three years ago!

[RichardK]

The heater wasn't running off the switching power supply either this time - so I wonder if I've knocked a fuse out. if I flick the red switch the fan on the PSU changes, but the heater control panel remains dark. That was how I thought it worked, though, so I was confused!

The regulator I've found but am deeply narked that lorry versions are £15 and T1/601 ones apparently have 'no pattern part' and cost considerably more! I removed what was in there - the old arm is bent and twisted, but it looks like the original centre pin must have broken as it's been bolted in, but the bolt is too small and doesn't respect the original slotted design which stops it sliding around. So it just slides out of the geared teeth. Plus the bolt means there's no assistance spring...

If it's still £68+VAT that's not TOO bad. I found a right hand one for £50 but of course that's not the side I need - I bet the passenger ones all break because the window never gets opened!

[RichardK]

I found a couple of window regulators on eBay – fingers crossed, as I've never used KMS parts before, but there are a couple of Merc T1 bits listed as clearance. Unclear what brand, as it helpfully just says 'KMS top quality'.

£41 each so I bought both sides.

[RichardK]

Well, that's fitted. Passenger side - no assister spring.

But why did it break?

I am guessing that the old one broke when the door was "restored" because this bulge of filler in the middle of the rusted door seal channel impedes the window and rather than fixing the problem, the broken window mech was bolted together and covered up.

Annoyingly the door looks in overall good condition but the bottom edge has been filled and that's crumbled, so really the door needs stripping and doing over again.

On the upside, as long as no-one tries to wind it up without help I've got it adjusted enough to open easily and stay shut when shut.

[2316cc]

I didn’t realise this magnificent machine was still on the forum. Great delight! 
 

A few years ago my wife and I decided we wanted a camper van,  although it became rapidly clear that when she said camper van she meant motorhome. After some extensive research on eBay I decided that these were more or less the only acceptable - and affordable - face of motorhoming. It was only concerns about going up hills that put me off. Eventually we bought a MkI VW LT, which is probably even worse at hills. Oh well. 

[RichardK]

1 hour ago, 2316cc said:

I didn’t realise this magnificent machine was still on the forum. Great delight! 
 

A few years ago my wife and I decided we wanted a camper van,  although it became rapidly clear that when she said camper van she meant motorhome. After some extensive research on eBay I decided that these were more or less the only acceptable - and affordable - face of motorhoming. It was only concerns about going up hills that put me off. Eventually we bought a MkI VW LT, which is probably even worse at hills. Oh well. 

It's not that bad at hills. Once you remember what gears are. And ask your passenger to get out and push.

[2316cc]

The LT was shocking. Crawling up the A30/A303 in the Blackdown hills at sub 15mph was frankly dangerous. It gave up the ghost entirely on the way home last summer and has been in disgrace  ever since. I’ve got a turbo version of the engine to swap in when I’m feeling brave enough. Probably should have gone for a big square Mercedes in the first place. 

[mat_the_cat]

3 hours ago, 2316cc said:

The LT was shocking. Crawling up the A30/A303 in the Blackdown hills at sub 15mph was frankly dangerous. It gave up the ghost entirely on the way home last summer and has been in disgrace  ever since. I’ve got a turbo version of the engine to swap in when I’m feeling brave enough. Probably should have gone for a big square Mercedes in the first place. 

And miss out on that lovely 6 pot noise?!

 

[2316cc]

If I can get mine sounding like that I’ll be very happy! I still think the LT is great as a camper - there’s loads of space inside but you can still park it in a normal parking space - I just need it to be able to go places.  
I’ve got the new engine sitting in the garage, so I’m fully committed now. 

[RichardK]

I have discovered the arcane art of pairing a phone with an old BMW bluetooth system. Shame it can't do streaming, but I bet the call quality is good!

[beko1987]

37 minutes ago, RichardK said:

I have discovered the arcane art of pairing a phone with an old BMW bluetooth system. Shame it can't do streaming, but I bet the call quality is good!

Would have been easier if you had the right era appropriate phone 😂

(bloody loved that handset, if I had a reason to I'd own one now) 

[RichardK]

2 hours ago, beko1987 said:

Would have been easier if you had the right era appropriate phone 😂

(bloody loved that handset, if I had a reason to I'd own one now) 

The last big six-cylinder diesel beast I had did have one of those

It is the X3's day of reckoning. The morning after, the 'what did I do last night', the buyer's remorse day. It's punched me in the insurance, demanded money with menaces at the fuel pump, and grumbles all the time....

...but so far I'm pretty impressed. It fired up with no drama this morning, nothing fell off when I jetwashed it, it's tackled the utterly bizarre levels of congestion around Alfreton, it keeps trying to make me colder than the outside temperature from the ventilation, the electronic things nearly all work, and most of all, I really like the driving position, general stance and road manners of it.

It's about to get some polish. Or would be about to if the weather had stayed nice - which is the best time to find all the flaws, but so far the list is not bad for a 130K mile cheap 4x4.

1. Transfer case. Already known to be broken, it's noisy (overrun is unpleasant) but my logic is "I could pay £4K for a shiny X3 from a dealer and then it shits the transfer case and I've got to pay that too" - as long as I find no showstoppers, a refurb transfer case on a £1500 X3 isn't bad at all (and that's ignoring that I totally got my money's worth out of the SLK just as a means of transport - in real term I could have  chucked that car away and still got more miles per monthly £££s than nearly every car I've owned before. I love SLKs).
2. Suspension, It's tired, and wobbly, but you can feel how planted the X3 should be and how well it deals with crappy potholed damaged roads. Dampers are job one, no stupid tech here that I can see, then some new bushes around the front.
3. Brakes - they work, but maybe a warped disc. Could just be the worn bushes.
4. Bodywork - nothing coming up so far, just a nibbled wheel arch liner cutaway presumably because it endured drug dealer wheels as well as the window tints.
5. Engine - it has one. It's very lively. MAYBE a bit of oddness for the turbo but I think it is all working as intended. I will maintain it and give the inlet manifold a clean if it needs it.
6. Details: many small things.

About the only things I want to sort pronto are the manky-looking centre tail lights as I think they have lost their LEDs, and the non-adjustable driver's mirror.

Overall, so far, I think it's pretty promising and a decent buy! It's definitely given me a taste of what I've missed by dismissing the X3 against things like Jeep Cherokees, though it's obviously not a 'proper 4x4' like those, it's a lot nicer than a Freelander or contemporary Kia/Hyundai things and I like it more than the (slightly later, but still sold at the same time) Volvo XC60.

I haven't looked underneath it properly yet, partly because I think the key to a happy life is 'don't look underneath cars from the North or coastal areas if they are working and didn't cost much'.

If the Range Rover goes and I spend a few quid getting some worn components sorted on this I'll be pretty happy with it as my sensible car and as my sinister-looking black 4x4 that goes quickly.

(Which is does. And it makes a pretty impressive noise while doing so).

[Oi_Oi_Savaloy]

On the transfer case..........just check it's not the propshaft centre bearing carrier first.  I had one of these (frankly a hateful, hateful experience) for a couple of years and played around with the transfer case for a while only to realise it was the propshaft centre bearing carrier.  Much cheaper.  Also replace the donut (end of the propshaft whilst you're phaffing underneath.  Cheap part,  made a difference on mine.  

i changed the oil in the transfer case and put an oil modifier in too, changed the 4x4 power take off (small slim motor with a white plastic wheeled thing that fires up and sends power to the rear) all to no avail.  It was the carrier. 

Then the engine started leaking (tadts) and spent loads of time changing gaskets (top of the engine (and all the internal bits), oil housing gasket - they all go hard and fail and she leaked oil like it was going out of fashion.  All for 27mpg too.  Just a totally dismal experience for me I'm afraid.  Good luck   (mine was a 325i one) - it's all e46 architecture really but they just decided to lower the build quality on these (they do get better the newer they become however.  Mine was a 57 plate.  

[RichardK]

This is a diesel, 3.0sd, and I was surprised by how clean it was under the bonnet...

Really doesn't look too shabby.

From what @Robson3022 told me it has been investigated and the rear diff replaced by the previous owner who was on one of the X3 forums, so you'd think the prop centre bearing would be checked -  but I agree that the noise vs. driving experience would make that worth checking out first, and swapping oil and servo motors is cheaper than a refurb transfer box for sure!

I'm used to the seals thing - first thing I do is replace body seals if perished, then rad cap and O-rings everywhere I can if I want a car to behave and last!