Supernaut's Cars - 323i / Megane

[Supernaut]

I just got some funny looks in my car park.

I cycled up to work earlier to print out a V62 form (yes I bought another car without paperwork).

When I came home I just pulled straight into the car park and leaned on the front of the Civic, still on my bike, and took a photo of the VIN along the bottom of the windscreen. I got some proper evil looks from somebody wandering past.

 

 

Just off to the post office now. Yes, it's after 5pm and a post office is open! The Co-Op round the corner from me does post office services right up until they close at 10pm! The times we live in, eh?

[Supernaut]

All is not well.

It turns out the clutch hydraulics on this are very very gently losing pressure.

Not enough to be any issue at all in normal driving. However, a trip to the centre of Glasgow, with traffic lights every 2 car lengths, started to make the issue rear its head. Essentially, after stopping and starting many many times without any rest between, the clutch starts to get softer on the pedal, then it becomes difficult (sometimes very) to get into gear. Once moving again and with the engine revs above idle, all is well instantly!

Glad I bought it for long distance rather than city driving... I should probably look into it, if it gets an MOT tomorrow.

 

Still. 80mph and 50mpg at the same time still hasn't got old.

[juular]

10 hours ago, Supernaut said:

All is not well.

It turns out the clutch hydraulics on this are very very gently losing pressure.

Not enough to be any issue at all in normal driving. However, a trip to the centre of Glasgow, with traffic lights every 2 car lengths, started to make the issue rear its head. Essentially, after stopping and starting many many times without any rest between, the clutch starts to get softer on the pedal, then it becomes difficult (sometimes very) to get into gear. Once moving again and with the engine revs above idle, all is well instantly!

Glad I bought it for long distance rather than city driving... I should probably look into it, if it gets an MOT tomorrow.

 

Still. 80mph and 50mpg at the same time still hasn't got old.

At least the slave cylinder is external and relatively simple* to change on these.

 

[Supernaut]

2 hours ago, juular said:

At least the slave cylinder is external and relatively simple* to change on these.

 

Aye, but the MOT has just shown it needs a nearside front balljoint and a patch of welding too...

 

[Supernaut]

Anybody want a cheap Honda Civic that only needs a bit* of welding?

That's the rear axle mounting.

[Supernaut]

I'm going to pretend the Civic doesn't exist from now on.

It never happened.

 

I took a nice photo of the Alfa yesterday evening before a Scotoshite meet commenced, where I got to have goes of a Ford Galaxy, Peugeot 405, L322 Range Rover, Triumph Toledo and a Lexus LS400.

 

 

This weekend just past, I tracked down the cause of the Alfa's entertaining* handling in the wet. The shit tyres on the rear! I swapped them to the front, and now the rear is rock-solid and the steering is a wee bit vague. New tyres are going on the front this afternoon, and the 2-month old tyres can stay on the back.

[Supernaut]

My empire of red hatchbacks is crumbling before my eyes, quite literally.

I haven't paid @reb for the C2, and now I won't bother.

I investigated further, and I decided to jack up the back end to try freeing off the brakes.

 

 

However... I didn't get as far as jacking it, as the jacking point came off in my hand. After a bit of hammering I ended up with this:

 

The rear 5-6 inches of both sills were the consistency of wet cardboard.

There might be enough metal left in it for perhaps a four-pack of bean tins, but that can be somebody else's problem.

 

I think I'll re-focus my efforts into finding a squishy autobox luxobarge to keep alongside the Alfa.

[Supernaut]

1 minute ago, Nyphur said:

Bad luck with the C2.... following the civic 😦

"not paying" Reb for the car you agreed to buy is a joke though I presume? Presumably no actual deal was reached?

Indeed. It was offered to me for £cheap and it's still in his unit and under his name. It was just implied that I was interested in trying to get it going again in between helping on his 205, but now it shall become bean tins.

I let him keep the battery I got for it, to go in his 205.

[tommotech]

This seems to be thing on C2, the plasticised coating delaminates and harbours damp, leading to the horrific corrosion. Same happened to one my dad had, which we scrapped. 

[Supernaut]

30 minutes ago, tommotech said:

This seems to be thing on C2, the plasticised coating delaminates and harbours damp, leading to the horrific corrosion. Same happened to one my dad had, which we scrapped. 

Horrific corrosion is correct!

The rear 5-6 inches of both sills were a similar consistency to wet cardboard. Just peeled off in chunks in my hand.

[cort16]

Sheesh you're not having much luck in the rust department recently. Maybe you should change your user name to superrust?

[Supernaut]

1 hour ago, cort16 said:

Sheesh you're not having much luck in the rust department recently. Maybe you should change your user name to superrust?

I wouldn't go that far, but I have just changed my user title.

[reb]

The C2 will indeed become bean tins after I've got all the GT bits off to sell. I would like to emphasize that it wasn't rotten when it had a once over on a lift last year, it being sat in a not overly watertight unit for over a year has obviously not done it any good. I could weld it up and it'd be a good learning experience, but that's all it would be, GTs seem to be worth no more than base models which are themselves not worth very much. I'll probably regret scrapping it in 20 years but such is life.

[Supernaut]

Fuckity bye!

Over the bridge you go, ya cunt!

[Supernaut]

I was at a loose end today.

So... I went for a drive, ended up in the glen where Skyfall was filmed, and Glen Coe itself too.

The road awaits you, 007. Wait, what are you doing in a small Italian hatchback?

 

Took some without the car too!

I'd dare say this scenery is right up there with the likes of Oregon, Alberta and Switzerland.

There were long periods where almost my entire field of view above the road was just filled with looming mountains, somewhat similar to my experiences in those places.

 

 

[Tickman]

Some outstanding pictures there.

[Supernaut]

I could also post this one which shows how hilarious the rear suspension geometry gets when it's parked on an uneven surface. No wonder it's got such lively handling.

[JeeExEll]

2 hours ago, Supernaut said:

I was at a loose end today.

So... I went for a drive, ended up in the glen where Skyfall was filmed, and Glen Coe itself too.

The road awaits you, 007. Wait, what are you doing in a small Italian hatchback?

 

Took some without the car too!

I'd dare say this scenery is right up there with the likes of Oregon, Alberta and Switzerland.

There were long periods where almost my entire field of view above the road was just filled with looming mountains, somewhat similar to my experiences in those places.

 

 

Get yersel ower to Skye.  Up the east coast to Portree, then north to the top , and down the west side.  Rather fucking stunning scenery.  Went hillwalking there many years.

The mainland becomes increasingly drab and flat and boring on the way home the more you get back near Inverness and beyond.

First went there in late 80s when 3 of us camped in a rubbish 2nd-hand family tent.  A 3-litre Capri was the mode of transport.

[Supernaut]

1 minute ago, JeeExEll said:

Get yersel ower to Skye.

I need to go back over at some point!

From Glen Coe it's not a whole lot further...

[JeeExEll]

Don't go in peak time though.  It was a different place when we used to go and haven't been for 5 years.

At The Old Man Of Storr on the east coast there used to be a small car parking area just in off the road which would take about 6 or 8 cars.  There would maybe be 4 cars maximum parked there at any one time.

Now look at the fucking state of it.

[juular]

1 hour ago, JeeExEll said:

Don't go in peak time though.  It was a different place when we used to go and haven't been for 5 years.

At The Old Man Of Storr on the east coast there used to be a small car parking area just in off the road which would take about 6 or 8 cars.  There would maybe be 4 cars maximum parked there at any one time.

Now look at the fucking state of it.

This is why I never go to the north of Scotland any more. Most of these places in the past (5yrs ago) you'd park up and not see another soul. Now you can't even get near them. Then there's the associated litter, road rage, fires etc.

There's no secrets any more. Everything is on Instagram, Facebook, or someone is cashing in on writing books about them.

</Moan>

[Supernaut]

Admittedly, I thought the traffic yesterday would be quieter than in summer.

It was, but still not great. The traffic in central Stirling is still lighter than what I saw in some places.

[Supernaut]

This will hopefully turn into a collection thread on Friday.

 

No prizes for guessing what it is.

 

Am I excited? Not at all... [bounces off walls]

Also, it's NOT a red hatchback!

[JeeExEll]

Glencoe to Kyle of Lochalsh is a great driving road, turn off about Laggan or Invergarry.  The drive alongside Loch Cluanie can be fast.  Used to stop at the hydro-electric dam built in the 50s and walk out to the middle.

Must go back next year.  Have all the camping gear and none of it's getting used.  With a bit of luck the campervan madness might have calmed down by then as folk fuck off abroad for their holidays again.

Next year is 15th wedding anniv and we got married on the Isle of Skye.

[Ghosty]

5 hours ago, Supernaut said:

This will hopefully turn into a collection thread on Friday.

 

No prizes for guessing what it is.

 

Am I excited? Not at all... [bounces off walls]

Also, it's NOT a red hatchback!

Have fun trying to reverse it. (You'll see).

[JeeExEll]

Is it one of your cars Ghosty?  I don't check out every thread on here.

[loserone]

8 minutes ago, JeeExEll said:

Invergarry

The old ladies making tea at the village hall make some mean cakes.  A cheap stop!

[Supernaut]

43 minutes ago, Ghosty said:

Have fun trying to reverse it. (You'll see).

Nah.

You're just not doing it right.

[Ghosty]

1 hour ago, JeeExEll said:

Is it one of your cars Ghosty?  I don't check out every thread on here.

Nah, but I've had a go of it. 

[davidfowler2000]

I'm sure he'll be more than fine seeing he's actually daily driven a few manual E36s for a combined several amount of years.