THE GUBBERMINT ALWAYS KNOWS BEST

[dollywobbler]

CX is gone, leaving a mixed bag of emotions including regret (well, it is a CX and they are bloody wonderful when working) and relief (that I don't have to worry about its foibles any more).

 

The journey to deliver it was typically chaotic - woke to frost but naturally the CX decided I didn't need the benefit of its heater blower. It steamed up. A lot. Glad I took gloves and a warm hat...

 

Then, as I arrived in the town where it was being delivered, one of the indicators packed up. New owner seems delighted and is a bit of a Citroen fan, so all's good. I had to dash quickly as my bus was pulling into the bus station!

 

Once this cup of tea is absorbed, it's back to fixing the BX.

[RoadworkUK]

Bought a replacement dip-beam bulb for Girlfriends ye olde 306.

 

Expecting to pay Halfrauds prices, went into Euro Car Parts with credit card on full alert.

 

Disappointed to find the bulb was only £1.62, but the minimum card transaction was £5. Ended up buying two novelty air fresheners to raise the total to £5.20.

 

Girlfriend can now enjoy being able to see at night while high on Indonesian chemical odours.

[Rocket88]

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The other side will now blow, meaning a return visit to said motor factors, and another transaction involving synthetic treats.......

[dollywobbler]

I fixed a car and I liked it.

Bee X is nice and toasty. (woo-hoo-hoo)

 

The benefit of daylight enabled me to find the bit of cold-start-throttle-opener-thingy that fell off in the dark last night. Went for a test drive - and was beautifully warm! Really, really warm in fact as it seems that the heater tap has jammed open. I guess I'll be wanting to do something about that by summer. Had a nervous wait to check that the cooling fan kicks in - if you leave a BX diesel idling on a really cold day, it just won't get hot enough for the fan! Really must fit a temperature gauge. Now I've broken the centre console trying to get the (already a bodged Heath Robinson affair) heater control to work, I'll consider creating a custom panel complete with temperature gauge. The coin holder is crap anyway and I don't need an ashtray!

[Pillock]

Got some pukka E36 alloys off the Bluejeaned one, who actually lives about four miles away. Small world! I'll whap 'em on at the weekend when it's daylight and stuff.

[Lankytim]

Found the downpipe on the Auto Maestro borked when I fixed the engine. It had already been fudged with a load of bird crap welding and a mis-matched pipe. Ordered a new downpipe from Grays motor factors on e.bay "BUY IT NOW" yesterday afternoon, as I was reading the confirmation email this morning it arrived at work! Downpipe cost £5!!!!! postage was a not unreasonable £10. A few years ago I bought an Allegro complete one piece exhaust from them for about £20. They are the shizzle for random BL exhaust items.

 

GRAYS MOTOR FACTORS ON EBAY ARE SIMPLY THE BEST WILL DEAL WITH AGAIN A+++++++++++++++++++!!111!!!

[meggersdog]

Anyone going here http://www.angliacarauctions.co.uk/clas ... -2011.aspx in a couple of weeks ?

I got the flyer in the post today,it's a whopping £5.00 entry fee a 20% increase on last time.

[RoadworkUK]

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The other side will now blow, meaning a return visit to said motor factors, and another transaction involving synthetic treats.......

 

An intelligent man would have bought more bulbs and fewer whiffy danglies.

[Negative Creep]

Thought I'd sorted the alarm by cutting the feed to the horn. All fine for a few days but now of course it's just started going off all the time. Doesn't immobilise the car, it just sets the horn off. So for now I've just taken the horn fuse and will have another look on Saturday.

[M'coli]

Anyone going here http://www.angliacarauctions.co.uk/clas ... -2011.aspx in a couple of weeks ?

I got the flyer in the post today,it's a whopping £5.00 entry fee a 20% increase on last time.

I hope for that price they supply the tissues at the door for things like this:

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

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The other side will now blow, meaning a return visit to said motor factors, and another transaction involving synthetic treats.......

 

An intelligent man would have bought more bulbs and fewer whiffy danglies.

 

Or paid with cash?

[Shep Shepherd]

One of my work colleagues expressed an interest in buying TV2 today - even though it's not for sale - as he mistakenly thought it had a diesel engine (I wish!). His interest waned somewhat when I told him that it had a petrol engine, though!

[MrDuke]

After several days spent fighting with a FUBAR'd fusebox and wrongly-coloured wires trying to get the screenwash & wipers to work, I've somehow managed to get a fresh MOT on the Riva. Apparently the tester was in a good mood, and passed it despite the wipers not parking, because he "appreciated the effort I'd gone to" in duck-taping several inches of 5-amp household flex down the front wing and in through the front door to a cannibalised heater switch. Clearly he has a sense of humour. I've made a mental note to return to the same establishment next year.

 

Now I'm just hoping and praying that I can find a replacement fusebox before my wiper motor catches fire, or the police notice the lack of a left-hand indicator, or indeed the lack of main beam. A working heater comes in around no.7 or 8 on the current list of priorities. Oh, happy, happy days.

[AnthonyG]

Anyone going here http://www.angliacarauctions.co.uk/clas ... -2011.aspx in a couple of weeks ?

I got the flyer in the post today,it's a whopping £5.00 entry fee a 20% increase on last time.

 

Probably - I will have a gander at the catalogue.

[wuvvum]

Apparently the tester was in a good mood, and passed it despite the wipers not parking

Are non-parking wipers an MoT fail then? What about stuff from the '50s which doesn't have self-parking wipers?

[Negative Creep]

Went to change the stereo only to find on removal it has the active speaker set up so i have the wrong lead. Considering it also has a cd player that must have been a pretty expensive option in 1990

[warren t claim]

Anyone going here http://www.angliacarauctions.co.uk/clas ... -2011.aspx in a couple of weeks ?

I got the flyer in the post today,it's a whopping £5.00 entry fee a 20% increase on last time.

 

Probably - I will have a gander at the catalogue.

 

The Roots Arrows look good value.

[MrDuke]

Apparently the tester was in a good mood, and passed it despite the wipers not parking

Are non-parking wipers an MoT fail then? What about stuff from the '50s which doesn't have self-parking wipers?

 

Dunno, I expect it's age-related, like early cars not having front seatbelts or reversing lights fitted?

I certainly wasn't going to argue the toss with him, I just wanted to grab the cert and run.

[Pete-M]

non-self parking wipers aren't a fail. Evah.

[MrDuke]

Maybe it's a law that only applies in the provinces? Actually, thinking about it, he never mentioned the fact that the passenger seatbelt is almost impossible to put on, as it locks for no reason - I'm pretty sure it should've failed on that, too. Oh well, that's the joy of incompetent testers for you - I guess it works both ways.

[rml2345]

Gave up trying to fit replacement foglamps yesterday as I've no idea where the original cable is. Its in there somewhere...

Decided to replace all the blown interior bulbs instead, one of those small fiddly jobs that manages to be extremely satisfying and makes a huge difference for very small effort.

To restore the balance, replaced the battery - body earth cable, which was quite painful and has made no difference. At least its no longer broken.

[scaryoldcortina]

non-self parking wipers aren't a fail. Evah.

 

They can be, if the parked-in the middle wipers obscure the driver's view of the road......

 

Old stuff with non-park wipers pass because it is an "original feature" like umbrella parking brakes that always seem to have no reserve travel (but work fine from half way out)

 

And the passenger seatbelt - well, as long as it is possible to wind it out to check the webbing, and it locks into the catch and unlocks correctly (under tension) that is a pass too. No requirement to check the actual inertia action at all.

[myglaren]

non-self parking wipers aren't a fail. Evah.

And the passenger seatbelt - well, as long as it is possible to wind it out to check the webbing, and it locks into the catch and unlocks correctly (under tension) that is a pass too. No requirement to check the actual inertia action at all.

 

The webbing on my rear offside belt is frayed - looks like mechanical damage by something carried with the rear seats down but the belt incorrectly stowed, or used to restrain something large and heavy with sharp corners or edges.

It has been like that since before I bought the car and was only picked up on the last test and I received an advisory for it, so it will have to be replaced for the coming test. Apparently at great expense to the management

 

Hopefully I can grab one from a scrapyard.

[scaryoldcortina]

Seatbelt checks are a pain, especially in smelly people carriers full of rubbish.

 

Here's a quick question for you all - A 1976 allegro is presented for test, the front passenger seat has been removed. How many seatbelts does it need, and where should they be?

[MrDuke]

Here's a quick question for you all - A 1976 allegro is presented for test, the front passenger seat has been removed. How many seatbelts does it need, and where should they be?

 

I would say that it doesn't need rears... but being as this sounds like a trick question, I'm guessing that a '76 Allegro maybe had rear belts when new... so, I'll say 4? 1x drivers, 3x rear?

[M'coli]

Here's a quick question for you all - A 1976 allegro is presented for test, the front passenger seat has been removed. How many seatbelts does it need, and where should they be?

1 - driver's only. No passenger seat means no seatbelt needed. If fitted however, it must function correctly.

[Tayne]

.

[scaryoldcortina]

Nope, you need 2 minimum, but where?

 

ps, the aggro was an example, this isn't specific, could be almost any car between '65 and '86.

[M'coli]

Front?

[Tayne]

.