AnnoyingPentium's Adventures - Fabia Fettling and Other Nonsense

[AnnoyingPentium]

4 minutes ago, RoverFolkUs said:

I hadn't noticed in previous pictures, I'm sure you've said before but what are those seats from? They look brilliant and far better than standard Fabia seats!

Mk1 Fabia Bohemia! Can also be found in the Fabia Sport. Basically vRS seats but in the more practical black cloth, so don't stain like the OMGSOOPERWHITE cloth of the vRS.

Done about 12k since they were fitted and my spine is eternally grateful. They're much better than standard Fabia seating, which is like low-rent barstools.

[Wibble]

Sorry to hear of your mate’s loss. I’m back in Renfrewshire for the next week if I can help with anything. Just got a Jazz to polish up!

[Tickman]

If the Focus is being detrimental to your life the get it fucked off.

Don't let self imposed obligations to inanimate objects impact your life.

[RoverFolkUs]

The Focus does sound like a dead weight, if it needs a lift pump then you're going to be scrabbling around underneath trying to drop the tank, fighting 25 year old fixings along the way

It sounds like you've become quite fond of it, but with unknown levels of tinworm then it might be better to fuck it off now before you start investing time and money in it to become disappointed later

There might be someone else on here insane enough to give it a go!

[AnnoyingPentium]

3 hours ago, Tickman said:

If the Focus is being detrimental to your life the get it fucked off.

Don't let self imposed obligations to inanimate objects impact your life.

 

2 hours ago, RoverFolkUs said:

The Focus does sound like a dead weight, if it needs a lift pump then you're going to be scrabbling around underneath trying to drop the tank, fighting 25 year old fixings along the way

It sounds like you've become quite fond of it, but with unknown levels of tinworm then it might be better to fuck it off now before you start investing time and money in it to become disappointed later

There might be someone else on here insane enough to give it a go!

Cheers for the advice gents. It's definitely needing work carried out that I'm not in a position to do with life-shite being in the way elsewhere. When I first took it on, I had more time for it, but that's dwindled away as other things have demanded more attention (such as the Skoda falling down a hole). Really, it's just sitting, and I'd either like to get work done on it, or have it fucked off.

Aye, I'm fond of the car, but it's not getting anything done to it where it is so as above it'd be better off out my life. Ultimately, if anyone on here was brave/stupid enough to take it on then there's enough there to get it running. However, it's becoming clear I don't think that'll be me, at least not anytime soon. I'm not losing sleep over it or anything like that, I'd just rather it was done and it isn't... 😂

10 hours ago, Wibble said:

Sorry to hear of your mate’s loss. I’m back in Renfrewshire for the next week if I can help with anything. Just got a Jazz to polish up!

Thank you kindly, I think we're covered for things at the moment, but I'll be in touch otherwise.

[AnnoyingPentium]

Much running about undertaken, car sitting somewhere between 84k and 85k miles now, I'm not sure really. Either way, it's lapping it up quite well. Still a stark contrast to the 2k miles a year it did on average before I bought it.

As of now, I've been shuffling back and forth across Ayrshire... mostly. Decided to take a run to B&Q with my mate as he's needing some stuff around the house since his partner moved in and so on. We had planned to get some planks of wood for building usage and get them cut to length in store. Unfortunately, the guy we spoke to in the shop refused to cut them up using their saw. Therefore, I used my £10 off voucher for the shop to get a hand saw (therefore free) and we cut the planks up in their car park. That'll learn 'em... or something.

Trailerage has been going well mostly. I did have a case of a tyre attempting to remove itself from the steel wheel (thankfully at a low speed), and the dolly pole thing ejecting itself at 50mph which was sub-optimal. But really, considering it's... *ahem* a fair age and had been laid up for about 12 years or something, it's been doing pretty well. Plus I've chucked about 400 miles at it lately, so it's doing okay I'd say.

Yet again, I washed it, as it had been incredibly grubby getting. Plus I wanted a proper shot at the wheels to tidy them up.

Oooooh, shiny. And all that.

In the process, I discovered once and for all I have buggered the wooden section of the boot partition when I made a tit of myself at ShiteFest.

So that'll require a new bit of floor I suspect. Thankfully it's all easily replaceable.

Finally, on to the main feature. This all began as a conversation on Tuesday night where I sarcastically suggested to some friends that we go to Fort William for the sheer hell of it when there's a good number of us free to do so. We were all free Wednesday (yesterday). So we ended up in Fort William... travelled up the A82, a lovely route that I hadn't been on for some time. Shame it's full of bloody tourists though, including a suicidal Fiat 500 driver that tried to take us out by coming around on the wrong side of the road on a bend that wasn't even that tight. Driver looked half awake if at all. Air horns and a swerve from me managed to prevent him from taking us out but it was close and rather terrifying.

Decided to head a bit further north and stopped at the Commando Memorial viewpoint thing I can't remember the name of.

And then, by sheer accident* ended up in Inverness.

Oh dear.

The total stands at 528 miles worth of driving, averaging 47mpg or thereabouts. Quite chuffed with that considering there was four of us in the car and it's pretty hilly up that way.

Quite chuffed with the way it's running at the moment. Even after everything that has happened to it. I have a list of jobs I've to work through with this car, which is decreasing nicely. Going to a scrap yard tomorrow that's meant to have another red Fabia in to see if I can mooch some bits I'm needing for my one. Will report back

[RoverFolkUs]

1 hour ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

Much running about undertaken, car sitting somewhere between 84k and 85k miles now, I'm not sure really. Either way, it's lapping it up quite well. Still a stark contrast to the 2k miles a year it did on average before I bought it.

As of now, I've been shuffling back and forth across Ayrshire... mostly. Decided to take a run to B&Q with my mate as he's needing some stuff around the house since his partner moved in and so on. We had planned to get some planks of wood for building usage and get them cut to length in store. Unfortunately, the guy we spoke to in the shop refused to cut them up using their saw. Therefore, I used my £10 off voucher for the shop to get a hand saw (therefore free) and we cut the planks up in their car park. That'll learn 'em... or something.

Trailerage has been going well mostly. I did have a case of a tyre attempting to remove itself from the steel wheel (thankfully at a low speed), and the dolly pole thing ejecting itself at 50mph which was sub-optimal. But really, considering it's... *ahem* a fair age and had been laid up for about 12 years or something, it's been doing pretty well. Plus I've chucked about 400 miles at it lately, so it's doing okay I'd say.

Yet again, I washed it, as it had been incredibly grubby getting. Plus I wanted a proper shot at the wheels to tidy them up.

Oooooh, shiny. And all that.

In the process, I discovered once and for all I have buggered the wooden section of the boot partition when I made a tit of myself at ShiteFest.

So that'll require a new bit of floor I suspect. Thankfully it's all easily replaceable.

Finally, on to the main feature. This all began as a conversation on Tuesday night where I sarcastically suggested to some friends that we go to Fort William for the sheer hell of it when there's a good number of us free to do so. We were all free Wednesday (yesterday). So we ended up in Fort William... travelled up the A82, a lovely route that I hadn't been on for some time. Shame it's full of bloody tourists though, including a suicidal Fiat 500 driver that tried to take us out by coming around on the wrong side of the road on a bend that wasn't even that tight. Driver looked half awake if at all. Air horns and a swerve from me managed to prevent him from taking us out but it was close and rather terrifying.

Decided to head a bit further north and stopped at the Commando Memorial viewpoint thing I can't remember the name of.

And then, by sheer accident* ended up in Inverness.

Oh dear.

The total stands at 528 miles worth of driving, averaging 47mpg or thereabouts. Quite chuffed with that considering there was four of us in the car and it's pretty hilly up that way.

Quite chuffed with the way it's running at the moment. Even after everything that has happened to it. I have a list of jobs I've to work through with this car, which is decreasing nicely. Going to a scrap yard tomorrow that's meant to have another red Fabia in to see if I can mooch some bits I'm needing for my one. Will report back

Please pap some period correct chod with that camera as well, looks surreal seeing those Audis in a photo like that!

[Popsicle]

You picked some cracking weather for a run up the A82, did you have a look for Nessie?

 

[AnnoyingPentium]

8 hours ago, RoverFolkUs said:

Please pap some period correct chod with that camera as well, looks surreal seeing those Audis in a photo like that!

A few mates and I are trying to arrange a mock car park scene with some of the available vehicles to try and make something of it.

7 hours ago, Popsicle said:

You picked some cracking weather for a run up the A82, did you have a look for Nessie?

 

Had a look but no results... in fairness I'm not overly keen on leaving my house when it's warm either! 😂

[LoftyvRS]

In summary -

Fabia - keep up the good work

Focus - fuck it off, no good to you mentally if it already feels like a weight on your shoulders

You're a good friend to your mate helping him through the worst time so take comfort in that and keep enjoying the little adventures where you can, just avoid holes (in the road of course - other holes are not ALL bad...)

[AnnoyingPentium]

On 9/7/2023 at 10:33 PM, AnnoyingPentium said:

So that'll require a new bit of floor I suspect. Thankfully it's all easily replaceable.

Oh yes it is, but not when it's...

So, what does a man do when it's concerningly hot for September?

He finds a blue 51 plate Fabia, and removes useful parts from it. This sad little MPI has been here for a long time now.

The Doctor Bartolo (channelling my inner Barber of Seville here) official* cause of death was OMGHGFM9, given the presence of a two-litre coke bottle full of water in the boot of the car. I also retrieved a black rear view mirror from this car for my own one as I'm working on a fully black interior because I'm an idiot. Got the grab handles too, which are for my mate who is up-speccing his Dad's SDI. Anyway, for £15 I got the whole boot carpet set (which includes the floor section, and the two side panels), the rear view mirror, and the two grab handles.

Only criticism is that I had to disconnect the boot light as there was no hole for it in the new carpet, however, it's less to go wrong etc. The wiring is still there in case I intend to re-fit it, but for now all is well, broken trim aside - as the black section on the left decided to snap all the clips at the mountings. I'm going to have to replace that at some point as it has come loose now, but I am not overly bothered at the moment.

[AnnoyingPentium]

After much* deliberation, I have made a decision regarding the Focus.

A few of my mates were keen to help sort it out. So between three of us we're going to have a push at getting it going. One can paint, I can do mechanical things (or swear at them for long enough), and another can weld. So we'll at least have a bash with what we've got, or sack it off for scrap. It's a weight off my shoulders now as I'm not having to do it all myself, and it's going somewhere where we have space to work on it properly.

Transport is booked for next Friday. It won't cost much, and even if we chose to scrap it instead (which was where I was going to send it), we wouldn't be out of pocket, judging by the quotes we were provided by CarTakeBack etc.

Not a bad outcome so far. Mentally, it's made a massive difference knowing that there's things happening finally.

______________________________________________

Now, onto Fabia things - the noise that's been ongoing for a while and sounds suspiciously like a wheel bearing is not getting better. Plan is to jack it up and establish which side is making the noise, and fix it. There's a couple of other suspension-ey things too that are going to need attention, probably not helped by falling into a ditch I suppose.

Already been - 85,000 miles.
Coming soon - full front suspension/steering refresh. Parts are in the shed awaiting bravery/fitment etc.
Coming later - rear doors.

In the meantime, enjoy this manky Citroen Synergie I found.

[AnnoyingPentium]

Oh yeah, I still own this. So as everyone and their dug knows, I bought a Vectra B, bringing the fleet count up. Here's as it stands.

So, since buying the Vectra I've went from 1,000-ish miles a month with the Skoda to...

150 miles.

So, a bit of a drop there. I've also spent money on getting the track rod and end done, had the tracking sorted, and gave it a good wash.

And how am I repaid?

With this.

Fortunately, I have a shock absorber and top mount to replace the failing ones on that side anyway, so just need to order up a spring - which was the plan anyway. After that, it'll be the rear wheel bearings and chuck it for an MOT, and pray to every fucking deity for good luck.

In the meantime, until the last parts arrive, I'm not doing anything with it. Which does mean I'm using the Vectra in the grit, but it's fineeeee, just wash it regularly, and it's going for welding anyway...

What's my plans for the Skoda? I hear nobody asking but I'll tell yous anyway. Honestly, I don't know yet. If I were to get rid, I'd still need a WeegieLEZ shitter. Ach well, if it's doing less mileage and keeps going then I'm happy. I have a fondness for these Fabias anyway.

That'll be all for now I reckon.

[AnnoyingPentium]

OH YEAH - I still own this. So, what's happened with the Skoda since my last post?

 

Nothing.

 

Genuinely, nothing at all.

 

It has, however, picked up the slack when the Vectra FTP'd, or when towing was required. There's something rather backward about using the underpowered overweight supermini to tow instead of the big motor, but the Fabia is a tough wee thing.

One hurdle stands in its way though, the MOT test, which is up next month (at the time of writing). I wouldn't normally be this nervous (yes, I would), but considering I put it down a ditch, it's a little uneasy to see if there's anything deeper lurking. However, it looks straight underneath, and drives as spot on as it did, if not slightly better. Especially since rebuilding it allowed me to address some issues boiling away under the surface (e.g., wheel bearings and top mounts).

My primary concern is the exhaust which was fitted by Stevie Wonder (Bluetooth back box) at the same garage previously, not had bother before or since, mistakes happen etc. (I know I should have went back with it when I got the car back from them, and almost a year later is a bit late)

Other problem is the handbrake, which I think will need new cables as they've definitely stretched or something, there's not much to adjust now, and it holds about as well as a chocolate teapot does warm liquid.

Stay tuned for MOT based shenanigans as of next Wednesday.

Below: me introducing the price of local housing to a crashing downward spiral.

[RoverFolkUs]

17 minutes ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

Other problem is the handbrake, which I think will need new cables as they've definitely stretched or something, there's not much to adjust now, and it holds about as well as a chocolate teapot does warm liquid.

It's really easy to set these up in such a way they end up with a shite handbrake unfortunately! 

Are the shoe lever arms returning to their stops? If not, no matter how much adjustment you try to make, the handbrake will be shite. 

If they are moving ok, and the shoes aren't worn, and everything is moving freely (get someone to apply and release the handbrake repeatedly whilst the drums are off) then the hardware itself should all be fine

I'm assuming you've had a go at getting it set up? Pop the drum off and upload some pictures, I'll try to point you in the right direction!

[AnnoyingPentium]

5 minutes ago, RoverFolkUs said:

It's really easy to set these up in such a way they end up with a shite handbrake unfortunately! 

Are the shoe lever arms returning to their stops? If not, no matter how much adjustment you try to make, the handbrake will be shite. 

If they are moving ok, and the shoes aren't worn, and everything is moving freely (get someone to apply and release the handbrake repeatedly whilst the drums are off) then the hardware itself should all be fine

I'm assuming you've had a go at getting it set up? Pop the drum off and upload some pictures, I'll try to point you in the right direction!

I had the shoes done to get it through the last MOT, which is about as much as I can tell you really. The handbrake is very *keen* looking.

The shoes move okay (or did last time we had the drums off and checked). May have a wee go at working on it this weekend should I have free time.

[RoverFolkUs]

5 minutes ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

I had the shoes done to get it through the last MOT, which is about as much as I can tell you really. The handbrake is very *keen* looking.

The shoes move okay (or did last time we had the drums off and checked). May have a wee go at working on it this weekend should I have free time.

I see, in that case it's likely got a rust lip on the drum which is confusing the adjustment? In which case I'd normally grind away all the rust inside, or if it's bad enough simply replace the drums

I'm assuming you checked the handbrake pivot arm as well as everything else for moving freely? If the shoes were new last year then they should be ok but it could still highlight a dodgy cable.

The little adjusters are quite awkward to get right, sometimes you'll get the drum on, it'll seem snug but in reality it isn't because either the shoes are slightly off centre or the rust lip is gripping a couple of mm of the shoes, which isn't enough to give a nice handbrake but it's enough to confuse the adjustment somewhat

[AnnoyingPentium]

23 minutes ago, RoverFolkUs said:

I see, in that case it's likely got a rust lip on the drum which is confusing the adjustment? In which case I'd normally grind away all the rust inside, or if it's bad enough simply replace the drums

I'm assuming you checked the handbrake pivot arm as well as everything else for moving freely? If the shoes were new last year then they should be ok but it could still highlight a dodgy cable.

The little adjusters are quite awkward to get right, sometimes you'll get the drum on, it'll seem snug but in reality it isn't because either the shoes are slightly off centre or the rust lip is gripping a couple of mm of the shoes, which isn't enough to give a nice handbrake but it's enough to confuse the adjustment somewhat

Noted! That's a job for future me to concern himself over... 

[Wibble]

Just catching up with your thread mate, after a few distractions and hope you get it through the test without too much bother.

[AnnoyingPentium]

6 hours ago, Wibble said:

Just catching up with your thread mate, after a few distractions and hope you get it through the test without too much bother.

Thanking you! Hope you're getting on okay, by the way.

[Cookiesouwest]

Best of luck for the test

[AnnoyingPentium]

Car was dropped off earlier today. Still not been tested. At work, awaiting the call of doom*.

[RoverFolkUs]

Wanna borrow this?

 

[AnnoyingPentium]

Just now, RoverFolkUs said:

Wanna borrow this?

 

Funny you should say that. Bloody government website has chucked me out thinking I'm a robot lol.

[RoverFolkUs]

1 minute ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

Funny you should say that. Bloody government website has chucked me out thinking I'm a robot lol.

I have an app called "know your car" and it pings a notification to your phone pretty much the second the test gets logged off

[AnnoyingPentium]

That'll do.

Just told them to proceed with the work.

[beko1987]

Could be worse indeed, hopefully he can sort the handbrake properly and that's it sorted for a while. 

You'll get the ball joint done then 3 weeks later hit the biggest cuntiest pothole you've ever hit with it, I speak from experience 😂

[AnnoyingPentium]

54 minutes ago, beko1987 said:

You'll get the ball joint done then 3 weeks later hit the biggest cuntiest pothole you've ever hit with it, I speak from experience 😂

[beko1987]

11 minutes ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

Hit a pothole not fall off the side of Wales, don't worry 🤞

[AnnoyingPentium]

Result.