RDW collection: New tool, new approach. Achtung heiß!

[ruffgeezer]

Heading South, 

PC 1

Breakfast 0

CURRENT mode of transport; shonky, multicoloured, Expert Van.

[barefoot]

As demonstrated yesterday; shit breakfast equals shit car. Be very careful having no breakfast, you might end up with 

[Sham]

Frankly, given the evidence from yesterday, I'd skip breakfast too.

[ruffgeezer]

Foot patrol next to avoid the morning rush...

I hope the clouds arent an omen!

Now I am here, sadly not enough time to go to Maccy's for a turbo gut buster.

[ruffgeezer]

A peek at the local, listed signal box. 

Oh joy, a 170 painted like a bin lorry for the next hour.

Featuring some fantastically grim seats.

I believe these units were second hand when EMR got them, but they havent even bothered to paint them in company livery!

 

[ruffgeezer]

First change, and time for an expensive coffee and a visit to the cash machine.

Seat chance,  slim.

[ruffgeezer]

On more modern service now, and can I say what a pain in the arse it is doing battle with everyone as they all head to the pre-booked seats.   

On a priv rate ticket, as far as I can establish, I don't get seat reservations so it is pot luck.  Thankfully I have a nicely upholstered park bench for leg 2 of the journey.

 

 

[grogee]

May your fluids stay on the inside. 

I think it's a 1996 Suzuki Vitara in yellow with massive wheels. 

[ruffgeezer]

Sadly not, I'm swore off of Vitara 'Fatboys' after some bellend with coke bottle bottom glasses in my GCSE art class, whose name escapes me, would argue every lesson that his mum's pink on was less shit than my folks' Skoda Favorit.

[ruffgeezer]

Just passing through the Manor of the Patron Saint of Acquiescence,  pop; 89,400.

[ruffgeezer]

That face when the train is running late and you could have gotten away with a free wee.

[ruffgeezer]

Whoops, I've upset his royal Charlieness!

[ruffgeezer]

I elected to have a quick stroll from Bank to London Bridge,  quite a few sights to be hand on a short walk, if you'll ignore the fat baldy dickhead who keeps spoiling them!

Christ what a terrible loooking fellow!

[ruffgeezer]

Time to hit the shoe leather across London Bridge and to the next train...

 

 

Time for lunch too...

[beko1987]

Looks good day for it, Chod speed! 

[sdkrc]

1 hour ago, ruffgeezer said:

 

This looks photoshopped. 

I suspect you're in Keighley and buying from a dealer but are too ashamed to tell us and have gone for a glamorous London collection cover story instead.

This means it's a petrol Mazda 626 in white.

[ruffgeezer]

 

On 10/3/2023 at 1:02 PM, sdkrc said:

This looks photoshopped. 

I suspect you're in Keighley and buying from a dealer but are too ashamed to tell us and have gone for a glamorous London collection cover story instead.

This means it's a petrol Mazda 626 in white.

Well, it's not often you're right @sdkrc, but you're wrong again!

I picked up my smelly old friend...

Plus the obligatory:

Half time report from Cambridge Services is that it still pulls very well, the starter mootr sounds rough and there is something very worn on the suspension, possibly the rear, as the car occasionally wants to steer passively. 

[Supernaut]

Check out the pogweaseling on that Ka!

[grogee]

Four rings of success. Does it have GETOUTOFMYWAY xenon lamps? 

I hope you drove it home one-handed, texting your mistress on your iPhone 15 and listening to Chris de Burgh's greatest hits CD. 

[Asimo]

Vectra / long-roof A4 ?

I'll forever think of these as "shit-breakfast" cars now...

[ruffgeezer]

Stopped in on the way home for a quick photo op, same spot many hours later;

and finally, home, I shall have a good look around it tomorrow afternoon work.

Thanks to Les and @Jollyfckr/ @jollyfkr2 for setting the deal up - did it always have just one key or is there the possibility it may resurface?

 

[ruffgeezer]

Finally tally:

PC 1 (r1)

135 miles / 2hrs 19 on trains & underground (A shade under £20 for all tickets)

1.5 miles / 29 mins on foot

163 miles / 4 hrs 36 driven & passenger in the taliban van

Not a bad ride out really,   I certainly don't feel any worse for missing out on an egg McGuffin, and I'll bet that none of the passengers on the train do either.

I'm hoping I can sort the slightly wayward steering and get the wheel alignment sorted pronto as its a rather tiring drive such as it is, the steering wheel is pointing to 2 o'clock when the car is going straight.  This also causes the TCS to kick in on occasion as it cannot correlate the steering position with the wheel speed.

[hairnet]

4 hours ago, grogee said:

 

texting your mistress on your iPhone 15

LOSER

 

and listening to Chris de Burgh's greatest hits CD. 

MASSIVE WINNER

 

[jollyfkr2]

21 hours ago, ruffgeezer said:

Stopped in on the way home for a quick photo op, same spot many hours later;

and finally, home, I shall have a good look around it tomorrow afternoon work.

Thanks to Les and @Jollyfckr/ @jollyfkr2 for setting the deal up - did it always have just one key or is there the possibility it may resurface?

 

I believe there was a spare key, but where I don't know, I'll make some enquiries.

The starter motor and alternator failed at the same time about 18 months ago and were replaced with OEM as l'il sis was never going to sell it....and she would've gotten away with it if it wasn't for that meddling ULEZ

 

[ruffgeezer]

So finally got a bit of time to poke this today...

Yep that bottom bushes is well cunted, so much so that the arm has been chewed up by the shock absorber. 

It was ten types of slag to get off, not because the bolts wouldn't come undone, but because I just could not get enough angle on the arm to release the inner bolt from the subframe. In the end I cut the arm in half with a reciprocating saw and it gave me more room to manipulate the bolt out.

Getting the balljoint out was a shitbag too, but in the end brute force and a big splitter did the job.

Unfortunately though, it isn't the only thing that is knackered - you may recall I mentioned the car feeling a little odd to drive? 

Well the rear upper arm balljoint is worn out too, I'm hoping that is the cause.

Also it is due a service and possibly a cambelt, but I don't know yet how far down this road I want to go with it.

[Dave_Q]

TADTS, the most hilarious thing about the assorted suspension arms of the A4/A6/etc is you cannot buy parts that will last for love nor money, so you are pretty much guaranteed to need to replace something on the front at every MOT.

The good news is with 5-10min spent draining the coolant and removing the front of the car, it's the easiest cambelt you'll ever do.

[tooSavvy]

@Dave_Q.. "The good news is with 5-10min spent draining the coolant and removing the front of the car, it's the easiest cambelt you'll ever do".

EFSavv..

5-10mins on fone to tame garage + £170 [no vat] I saved engine [barcoded/shagged belt + 63k]😳

belt not a 'back lane' job for me, bus pass years 😕

[Dave_Q]

Savv, this is when I did mine (petrol not diesel but the engine is in the same place)

You could pull up a chair and do it at your leisure with that much access.

[tooSavvy]

5 minutes ago, Dave_Q said:

Savv, this is when I did mine (petrol not diesel but the engine is in the same place)

You could pull up a chair and do it at your leisure with that much access.

Ahh..... I remember doing a chain, on my IMP, which *should have involved cover off/sump gasket >>> so I bought a 'split chain/+link', ground off old chain at a link [keeping tension on 'chain wrap'] >>> connected new chain, rolled it round, chucked old chain and linked new ( hairpin in direction of travel ).

Quick n Nasty? ...... never a blob of bother 😉

🚙💨

[bezzabsa]

weren't you swayed by the Rover ????