Consolidated fleet thread - New automotive porridge.

[dozeydustman]

And yes, I used a brake flare spanner for the track rod lock nuts, better than an adjustable any day.

[dozeydustman]

Saab’s turn for MoT jobs. Last year I had an advisory for worn brake discs. I was told by the garage which MoT’d it last year they were on 24.2mm and the minimum spec is 24mm. As mentioned in grumpy thread the discs are rust-welded to the hubs, a job I was not looking forward to.

Looking through the HbOL and my Autodata laptop the minimum disc thickness is 22mm, new ones being 28. Got the micrometer out and the N/S is 23.7mm and the offside 23.5mm, still within spec. As the pads are quite new I’ve left them be. Taking them out and putting them back in has cured the front end clonk as well.

Yes, there’s a lip, but it’s 2mm per side which ties up with my micrometer readings.

Meanwhile I really need a new front number plate. However the only place open at a weekend which makes number plates is Halfords, and the “man who makes them at the local branch” is off this weekend. I call BS on this, and as the car is booked in tomorrow I came up with a plan.

before ⬆️ (taken earlier this year)

I took it off, put it in the sink and washed the dirt out between the acrylic and the letters with some dish soap. Dried it as best I could and used some UV resistant tape to seal it back together.

It’s not perfect but it is legible and just looks like an old plate again. Mingebag repair.

I’m hoping that is everything. Can’t see any obvious defects, though the front droplink rubbers are in poor condition (but not holed).

At least I have the 205 if it fails on anything.

[dozeydustman]

Another year of successful motoring ahead.

[dozeydustman]

Kia has a pass as well this morning. Booked in again next Monday for tracking and air con regas.

I can work on the advisories over the next year, hopefully done before sprog arrives!

[dozeydustman]

Tracking now done on the Kia and while my rough work after changing teh TREs was a vast improvement, both front wheels were still toeing out too much. It hasn’t driven so well since we bought it ~18 months ago.

Need to either find a driveshaft or a decent CV repair kit, and nip up the power steering joint where it’s weeping and that’s the advisories. I’m still on the lookout for a pair of rear doors and an O/S front wing in black, both this car and the black Saab will last madam and her fella for a few years yet so may as well make it look nice!

[dozeydustman]

A new clutch cable for the 205 arrived the other day. It was wrong. Now in a dispute withe the seller as apparently my car ‘should  have TU engine for a 1987 model’. Despite showing the vendor the old broken cable against the ‘correct’ replacement, they said my car has been ‘bodged’ and someone has previously fitted the incorrect cable.

Some digging about on the internet has found a genuine new-old stock PSA Motaquip part for £8 posted so that will be fitted at some point this week as it’s due to arrive Monday.

Back box ordered for the C2 and it’s MOT is being done Monday 4th, so that will be up for sale once it has a fresh ticket.

[dozeydustman]

Got the back box for the C2 today, however a load of house jobs and a ridiculous 3-hour journey to Waterlooville and back mean general apathy toward car jobs. Plus it’s been raining.

£60 from GSF with a discount code, it’s substantially heavy enough not to be terrible. As far as I can see it’s the only thing the C2 needs for its MoT.

Also I joined a 205 Facebook page and one of the previous owners of the little red devil as serial suitcase engine and Pug104 botherer @Leachibob104.

Hopefully tomorrow I can get the clutch cable installed as the NOS one arrived today.

[dozeydustman]

Back box is off the C2. The blow however was not caused by this but the centre pipe.

There is a hole in the tailpipe and while it’s relatively solid I’m still putting the new box on.

The blow is actually the joint to the centre pipe, as someone previous has usefully* crimped in the end, possibly drifting off a previous silence with a punch or chisel, thankfully after about half an hour of twisting and knocking it with a British Leyland screwdriver it came off. I’ll get a photo after my lunch of leftover cabbage and mash from last night, and a trip to get some assembly paste and a new clamp as I don’t have the correct size in stock.

[dozeydustman]

This just slipped into place.

Thankfully, despite a 52mm clamp being used as opposed to the correct 48mm (Halford had no stock, and the local independent was shut for lunch 🤨), there are no leaks that I can feel. Later in the week I’ll fit a correct clamp and bung a bit of assembly paste in there before test on Monday.

With a fresh ticket I’ll put an ad up on here with shiter’s discount compared to the wider world.

[dozeydustman]

Fresh ticket on the Citroën. Advisory for something on the headlamps but I’m hoping a session with some T-cut and a rag will clean them up.

 

I’ve managed to locate a set of genuine wheeltrims for the same price as a set of Halfords dustbin lid types, they should be with us in a few days then the car will be ready for sale.

We will miss this little runabout but with 5 cars in the household and having only covered around 6000 miles in the just under 2 years we’ve owned it, we’ve hardly used it in the last 6 months since the wife and I either commute together or she rides her e-bike in.

Just sitting at the local car wash waiting for a mini valet, then I’ll take some photos and bung it up for sale.

[dozeydustman]

Applied a little cutting compound to the C2’s headlamps and they are now much better.

Clean (offside) and manky (nearside)

The right was the worse of the two, but the cataracts are much improved. I did the Saab as well but they need a lot of work, so it looks like sanding them down and lacquering will be needed if I get a warm day any time soon.

[dozeydustman]

The C2 has proven difficult to sell. Hoping it’ll go soon.

Meanwhile a few weeks ago I put new tail, reverse and fog bulbs in the 205 as I had a brake on the left, tail on the right, no fog and only 1 reverse. Found some LEDs knocking about in the garage I bought some time back.

This morning at half 4 I got a tug as I had no rear lights and only the aftermarket raised level brake light. They were working yesterday when I went out and about in it. Luckily I had some 21/5 bulbs of unknown origin in the boot and changed them in front of the policeman. The LEDs, which were still new in packets had failed, and they weren’t el-cheapo no-name ones from AliExpress etc but Ring ones I bought ages ago but never got to fit to the first Saab.

Weird as the reverse and fog lamps still work, they’re the same make and age.

[dozeydustman]

Saab now also up for sale after yesterday’s mishap.

If anyone wants the Saab it’s £450 with a load of spares, and I can’t drop the price of the Citroen any more, that’s £950.

[dozeydustman]

With the Saab looking like it has a new home I’m off with the wife to view a new car. It’s about 45 mins away so no big caper involving trains and buses and the like, just a lift to outside of Horsham from @Scrap.

Poor count = 1

Breakfast consisted of a mug of Spanish ‘Bonka’ coffee.

What am I going to view? That’s a secret, but here’s a clue:

[Missy Charm]

3 hours ago, dozeydustman said:

With the Saab looking like it has a new home I’m off with the wife to view a new car. It’s about 45 mins away so no big caper involving trains and buses and the like, just a lift to outside of Horsham from @Scrap.

Poor count = 1

Breakfast consisted of a mug of Spanish ‘Bonka’ coffee.

What am I going to view? That’s a secret, but here’s a clue:

Beige eighties Mercedes with beaded seat covers and a Ganesh figurine glued to the dashboard?  

[dozeydustman]

54 minutes ago, Missy Charm said:

Beige eighties Mercedes with beaded seat covers and a Ganesh figurine glued to the dashboard?  

You would have to pay me to own a Merc!

[dozeydustman]

Purchase made and now taxed and insured. Uneventful trip. Because I’m an utter mingebag I didn’t even stop for fuel on way home as only 25 miles.

Very clean underneath, needs a thoroughly good valeting though. Full service history. Gave £1300, probably the most expensive car either me or my wife have ever bought.

[dozeydustman]

Citroen sold this evening. Spent most of the day fitting carpets with my dad to replace the piece on the landing the cats destroyed. At  7pm I got a message on eBay with an offer just under the asking price so wife accepted it. Came, paid by BACS and drove off.

With the Saab going this week I'll change the Peugeot's insurance to daily.

[dozeydustman]

With both the Saab and the Citroen gone we're back to 1 car each for me, Mrs_dust and miss_dust. Means at last I can start digging the other side of the front garden ready to gravel it as a driveway. I'll be dailying the 205 even through the winter. It's running absolutely sweetly aside from the grumbly bearing.

Hyundai is a great runaround, a far cry from the days of the Accent and Pony which were competent and reliable, just a bit cheap and flimsy feeling.

Need to get the roof bars off somehow, found the key but it doesn't seem to do anything when turned. Probably the small Allen headed bolt next to it needs turning.

Currently it's got budgets all round, the rears are a brand I've heard of at least (iLink) but the fronts are Fronways (I think!), cracked and knackered with a 2021 date on them, 5mm tread and they have all the grip of a teflon coated tea tray on an ice rink. Manage to score a pair of Yokohama BlueEarths for £70 a wheel fitted, which I don't think is a bad price at all.

[Stanky]

I have good experiences with the Yokohama BluEarths, entirely competent tyre for average cars at a reasonable price. I'd definitely get them again.

[Christine]

My honda is on new  i links,  grip ok ,but noisy ! 

[dozeydustman]

The Yokohamas fitted yesterday have drastically improved the Hyundai’s handling and road performance. A blast to the leisure centre this morning for a swimming session on pretty damp roads and losing the front end and aquaplaning is vastly reduced. Still a bit of planing over standing water but it’s a relatively wide tyre at 205/60 16 size, given the 165/70 13s on the 205 go through standing water with no skidding at a similar speed. Old tyres still had 6mm tread but worn a bit on the inner edges so I’ll get the wheel alignment sorted next month.

It’s a horrid miserable morning so my plans for trying to remove the roof bars from the Hyundai are put on hold, as has anything outdoor related. Again.