2009 CashCow - soon be service time

[beko1987]

The new shiny things are arriving

I've seen an equal amount of videos and forum posts where people apply a thin smear of sealant to the wp gasket and those who don't. I bought a tiny tube anyway as I'll need a smear for the bolt that goes into the water jacket, but do I actually need to do the wp gasket? Or should I? Or see how clean the engine block is and decide? 

 

[Supernaut]

On 09/02/2025 at 13:25, beko1987 said:

6th is too low for 50mph though, I thought I was getting a random wheel wobble come and go but I think it was the engine labouring

I imagine it's a very similar setup to my Megane 1.5dci 6 speed.

I barely use 6th unless I'm at 60mph+ and cruising, it's just that tall.

The gear change lights get thoroughly ignored too, as they seem to want me to lug the engine everywhere at barely 1,500rpm. No thanks!

[beko1987]

8 hours ago, Supernaut said:

I imagine it's a very similar setup to my Megane 1.5dci 6 speed.

I barely use 6th unless I'm at 60mph+ and cruising, it's just that tall.

The gear change lights get thoroughly ignored too, as they seem to want me to lug the engine everywhere at barely 1,500rpm. No thanks!

If a Megane struggles then a massive qq will have no chance! 

I don't have the gear change light thankfully, once I've done the cambelt I'll be able to drive it a bit more nicely 

[Supernaut]

Aye, I've noticed that you can't really drive a 1.5dci like larger diesels of old. You can tell it's only a 1.5 because it's gutless low down. It seems happiest around 2,000rpm despite what my gear change lights think.

Even with me driving it everywhere like a tit, the Megane averages low-mid 50s mpg over every tank, though.

[EyesWeldedShut]

48 minutes ago, Supernaut said:

Aye, I've noticed that you can't really drive a 1.5dci like larger diesels of old. You can tell it's only a 1.5 because it's gutless low down. It seems happiest around 2,000rpm despite what my gear change lights think.

Even with me driving it everywhere like a tit, the Megane averages low-mid 50s mpg over every tank, though.

Can you remap it for more low down torque - that works well in the PSA 1.6 HDi .

[sierraman]

17 minutes ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

Can you remap it for more low down torque - that works well in the PSA 1.6 HDi .

Wave good bye to the DMF shortly after on a car of that age/mileage

[beko1987]

31 minutes ago, sierraman said:

Wave good bye to the DMF shortly after on a car of that age/mileage

Yep! It's not on the cards anytime soon, it keeps up with the traffic fine! 

Dmf seems nice and rattle free and silent, no vibrations felt in the cabin. The clutch bite point feels maybe a tad low but then I've done 40k on the hdi's hydraulic clutch setup which is higher by design anyway. No slippage detected so far! 

[warch]

3 hours ago, beko1987 said:

If a Megane struggles then a massive qq will have no chance! 

Qashqais are about the same weight as a Megane (same platform), depending on spec and no heavier than any comparable hatchback. 

The petrol version which only had a five speed box had really low gearing all the way through which was ideal for off road use where I wanted to pick my way up a slope without stalling or wheelspinning.

[beko1987]

24 minutes ago, warch said:

Qashqais are about the same weight as a Megane (same platform), depending on spec and no heavier than any comparable hatchback. 

The petrol version which only had a five speed box had really low gearing all the way through which was ideal for off road use where I wanted to pick my way up a slope without stalling or wheelspinning.

That's interesting, myself and my car friend at work were trying to figure out if it was a shared platform, that makes sense now! 

It feels ruddy huge still vs the Xsara 😂 Good to know it isn't mega heavy as my jack and axle stands should cope fine

[warch]

24 minutes ago, beko1987 said:

That's interesting, myself and my car friend at work were trying to figure out if it was a shared platform, that makes sense now! 

It feels ruddy huge still vs the Xsara 😂 Good to know it isn't mega heavy as my jack and axle stands should cope fine

The problem is that they look superficially like SUVs so its easy to assume that they're heavy and constructed from heavy components, whereas even a cursory glance underneath reveals lightweight car derived components and running gear. Crossovers are essentially hatchbacks with higher ride height and bigger wheels.

Xsaras are about 100-200kgs lighter so you'd notice the difference. My Astra is nearly half a ton lighter than my old Nissan so its very noticeable. 

[Supernaut]

3 hours ago, beko1987 said:

Yep! It's not on the cards anytime soon, it keeps up with the traffic fine! 

Dmf seems nice and rattle free and silent, no vibrations felt in the cabin. The clutch bite point feels maybe a tad low but then I've done 40k on the hdi's hydraulic clutch setup which is higher by design anyway. No slippage detected so far! 

Meanwhile in my Megane the clutch is high-ish and it judders if I give it too much throttle at 1,500rpm. No slipping or any noise, it just shakes a bit as the engine lugs.

Basically if I follow the gear change lights and end up putting it under load at below 1,500 it feels like an unbalanced wheel, like beko described. Anything above 1,500? Perfectly happy.

Also shakes if I don't give it enough power pulling away (so basically nearly stalling it) but most cars do that if you fuck up pulling away!

[beko1987]

Dropped it off at a local garage who are going to try and get the locking wheel nuts off. £70 labour for an hour, then £30 for the custom inserts they need to make for their tool... Which I hope don't snap 😭

[JJ0063]

3 minutes ago, beko1987 said:

Dropped it off at a local garage who are going to try and get the locking wheel nuts off. £70 labour for an hour, then £30 for the custom inserts they need to make for their tool... Which I hope don't snap 😭

Jesus! Garage here charges £10 a wheel to remove lockers!

[beko1987]

19 minutes ago, JJ0063 said:

Jesus! Garage here charges £10 a wheel to remove lockers!

I wasn't sure if it was a good price or not, but short of driving it around all the places around a 10 mile radius to ask this seemed a good first step... 

Although when he broke it down, if they all zip off nicely then it's just the hours labour and £30. He just laid out very clearly that if it's a bastard when they go to get them off and really tight, that's when it could be a pain. 

I asked if they could start on the drivers front and let me know if it started to be a pain

[mk2_craig]

I'm having difficulty grasping that an 09 Cashcow can still be considered Modern Shite in 2025 when there's an Audi R8 in the main section of the forum.

[Dobloseven]

6 minutes ago, mk2_craig said:

I'm having difficulty grasping that an 09 Cashcow can still be considered Modern Shite in 2025 when there's an Audi R8 in the main section of the forum.

There's a Lotus Elise that's much older and was almost 20 years old when it first showed up.

[UltraWomble]

Asked Grok to make me a poster for "Timing Belt Roulette"

This was the best of a bad bunch.

[beko1987]

Ability to change the cambelt - unlocked! 

Mildly more than I bargained for? - yes

[beko1987]

2 hours ago, mk2_craig said:

I'm having difficulty grasping that an 09 Cashcow can still be considered Modern Shite in 2025 when there's an Audi R8 in the main section of the forum.

Because an Aldi R8 is a car people want to see and read about vs a washing machine? 

If the thread gets moved then so be it but I want it on record that it wasn't my idea 😂👌

[FakeConcern]

33 minutes ago, beko1987 said:

Because an Aldi R8 is a car people want to see and read about vs a washing machine? 

If the thread gets moved then so be it but I want it on record that it wasn't my idea 😂👌

Just so you know, I've read all of this thread, but none of the R8 one...

[abir246]

2 minutes ago, FakeConcern said:

Just so you know, I've read all of this thread, but none of the R8 one...

I didn't even know there was an Audi R8 on autoshite in the first place

[loserone]

@Mrs6C is this newer than ten years or still depreciating? If not... 😂

[wuvvum]

11 hours ago, Supernaut said:

Meanwhile in my Megane the clutch is high-ish and it judders if I give it too much throttle at 1,500rpm. No slipping or any noise, it just shakes a bit as the engine lugs.

Basically if I follow the gear change lights and end up putting it under load at below 1,500 it feels like an unbalanced wheel, like beko described. Anything above 1,500? Perfectly happy.

Also shakes if I don't give it enough power pulling away (so basically nearly stalling it) but most cars do that if you fuck up pulling away!

The Grand Scenic I had with the same engine didn't particularly mind being laboured (in that it didn't shudder or anything like that) but it had absolutely no power below about 1,800 rpm so pulling out onto a busy roundabout required some revs and clutch slipping to get it off the line quickly.

[Mrcento]

7 hours ago, beko1987 said:

Ability to change the cambelt - unlocked! 

Mildly more than I bargained for? - yes

Christ on a bike, 4x sacrificial sockets from Ebay = approx £8.

Hammer them on, spin the socket anti clockwise for 30ish seconds, friction = heat = fuses socket to locker = off comes the nut/socket as one.

[beko1987]

8 hours ago, Mrcento said:

Christ on a bike, 4x sacrificial sockets from Ebay = approx £8.

Hammer them on, spin the socket anti clockwise for 30ish seconds, friction = heat = fuses socket to locker = off comes the nut/socket as one.

I hear ya, but I don't think my Aldi 40v Impact driver would have helped me much there, nor created much friction. 

Almost as soon as the collar starts it was really tight against the wheel anyway, it's way beyond my skills set to do. 

If that's the biggest one off random cost the car gives me ill be happy 😂🤞🤞

Currently waiting for the person parked behind my gate to buggar off so I can pull the car round and stake my claim for tomorrow 

[beko1987]

Got parked outside the back gate this morning and over lunch time couldn't resist having a peek at what lurks behind wheel number 1.

Answer is a fucked cv boot 😂 All looks fairly fresh too so either I did a shit job of spotting it or it went on me as I drove up the m40 and back 🤷 What's the better way to fix this, just put a whole new driveshaft on? 

The track rod ends are none too hot either and I can see the joint moving when I shake the wheel so at least that's a known good fix! When I'm done with the cambelt tomorrow I'm going to see if I can get the track rod end to move, to save doing the whole steering arm 🤞

At least that side of the subframe is nice and rust proofed! Some good poking reveals all is solid. I moved onto the undertray which bar 1 missing bolt at the front has all it's original fixings. Is nice and dry underneath too, with a bonus battery positive terminal cover 👌

The front subframe as a whole is there but tatty. I forsee alot of krust and wire brushes in my future... 😂

Left it sat on a stand for now, not going to do the belt tonight. Later after work I want to check I can find the bolt to remove to do the locking pin and I may have a go at taking the lower engine cover off too. 

Brakes all look fine though, springs aren't snapped that I can see or feel, drivers side brake hose looks good at least! It's no more or less tatty than the Xsara was as far as I can see so far

[Bren]

1 hour ago, beko1987 said:

Got parked outside the back gate this morning and over lunch time couldn't resist having a peek at what lirks behind wheel number 1.

Answer is a fucked cv boot 😂 All looks fairly fresh too so either I did a shit job of spotting it or it went on me as I drove up the m40 and back 🤷 What's the better way to fix this, just put a whole new driveshaft on? 

The track rod ends are none too hot either and I can see the joint moving when I shake the wheel so at least that's a known good fix! When I'm done with the cambelt tomorrow I'm going to see if I can get the track rod end to move, to save doing the whole steering arm 🤞

At least that side of the subframe is nice and rust proofed! Some good poking reveals all is solid. I moved onto the undertray which bar 1 missing bolt at the front has all it's original fixings. Is nice and dry underneath too, with a bonus battery positive terminal cover 👌

The front subframe as a whole is there but tatty. I forsee alot of krust and wire brushes in my future... 😂

Left it sat on a stand for now, not going to do the belt tonight. Later after work I want to check I can find the bolt to remove to do the locking pin and I may have a go at taking the lower engine cover off too. 

Brakes all look fine though, springs aren't snapped that I can see or feel, drivers side brake hose looks good at least! It's no more or less tatty than the Xsara was as far as I can see so far

Our cousin's 2010 had a subframe that was starting to look like a ryvita. His mate did a pre MOT - he was pulling bits off - he was told if it passed it's next MOT it would be its last.

[beko1987]

49 minutes ago, Bren said:

Our cousin's 2010 had a subframe that was starting to look like a ryvita. His mate did a pre MOT - he was pulling bits off - he was told if it passed it's next MOT it would be its last.

I've been quite bangy with mine so far and it's been alright. Been wire brushing and painting the cv joint grease about 😂

And had a go at some bolts! I got the track rod end to turn on the drivers side which is fucking amazing news as I can just replace the end. The big bottom arm bolts all moved as well, so I undid each a few threads, plusgas'd them and nipped them back up. The passenger side isn't as oily so might be harder but once I'm done with everything else I have planned tomorrow I will have the other front wheel off and see what I can make loose. 

2 cheap bottom arms with included shite bushes, 2 track rod ends, 1 driveshaft, the 2 droplinks I've already bought and some tracking should see it with far less knocks and bangs 🤞🤞

I then plusgas'd all the other bolts I'll be moving in the morning and filled the boot with my tools and called it a night

[sierraman]

J&R for the driveshaft. 

[busmansholiday]

Wire brush and shit loads of Lidl's finest* rust treatment black spray paint (did this to my Mrs's Note before you laugh).