St.Jude's Road To Perdition - A 2003 Subaru Legacy // Half tonne hero

[St.Jude]

First fuel up since I bought it, brimmed the tank again. I don't envisage a 200 mile motorway trip this time, but this reading is essentially that plus a week's worth of a commute to work as well as dropping the lovely lady wife off at New Street station.

376.5 miles, it took 51.61l of unleaded, which gives = 33mpg.

The Land Cruiser would roughly do 28mpg.

And petrol is 132.9p/l instead of the 140.9p/l (or 144.9p/l last time I put diesel in it), so it's a net win.

Add to this the road tax is £29 a month (instead of £60!), it's cheaper all round so far.

[bezzabsa]

think asda merry hell is 131.7 at mo

[St.Jude]

24 minutes ago, bezzabsa said:

think asda merry hell is 131.7 at mo

I don't know what it is about Asda fuel, but it never lasts as long as the other stuff available. I've tried a number of cars and I'm always 20/30 miles short on the equivalent fill up.

Good thing though is that the Sainsburys in Amblecote matches, or at least is priced near, the Asda in Merry Hell. So I usually go there. But I'm sure the Sainsburys in Kiddie is about 130.9p too. Can't be sure though.

[tom13]

On 20/03/2025 at 09:09, St.Jude said:

I don't know what it is about Asda fuel, but it never lasts as long as the other stuff available. I've tried a number of cars and I'm always 20/30 miles short on the equivalent fill up.

Good thing though is that the Sainsburys in Amblecote matches, or at least is priced near, the Asda in Merry Hell. So I usually go there. But I'm sure the Sainsburys in Kiddie is about 130.9p too. Can't be sure though.

Asda Junction 2 m5 is the guaranteed cheapest one.

Was majorly disappointed when I saw the prices of the new Asda in Oldswinford.

[St.Jude]

6 hours ago, tom13 said:

Asda Junction 2 m5 is the guaranteed cheapest one.

Was majorly disappointed when I saw the prices of the new Asda in Oldswinford.

I was disappointed when I saw the Shell turned to an Asda there.

Still, can get a 4 pack of pint sized cans of Guinness for £6 on the way home. That’s about the only highlight!

[High Jetter]

1 hour ago, St.Jude said:

I was disappointed when I saw the Shell turned to an Asda there.

Still, can get a 4 pack of pint sized cans of Guinness for £6 on the way home. That’s about the only highlight!

That's cheep!

[St.Jude]

2 hours ago, High Jetter said:

That's cheep!

It is.

I have 2x Guinness Nitrosurge things. Both gifts. And I’ve used them once each. They’re shit. I’ll happily go toe to toe with anyone who says I’m wrong but they really are shit.

The cans you get for them, special cans with no widgets but will provide you with 568ml/1 pint of Guinness is nearly £10 for a four pack. I think today in Sainsburys they’re about £8.50/9?

A four pack of actual fraught Guinness with the widget? £6/£6.50 at the Asda.

The numbers speak for themselves.

[High Jetter]

Tesco 12 pack for £13 with clubcard, cheepest I've found. 15 packs have disappeared

[Popsicle]

On 20/03/2025 at 09:09, St.Jude said:

I don't know what it is about Asda fuel, but it never lasts as long as the other stuff available. I've tried a number of cars and I'm always 20/30 miles short on the equivalent fill up.

Good thing though is that the Sainsburys in Amblecote matches, or at least is priced near, the Asda in Merry Hell. So I usually go there. But I'm sure the Sainsburys in Kiddie is about 130.9p too. Can't be sure though.

I always found Asda diesel the same, never get as good mpgees as with the other stations fuels.

[St.Jude]

This weekend I’ve been on my own with my lad as my wife was at work in London on the Thursday then a weekend away with her mom and aunt etc. I am fairly tired and decided to treat myself to the bottle of wine we got with the “2 dine for £12” from Sainsburys. Pro tip - the Waitrose one is so much better for the same money.

Anyway, I’m tired. I’ve had a drink. And I decided this was a good idea.

Somehow I have reasoned it’s a good idea to buy these for £40 and paint them gloss black and throw them on the car. As a set are on eBay right now in Cumbria for £120.

[Jazoli]

Don't, black wheels look terrible on everything.

I'm in Cumbria btw if you need help collecting them (depending on location) but only if you keep them silver.

[Noel Tidybeard]

anthracite is betterer than black!

[Jazoli]

23 minutes ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

anthracite is betterer than black!

Anything is better than black.

[Metal Guru]

On 22/03/2025 at 00:55, Popsicle said:

I always found Asda diesel the same, never get as good mpgees as with the other stations fuels.

Last really cold winter we had (2011) , Asda’s diesel was a nightmare for waxing. Don’t know if they still had summer grade in , but everyone I know who broke down, had filled up at Asda. 

[St.Jude]

12 hours ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

anthracite is betterer than black!

 

12 hours ago, Jazoli said:

Anything is better than black.

I quite like black gloss wheels 🙁. I’m not a far of anthracite.

But then do we think I could do a passable job of painting them gold? 

[Noel Tidybeard]

well now you've moved the goalposts by at least 50yards

[St.Jude]

20 minutes ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

well now you've moved the goalposts by at least 50yards

I have had a cursory look - as gloss black/gloss white cans are relatively cheap at £30 for 4 cans - someone is selling primer, top coat and lacquer, as a set for £30. So £30 a wheel.

Powder coating is something like £60 a wheel.

We'll see. Not an immediate job to get done anyway. Will collect them this week at some point and then mull it over.

[St.Jude]

Interesting old drive to Bridgnorth this evening to pick those wheels up. Chap I bought them off does bodywork etc and of course I mention the Lada, and we’re stood talking about the Niva he’s doing for a customer and he’s asking me about where I get panels from.

Long and short of it is that he goes to me if I knew Tom in Liverpool. Tom in Liverpool is the owner of the Lada UK website and forum. I’ve mentioned him on the Lada thread because the cunt doesn’t let anyone join the website if they’re on or have been near the Facebook group. Turns out the guy has spoke to him over the phone, has heard the story from other people, but still surprised by it. So who knew.

What is funny though is for the hour drive the car kept beeping at me. Really ear splitting shrill monotonous tone. But it wasn’t constant. It was like the pot holes (of which there are many) knocked a wire loose and it was shorting. I’m shouting at the fucking thing, turned the radio on/off to no avail. Only occurred above 15mph too which I found weird.

Do you know what it was?

The 2 litre bottle of water on the passenger seat was setting off the seatbelt alarm. Took me over an hour to figure that out.

[Datsuncog]

On 26/03/2025 at 18:43, St.Jude said:

What is funny though is for the hour drive the car kept beeping at me. Really ear splitting shrill monotonous tone. But it wasn’t constant. It was like the pot holes (of which there are many) knocked a wire loose and it was shorting. I’m shouting at the fucking thing, turned the radio on/off to no avail. Only occurred above 15mph too which I found weird.

Do you know what it was?

The 2 litre bottle of water on the passenger seat was setting off the seatbelt alarm. Took me over an hour to figure that out.

Heh, brilliant - exactly the same thing happened to me when I bought my Outback, to the point I was about to turn around and drive back to the seller's house before I twigged that my bag slung onto the passenger seat was causing the beeping.

My Forester didn't have that!

[St.Jude]

16 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Heh, brilliant - exactly the same thing happened to me when I bought my Outback, to the point I was about to turn around and drive back to the seller's house, before I twigged that my bag slung onto the passenger seat was causing the beeping.

My Forester didn't have that!

There is a light on the dashboard for the driver's seatbelt. But I think there is one for the passengers above the mirror where the bulb has gone out of I think because it didn't light up.

Didn't have it in the Land Cruiser either so I was a bit WTF. I thought it was down to the Sigma alarm as it sort of sounded like it was coming from the panel. I was smacking it and took it out and wiggled it thinking it was a wire. Until I twigged about the bottle.

[Matty]

On 21/03/2025 at 22:03, St.Jude said:

It is.

I have 2x Guinness Nitrosurge things. Both gifts. And I’ve used them once each. They’re shit. I’ll happily go toe to toe with anyone who says I’m wrong but they really are shit.

The cans you get for them, special cans with no widgets but will provide you with 568ml/1 pint of Guinness is nearly £10 for a four pack. I think today in Sainsburys they’re about £8.50/9?

A four pack of actual fraught Guinness with the widget? £6/£6.50 at the Asda.

The numbers speak for themselves.

Guinness original is better. Fight me if you want kid but you'll have to find me first 🤣

[St.Jude]

37 minutes ago, Matty said:

Guinness original is better. Fight me if you want kid but you'll have to find me first 🤣

You'd never believe this - but there has been a Guinness truck shed it's load right outside the only Catholic church in Stourbridge. And it's all cans of Guiness Original.  Come and get it

But yeah, Guinness Original is a nicer drink.

[N Dentressangle]

On 24/03/2025 at 14:04, St.Jude said:

I have had a cursory look - as gloss black/gloss white cans are relatively cheap at £30 for 4 cans - someone is selling primer, top coat and lacquer, as a set for £30. So £30 a wheel.

Powder coating is something like £60 a wheel.

We'll see. Not an immediate job to get done anyway. Will collect them this week at some point and then mull it over.

If you do go for powder coating, give these guys a call: https://blackpolepowdercoating.co.uk/

Front & rear Mini subframes were £60 blasted and coated, cash. So worth checking what they'll charge as they're not too far from you.

[St.Jude]

2 hours ago, N Dentressangle said:

If you do go for powder coating, give these guys a call: https://blackpolepowdercoating.co.uk/

Front & rear Mini subframes were £60 blasted and coated, cash. So worth checking what they'll charge as they're not too far from you.

Yeah they’re not tooooo far from work.

I took the tyres out today and I forgot to say that the chap told me they’ve been in storage for nearly 20 years. I think one of the tyres has a date code of 2004 so can well believe it. Didn’t buy the wheels for the tyres so it’s neither here nor there.

Just deciding whether to paint the ones that’s on it or paint these. Will think about it.

Had a quote for tinting for £150 for the back of the car. £190 if I want the front two done like the Land Cruiser was. Amazing that I asked the chap 5 years ago how much it’d be to tint the RAV4 (which was only 3 door) and it was £150.

Inflation hasn’t happened to that man, fair play.

[andy18s]

Be aware that the frameless windows have guides in the middle of the doors,so when you open the windows it'll probably scuff any tint..

I have looked into getting ours done as we never used the rear windows,and they do look so much better blacked out.

[St.Jude]

12 hours ago, andy18s said:

Be aware that the frameless windows have guides in the middle of the doors,so when you open the windows it'll probably scuff any tint..

I have looked into getting ours done as we never used the rear windows,and they do look so much better blacked out.

Yeah I've heard that. To be honest as the air con works the windows aren't really going to be down. My lad can reach the window switch now so I have it turned off out of habbit.

Also did another fill up as I had an appointment last night and the fuel light came on. It took 52.34 litres of Sainbury's finest. Since the last fill up I pretty much did the same sort of driving I would normally do (so fast roads, around town etc), but haven't sorted out the tyre pressures. It's returned 32.6mpg. I'm happy with that.

[Metal Guru]

On 28/03/2025 at 09:08, St.Jude said:

Yeah I've heard that. To be honest as the air con works the windows aren't really going to be down. My lad can reach the window switch now so I have it turned off out of habbit.

Also did another fill up as I had an appointment last night and the fuel light came on. It took 52.34 litres of Sainbury's finest. Since the last fill up I pretty much did the same sort of driving I would normally do (so fast roads, around town etc), but haven't sorted out the tyre pressures. It's returned 32.6mpg. I'm happy with that.

You’re going to have to lower the windows sometimes. Car parks, wasps, kid being sick, police, etc etc

[St.Jude]

2 hours ago, Metal Guru said:

You’re going to have to lower the windows sometimes. Car parks, wasps, kid being sick, police, etc etc

The wasp will be locked in the car. Probably the child too if he gets sick.

The police can send me a letter when I’m out of the car

[Datsuncog]

Not sure whether the Forester has different guides, but mine had pretty dark tints on the rear windows and no signs of any scuffing.

[St.Jude]

46 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Not sure whether the Forester has different guides, but mine had pretty dark tints on the rear windows and no signs of any scuffing.

Love the wheels on it.

To be fair the back windows don’t get much in the way of use in any of my cars. Only maybe the passenger side one as sometimes it’s hard to see traffic coming but it doesn’t matter to me too much.

I will be working on roof bars for it this week, as Easter is coming and I need to do housework. I need the bars! I have the bars from the Land Cruiser, so just need to bend some steel and make feet out of them.