Most mental arsed collection mission ever?

[High Jetter]

Hope you like the warmer Southern climes. Why AI pics, it's not real.

[Tomtation]

49 minutes ago, NorthernMonkey said:

Cocktail time now! 😂

Good effort! That's a lot of pink pop 🤣 Although I was expecting some sort of side boob  comment.

[NorthernMonkey]

3 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

Hope you like the warmer Southern climes. Why AI pics, it's not real.

I know but it smooths out 55 years of wrinkles (or a few years less in the case of the divine Mrs NM!!)

[NorthernMonkey]

1 minute ago, Tomtation said:

Good effort! That's a lot of pink pop 🤣 Although I was expecting some sort of side boob  comment.

We’re halfway through the next lot now! Think this’ll be the lot for tonight though…been up since 05.20 thanks to Reggie (the sprocker spaniel) and we’ve got a few miles to cover tomorrow.

Not only that but we started a new training program at the gym this week so everything is still a bit achy!! 😂😂

[Tomtation]

1 minute ago, NorthernMonkey said:

We’re halfway through the next lot now! Think this’ll be the lot for tonight though…been up since 05.20 thanks to Reggie (the sprocker spaniel) and we’ve got a few miles to cover tomorrow.

Not only that but we started a new training program at the gym this week so everything is still a bit achy!! 😂😂

Ah but alcohol *definitely helps with recovery and health etc right? 🤣

[NorthernMonkey]

Yep, sounds about right 👍😂

[High Jetter]

Any more side boob action? 😀

[NorthernMonkey]

6 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

Any more side boob action? 😀

Very little now…it’s quietening down, sorry! 😂

[yes oui si]

Hanging this morning?

[NorthernMonkey]

26 minutes ago, yes oui si said:

Hanging this morning?

Yep. Heading back to the crime scene for caffeine and hash browns.

[chaseracer]

9 hours ago, NorthernMonkey said:

I know but it smooths out 55 years of wrinkles (or a few years less in the case of the divine Mrs NM!!)

Oh, well played you smoothie!

[NorthernMonkey]

Back at the same table, 8 hrs on.

The cocktail pitchers have been replaced by coffee cups…

[NorthernMonkey]

Clio collected, cheers @calebaaront!

Managed to get back onto the M3 before the first gearbox related malady. It doesn’t half go with a clunk when it drops into limp mode!! 😂

Currently having a quick coffee on the A34 and giving the gearbox oil a chance to cool a little before heading on to @Kiltox’s gaff to meet @Tomtation.

Options are to leave it in Gloucester and come back in the truck for it during the week or just resign myself to a 50 mph journey home in third gear. It’s not likely to do any significant damage given that the issues are with the shifting mechanism rather than the gear bands themselves and its still only pulling 3.5k revs sat at 50ish so that’s probably going to be the favourite.

It is a clean little thing though…once the transmission issues are sorted, it’ll make someone a perfect little runaround!

[Kiltox]

I’m not terribly flush with parking at the moment 😬

[calebaaront]

22 minutes ago, NorthernMonkey said:

Clio collected, cheers @calebaaront!

Managed to get back onto the M3 before the first gearbox related malady. It doesn’t half go with a clunk when it drops into limp mode!! 😂

Was nice meeting you,  it did shit me up a bit when it happened to me! Have you tried it in manual mode to see if it does the same thing? 🤔

[MrGTI6]

3 hours ago, NorthernMonkey said:

resign myself to a 50 mph journey home in third gear. 

On the bright side (and without trying to give you PTSD), it balances out against your journey home in my old Picanto in which you had to actively avoid 3rd gear.

[yes oui si]

4 hours ago, NorthernMonkey said:

Yep. Heading back to the crime scene for caffeine and hash browns.

Btw, you're an utter bastard - I've been craving hash browns since I read this four hours ago.

I have no hash browns. I'm not allowed hash browns. I have sachets of food-adjacent product.

 

[Tomtation]

Soggy Lexus doing a stirling job of wafting up the M5, not far off handover destination.

Did do pez stop but forgot photo 😱

[NorthernMonkey]

1 hour ago, calebaaront said:

Was nice meeting you,  it did shit me up a bit when it happened to me! Have you tried it in manual mode to see if it does the same thing? 🤔

It does, unfortunately. Once it gets hot, it doesn’t like 4th gear.

Not a massive issue tbh…once you get used to keeping to 50mph, it’s fine. We’re at Gloucester now 👍

[Kiltox]

Two slightly broken cars and a not so broken moped are now heading north 🫡 

[chaseracer]

55 minutes ago, Kiltox said:

Two slightly broken cars and a not so broken moped are now heading north 🫡 

Belated chodspeed!

[NorthernMonkey]

1 hour ago, Kiltox said:

Two slightly broken cars and a not so broken moped are now heading north 🫡 

Now at Stafford services for a Costa coffee which has just cost an alarmingly high percentage of the total cost of the two slightly broken vehicles… 😳

[EyesWeldedShut]

Convoy picture?

[jim89]

26 minutes ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

Convoy picture?

Needs more AI ...

[NorthernMonkey]

And the moment you’ve all been waiting for*…
 

Home under our own steam, just, with no outside assistance.

The Clio isn’t happy…the gearbox is as already reported and I think one of the coil packs is breaking down too but nothing at all that can’t be sorted. It’s had a bit of a baptism of fire today, covering probably two months of its average use in one journey.

In contrast, the Lexus has been pretty faultless. I had a faff around with my scan tool whilst having a coffee at Stafford services and cleared a few historic codes…since then, it’s been as right as rain.

It was only meant to be a short term experience but honestly, I can see this worming it’s way into our long term fleet…it’s got a few age related idiosyncrasies but once again, nothing that can’t be sorted and the combination of supreme comfort, 4wd and an average of 40mpg on the way home as well as ULEZ compliance is going to be pretty hard to ignore.

More updates to follow in the next few days…

[Kiltox]

There’s a distinct lack of photos of green cars in this thread, anyone would think you’re @purplebargeken

[NorthernMonkey]

5 minutes ago, Kiltox said:

There’s a distinct lack of photos of green cars in this thread, anyone would think you’re @purplebargeken

Have a screen shot of the yard camera at work... 😂

 

[NorthernMonkey]

Not forgetting…

If you squint really hard, you’ll see the scooter in the back of the JMB!

[Kiltox]

Nice clean looking number plate on that 👀 

[bezzabsa]

I'm sorry but I need to know if the advertised Loo roll was single ply????