general chat thread

[junior]

You would think that as engine bays get more compact and cramped it would be better to use a remote location for the filter so that servicing would not require the need to remove stuff. Then again we are all silly old sods who think practically

Yep, how stupid is that ! You will be wanting to mend everyday items next. It will never catch on !

[alfadave]

Apparently Ebac washing machines are very fixable, reliable and made in Britain.

To avoid the throwaway syndrome.

As our local Mr Fixit, I'll be buying one when our old one packs in.

[KevJTD]

Had this stupid car in the other day, well stupidly designed by my thoughts anyway.
Just happened to be a BMW but they're all getting daft to work on.
This cover on the driver side houses one of the pollen filters, needed to be removed to gain access for a service job... Not pollen filter changing...

The tray underneath then needed to be removed, lifting some fixings for the other side too...

To reveal what I was after!

The brake fluid reservoir!

[LooLooSud33Spider]

Which Genius decided that was good idea !

[KevJTD]

The thinking seems to be that car owners are just people that own cars now, rather than people who own and maintain cars.
So they don't expect people to do a weekly check anymore on a Sunday morning.
Warning lights to tell you when stuff is low like washers and brake fluid, so why look at it, trust the electronics! Seems to be the way now, cars with no oil dipsticks just relying on the electronic checker.
Tyre pressure warning systems so nobody bothers to check pressures, until the light comes on!
Cars often don't get the bonnet lifted between services.

[KevJTD]

I don't know what the birds have been eating at the local Enterprise car rental place, but I'd hate this mess on my paintwork!

[Kegsti66]

Sums modern motoring up mate, crap !!

[LooLooSud33Spider]

Looks like a pre owned Dominoes Pizza

[KevJTD]

[junior]

Found an enormous pile on my car last week and the only thing about that is big enough to poo that much is a Buzzard,

or possibly a Swan, though much rarer to see go over.

It looked more like pigs could fly by the amount of mess, on a perfect hit bombing run.

[KevJTD]

This afternoon's saga of stupid design was supplied courtesy of the French, or more accurately the Renault Modus, a hateful design in my eyes.

A simple enough task, broken front coil spring. How hard could that be?

Looks easy enough doesn't it, loads of access to the strut tops....

Well of course this is after I'd removed more stuff really ought to be necessary. I'll show you the reverse process of putting it all back to show hw rediculous it is. With modern coil springs seeing to be made ever weaker and the need to change them more than once in a cars life they really ought to be designed better, but we already know that don't we.

With the springs changed it's time to start putting the parts back in.
First off the wiper motor and linkage.

Next up the wiper panel cover and wiper arms. Best to make sure it still works at this point, incase you forgot to plug it in!

[KevJTD]

We're not finished yet!
Next the lower forward scuttle top panel, making sure to connect the rainwater drains, and make sure the washer jet pipe was connected at the previous step or you'll be backtracking again..

Then the upper panel...

There you go, who needs to see the engine or any of the working parts!

All those panels mean the bonnet can be narrow I suppose!

I really don't know who dreams these "solutions" up but I wish they wouldn't. Adds a good half hour to an hour to the job when without all the stuff there you'd get the job done quicker, have less chance of fasteners breaking and of course the job would come out cheaper to the customer!

[Kegsti66]

At least you have an insight to working on the next generation Alfas mate. "A hateful design", love it.

[Spacenut]

Kev, I hope your blood pressure is back to normal now, but judging by the number of "intelligent design... not!" posts you have been putting up recently, can I recommend a move to exclusive classic car repairs and service?

While cycling next to the bypass the other day I was passed by a nondescript 3-cylinder micro hatch thing (probably French) running happily along at 50mph with the remains of its NSF tyre flapping about. The driver seemed to be completely oblivious...

Lauren

[KevJTD]

That's an all too common thing Lauren isn't it, people who don't know what the hell is happening under them, often see cars driving past with completely flat wheels! Not so many front ones though, surely you'd notice!

Blood pressure back down thanks, although not as low as the MR2's fuel pressure, I wonder why?

Guess this is what happens when things stand for 15 years...

[justsuds]

I had a call from Bauer media last week, next months Practical Classics will have a Sud on the front cover, with a 40 year anniversary feature on the Sud with a test of it up against two other cars which I have forgotten what they are ! - out on the 29th of this month.
Cheers, John.

[alfadave]

50 year anniversary ??

[justsuds]

It must be, I've probably misheard him, - time for a hearing test perhaps, - my misses says I'm selectively deaf !

[KevJTD]

More madness from a typical day at work.
Firstly an all too common thing nowadays I'm sorry to say, people with a distinct lack of any kind of regular maintenance.
Lady pulls up this afternoon and asks if we sell oil as her Peugeot had just flashed up "low oil pressure" on the dash! Asked her how far she'd driven like that, and had she stopped and checked the oil level at all?
Not far she says, and no, hasn't checked the oil level.
Typically she needed a longer dipstick as this one wasn't reaching the oil!
1 litre poured in and at least we were approaching minimum... Another litre and we were near maximum, enough to be OK. So that's 2 litres needed and still not quite full.... On a car that needs 3.6litres on oil changes... Poor thing must have been so near to death its unreal.

[LooLooSud33Spider]

Sadly this is kind of thing is becoming the norm.

[KevJTD]

Later on we had a guy booked in for rear brakes on a 2010 Vauxhall Insignia as they were making a strange noise, well they would wouldn't they as had clearly been running metal to metal for some time.

He also asked if I could have a look at the N/S/F as there was a strange scraping /squeaking noise.

Well, he is one lucky so and so.
Talk about death trap!
Noticed some flaky rust around the lower suspension arm mount so delved deeper, couldn't believe the state of the subframe behind the plastics!

The car was one pothole or railway crossing away from the lower mounting being pulled completely away from the subframe, scary to think what would have happened if the guy was going down the motorway passing a truck.

Had been mot tested in July too....

[LooLooSud33Spider]

But did he drive it away ??

[KevJTD]

No, thankfully he fully appreciated the danger of it,, was very thankful actually that it had been spotted. He's gonna see how much to replace the subframe at a couple of local garages we pass work onto that's too involved and lengthy for us, but he is willing to scrap it if needs be rather than have an unsafe car on the road.
For once it was nice to be appreciated for spotting it rather than have to try and explain how dangerous it is, told him it really needs to be transported anywhere rather than driven and he fully agreed.
Sometimes customers can be nice!

[KevJTD]

Even if he had just bought it in July, with a full test, for £2k....

[LooLooSud33Spider]

That does make a change and good n him for being so sensible and to you Kev for spotting it
All to often they just think your trying to “Make”extra work for your shop and it’s not that serious. The fact that it has a recent ticket is just freaking scary .

[Veesix75]

I think I’d be taking that back to where I bought it from even if it was July when purchased.

[KevJTD]

Look how daft wheels have got, and this alloy that the 145R10 mini wheel is sat on is only a 17 " wheel, not even a 20" or 21" that seem to be becoming popular.

[LooLooSud33Spider]

Make you wonder just how long it’ll be before it’s no longer cost effective for the big manufacturers to make tyres in the old sizes like 10” 13”14” even 15” that a lot of our beloved older cars use

[KevJTD]

Make you wonder just how long it’ll be before it’s no longer cost effective for the big manufacturers to make tyres in the old sizes like 10” 13”14” even 15” that a lot of our beloved older cars use

We're already there Lou.
We can't buy 10" Mini tyres from our wholesalers now, only the trailer 6ply ones in 145/10 now and they're not cheap! They can be bought in a few places still as customers seem to find them, but all the big tyre suppliers don't stock them.
Even stuff like 205/50VR15 for the integrale is very limited on choice.
The rears for that MR2 I recently had were even worse, hardly anyone makes them now even..
When Fiesta's in bog standard trim are now running 205/40VR18 as a stock size it's crazy.

[LooLooSud33Spider]

I’ll need some 14” for the sud but not decided in brand. I’ll Probably go for Pirelli or Goodyear in 185/60/14