Car Talk

[Maxwellian]

Right hand stack forth one down from the top must have been an unreliaBle car! I would have expected the Mont-no-go to be in worse condition as well Griff.

[ChrisB]

I had as a Company Car a MG Montego Turbo for two years. Very rapid for it's day and 100% reliable.

I bought it direct from Austin Rover as it had been given to me as a Fleet Demonstrator and you had the option to buy at the end of 3 months for peanuts.

I often wondered if Fleet Demos had special prep prior to delivery.

[oldgregg]

3 hours ago, BroadAmbition said:

Unearthed in t garage, approximately 40 odd Haynes workshop manuals.  Can't see me ever using these again,

Griff

 

Ooooh! Did you have a 306 as well then?

Lovely car to drive and look at, but mine went wrong in just about every way you could think of.

[OldBerkshireBoy]

Had a diesel 306 for a couple of years then brought a 306 GTi6 with the K&N induction kit, sounded like a rally car at certain revs and when you backed off the throttle but would potter around town sounding like a standard car so never got pulled. Remember the clutch making my ankle ache in traffic jams though.

[MauriceMynah]

I have a Haynes manual that was given to me.

[annv]

Many bad reliability problems can be traced to inadequate servicing by people on bonas a lack of a touch of grease and oil can use caused many break downs and the wast oil spray on the many parts underneath the car made items rust free and reliable with easy removal when required along with the need to weld sills duo to rust this was where the non franchised garages where best, we never had to weld sills on a car providing we had it early enough userly after the first year after warranty had run out, blind adherence to the servicing book wasn't the best way for longevity of 60's to 90's cars and still to a lesser extent with modern cars where yearly oil and filter changes should be the norm regardless to what the mileage on speedo and service indicator says, and the wast oil spray. John

[Maxwellian]

On 13/05/2020 at 11:15, MauriceMynah said:

I have a Haynes manual that was given to me.

Not had a chance to read it yet MM?  

 

[MauriceMynah]

Nah, I'll wait for the film.

[BroadAmbition]

I didn't own every car that I have the workshop manual for! - Chuffin 'Eck

In my RN days I used to run / assist with shoreside 'Car Clubs' so ended up having to have quite a lot of these manuals.  Most of which have been sold on or given away which is what will eventually happen with this lot

Griff

[Cockatoo]

On 13/05/2020 at 12:28, annv said:

the wast oil spray on the many parts underneath the car made items rust free

 And also killed motorcylists

[MauriceMynah]

4 minutes ago, Cockatoo said:

 And also killed motorcylists

Well yes... but they didn't rust!

[BroadAmbition]

 

The front and rear brake pads change was completed t'other week,  Bedded in, no squealing from the fronts at low speed as they used to do due to the lack of carefully applied coppaslip.

After I had painted the nearside (Port) front and rear callipers / hangers / hubs bright red, I had just completed the front offside (Stbd) caliper when MrsG stated, 'Well that's a surprise, seeing as you have the Port / Stbd circles on the door mirrors, Port and Stbd shadowing on the graphics I thought you would have done those two green'

Me:-           

MrsG:-      

 

Why didn't I think of that then?

Onto Fleabay and promptly ordered some green heatproof paint.  Then we had a disagreement as MrsG quite rightly pointed out that I had enough red paint to finish the front / rear offside (Stbd) items and ordering green paint was extravagant during the present situation.  One nil to MrsG  (It's normally more than that but we had recently reset the counter).  I had still ordered the green paint though unknown to her.

The day before my paint arrived I was hanging up numerous hanging baskets as ordered and casually asked her how much she had spent on the triffids within?

MrsG:- £30:00

Me:- Heatproof paint £9:00, inc delivery - 'Gettin' 

One all it is I believe referee? - Brave, possibly foolish I know chaps but sometimes one has to make a stand

The awkward messy bit was yesterday having to apply nitromors to remove the red paint on t front calliper only. Followed by first application front and back in green.  Today, second application - Jobs a gudden

Griff

 

[ExSurveyor]

Only you Griff

[grendel]

its the slightly more knowledgeable version of the navy lark, green side down a bit, red side up a bit

[BroadAmbition]

That's Trevor's 'Summer Alloys' back from the painters, dressed and now in a gloss black and looking brand new.  Tyres - 235/50/18 extra load set of four ordered today.  Also ordered a pair of red and a pair of green rim protectors from fleabay - on their way.

Which means sometime next week I can get the winter alloys / tyres off, get them painted and a set of pressure sensors fitted ready for winter of this year.  Presently I keep getting an amber notification on the dash telling me that there is a fault with the tyre pressure monitoring system, well there would be as they ain't presently back on

Griff

 

[Upcycler]

On 30/05/2020 at 15:01, BroadAmbition said:

That's Trevor's 'Summer Alloys' back from the painters, dressed and now in a gloss black and looking brand new.  Tyres - 235/50/18 extra load set of four ordered today.  Also ordered a pair of red and a pair of green rim protectors from fleabay - on their way.

Griff

 

Even Gary boys exist in Yorkshire at your age! It does make me laugh when I see tradesman go around in vans that look like they come out of the A Team era 

[ExSurveyor]

Its a matter of pride in appearance, a well presented work van says a lot about the standards you can expect.

[Upcycler]

20 minutes ago, psychicsurveyor said:

Its a matter of pride in appearance, a well presented work van says a lot about the standards you can expect.

I disagree with you on this, it means nothing.

[BroadAmbition]

Its a matter of pride in appearance, a well presented work van says a lot about the standards you can expect.

Correct, turning up outside a potential clients house in a battered rusty / dirty van sets the wrong impression even before you have measured up for an estimate.  I must be doing something right as future bookings are a high as they have ever been

The wheels / tyres 'Upgrades' I've been doing are a money saver long term and a safety issue too as are the LED upgrades both internally and externally.  There maybe a small amount of non essential cosmetic 'Firklin' down the road but I have no intention of 'Pimping my wagon'.  I wasn't aware there was an age limit on taking pride in one's workhorse, nor do I know what the term 'Gary Boys' means and not sure I want to either

Griff

[ExSurveyor]

16 minutes ago, Upcycler said:

I disagree with you on this, it means nothing.

Feel free to disagree with me, I think it means everything and I have never been let down or disappointed  by a well presented company, first impressions count.

[Cockatoo]

8 hours ago, BroadAmbition said:

 nor do I know what the term 'Gary Boys' means and not sure I want to either

 

Griff

Barry Boys?

http://www.barryboys.co.uk/phpBB2/index.php

[oldgregg]

1 hour ago, Cockatoo said:

Barry Boys?

http://www.barryboys.co.uk/phpBB2/index.php

I love the Shed Database!

 

[OldBerkshireBoy]

10 hours ago, psychicsurveyor said:

Feel free to disagree with me, I think it means everything and I have never been let down or disappointed  by a well presented company, first impressions count.

Remember when a sole trader retired and the company I worked for at the time took over his patch, now he was using a battered Mazda 626 estate (i think) and I had a tidy 3yr old VW Caddy. Well, one day I turned up for a job at a rather posh house and the owner commented on the van and the quote for the works with a snide comment about somebody has to pay for my nice van!

Guess you can`t please everybody. 

[BroadAmbition]

That's the new tyres on the refurbished rims.

Apply the Port and Stbd  'Scuffs' rim protectors.  These are a genuine 3M product - beware of cheap copies.  The instruction leaflet (Yes, for a change I did actually read the thing), states no speeds over 40mph for 24Hrs  after application, I'll do better than that leave it until tomorrow before putting them onto Trevor.

Then slow time I can get the winter alloys refurbished and stowed away down my freshly cleaned and nigh on empty pit ready for the coming winter

Griff

 

[CambridgeCabby]

Many years ago a family member used to work in the financial industry dealing with personal investments .

if he was visiting an elderly couple wishing to invest their life savings etc he would arrive in a three year old Ford Fiesta , if it was a young yuppie type he would use his Porsche 911