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Spot of the Day Part 2


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39 minutes ago, Windy37 said:

Cars were so much simpler back then . I ve got a 66 plate Gold GTD and spent an entire afternoon setting everything up to my personnel choice . The only sophistication in my early cars were the radios ! I owned MK 2 Escort , two Nova's and a Fiesta back then . 

Gary .

 

I had a Mk2 Escort rally car that I'd built up a fairly highly tuned 1600 crossflow motor for. One morning on the way to work I blew the head gasket. Turned round and limped to a Ford dealer on the way home to buy a gasket set. Got it home, got the head off, replaced the gasket and was in work by lunchtime...!!

 

Keith

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50 minutes ago, Windy37 said:

Cars were so much simpler back then . I ve got a 66 plate Gold GTD and spent an entire afternoon setting everything up to my personnel choice . The only sophistication in my early cars were the radios ! I owned MK 2 Escort , two Nova's and a Fiesta back then . 

Gary .

Very true Gary,my last few "newer" car's were way beyond me half the setting's and gadget's I never mastered.

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23 minutes ago, keefr22 said:

 

I had a Mk2 Escort rally car that I'd built up a fairly highly tuned 1600 crossflow motor for. One morning on the way to work I blew the head gasket. Turned round and limped to a Ford dealer on the way home to buy a gasket set. Got it home, got the head off, replaced the gasket and was in work by lunchtime...!!

 

Keith

With a modern car a dealer will charge nearly £100 just to plug in a laptop to diagnose the problem !

Gary .

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£30 (based on an approximate conversion from Aussiebucks to Squids) and a smart phone is all you need to check the diagnostic system of your car - buy an OBD-ll reader and download the app. Plug reader into car, connect via Bluetooth and wham - instant access to real time engine data, just like an F1 team.

 

The good thing about modern cars is that... you'll probably never have to lift the head. Or replace the exhaust. Or do the clutch. Or reseal the windscreen. Or try try try to stop the rain coming in the door seal. Or do ANY of those oh so common tasks that so afflicted our lives back in The Good Old Days (tm) (changing plugs, setting points, adjusting float levels etc ad nauseum). Unless of course you enjoy faffing about with your daily driver; some of you may, I prefer doing fun things. Take off the rosy specs lads, this is a much better time than back then ever was.

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44 minutes ago, Rob G said:

The good thing about modern cars is that... you'll probably never have to lift the head. Or replace the exhaust. Or do the clutch. Or reseal the windscreen. Or try try try to stop the rain coming in the door seal....Take off the rosy specs lads, this is a much better time than back then ever was.

 

Really? Son in law's 30K Audi TT - 6 months old, less  than a 1000 miles on it, he gets back from a tour in Afghanistan and it won't start. Complete ECU failure and it takes Audi nearly a month to get and fit a replacement! And then they drop something on the roof when it's in with them, so another month in the bodyshop fixing that! That was just the worst example of a number of failures on the thing. He and my daughter had that and three brand new Q3's on lease, they all had to have unscheduled trips back to the dealer. They got so fed up they've changed to a Merc. Within a month that was back to the dealer for a recall, and shortly after that another visit as the windscreen wipers failed...!!

 

Modern cars are far from paragons of reliability! :)

 

Keith

 

 

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7 hours ago, keefr22 said:

 Audi

Merc

 

There's ya problem. 😀 (Although VAG (snigger) can hardly be blamed for the dealer dropping things on the roof, eh?) However, that's only one example from how many? How many cars are made every year (lots) and how many fail? Not many. Back in the glory days, how often did your Escort leave you stranded? How often did you see a car on the side of the road with the bonnet up and old mate staring hopefully into the internals, as if sheer willpower alone could resurrect it? Old cars were much more susceptible to random 'failures to proceed' than new ones. My own cars did it, and I looked after them. My Dad's cars did it, and he looked after them. My Mum's cars did it, and she hardly bothered them at all. Saturdays were the great 'fix the car to get us through the week' all over the world. Men everywhere, fiddling with engines. I'll pass. As I said, I'd rather be doing fun stuff than making sure I can get to work on Monday.

 

My '09 WRX has 220,000km on it, nary a issue. The small ones that it has had are mostly dealer caused (because they're incompetent buffoons). It's NEVER let me down in the middle of nowhere (touch wood). Yeah, it's due for a clutch, but... WRX (and I'm a 16 year old boy at heart). Maybe you lot should stop buying Eurotrash and get some quality Japanese instead; even the Koreans make reliable cars these days. I wonder though (seriously) if it's the way you lot drive them- flat out for 100 yards then pull up sharpish for a traffic jam, then idle along at 5mph for 10 miles, then flat out again... We get to make fairly long drives at a constant speed, and it's rare indeed to see a car broken down on the side of the road (unless it's hit a roo or a pig or wombat or a deer or... Not the car's fault, that.) Even the heat doesn't seem to worry them unduly, unlike say, the '64 Minx that my Dad had, which needed to be watched like a hawk lest it boil in the tropical summer sun. Last weekend, I did 2500km in my WRX on a run south and back- 10.5 hrs each way at 110kph. No problems at all. In that Minx, it used to take 14 hours and at least one 'break down' stop every time - it was a major expedition, which we didn't do all that often, praises be. My '76 Celica (18RG twin cam, sidedraught Mikunis and 205 series tyres) was more reliable, but I still used to take a toolbox along 'just in case'. And a set of points. And spark plugs. And belts. I'll have a modern car for long drives, thanks.

It's funny - we'll complain about a sophisticated part such as an ECU failing (the month to replace it is VAG's fault, not the car's, and yes, it's unacceptable), yet blithely accept a simple part such as a head gasket giving up the ghost one day for no reason. The fact that you fixed it in a morning isn't really the issue - the car let you down, and they're not meant to do that; a modern one most likely wouldn't have. The great majority of modern cars don't fail, ever. Not even Audis and Mercs. 😛


I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree Keith. As much as I love old cars (I miss my Celica something chronic), I'd rather drive a modern car every day than an old one. You may choose what you please. ;)

regards

Rob.

As far as 'Spot of the Day' - a Lambo Huracan in a servo in Brisbane - white in colour, and very low. No doubt you foreign Johnnys see them regularly, but they're a pretty rare sight for me, they're not really suitable for our roads or speed limits. It left me a little cold TBH, modern supercars really don't light my fire- my passenger was inside the shop and I couldn't even be bothered getting out and going over to look closer. If it had been a Countach on the other hand, my passenger may have found herself temporarily abandoned while I begged a ride around the block!

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I blame the electronics...

I used to own a 2003 SAAB 9-3 SS.

Superb car ... When it ran.

It was always the electronics that stranded it.

Mechanically, with over 200,000 miles on it, it was still sweet as a nut.

No suspension noises, brakes excellent, bodywork rust free. Engine, mechanically no rattles or odd noised. Didn't burn oil.

Had to get rid of it cos the ECU was stuffed!

 

All modern cars have a finite life time and are pretty well unrepairable.

 

Cheers, Alan.

Edited by Alan R
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23 hours ago, Rob G said:

£30 (based on an approximate conversion from Aussiebucks to Squids) and a smart phone is all you need to check the diagnostic system of your car - buy an OBD-ll reader and download the app. Plug reader into car, connect via Bluetooth and wham - instant access to real time engine data, just like an F1 team.

 

The good thing about modern cars is that... you'll probably never have to lift the head. Or replace the exhaust. Or do the clutch. Or reseal the windscreen. Or try try try to stop the rain coming in the door seal. Or do ANY of those oh so common tasks that so afflicted our lives back in The Good Old Days (tm) (changing plugs, setting points, adjusting float levels etc ad nauseum). Unless of course you enjoy faffing about with your daily driver; some of you may, I prefer doing fun things. Take off the rosy specs lads, this is a much better time than back then ever was.

The OBD system is all very well if it'll actually pick up the fault .  My father-in-law hasn't seen his Kia Carens since before Christmas because even the Kia dealer's proper Kia diagnostics set-up won't detect what's actually wrong with it .  What makes it even worse though is the attitude of the staff at the dealership , one of whom told him "It's an old car , it's had it's day" .  It's 8 years old & Kias come with a 7 year warranty , so it's not an old car in my opinion . 

 

The other thing to bear in mind is that , whilst modern cars may be more reliable than older ones , when they do go wrong it'll cost silly money to fix .  The father-in-law's previous car was a 2002 Vauxhall Zafira diesel & one day it just stopped & wouldn't restart .  It turned out that , rather than having a nice simple solenoid to cut the fuel flow to the pump when the ignition was turned off , it had some fancy electronic box of tricks to do the same job & it was that which had failed .  The cost of a replacement & fitting was in the region of £1500 , so we ended up towing it to the scrapyard . 

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15 hours ago, Rob G said:

Back in the glory days, how often did your Escort leave you stranded?

 

Honestly? That particular one never that I can recall - OK that maybe because I maintained it properly, but that head gasket failure is the only major problem I can recall. And in total I had 7 - 8 Mk1 & 2 Escorts and I can only remember having to call the RAC (using my dad's membership card!) out once - and that was because I neglected to check how tight the battery connections were! After one night road rally I did have a problem with one when I thought I'd blown the clutch, still managed to get it home in first and second gear without using the clutch (good job it was early morning as give way junctions were fun!) only to find the gearbox bolts had come loose and only one was left holding it to the bellhousing!

 

15 hours ago, Rob G said:

(Although VAG (snigger) can hardly be blamed for the dealer dropping things on the roof, eh?)

 

No, but one of their 'expertly trained technicians' can :rofl2:

 

15 hours ago, Rob G said:

How often did you see a car on the side of the road with the bonnet up

 

Do you know, it always surprises me just how many cars we see with hazards on stopped on the hard shoulder during our regular trips up the M4 and back on our trips to visit daughter and family in Hampshire - at least two to three each way on most trips. And, they're almost always less than 5 years old. Favourite one was an almost brand new Bentley on a recent journey! I do admit I rarely see one with the bonnet up as that's just pointless as nobody driving them would know what they're looking at! 

 

As an aside, there's currently a radio ad on a local station for, I think, VAG (one of the major manufacturers anyway) saying that for £39 they'll check your car's fluid levels - just shows many people actually don't know how to open the bonnet of their car!

 

15 hours ago, Rob G said:

As I said, I'd rather be doing fun stuff than making sure I can get to work on Monday.

 

I do admit that at my age I have to agree with you there - although being retired work on Monday is a happily distant memory!

 

15 hours ago, Rob G said:

blithely accept a simple part such as a head gasket giving up the ghost one day for no reason.

 

I didn't say there was no reason - I did say 'I'd built up a fairly highly tuned 1600 crossflow motor for.' This consisted of a ported and flowed big valve head, half race cam, twin 40 Webers and a big bore exhaust manifold and single box exhaust, which pushed the power up from 86 brake to over 130 (which was a lot for a 1600 back then). I also drove the bo11ox off the thing and had done three or four rallies in it before it blew. It's not unknown for modern competition cars to have similar failures when used as they should be! :)

 

15 hours ago, Rob G said:

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree Keith. As much as I love old cars (I miss my Celica something chronic), I'd rather drive a modern car every day than an old one. You may choose what you please. ;)

 

Actually Rob we don't really! That Escort when I finished with it had a 1760 near 170 brake screamer running twin 45 Webers, no soundproofing or headlining, plastic windows, full works spec tarmac suspension with 7 inch front wheels and 8 inch rear. I usually drove it wearing my intercom headset, every bump felt like it would break your spine or rattle your teeth out and you needed muscles like Mr. Universe (which I actually didn't have!) to steer it at low speed! Nowadays I'd much rather drive my '09 Grand Vitara or the wife's 1 litre turbo Ecoboost Focus! My son and I actually still own a tarmac rally spec classic Mini 1275GT (as per my avatar) which wears me out after 5 miles or so!!

 

Also, funnily enough I've been thinking of changing the Suzuki shortly for what will undoubtebly be my last 'fun' car, and after scouring Autotrader and Pistonhead ads, a WRX is top of the list. Trying to find an affordable, non messed with example is the problem really....

 

ATB

Keith

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With my walking group today and we passed a old sit up and beg Ford Popular (in black of course) with a centrally mounted single windscreen wiper. It was sat on a drive in Garforthand looked on good condition Several of the guys commented on it as most of the group are pensioners. 

In the 4 years I have had my Skoda Citigo, it has not caused me any bother. Compared to the couple of Metros and  the Fiesta we had, it is so much better. I am sorry, but I see a car as a means of getting from A to B economically and reliably with a degree of comfort. 

Edited by Mr T
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Spot of the day today? Not a car.

I had a beer delivery in Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire.

Across the road was a small car park.

In amongst the cars, A Scimitar tank! In desert pink!

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71qPgH85dLL._SX355_.jpg

It even had an N reg number plate.

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2 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Spot of the day today? Not a car.

I had a beer delivery in Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire.

Across the road was a small car park.

In amongst the cars, A Scimitar tank! In desert pink!

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71qPgH85dLL._SX355_.jpg

It even had an N reg number plate.

Probably an appropriate daily drive for the UK these days ...

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Another ex military one today, just South of Lincoln.

A six wheeled Pinzgauer. Just the job for icy roads!

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/Pinzgauer_All-Terrain_Troop_Transport.JPG/300px-Pinzgauer_All-Terrain_Troop_Transport.JPG

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Yesterday a tidy if slightly worn looking black P reg Celica GT4 and parked by the side of a residential street a very nice looking, if slightly grubby, pale blue Moggy 1000 looking for all the world it's a daily driver - real throwback to the sixties scene, like an episode of Heartbeat! :)

 

K

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19 minutes ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Had a delivery in Ruskington South of Lincoln this morning.

Parked up were an early sixties Cadillac coupe and a Porsche 944S.

Blimey, you were only a couple of my from me, just off the Holdingham roundabout.

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On walk yesterday  near Thorp Arch Retail Park, an X prefixed Mini Cooper S, complete with throaty roar and in British Racing Green. 

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Lincoln, 06:35 this morning & on the way to work.

A recovery truck bearing a yellow Datsun 240Z.

Slight accident damage to the right rear quarter,

and American plates. (blue, California?) due to the

lack of light I couldn't make out the state.

So possibly, someone's summer project just imported?

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