Your fleet running reports

[Mito Man]

I’ve written this down on my phone calendar

[drcarlos]

Mini is staying, since I'm investing in new valve stem seals. With the head off it's also being de-coked and getting a new timing chain and tensioner. Annoying it has to have a new cat, which is because it's clearly been smoking a while and buggered that up. Oh well, as I said last week - it's a nice car, it's lovely to drive and has a good spec. And with my stepdaughter going off to university we can store it for her in the garage and I'll use it every now and again to keep it happy.

We contemplated selling too but we've been using my eldest's Corsa while he's away at uni, but he has now finally passed his theory and got that monkey off his back so he's going to have a crack at the practical in the summer as for year 2 he wants his car.

We have just been using it once or twice a week so we hopefully don't get issues like you've had.

I think it probably had a generous MOT when I bought it and was already suffering - I don't think valve stem seals wear through lack of use and there was often a slightly smoky smell, which I put down to residue from the cured oil leak in the engine bay.

It's a bit spendy to fix but compared to selling it now and buying another car for her when she does pass her test (probably an intensive course during a vacation) it's probably not mad. The air-con still blows cold, the panoramic roof works fine and it drives really nicely. So I shall definitely use it a bit now.

For us it was very much better the devil you know, we've have had issues with the thermostat getting stuck (which also needed a new expansion bottle), an O2 sensor failure (which had a while you are there replacement exhaust as it was EoL anyway), a broken spring and leaking rocker box gasket so while we could have sold at a profit probably we'd have to find another when he did pass and probably had to have resolved a few issues on that anyway. It's also quite handy as it's practical, cheap on fuel (my L200 and TVR are expensive and the wifes van isn't practical with only 2 seats although it's very cheap to run) and easy to park because it's small we'll probably miss not having it when he takes it away as it's nice to have a basic runaround available. We won't miss the insurance and tax bills though!

[Jobbo]

Having to find another and deal with the issues with that is definitely relevant to my thoughts too.

Insurance remains cheap, having renewed it yesterday - that’s on a provisional license. And now she has a year’s NCB!

[drcarlos]

Having to find another and deal with the issues with that is definitely relevant to my thoughts too.

Insurance remains cheap, having renewed it yesterday - that’s on a provisional license. And now she has a year’s NCB!

It's surprising how cheap it is on a provisional (under £300 for ours) I tried to insure it in my name and use my full currently unused NCB (can't use it on a classic policy) and it was about £100 more expensive!

[Broccers]

Mini is staying, since I'm investing in new valve stem seals. With the head off it's also being de-coked and getting a new timing chain and tensioner. Annoying it has to have a new cat, which is because it's clearly been smoking a while and buggered that up. Oh well, as I said last week - it's a nice car, it's lovely to drive and has a good spec. And with my stepdaughter going off to university we can store it for her in the garage and I'll use it every now and again to keep it happy.

The beginning of you spending money on bits

Looking at improving the audio on ours at the moment. First purchase is a pillars with tweeters. I've a quote to skinz the front and back while fitting new speakers. The labour is 500 quids which seems a bit excessive to me.

[Jobbo]

Not spending anything proper - though I did get a set of the same design of alloys (Blasters) on eBay yesterday with good tyres for £200 delivered. Since one of the current wheels is kerbed all the way round and there's no spare wheel, they were too cheap not to.

So perhaps you're right

[drcarlos]

Every time I drive the Corsa the drivers front woofer is chuffing as it's blown, not blown badly enough not to work but just to sound bad in certain tracks (it will be an overheated voicecoil that has bubbled the vanish and it's now rubbing). I've have to stop myself from replacing the front speakers which inevitably would involve an upgrade to some better components, also requiring a set of adaptors. That's an outlay of £100 on a car that's not mine and not really cherished. It makes me twitch everytime I drive it though.

[mik]

Every time I drive the Corsa the drivers front woofer is chuffing as it's blown, not blown badly enough not to work but just to sound bad in certain tracks (it will be an overheated voicecoil that has bubbled the vanish and it's now rubbing). I've have to stop myself from replacing the front speakers which inevitably would involve an upgrade to some better components, also requiring a set of adaptors. That's an outlay of £100 on a car that's not mine and not really cherished. It makes me twitch everytime I drive it though.

Just get an OEM one from a scrappy? £muchcheapness

[drcarlos]

Every time I drive the Corsa the drivers front woofer is chuffing as it's blown, not blown badly enough not to work but just to sound bad in certain tracks (it will be an overheated voicecoil that has bubbled the vanish and it's now rubbing). I've have to stop myself from replacing the front speakers which inevitably would involve an upgrade to some better components, also requiring a set of adaptors. That's an outlay of £100 on a car that's not mine and not really cherished. It makes me twitch everytime I drive it though.

Just get an OEM one from a scrappy? £muchcheapness

I've never replaced a speaker like for like in my life, once you pull them out you see how shit the standard ones are and why they blow. I'm not sure I could take it

[Jobbo]

It'll be better than it chuffing away. Which reminds me, one of the Mini's does it and I'm going to find as cheap as possible a direct OEM used replacement.

[Broccers]

I thought about a slight upgrade of the speakers and bluetooth in - the mini head unit is really difficult to replace so best leaving it.

This is the list that came back;

Bluetooth
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/143013283051

3 way Audison comp kit £329.99
https://www.fourcaraudio.co.uk/brands/a ... ma-apk-163
Speaker adaptors woofers £15
Installation of front 3 way speakers and crossovers £210 (inc the tweeter pods)
Skinz soundproofing x 8 £40
Installation of soundproofing in front £45

Rear I would recommend
The Full range items APX690 £179.99
https://www.fourcaraudio.co.uk/brands/a ... ma-apx-690
Installation of rear speakers £140
Sound proofing £30
Installation of soundproofing in rear £45

Audison APBX8AS £469.99
https://www.fourcaraudio.co.uk/brands/a ... -apbx-8-as
Power cable kit £49
Installation in rear and tied into factory audio system £210

Might be a bit OTT

[mik]

Every time I drive the Corsa the drivers front woofer is chuffing as it's blown, not blown badly enough not to work but just to sound bad in certain tracks (it will be an overheated voicecoil that has bubbled the vanish and it's now rubbing). I've have to stop myself from replacing the front speakers which inevitably would involve an upgrade to some better components, also requiring a set of adaptors. That's an outlay of £100 on a car that's not mine and not really cherished. It makes me twitch everytime I drive it though.

Just get an OEM one from a scrappy? £muchcheapness

I've never replaced a speaker like for like in my life, once you pull them out you see how shit the standard ones are and why they blow. I'm not sure I could take it

Fair enough. Although putting in decent speakers usually just highlights deficiencies in the head unit/amp(s) so you are commencing down a rabbit hole. Prevented by putting something oem which is at least “better than a broken one”

[drcarlos]

Just get an OEM one from a scrappy? £muchcheapness

I've never replaced a speaker like for like in my life, once you pull them out you see how shit the standard ones are and why they blow. I'm not sure I could take it

Fair enough. Although putting in decent speakers usually just highlights deficiencies in the head unit/amp(s) so you are commencing down a rabbit hole. Prevented by putting something oem which is at least “better than a broken one”

The headunit got an upgrade already as we wanted to make sure he wasn't going to be caught using a phone at the wheel, so it has a Sony Android Auto unit in there, which probably highlighted the blown speaker (or even blew it).
Looked on ebay, a single OEM speaker from a breaking car is about £15, a pair of new JVC's with adaptors is £28, argh, the OEM doesn't seem worth it, bloody scope creep!

[mik]

Heheh

[Jobbo]

Oh no, my wife has noticed the set of Mini wheels being delivered. Our garage is starting to look like Kwik Fit:
- Two spare full sets for my Audi
- One spare full set for her Yeti
- One spare full set for the Grand Vitara we no longer have
- One spare wheel and tyre for an E39 5-series I no longer have
- Two spare winter tyres for an F10 5-series I no longer have
- One spare full set for the Mini

I must get rid of the ones we are never going to need, at least.

[Sundayjumper]

Keep an eye on eBay for half-decent used stuff. Those £28 JVCs will be just as shite as the OEM ones. In my wife’s last MINI I got hold of some JLs for about £50 and they were a huge improvement.

Edit - @drcarlos - what size are the speakers in the Corsa ? I quite possibly have something knocking around that you can have gratis. You're in Yateley, right ?

[drcarlos]

Keep an eye on eBay for half-decent used stuff. Those £28 JVCs will be just as shite as the OEM ones. In my wife’s last MINI I got hold of some JLs for about £50 and they were a huge improvement.

Edit - @drcarlos - what size are the speakers in the Corsa ? I quite possibly have something knocking around that you can have gratis. You're in Yateley, right ?

That would be very sporting thanks. They are 16cm/6.5 inchers. I haven't seen any speakers as shite as OEM, but then again I've never bought anything that cheap.

[Sundayjumper]

That would be very sporting thanks. They are 16cm/6.5 inchers. I haven't seen any speakers as shite as OEM, but then again I've never bought anything that cheap.

Pair of Kenwoods. No grilles but I imagine they’ll be behind the factory ones anyway. All yours if you want them.

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[Sundayjumper]

Despite promising myself the van is a working vehicle and not something to pander, I find myself today having a crack at a bit of paint correction with whatever materials I have in the garage. The bottle of polish in particular is at least ten years old.

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[MikeHunt]

I’ve had the backbox modified on my Z4, It sounds great in sports mode, not really a lot louder but a deeper sound with a few more crackles on overrun but not Burberry fiesta territory. I really wanted to go for akrapovic or ac schnitzer and may do so in the future but it seemed to throw away a brand new exhaust when a mod will give you more or less the same result for 10% of the costs.