Your fleet running reports

[Sundayjumper]

The Aston has a heated screen too. I found the filaments distracting at first but they don’t bother me now.

[McSwede]

Mrs mik's last 3 cars (Disco3, Disco4 and current F-Pace) have heated screens. They are great. The wires are very rarely apparent (and therefore potentially annoying) when I am looking through the screen - the benefit hugely outweighs the downsides imho.

I've had 3 or 4 cars with heated screens and likewise have never found the wires to be an issue and they are superb in winter.

[Mito Man]

Nope they’re shit.

[Zonda_]

Puma and Focus had them, great things.

[duncs500]

Change in shit-muncher car: Ibiza FR lease gone, Focus lease in.

I've had a couple of Focus' before so it's as expected really, I shall be looking forward to the old Ford heated front screen in the frosty months.

Edit - Only other thing of note is how bloody high you sit in the Focus, like driving an artic... maybe you can lower it somehow.

How's the Caterham Duncs, have you done more miles since the symptoms cleared up?

Not yet, was hoping to go out this afternoon but it's been pissing down. Hopefully the morning is better.

[duncs500]

Change in shit-muncher car: Ibiza FR lease gone, Focus lease in.

I've had a couple of Focus' before so it's as expected really, I shall be looking forward to the old Ford heated front screen in the frosty months.

Edit - Only other thing of note is how bloody high you sit in the Focus, like driving an artic... maybe you can lower it somehow.

How's the Caterham Duncs, have you done more miles since the symptoms cleared up?

Not yet, was hoping to go out this afternoon but it's been pissing down. Hopefully the morning is better.

Well, interesting times. Took it out this morning, the car felt amazing and I found some clear road, probably the best drive I've had in quite some time time. What a feeling when the car is on song. Only blot on the copybook was the coolant level in the reservoir going from close to max when I went out, to the mid-level when I parked back up More monitoring required I guess, but more reasons to be positive than negative.

Other weird, but I hope positive, thing is the oil. The oil pressure gauge has been quite wobbly for a while now, just assumed a glitch, but today it was rock solid where it's supposed to be. Looks like the car has dropped a bit more oil too. But I checked it after I took it out, and much like last time, the levels are perfect. I'm starting to think an overfill might be the reason for the dodgy gauge and the dripping oil. Weird that it's not going into the catch tank and is instead dripping out somewhere else though? And the only reason I would put more oil in is that it was reading low before. Is it possible that it can read low when it's actually high on a dry sump car? Sounds stupid I know, but I'm struggling for explanations.

The guy who sold it to me said it didn't use much oil, and initially that seemed to be the case. If the above was possible, I could have fucked up an oil reading (by doing it too long after switching off the engine for example), over-filled, and then been over filling ever since trying to fix a problem that wasn't there. Dunno, weird.

[integrale_evo]

Don't worry too much about the coolant level changing with temperature, it's the air expanding more than the water forcing water out of the reservoir and pressurising the hoses etc. It proves that the cap is holding pressure too.

As long as the level drops to roughly where it was when cold again you're fine. It's why they always say check the level when cold

It would be more of a worry if the level was rising and overcoming the cap seal.

[duncs500]

Good point Still I'll keep an eye on it, hopefully next weekend I'll have time for a good long drive.

[Coaster1]

Encouraging news

[speedingfine]

Keep driving and enjoying it is the message here I think Duncs

Had a good early run in mine today, out to Leominster to pick up nephew, then to Shelsley. I'll post pics at some point, lots of lovely machinery as normal. As I've just just posted on the Facebook group I got followed by a Lotus Carlton and Cosseh (that had just raced there) on the way back, I was like a kid at Xmas

[duncs500]

Keep driving and enjoying it is the message here I think Duncs

Had a good early run in mine today, out to Leominster to pick up nephew, then to Shelsley. I'll post pics at some point, lots of lovely machinery as normal. As I've just just posted on the Facebook group I got followed by a Lotus Carlton and Cosseh (that had just raced there) on the way back, I was like a kid at Xmas

Any thoughts on the oil thing Chris?

[speedingfine]

Keep driving and enjoying it is the message here I think Duncs

Had a good early run in mine today, out to Leominster to pick up nephew, then to Shelsley. I'll post pics at some point, lots of lovely machinery as normal. As I've just just posted on the Facebook group I got followed by a Lotus Carlton and Cosseh (that had just raced there) on the way back, I was like a kid at Xmas

Any thoughts on the oil thing Chris?

Unfortunately it's fifteen years since I had a dry sump 7 Duncs, so I'm not so sure on those issues, sorry!

[Simon]

Spent the day changing the thermostat (which is in the most ridiculous position on the Duratec), servicing the car (3 filters and oil), adjusting the handbrake cable, sorting out the 'wet' right headlight and tightening the screw on my brodit mount.

Also got sunburnt because I'm an idiot.

I had to change the thermostat on the Duratec on my last Mondeo but I'd forgotten just how difficult it was. It was actually aided by me taking the serpentine belt off and unbolting the power steering pump to get better access. Even though, my hands and arms are scratched to hell.

Fix list over the last couple of weeks:

Changed:
Both front wheel bearings
Both front dampers, including spring anti-vibration mounts
Both front turret bearings
Both front anti-rollbar drop links
Both front lower arms
Inlet manifold swirl flap control solenoids
Thermostat
3 filters (oil, air, pollen)
Oil

It drives so much better now. It warms up properly, and is now giving proper MPG as a result. It also is quiet.

It's now ready for the MOT next week. Before the end of summer I may swap out the rear dampers and remaining suspensions arms at the back that I haven't done yet just to tighten that up. Other than that it's just needs a bloody good clean-up and hoover, and the radio 'bug' needs sorting however I can do that.

[nuttinnew]

It drives so much better now.

I should hope so too!
Good work, and lots of it

[Jobbo]

My Volvo has a heated front screen. The wires are perceptible; since I got it in June I haven’t needed to use it so currently I dislike it when I occasionally notice it, such as in low sun or at night when other cars’ lights occasionally shine off them.

[Mito Man]

I think they’re more perceptible in a Defender as you’re sitting pretty close to the upright screen. In a normal car with a long dash where you’re further away from the screen I’m sure it would be easier to live with.

Best method though is a preheater such as a Webasto or remote start and having just the area the wiper sits being heated. One day. One day...

[Beany]

With regard to heated screens, ever had someone in a wet jacket get into the car and have it start misting up the windscreen?

Yeah, those heated front screens entirely eliminate that.

Likewise almost any amount of ice. Got three inches of snow with ice underneath? Brush off the snow, and let the screen sort the rest. If it's quite thick ice, it typically allows you to remove entire sheets of it, as it melts the underside so you can just slide it off.

About the only thing I'll really miss about the Mondeo will be the heated front screen - it's bloody brilliant and makes winter mornings go from a chore to a bore. The first time the ice arrives and you try it out of curiousity, I suspect any misgivings you might have will, er, melt away. Fnaar.

[Mito Man]

No I have this thing called AC and know how to use the ventilation controls, which even in a car with a really weak system such as the Mito does a great jo of keeping the windows clear no matter what the weather - and this baffles me all the more as to how as soon as we get a rainy day I see about 1 in 5 newish cars with a fogged up windscreen.

[nuttinnew]

baffles me all the more as to how as soon as we get a rainy day I see about 1 in 5 newish cars with a fogged up windscreen.

So much


Something that's very good with heated windscreens though is that you can get them for classics, cars that wouldn't have ac, never mind a basic heater as good as we have now.

[Beany]

Yeah, I don't get that either. Idiots be idiots, I suppose.