Your fleet running reports

[JonMad]

Fabia back from its MOT with a new starter motor and rear brake hose. All of 366 miles in the last year (it's not done more than 500/year in the previous two years either).

Now I've spent all the money, inc a new clutch, wondering whether to sell it and make space on the driveway for either nothing or something else. Could still use the Swift Sport for autosolos if I wanted to.

Oh, and when plugging my CTEK back in there was a pop and the electrics tripped. I think the connector may still have been wet. Oops. Bye bye CTEK.

[Sundayjumper]

New nuts.

Land Rover (and Jaguar ?) use a peculiar wheel nut that's good and bad at the same time. A galvanised steel nut with an attached stainless steel cap. The stainless steel stays looking presentable for a long time - good. The underlying steel gradually rusts, the rust can't escape, the cap swells, and you can't get the socket onto it - bad Not too big a deal at home with a full tool kit but you'd be f**ked if you got a puncture somewhere and wanted to use the factory wheel brace.

Aftermarket jobbies surprisingly cheap and basically disposable I guess. Just check them occasionally and replace if they're starting to swell.

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I also ditched the security nuts. I have not informed my insurer.

[Jobbo]

How did you get that round lump of rust out of the top left? Looks a lot better anyway.

IIRC Jimmy had fun with swollen nuts.

[Sundayjumper]

How did you get that round lump of rust out of the top left?

That was one of the security nuts ! Amazingly, the key still fitted and all four came out without a struggle.

[Sundayjumper]

Also LED number plate lights. It always bugs me when a car has LED tail/brake etc and then dull yellow incandescent number plate lights.

New vs. old pictured. Excitedly waiting for it to get dark now.

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[mik]

Disco lights.

[Sundayjumper]

Boom

[Jobbo]

Going to fit the CTEK hard-wired connector to the MX5 today. Also going to fit the induction noise improving sound tube kit which I’ve bought from eBay.

But since it was sunny first thing I went for an early drive instead.

[Matty]

Looks good out and about. What's the relevance of the plate?

[IanF]

Looks good out and about. What's the relevance of the plate?

Jobbo loves pussy

[Jobbo]

Looks good out and about. What's the relevance of the plate?

Jobbo loves pussy

Basically that. Miow, k?

I have owned it for 3 months, done 1100 miles and it has already had three registrations and two colours

[MikeHunt]

Not actually my car any more, but the mx5 has failed its mot, due to high emissions and a loud aftermarket exhaust.

It’s a surprise as it passed with flying colours 12 months and 4000 miles ago. I wonder if bbr took it to an understanding tester or if the engine was a lot warmer due to driving 50+ miles to brackley made a difference.

[Beany]

I'm in a couple of M135i groups on the old Facebook, and it seems that once or twice a week there's a "My sports cat failed the MOT" post, usually followed by 'has anyone got a standard cat for sale'.

Often mixed in with people asking how much standard cats are selling for cos they've put a sports cat/decat on and "don't need" their standard one, because no-one ever learns anything in those groups

It's got to the stage where I basically don't believe sports cats are worth the bother.

[Jobbo]

Not actually my car any more, but the mx5 has failed its mot, due to high emissions and a loud aftermarket exhaust.

It’s a surprise as it passed with flying colours 12 months and 4000 miles ago. I wonder if bbr took it to an understanding tester or if the engine was a lot warmer due to driving 50+ miles to brackley made a difference.

What did you have done to it? And does the fact you know this mean the buyer is complaining?

[MikeHunt]

What did you have done to it? And does the fact you know this mean the buyer is complaining?

Not a complaint, we have emailed back and forward since the sale as the buyer was a decent chap.

The 100ae had the super 220 upgrade which is manifold, intake, cams and a remap. It also had the bbr touring exhaust, not the much louder sport back box.

The fun of modified cars.

[Matty]

I'm in a couple of M135i groups on the old Facebook, and it seems that once or twice a week there's a "My sports cat failed the MOT" post, usually followed by 'has anyone got a standard cat for sale'.

Often mixed in with people asking how much standard cats are selling for cos they've put a sports cat/decat on and "don't need" their standard one, because no-one ever learns anything in those groups

It's got to the stage where I basically don't believe sports cats are worth the bother.

I thought the whole point of sports cats is that they still got you through the MOT? Otherwise, you'd just decat surely?

And that FB groups for you - this weeks golden chat on the QV FB group is most of them claiming they don't declare engine remaps because insurers don't bother checking when you've written off £60k's worth of car (plus whatever you've hit), they'll just pay. Amazing how many people know insurance assessors and therefore have the "facts". The few said the £200 isn't worth the risk were called "Boot lickers" and "Sheep" by the majority

[Beany]

Oh, I don't disagree on FB groups being full of window lickers, it's more the pure number of people who say their car failed the MOT and they just happen to have a sports cat.

And then the number of people asking how much a standard cat is worth cos they just got a decat/sports cat and are selling theirs.

Mate, if your local friendly MOT station shuts down (probably for being too friendly about sports cats) what you gonna do?

You sell the car and try to get a pre-sale MOT somewhere that isn't your 'friendly' place, what you gonna do?

You sell the car and the buyer gets an MOT immediately and it fails badly, what you gonna do?

Gonna want your standard cat then. And probably wanna keep it for sale in case the buyer doesn't have a 'friendly' MOT station.....

Idiots. Idiots everywhere

[V8Granite]

It’s because that person who did a flash map and has popped and banged for the last year thinks it does magical emissions work come MOT time.

People drag a fuel table up, drag a boost table up, sprinkle a little timing in and call themselves a tuner as the engine doesn’t go bang.

Dave!

[Sundayjumper]

New car means doing a few jobs and getting to know it, and most importantly - moaning about previous work done. It was serviced in December and hardly used since - 500 miles, and nearly half of that was me over the last week. This is the air filter I pulled out yesterday:

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Is that 500 miles of dirt ? No. Even if it’s not strictly on the service schedule, why would you not ? It’s no more than five minutes’ work and a new filter is under a tenner. Similar situation with the pollen filter.

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I’m planning on doing an oil change today. Expecting it to come out like black treacle.

[Sundayjumper]

Better news was new brakes fitted, plus drop links & mud flaps.

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Less better news is that I changed the brakes because they were warped. I thought they were warped. New brakes made zero difference. Having now googled it turns out the juddering is most likely the lower wishbones. Fluid-filled bushes leak and go wobbly while visually appearing to be OK. We have a steadily growing list of jobs…