OV9

Was going to say if you're going to go for a spirited drive then doing it during the holidays or a sunny weekend is an exercise in frustration.

Problem is, like when lockdown happened and suddenly there were all these people on my running trails, I've got very used to the quiet roads over the winter!

Beany wrote: Mon Apr 14, 2025 1:18 pm Yeah, splitter on the front bumper is torn open lengthways, that ain't polishing out.

Now need to do the courtesy car shuffle.

M135i bumper damage.jpg

(yes, insurance informed, and given a picture of the car is it was on the recovery truck before it left me, without that damage present)

oh, that's an additional annoyance you don't need. Hope the photos are proof enough.

Fabia update. I hacksawed through one of the cables in my passenger window mechanism and can now slide the glass up and down by hand. Briefly contemplated the 'leave it like that' option but a working side window is useful, especially for targa events where the passenger is passing time cards to marshalls. Now need to work out how to undo the connectors behind the gaitor between the door and the bodywork, to pull the wiring out through the door. I've pulled the rubber back (oo-er) but can't feel, let alone see what the connector layout is, to try nd undo any of them.

It’s not like a mk5 golf where you take the outer door skin off to get to the innards is it?

That always looked a very bizarre way of doing things

The window won’t stay up of its own accord when you’re driving !

We did that entire Poland trip in the Vito with a window like that. A spare sat nav suction mount with the arm wedged against the top of the door card mostly did the trick but it needed adjusting on a regular basis as it sloooowly slid down.

Were manual windows an option on the Fabia ? I wanted to do that with the Compact but BMW never sold them with that spec in the UK and ordering s/h parts from Europe seemed hassle so I gave up.

integrale_evo wrote: Mon Apr 14, 2025 4:31 pm It’s not like a mk5 golf where you take the outer door skin off to get to the innards is it?

That always looked a very bizarre way of doing things

Yea, all this needs to come off, including pulling the wiring through to enable that. Might need to disconnect the door lock as well I expect manual winders are an option but that still needs the mechanism replaced. The switch and motor are fine…. Well, they are until I kill the wiring trying to get it all undone…

Mini went bang, clonk, clonk burny smell yesterday. My wife parked up and I nipped over to swap out cars with her.

Engine ran fine, no smoke but clonking when I moved it a few feet so I called the AA.

Turns out it is a broken spring so that then gouged one of the nice new tyres that were just put on, but given the smell my wife worried it was terminal.

Worst case it will need two new shocks as well, but it is an 11 year old car that has done almost 70k so mustn't grumble.

Skoda about to get its annual oil service on Wednesday so may be an expensive week.

Gavin wrote: Mon Apr 14, 2025 5:20 pm Mini went bang, clonk, clonk burny smell yesterday. My wife parked up and I nipped over to swap out cars with her.

Engine ran fine, no smoke but clonking when I moved it a few feet so I called the AA.

Turns out it is a broken spring so that then gouged one of the nice new tyres that were just put on, but given the smell my wife worried it was terminal.

I've had exactly that happen on a works van, and it definitely puts the fear of god in you when it happens. Bang, smells, steering going weird, etc.

Anyway, car stuff sorted for now, I now have a '24 Clio and goodness it's legit nice.

Turbo petrol engine, bags of torque (you can step off the clutch at idle and it'll take it - to the extent I thought it was a diesel!), well appointed inside, although the HVAC makes weird noises that I can't quite work out, but I just turn the fan off and open a window, arf. It's pretty refined, comfy, only real thing that's annoying is the gearshift feels a bit notchy and not very direct - the Corsas gearshift is way better.

Genuinely quite impressed with it.

Reading between the lines here, from the insurer....

"We have received further images from our recovery agents and we have sent these to Copart for their comments. We will inform you of the outcome in due course."

Sounds like it was dropped off with Copart by the recovery agent in the state it left me, and left Copart with damage.

As suspected, because the recovery agent were very obviously being as careful as possible to not yank the car about and were in no rush to get it loaded up, etc.

And the recovery agent took their own pics because they’ve dealt with copart before….

Sundayjumper wrote: Tue Apr 15, 2025 2:20 pm And the recovery agent took their own pics because they’ve dealt with copart before….

That's a safe fuckin' bet....

Ascender wrote: Mon Apr 14, 2025 12:46 pm I wasn't sure if there was a NC500 thread but its been mentioned in here.

Now I'm up here, if anyone is wondering at what point the roads become f*cking busy with camper vans and lots of cars from down south who don't know how to drive on something that isn't a motorway, its this last week. Absolutely rammed with traffic on the east coast so can only imagine what that's like on the single track stuff on the west coast.

I was there in a T6 camper three years ago and watching Harry's video in his Testarossa made me want to go back.

I have an two-month old Enyaq and it wouldn't be the first car I'd choose if I wanted to do it again just for a drive so got me looking at something I could get as a second car (my wife mentioned last week it would occasionally be useful to have a second).

I really don't need a second car at all but seeing FN2 Type-Rs for around 3 grand, some look better and far less shagged than others for the money, got me thinking I wouldn't mind having something else on the drive. But tax is £35 a month for something that might not be moved for a while, although insurance for me is only around £300 a year.

Once it's at copart it will be damaged, all cars are moved around on forklifts , regardless of state, damage, value etcs.

Check underneath very carefully as I've seen countless cars with ripped out fuel lines, brake pipes, HV cables, damaged batteries etcs.

About as much finesse as toddler with a shaper sorter, useless cvnts.

16vCento wrote: Tue Apr 15, 2025 5:16 pm Once it's at copart it will be damaged, all cars are moved around on forklifts , regardless of state, damage, value etcs.

Check underneath very carefully as I've seen countless cars with ripped out fuel lines, brake pipes, HV cables, damaged batteries etcs.

About as much finesse as toddler with a shaper sorter, useless cvnts.

Yeah, I had a look under it while I was there, but as it's still stuck in park etc, it wasn't going up on a lift etc.

I've told them to pay close attention to the underside, especially under the undertrays which might get bent, then pop back into place etc.

I was kind of joking with my much earlier comment. I know copart have a dodgy reputation and have been known to cause extra damage, swap parts etc, but I would have assumed that was with cars that were actually theirs to dispose of, not that were still the customers property.

That really is proper shitty.

They're massive fvcking cowboys.

Ive seen with my own eyes 120k of motorhome being rocked around on some kind of fork lift.

Went in for a water damage. Ingested only.

Ended up cat c, engine failure was literally the only issue prior to it arriving.

Damage on every bolt on panel appeared for some reason.

Swift battery is the original and has always had issues if left for a couple of weeks. Not it's not going 2 days before a jump start is needed. Which is amusing when you've packed the family up in it ready to go, then after failing to start it also doesn't have enough power to unlock the boot, so you can get all your stuff back out. Cue jump starter pack on it, just to get the boot open again.

Assume it's just that on the way out, new Yuasa one ordered and being fitted by Halfords tomorrow.

almost 11 years since the last one....

Oooh - so it really was going to be ready that soon

i like the mileage!