Your fleet running reports

[GG.]

I think if you were going to backdate a 996 or 997 (no idea why you would do that to be honest), you'd be better off aiming for something like an IROC RSR which has hefty bumpers to start off with. Trying to smooth 21st century bumpers to a svelte 70s profile of a long hood car is never going to work.

[Jobbo]

Realise this is not a 996 but the white on red doesnt work imo.

That's the same car I posted a photo of on the previous page, and it looks marvellous; better than the OE white car/red alloys colour scheme.

The retro 996 looks like it requires a lot of bodywork to look that bad. WTF is wrong with the rear end? Is it a one-off made of papier mache?

[V8Granite]

The red and white on a 996 would look a bit crap imo. The BBS alloy look incredible, sod the unsprung weight when they look that good.

The Defender needs new headlights so I ordered them, will finally fit my headlight look kit which takes the power direct from the battery instead of the switch, that should be a nice improvement.

The Audi is in rude health since I fitted the new alternator, it’s being usedmore and more and the kids like it. Another MOT pass last month so hoping for an easy winter and will do all the suspension bushes in the summer.

500e just had anew battery, it’s huge, 100ah and 850 ish CCA. All going well it will be with Mr Flew after New Years for the underside to be stilled apart and re-furbished plus some upgrades.

ML nearly on 120,000, running lovely still but needs a really good scrub and polish in the spring. Its looking grimy. Returned 25mpg on a round trip to Chessington which was nice.

Dave!

[Sundayjumper]

I'm part way through doing the new springs on the 5. Quite a frustrating job. It's one of those jobs that looks simple but once you start you realise the whole thing is an Escheresque nightmare where whatever you want to do is blocked by another part, which in turn is blocked by another part, etc.

Three nuts hold the top mount to the car. One bolt holds the shock to the hub. Undo them and remove the shock. Simple huh ???

I'd nearly finished the first rear spring when I dropped the socket I was using on the top mount and it disappeared into the body of the car somewhere I don't want to leave it as it'll either rattle and annoy the fack out of me, or it'll find some electrics and cause a huge firey death inferno. So it looks like I now need to strip down the rear seat, parcel shelf and whatever else is underneath until I figure out where it's gone.

And it's really cold outside.

I hate cars.

[drcarlos]

Busy weekend this weekend for the cars:

First up the Combo is back in the garage as the replacement (replaced when the clutch was done) main oil seal failed and started dropping oil on the drive. Wife is not ammused at all, it's been dropped off now and will be done tomorrow am.

When we pickup the combo we'll be dropping the Subaru off for service, MOT, new crush washers on the turbo coolant lines and a rear diff oil change, uncovered it and it was still nice and clean with the solar panel keeping the battery topped up and now having driven it to the garage and back it's totally filthy. Need to get a replacement number plate tomorrow as the current one on the front is broken, I'm going to get a square one (legit legal sizes and all that) and see how I like it.

Once the Subaru is done on Monday the truck is going to have the tailgate repaired so I'll be driving the Subaru in the crud next week then hopefully I'll clean it and put it away till the weather brightens up in spring.

[Sundayjumper]

Rear seat & parcel shelf was actually really easy and I retrieved the socket no problem

Having finished the osr I moved to the nsr and found that in addition to all the previous difficulties, you also have the exhaust in the way on this side.

After all that the fronts were a doddle.

Now it's all finished the rear sits about the same as it did before but the front is noticeably lower, so the car now has a nose-down stance and I'm not sure if I like it (aesthetically). To drive it's perfectly fine, the springs are noticeably stiffer over speedbumps and fast cornering but ride quality in normal driving seems unchanged. Clever chaps at Eibach

[Sundayjumper]

drcarlos - you still seem to be the unluckiest person on the forum ! Have you considered leasing a brand-new Golf ??

Post pics of the number plate options and we'll vote on it. Personally a fan of small plates, but not square ones.

[integrale_evo]

Square front plates always make a car look like a chipmunk, don't know that I've ever seen one which looks good.

[Sundayjumper]

The chipmunk thing hadn't crossed my mind, but having thought about it I agree.

[Jobbo]

drcarlos - you still seem to be the unluckiest person on the forum ! Have you considered leasing a brand-new Golf ??

Slightly used one month old Golf, you mean

[McSwede]

M140i in on Monday for 2nd service at 42k . Staggering really dragging out that long.

[Rich B]

drcarlos - you still seem to be the unluckiest person on the forum ! Have you considered leasing a brand-new Golf ??

Slightly used one month old Golf, you mean

i love how determined you are to inject some hate into this!

[Sundayjumper]

i love how determined you are to inject some hate into this!

tbh I'm uneasy with the idea of getting a brand new* car to save money, but if you just want a brand new car then getting brand new car is fine.



*allegedly

[Rich B]

i love how determined you are to inject some hate into this!

tbh I'm uneasy with the idea of getting a brand new* car to save money, but if you just want a brand new car then getting brand new car is fine.



*allegedly

I’ve not said it’s about saving money. Cars cost money to run, no escaping that.

But I was running a very expensive to run car doing decent amount of miles which was daft. I needed to free up some cash to pay an expensive debt which was more important short term.

Plus When you have kids, both work and rely heavily on your cars, then time and reliability become very important.

[Sundayjumper]

I’ve not said it’s about saving money...

...I was running a very expensive to run car doing decent amount of miles which was daft.

?????

All of the points you quoted in favour of dumping the M3 for a Golf were based around the cost of running an M3 (fuel, VED, insurance). The only one that wasn't was that the M3 *might* break down one day and it would be a bit inconvenient. Even though it's been very reliable so far. So it's a bit hypothetical and even then that's largely about money anyway - if it's off the road for more than a day or two you get a courtesy car or a hire car. You're still mobile. Life carries on.

But as I said - and I've always said the same on this topic in the past - if someone wants a shiny new car then go for it. Just don't dress it up as being a financial decision.

I'm worried you're heading the same way as Mick & Ste - wifey gets grand plans about house stuff, hubby is not allowed interesting car any more

[Carlos]

I’ve not said it’s about saving money...

...I was running a very expensive to run car doing decent amount of miles which was daft.

?????

All of the points you quoted in favour of dumping the M3 for a Golf were based around the cost of running an M3 (fuel, VED, insurance). The only one that wasn't was that the M3 *might* break down one day and it would be a bit inconvenient. Even though it's been very reliable so far. So it's a bit hypothetical and even then that's largely about money anyway - if it's off the road for more than a day or two you get a courtesy car or a hire car. You're still mobile. Life carries on.

But as I said - and I've always said the same on this topic in the past - if someone wants a shiny new car then go for it. Just don't dress it up as being a financial decision.

I'm worried you're heading the same way as Mick & Ste - wifey gets grand plans about house stuff, hubby is not allowed interesting car any more

Haha Rich DIW ,. For balance, I get it and did the same. We wanted to extend the house, I had little actual cash and didn't want to borrow, sold 996 which was paid for to raise capital and rented a Yeti which cost in total per month what the 996 was doing in tax, insurance, maintenance etc and i was also running a dog car which I sold.

It took 3 years but I was able to start and fund
the work through income which I wouldn't have been able to do without selling the ginger stepchild of 911s or a house.

There no right or wrong.

[drcarlos]

drcarlos - you still seem to be the unluckiest person on the forum ! Have you considered leasing a brand-new Golf ??

Post pics of the number plate options and we'll vote on it. Personally a fan of small plates, but not square ones.

Mechanic is cursing as it was the only part I didn’t supply and they did, which basically means it’s warranty work on the clutch job, they should be able to claim back labour from the parts supplier though I believe.

L200’s is fine when the wife isn’t playing bumper cars with it.

Subaru is fine too, no golf needed.

[Rich B]

I’ve not said it’s about saving money...

...I was running a very expensive to run car doing decent amount of miles which was daft.

?????

All of the points you quoted in favour of dumping the M3 for a Golf were based around the cost of running an M3 (fuel, VED, insurance). The only one that wasn't was that the M3 *might* break down one day and it would be a bit inconvenient. Even though it's been very reliable so far. So it's a bit hypothetical and even then that's largely about money anyway - if it's off the road for more than a day or two you get a courtesy car or a hire car. You're still mobile. Life carries on.

But as I said - and I've always said the same on this topic in the past - if someone wants a shiny new car then go for it. Just don't dress it up as being a financial decision.

I'm worried you're heading the same way as Mick & Ste - wifey gets grand plans about house stuff, hubby is not allowed interesting car any more

You know best.

[Simon]

I’ve not said it’s about saving money...

...I was running a very expensive to run car doing decent amount of miles which was daft.

?????

All of the points you quoted in favour of dumping the M3 for a Golf were based around the cost of running an M3 (fuel, VED, insurance). The only one that wasn't was that the M3 *might* break down one day and it would be a bit inconvenient. Even though it's been very reliable so far. So it's a bit hypothetical and even then that's largely about money anyway - if it's off the road for more than a day or two you get a courtesy car or a hire car. You're still mobile. Life carries on.

But as I said - and I've always said the same on this topic in the past - if someone wants a shiny new car then go for it. Just don't dress it up as being a financial decision.

I'm worried you're heading the same way as Mick & Ste - wifey gets grand plans about house stuff, hubby is not allowed interesting car any more

Every car is reliable until the day it breaks down.

[Rich B]

To be fair, fag packet maths put the Golf at c.£2k a year cheaper to run Overall than the M3. That’s assuming nothing big would be needed on the M3.

When it comes to “wanting something shiny“, of course there needs to be something to offset the loss of driving an M3 every day.

I looked at various other <£5k cars: MCS, BMW 123d, Clio 197, smaller engines e90/92, but none of them interested me enough after the M3, and like I said in my thread - I was interested to try leasing as an experiment.

What I really want is a new shiny M3, but I’m not there yet. But I will be before too long.