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Messages - Nick W

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16
General Car Chat / Re: Can I buy one?
« on: 27 February 2024, 15:00:36 »

This is exactly right. It's all very well saying you should run an older XYorZ but when any kind of minor repair at a garage, or even routine items like suspension bushes runs well into three figures it makes much less sense to buy cheaper older cars.

For a lot of people a £500 bill (easily achieved these days) will quickly become £6-700 by the time the credit card company has had its due.


Economics like these are why large and expensive cars always depreciated quickly, before their value dropped through the floor for the third or fourth owner. The problem now is that all cars have the complicated, expensive and unreliable 'extras' that was only fitted on the high-end stuff. Which makes the margins extra thin for an ordinary car, so even a car less than ten years old can easily need a couple of four figure jobs(£1000 clutches, £1500 timing belts, water damaged electrics etc, etc) that previous owners wouldn't pay for. Just consider what we used to recommend for a 15 year old £1000 Omega, but triple the cost and time involved to do the work at £75/hour.

17
General Car Chat / Re: Can I buy one?
« on: 27 February 2024, 13:20:56 »
The few I MOTed looked okay but the interior was nasty cheap plastic, not sure if they have got better with the new ones.
.


I suppose if you're on a bit of a tight budget & your after a new/newish car they're perfect.
That's moronic.

If you're on a tight budget you don't buy a newish anything.


A tight budget doesn't necessarily mean small. It does mean that you can't have any unexpected expenses, which for a car requires a long and extensive warranty. Which means as new as you can manage.


New MGs(and Dacias, Hyundais, Toyotas etc) are not meant for the buyers who obsess about 0-60 times, have to upgrade the radio or think that paying £600 extra to have the seat stitching done in platinum rather than titanium coloured thread is good value(or even discernible). The first group are the majority of buyers, the second take their middle aged crisis to BMW, Audi dealers. Those with a real problem will head to Porsche for a real wallet kicking with extra condecension

18
General Car Chat / Re: Might be of imterest JLR independant garage
« on: 27 February 2024, 10:42:51 »
And we still hear that Germans don't have a sense of humour. Who else would consider putting an inadequate chain, running on shitty plastic guides, poorly fed with dirty oil, at the back of the engine a good idea?


Unfortunately, every other engineer who can't resist complications has decided to join in the fun.


I dropped several BMWs with timing chain issues at the dealer just around the corner from that independent, and the yardman tried to keep a space in the car park for them. That space was under the sign with the then current slogan  BMW, the value of perfect engineering. It's difficult to see the value in common, severe failures on engines with <10,000 miles. As for Mercedes, that was the dealer we all went to the most.

19

Yes but mileage is low. So its interesting what belt is inside :D
About UK market I think the same.


The timing belt problem isn't a problem, and is eliminated by correctly fitting a new belt kit. That's a routine maintenance item, that should have already been done several times on a twenty plus year-old car.


Note the emphasis on correctly :y


Here in the UK, I suspect a Catera would be worth even less than a similar Omega due to it being left hand drive.

Timing belt replacement is done on a mileage and time schedule; the requirement is whichever comes first. Personally, I'm happy with being a bit looser on the time and fairly strict on the mileage.

And, probably for the first time ever, I completely agree with Stemo :o , it's an hour's work and £100(probably, I haven't priced one recently) in parts

20
General Car Chat / Re: Can I buy one?
« on: 26 February 2024, 10:55:01 »
This garage is probably a lot cheaper if you're looking for something to blow up?  >:D
I w2as, of course, referring to one of their cars, rather than the garage.  I can't see selling Rovers is a long term business in 2024 ;D


True, but the current MGs are very popular.

21
The timing belt problem isn't a problem, and is eliminated by correctly fitting a new belt kit. That's a routine maintenance item, that should have already been done several times on a twenty plus year-old car.


Note the emphasis on correctly :y


Here in the UK, I suspect a Catera would be worth even less than a similar Omega due to it being left hand drive.

22
General Car Chat / Re: Breakdown cover
« on: 22 February 2024, 17:38:03 »
.....

He decided to ignore all his own warnings about towing and towed me home 1/2 mile rather than call in a pick up truck. We went very slowly but I hope my trans is OK.  ....

it's ok to tow an auto 1/2 mile  :y
Upto a certain speed.

In theory you can tow start an auto but you need to have your wits about you.


These things are all possible. But actual data relating to distances or speeds that are safe is lacking.
Which is why not towing automatics is the sensible, rational approach.

23
General Discussion Area / Re: What a bargain!
« on: 20 February 2024, 12:29:33 »
Its the last one you go to that you can worry about!
S'pose I *HAVE* to turn up to that one!


There's still a chance the hearse will break down on the way to the crematorium. Although with your reputation, a burial might be safer....

24
You can be as boring as you like Nick, but my post was specifically about Labours vote tally.  :)






Once again, conclusions can only be drawn from the whole results, not just the winning number.


So Wellingborough:


Labour's share of the vote was 45%, an increase of 20% since 2019
Conservative shore the vote was 25%, a decrease of 38%


But look closer, as there's an 18% discrepancy:


Reform got 13% of that and the Independent candidate another 4%( figures rounded to whole numbers). These could only be increases as they weren't in the 2019 election.


Those are dramatic trends, but by elections should never be used to extrapolate general election results


25
Before you make any conclusions, you need to look at the rest of the results.


Sorry to be boring ::)

26
General Discussion Area / Re: Carlson Putin interview
« on: 09 February 2024, 09:12:17 »
More that he forgot to use the supplied 6" nails to retain his tin-foil hat.

27
Omega Electrical and Audio Help / Re: Wots this plug for?
« on: 07 February 2024, 13:09:11 »
I took 5kg of crap out an Mx5 loom for a friend's kit car project :y


There's another carrier bag full of the ABS and airbag wiring removed from an MGF loom for another job, not counting the 2metres of loom to put the engine in the front.

28
General Discussion Area / Re: New car technology .
« on: 29 January 2024, 12:12:40 »
Relying on mirrors and cameras is poor roadcraft, you still need to turn your head and move in the seat to see what's actually going on around you.





How does that work for you when driving trucks or vans?


A glance over your shoulder to confirm that the blindspot is actually empty is a good idea when the vehicle design allows for it. But if you need to move your body to operate the car, your seating position is wrong.


29
General Discussion Area / Re: New car technology .
« on: 29 January 2024, 11:21:43 »
There are a couple of reasons for the proliferation of screens(both touch and display) in cars:
 
first is that they're cheaper than discrete, 'real' parts like switches, knobs, handles etc especially when the thing to be controlled is electrically operated. What makes them even better is that the inevitable updates/annual model changes/interchangeability/pointless specification differences are easily accomplished by paying a graphic designer to change the pictures to the latest fad.




second is that we already have a whole generation of users who don't believe anything unless they see it on a screen. Now that displays are already replacing mirrors, how long do we think it will be before the windscreen becomes a real-time-direction-based-true-colour-optical-interface hung off the A-pillars by some over designed, under engineered brackets?


Some of this isn't new though; the list of warnings and outputs is just the modern implementation of all the extra dials(oil pressure/temp, voltmeter, ammeter, rev counter etc) high spec cars got that nobody ever looked at after their first drive.



30
Omega General Help / Re: Oil pressure switch.
« on: 27 January 2024, 14:12:22 »
Quick question re the oil pressure switch, took a quick look at it this morning after finding that I didn't have a 24mm spanner. So a trip to Halfrauds for one and, nearly £12 without any KY, I'm now looking from the top and have found the switch. But looking at access...can I get a better shot at it by having the car jacked and doing it from underneath? :-\


I did mine after work, in the dark, with the front of the car almost touching the fence. Finding the wiring plug to connect it to the new sensor was the trickiest bit of the job.


Take a MTFU pill and get on with it :y

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