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General Car Chat / Buying at car auctions - any advice?

« on: 06 February 2019, 08:52:24 »

We've been looking for a new (different new, not new new) car for Lou, specifically an automatic Mini, post 2006 (to avoid the chocolate CVT gearbox), 1.6L Cooper as it's mostly town work etc..

..having looked at some proper nails at "back street" car dealers - the last one had a fog lamp hanging out, stank of burning oil, had a broken gear lever release, pulled to the left like it wanted to mate with the hedge and sounded like it had a knackered wheel bearing and, heck, the "dealer" hadn't even bothered to hoover the crap out of it - I'm drawn to auction cars as they look much better than 90% of the stock on forecourts.

Lou is wary of auctions though, as you can't test drive them, despite me pointing out that most of these "dealers" are getting their stock from the auctions.

Any advice? Is it madness to buy a £3-5k car at auction? Are they all nails?

For anyone with a BCA account, I was looking at this one: https://auctionview.british-car-auctions.co.uk/Results/LotDetail/24d84ad563d348ac8921d9073f75d7fb?VehId=2e6166a4-8c5a-4b0f-b645-5fdcee7aaaa3&FromSearch=true&searchQuery=q=Mini&bq=make_exact%3AMINI%7Cmodel_exact%3ACOOPER%7Cgearbox_exact%3AAutomatic%7Cfueltype_exact%3APetrol%7Cplate_exact%3A2012%2062%2C2010%2010%2C2008%2058%2C2008%2008%2C2007%2057%7Cgrade_exact%3A4%2C5&sort=Relevance&missingMileage=True&awaitingAppraisal=True&page=1&extraFiltersActive=true&returnTo=MT57FZS&promoAppliedSets=&Source=Search&selectedVehicleIds=

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General Car Chat / One for the Engineers in the room - head skimming

« on: 17 January 2019, 14:00:02 »

Random question of the day:

Dedicated machines for skimming heads exist - they look like big single-purpose milling machines, to me, with a giant fly-cutter head.

Is there any reason you couldn't strap a head down to a suitably large general-purpose vertical mill (like a Bridgeport) and skim the head with any fly cutter large enough to clear the complete head surface? I can't think of one, but maybe I'm missing some Machinist Devilry..

</random thought of the day>

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General Discussion Area / Your daily dose of rage inducing "news"

« on: 21 November 2018, 09:47:56 »

http://www.ladbible.com/news/news-kids-are-setting-themselves-on-fire-for-a-social-media-trend-20181118

tl;dr: "Kids" are setting themselves on fire for "social media" and, shocker, end up in hospital.

Quote

They weren't expecting it to go that way. It was just a challenge, so it's a lesson learned for all of them.

I despair.

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General Discussion Area / Far canal! Not a bus anyone wanted to be on...

« on: 02 November 2018, 14:52:52 »

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-asia-china-46069327/china-bus-plunge-fight-blamed-for-causing-fatal-crash

I don't know about the fight being the cause - it looks more like the driver made a decision to simply steer the bus off the road.. and off the bridge

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General Car Chat / Did I spot TBs big black .. Jaguar?

« on: 17 October 2018, 08:57:58 »

Going up the M1 last night, around the MK area. Personal plate of some form..

.. but then I thought "Nah, can't be. It's only doing 70 and it's in the middle lane."

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General Car Chat / Here you go Al (and 1980s Merc lovers)..

« on: 29 August 2018, 13:34:14 »

One for you? I know you like a bit of 1980s Teutonic motoring.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/302862727890

(Originally spotted in a FB group and was going to post it at the time, but now it's properly for sale - not mine, obviously, I'm not overly enamoured by 1980s Mercs.. although I probably wouldn't kick this particular one out of bed if it were RHD)

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General Car Chat / Corsa B steering column upper bearing

« on: 02 August 2018, 10:43:55 »

On the off chance someone here knows...

The upper bearing (p/no 90334860) appears to be NLS - it's available from eBay US as it's also used on other GM cars, but at crazy prices (£30 or so for a £5 bearing).

Anyone know of an equivalent available in the UK? It's a double-row roller bearing, I believe; I'd need to drift mine out of the (plastic) housing to measure properly.

Corsa B ePAS columns are commonly used on kit cars and they are starting to show signs of wear for some folks, although mine seems alright for now, it can't help to be prepared - and I know some of you are the font of all knowledge when it comes to parts interchangeability

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General Car Chat / Replacing the Skoda..

« on: 14 June 2018, 09:11:09 »

So I've come to my senses (some would say) and am considering off-loading the Skoda to save the £460/mo PCP and get something older and bought outright now that I'm no longer doing starship mileage.

So what does a friend send me? This: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dodge-Magnum-R-T-AWD-5-7-Hemi-with-Prinns-LPG-Low-Mileage/173350442688

Why, why must he tempt me..

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General Discussion Area / How to save the NHS..

« on: 24 May 2018, 09:58:44 »

Tax us out of the arse some more, apparently.. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-44230033

Quote

The Institute for Fiscal Studies and Health Foundation said the NHS would need an extra 4% a year - or £2,000 per UK household - for the next 15 years.

It said the only realistic way this could be paid for was by tax rises.

I hope you're all looking forward to your pay cuts!

Where's TB when you need him?

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General Discussion Area / White goods thread - Beko tumble drier

« on: 20 April 2018, 17:56:10 »

Everyone loves a white goods thread, right?

The other day the tumble drier started making a godawful racket when it started rotating - a horrible vibrating noise and tried to walk it's way around the utility room.

I figured.. bearings, probably, maybe belt. So I ordered a full set of four front pad "bearings" (plastic slippers) and rear "bearing" (bushing, actually), belt, front felt seal from Beko spares direct, and waited.

They turned up today so I stripped it all down, changed out the front pads, changed out the rear bearing and popped the new belt on the drum. Put it all back together and.. the new belt is significantly shorter than the old belt

Has the right length printed on it (1967 H9) but it's a good two inches from meeting the motor spindle and there's no way on god's earth I can get it to reach.

Bugger, I thought. And took it all apart again to put the old belt back on.

Put it back together, started it up and .. horrible vibrating noise. Grrr! The only thing I can think is that the belt is slipping because it's not tight enough (even though it takes a socket and extension to cheat the belt back onto the spindle), but the new one is so much shorter.

So it's off to a white goods spares place tomorrow to see if another 1967 H9 belt is more like the old one... meanwhile, the tumble sits on a trestle in the middle of the kitchen looking sorry for itself.

(Oh, and the top oven on the two month old oven has packed up, too, so we're doing well for white goods failures this week!)

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General Discussion Area / One for the audio-nerds..

« on: 22 March 2018, 13:33:18 »

I bet none of you (ok, except for our German audiophile) have seen one of these before: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBNTAmLRmUg

(For those who are allergic to Youtube, google "Tefifon")

What an odd looking thing..

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General Car Chat / Radio adverts for EVs..

« on: 19 February 2018, 09:45:21 »

I was reminded of these reading the LPG thread, but thought I'd save polluting (har) that thread with EV talk.

Anyway.. radio adverts "If you have questions about electric vehicles, talk to X" and their pretend questions include:

"Can it get wet?"
"Can it go through a car wash?"
"If I charge my phone will the battery go flat?"

Seriously people, if you have to ask if a car is going to explode if it gets wet, do us all a favour and take your new EV for a long drive off a short pier...

Are these the questions the powers that be really feel "average Joe" is going to have regarding electric vehicles? All hope is lost

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General Discussion Area / I think the forum needs a new name..

« on: 18 December 2017, 09:01:21 »

I didn't check in over the weekend so just had a little skim-read catch up; I think we need to rename the forum to "POOF". The Political Omega Owners Forum, as it seems all you lot talk about is politics!

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