The Joy of Running an Old Shed (Vol 2)

[Pablo16v]

My old A6 tdi gets Shell fuel most of the time but only because the garage a couple of miles out of town is the same price as the local supermarkets.

Edited by Pablo16v on Friday 17th May 07:56

[kharma45]

r3g said:

Explain to me then how running a diesel Astra 1.7 on standard diesel clogged up the EGR and engine inlets with endless running, EML and smoke issues, yet after cleaning out and running on premium diesel with detergents, after 30k miles not one single issue, no smoke and popping off the EGR to check the condition revealed nothing more than a light dusting of soot?

You stick to your "premium fuel is snake oil" bs.

And how come none of the diesels I’ve had, or any of my family have had, have ever had EGR issues with normal diesel? Correlation is not causation. Blaming fuel is the lazy way out.

If it was so bad we’d have cars conked out all over the place with how much fuel the likes of Tesco etc sell each day.

For your Astra, I’d be putting that down to typical Vauxhall build quality, or rather, lack of.

If you’re happy paying the extra for premium diesel you do you. It’s not going to do any harm and if you think it helps, I guess it’s a small price for the peace of mind.

[GeneralBanter]

7 5 7 said:

Oh, I crashed into the wall in a tight multi storey yesterday...me'h it's dented the front bumper when I've had a look, adds even more character I suppose

This is the great thing about sheds - a knock doesn’t really matter.

In fact it doesn’t matter at all.

[vikingaero]

GeneralBanter said:

7 5 7 said:

Oh, I crashed into the wall in a tight multi storey yesterday...me'h it's dented the front bumper when I've had a look, adds even more character I suppose

This is the great thing about sheds - a knock doesn’t really matter.

In fact it doesn’t matter at all.

One foggy morning I walked out to The Daihatsu Shed to find a sizeable dent in the OSR door and a business card tucked under my wiper with an apology from a neighbour. As I was busy I didn't make contact for a few days and another card appeared with an offer to pay for damages or exchange insurance details. I eventually popped around and said it was no bother. The neighbour was astounded by this. I said that I bought The Shed as a run around whilst the turbo on my infamous R55/N14 junk of a MINI was being replaced.

Being a tiny and old Daihatsu Charade, I was prone to bullying at certain junctions from #premium cars. The dent added aggression and danger towards other car users who would give me a wide berth!

[ferret50]

I'm running a Boxer based campervan, would the Millers aditive be of beniefit, please?

Or should I just switch to a higher grade of diesel?

Usage is mostly running between UK home and Algarve holiday home, if it helps.

TIA, shedders!

[weeve]

I was on a work trip with multi-decade european chemical engineer who was like Boss Hogg but clever and who was the overall manger of a major european refinery a few years ago. I asked him what he put in his X3.

Answer?
The cheapest.

It's the only data point I have as Im no chem eng. Ive stuck to it through and through and I havent died yet though. Neither have my vehicles including some right old 3l diesel lumps... However I had a wobble literally a month ago when I bought a 1 year old, way overpriced/expensive, vw pax carrier which I want to take to the grave (mine or the vans). Yup, thats right, I dithered and then treated it to a full tank of special magic potion on pick up. It cost me a lot of extra magic beans and I felt quite sad afterwards . Another tank of something is due soon so I currently giving myself a talking too.

[QBee]

vikingaero said:

GeneralBanter said:

7 5 7 said:

Oh, I crashed into the wall in a tight multi storey yesterday...me'h it's dented the front bumper when I've had a look, adds even more character I suppose

This is the great thing about sheds - a knock doesn’t really matter.

In fact it doesn’t matter at all.

One foggy morning I walked out to The Daihatsu Shed to find a sizeable dent in the OSR door and a business card tucked under my wiper with an apology from a neighbour. As I was busy I didn't make contact for a few days and another card appeared with an offer to pay for damages or exchange insurance details. I eventually popped around and said it was no bother. The neighbour was astounded by this. I said that I bought The Shed as a run around whilst the turbo on my infamous R55/N14 junk of a MINI was being replaced.

Being a tiny and old Daihatsu Charade, I was prone to bullying at certain junctions from #premium cars. The dent added aggression and danger towards other car users who would give me a wide berth!

Strange that the neighbour left a business card - surely tradition with a Charade is that you have to mime what has happened?

[MisterWhippy]

r3g said:

If you know someone with a Costco card or you have a business yourself, fill up there. Their premium diesel is about the same price as standard diesel everywhere else. Or get that Millers Diesel Power EcoMax (you can find it cheaper than Halfrauds if you shop around) and put a couple of shots of that in each fill as it's basically the same additive that's in V Power afaik. Works out far cheaper per tankful, but more messing around. I used to fill up a jerry can with normal diesel and then put a few shots of that in and give it a shake up, then pour it in the car. Well was actually my Astravan back then, but clearly worked as I never had any EGR or injector issues. The tried and tested methods from days gone by still work today for preventative maintenance. V-Power derv was quick and easy and the man maths worked when it was 'only' about 8ppl more than standard but now it's 20+ppl more than standard at most places which is just taking the piss.

Or you could just get your EGR mapped out and blanked off, then you're not sending poorly combusted diesel gasses back into your engine which is what clogs up your EGR valve, piperwork and inlet manifold with gunk. If you do this make sure you've been running on a couple of tanks of premium before your MOT test to ensure your emission test passes and you're all good.

BenS94 said:

I'd chuck a full bottle of cleaner in too, now, before you fill up. Tesco have Redex cheap.

I'll pick up some Redex later today. I did treat the Scenic to some injector cleaner a few months back which seemed to clear that issue.

Sadly, I don't have a Costco near me, but I do have a fuel card through my business, so diesel currently costs me £142.9 compared to £1.55. I'll need to check if I get discount of the premium stuff too.

[triggerh4ppy]

r3g said:

Picked up my £300 Civic today . Didn't realise just how heavily the previous owner smoked . Turned fan on to max and basically nothing happened except a lot of fan noise. Had to check several times that the vents were open and I had the right position set, but nothing more than the faintest of wafts to be had. Straight out with the glove box and pulled out the pollen filter. Yep, absolutely black and chock solid with grass, seeds, tree detritus, dead wasps and other unrecognisable insects. Retested the fan : can confirm much win and much success, however turning the fan speed straight to max was a mistake as I instantly got mouthfuls and eyefuls of 10 year old dog ends and ash Not good .

68k and the engine is whisper quiet and gearbox silky smooth. Sadly it had been in a minor front end bump prior to the previous owner and so the wings are a little bit on the piss with the bonnet and there's some gouges in the plastic bumper, but the bonnet works fine and it drives straight. All the electrics work and full service history so can't grumble for 300 notes.

Be careful, if this is the spaceship style civic the 2.2cdti had issues with the exhaust manifold cracking which brought fumes into the cabin. Ive had this on 2 of them in the past and it was very similar to a cabin which has been heavily smoked in.

[r3g]

MisterWhippy said:

I'll pick up some Redex later today. I did treat the Scenic to some injector cleaner a few months back which seemed to clear that issue.

Sadly, I don't have a Costco near me, but I do have a fuel card through my business, so diesel currently costs me £142.9 compared to £1.55. I'll need to check if I get discount of the premium stuff too.

Definitely check your account pricing as fuel cards I've had in the past have not covered premium fuels or lubricants.

[r3g]

triggerh4ppy said:

Be careful, if this is the spaceship style civic the 2.2cdti had issues with the exhaust manifold cracking which brought fumes into the cabin. Ive had this on 2 of them in the past and it was very similar to a cabin which has been heavily smoked in.

Thanks. It's not the spaceship, it's the one before it than looks ancient now. I was just looking at a 2.2 I-CTDI Accord estate earlier today for a potential towing bus. They are comically long and I reckon you could fit the entire contents of a small house in the back of one of them, in one go.

[MisterWhippy]

r3g said:

Definitely check your account pricing as fuel cards I've had in the past have not covered premium fuels or lubricants.

Yes, I'm pretty sure it doesn't. Although it does cover lubricants! (not that it matters as I'll pay for that the same I do as if i bought it normally).

Only saving grace is I've saved a fortune on diesel, to then put that back into fixing the bloody thing! Nevertheless, a bottle of Redex has been purchased, so that'll be going in later today.

[bfrank93]

Long time lurker here, finally dipping my toes into the shedding waters. I've just picked up a 2005 Corolla 1.4 VVT-i in a fetching shade of battleship (or filing cabinet) grey. Nicely run in at 113k, with a few choice scrapes already so I won't feel bad for parking it on a south London street.

It's got six months MOT and some service history, the last owner had it for around six years. It had a clutch and starter motor in 2022, and a new battery this year. Worryingly there's no evidence of it having an oil change in a good while, but being a Toyota I'm hoping it can take the punishment. At least there's oil in it. And it seems solid enough underneath.

First order was to get some new tyres on the front (15% of the cost of the car!), next will be a proper service. It pulls well and rides like a cloud in comparison with the knackered Mini that it's replaced. Only complaint is the clock doesn't work, and the radio loses power intermittently. I'm hoping a fuse will fix both, if not I'll swap the radio for a Halfords special.

[r3g]

I tend to look for the models with the bodykits on them as it usually means the sills are good, and oddly, the rest of the underside tends to fair better overall too from what we see up on the ramps at MOT time. Plus, every car looks better with a (factory) bodykit on it.

[bodhi]

Being honest I don't think I'll be enjoying the Shed life for much longer - the wife is getting concerned about having two 15 year old cars on the drive. Things have come to a head this week, as the BMW has turned it's dash into a Xmas tree (ABS Sensor again) and it's obvious the Civic is about to need some money spent on consumables - disks and pads all round, a couple of drop links and a tyre. We're off on holiday on Sunday and getting quite concerned we're not sure which car will actually get us to the airport 40 miles away....

The obvious thing would be to move on the BMW (a 125i with 175k on the clock) but I'm quite attached to it and it has a straight 6, so it's going nowhere, so sadly the Civic will probably be getting moved on later in the summer. It's been a brilliant car, and I have every faith it will get is to the airport, but it was only ever meant to be a stopgap when we bought it 2 and a half years ago.

Not saying I'm not going to push to keep it on the drive for tip runs and shopping trips.....

[r3g]

bodhi said:

Being honest I don't think I'll be enjoying the Shed life for much longer - the wife is getting concerned about having two 15 year old cars on the drive. Things have come to a head this week, as the BMW has turned it's dash into a Xmas tree (ABS Sensor again) and it's obvious the Civic is about to need some money spent on consumables - disks and pads all round, a couple of drop links and a tyre. We're off on holiday on Sunday and getting quite concerned we're not sure which car will actually get us to the airport 40 miles away....

The obvious thing would be to move on the BMW (a 125i with 175k on the clock) but I'm quite attached to it and it has a straight 6, so it's going nowhere, so sadly the Civic will probably be getting moved on later in the summer. It's been a brilliant car, and I have every faith it will get is to the airport, but it was only ever meant to be a stopgap when we bought it 2 and a half years ago.

Not saying I'm not going to push to keep it on the drive for tip runs and shopping trips.....

Both of the cars would be staying and the wife would be the one being disposed of !

Both cars only need consumables and is a simple job for anyone with a ramp and a toolbox. Just because they are old doesn't mean you can ignore brakes, tyres and suspension bits. You can relish in the fact that the car probably only cost you a grand or two, is owned outright and you'll get most of that back if/when you sell it vs. paying many hundreds of pounds per month to rent a new eurobox.

[santona1937]

My contribution to the world of Shedding. Bought in July 2023 for £900 with 172K on the clock. Now at 183K. Needed new rear caliper, rear brakes so all in for about £1200. 2.0Tdci runs beautifully. 'Tis a good ol' crate. hit a deer at about 60mph in December which shifted the bonnet out of alignment due to a cracked slam panel. Sailed through MOT with no advisories. Now under consideration is potential slam panel replacement, or just leave as is- which is preferred option as bonnet locks and does not seem to impact on driveability. Scraped a wall during tight manoeuvre trying to get past brick wall, which jumped out and attacked me- hence the door paint. Am told that as long I keep the old bus well oiled and mechanically up to date I should easily get 300-400K miles out of her.....

Edited by santona1937 on Friday 17th May 18:01

[bodhi]

r3g said:

bodhi said:

Being honest I don't think I'll be enjoying the Shed life for much longer - the wife is getting concerned about having two 15 year old cars on the drive. Things have come to a head this week, as the BMW has turned it's dash into a Xmas tree (ABS Sensor again) and it's obvious the Civic is about to need some money spent on consumables - disks and pads all round, a couple of drop links and a tyre. We're off on holiday on Sunday and getting quite concerned we're not sure which car will actually get us to the airport 40 miles away....

The obvious thing would be to move on the BMW (a 125i with 175k on the clock) but I'm quite attached to it and it has a straight 6, so it's going nowhere, so sadly the Civic will probably be getting moved on later in the summer. It's been a brilliant car, and I have every faith it will get is to the airport, but it was only ever meant to be a stopgap when we bought it 2 and a half years ago.

Not saying I'm not going to push to keep it on the drive for tip runs and shopping trips.....

Both of the cars would be staying and the wife would be the one being disposed of !

Both cars only need consumables and is a simple job for anyone with a ramp and a toolbox. Just because they are old doesn't mean you can ignore brakes, tyres and suspension bits. You can relish in the fact that the car probably only cost you a grand or two, is owned outright and you'll get most of that back if/when you sell it vs. paying many hundreds of pounds per month to rent a new eurobox.

I hear ya, although I'd contend buying a new car is probably cheaper than getting a new wife......

If I had mechanical skills that wouldn't make Jeremy Clarkson blush, or a flat drive I'd probably get stuck in sorting the Civic out, but I don't and a few other things are starting to irritate - the broken AC, rubbish stereo and pervading smell of mould from the leaking rear window for starters Won't be in a position to get into Eurobox life (not something I've ever tried to be fair) until September so will end up getting the brakes done.

As I said, if I can justify keeping it as well as the 125i and (hopefully) the M135i sitting next to it, then I will. If not, I'll find it a good home

[r3g]

santona1937 said:

My contribution to the world of Shedding. Bought in July 2023 for £900 with 172K on the clock. Now at 183K. Needed new rear caliper, rear brakes so all in for about £1200. 2.0Tdci runs beautifully. 'Tis a good ol' crate. hit a deer at about 60mph in December which shifted the bonnet out of alignment due to a cracked slam panel. Sailed through MOT with no advisories. Now under consideration is potential slam panel replacement, or just leave as is- which is preferred option as bonnet locks and does not seem to impact on driveability. Scraped a wall during tight manoeuvre trying to get past brick wall, which jumped out and attacked me- hence the door paint. Am told that as long I keep the old bus well oiled and mechanically up to date I should easily get 300-400K miles out of her.....

Edited by santona1937 on Friday 17th May 18:01

Do those have a DPF on them? I was looking at an estate bus no long ago in that shape but I was put off by potential DPF borkage.

[santona1937]

r3g said:

santona1937 said:

My contribution to the world of Shedding. Bought in July 2023 for £900 with 172K on the clock. Now at 183K. Needed new rear caliper, rear brakes so all in for about £1200. 2.0Tdci runs beautifully. 'Tis a good ol' crate. hit a deer at about 60mph in December which shifted the bonnet out of alignment due to a cracked slam panel. Sailed through MOT with no advisories. Now under consideration is potential slam panel replacement, or just leave as is- which is preferred option as bonnet locks and does not seem to impact on driveability. Scraped a wall during tight manoeuvre trying to get past brick wall, which jumped out and attacked me- hence the door paint. Am told that as long I keep the old bus well oiled and mechanically up to date I should easily get 300-400K miles out of her.....

Edited by santona1937 on Friday 17th May 18:01

Do those have a DPF on them? I was looking at an estate bus no long ago in that shape but I was put off by potential DPF borkage.

Yes it has a DPF.. but does not require Ad Blue.. I have had no issues with a mix of very short and long drives over the last 10K miles. so far my experience has been this motor has not put a foot wrong.. these 2.0 diesel duratorq motors seem very reliable and pretty much unbreakable as long as they are miantained