The Joy of Running an Old Shed (Vol 2)
Discussion
BenS94 said:
I was tipped off about the rear of the MK2 Focus saloons being a rust trap. I peeled back the carpet and peered in expecting the worst...
Boot floor etc all good but did stink a bit - I thought it may have been letting in water. Everything stripped out and cleaned, smelling better now.
I also topped up all fluids (all bar screenwash barely needing any, but I like everything on "MAX". I then gave the honest, bone dry, but dirty engine bay a clean up, using Chrome NWs "Blink" one-step cleaner and dressing. I didn't want anything to leave a wet-look, overly clean glossy shine, the results are exactly what I wanted.
It then went on to look incredibly out of place at my friends place this evening.
I also found out this morning that the service book is stamped as far as their records go, to 2015, but two of the staff members there knew the car and the owner, saying he'll have likely done the work himself when he retired - great guy, well respected and absolutely loved the car by all accounts. Certainly put me at ease.
That really does look like a clean car Ben, you've done well there.Boot floor etc all good but did stink a bit - I thought it may have been letting in water. Everything stripped out and cleaned, smelling better now.
I also topped up all fluids (all bar screenwash barely needing any, but I like everything on "MAX". I then gave the honest, bone dry, but dirty engine bay a clean up, using Chrome NWs "Blink" one-step cleaner and dressing. I didn't want anything to leave a wet-look, overly clean glossy shine, the results are exactly what I wanted.
It then went on to look incredibly out of place at my friends place this evening.
I also found out this morning that the service book is stamped as far as their records go, to 2015, but two of the staff members there knew the car and the owner, saying he'll have likely done the work himself when he retired - great guy, well respected and absolutely loved the car by all accounts. Certainly put me at ease.
Edited by BenS94 on Friday 10th May 22:13
Pit Pony said:
anarki said:
Bowlers said:
Where would be the best place to list a ‘shed’ for sale.
Is Faceache the only answer these days?
I've had previous success in using Gumtree (sold my Forester without issue a couple of years back) but still had to filter out the idiots. Exercise extreme patience regardless. Is Faceache the only answer these days?
Pity that PH has to make a profit, otherwise you could step back to 2011, and use the free ads it had then. (29 calls about 998 mini)
mickythefish said:
Anyone know a tech2 person in the midlands, I need to get my radio unlocked?
I know one near Lincoln, if that's any use. He's at Feathers Garage in Thorpe on the Hill 07802 580615And I suspect the Saab specialist to the northwest side of Nottingham might have one. He's in Bulwell 0115 979 7367
And there's Redhill Garage in Arnold, Nottingham who are Saab specialists, but I have never been there myself 0115 9670335
QBee said:
I know one near Lincoln, if that's any use. He's at Feathers Garage in Thorpe on the Hill 07802 580615
And I suspect the Saab specialist to the northwest side of Nottingham might have one. He's in Bulwell 0115 979 7367
And there's Redhill Garage in Arnold, Nottingham who are Saab specialists, but I have never been there myself 0115 9670335
cheers And I suspect the Saab specialist to the northwest side of Nottingham might have one. He's in Bulwell 0115 979 7367
And there's Redhill Garage in Arnold, Nottingham who are Saab specialists, but I have never been there myself 0115 9670335
I posted around 2 and a half years ago about my Panda shed I got for £700. 30,000 miles later, it looks like it could be coming to an end. Just drove it to the garage for its MOT and it was as if the front wheels were trench blocks, clunk clunk clunk every turn and the sound was deafening. Couple that with the two new tyres it needs, the DIY brake pad change I did a few months ago which was a bit of a fail and it may be cheaper just to buy another one.
With this in mind, I treated myself to a new shed over the weekend, Audi A6 estate with a full service history and 12 month mot for £2000. 140k on the clock
The intention was to ram it to capacity with plasterboard, fascias and roof felt like the panda, but it's so nice inside by comparison I'm not sure I can bring myself to do it. Hopefully the panda can be saved and I can have two sheds on the go, one for the tip and the other for motorway cruising.
With this in mind, I treated myself to a new shed over the weekend, Audi A6 estate with a full service history and 12 month mot for £2000. 140k on the clock
The intention was to ram it to capacity with plasterboard, fascias and roof felt like the panda, but it's so nice inside by comparison I'm not sure I can bring myself to do it. Hopefully the panda can be saved and I can have two sheds on the go, one for the tip and the other for motorway cruising.
Daveb257 said:
Sadly I have found a new depth to s
t house botch up jobs,
What sort of cretin superglues 3 of the ten letters onto a L322 bonnet ?
So a 30 minute job turned into Saturday, all of Saturday and involved acetone, tar & glue, razor blade, 2000 grit and lots of Tourette’s outbursts
If i wanted the fallen off letters of said mitsubishi stuck back on a shed id be using mitre mate/superglue, why wouldnt you? t house botch up jobs,What sort of cretin superglues 3 of the ten letters onto a L322 bonnet ?
So a 30 minute job turned into Saturday, all of Saturday and involved acetone, tar & glue, razor blade, 2000 grit and lots of Tourette’s outbursts
my vauxhall badge is on with sticks like shDaveb257 said:
Sadly I have found a new depth to st house botch up jobs,
What sort of cretin superglues 3 of the ten letters onto a L322 bonnet ?
So a 30 minute job turned into Saturday, all of Saturday and involved acetone, tar & glue, razor blade, 2000 grit and lots of Tourette’s outbursts
Is the loss of letters on a badge a disqualification from Shedding, or are you trying to get the shed to become a respectable saloon again? t house botch up jobs,What sort of cretin superglues 3 of the ten letters onto a L322 bonnet ?
So a 30 minute job turned into Saturday, all of Saturday and involved acetone, tar & glue, razor blade, 2000 grit and lots of Tourette’s outbursts
Not that I would ever buy one anyway given 99% of anything I see on my travels stranded at the roadside is either French or Vauxhall, but here are some more of the above to avoid…
https://youtu.be/_e3VuAdf35Q?si=yDQJ-vQdpLblay3y
https://youtu.be/_e3VuAdf35Q?si=yDQJ-vQdpLblay3y
Digby said:
Not that I would ever buy one anyway given 99% of anything I see on my travels stranded at the roadside is either French or Vauxhall, but here are some more of the above to avoid…
https://youtu.be/_e3VuAdf35Q?si=yDQJ-vQdpLblay3y
Interesting, I would say I see way more Range Rovers and German cars broken down by the side of the road than French cars.https://youtu.be/_e3VuAdf35Q?si=yDQJ-vQdpLblay3y
The video does raise a good point though, that lots of these 3 cylinder engines seem to have inherent design faults. We all know about the Ford Ecoboost, the Stelantis 1.2 Puretech is absolute rubbish, and I have my doubts about the long term reliability of the Renault 1.0 TCE engine.
I just cannot see myself ever buying anything with a 3 cylinder engine, they just feel gruff and sound horrible.
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.
. 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.
Can't find where I mentioned my problem with my wife's astra J 1.6 none turbo.
I serviced it, and noted that the fan was always on, with the ignition on. Plus spanner light came on after 5 seconds.
Suggestions from the Internet and here was that I should get a better code reader But it was probably the fan switch which is part of the thermostat housing.
Eventually bought one, didn't fit it, but just plugged it in and tie wrapped it next to the original housing. GSF said I could return it if I didn't use it.
Spanner light stayed off. Fan stayed off. So I had the diagnosis correct.
4 bolts and the old plastic housing was replaced by a shiny aluminium housing.
On the subject of maintenance, all bolts were easy to get to, but one, meaning I had to use a knuckle joint adaptor, because the positioning of some aircon pipework wasn't optimised for access.
If the housing was fitted at a different angle on the side of the engine, or the pipes took a slightly different route...but not the worst job I've had to do.
I've done 80 miles in it, and all is well.
Wife not happy about the mould on the head lining.
I've got 90% of the leaking into the boot solved by sealing the plastic clips at the top of the hatch opening, hidden by the hatch when closed, but the damp catchers in the boot are still filling up. Carpet is dry now, so maybe it's just residual condensation, from when the rear seat was like a sponge of icy water.
Managed to get rid of most of the mould with soap and water. Hoping for a few hot days so I can open the windows and let the sun do its work.
I serviced it, and noted that the fan was always on, with the ignition on. Plus spanner light came on after 5 seconds.
Suggestions from the Internet and here was that I should get a better code reader But it was probably the fan switch which is part of the thermostat housing.
Eventually bought one, didn't fit it, but just plugged it in and tie wrapped it next to the original housing. GSF said I could return it if I didn't use it.
Spanner light stayed off. Fan stayed off. So I had the diagnosis correct.
4 bolts and the old plastic housing was replaced by a shiny aluminium housing.
On the subject of maintenance, all bolts were easy to get to, but one, meaning I had to use a knuckle joint adaptor, because the positioning of some aircon pipework wasn't optimised for access.
If the housing was fitted at a different angle on the side of the engine, or the pipes took a slightly different route...but not the worst job I've had to do.
I've done 80 miles in it, and all is well.
Wife not happy about the mould on the head lining.
I've got 90% of the leaking into the boot solved by sealing the plastic clips at the top of the hatch opening, hidden by the hatch when closed, but the damp catchers in the boot are still filling up. Carpet is dry now, so maybe it's just residual condensation, from when the rear seat was like a sponge of icy water.
Managed to get rid of most of the mould with soap and water. Hoping for a few hot days so I can open the windows and let the sun do its work.
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.
£300 for any car with 68k miles on it, running and road legal, is an absolute steal. Well done. . 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.
ThingsBehindTheSun said:
Digby said:
Not that I would ever buy one anyway given 99% of anything I see on my travels stranded at the roadside is either French or Vauxhall, but here are some more of the above to avoid…
https://youtu.be/_e3VuAdf35Q?si=yDQJ-vQdpLblay3y
Interesting, I would say I see way more Range Rovers and German cars broken down by the side of the road than French cars.https://youtu.be/_e3VuAdf35Q?si=yDQJ-vQdpLblay3y
The video does raise a good point though, that lots of these 3 cylinder engines seem to have inherent design faults. We all know about the Ford Ecoboost, the Stelantis 1.2 Puretech is absolute rubbish, and I have my doubts about the long term reliability of the Renault 1.0 TCE engine.
I just cannot see myself ever buying anything with a 3 cylinder engine, they just feel gruff and sound horrible.
I was the same as you, not so much against 3 cylinder engines, had a 107 before, but definitely against wet belts. I still am but the price was worth the gamble. The belt on the puretech looks far simpler to change in the future too compared to the ecoboost engine. If it lasts me until the next belt that is!
I've entered the shed game again.
Leaving a job next week and handing back my company car. Last time I bought a shed was 2019 when I got a MK1 Focus Ghia 1.6 for £550 quid. That car was faultless, tatty but never let me down. Only reason I scrapped it in 2021 is that the scrappy offered me the most money, only people on Facebook who wanted it where the grass trackers who wanted it for £100.
So decided I would get another petrol Focus (I won't touch diesel), I didn't want an expensive car that had got cheap. Requirements: good mot and service history, cambelt that has been done.
A lot of dogs out there at £1-£1.5k. I'd seen cars with 16 year old cambelts and zero clutch left, others burning oil (dealer even said TADTS), 13 year old rear tyres etc etc. So I upped my budget, probably a bit high for a true shed but I'd rather spend it and have a car that I know will work for work. £2k has got me a 59plate Focus Zetec 1.6 with 99k miles, serviced every year, fresh MoT yesterday, the fan works on all four speeds (a lot don't it seems) aircon blows cold and even has four black, round tyres.
It does need the cambelt but I'll get that done ASAP, I decided the rest of it was too good to ignore. But here is to "don't care where I park it" motoring.
edit - actually it has had the cambelt done 6 years ago. Found that tucked away in the service book. Winner!
Leaving a job next week and handing back my company car. Last time I bought a shed was 2019 when I got a MK1 Focus Ghia 1.6 for £550 quid. That car was faultless, tatty but never let me down. Only reason I scrapped it in 2021 is that the scrappy offered me the most money, only people on Facebook who wanted it where the grass trackers who wanted it for £100.
So decided I would get another petrol Focus (I won't touch diesel), I didn't want an expensive car that had got cheap. Requirements: good mot and service history, cambelt that has been done.
A lot of dogs out there at £1-£1.5k. I'd seen cars with 16 year old cambelts and zero clutch left, others burning oil (dealer even said TADTS), 13 year old rear tyres etc etc. So I upped my budget, probably a bit high for a true shed but I'd rather spend it and have a car that I know will work for work. £2k has got me a 59plate Focus Zetec 1.6 with 99k miles, serviced every year, fresh MoT yesterday, the fan works on all four speeds (a lot don't it seems) aircon blows cold and even has four black, round tyres.
It does need the cambelt but I'll get that done ASAP, I decided the rest of it was too good to ignore. But here is to "don't care where I park it" motoring.
edit - actually it has had the cambelt done 6 years ago. Found that tucked away in the service book. Winner!
Edited by Charlie Foxtrot on Wednesday 15th May 13:40
I had a 3.0 V6 CDTI SRI in that shape for a while, auto box and the Y30DT lump so no DPF (DPF came in with the Z30DT). Sweet sounding engine for a coal burner and handled surprisingly well for a big old bus with that weighty lump up front. Was reliable too. I'd definitely have another Y30 if a decent one came up for sale at the right price.
The 1.9 CDTI 150 in the Astra and Veccy was a known crappy engine due to the swirl flap ingestion issue when they seized up with EGR crap and then snapped off and disappeared into the engine, but you could map out the EGR for not much money and they were pretty reliable then.
The 1.9 CDTI 150 in the Astra and Veccy was a known crappy engine due to the swirl flap ingestion issue when they seized up with EGR crap and then snapped off and disappeared into the engine, but you could map out the EGR for not much money and they were pretty reliable then.
Edited by r3g on Wednesday 15th May 17:57
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