The Joy of Running an Old Shed

[largespiced]

STIfree said:

Keep us updated on this one. I'm very tempted by a cheap Cooper S in a months time but almost everyone I've spoken to has advised me against it.

Anything special you did when buying one that helped you get a good one, or just luck of the draw?

My brother bought it locally for a cheap toy. He then liked it so much he went and bought a "better" one with less miles etc. As he had run it for a short while I knew it should be okay.

I have changed the rear pads on it, and also the cooling fan set up. They are 2 speed and the first speed should kick in as the car reaches 105c. If that fails it gets to 110c and the second fan kicks in. Not a massive problem, but the air con works better with the first speed fan working correctly otherwise it relies on the second fast speed part.

Other than that its been brilliant so far. I am being cautious not to spend too much and be realistic with the costs. Round brands hatch it was great. I have done it several times and this one was by far the best!

[aaron_2000]

V6todayEVmanana said:

aaron_2000 said:

Recently helped my girlfriend buy a nice Focus 1.4 CL for £200. Low mile example, driving it made me remember just what a riot they are. Had the Merc parked up the last 3 days while I daily it myself taking it up into the Dales, pin sharp and still fresh because of the miles. Anyway, last night she ends up being hit in the side in a car park, other driver accepted full responsibility. Off to see a nice 1.6 Zetec 5 door today, 98k on the clock and a couple of cosmetics to do but for £200 it seems a steal. Made me disappointed to drive the Merc again when the Focus is so much more fun.

How can a 98k miles petrol mk1 Focus be so cheap. Shocking.
It costs more to tax it

What happened to the damaged 1.4? Any parts worth salvaging?

How you find road/wind noise in the Focus versus the Merc?

I won it, £205. Very happy, went to see it before I won the auction and it drives great. Regarding the 1.4, the damage wasn't really notable so she and the other driver agreed not to bother with insurance, he gave her £100. I would've probably gone through insurance but the premium spike wouldn't have been worth it for her. The car really only needed a buff but she was shaken up and didn't really want to drive it after that so I sold it to a mate of mine for £400. The Focus around town is a really refined car, even at 60 it's a smooth car to drive. I find it's a more planted car to drive but quite a bit noisier, but it's just so much more fun to drive. The Merc is off the road in desperate need of a valve block so I'll be using the Focus for the next week or so

[STIfree]

Another shed of mine completed a drive to Germany.

Brimmed both the petrol and the LPG tank.

Overnight ferry from Hull to Rotterdam, I woke up in the morning to see that I'd been joined by another barge.



No issues apart from half way a message came up on the dash for "Brake Wear" assume it relates to the rear pads that I changed last month but I didn't notice anything to reset the trip. To be honest, I don't even know what the sensor looks like as I've never had a car with this system fitted.



I did, however, run out of LPG after about 220 miles but was surprised to see a lot of LPG stations. Issue is that its a different connector to what we have in the UK. I didn't know about this before so I've got an adaptor on order from Amazon for £13 that'll solve that. Cost of LPG here is about £0.51 vs £1.10 for petrol.




Last blast of autobahn between Stuttgart and Munich is some of the best. Plenty of long de-restricted sections, which was welcome after the Netherlands which now have a 100km/h limit during the day on all their motorways.

Pipped a GPS indicated 138mph before having to slow for traffic. But sat for prolonged periods between 110-120mph comfortably. Was able to continue relaxed conversations inside the car even at that speed, thanks double glazing!



Finished the journey at 680 miles. Averaged 25.6mpg which I'm very happy about (I'm pretty sure now the car does more MPG on petrol than LPG).

I also didn't need to refuel, the 1 tank of LPG & 1 tank of petrol got me the whole way with about 70 miles of range still remaining.


I had a quick check online at prices of LS430's in Germany and they range from 5000-10,000 Euros. So at £1000 spent on mine, even if it goes tits up during the time I'm here, I'm sure I'd be able to sell it as a parts car for more than I paid for it!

[Bonefish Blues]

Yes, cars always do better on the more energy-dense petrol than LPG - 10% is the usually-quoted difference.

[STIfree]

Bonefish Blues said:

Yes, cars always do better on the more energy-dense petrol than LPG - 10% is the usually-quoted difference.

I'd say that sounds about right. I did a motorway journey last month on LPG the whole way and averaged about 23mpg.

Still, at half the price of petrol it's worth it. (although I'm glad I'm not the one who paid £1200 2 years ago to get the system fitted!)

[Majorslow]

STIfree said:

Another shed of mine completed a drive to Germany.

Brimmed both the petrol and the LPG tank.

Overnight ferry from Hull to Rotterdam, I woke up in the morning to see that I'd been joined by another barge.


No issues apart from half way a message came up on the dash for "Brake Wear" assume it relates to the rear pads that I changed last month but I didn't notice anything to reset the trip. To be honest, I don't even know what the sensor looks like as I've never had a car with this system fitted.



I did, however, run out of LPG after about 220 miles but was surprised to see a lot of LPG stations. Issue is that its a different connector to what we have in the UK. I didn't know about this before so I've got an adaptor on order from Amazon for £13 that'll solve that. Cost of LPG here is about £0.51 vs £1.10 for petrol.



Last blast of autobahn between Stuttgart and Munich is some of the best. Plenty of long de-restricted sections, which was welcome after the Netherlands which now have a 100km/h limit during the day on all their motorways.

Pipped a GPS indicated 138mph before having to slow for traffic. But sat for prolonged periods between 110-120mph comfortably. Was able to continue relaxed conversations inside the car even at that speed, thanks double glazing!


Finished the journey at 680 miles. Averaged 25.6mpg which I'm very happy about (I'm pretty sure now the car does more MPG on petrol than LPG).

I also didn't need to refuel, the 1 tank of LPG & 1 tank of petrol got me the whole way with about 70 miles of range still remaining.


I had a quick check online at prices of LS430's in Germany and they range from 5000-10,000 Euros. So at £1000 spent on mine, even if it goes tits up during the time I'm here, I'm sure I'd be able to sell it as a parts car for more than I paid for it!

I have family in Stuttgart, and managed down there from Hampshire on one tank in my V70... 3 adults, 2 kids and full boot, was on fumes i think

The run from Stuttgart to Munich is a great run, glad you enjoyed it. Nice car to "waft" along in ... no cob webs on it now

[so called]

Back in 1995 I took a job near Braunschweig, northern Germany.
I had a Rover 820i to take over, nice and big and comfortable, Fitted new tyres and exhaust for the trip.
Went out on a Sunday for two weeks, heading home the Friday of the second week for a long weekend.
On the way out again the Monday after, I ended up in the middle of a 30 car pile up on the M25. Car written off.

Headed home in an AA rental and the next day bought a Mazda 626 with only 30k miles on it.
Set off again on the Wednesday and what a god awful drive.
The car was all over the road, tracking? shocks?
I don't know but when I got home again 2 weeks later it was straight back to the dealer and swapped it for a fairly high mileage Vauxhall Senator.

What a great car, lovely 3lt straight 6 engine giving 37 mpg.
Adjustable suspension etc., etc.
Did 1000's of miles back and to England/Germany England for several years.
It developed a few faults such as front passenger window had a mind of its own and would decide to open or close itself without my permission.
The heater packed up which meant in the winter there would still be ice on the inside of the rear screen when I reached Calais.

[Jamaica]

Bonefish Blues said:

There's much to like, and a predictable set of checks to run to make sure that you get as decent a one as possible. My wife loves hers.

Whsts the mpg like

[Bonefish Blues]

Which engine was I talking about? Our E3 D5 was about 32-33 on her journey profile, but way better on a decent trip, when it would be high 30s, perhaps 40.

[anonymous-user]

This was my Euro 3 V70 D5, mostly motorway and with what I think was a boost leak. Often wonder how the new owner is getting on.

[Poisson96]

Metro shed keeps rolling, had a small amount of welding done in preparation for the MOT, new cambelt and then it broke it's fuel gauge so got that thrown in too. Also stripped one rear arch to confirm it's just filler (it is, no rust). Keeps rolling, I'm happy

[Davie]

Sheddy V70 D5 is no more...

I've had five, this one promised lots but I just never gelled with it. At 248,000 miles it just felt baggy and worn out and would have easily consumed lots if time and money to put right but probably never really be right.

Part exchanged it on Friday for a newer, non shed XC70 though the irony is said sheddy V70 did the 410 miles without any drama and I got out wondering if it was a good move. But, it's done and I don't think I'd go back to a V70 in the future. Great cars but at an age where their age is showing and a tired one can be hard to run with shed ethos in mind.

Still have the V50 so still shedding with it... and I'd be loathed to give up on it, it's just been brilliant whereas the V70, wasn't.

[Bonefish Blues]

Davie said:

Sheddy V70 D5 is no more...

I've had five, this one promised lots but I just never gelled with it. At 248,000 miles it just felt baggy and worn out and would have easily consumed lots if time and money to put right but probably never really be right.

Part exchanged it on Friday for a newer, non shed XC70 though the irony is said sheddy V70 did the 410 miles without any drama and I got out wondering if it was a good move. But, it's done and I don't think I'd go back to a V70 in the future. Great cars but at an age where their age is showing and a tired one can be hard to run with shed ethos in mind.

Still have the V50 so still shedding with it... and I'd be loathed to give up on it, it's just been brilliant whereas the V70, wasn't.

Exactly why I gave up on XC70 shed. Cosmetics excellent, mechanicals a shagfest. So it's just the S60 that falls into the shed category, with the C70 just above shedhold, and the newer XC70 having even further to go.

[The spinner of plates]

STIfree said:

largespiced said:

After posting in car buying I purchased a £900 Mini Cooper S for some shedding fun. Took it to brands couple of weeks back and was wonderful not having something worth a fortune to worry about. Its faultless, works everyday and is a great laugh. Even with 170k on the clock it feels very tight, and the supercharger whine is addictive!

Keep us updated on this one. I'm very tempted by a cheap Cooper S in a months time but almost everyone I've spoken to has advised me against it.

Anything special you did when buying one that helped you get a good one, or just luck of the draw?

I ran an R53 for a year or two, lovely little thing.

Put small wheels on - less outright grip but they handle lovely and the car moves around more progressively.

Watch the oil level as this engine really doesn’t tolerate being run low. Reading the forums, the usage variance was huge between ‘doesn’t burn a drop’ to ‘it’s burned 1ltr per 1,000 miles from new’. Mine was nearer the latter which became tiresome after a while.

And on that point the dipstick has to do a weird 90 degree twist due to a rather torturous twisty tube route to the sump. They go brittle over time and the end can easily snap off... invest in one of these:
https://www.lohen.co.uk/cravenspeed-dipstick-gen-1...

[anonymous-user]

Currently running a 1.9 tdi polo which I bought at 135,000 miles 5 years ago for £600. It’s now on 180,000 and it’s been slow to start for a few months, a few weeks ago wouldn’t crank at all and as lockdown meant one car is fine for us we just shared the non shed Discovery.

Cone today, I’ve decided to take a look at the starter to either replace or fix the wiring to it and I need to remove to air box and battery box to reach it. Unfortunately the battery box bolts are totally seized and rounded through rust. Being a very basic mechanically minded boy and not averse to a bodge, what’s the recommended course? Cut out the battery box plastic? Find a way to drill out the bolts? Find a scrappy to sell the piece of st to?

[egor110]

The spinner of plates said:

STIfree said:

largespiced said:

After posting in car buying I purchased a £900 Mini Cooper S for some shedding fun. Took it to brands couple of weeks back and was wonderful not having something worth a fortune to worry about. Its faultless, works everyday and is a great laugh. Even with 170k on the clock it feels very tight, and the supercharger whine is addictive!

Keep us updated on this one. I'm very tempted by a cheap Cooper S in a months time but almost everyone I've spoken to has advised me against it.

Anything special you did when buying one that helped you get a good one, or just luck of the draw?

I ran an R53 for a year or two, lovely little thing.

Put small wheels on - less outright grip but they handle lovely and the car moves around more progressively.

Watch the oil level as this engine really doesn’t tolerate being run low. Reading the forums, the usage variance was huge between ‘doesn’t burn a drop’ to ‘it’s burned 1ltr per 1,000 miles from new’. Mine was nearer the latter which became tiresome after a while.

And on that point the dipstick has to do a weird 90 degree twist due to a rather torturous twisty tube route to the sump. They go brittle over time and the end can easily snap off... invest in one of these:
https://www.lohen.co.uk/cravenspeed-dipstick-gen-1...

Or instead of the lohen one there's one on ebay for about $18 , solid metal so won't snap.

[M4cruiser]

The spinner of plates said:

Watch the oil level as this engine really doesn’t tolerate being run low. Reading the forums, the usage variance was huge between ‘doesn’t burn a drop’ to ‘it’s burned 1ltr per 1,000 miles from new’. Mine was nearer the latter which became tiresome after a while.

And on that point the dipstick has to do a weird 90 degree twist due to a rather torturous twisty tube route to the sump. They go brittle over time and the end can easily snap off... invest in one of these:
https://www.lohen.co.uk/cravenspeed-dipstick-gen-1...

Great idea for the dipstick. the Clio 3 (1.6) needs something similar.

[bearman68]

The spinner of plates said:

I ran an R53 for a year or two, lovely little thing.

Put small wheels on - less outright grip but they handle lovely and the car moves around more progressively.

Watch the oil level as this engine really doesn’t tolerate being run low. Reading the forums, the usage variance was huge between ‘doesn’t burn a drop’ to ‘it’s burned 1ltr per 1,000 miles from new’. Mine was nearer the latter which became tiresome after a while.

And on that point the dipstick has to do a weird 90 degree twist due to a rather torturous twisty tube route to the sump. They go brittle over time and the end can easily snap off... invest in one of these:
https://www.lohen.co.uk/cravenspeed-dipstick-gen-1...

£70 bloody quid for a dipstick? That's not proper shedding

[A500leroy]

sebdangerfield said:

Currently running a 1.9 tdi polo which I bought at 135,000 miles 5 years ago for £600. It’s now on 180,000 and it’s been slow to start for a few months, a few weeks ago wouldn’t crank at all and as lockdown meant one car is fine for us we just shared the non shed Discovery.

[b] Find a scrappy to sell the piece of st to?[b/]

Do this, plenty of other cars out there for £600 for another 5 yrs motoring.

[The spinner of plates]

bearman68 said:

The spinner of plates said:

I ran an R53 for a year or two, lovely little thing.

Put small wheels on - less outright grip but they handle lovely and the car moves around more progressively.

Watch the oil level as this engine really doesn’t tolerate being run low. Reading the forums, the usage variance was huge between ‘doesn’t burn a drop’ to ‘it’s burned 1ltr per 1,000 miles from new’. Mine was nearer the latter which became tiresome after a while.

And on that point the dipstick has to do a weird 90 degree twist due to a rather torturous twisty tube route to the sump. They go brittle over time and the end can easily snap off... invest in one of these:
https://www.lohen.co.uk/cravenspeed-dipstick-gen-1...

£70 bloody quid for a dipstick? That's not proper shedding

Agreed. Seem to remember I paid less than £30 a few years ago.