The Joy of Running an Old Shed

[Darkslider]

moonigan said:

Is this the kind of thing? Cut out both sides of the join and replace with this. Does it need to be welded or do the clamps create the seal?

Yup that's what I had in mind! The hardest bit is cutting through the old exhaust in situ, a reciprocating saw with a hacksaw blade is the best bet I've found.

[STIfree]

ShyTallKnight said:

Is that Max's 340 - if so say hello I'm back on T/Side now so our paths may cross again..!!

Was chatting with Paul M before he's now got a Gs300 not sure if that is thread worthy yet

Yes that Max's 340. I sold it to him 5 years ago, it's been off the road for 3 of those years. He's finally getting it back together now with so much free time off work.

If it's the same Paul M I'm thinking of, the one who I sold my old GS300 to (again 5 years ago). They used to be (the 2000 ish shape) a good shed contedender, luxury, sub 1k but they're quickly going up in value as most stuff that's RWD and cheap is.

[danllama]

I'm now at the point where i have to make a decision as insurance on my daily finishes on Saturday. I have a toy in the garage so only need this car for commuting and boring jobs.

I need cruise control (long commute) and have narrowed it down to 2 cars locally, both Skodas (something i never thought i'd say).

2005 Fabia 1.4 elegance (petrol 100hp version) looks in decent conditon for its age - this is a bit tempting at only £800 and will apparently do 50mpg on a motorway cruise.

2008 Octavia 1.9tdi elegance - again, nice condition, should be a bit more economical and a bit more practical, but they want £1700 and it's a dirty diesel.

Which would you choose?

Wildcard - ropey 135k miles Ford Mondeo 2.0tdci titanium for £1300.

[mercedeslimos]

danllama said:

I'm now at the point where i have to make a decision as insurance on my daily finishes on Saturday. I have a toy in the garage so only need this car for commuting and boring jobs.

I need cruise control (long commute) and have narrowed it down to 2 cars locally, both Skodas (something i never thought i'd say).

2005 Fabia 1.4 elegance (petrol 100hp version) looks in decent conditon for its age - this is a bit tempting at only £800 and will apparently do 50mpg on a motorway cruise.

2008 Octavia 1.9tdi elegance - again, nice condition, should be a bit more economical and a bit more practical, but they want £1700 and it's a dirty diesel.

Which would you choose?

Wildcard - ropey 135k miles Ford Mondeo 2.0tdci titanium for £1300.

I've had all three of those (1.4 was in a MK4 Golf so slightly heavier, and 1.9TDI I've had many, in Passat/Octavia/Golf etc)

Currently have a 2011 Mondeo 2.0 TDCI with...

195k miles.

If you think the 1.4 petrol is going to give you 50mpg you're dreaming sadly. The 1.4 TDI certainly would, but the petrol will do about 40 driven gently.

The 1.9TDI is a good call, the Mrs has a Mk5 Golf with 340k or thereabouts on it and its lifetime average for us over 4 years has been over 50mpg, day-in-day-out.

The Mondeo you don't say what year but from 2007 has a DPF so n smoke but less MPG, mine is averaging about 46ish.

None are a bad choice, some are better. The Mondeo would probably be the most reliable, the Octavia best on juice.

[moonigan]

Darkslider said:

Yup that's what I had in mind! The hardest bit is cutting through the old exhaust in situ, a reciprocating saw with a hacksaw blade is the best bet I've found.

Thanks for this! I've had another look today and it looks like the entire section of the centre pipe that comes from the silencer to join the rear silencer is rotten so I wont be able place a join at this point.



My thoughts are now to buy a the replacement centre section and then cut it at some point and use one of the joins to connect the new centre section with the old centre section. Is this the right approach?

[aaron_2000]

The Merc is off the road with an irritating fault. Since I rebuilt the compressor, the car now refuses to raise at all. I've disconnected the battery for 30 mins, jacked it up to various heights and run the compressor as the FB owners club suggested yet it still won't raise. I don't have access to STAR so I can't plug it in and nobody local seems to have it either. I've still got the Airmatic visit workshop fault which makes me wonder if I plugged the 2 compressor plugs in the wrong way round if it's possible, or maybe somehow the compressor isn't sealed properly. The piston ring seemed to be fitted correctly as did the O ring, the line from the compressor to the block also seems tight. Very annoying

[danllama]

mercedeslimos said:

danllama said:

I'm now at the point where i have to make a decision as insurance on my daily finishes on Saturday. I have a toy in the garage so only need this car for commuting and boring jobs.

I need cruise control (long commute) and have narrowed it down to 2 cars locally, both Skodas (something i never thought i'd say).

2005 Fabia 1.4 elegance (petrol 100hp version) looks in decent conditon for its age - this is a bit tempting at only £800 and will apparently do 50mpg on a motorway cruise.

2008 Octavia 1.9tdi elegance - again, nice condition, should be a bit more economical and a bit more practical, but they want £1700 and it's a dirty diesel.

Which would you choose?

Wildcard - ropey 135k miles Ford Mondeo 2.0tdci titanium for £1300.

I've had all three of those (1.4 was in a MK4 Golf so slightly heavier, and 1.9TDI I've had many, in Passat/Octavia/Golf etc)

Currently have a 2011 Mondeo 2.0 TDCI with...

195k miles.

If you think the 1.4 petrol is going to give you 50mpg you're dreaming sadly. The 1.4 TDI certainly would, but the petrol will do about 40 driven gently.

The 1.9TDI is a good call, the Mrs has a Mk5 Golf with 340k or thereabouts on it and its lifetime average for us over 4 years has been over 50mpg, day-in-day-out.

The Mondeo you don't say what year but from 2007 has a DPF so n smoke but less MPG, mine is averaging about 46ish.

None are a bad choice, some are better. The Mondeo would probably be the most reliable, the Octavia best on juice.

Good input cheers! I think it's all a bit swings and roundabouts. Any saving on fuel in the Octavia could be wiped out in seconds with one pricey repair job. I'm liking the Mondeo a lot, it's a lot of car for the money. I've also just been to see an '06 Focus 2.0 tdci titanium, actually a very nice drive but not many came with cruise control and this particular one had a noisy wheel bearing.

[mercedeslimos]

danllama said:

Good input cheers! I think it's all a bit swings and roundabouts. Any saving on fuel in the Octavia could be wiped out in seconds with one pricey repair job. I'm liking the Mondeo a lot, it's a lot of car for the money. I've also just been to see an '06 Focus 2.0 tdci titanium, actually a very nice drive but not many came with cruise control and this particular one had a noisy wheel bearing.

I do all my own repairs so personally, that's a moot point, but you're right and all cars have their bugbears. I was looking at a Focus (Mk3 shape, 11-on) but could not get a single one in the budget that had the 2.0, cruise, and Bluetooth. For the same money, I got an 11 Mondeo 2.0, Titanium with Bluetooth, keyless start, cruise, and a sunroof. Bargain. The engine in all 2.0 TDCI is the Peugeot DW10 (AKA 2.0 HDi in all Peugeot/Citroen etc)

My favourite engine of all time though has to be the 1.9 PD TDI. I've had maybe twenty of these in their different power outputs and forms, and have done maybe 300,000 miles in total in them all. Some are less reliable than others, but I firmly believe they are at their best over 250k+.

The only real reason I went for a 2011 Mondeo over a 2007-on was that the 2.0 attracts €280 a year tax after 2011, the 07-10 models which were Euro 4 I think were €590 a year to tax.

[Majorslow]

Some of you "shedders" have by the sound of it many cars.....although I have a 1999 V70 it is only one of 8 that have had my name on the V5 since I passed my test in 84

I tend to keep my cars for as long as I can, strangely, if it is reliable, fore fills it's requirements then I can't see the need to chop and change, hence the V70 from new (bought in Belgium, cheaper than the UK and works out at about £880 a year) So it is well within "shed" budget.

My beloved first car was a new Mk3 Escort 1.6GL (bought in Germany).... 10 years I had that, loved it mistake selling that for a Volvo 480...heap of st mega electrical problems 6 months it lasted before it had to go ( then on a bike for 6 years to save up for a decent car)

2nd hand Honda integra, great car, but had to go as kids came along and it couldn't have 3 point seat belts fitted in back for child seats

2nd hand Corsa 1.2 was next....used for teaching learners sold when clutch started to slip to a dealer

New Corsa SXI+ 1.3 diesel sold after 6 years as starting to get tatty not professional but great for the job it did, only had a turbo fail

A 2012 Mini diesel 1.6 since 2013 as a learner car...great for it's job, driven hard and abused (as were the 2 corsa's) not to date cost me a penny

2006 MX5 bought in 2012 as a "toy" likely to be a "keeper" as I love it.

So I have spent about 65k on cars, less what i sold them on for and it works out about £1548 a year on cars. Still got 3 of them. I have been lucky enough to drive many different vehicles so not inexperienced in other cars owing to various jobs i have had

So is it cheaper to be a pure shedder? or buy new and keep it for a while if you don't get bored of the vehicle? Who has had the most cars?....or have you lost count?

[STIfree]

Majorslow said:

So is it cheaper to be a pure shedder? or buy new and keep it for a while if you don't get bored of the vehicle? Who has had the most cars?....or have you lost count?

20 cars in 10 years of driving. High proportion of those were sheds. I used them like short term rentals when I needed something for daily duties or putting a load of miles on. Often chopped them in if I spotted a newer shiner shed and fancied a change. I enjoy different experiences so that crosses over to cars and the constant want to change car and try something new.

I've not calculated but I'm pretty sure that running costs/depreciation probably costs me around £200-500 a year. Mostly because I'm a right tight ar*e and only buy bargains so it often works out I sell on cars for more/break even.

[tomble22]

I'm ashamed to say (kind of) I'm currently on car 46 in 15 years of driving.....I do obviously get bored easily. Funnily enough the Honda (coming up to 6 months) is the longest I've owned the car in quite a while.

I had my insurance company question me a couple of years back. They thought I was trading as I had to amend my policy so many times!!

[mmm-five]

Majorslow said:

Some of you "shedders" have by the sound of it many cars.....although I have a 1999 V70 it is only one of 8 that have had my name on the V5 since I passed my test in 84

I tend to keep my cars for as long as I can, strangely, if it is reliable, fore fills it's requirements then I can't see the need to chop and change, hence the V70 from new (bought in Belgium, cheaper than the UK and works out at about £880 a year) So it is well within "shed" budget.

Similar to me.

My Z4MC has been with me since 2008 and 9,000 miles - now on 160,000 miles.

Before that, my e34 M5 was with me from 2000 (60,000 miles to 160,000 miles).

Before that, my Corrado VR6 was with me from 1996 (40,000 miles to 110,000 miles).

Before that I had a Polo G40 for a year, which replaced a Polo GT that I had for a year, which replaced my first car...an Austin Metro in 1992.


However, since going down the 'shed' route for a daily driver to give me time to get the Z4MC 'refreshed', I've had 2 sub-£1000 Alfa 147 JTDs (clutch went on first one, the 2nd had a head gasket failure in Belgium after just having a pump/belt/thermo change).

I now have a leggy e46 330D Touring for the 500 mile a week commute between Liverpool & London...will keep that until it needs something major doing too - although I have a friend who has already claimed it for parts after I'm finished with it.

[James_N]

Just wondered what people’s thoughts were on servicing and the cost of parts. I’ve had my £250 Peugeot 106 5 months now and still only spent a grand total of £15 on it for some carparts4less wipers, an exhaust hanger and a bit of oil.

I’ve done nothing else and luckily got a 6month reprieve on the MOT until November. It’s been pretty well looked after in it’s previous life by little old lady who had it serviced by a local mechanic.

I know we shouldn’t spend unnecessary money on sheds like these but I’ve now done 1500 miles and it’s served me well and apart from leaking in heavy rain, things have been without incident.

I started to think about a basic service and decided to check AUTODOC. I’m in no rush for the parts and it gets serviced whenever possible but prices were as follows

Spark plugs - 79p each - spark automotive branded

Oil filter - £3.71 - Ridex branded

Fuel filter - £4.21 - blueprint branded

Air filter - £5.03 - Ridex branded again

Having read some stuff on here about AUTODOC they seem to come recommend as long as you aren’t in a rush, and coming from Germany I assume quality should be ok but all this lot for just a smudge over £16 plus postage seems too cheap.

Has anyone else used these branded parts on their shed and if so, were they any good?

Thank you

[bearman68]

Blue print are well known and respected in the trade. Quality is good, pricing is usually high.

The other 'brands' are perhaps a little more marginal.

[VR99]

Majorslow said:

Some of you "shedders" have by the sound of it many cars.....although I have a 1999 V70 it is only one of 8 that have had my name on the V5 since I passed my test in 84

I tend to keep my cars for as long as I can, strangely, if it is reliable, fore fills it's requirements then I can't see the need to chop and change, hence the V70 from new (bought in Belgium, cheaper than the UK and works out at about £880 a year) So it is well within "shed" budget.

I've had my driving license 15 yrs..rather boring but only owned two cars in that time including the current one. Combined purchase cost of both abt £8.5k. The current car is firmly in shed territory now but similar to yourself if the car fulfiled a role (and continues to) that I needed it for haven't found the justification to chop n change. But I've had the urge to change so many times, it's tempting. I do 3.5-5k miles per year and mainly for shopping trips or visiting family and 90% in London. I don't have the space for two cars and with such low mileage again can't justify the extra outlay on insurance and road tax. It would be nice to buy something a bit more upmarket next but then think I could just buy a car for £3k and be happy at the lower hit to my bank balance...swings and roundabouts.

[danllama]

Went for the Octavia in the end and couldn't be happier. Definitely not quite a shed but it'll be my work horse. What a revelation after driving my little MR2 roadster to work for a year!

[James_N]

bearman68 said:

Blue print are well known and respected in the trade. Quality is good, pricing is usually high.

The other 'brands' are perhaps a little more marginal.

Thanks for that

[PistonAFC]

Salmonofdoubt said:

I can see why some people choose to PCP. If I hadn't found a friendly and cheap mechanic I'd be in some kind of never never mobile now.

Shedding works best if you don't need a car daily, don't do a lot of unavoidable miles and can spanner yourself.

I'd say ^^^ THIS and shedding ONLY works if you work close to home (so can ditch the car if it doesn't start) and can spanner yourself.

[PistonAFC]

James_N said:

Just wondered what people’s thoughts were on servicing and the cost of parts. I’ve had my £250 Peugeot 106 5 months now and still only spent a grand total of £15 on it for some carparts4less wipers, an exhaust hanger and a bit of oil.

I’ve done nothing else and luckily got a 6month reprieve on the MOT until November. It’s been pretty well looked after in it’s previous life by little old lady who had it serviced by a local mechanic.

I know we shouldn’t spend unnecessary money on sheds like these but I’ve now done 1500 miles and it’s served me well and apart from leaking in heavy rain, things have been without incident.

I started to think about a basic service and decided to check AUTODOC. I’m in no rush for the parts and it gets serviced whenever possible but prices were as follows

Spark plugs - 79p each - spark automotive branded

Oil filter - £3.71 - Ridex branded

Fuel filter - £4.21 - blueprint branded

Air filter - £5.03 - Ridex branded again

Having read some stuff on here about AUTODOC they seem to come recommend as long as you aren’t in a rush, and coming from Germany I assume quality should be ok but all this lot for just a smudge over £16 plus postage seems too cheap.

Has anyone else used these branded parts on their shed and if so, were they any good?

Thank you

All the things you've listed, I'd get decent quality parts for as they are important pieces and the better quality won't cost that much more. I'd also think about whether the spark and air & fuel filter REALLY need doing and for the oil filter, I'd go MANN or BOSCH every time.

[PistonAFC]

danllama said:

Went for the Octavia in the end and couldn't be happier. Definitely not quite a shed but it'll be my work horse. What a revelation after driving my little MR2 roadster to work for a year!

"Revelation" in what way? I've been thinking of a getting a MR2 Mk3 for work (10 miles A roads and 10 miles motorway).