The Joy of Running an Old Shed (Vol 2)
Discussion
I'm at 100% shed ownership now the limit is £2k. The most I've paid was £2k for a Twingo GT (which I then wrote off), the least was £300 for a Puma 1.7 (my first car, to boot).
Generally I've tried to go for "interesting" and/or high spec models. I've had a 9-5 Aero wagon, an 850 T5 estate, an R53 Cooper S, a SportKa and an XC70 D5 among others... and now, a Panda 100hp.
Oh yeah, and a C6. I won't forget that one, for some good reasons and many bad ones.
I like old cars, I like driving old cars and I like trying old cars.
Generally I've tried to go for "interesting" and/or high spec models. I've had a 9-5 Aero wagon, an 850 T5 estate, an R53 Cooper S, a SportKa and an XC70 D5 among others... and now, a Panda 100hp.
Oh yeah, and a C6. I won't forget that one, for some good reasons and many bad ones.
I like old cars, I like driving old cars and I like trying old cars.
Retro T-5 shed is now ready for an MOT retest...
Tightened up the insecure battery clamps
Secured the battery into the tray using a couple of hilariously massive cable ties (new clamp on order)
Nipped to the mates garage, replaced the torn valve stem in the OSR wheel.
As far as failures go, the resultant repairs have been the easiest / quickest / cheapest to date!
Had an advisory for a chipped windscreen but I can live with that and the front tyres are starting to perish but will stick four tyres on it in due course.
Tightened up the insecure battery clamps
Secured the battery into the tray using a couple of hilariously massive cable ties (new clamp on order)
Nipped to the mates garage, replaced the torn valve stem in the OSR wheel.
As far as failures go, the resultant repairs have been the easiest / quickest / cheapest to date!
Had an advisory for a chipped windscreen but I can live with that and the front tyres are starting to perish but will stick four tyres on it in due course.
Mazda update...
Underneath is still solid with no holes, but plenty of orange stuff to be seen on the surface.
A sensible guess of 2 years before it causes problems - sills are perfect.
Rear right wheel bearing has very much failed, but they're a pig to do. £600 all in worst case quoted - the lads have doused it in penetrating oil to sit overnight. Brake backplates don't exist on the front which has caused the very very slight judder, only an advise for MOT.
Oil and filter will also be done at the same time, the rest of the filters will be sorted the next time around.
In all, not bad, considering the next cheapest similar car is knocking on £3,500, I'll be comfortably under that with a well sorted example - it was either fix it or throw in the towel and find something else, but given the lack of options, I've gone ahead. Well that, and the fact it's everything I want and need from a car.
Underneath is still solid with no holes, but plenty of orange stuff to be seen on the surface.
A sensible guess of 2 years before it causes problems - sills are perfect.
Rear right wheel bearing has very much failed, but they're a pig to do. £600 all in worst case quoted - the lads have doused it in penetrating oil to sit overnight. Brake backplates don't exist on the front which has caused the very very slight judder, only an advise for MOT.
Oil and filter will also be done at the same time, the rest of the filters will be sorted the next time around.
In all, not bad, considering the next cheapest similar car is knocking on £3,500, I'll be comfortably under that with a well sorted example - it was either fix it or throw in the towel and find something else, but given the lack of options, I've gone ahead. Well that, and the fact it's everything I want and need from a car.
BenS94 said:
Mazda update...
Underneath is still solid with no holes, but plenty of orange stuff to be seen on the surface.
A sensible guess of 2 years before it causes problems - sills are perfect.
Rear right wheel bearing has very much failed, but they're a pig to do. £600 all in worst case quoted - the lads have doused it in penetrating oil to sit overnight. Brake backplates don't exist on the front which has caused the very very slight judder, only an advise for MOT.
Oil and filter will also be done at the same time, the rest of the filters will be sorted the next time around.
In all, not bad, considering the next cheapest similar car is knocking on £3,500, I'll be comfortably under that with a well sorted example - it was either fix it or throw in the towel and find something else, but given the lack of options, I've gone ahead. Well that, and the fact it's everything I want and need from a car.
Started looking at Mazda's after your purchase and have just bought a 2011 Mazda 3 1.6 petrol in 'sport' trim. After clutch slipping on test drive and being replaced I'm in the car for around £450 quid which I thought was mega cheap. Does want a few other odds and sods sorting, lambda sensor, nearside mirror etc... Underneath is still solid with no holes, but plenty of orange stuff to be seen on the surface.
A sensible guess of 2 years before it causes problems - sills are perfect.
Rear right wheel bearing has very much failed, but they're a pig to do. £600 all in worst case quoted - the lads have doused it in penetrating oil to sit overnight. Brake backplates don't exist on the front which has caused the very very slight judder, only an advise for MOT.
Oil and filter will also be done at the same time, the rest of the filters will be sorted the next time around.
In all, not bad, considering the next cheapest similar car is knocking on £3,500, I'll be comfortably under that with a well sorted example - it was either fix it or throw in the towel and find something else, but given the lack of options, I've gone ahead. Well that, and the fact it's everything I want and need from a car.
Found heated front screen and heated seats when the temps dropped the other morning.
Chickened out with the shed Octavia as there were a few big ticket components on borrowed time.
Hopefully will provide trouble free motoring
Ste372 said:
BenS94 said:
Mazda update...
Underneath is still solid with no holes, but plenty of orange stuff to be seen on the surface.
A sensible guess of 2 years before it causes problems - sills are perfect.
Rear right wheel bearing has very much failed, but they're a pig to do. £600 all in worst case quoted - the lads have doused it in penetrating oil to sit overnight. Brake backplates don't exist on the front which has caused the very very slight judder, only an advise for MOT.
Oil and filter will also be done at the same time, the rest of the filters will be sorted the next time around.
In all, not bad, considering the next cheapest similar car is knocking on £3,500, I'll be comfortably under that with a well sorted example - it was either fix it or throw in the towel and find something else, but given the lack of options, I've gone ahead. Well that, and the fact it's everything I want and need from a car.
Started looking at Mazda's after your purchase and have just bought a 2011 Mazda 3 1.6 petrol in 'sport' trim. After clutch slipping on test drive and being replaced I'm in the car for around £450 quid which I thought was mega cheap. Does want a few other odds and sods sorting, lambda sensor, nearside mirror etc... Underneath is still solid with no holes, but plenty of orange stuff to be seen on the surface.
A sensible guess of 2 years before it causes problems - sills are perfect.
Rear right wheel bearing has very much failed, but they're a pig to do. £600 all in worst case quoted - the lads have doused it in penetrating oil to sit overnight. Brake backplates don't exist on the front which has caused the very very slight judder, only an advise for MOT.
Oil and filter will also be done at the same time, the rest of the filters will be sorted the next time around.
In all, not bad, considering the next cheapest similar car is knocking on £3,500, I'll be comfortably under that with a well sorted example - it was either fix it or throw in the towel and find something else, but given the lack of options, I've gone ahead. Well that, and the fact it's everything I want and need from a car.
Found heated front screen and heated seats when the temps dropped the other morning.
Chickened out with the shed Octavia as there were a few big ticket components on borrowed time.
Hopefully will provide trouble free motoring
BenS94 said:
Mazda update...
Rear right wheel bearing has very much failed, but they're a pig to do. £600 all in worst case quoted
That's the sort of repair bill that would make me question the future of said shed, however I guess times have changed and with shed budget now being £2000 (or more?) then maybe that sort of spend is ok. I think I'd be getting it fully checked first, see what else it's going to need over the next 12 months and then weigh up if it's worth it. But then again, sometimes it's better the devil you know... but you just can't call it. I have the fear that I'd decide to invest, then a month latter it'd bite me and I'd be left regretting... but that's motoring. Rear right wheel bearing has very much failed, but they're a pig to do. £600 all in worst case quoted
I'm in that exact quandry with my sisters V50 diesel. It's had a persistent running issue, it would drop into limp mode under light throttle at motorway speeds. It's had both solenoids, vacuums replaced, an air flow meter and the throttle pedal wiring fixed. I then went in for an MOT and rear brakes and some sort of mystery unfolded, looks like the DPF had been split at the front pipe and half a tank of diesel disappeared - suspicion is some sort of additive has been used to try and clean it out. However, ever since it's been a bit rough from cold, very uneven idle and now has started going into limp mode again - the worry is it's suffered some sort of diesel pump / injector based trauma but pin pointing it is proving a challenge.
Part of me is loathed to give up on it but part of me thinks enough is enough... it's a tricky one to call with older cars / ongoing repairs.
I'm a bit confused by the recent posts saying x price of a repair would mean it gets scrapped, unless the car genuinely isn't worth it then why wouldn't you repair it?
My insignia was getting on for a four figure MOT and would still be leaking oil from 2 possible places which was a case of try the cheapest and see if its that or not. Which on a cat n POS with no history,cambelt or anything genuinely wasnt worth it but if my £800 golf threw me a £600 bill I'd just pay it and carry on because it is actually worth investing in, despite it only costing £200 more.
My insignia was getting on for a four figure MOT and would still be leaking oil from 2 possible places which was a case of try the cheapest and see if its that or not. Which on a cat n POS with no history,cambelt or anything genuinely wasnt worth it but if my £800 golf threw me a £600 bill I'd just pay it and carry on because it is actually worth investing in, despite it only costing £200 more.
Davie said:
BenS94 said:
Mazda update...
Rear right wheel bearing has very much failed, but they're a pig to do. £600 all in worst case quoted
That's the sort of repair bill that would make me question the future of said shed, however I guess times have changed and with shed budget now being £2000 (or more?) then maybe that sort of spend is ok. I think I'd be getting it fully checked first, see what else it's going to need over the next 12 months and then weigh up if it's worth it. But then again, sometimes it's better the devil you know... but you just can't call it. I have the fear that I'd decide to invest, then a month latter it'd bite me and I'd be left regretting... but that's motoring. Rear right wheel bearing has very much failed, but they're a pig to do. £600 all in worst case quoted
I'm in that exact quandry with my sisters V50 diesel. It's had a persistent running issue, it would drop into limp mode under light throttle at motorway speeds. It's had both solenoids, vacuums replaced, an air flow meter and the throttle pedal wiring fixed. I then went in for an MOT and rear brakes and some sort of mystery unfolded, looks like the DPF had been split at the front pipe and half a tank of diesel disappeared - suspicion is some sort of additive has been used to try and clean it out. However, ever since it's been a bit rough from cold, very uneven idle and now has started going into limp mode again - the worry is it's suffered some sort of diesel pump / injector based trauma but pin pointing it is proving a challenge.
Part of me is loathed to give up on it but part of me thinks enough is enough... it's a tricky one to call with older cars / ongoing repairs.
Harry you Potter said:
A500leroy said:
New shed inbound ( still keeping the Punto as well)
Just arranging collection and delivery through Shipley.
oh god what have I done? least it has a towbar..
... details to follow....
A cut and shut example of a Vauxhall Omega incoming Just arranging collection and delivery through Shipley.
oh god what have I done? least it has a towbar..... details to follow....
BenS94 said:
A500leroy said:
New shed inbound ( still keeping the Punto as well)
Just arranging collection and delivery through Shipley.
oh god what have I done? least it has a towbar..
... details to follow....
I can already see the future posts filled with regret Just arranging collection and delivery through Shipley.
oh god what have I done? least it has a towbar..... details to follow....
Mondeo Shed update 
the 2007 mk4 ( 2.0TDCi 140 HP) went in for its mot. FAILED on:
Headlight not aligned and not secure ( due to me hitting a deer at 60mph)
Sharp edge cracks in front bumper and bumper not secure ( same reason)
Rear shocks leaking and not working as they should.. Turns out the estate has upgraded shocks which were £500 each! so went for standard shocks as I tow a very small caravan about 4 times a year
Rear trailing arms need replacement
Apparently no sign of any rust on underside, or on bodywork
Total costs £630 in VAT.
So in 18 months
Purchase £700
4 oil changes £150
2 MOTs £730
four new mid range tyres £300
New rear calipers, new front caliper new discs and pads £300
All in all approx £2200 including purchase over 18 months and 25K miles. Now on 195K
Cambelt/ water pump change to come early in new year plus gearbox oil change. Luckily it had new clutch and flywheel just before I purchased it which should keep going for quite a while yet.Motor feels perfect, everything electrical works, perhaps 200K is just breaking in for one of these? So all in all I am quite a happy bunny
the 2007 mk4 ( 2.0TDCi 140 HP) went in for its mot. FAILED on:
Headlight not aligned and not secure ( due to me hitting a deer at 60mph)
Sharp edge cracks in front bumper and bumper not secure ( same reason)
Rear shocks leaking and not working as they should.. Turns out the estate has upgraded shocks which were £500 each! so went for standard shocks as I tow a very small caravan about 4 times a year
Rear trailing arms need replacement
Apparently no sign of any rust on underside, or on bodywork
Total costs £630 in VAT.
So in 18 months
Purchase £700
4 oil changes £150
2 MOTs £730
four new mid range tyres £300
New rear calipers, new front caliper new discs and pads £300
All in all approx £2200 including purchase over 18 months and 25K miles. Now on 195K
Cambelt/ water pump change to come early in new year plus gearbox oil change. Luckily it had new clutch and flywheel just before I purchased it which should keep going for quite a while yet.Motor feels perfect, everything electrical works, perhaps 200K is just breaking in for one of these? So all in all I am quite a happy bunny
Ryyy said:
I'm a bit confused by the recent posts saying x price of a repair would mean it gets scrapped, unless the car genuinely isn't worth it then why wouldn't you repair it?
Not sure if you're referring to my last comment, though a bigger bill wouldn't se me calling the nearest scrappy... my train of thought is that if presented with a bigger bill, at shedding levels I'd be looking to go over the car with a fine tooth comb first and just get an idea if said big bill is that start of things to come or if that bill should (luck permitting) see it through for a while longer. I had a semi-sheddy XC70 up until April last year, a fantastic machine that cost me next to nothing in three years / 50,000 miles however it started to develop heavy steering at idle... basic checks suggested it could be the pump (not too bad) but may also be the rack (more bad..) and so before jumping in with both feet, I had to be utterly brutal and assess what else it may need down the line - flywheel was starting to chatter and it had an oil leak, looked to be cam cover which in turn is injectors out etc etc.
So ultimately, I decided that was probably time to cut my losses... putting maybe £2500 into a car worth maybe £2000 as it sat, at the time it didn't make sense. Though it's a bit catch 22 as I sold it for £1800, so my £1800 plus the £2500 "saved" is £4300 and buying another one at £4300 may have been out the fire, into the frying pan to start over again... so in some ways, pat of me thinks I should have had it fixed and kept going for another year or two. It's a tricky one to call at times, sadly motoring doesn't come with a chrystal ball so you just have to do what's right now... whilst being aware of what might lie ahead, but without being defeatist. I think... maybe...
There's an element of "better the devil you know", and it depends on the context of what it is and what else you might be able to buy, but whether something is economically viable (or sensible) to persist with is part and parcel of this. I know someone who has ploughed significantly more than the car is ever going to be worth into something with no chance of ever recovering the spend, but he sees the car as worth it to him. I know someone else who sold a car at a knockdown price to his mechanic because it needed a clutch and DMF and he felt the numbers stacked up better that way.
BenS94 said:
What I can't grasp is how that can be fine for cars over here, yet there are videos of cars supposedly going 20,000 miles between oil changes and it's literally a lump of jelly.
Yeah I wonder about that too. Mind you - I'd check the oil and top it up a little if required in between "services". I suppose otherwise it would get down to a low level, get hot and then start to bake and jellify...Has anyone here ever had an engine actually fail due to not changing the oil?
I've seen engines with pitted cams and the like but only one I had actually needed replacing - a 2CV engine about 30 years ago.
As far as I could tell the thrust washer on the front of the camshaft was slowly drilling it's way through the engine block. I'd got the car bacause the bodywork was great but I knew the mechanicals had been neglected. The owner hadn't changed the oil or filter for years and was doing a 80 mile round trip every day. He was just topping the oil up occasionally...
The points box mounted to the front of the block and the points cam was on the end of the camshaft and I noticed when I fitted an electronic igntion that I had to space out the points box with nuts otherwise there wasn't clearence for the hall sensor. The camshaft was about 5mm too far forwards...
I checked it occasionally and it slowly continued to move forwards (helical gear drive to the camshaft so constant forward thust) until one day I lost around 50% power.
It idled on two but on a run only one head got hot - I assume the camshaft had advanced so far one of the inlet valve followers had mostly fallen off the cam...
Davie said:
Ryyy said:
I'm a bit confused by the recent posts saying x price of a repair would mean it gets scrapped, unless the car genuinely isn't worth it then why wouldn't you repair it?
Not sure if you're referring to my last comment, though a bigger bill wouldn't se me calling the nearest scrappy... my train of thought is that if presented with a bigger bill, at shedding levels I'd be looking to go over the car with a fine tooth comb first and just get an idea if said big bill is that start of things to come or if that bill should (luck permitting) see it through for a while longer. I had a semi-sheddy XC70 up until April last year, a fantastic machine that cost me next to nothing in three years / 50,000 miles however it started to develop heavy steering at idle... basic checks suggested it could be the pump (not too bad) but may also be the rack (more bad..) and so before jumping in with both feet, I had to be utterly brutal and assess what else it may need down the line - flywheel was starting to chatter and it had an oil leak, looked to be cam cover which in turn is injectors out etc etc.
So ultimately, I decided that was probably time to cut my losses... putting maybe £2500 into a car worth maybe £2000 as it sat, at the time it didn't make sense. Though it's a bit catch 22 as I sold it for £1800, so my £1800 plus the £2500 "saved" is £4300 and buying another one at £4300 may have been out the fire, into the frying pan to start over again... so in some ways, pat of me thinks I should have had it fixed and kept going for another year or two. It's a tricky one to call at times, sadly motoring doesn't come with a chrystal ball so you just have to do what's right now... whilst being aware of what might lie ahead, but without being defeatist. I think... maybe...
Started the front NS wheel bearing only to experience for the worst case scenario - the hub nut was unified with the axle - to the extent it bent the power bar and simply would not come off. Managed to grind and peel it off but the axle thread is absolutely buggered so the driveshaft needs replacing and it needs a new wheel hub now. So a wheel bearing job that should take a few hours has turned into a slightly bigger job and about £80 more expensive
"The Joy of Running an Old Shed" ... sure is
"The Joy of Running an Old Shed" ... sure is
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff