What have you done to your car today?

Caporegime
Joined
29 Jul 2011
Posts
36,368
Location
In acme's chair.
What exactly makes a P2 Volvo S60 T5 a rust bucket and what prevents it from being a "good" car? I'd readily agree with you on most of his other cars but from what I've seen with this one there is nothing really wrong with it, and as a base car the P2 T5s are perfectly decent cars with above-par performance.

Its because its me.

But anyway, there was nothing wrong with the Polo, Octavia, MX5 #1, MX5 #3 (despite appearances), Corolla #1 or Corolla #2, and theres nothing wrong with the Volvo.

MX5 #2 and the Celica were sheddier than B&Q during a shed sale, and the E30 was (and to a certain degree still is) definitely a rust bucket, but I still consider the E30 a success. :D

I think 8 / 10 is a decent success rate given that I tend to go for bottom-of-the-market cars :p
 
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Soldato
Joined
29 May 2010
Posts
4,731
Location
Tampa, Florida
It isn't because 'it's you'.

The Volvo isn't a bad car, but it also isn't designed for what Acme is using it for, it's a comfortable motorway vehicle with some grunt to make that job easier.

Go lease a Golf R (I despise Golfs... remember this) and you'll find out just how much better the handling and power can be. I picked the Golf as from what I read there are decent deals on them, anything modern with a turbo is going to be decently faster/handle better.

I'm not attacking you, you've just not owned a broad range of old/new is what I'm getting at.
 
Caporegime
Joined
22 Oct 2002
Posts
26,888
Location
Boston, Lincolnshire
It isn't because 'it's you'.

The Volvo isn't a bad car, but it also isn't designed for what Acme is using it for, it's a comfortable motorway vehicle with some grunt to make that job easier.

Go lease a Golf R (I despise Golfs... remember this) and you'll find out just how much better the handling and power can be. I picked the Golf as from what I read there are decent deals on them, anything modern with a turbo is going to be decently faster/handle better.

I'm not attacking you, you've just not owned a broad range of old/new is what I'm getting at.

Yes but a Golf costs 20k used. My old Saab will keep one honest on a motorway and costs peanuts. Let Acme have his fun. I am sure he knows the limitations of his car.
 
Caporegime
Joined
29 Jul 2011
Posts
36,368
Location
In acme's chair.
It isn't because 'it's you'.

The Volvo isn't a bad car, but it also isn't designed for what Acme is using it for, it's a comfortable motorway vehicle with some grunt to make that job easier.

Go lease a Golf R (I despise Golfs... remember this) and you'll find out just how much better the handling and power can be. I picked the Golf as from what I read there are decent deals on them, anything modern with a turbo is going to be decently faster/handle better.

I'm not attacking you, you've just not owned a broad range of old/new is what I'm getting at.

I didn't claim I have, nor did I claim that the Volvo is anywhere near as good as a Golf R (or similar) in any way shape or form, though I would wager that my old MX5 with its coilovers would whoop a Golf R's arse on the autocross. In fact I don't think there are many cars which handle better than a well sorted MX5.

All I said was that the Volvo doesn't handle as ****ly as I expected it would, and now you're saying that I think it handles excellently, something I said in the same post, that I don't think at all. Why can't I just say "ooh the Volvo doesn't handle quite as much like a barge as I expected" without this happening... :rolleyes:

I'll remember not to say that it handles much better than it did once I've fitted the new shocks and Eibach springs because I might be accused of thinking my Volvo is some kind of Lotus... :D
 
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Soldato
Joined
26 Mar 2006
Posts
11,581
Location
United Kingdom
I still think Acme should have bought a old turbo saab. That would have been a cool project for him because no doubt he would have mentioned it’s a fighter jet at some point.
 
Soldato
Joined
5 Oct 2009
Posts
13,835
Location
Spalding, Lincs
You still got the BananaSaab-stra @andy_mk3 ?

Also this oil filter removal tool works excellently for undoing and re-torquing filters and housings. I've used it where other types of tool have failed, including chain wrenches, strap wrenches, oil filter sockets, hammers & screwdrivers, and similar but flat-legged rotary tools. Ignore the stupid review.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/BERGEN-ADJUSTABLE-Filter-Wrench-Remover/dp/B01FFR6W72

Yeah man still got it. Its in need of a good detailing session but it's otherwise working and road worthy :)

I have one of those tools at work, probably done 1000's of filters over the past 11 years it's brilliant.
 
Caporegime
Joined
29 Jul 2011
Posts
36,368
Location
In acme's chair.
Well the past 500 miles I have averaged 23MPG in the Volvo, which is almost entirely short trips, town driving, full throttle acceleration around B roads etc, and driving a titch too fast on the occasional dual carriageway which I encounter, so worst case scenario combination of everything. I think thats alright to be honest considering the performance and the size of the thing.

Need to go for a proper drive to see what it gets on a run.
 
Associate
Joined
22 Sep 2011
Posts
1,857
Location
Staffordshire Somewhere
Cleaned and painted the block after machine work, then started the rebuild with some Flubber. :p (sticky engine rebuild oil), along with some ARP main studs.

Fitting SCAT H-Beam rods along with Wossner low comp pistons and 'gapping' the rings tomorrow.

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Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2004
Posts
10,594
Location
Kent
Did the rear drop links on our Kia Sorento this morning.

Disclaimer: the following is a rant. Do not expect rational analysis, and all questions should be considered rhetorical.

Seriously, why cant anyone manufacturer drop links which are easy to remove? These are parts which are such a common (if minor) failure on most cars, and so cheap, that they can almost be considered a service item. Yet they are almost always a complete bar steward to remove.

I got the drivers side one off ok, no issues other than access. Once cracked off, the nuts on each end of the link came undone fine. But on the passenger side, after feeling the nuts crack off, it soon became apparent that the entire thread was just turning, not just the nut. Had they placed a hex socket in the middle of the thread so you could get a hex key in to hold it still while undoing it? No. Of course not. What they had done, was place a flat section on the part of the thread between the ball join body and the roll bar. But the flat section was only millimetres thick, and in order to get a spanner round it, I had to cut away all the rubber gaiter from the ball joint first. All this in close confines of the suspension arm with barely any room to manoeuvre tools.

And then, once the nuts were off, despite both wheels being in the air, there was still tension on the ARB, so I had to get the jack under the lower ball joint and compress the whole assembly, just take take enough tension off the ARB to be able to withdraw the drop link.

Tl;dr - I ****ing hate droplinks and all the people who design them :mad:
 
Man of Honour
Joined
13 Nov 2009
Posts
11,596
Location
Northampton
Little bit of wiring to tidy up properly, and replace the fuel hose with some decent stuff which hadn't arrived in time, but the MX5 is now Flex Fuel compatible.

No more faffing with 25 litre fuel stops to get the correct Methanol premix

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