What have you done to your car today?

Soldato
Joined
2 Mar 2004
Posts
11,910
Location
SE England
I would love to take my Saab to one of these just to see what the old brick can do. Book figure of 155MPH but has been remapped. Most people think a stage 3 will do around 165-170.

It's a lot of fun. Not mad money, either – if you don't have the required licence, you can turn up on the day and run as much as you like for £200 (once you've made a few controlled test passes). I always insure my car for competition events, too, and that costs around ~£100. Great bunch of people, too, which makes all the difference.
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Mar 2012
Posts
5,437
Location
Eastbourne
New bonnet on John today. Had to fit the temporary red one to get it through the MOT after someone reversed into it.

Poor John.

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Neked

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Much better.

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Next up a is a good machine polish. And I’m tempted to black all the chrome as it’s starting to get a bit tatty and paint the wheels.
 
Soldato
Joined
20 Nov 2005
Posts
4,735
Location
Redditch
Wheel alignment after i hit a pothole on a dark country lane whilst away on holiday last week. Luckily no wheel or tyre damage, alignment slightly out but easily sorted.
Also treated the car to a tank full of BP Active :D
 
Soldato
Joined
7 Nov 2002
Posts
12,492
Location
Snorbans, UK
2 new rear tyres fitted yesterday after MOT picked up a nail in one as an advisory - tread getting a little low, so threw a new pair on.

Cruise control stalk delivered today, need to double check the steering control module that I have will take the appropriate coding, then I'm good to go ('11 Golf GTI)
 
Man of Honour
Joined
19 Oct 2002
Posts
29,518
Location
Surrey
Took my daughter to the driving test centre today... where she passed first time. I'm so pleased for her but also proud that I did most of her teaching. She did have a proper instructor at the end to iron out a few issues. But I started teaching her last year on her birthday after her proper lessons were cancelled due to lockdown.

We rocked up to the test centre, the only father/daughter pair with magnetic L plates stuck on the car. Everyone else turned up in proper driving school cars with instructors.

She wants a motorbike license now :)



EDIT: Found the original post from last year. It's been a horrible wait for theory tests and practical tests which have been backed up months.

It is my daughters 17th birthday today. One of her presents was to start driving lessons today. I booked it months ago to make sure that she got a lesson on her actual birthday. But last weekend we entered tier 4 and the instructor had to cancel it.

She was quite disappointed. So I put her on my insurance this morning and started teaching her myself today. I will still get her proper lessons when all this mess is eased. But she loved it and the smile on her face was lovely to see.
 
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Soldato
Joined
28 Dec 2017
Posts
8,450
Location
Beds
Over the last few weekends did lots of deep cleaning of things like engine bay, front fluids compartment, behind/in-between panels etc. I've never cleaned a lot of these areas in the 8 years I've had the car so wanted to be thorough as I could, short of stripping all the panels off. Awful lot of silt, leaves, moss etc needed shifting from panel gaps and the like.

Finished today with an exterior clean, good timing as MOT is tomorrow. Bet it's dirty by then, road dust is a killer!

I am slow and lazy, hence taking 3 weekends - you'll notice most of my "after" photos are taken after dusk :p

http://imgur.com/gallery/otHj0Nu
 
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Soldato
Joined
21 Jan 2003
Posts
5,594
Took the rear axle off my 2008 Mk6.5 Fiesta Zetec S at the weekend to fit new Powerflex bushes, but before that went ahead and rubbed down the rust, neutralised it, zinc primer'ed it, and couple top coats of black gloss.

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Soldato
Joined
21 Jan 2010
Posts
22,210
Took the rear axle off my 2008 Mk6.5 Fiesta Zetec S at the weekend to fit new Powerflex bushes, but before that went ahead and rubbed down the rust, neutralised it, zinc primer'ed it, and couple top coats of black gloss.

7GatUbS.jpeg
Ofk5vQc.jpeg
r3yUz2g.jpeg
Ez33Gfw.jpeg
Crying out for an ST rear disc upgrade and Focus RS/Peugeot front Brembos :cool:
 
Associate
Joined
21 Jan 2013
Posts
1,815
Location
Banbury, Oxfordshire
Took the rear axle off my 2008 Mk6.5 Fiesta Zetec S at the weekend to fit new Powerflex bushes, but before that went ahead and rubbed down the rust, neutralised it, zinc primer'ed it, and couple top coats of black gloss.

Just glanced at your post and saw the bushes lined up with the rusty rear beam... never considered myself to have OCD but felt 10x better when I saw you had given it a lick of paint first :D
 
Soldato
Joined
21 Jan 2003
Posts
5,594
Crying out for an ST rear disc upgrade and Focus RS/Peugeot front Brembos :cool:

Yeah I want to source some rear calipers and carriers, it's a straight forward swap, means I can renew the handbrake cable as well.

Looking at some getting some AP coilovers as well.
 
Soldato
Joined
21 Jan 2003
Posts
5,594
Just glanced at your post and saw the bushes lined up with the rusty rear beam... never considered myself to have OCD but felt 10x better when I saw you had given it a lick of paint first :D

Yeah I've followed YouTube videos of fitting these bushes and they don't pay much concern to the rust, but really if you tackle it once it prolongs the life of it considerably. The only area I really struggled with was inside the tubular frame but I got an extension tube to inject rust converter inside and will go over with an undercoat type product.
 

V_R

V_R

Soldato
Joined
17 Jan 2007
Posts
9,721
Location
UK
Had to clean off the bird **** after something peppered almost every panel. Two days after I cleaned and polished it. :mad::mad:
 
Soldato
Joined
21 Jan 2010
Posts
22,210
Yeah I've followed YouTube videos of fitting these bushes and they don't pay much concern to the rust, but really if you tackle it once it prolongs the life of it considerably. The only area I really struggled with was inside the tubular frame but I got an extension tube to inject rust converter inside and will go over with an undercoat type product.
I'm not sure if it fits the 6.5 but I can check if you send me a photo - I have an Armster arm rest I bought and is sitting in my loft. Yours for free/cost of shipping if you want it. Black leather.
 
Soldato
Joined
20 Feb 2004
Posts
21,339
Location
Hondon de las Nieves, Spain
Used it to get a speeding fine.

Was on a smart motorway and just as i approached a gantry (maybe 400m in front) it changed to a red 40, i could see the next gantry along had the white NSL sign in though and the motorway was quiet so rather than braking down completely and then having to speed up i just dropped to about 55/60 but got flashed as i went under it.

I'm hoping the gods shine down on me but i'm not holding out much hope :(
 
Soldato
Joined
12 Mar 2008
Posts
22,912
Location
West sussex
Used it to get a speeding fine.

Was on a smart motorway and just as i approached a gantry (maybe 400m in front) it changed to a red 40, i could see the next gantry along had the white NSL sign in though and the motorway was quiet so rather than braking down completely and then having to speed up i just dropped to about 55/60 but got flashed as i went under it.

I'm hoping the gods shine down on me but i'm not holding out much hope :(
They're extremely annoying when you have people behind you blasting at 70+ slowing down can feel dangerous.
 
Soldato
Joined
28 Dec 2017
Posts
8,450
Location
Beds
Used it to get a speeding fine.

Was on a smart motorway and just as i approached a gantry (maybe 400m in front) it changed to a red 40, i could see the next gantry along had the white NSL sign in though and the motorway was quiet so rather than braking down completely and then having to speed up i just dropped to about 55/60 but got flashed as i went under it.

I'm hoping the gods shine down on me but i'm not holding out much hope :(
Funny, I was using mine to turn the wrong way off the A23, when a camera decided I was trying to get a ticket.

Police believed the camera sadly, got my first ever speeding letter. Done OK considering I've been driving 8 years and been flashed a few other times in similar circumstances.
 
Soldato
Joined
5 Aug 2013
Posts
6,614
Location
Shropshire
Had to clean off the bird **** after something peppered almost every panel. Two days after I cleaned and polished it. :mad::mad:

I have just had a problem with a Robin -for some reason if I park outside front window it attacks the car - fluttering by windows and clawing the glass along with dollops of poo all along door glass rubbers.
Also sit's on rear wiper arm doing the same - A right job removing marks if you leave it too long before you wipe it off.
 

V_R

V_R

Soldato
Joined
17 Jan 2007
Posts
9,721
Location
UK
Yeah bird poo is bad news for paintwork/clear coat, it'll etch into it if left too long.

Its the fact I'd only washed and polished the dam thing less than three days before! :mad:
 
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