What have you done to your car today?

Acme said:
Probably lunched turbo.
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Yep, most likely cause.

I was hugely disappointed with the first RAC guy that looked at it last night. He checked for codes (one found but cleared and didn't return). Then said there's nothing else he can access to even start looking at and it, and it needed a garage with better diagnostics equipment. Aside from checking codes he didn't look at anything. So I was going to get it towed to a VAG main dealer this morning to get more diagnostics done on it. I'd have gone to VAG simply because apart from not starting there were no symptoms and I reasoned that they would have the best chance of finding it easily. My indie is also quite far away.

When the second RAC guy turned up this morning to tow it there he wanted to take a second look out of curiosity that the first guy couldn't diagnose it. This second guy was much better. Even though he only turned up to tow me to the garage he started stripping parts off the engine and testing them. The plugs looked oily and were only recently changed so he swapped them and the car immediately started... initially ran smoothly... then spluttered, puffed out huge clouds of smoke, then gradually got worse and worse again as they oiled up and the car stalled. It was obvious at that point that there was oil being burned and the most likely cause was head gasket (no other symptoms of that) or most likely the turbo.

It could still be something else of course but it should at least be easier to find. At least it gave us an idea of what the most likely issue was and I could then divert and get it towed to my local indie garage instead who will be a lot cheaper than VAG. Looking back the first RAC guy just couldn't be bothered to start diagnosing it properly. It was late at night and he probably just wanted to end his shift and go home. I can understand that but it almost cost me a lot more in garage fees if I'd ended up at VAG instead of my usual indie.
 
Dunks said:
What? So how can you repair a puncture then? You seem to suggest the only scenario you can repair a tyre is if you puncture a stationary tyre, and don't drive the car.
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Punctured tyres don't have to go flat immediately. If you come out in the morning and find a tyre that has gone flat overnight due to a slow puncture, then you can repair it.
That said, a couple of times, I've had tyres repaired after driving on them. But it's definitely not recommended.
 
Dunks said:
What? So how can you repair a puncture then? You seem to suggest the only scenario you can repair a tyre is if you puncture a stationary tyre, and don't drive the car.
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Drove 1/4 mile on a flat 255/35/18 once without realizing it, tire place took it off and it was full of rubber shavings where it had pinched it all off the edges of the inside. Not worth that risk!
 
Conscript said:
Punctured tyres don't have to go flat immediately. If you come out in the morning and find a tyre that has gone flat overnight due to a slow puncture, then you can repair it.
That said, a couple of times, I've had tyres repaired after driving on them. But it's definitely not recommended.
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Makes sense :)

A slow puncture didn't occur to me :o
 
Chopped the wiring for a rear light to a mk2 Focus to fit my mk1. Connected up the brake light wires by cutting, stripping and just wrapping them around to see if brake light works. It does and a) I know which wires go to the brake light and b) I know the wires are ok.

I've covered it in tape so i can drive to my mates and I'll solder it up tomorrow then attach it properly.
 
Played with the MX5 today. Fitted a battery, new pads and discs all round, with cleaning, lubricating all things needed, checking all rubbers and anything else that can perish after 8 years of being stood on a drive.

Drove it for the first time, it's a pretty fun car to drive.

New springs to fit, paint to polish and an MOT to obtain.
 
4 days of severe anxiety about getting a ticket to go, then that will mark 2 weeks... Plzplzplzplz... :(

If I don't get ticketed I'm definitely going to buy something stupid to celebrate... Like a personalised plate... :p

D20 TRP would look good on the E30... (TRP being my initials) - Alternatively I always wanted E12 MKS for my old Corolla.
 
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Vita said:
I'm sure you can still get tickets from after 2 weeks, they still count. Or has that been changed?
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Assuming the addresses on all his docs are current and he hasn’t changed them recently, and they don’t charge with dangerous driving or anything like that then the NIP would be invalid. It’s very rare for that to happen nowadays though.
 
Had rude gestures thrown in my direction after a car behind me then went a different way at a junction. He had been occasionally on my tail and quite close, but I was more than doing the speed limit and often well ahead of him except when I was also held up by a car in front (I did wonder if it was because I was just a fraction too fast for him to overtake, no idea, it was on cruise control so I wasn't accelerating wildly). I can only think it was car jealousy (AMG vs a very old Honda)? I can't see what else I did wrong. Some crazies out there.
 
CaptainRAVE said:
Had rude gestures thrown in my direction after a car behind me then went a different way at a junction. He had been occasionally on my tail and quite close, but I was more than doing the speed limit and often well ahead of him except when I was also held up by a car in front (I did wonder if it was because I was just a fraction too fast for him to overtake, no idea, it was on cruise control so I wasn't accelerating wildly). I can only think it was car jealousy (AMG vs a very old Honda)? I can't see what else I did wrong. Some crazies out there.
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I had pretty much the same yesterday from a truck driver - I was on a roundabout, correctly going straight on in the left lane and he was annoyed that I was basically using the roundabout when he wanted to come out!
 
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