Suspension sinks on Sundays! C5 X7 that works hard + 206 GTi HDi (and 406 Coupe and 306 HDi). - MattBLancs

[MattBLancs]

Oh absolutely, I agree with the general train of thought and indeed for what it's worth I've a degree in Mechanical Engineering so perhaps, given a lot of huffing and puffing, head scratching and digging old text books out the loft I could maybe crudely calculate how strong the hitch needs to be. Possibly, (it's feels a very long time ago!)


However, I also believe it's not always possible to judge the quality of something purely on its price. Hopefully these are "stuff sold at a loss, clearing out someone's stores" rather than "engineered down to allow a healthy profit even when sold at £4" !

It's a few simple pieces of stamped steel, I'd think it possible to make it cheaply.

There was also a "known to me" brand "Maypole" branded tow hitch available for about twice what I paid:
(One listed at £7.50, but seems sold, here's another at £11.99 Inc postage:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/176701653188 ... media=COPY
And same brand is available from EuroCarParts for £16.99

https://www.eurocarparts.com/p/maypole- ... -551774050

I'll report back on what I think of it when it arrives (including if I think I've been a fool and wasted my money! )

[MattBLancs]

Off to the tip on a bank holiday weekend, I must be daft!

Despite being ten minutes after it opens, it was already busy in there. Hardcore skip thankfully near empty and a parking spot nearby to save manual handling.

And of course (having considered adding a bungee to prevent it, and not doing) a bucket had cause to flop over and empty half it's contents whilst on route. D'oh!

[myglaren]

Son and I are supposed to be taking a double mattress to the tip and discovered that the new Mazda 6 has a fixed parcel shelf making it almost impossible to get in.
Tip is booked solid until Tuesday anyway so kind of moot.

[MattBLancs]

Son and I are supposed to be taking a double mattress to the tip and discovered that the new Mazda 6 has a fixed parcel shelf making it almost impossible to get in.

Last double mattress I was involved with taking to the tip, sat astride it and tied it into "a sausage" with ratchet straps. That made it a bit easier to handle. Went into a Kia Ceed ok. I'd think you might struggle in a Mazda 6 with the small boot opening too?

Tip is booked solid until Tuesday anyway so kind of moot.

I'm very grateful it's only trailer trips I have to book in, would be a massive pain for every visit !!

After filling the boot with soil, I had a swift hoovering job ready for an airport run with my sister and little niece. We left LOADS of time as unsure on the bank holiday related nightmares we could encounter. Thankfully all fine, so we went to the cafe at Runway Visitor's Park for a big to eat. Parking under a plane's wing is a new experience!

Under wing

[CitroJim]

Last double mattress I disposed of, I took the easy option and got the council bulky waste collection service to take it away... Cost twenty quid though...

I did look to cut it up into small, manageable lumps but that was not going to be easy, clean or tidy!

[RichardW]

Our tips are now all book a visit - once you get used to it, it works great. Little or no queues so straight in, the process takes only a few moments on line, you just have to remember to book in advance for weekends...

[myglaren]

Last double mattress I disposed of, I took the easy option and got the council bulky waste collection service to take it away... Cost twenty quid though...

I did look to cut it up into small, manageable lumps but that was not going to be easy, clean or tidy!

Ours is free but can take ages. We will probably have half of it hanging out of the boot if it can't be crammed in through the rear doors.
Or crammed into my daughter's C3.

[MattBLancs]

A spot of plumbing research:

The bit of white pipe I've saved, I know it's "40mm" (i.e. inch and a half) but what is it really?

Wrapping a piece of paper around it's outside diameter gives a circumference of 129 mm
Divide by 3.142 gives a diameter of 41 mm

The boiler's condensate discharge pipe I oversized and ran in 40mm solvent weld pipe. This has a circumference of 135mm
Divide by 3.142 gives a diameter of 43 mm.

So what I've saved is a bit of the other "push fit" stuff.

This whole nonsense exists because push fit pipe is made from a material not suitable for the solvent adhesive. So rather than not making the pipe from an unsuitable material instead we've two incompatible system running in parallel!!

There is a work around: "compression fit" waste have enough slop to be able to accommodate both variants. Only problem being they are even more ugly bulky things than push fit!

Being able to chop and change between push fit and solvent without using bulky compression fittings would be ideal.



Anyway, sorry for the ramblings!

[MattBLancs]

Ah, a significant change in what happens next has just resulted from a "review of what I have in stores" !

Lots of push fit fittings!

[MattBLancs]

Further to those four, another search has dug out another collection

Handy this borderline hoarding thing.
So long as I can actually lay my hands on said hoard, when the need arises, obviously!

[mickthemaverick]

So long as I can actually lay my hands on said hoard, when the need arises, obviously!

Shouldn't be a problem Matt, they'll be just round the corner!!

[MattBLancs]

Not headlight polishing, instead outside light polishing!

Before

[MattBLancs]

Pillar drill at 530 then 890 then 1430 RPM. Instructions says 600 rpm to spread the paste then up to 1200 RPM so didn't want to go too much faster.

Pillow drill and polishing pad

Before and after with the other untouched one:

Definitely improved. Think maybe I should have done a little bit of wet and dry before switching to polishing

[MattBLancs]

This time I've set off with a wet sand, 1200 grit wet and dry. Much of the yellow removed but now mat finish. Will try polishing this next

[MattBLancs]

That's brought the shine back a treat, I'm going to call that done