GEEEE'z what an adventure!

Post by **CitroJim** » 31 Aug 2011, 19:02

red_dwarfers wrote:Got the (Dys)lexia today!

Should be a laugh...

Hope so Kev

My recent brushes with Lexia have been anything but

All mine does at the moment is give me a monumental headache

red_dwarfers · Post by **red_dwarfers** » 24 Sep 2011, 18:29

Did you get your Lexia sorted Jim?

The XM will be off the road in a few days

I am a little sad but also looking forward to getting the Xantia back again

MoT is on the 28th.

On the XM front, I've renewed the front corner spheres and the centres with IFHS ones, so thats all of them done now. The difference is very noticeable.

On a completely unrelated note, this week I have come to realise there are many more arrogant bar stewards with little in the way of morals about than I thought

Post by **CitroJim** » 24 Sep 2011, 18:46

red_dwarfers wrote:Did you get your Lexia sorted Jim?

Nope, still suffering a nasty case of IT Abhorrence

If I see a duff bit of IT related kit I break out into a rash and run away... The mere mention of SQL Server makes me run fastest, closely followed by 'Windows 2008' and the mere mention of 'HP' puts me on a course heading for the funny farm.

Still, I must steal myself to the challenge as I'm going to need the cursed thing for the HDi...

Still, it'll be good to have RUNN back on the road Kev and it's good to keep the XM tucked up all nice and warm over winter - you can be safe in the knowledge she can't dissolve like that.... XMs have a terrible roadsalt allergy... Brings them out in brown spots...

I drove a 1.9TD Xantia today for the first time in years, Xac's, and it frankly surprised me at just how good a well-sorted 1.9TD still is

You'll fall in love with RUNN all over again...

red_dwarfers wrote:On a completely unrelated note, this week I have come to realise there are many more arrogant bar stewards with little in the way of morals about than I thought

Yep, sad but true... You're lucky you've come to realise this at a young age... I was a lot, lot older before I came to the same unfortunate conclusion... These days I work entirely on gut feelings and sum people up very quickly and I'm rarely wrong... When I gave a lot of benefit of the doubt boy did I come some croppers...

I still find it sad that you have to do this

Good luck with RUNN's MOT. My activa is in for same next week...

DickieG · Post by **DickieG** » 24 Sep 2011, 23:50

red_dwarfers wrote:On a completely unrelated note, this week I have come to realise there are many more arrogant bar stewards with little in the way of morals about than I thought

Oh dear I hope its not too serious, I've met quite a number in my line of work and been left in disbelief at how low some people will go yet have no feeling of guilt whatsoever, good luck with whatever the issue was. I don't suppose I can do much for you Kev but feel free to give me a shout if anything comes to mind.

red_dwarfers · Post by **red_dwarfers** » 25 Sep 2011, 15:41

Thanks for the concern Jim and Richard, I really do appreciate it!
There's no doubt that I will come across much worse in the future. I just feel like recording everything I see and my interactions with certain people to play back to so they can just look at themselves

I did take RUNN out onto the drive yesterday and shes running sweet as a nut, needs a wash though, getting all dusty

Ah squirrel server, that is one bit of software that scares me!

Citroenmad · Post by **Citroenmad** » 25 Sep 2011, 21:27

It sounds like you have had an unfortunate meeting with reality there Kev. You do get people like that and no doubt your already becoming aware of how to spot them. As Jim says, it does pay to be able to sum up people fairly early on. Im often fairly right with my assumptions, however sometimes your wrong and your first perspective is changed.

Chin up, just surround yourself with likeminded people

Not long before RUNN sees the light of day again then

red_dwarfers · Post by **red_dwarfers** » 28 Sep 2011, 21:30

RUNN went in for its MoT today. Failed on two things. One I very embarrassed about so will put in small letters windscreen wipers, the second is a front wishbone front bush on the NS. The only one we didn't get around to replacing last year as it looked alright and we had enough 'fun' doing the other side.

There were a good selection of advisories, handbrake adjustment, brake pipe corrosion, small dent on the cill near a seat belt fixing, usual oil leaks and damp accumulator sphere (from the oil leaks). I think the main source is diesel which spilt when I was sorting out the filter a bit hap haphazardly. I think there were one or two other things too.

Tried to get the wishbone off after work but the damn wishbone wouldn't part front the lower ball joint on the hub. We had a go with a very chunky size hammer and ended up squeezing the grease out the gaiter and ripping it

Still wouldn't come out!

So once again, the hub and wishbone will be off to be sorted on the bench...once I can get the drive shaft nut off that is. It really is surprising how rusty and old everything is looking under there considering I only cleaned it all up about 14 months ago.

Still, as long as I get the failure stuff sorted and the handbrakes adjusted I'll be good to go.

For the Xantia to be taken to the MoT, the insurance had to be swapped so the XM is now tucked up in it's little house away from all those nasty grit spreaders that I WILL end up following on my jaunts around the Devonian lanes.

Post by **myglaren** » 28 Sep 2011, 21:34

[Orf Topic]

As a Devonist, do you happen to know where yesterday's edition of "The Body Farm" was filmed?

My daughter was convinced that it was Whitby (Yorkshire) but although there were some striking similarities there were also some telling differences.
[/OT]

red_dwarfers · Post by **red_dwarfers** » 28 Sep 2011, 21:36

First time I've heard of that program!

Looks interesting, I'll have a watch at some point.

EDIT: Tara Fitzgerald, I'll certainly have to watch this

Citroenmad · Post by **Citroenmad** » 28 Sep 2011, 21:45

Well, that little list will keep you busy for a few evenings. Come on Kev, windscreen wipers! How will you live that down

I used a metre and a half bit of scaffold piping to leaver off the ball joint from the wishbone while someone hit it with a hammer. That was last weekend when I was repalcing the rear P bushes on the front arms. It popped off a treat!

Is your garage dry Kev? Its surprising it has gotten rusty in just over a year. Im wondering how to protect my Xant and the XM while winter is going on. When I was working on bth recently I painted the underside with new engine oil, which soaks into any corrosion. Luckily they are pretty tidy anyway and shouldn't see much if any of the winter grit.

Hows it feel to be back in a small and nimble Xantia again?

red_dwarfers · Post by **red_dwarfers** » 28 Sep 2011, 21:59

I really don't know, I thought I had checked over all the silly stuff yesterday!

The garage is getting on bone dry. I've got a couple old servers in there (don't worry KP, its not your old one!) and they seem to be looking alright, it was the bad Winter last year that did it I think, all that salt.

The driving has been limited to getting it out the garage for Dad but it does feel like I've come home after being abroad working for a few months doing important things. Looking forward to being able to drive it properly, or driving any car for that matter as I'm unable to drive any at the moment, as you already know

Post by **myglaren** » 28 Sep 2011, 22:24

red_dwarfers wrote:First time I've heard of that program!

Looks interesting, I'll have a watch at some point.

EDIT: Tara Fitzgerald, I'll certainly have to watch this

This is the episode in the fishing village.

robert_e_smart · Post by **robert_e_smart** » 28 Sep 2011, 22:50

So what you are saying then is the Xm is a superior car

Still not bad for a car that has been on the go longer than Peugeot want it to be on the go.

Dippy · Post by **Dippy** » 28 Sep 2011, 23:12

myglaren wrote:[Orf Topic]

As a Devonist, do you happen to know where yesterday's edition of "The Body Farm" was filmed?

My daughter was convinced that it was Whitby (Yorkshire) but although there were some striking similarities there were also some telling differences.
[/OT]

Tint' Whitby - it's Staithes - well worth a visit. go weekdays.

Post by **CitroJim** » 29 Sep 2011, 06:13

Yep, the old salt really took a toll... Mainly because the councils went bloody mad in it's application. Far and away too much was applied. Much more than was actually needed if any was needed at all to be honest. Teach people to drive on the stuff I say and encourage the fitting of winter tyres...

The best to do is to wash the salt off and the only really effective way I know is to go out on a really wet day and have fun in the puddles

Not salty pudles though - wait until the weather has been mild for a week or so and all the salt is washed away.

Last winter, I got the hose out several times and washed under the cars after a particularly salty experience...

I don't understand all these balljoint problems. Just invest in a good splitter.. It's a walk in the park then...

For the balljoints themselves, which you'll need to replace now because the boot is split, get the special castellated tool, a 3/4" drive socket and a five foot breaker... It really does easy up the job. The hexagon on the special too is generally the same as nub nuts and these are very willing to come undone when you show you mean business with your big bar.

For the stiff nuts Kev, I, as always, recommend Plus Gas....

XMs superior? They are in some areas but generally the Xantia is a far better designed and screwed-together vehicle. Some XM areas were definitely designed over the phone on a Friday afternoon after an exceedingly good, mostly liquid lunch