Davie's french attraction.

[daviemck2006]

Well the whole strut will have to come out Zel. Its not a bad old thing to drive, its 04 plate and done over 150K, theres no rust apart from the usual vag front wings and the engine is as sweet as a nut. But I bloody hate it! So does Shaun! He was doing more than me! Kerri has a loan of whitebug, she doesnt like it, its too small for her after an a4tdi 130 estate, and ive dug lilpug out of hibernation. I dont k ow if the strut will be out tomorrow or not. I wont be doing it, i done too much today and im knackered.

[Zelandeth]

If it's anything like the one I worked on, you'll find that every other clip or plastic pipe you touch in the engine bay will snap when you try to move it. You're then stuck buying new ones from VAG because any in a scrapper are just as bad. They don't half know how to charge for them...

Fingers crossed it doesn't put up too much of a fight, though my advice would be to sneak away while nobody is looking and put as much distance between you and the car as possible.

As for *why* it's so over complicated? Best guess for me is the same reason that anything and everything aside from a couple of Skodas that they make these days is so catastrophically uncomfortable - that it means it can get round the 'Ring a couple of seconds faster...because that's what their customers really care about, isn't it? They don't care if their cars work in the real world...

[daviemck2006]

A pic of lilpug at work. She is great for the job being a small auto.

[daviemck2006]

I fxxxxxx hate fxxxxxxx audi fxxxxxxxx A4 fxxxxxx front fxxxxxxx suspension. My son in law dodged a bullet with this piece of fxxxxxxx sxxxx. Theres a long pinch bolt goes through the top of the hub (it is so strange i dont know how to describe it) which hold the two top ball joints in. The bolt broke at one end, then the head broke off it at the other end leaving the steel bolt like a cotter pin in aluminium parts that has to come out, and its like its welded in. Im now in a bigger world of pain, the complete front suspension, hub, brakes all have to come out in one, then try to drill said bolt out on a stand, or if it wasnt parked at the side of the house would get a gallon of petrol and a match. Its nose to nose with the not working 407, its rapidly turning into a scrapyard.

[Zelandeth]

Sorry to hear it's being such a pain...also sorry to say it sounds hauntingly familiar!

Hope you get the thing out of the way soon.

See if you can get a whole strut/hub assembly secondhand? I'd not be surprised if that bolt turns out to be utterly immovable to the point that the castings it passes through will snap before it shifts. If it's viable to avoid messing with it, I'd take that route - the cost is probably worth it for the amount of stress and pain it will avoid.

[Gibbo2286]

Early aluminium cylinder heads used to be like that, imagine not one but fifteen of those corroded in studs.

We had a tool for boring out the corrosion between the studs and head, like a tube with hacksaw teeth on the end that fitted tight over the studs.


With yours I think you could drive it out, a two man job, one holding a weight at one side (anvil) and another with a lump hammer and punch on the other side. (If there's room of course)

[daviemck2006]

It has had serious hits with the hammer along with a large amount of heat. Tomorrow should see the strut, complete with the suspension arms, hub and disc removed in one, and attempts made on the bench to remove the offending stud. Then the whole article shall be subjected to a 20 ton press. Then it is the scrappy for orders who I know to have a similar a4 breaking

[daviemck2006]

That saga of the a4 continues. I’m now waiting patiently for a hub carrier to arrive from an abay seller for the sum of £60. Audi wanted £342 for a new one. That will let me get the a4 off my drive. I’m the meantime as the car is immobile I am doing the front wheel arches. As on every a4 they are bubbling, so time for a touch up.

This evening was spent at the car auction. I went with my boss whose c3 has died. He wanted a van for less than 2 grand, so duly purchased a tidy corsa combo, 61 reg 72000 mile full service record 6 month mot for 1440 including the fees. I know we are not Vauxhall lovers, but they usually do what they say on the tin and should be ok for his cash and carry runs.

But, we all know how me and auctions are dangerous places. Any hint of a money maker and I’m easy prey. Espically when a friend says something like I would like a cheap car for my partner to learn on to save the big family car, I quite like skoda fabias. So when a tidy fabia elegance, fully loaded with kit and only 58000 miles stuck at £80 I could not resist sticking my hand up, mine for 90 plus fees of 40. Ok it only has 3 weeks MOT but by chance the guy who had put it in the sale was sitting directly behind me. It had a full service, a new battery, new back brakes last mot and only done 3200 miles since. The guy says the only thing wrong is a rattle from the front somewhere, I duly heard it on the run home sounds like drop link or anti roll bar bushes. A date with Graham at the mot station will reveal all. And Shaun has a 1.4 fabia donor car he bought for body panels, his chum has a donor Ibiza 1.4 which is basically the same article underneath so nearly unlimited spares for it. I’m reckoning mot for a year for say 100 max so it will be due me approx £230 and without even cleaning it as it is immaculate inside should sell for 500 no problem!

[daviemck2006]

Finally got the secondhand hub carrier from the ebay seller. It came complete with all 4 suspension arms, hub and wheelbearing, a droplink, and abs sensor, all for 60 quid plus 15 postage. Ok it took over a week to arrive but considering the price of audi bits I think its good value. I still decided to strip it and reassemble while it was out of the car. The long bolt that on ours was seized solid came out without too much difficulty, it actually looked like the top arms are relatively recent. It all stripped down and I put the arms that came from the scrappy in as the factors will take back the new ones which cost 60 quid also, so getting the carrier too did not actually cost anything bar the postage. It is almost all back together, I need one bolt which I broke and cant find a suitable replacement in the box of bolts. That should be got in the morning, then the wheel on, off the stands and off for a retest. Im way past the time for a free retest so it will need another full test. Everything that was found has been done though so hopefully it will be a formality.

Next thing is the 100 pound skoda. I used it for work on friday night, and was surprised how good a wee car it is. But then I did like Shauns vrs which has now departed. This one is a 1.4 100hp elegance. It is fully loaded with creature comforts which all work, even the aircon blows cold. It feels really good to drive, there is a rattle from the front, sounds most likely drop links. It has clean MOTs for the last 4 years and the only advisories before that was tyres. Last keeper for 10 years, so mechanically been looked after. I hope its an easy drop links and pass, then its for sale and a high chance of a profit. The body is not the best, its been a cat d in the past, before the previous owner and the body filler is cracking, and a light scrape on the other side. I would not actually be upset if it was my daily driver. Its not even the usual vw group bone shaking ride and rock hard seats. Its no gabby, but quite acceptable.

[daviemck2006]

The £100skoda needs two drop links, two driveshaft boots, two tyres and a steering rack. We have a donor fabia 1.4 that Shaun bought for body panels and it will yield the rack and two good nearly new tyres so the mot will cost very little in monetary value but lots of new swear words again!

107 back on it's wheels.

The 107 looking good in the supermarket car park when clean lol

[daviemck2006]

The latest update from me. The 100 pound skoda now has a new mot. It needed two droplinks, two driveshaft boots, two tyres and a steering rack. Just as well theres only one steering rack or I would have needed two of them too! I have a donor 1.4 fabia which shaun bought when he had panel damage on his vrs so it yeilded two tyres and its steering rack. It also had two recent droplinks in perfect condition but I had already bought new ones! I paid someone else to change the rack, I did not fancy having a possible fight like I had with the audi. Had to buy one new track rod end too. So the car is due me just over £400. I will give me a nice little profit when sold.

I have not done anything to Gabbys paint yet. I really need to pull the finger out and see to her! Today I started her for the first time in ages. A heat of the glow plugs and she started instantly. Shes a good car!

Lilpug and whitebug just continue to do as they are told when they are told. Absolutely no worries about them.

Bigpug is still sitting unloved and unwanted. But I have been told of a guy who lives locally who was the diagnostic expert at a peugeot dealer who loves french stuff and may interrogate it again for me to see if he can make sense of it, as I cant. I may go knocking on his door.

[daviemck2006]

Nothing has changed here. Whitebug continues to do as it should, worked out mileage of 45.6 mpg over 5600 miles mostly town work. I have not spent a penny on it, it will soon get a service, which will include a coolant change and brake fluid change as well as the normal service items.

The £100 Skoda is the surprise of the fleet. Its a lovely car to drive and comfortable too, between myself and shaun have put on over 1000 miles. After the MOT repairs the only thing needing lookes at is the exhaust. The flexo pipe burst and was replaves with a random bit of pipe which fitted inside. I have bought a flexi to fix it properly. The car has only done 77k, everything works, air con ice cold and trip computer says its doing 42mpg. Im honestly thinking about keeping it, but then either gabby has to go, or white pug, and dont want to get rid of either. Whichever goes it wont really be money which decides between the skoda or gabby, neither is really worth much. Undecided.com

[Zelandeth]

Welcome to my "aaaargh!" indecision when I found the van.

No space...need to sell something... don't want to...

[daviemck2006]

It doesnt help that on the drive right now is the bigpug which doesnt start, Gabby which is part dismantled for painting, whitebug and skoda, and in my lovk up lilpug which I really need to go give it a run! 5 cars, 3 roadworthy. I need to cut my costs so that says lilpug stays. I get the tax on one car for free, disabled tax, its on gabby just now. I need to keep an auto incase my leg goes kaput so keep the 205. Is that the descision made? I could fix the 407, put the disabled tax back on it, get rid of gabby and skoda. Or for all that an old 220K xantia is worth leave her on sorn till bigpug breaks again

I think I have persuaded Kerri to get rid of the a4 that has a knackered drivers door window, a knackered boot release which only opens occasionally, and a clonking from the left front suspension somewhere, which is not the side that has just been rebuilt. So I think its the first to go and she can get the skoda to run about in u til she gets something else she wants, the Fabia unfortunately not quite big enough for her, her hubby, a 4 year old and a month old baby and all the paraphernalia that that lot entails.

[daviemck2006]

Just because it is 100% reliable and only needs the bonnet opened for oil check and screenwash and I have never been under it in my 7000 miles I decided I had to manufacture a job to do to the 107. How did I do this? By wounding a rear wheel arch on a wall. It’s just a little wound but still annoyed at myself. Oh well a car needs a developing patina!

Picture put on it's feet

I wish I knew how to post my pics the right way up!