Zel's Fleet Blog - BX, Jag XJ-S, Sinclair C5, Mercedes 208D & 230TE, AC Model 70.

[elma]

Lucky that loose thread caught it.

[CitroJim]

Makes a nice change to be a quick and easy fix Zel It does happen occasionally!!!

[Zelandeth]

Well, it's not fixed yet...I'll say it's an easy fix once it's done.

There are still four bolts between the current situation and the seat being out of the car for repair and I know full well that is more than enough for all manner of fun!

[Zelandeth]

Xantia went in for her MOT today, and came away with a clean sheet. No advisories either which is always a plus.

[CitroJim]

Brilliant result Zel Absolutely delighted...

Did the Two Wrestlers do the MOT?

[Zelandeth]

Yep, was passing by so thought I'd book it in (test wasn't actually due until November 4th but seemed sensible to do it earlier than later in case anything needed sorting).

However the response was "let's get it in then" and next thing I knew I was in the test bay!

Hadn't even had a chance to do a lighting check beforehand, much less the usual poke around I usually do before an MOT!

Clean pass on a 17 year old, 200,500 mile car with no pre-check has to say something I reckon about the car and it's usual maintenance. Granted she is living a pretty quiet retirement these days, only a tad over 3000 miles since the last test.

Think this is a good time to buy her a new set of spheres (rears have really started to go south in the last few weeks and it's getting really crashy) and an O ring set for the hydraulic pump to finally stop that weeping...is just due oil and filters as well so will get that done tomorrow or early next week.

...at some point I really should actually pull the front of the car apart and properly sort the fans as well, even if my bodge kept it below 90C even in the hottest weather we had this year. Would make sense to get my Dinitrol in before doing that so I can get at everything back there while the bumper is out the way. Planning on buying a full car kit of rust convertor, surface protectant and cavity wax for all three cars to do before the winter arrives. Wasn't 100% certain if the Xantia would recieve that treatment (simply down to age/mileage and the thought that I may at some point "upgrade" to a more youthful example (still keep being tempted by a V6 too)...but the performance on the test today has convinced me otherwise! She's a keeper.

Think my other half has caught the bug as well and rather fancies a Xantia V6 auto as well...so that may well be the 107's eventual successor at some point. Watch this space I guess!

So it's almost a year that I've had the car now...what's been done since then?

[] Oil and filter changes every 6 months.
[] New set of tyres.
[] Damn Good Clean (tm).
[] Coolant change.
[] Air and fuel filters.
[] New headlight bulbs.
[] Bought timing belt kit, then found it's not due yet...so tucked that away for later.
[] 2 reasonable used spheres put on the front as the ones on the car were comically bad and it was like trying to drive a bouncy castle.
[] Some "improvised" clearcoat repairs. Still pondering what to do about the bonnet.
[] Heater motor changed.

All in all, especially with another year's ticket obtained so easily, has been well worth the £295 I paid for the car. My original plan had been for a cheap winter hack for last year to then sell on or break...(while also finally letting me own a Xantia as I'd always fancied one). Yeah...that plan lasted about 1/4 of the way back from Rugby where I bought it! Here we are a year on, and I'm fully looking forward to another year with the car, and hopeful that I'll be able to provide a similar update next year.

...enough rambling for one evening (especially typing on my phone...), off to bed now!

[Hell Razor5543]

When I had a Xantia I got my spheres from AEP direct. Good price, and quick delivery. Make sure to give them the vehicle details, otherwise they will contact you to check you have ordered the right spheres (which is nice customer service).

[CitroJim]

Two Wresters are good like that Zel

I just leave my cars with them all day and they do whenever...

[Zelandeth]

Relatively quick report for today. Got the driver's seat out of the Saab (one bolt came out with moderate force, the other required me to belt the driver with a hammer), and pondered the best solution for a while. Problem was quickly identified as being exactly what I thought before, that 25 years of movement of the spring having worn away the mounting hole for the spring and the spring then having torn through the edge of the rail.

Initially I'd been planning to bolt on a reinforcing plate and such, before I realised that it was really complete overkill. Solution I used at the end of the day was to drill another hole a quarter of an inch to one side of the original and a bit further back from the edge of the rail, then reattaching the spring to that. Sure, it will do it again...but it took 25 years to wear out the first time, so I'm not worried to be honest. I did bolt on a reinforcing plate (without disturbing the springs) for a couple of other holes which were showing similar signs of wear to the one that failed.

The amount of tension on those springs is to be honest rather terrifying...Can't bend them at all by hand. Getting the little bugger back on involved a great deal of levering things with screwdrivers and swearing at it. While there was *huge* potential for getting my fingers nipped, somehow I avoided that.

Obviously took the opportunity to attack the vacant seat space with the vacuum cleaner before putting the seat back in to remove all the crud that you can't normally get at down the side of the centre console.

Not sure what people's plans are for tomorrow, but if we end up with some downtime I'm sure I can find something to do with the cars!

[CitroJim]

Yes, those springs under tension are terrifying.. but look what they might have to support! Not much in our cases but in some cases, a huge amount

Not sure what people's plans are for tomorrow, but if we end up with some downtime I'm sure I can find something to do with the cars!

Karate and taking an opportunity for a bike ride whilst the weather remains decent...

Also have a Nissan Pixo to service...

[elma]

I'm going to clean Red, it's an embarrassing state at the moment.

[Zelandeth]

So when leaving the garage the other day after getting the Xantia tested I said "next of mine you should see will be the Skoda once I've sorted the head."

That was tempting fate wasn't it!

107 decided to eat its clutch release bearing this morning. The demonstration to Abby of driving a car with no clutch was rather amusing - there's a lot to be said for being used to driving buses with crash boxes, makes matching revs pretty much natural and got it home without a single crunch.

I've adjusted the cable as tight as it will go and that has restored some operation (so you can actually engage first to pull off normally at least) which will make the journey over to Two Wrestlers far less stressful.

General consensus seems to be that 107/C1/Aygo clutches are good for 50-70K, mine is on 53K but has been doing a torturous Milton Keynes to Oxford commute for the last year and a half *and* spent its first four years adjusted completely wrong from the factory (I took about an inch of tension out of the cable before it was adjusted as it should be), despite mentioning it several times to two dealers I was told it was self adjusting and the very high bite point was perfectly normal. That'll teach me to listen to a dealer won't it. That really meant the clutch (and especially the release bearing) was on borrowed time.

Thinking I might ask them to change the gearbox oil just while they're poking around under there for all the extra it will cost.

Also, watch that first speed bump going into Two Mile Ash from the A5 side...it's a bit unnessarily violent (and now has a Saab 900 sump guard shaped chunk out of it!)...

[daviemck2006]

The clutch on the earlier pre 09 I think was a poorer 180 mm unit. From 09 on they used the 190mm clutch front the yaris. The earlier ones could disintegrate long before 50k, when I was on the c1oc I had heard of them going at 10k! If yours is a pre 09 one it has done well getting to 53k. The larger clutch is a direct replacement with no modifications for the earlier one. They are not an expensive clutch to buy, and not difficult to do. My 09 plate left me with 65k I think and still was on the original clutch abd brakes for that matter. Shauns 12 plate is currently on 54k still original clutch and brakes despite the abuse he gives it! Good cars.

[Zelandeth]

Mine I believe has the later clutch. Reckon there's still plenty of meat left on the clutch itself given where the adjuster was, it's the release bearing that's failed. Any Skoda Estelle driver knows and dreads that squealing noise when the pedal is pressed (the Estelles had clutch release bearings made of cheese...I've done three and after each one swore never again. Bearing is less than a tenner - but the engine has to come out to do it).

Given this car is used to commute it can't wait for me to muddle my way through this change and probably muck it up, so is going to be entrusted to my local garage in the interest of knowing it's been done right - especially as I'm away this weekend. They do have a fine sense of timing don't they?!?

[daviemck2006]

Yes, cars usually pick the most inappropriate times to break! If your car has the big wide open mouth with a chromed tongue for a grille and foglight blanks and 09 or maybe 58 plate or later it will have the uprated clutch. I know mine was 09 plate and was the facelift one. The adjustment is so easy. I can't believe a stealer said it can't be adjusted!