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

[c16rkc]

So someone has put a digit wrong on their plate to avoid a fine - cheeky soul! I hope you get that quashed easily.

I love that you are making a neat repair patch! - I am jealous of your skills!!

Where do you get the fresh metal from, and how do you cut it to shape?

[MattBLancs]

So someone has put a digit wrong on their plate to avoid a fine - cheeky soul! I hope you get that quashed easily.

I've zoomed in (phone camera on macro mode at the image on the fine letter) and if does look like a C rather than an O. So think it's their ANPR system that needs a reboot.
I did wonder if it was an "altered plate" = turn the C into an O with a bit of carefully applied black tape, but does just seem to be a camera error.

It's strange the system knows I've nowt to pay now yet was dumb enough to send me a letter!?!

I love that you are making a neat repair patch! - I am jealous of your skills!!

Where do you get the fresh metal from, and how do you cut it to shape?

I'm aiming for "neat" = wait for the end result before casting your vote!

I bought a piece of "Zintec" sheet that is supposed to get the bees knees for this sort of thing. Online place, silly name (from memory "Metals4U" I think, will have to dig out the invoice/email) had it for a good few years, bought just in case when j was also buying angled iron for trailer chassis rebuild project.

I also have a piece of sheet steel that was spare when we had the wood burning stove installed, might use that, if not too thick. (The sheet, not me)

[MattBLancs]

Will be cut with aviation snips (Aldi about a decade ago) and/or angle grinder thin cutting disk

[MattBLancs]

P.S. I'm ignoring the find letter for now. Keep the letter, screen shot of "nothing to pay" against my registration and look forward to a day in court to see them explain the little silver car is actually a big black Citroen

[myglaren]

A workmate had a similar one for his A4. Photo showed something completely different and with a similar one digit or character error. He was at work 300 miles from there at the time, car parked at work.

[c16rkc]

I'll follow your metal patch with interest - something I want to try one day.

I spent thousands on my Daimler having it repaired like this, and I always thought how nice it would be if I could have done it all myself.

[CitroJim]

The old tinworms certainly have been busy Matt No match for you though It'll soon be Tinworms 0 Matt 1

Watching the Dartford Affair with interest...

Makes you wonder how they managed to get so confused when even our local soft play centre can identify your car precisely when you enter its registration number for parking. The only error it made was to show me a picture of a lime-green C3 Picasso rather than a bronzy-grey one!

[MattBLancs]

So, I'd been a little reluctant to put this on the forum - I understand why it has to take a "whiter than white" view of things, but read to the end and I'm not going against that.

At present the HDi Coupe has no EGR system, save for a redundant EGR cooler sat doing nothing (still plumbed in to the cooling system)

MOT man has flagged up this as a potential fail under "emissions system(s) missing or modified"

I've very mixed views about EGR but have decided to reinstate the system and hence "stay legal" so to speak.

Sourced a second hand EGR valve and the pipework, will reconnect the system up before it's next test.

First step was to clean out the pipe, and for this fire is the answer. Heat gun down one end, roaring flame (and occasional glowing hot globules of carbon!) Ejected from the other, thusly:

Cleaning with fire

After that spot of progress, it was time to go backwards again with another look at the rust.

Further forward significantly worse than what the MOT man flagged up.

[MattBLancs]

MOT issue:

Further forward:

[mickthemaverick]

Oooh! That looks nasty Matt, have you reached the "I've come this far............" stage or are dead horses and whips the order of the day?

[CitroJim]

Loving how you cleaned that pipe Matt... The same method we used to clean our 100cc racing Kart exhausts although often we'd use oxy-acetylene as the carbon deposited by the use of Castrol R40 in the (rich) 2-stroke petroil mix made for some very hard carbon in the exhaust...

I've used the same propane torch method on 2-stroke motorbike silencer baffles. Ordinary mineral oil makes for softer carbon!

Your welder is going to be busy!

[MattBLancs]

Loving how you cleaned that pipe Matt... The same method we used to clean our 100cc racing Kart exhausts although often we'd use oxy-acetylene as the carbon deposited by the use of Castrol R40 in the (rich) 2-stroke petroil mix made for some very hard carbon in the exhaust...

I've used the same propane torch method on 2-stroke motorbike silencer baffles. Ordinary mineral oil makes for softer carbon!

Your welder is going to be busy!

Interesting about different oils giving different carbon challenges, Jim, thanks! I'd be too worried about melting things with oxy-acetylene, the wall of the stainless pipe was glowing red in a couple of places with my method!

Had a propane blowlamp on hand, but this self ignited just with the electric heat gun (smouldered for maybe one minute first, then off and away!)

Welding: think I've bitten off more than I can chew (but don't usually let that stop me! Fingers crossed I can solve it, though the weather is really the biggest obstacle to contend with. Roll on the longer days tomorrow onwards!

[CitroJim]

Welding: think I've bitten off more than I can chew (but don't usually let that stop me!

Good, that's the attitude And all that practice will sharpen up your skills no end! By the end if it, you'll be able to weld anything

[MattBLancs]

Hope so!

[Rp0thejester]

I couldn't tell what those photos were of. But practice makes perfect. Or would it be simpler to remove and fit a new part?