I Need a bit of good news (and inspiration) ..

[superloopy]

Hi, its New Years Day and after having had an extended (massively) time away from any cars i now feel inspired enough to at least get my garage in order this year. However, i've just taken a look at 'howmanyleft.com' and it seems they believe there to be only 3 registered Activae left on the UK's road! Surely not. Tell me this is not the case. There are supposedly 54 on SORN, that i CAN believe cos i've got two of them sitting, literally, on my drive having received no attention for years now. But, as i said i'm feeling inspired again. Unfortunately the weather up here in the North East does nothing to inspire so it will take an 'aligning of the planets' so to speak before i get out there again. The garage needs a major dust down, my hydraulic ramps need a welding job and the cars need a miracle but this is the year. If nothing happens this year then i'll be of an age which means they'll become 'dearly departed' as SWMBO wants the house back in a fit state! So, I know Alasdair has an activa, ive no idea where Jim's Rattiva (remember that anyone) lives anymore or even if it lives at all. Where's the love for the cars these days? Or, is howmanyleft.com correct in identifying that they are indeed going the way of the XL Bully, lets hope not .... oh, and a happy new year to all !! Cheers guys.

[CitroJim]

Hi Mike Great to hear from you!! and great you feel inspired again in what I know is going to be a cracker of a year. Magic

As you can see from my signature, I'm long gone from Activa ownership and gone well over to the dark side with an AX and Picasso!

I know where my last one is and it's still hanging on to life - more or less...

I still have the skill and the knowledge so any assistance - from a distance - I can then give then shout

I was up in your part of the world twice last year and love it so much I may be again this year!

[xantia_v6]

Take it as a positive thing that people are SORNing their activas in winter, rather than driving them... I know that there are a few more good cars hiding away.

[superloopy]

Take it as a positive thing that people are SORNing their activas in winter, rather than driving them... I know that there are a few more good cars hiding away.

That's good to hear. So all's not that bad eh.

My two Activae 'could' lead to one decent enough car with the surplus panels from the S2 Activa tarting up the V6 (Silex grey).

Problem I have is that all three of these cars are blocked in by a 1.9TD, also a non-runner. This has to be fixed first unfortunately.

Also, my Activa mk1 is now so low to the ground that lifting it could be a problem, any suggestions??

[Stickyfinger]

My estimate is max 12x "working cars"....the rest are SORN legacy........

At the moment my car is taxed, MOT and insured so is one of those 3 showing...............it is only in "Back up mode" as there is salt about. If I do need it urgently I can drive the back roads (to do urgent shopping) to avoid the devils crystals that they only throw on the few main roads around here.

[Gibbo2286]

My estimate is max 12x "working cars"....the rest are SORN legacy........

At the moment my car is taxed, MOT and insured so is one of those 3 showing...............it is only in "Back up mode" as there is salt about. If I do need it urgently I can drive the back roads (to do urgent shopping) to avoid the devils crystals that they only throw on the few main roads around here.

Take care on those unsalted roads, one spot on our local lane caused the writing off of two cars in two days last winter, they slid off on the bend, through the undergrowth and met a huge hidden rock. (The road's called The Rocks)

[Stickyfinger]

Yeh but....I will hit the rock level

All VERY dry at the moment and ZERO snow down here.......the AX should be fixed tomorrow (the clutch cable decided to snap !) and as yet I have not "needed" the Activa.

[Rp0thejester]

How's this for inspiration.... You have Very rare cars that are starting to appreciate in value. Did that work? If not, Fix them or you'll be driving a Prius!!!

[superloopy]

Back again in need of solutions. Believe it ir not but the sun actually shone today, still cold though but I found an urge to take a look at now very scabby Activa. Stupidly when it burst a pipe some years back now I pulled it into the only space i had on my drive at the time. Well, waddayaknow, it's now stuck, immobile and I need to get it rolling at least to make any progress. As there's little lhm left I assume no brakes or steering if I dare to turn her over? And, what about the fuel, can I just slap a battery and a couple of fresh litres and give it a try or is there a procedure I should follow to prevent everything ending badly. Surprisingly the oil level is spot on and nice n golden. I'm guessing disks are well stuck and have little room to manoeuvre even a low jack under the chassis although I can just about reach all the wheel nuts which is of little help if I can't get the wheel off the ground! Another thing is that the car is parked against a side wall so my only access is a tight squeeze via the drivers door ... convenient eh. I really should've thought this through at the time but it was urgent to get the car off the road and out of the way before any fix could start so it is what it is I suppose. I could just top up the lhm, knowing its all going to blow straight out but maybe that'll allow me to crack off the siezed disks? How much is lhm these days? So, you can see I'm up sh*t creel without a paddle it seems but I'll still carry on blowing the dust and cobwebs away when the weather allows up here in the NE. I'd appreciate any suggestions especially on steps to take to avoid wrecking her by turning over especially on whether the fuel will be a problem. Got a couple of pics but can't see any links to enable me to upload?

[Armidillo]

To upload your photos, select "Full editor & Preview" (next to the submit button). Then click on the "Attachments" tab (below Submit etc. buttons) and follow your nose. Life will be easier if your photos are less than 1MB each...

[CitroJim]

Hi Mike I was involved in waking up a long slumbering Activa a while ago and no real drama so just go for it

[superloopy]

An extremely lengthy spell of dragging my feet has ensued and yet i am still enthused enough to try and sort these cars out or they will be gone soon.

Just to explain .... two Activae, one of which has now lost its rear screen (a long story in another discussion and dimension) sitting alongside a second activa which is so poorly its on its haunches, literally. Really need to sort that one first, now needs two replacement tyres which i cant raise the car to fit!! When will the warmer weather arrive up north, anyone?

To compound the lot, there is also a V6 blocking everything in, now starting to rot in all the usual places, and also in need of some time and effort.

Will any of these cars start again i'm wondering. They have been off the road for nigh on 8 years now due to family goings-on and i now need a plan of action as i don't have much of an idea what to address first and for which car.

Got a few tools in the garage but wary of just 'cranking away' on a whim so to speak ....

So, i suppose i'll get out and wash them first off, when the weather warms up that is, probably late May for this neck of the woods.

How does that sound ....

[CitroJim]

All best with it Mike - I'm sure they'll be fine once you show them some love They will make a great 2025 project and I look forward to news

[superloopy]

As always Jim you inspire me with your enthusiasm. Let's see how long until it wears off this time, then I'll be back for a top up ....

[wurlycorner]

I have two hiding away, too.
One is to be repaired and sold (the green one that I saved from scrap yard; when time permits) and the other - black one - needs recommissioning/major service and the suspension going through to properly set it up since the rear has never worked properly (also when time permits) and will remain with me forever.