Thanks to the magic of Ebay, I have purchased yet another car I’ve not actually seen. In fact, I’ve never driven one at all. Actually, I’m not really sure if I’ve ever even seen one before. Sunday promises to be interesting!
I’ll save details of the actual car for the Collection Caper, but I’ll try to explain a bit more about what it is – a Honda S-MX. Just a few days ago, I didn’t really know what one was either, but I’m building up my knowledge! If you’re wondering why, we’ll the fact I’m editing Retro Japanese magazine should be a big enough clue. I’ve decided the RAV4, while fun, just isn’t interesting enough. That’s why I’ve gone and bought my first grey import – the tag used to identify Japanese market vehicles, which have moved to the UK later in life (because our testing regimes for older cars are much, much less strict).
The Honda S-MX. Not a squashed tomato.
The Honda S-MX was launched in 1996 in Japan, and was joined in 1998 by the similarly boxy Nissan Cube. These were cars that rebelled against the squashed tomato look favoured by automobile manufacturers. These are unashamedly practical cars. Curiously, there are two doors on the passenger side, but only one on the driver’s side. Most of the back end is a tailgate, while inside, there are two bench seats, which transform into a bed.
I wonder if it’s comfortable?
Sadly, my S-MX does not have the lurid orange seat option, though random bits of the interior do indeed seem to have an orange hue. That at least breaks up the sea of grey plastic somewhat. The bed, hatchback and oddball styling have led one pal to sum it up as the Japanese Maxi. That just makes it all the more cool in my book!
The eagle-eyed of you might have noticing the column gearchange, though automatic is the only option. Bench seats, column gearchange, it’s going to be like being in a Ford Zephyr! Or maybe not. The engine is Honda’s B20 twin-cam, in 2-litre form. In effect, it’s a twin-cam version of the engine in the Honda Prelude I owned earlier in the year, producing 130bhp.
The underpinnings apparently owe a lot to the Honda CR-V soft roader, and indeed, there is a four-wheel drive option. I’ve not gone for that one. Mostly because the only one I could find for sale was the Lowdown model. This appeals to the natural boy racer in me, as it came from the factory with a 15mm suspension drop and a smart bodykit. Oh yes. I’m a real boy racer.
Will this car make me the king of cool?
Mine is black, just like the one above, though much shabbier, and with the usual ‘grey import’ aftermarket fog lamp squeezed onto the backside somewhere. Note the delightful three-spoke alloys and the lack of a rear door.
I must admit, I find the cosmetics entirely appealing. Yes, it’s a fairly bland shape, but I really like the full-height rear lights, and the cheeky front end. I hope I like driving it too. Information scoured from the internet so far reveals that the ride should be surprisingly good for a Honda, and it should even manage 32mpg. My Prelude could do 34, so that sounds about right.
This does mean I’ve now bought a different Japanese car for every single issue of Retro Japanese magazine so far, though this one won’t be appearing in it until the winter issue in December. Shall we place bets now as to whether I’ll still have it by then?
I’m trying very hard. Thanks to the demise of the Rover, an opening has appeared on the fleet. There are three conflicting qualities I want in my new car, four if you include cheapness.
Comfort has to be key. The Nippa and RAV4 don’t even understand the concept of the word. That makes a hydropneumatic Citroen seem a good idea. Hold on though, because there’s a problem. Firstly, the strut Citroens (BX, Xantia and XM) have a surprisingly poor ride over broken road surfaces at times. Secondly, and most importantly, they’re utterly hopeless over one of my favourite hoon routes. Hydro Citroens do not like crests. They just bounce off the bump stops and it’s all rather unpleasant. It has surprised me no end that the Rover and RAV4 were far, far better over crests. I wasn’t expecting that. I forgot how normal cars behave.
One of these would be nice. I think. Pantograph wiper…
Another thing ruling out Citroens is the need for something Japanese or Jaguar. Sure, I don’t HAVE to have something to reflect Retro Japanese or Classic Jaguar, but it makes sense to have something to write about my experiences with.
Now, Jaguars are certainly available within budget, and at this price, would certainly generate plenty of copy. I suspect I’d be doing a lot of fault-hunting. That doesn’t thrill me to be honest. To qualify for ‘Classic’ on my title, it would have to be an XJ40. There are fewer and fewer left under a grand that aren’t utterly ruined. I’m not sure I’m brave enough. Plus, I’m really not a fan of single wipers.
Fortunately, the Japanese have rather a lot of wafty motors that would be entirely suitable. The Lexus LS400 and GS300 fit the bill nicely, as do the Honda Legend, Nissan Maxima, Mazda Xedos and a host of imported stuff you’ve never heard of – like the five-cylinder Honda Inspire. Wow. Quite a lot of these cars are rather bland though, especially the Honda and Nissan. Especially when so many are grey, or silver. I have found one Legend that’s almost pink. Perfect! But then a friend warned me that they’re rather too wafty and not enough nice in the bends.
Perhaps I don’t need nice in the bends – I have the RAV, Nippa and (later this year) the 2CV for hoon fun. But, I really don’t like driving a car that doesn’t inspire confidence. I’m also a little worried that the Lexus is just a bit big. I mean, the XM felt a bit bloody big at times. The roads here, and a great many parking spaces, just aren’t that large.
Which makes the Honda Accord V6 seem a good idea. I love the rear styling, though I’m not sure why. Absolutely none of these lovely Japanese cars address my love of a rear wiper either. I’ve just remembered how the lack of one often bothered me in the Rover.
I do like these. Isn’t that a nice back end?
And this is the problem. Once you start analysing which car to buy, it can take an awful lot of the fun out of it. Buying cars shouldn’t be an entirely sensible thing! No car out there is going to fulfil every desire I have. I should know. I’ve tried quite a few.
I have no idea what I will buy, but rest assured, it will probably be something that meets none of the above criteria in any shape or form!
Today has not been a good day. I was having a lovely time at the 1000 Classics event at Cholmondeley Castle, Cheshire, until someone pointed out that my Rover had a suspicious trail of oil leading to it. He was not wrong.
It turns out this trail went a long way. In other words, right through the entire event pretty much…
My friend ‘Junkman’ was quick to diagnose that the driveshaft seal had blown out of the gearbox on the nearside. Lovely! Then I remembered pulling out of a layby that morning, as we waited for a friend to catch us up after a nasty right hand turn. I pulled away swiftly, heard a strange noise and immediately decided it was best to ignore it. The noise went away. All was well.
It was a few miles to the show, but I noticed when slowing down that suddenly I had transmission noise on the overrun that was not there before. I decided not to ruin by day by worrying about it now. Delayed worry is a thing.
The AA turned up rather promptly. Annoyingly so given I still needed to conduct a photoshoot on a rather nice MX-5. That ended up being a rather hasty affair. I hope the pics are ok. Meanwhile, the Rover was strapped down to its great shame, in front of a row of perfectly working pre-war cars, such as this rather delicious Lanchester.
The driver admitted that he was running out of hours, so we’d need to transfer to another AA van. No worries. Until he tried reversing at the meet point. There was a big bang.
Yup, the Rover had somehow jumped off the dolly. I delayed my anger at this point, as there was not much point being angry. It wasn’t going to help. Delayed anger is a thing.
Getting the Rover off the dolly was a right game. It took over an hour. The second AA guy could have helped, if he had not been waiting for us (for half an hour) a short distance up the road. AA Sat Navs are rubbish. The rescue involved scary heights.
However, eventually, the Rover found itself connected up to a much nicer Transit van. Some hours later, we arrived at my local garage where the Rover has been dumped to await its fate. (this shot is just after the transfer, it was dark when we got back to Wales).
The Rover has been damaged by the fall, but I’m not sure how badly. The ‘chassis rail’ that runs below the driver’s floor has been squashed quite badly, and the plastic sill cover (badly scratched) may be hiding damage beneath. That rail already seems to have some rot in it. In addition, fitting the light board to the rear end seems to have damaged the bumper – the fitting has pulled out of the body on the nearside just behind the rear wheel. It was already weak.
On top of all this, I’ve no idea if the gearbox has been damaged. I’m not sure what to do next. Sleep sounds good!
It’s been a busy time on the HubNut video channel, so let me give you a quick run down of the latest videos.
Firstly, there’s the one where I went greenlaning in my RAV4. It didn’t go quite as easily as I’d hoped…
Then the roadtrips begin! In order of trips covered, I’ll start with the Jaguar XJS that I borrowed from Kelsey Media. It was ideal while I hurtled 1800 miles around the country on Classic Jaguar magazine business. The economy was far better than expected too! Oh, but off-roading that didn’t go well either. I really should be more careful…
Then we get into roadtrips with purchasing involved. With Retro Japanese magazine being the other title I currently edit, I decided to get something retro and, well, Japanese. That saw me clock up 500 miles in the first few days after purchase. How did it get on?
I was forced to concede that the Colt was not the ideal roadtrip machine, though it had plenty of charm. So, six days before going on holiday, I bought another car! Bring on the French roadtrip and more than double the mileage in a car which cost me even less to buy. Brilliant!
Finally, there’s an experimental video in which I discuss my favourite shots from the Retro Rides Gathering 2016 at Shelsley Walsh hillclimb. There are some interesting motors here for sure!
I hope you enjoyed those. More videos will be appearing before too long. Hopefully.
Let’s have a quick fleet recap. I’ll start with the Japanese pairing of Toyota RAV4 and Mitsubishi Colt.
Japanese selection
The RAV4 continues to do all I ask of it, though this week, that only means a quick run to the supermarket and back. After normal cars, the windscreen and headroom seem hilariously huge. It makes you feel tiny.
The Colt has failed to win me over. It has proven reliable and trustworthy, but ultimately isn’t delivering satisfaction. It’s good at being a car, but it proves how lacking some Japanese cars were in the fun stakes at this time. Not that an Escort was exactly cutting edge I suppose. I’m hoping the Colt will find a new owner this weekend. More soon hopefully.
Right, let’s consider the not-quite-Japanese section of the fleet.
Daihatsu in disguise and Honda in disguise
The Perodua Nippa is still proving to be a very cheap car to run, and absolutely ideal for nipping about. Mind you, at £300, it seems almost expensive compared to the £230 Rover. That said, it has covered almost 140,000 fewer miles!
The Rover is firmly in the good books though, despite the air con woes. It proved great for our trip to France, and is still one of the most attractive saloons ever built. It makes the Rover 75 look bulky and clumsy.
The 2CV remains spread out around the UK. I’m not expecting progress until October. I really am missing that little car!
So concludes the update. I’m hoping for a bit of stability on a fleet which has recently undergone many changes. Can I stick to that? Now there is a question…
I’m quite rubbish at buying cars. I was going to buy a Lexus, but somehow ended up with a Mitsubishi Colt 1500 GLX automatic. This was clearly not going to be the ideal vehicle for our upcoming holiday to France, so panic measures were resorted to.
That meant heading to Ebay to see what was actually suitable for such a trip, and what was cheap. The Rover 600 was an obvious contender, the purchase of which I’ve already covered. Now, it was time to find out how it would do on the trip.
Firstly, I decided to investigate the air conditioning. It wasn’t working, and a heatwave was forecast. I decided to ask my local garage to investigate, and they found a failed hose. There was no time to source a new one, but they reckoned a local agricultural firm could make a new hose with the existing connectors. All was going well until, the night before we were due to depart, the new hose blew apart. One of the connectors had not been sufficiently crimped. This was especially annoying as I’d actually dug my bicycle out of the storeroom and ridden it 4.6 miles to collect the car! The hose was swiftly removed and the garage offered to try and get it remade the next morning. I decided to take the gamble, even though that meant collecting the car on the day we were due to leave.
The day of departure arrived and I got to the garage just as the new hose had been fitted. It was time to fire it up! Thankfully, the new hose held, and beautifully chilled air came out of the vents (after I’d previously fixed the blower motor). Fantastic! I said my thanks, drove back home, we loaded the car and headed off to our overnight stop in Sussex.
It was already pretty sweltering, so I was glad of the air con. It truly transforms a motorway journey in the summer, because you can keep the windows up. That makes it much, much more peaceful. We even managed to listen to music at a reasonable volume. Perfect.
However, our joy was not to last. During the latter stages of our trek along the M4, I began to notice that horrible hot-electric smell that suggests all is not well. It reminds me of model railways, when dirt is making it difficult for the voltage to get through to the wheels. Sure enough, when we hit traffic on the M25, it became apparent that the fan was not actually spinning – the cool air had merely been a result of the ram air effect of travelling at speed – or perhaps that ram air had been helping the fan to spin. Either way, it was back to windows down.
I did briefly consider trying to strip the motor out at my sister-in-law’s house, but decided eating dinner was a better idea. I also didn’t fancy having a car in bits hours before our chunnel crossing. Noisy windows it was then – at least it was cool on the eurotunnel train!
We then had several hours of French autoroutes to contend with, and it was noisy going. Until I decided to just run the air con with the ram air effect. At 130kmh, this worked very well and we were kept at a comfortable temperature. It only fell down whenever we stopped.
There followed a few days of family, too much delicious food and much sitting around before I got a chance to get the fan motor out.
Essential holiday antics – fan blower motor removal.
Removing the fan quickly revealed that all was not well. It was reluctant to turn and indeed, was refusing to do so entirely without a little assistance. I recruited my father-in-law to investigate, as I knew he’d enjoy the project. With the motor apart, we could see the problem pretty clearly.
Trying to revive the motor with a clean-up.
That’s some pretty drastic wear on the commutator. That step at the end of the brush should not be there. The brushes too were pretty worn. We were hardly going to find replacements in the middle of rural France on a Sunday afternoon, so a bottle of meths was provided, and we settled for just cleaning things up as much as possible. That included using a cocktail stick to clean out the carbon muck between each of those segments to reduce the possibility of short circuit. The brushes act on each of those segments in turn. I also cleaned out the nose bearing and the guides the brushes sit in, to ensure they could move freely.
With that done, I then reassembled the motor and a bit of machine oil was added to the nose bearing. With some scepticism, I plugged the motor back into the car’s loom and prepared to turn it on. Well, I was glad I’d got a firm grip of the motor housing, as the difference was staggering! It had gone from a lumpy, reluctant rotation to generating so much torque that it threatened to rip itself from my grasp! I looked all dramatic as the huge movement of air blew my hair backwards. This was a proper little wind machine.
Now all I had to do was reassemble everything, which I did with only one screw remaining. I’m clearly getting better at this lark. The next day, we went sight-seeing and enjoyed beautiful air conditioning once again. Lovely!
Of course, it didn’t last. The next day was even hotter, and having left the car parked all day, I moved it to a better position for loading up, prior to our long drive home. I turned on the air con, but the vents resolutely refused to chuck out air that was very cool. Sadly, that continued for our drive home. The pump was kicking in, but the air conditioning unit merely made a wheezing sort of a noise and no cold was forthcoming. Bother!
Things got even worse at the Eurotunnel entrance, where British security checks were causing a major hold up. We queued for ages, at the hottest part of the day, with not a cloud to be seen.
Feeling hot. V8 Mustang sounded nice though!
It was pretty much unbearable, though things improved when we opened both front doors. There was hardly a breath of wind though. Seriously sticky. At least the train was a little cooler, and it was also a fair chunk less scalding in Dover too. Phew. It got a lot hotter soon enough though, with the M25 being pretty bad. I knew there was a weather front heading along the M4 though. If we kept going, perhaps we could meet it!
Having refuelled 45 minutes from Calais, I certainly didn’t need to stop for fuel, but we eventually reached Cricklade in Gloucestershire, where it was decided that tea was most definitely needed. It had been 400 miles since our last brew! Seconds after we sat down, there was a power cut, but it was ok. We had tea. And possibly scones…
As we headed towards Wales, things became cooler still. We eventually arrived home at just after ten pm, having covered well over 500 miles that day, and some 1200 miles in total.
And here’s the thing. While the air conditioning certainly played up, the rest of the car just did what a car should. I drove it at 70-80mph (80mph=130kmh on the Frenchside) for hour after hour. It had to queue in major jams (Calais and M25). It never overheated, it never needed a drop of fluid. It was all quite boring really. In fact, if it weren’t for the air con related woes, it would have been a thoroughly boring experience that would hardly have been worth writing about. It just proves that £230 really can buy you an entirely capable vehicle. I still reckon it looks superb too. It may not be a Lexus, but it might just be the best value car I’ve ever bought.
Resting in the heat at the French services. What a car!
I’m having a marvellous time here in France. I’ll do a full report on the Rover’s progress when I get home, but suffice to say that the air conditioning is working beautifully – which is good, as it has got rather warm here! Lovely.
I’ve been out spotting too, with trips to Argentan and Falaise today, where the spotting was on very good form. I’ve pulled out the highlights below. Hope you enjoy them. I certainly did!
This is truly what French holidays are all about!
Fantastic yard of fabulous French tin.
Peugeot 305 looks pretty much ready to roll.
Nooo! I love Peugeot 204s! So cute. Can this one live again?
This Dyane doesn’t look happy. WANT.
Wow! Rover 200s of this era are hard enough to find in the UK now.
Simca 1500s are pretty rare. At least two in this yard.
A truly rare sight! Ford Escort Mk3 1.6L estate in metallic blue. And rust.
Huggy Bear unlikely to be impressed. Note exhaust! Ford Taunus parked alongside.
Lovely rear light detail on this early Peugeot 304.
A 2CV, with repair panels. Hopefully it will live again.
Second one of these I’ve seen. Suspect this Avantime needs some fettling.
Renault 30 is a rare sight. PRV V6 engine.
An amazing sight! Peugeot 203 estate, with BMW E30 and Renault Avantime behind.
Yes! Found a French-registered Rover 600 diesel.
Lovely BMW 6-Series with yellow headlamps.
Another French-registered Rover. See? They do exist. Same “is it blue?” colour as my 600.
Citroen XM peeks around the corner.
Do like the cranked rear wiper arm on left-hand drive Citroen AXs. Yes, I am that sad.
Absolutely love these Peugeot 205 vans. Very attractive but not sold in the UK.
Wow! Super-rare Retro Japanese spot in the form of this Mini-aping Daihatsu Trevis.
You won’t see one of these in the UK – Lancia Musa – a posh Fiat Idea.
Many different colours, but this Peugeot 305 is clearly still in regular use.
The Rover encounters another scenic backdrop in Falaise, Normandy.
Majestic C6 isn’t a bad spot.
Like whinging rock music and Volkswagens? I’ve got the car for you.
Fantastic! Dreary Ford Escort MkV is badged as Success. If only!
Lurking opposite the Citroen dealer in Falaise, this VW Beetle looks tidy.
Renault Trafic, or is that Tragic? Had weller 8-spokes.
This one got away. Saw it twice! Immaculate Peugeot 404.
France is all about dishevelled buildings and cars.
Yesterday, I took my Rover to the local garage to explore the world of air conditioning and to get the dodgy tyre replaced.
Tyres and air con. Improving my steed.
The air con pressure tester revealed a leak somewhere, and sure enough, the hose between compressor and condenser had a small tear in it. Well done machine. Living in the sticks has serious downsides at this point. We weren’t going to find a Rover 600 air con pipe just sitting on a shelf somewhere. So, the lads decided to employ the services of a local agricultural merchant. After all, they make hoses for tractors that carry serious amounts of hydraulic pressure. This should have been a doddle.
This afternoon, the pipe was being refitted. With Rachel out picking billberries (she has the blue teeth to suggest not all ended up in her basket…), I was forced to seek other transport solutions.
Er, is this really a good idea?
I was given this bike by an optimistic aunt and her partner back in 2010 or maybe 2011. I’ve ridden it ONCE since then, before deciding such antics are best avoided. I’ve certainly never tried riding it beyond the borders of our village before, and as I made the bold attempt, I remembered why. I couldn’t even make it up the gentle hill that takes you out of the village. FAIL!
I bravely kept going though. I needed to get to the garage before it closed for the day. Sure, I had to walk at times, but I was still moving. Finally, I reached the section which is about a mile downhill. I barely needed to brake, even on the steep bit. If you watch the cycling on the olympics, you’ll see that the men shave their legs. I think that must explain it. I don’t. I was creating massive drag.
I made it halfway up the steep hill the other side of this drop before giving up and walking, but after ‘just’ 30 minutes, I’d manage to cycle 4.6 miles. SUCCESS!
Made it! Too knackered to account for sun position.
You’ll note that the bonnet is still up at this point. The news was not good. The bolt holding one end of the pipe in place had brought a chunk of aluminium thread out with it, so the lads were tapping it out and then had to make a replacement bolt. They’re nothing if not ingenious – as you have to be when the nearest town is 12 miles away, and probably won’t have the bit you need anyway.
Finally, they got it all back together again. I fired up the engine, the compressor clattered into life for the first time in a while, and the vents became cold. Oooooh! Lovely! Then things went a bit wrong. I could see nervous faces below the raised bonnet from my position in the driver’s seat. BANG. Suddenly, refrigerant was escaping at high speed, men were running away and I was shutting the engine off. Balls.
One of the fittings on the new pipe had simply blown off under the pressure. This was not part of the plan. So, what to do? We depart on holiday tomorrow. The agricultural place opens again at 8am. I decided to risk it. The lads will attempt to get a new pipe made up, and I’ll have a nervous wait in the morning before driving to our overnight halt in Sussex. I didn’t much like the idea of cycling back home – there are even more hills, some of them very steep – so I was loaned a Clio. I had got as far as trying to get the bike into the Rover – it doesn’t fit. Happily, the Clio had no objections!
So, the car we’re going on holiday in tomorrow is still not ready. This promises to be fun!
First off, this isn’t a guide to how to maximise profit when selling a car. If I knew how to do that, I wouldn’t mind sharing the secret, but I don’t, so I won’t. This is just what you need to know when you’re selling a car – what requirements you must take into account, and which things make life easier. A lot has changed recently – you don’t even have to fill out the V5 anymore!
Three of these cars were sold, with no problems! One is still here.
So, I’m going to start by assuming you’ve advertised the car somewhere, and now have someone on your doorstep with cash and a desire to drive away in your vehicle.
Firstly, a receipt is a VERY good idea. It reminds you to actually make sure you receive some money, and it has a couple more benefits. Buying from a private seller means very few come backs, but the receipt allows you to confirm the mileage at the point of sale, confirm any declared issues and state that the car has been sold as seen. Even if they bought the car blind on Ebay, chances are they’re still now on your doorstep to take it away, so they’ve seen it. If they have sent someone else to collect it, then say “sold as described” instead. Assuming you weren’t telling big fat fibs on Ebay. If you were, then that’s your own problem.
Ensure the date is on your receipt, and also the time. That confirms exactly when the transaction took place, which could be useful if either party has an accident or sets off a speed camera. You’ll have a record of who was responsible for the car at the time. Print/write two copies if you don’t have access to a photocopier.
Now we come to the V5. This is what to do if selling privately. If you want to be all traditional, you can get a pen and fill it out like we used to in the good old days. If you do this, MAKE SURE YOU KEEP THE MAIN SECTION! Given the green slip (V5C/2) to the new owner, but do not let the main section out of your ownership. Make sure it has been signed by both parties, ensure it is filled in correctly and send it off yourself. DO NOT allow the buyer to do so, even if they promise they will.
These days, you’re far better off doing the change of ownership online, though for reasons that are a bit hard to explain, the service is only available during office hours. Head here and follow the instructions. There are different options depending on whether you are selling to a trader or a private buyer. If selling to a private buyer, you can destroy the V5 when instructed to do so. If selling to a trader, you only destroy the yellow section – the trader will, in this case, take the V5 with him, whether you’ve used the online system or not.
Use the online system for change of owner. It’s great!
Why is the online system better? Firstly, it instantly alerts the DVLA to the change of owner, or that the car is now in the Trade. Therefore, if the car does have a mishap afterwards, the DVLA already know you are no longer responsible for the car. Secondly, vehicle tax no longer transfers to the new owner, so it kicks in the process to refund you on any remaining tax – this means that the new owner does have to tax their car immediately. They may need to borrow your computer, though it is possible to set it up via a smartphone – it’s not too fiddly. Note that you will only be refunded for any complete months of tax remaining. Note also that the new owner will have to effectively tax the vehicle from the beginning of whichever month you sell the car in. Yes, that does mean two people paying to tax the same vehicle for a month and yes, that is bloody infuriating.
There we go then. Is that everything? Er, no. It’s also VERY important to cancel your insurance cover for this car as soon as you can once the transaction is complete. There’s one very well publicised reason for doing so. No-one wants that sort of mess hanging over them. If you’re no longer responsible for the car, you want the insurance to reflect that as well.
Note that you do not have to declare the car SORN. Your responsibility for vehicle tax will end once the logbook change is processed – whether online or by filling in the logbook and posting it off.
I would just add a note to be careful on Ebay. I have heard of transactions turning sour, when buyers have claimed a car suddenly has a load of problems and threaten to leave negative feedback. They cajole the seller into a full refund, but when the car comes back, parts are missing. The problem is, Ebay nearly always sides with the buyer. As ever, there are some nasty people about and it pays to be on your guard.
Don’t be put off though. I sell cars all the time, and I’ve rarely had an issue – apart from two occasions where I foolishly let the V5 go with the car. Don’t do it kids! I’ve learnt my lesson. Just make sure you’ve removed all personal belongings for the car, and that everything is with the car that needs to be – spare keys, paperwork, locking wheel nut tool etc.
It’s been a while since I had a weekend to just spend at home, but thankfully, I had one just when I needed it. The Rover needs some fettling before our foreign holiday, starting with trying to reclaim that sodding indicator bulb!
I decided to attempt this job before breakfast to add a bit of time pressure. How was I going to get it out? I tried a magnet on a stick, as recommended by several people. This rather ignored the almost complete lack of steel in bulb production. I got the hint after a while…
So, I stuck a bit of high-tack aluminium tape to the end of a screwdriver and went fishing. At about the third attempt, success!
Hoorah! Managed to reclaim the lost indicator bulb.
Now I had to test the bulb to see whether it had failed, and I’d simply dislodged it when trying to remove the bulb holder, or if the bulb had just somehow fallen out of its own accord. Here’s the answer.
Huzzah! The bulb does work.
It must have somehow fallen out of the holder then. Very odd. And yes, it is stupid to rest spanners on a battery with exposed terminals. I accept your point.
There was one more job to attend to before I departed on a milk run – refitting the side indicator. I used blutack for this, but I doubt it’s going to last long.
Side indicator bodge. A common fault it seems.
I was now ready to go and fetch some milk. Quite why I ignored the three fully-functioning vehicles I had on my driveway, I’m not really sure. I guess new-car-excitement is alive and well. Encouraging.
Once my fast had been broken, I set about trying to fix the non-working heater fan blower. Now, there are a few common faults here. One is the resistor pack, though failure of this usually means one or more speeds don’t work, but the fastest speed still will. Relays are another potential failure, or it could be a simple fuse. Fuses were ruled out quite swiftly, and I didn’t reckon the resistor pack was likely. So, I decided to remove the fan assembly, having read that it was quite easy to do.
Easy! Fan motor assembly removed.
Removing the glovebox requires you do undo two screws, a few more remove a reinforcing bar and then a few nuts and bolts hold the assembly in place. You’ll notice the multimeter, though I was testing in the wrong places, so assumed power wasn’t getting to the fan.
I tried spinning the fan by hand, but it felt reluctant. It would turn, but very swiftly stopped. Could this be my problem? I turned on the ignition, switched the fan to the high setting, and used a screwdriver to turn the fan. It kept turning, slowly getting quicker and quicker. By heck can it move some air once it’s up to speed! I wasn’t happy with this ‘fix’ though, so I turned the ignition back off again, disconnected the wiring and pulled the assembly apart. I couldn’t see how to get the motor fully apart, but could remove one end. That revealed a gloopy mess inside, carbon dust from worn brushes being the main problem. I used my high-pressure penetrating oil to blast out the muck, and then applied spray grease to the bearings. The oil may have been a mistake. I’m pretty sure it contains fish oil, and the car now whiffs of it. I plugged the wires in, and the fan speed now seemed much quicker.
Speedy fan! It just needed a clean out and lube.
Then it was a ‘simple’ job of refitting everything, while listening to Jonathan Agnew interviewing Ade Edmondson on Test Match Special. Getting the fan assembly to engage with the air con unit was a bit of a struggle, but I got there in the end, with only two screws left over at the end!
Sadly, it seems the air conditioning is not working. It could be that it is simply in need of a regas. I can hear it kicking in, but the vent temperature is not very low. Given that there’s a heatwave coming next week, I think air conditioning might be nice to have!
Mind you, another priority has revealed itself ahead of this trip. I’m very annoyed with myself for not checking the car more thoroughly before I left the seller’s home, because it turns out that one of the tyres is horribly worn and aged.
Sheesh! This is a very dangerous tyre.
I did check the front tyres, even getting the pressure checked in one of them before I left. The front have decent treat, as does the offside rear. The nearside rear, not so much! Look at the state of that. It’s appalling. It gives me the shivers to think that I was driving at motorway speeds on this. At the very least, I was risking a sizeable fine and points on my driving licence. But, that tyre is clearly beginning to perish. The results of a blow out at motorway speed, or when cornering, do not bear thinking about. I’m very annoyed with myself, as I take tyre safety very seriously. Or I thought I did. Let this be a lesson to all of you! Check your tyres.
So, pre-trip prep is going to include getting some beam benders, a GB sticker, a spare bulb kit and at least one new tyre. Hopefully, I can get the air con looked at too. We’ll see…
HubNut - celebrating the average! 