Bangers chat

[blairsh]

Still not bought a new motor yet, been over a year now! Borrowed an immaculate 20year old Suzuki Ignis for the weekend seeing as its bank holiday so i have options to do stuff away from home. Its a little 1.3 twincam with only 21k on the clock and aswell as feeling tight as a drum its surprisingly fun to drive

Can't find the right NC3 for the money still and i sensibly talked myself out of buying an old e350 after talking through it with an ald mate who is a top notch mechanical engineer type

 

[Riklet]

should be fun until something expensive happens

but saying that it is a toyota under that badge

Yeah I got an EML on the way home, turns out it's for one of the two O2 sensors in the engine bay. Seems like it's failed. Annoying but easily fixable.
Also got the Traction Control off warning light flashing... not sure what happened there.

I opened the sunroof at an angle today. I was told it didn't work but couldn't resist playing with the button. Now it's stuck open... woops

Annnnd the rear discs definitely need changing. There is some wobble when braking at speed. I have got a paid of Bosch ones for 20 quid (!) and some new brake pads so will do that in the coming days. Plus the air filter and oil and filter. Spark plugs are iridum and were done 2 years ago so I'll just leave those.

The automatic transmission fluid may never have been changed. It looks pretty dark and grim so I'm leaving that well alone as it shifts ok. The coolant on the other hand I want to do asap... it is brown and minging.. lots of rust and gunk in there, definitely time. If I get the cambelt done they do fresh coolant as part of that... but at 470 quid I really can't afford it at the moment. I'm getting the car inspected by a specialist and if it's hanging on by a thread then I'll do it myself I think. Otherwise will just live with it. If the rust isnt too bad this car might soldier on a few more years but I'm cautious about sinking too much money into it.

If the cam belt snaps or the catalytic converter fails that might tank this project. Otherwise I'm confident I can sort it cheaply and hopefully myself. There's loads of help and support online.

 

[Riklet]

Bad news on the IS200. there is some rust around the windscreen and when I had a full (free!) vehicle inspection with a pair of local specialist and passionate enthusiasts they said the windscreen has partially debonded. Someone has fixed it badly with silicoln. But as it stands it would be an MOT fail if they were to notice it. It is still fairly structurally sound but still not 100% safe in the event of a high speed impact.

Really, it needs the windscreen removed and the rust addressing. Worst case scenario could require welding. And then a new windscreen fitted. I wouldn't be able to claim this through my insurance as a windscreen repair as this is a bodywork job too. Estimated at going on a grand so more than the car is worth.

So basicslly it's keep it 6 months and see if it gets through another MOT. If not probably scrap it or sell it for parts. Or sell it on just before as a spares and repairs project. At £450 I can't be too gutted but it's pretty solid and in good nick aside from this issue so it is frustrating. It means I can hold off on doing the timing belt though as it's just not worth it.

For my own banger peace of mind I have...

Serviced rear brakes and replaced the rear discs which were advised several years in a row.
Changed and bled the brake fluid.
Replaced air and cabin filter.
Replaced engine oil and filter.
Replaced faulty o2 sensor with a second hand original one (a right bitch to get to)
Flushed the coolant with distilled water. Doing a other flush and then coolant change.
Will replace worn lower suspension ball joints as these are prone to fail suddenly on IS200/300 and means the wheel partially gets ripped off(!)

All pretty cheap standard maintenance I can do myself for about £150 in total. Really nice car to work on to be fair. Im still going to sell my 2004 Corolla as I need the money so project Lexus continues for now!

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Current puddymobile (probably doesn't quite qualify as a banger, but it's 12 years old) came with a 6 month warranty as part of the deal when i bought it round xmas time.

warranty people have got in touch to say do i want to have another year's warranty (which obviously i'll have to pay for). i haven't yet asked how much.

appreciate that like any sort of insurance, it's money i won't get back if nothing goes wrong, it might just save me money if something does, and overall they must make a profit on the whole thing or they wouldn't bother.

gut feeling it it's not worth the effort, but any thoughts?

 

[dessiato]

Current puddymobile (probably doesn't quite qualify as a banger, but it's 12 years old) came with a 6 month warranty as part of the deal when i bought it round xmas time.

warranty people have got in touch to say do i want to have another year's warranty (which obviously i'll have to pay for). i haven't yet asked how much.

appreciate that like any sort of insurance, it's money i won't get back if nothing goes wrong, it might just save me money if something does, and overall they must make a profit on the whole thing or they wouldn't bother.

gut feeling it it's not worth the effort, but any thoughts?

Before committing to it read what's covered. Often they don't cover the things that are actually likely to go wrong and have very strict rules about what you must do to be eligible should you need to make a claim.

 

[Chz]

If it's cheap, it's often drivetrain only. Which, while it is a very expensive repair, is the least likely thing to go wrong. That said I did once buy a 10 year-old car with a 6 month drivetrain-only warranty that had its transmission bugger itself. That was helpful, but it was also in the 1990s and cars these days are from another planet in mechanical reliability.

 

[Ax^]

as above depending o. what covered having a nest egg for mantinece might be the better option

 

[sim667]

Bad news on the IS200. there is some rust around the windscreen and when I had a full (free!) vehicle inspection with a pair of local specialist and passionate enthusiasts they said the windscreen has partially debonded. Someone has fixed it badly with silicoln. But as it stands it would be an MOT fail if they were to notice it. It is still fairly structurally sound but still not 100% safe in the event of a high speed impact.

Really, it needs the windscreen removed and the rust addressing. Worst case scenario could require welding. And then a new windscreen fitted. I wouldn't be able to claim this through my insurance as a windscreen repair as this is a bodywork job too. Estimated at going on a grand so more than the car is worth.

So basicslly it's keep it 6 months and see if it gets through another MOT. If not probably scrap it or sell it for parts. Or sell it on just before as a spares and repairs project. At £450 I can't be too gutted but it's pretty solid and in good nick aside from this issue so it is frustrating. It means I can hold off on doing the timing belt though as it's just not worth it.

For my own banger peace of mind I have...

Serviced rear brakes and replaced the rear discs which were advised several years in a row.
Changed and bled the brake fluid.
Replaced air and cabin filter.
Replaced engine oil and filter.
Replaced faulty o2 sensor with a second hand original one (a right bitch to get to)
Flushed the coolant with distilled water. Doing a other flush and then coolant change.
Will replace worn lower suspension ball joints as these are prone to fail suddenly on IS200/300 and means the wheel partially gets ripped off(!)

All pretty cheap standard maintenance I can do myself for about £150 in total. Really nice car to work on to be fair. Im still going to sell my 2004 Corolla as I need the money so project Lexus continues for now!

We scrapped Amy’s car for £375 having paid £150 two years before……. So you may well get a good chunk of money back

 

[Elpenor]

Earlier I had the passenger window switch come off in my hand! I’ve got it back on but it doesn’t seem to work now, except to move the window down.

Anyway I stopped and wondered how I’d be able to fix it as the window was all the well down. Luckily my guess that removing the switch button and using a key as leverage would get the window up. Quite impressed I managed to improvise that fix, but think I’ll have to stop using that window going forward.

The perils of owning a 17 year old car!

 

[dessiato]

Earlier I had the passenger window switch come off in my hand! I’ve got it back on but it doesn’t seem to work now, except to move the window down.

Anyway I stopped and wondered how I’d be able to fix it as the window was all the well down. Luckily my guess that removing the switch button and using a key as leverage would get the window up. Quite impressed I managed to improvise that fix, but think I’ll have to stop using that window going forward.

The perils of owning a 17 year old car!

On my Astra cabby you could close the windows remotely by holding down the lock button on the key fob.

 

[Elpenor]

On my Astra cabby you could close the windows remotely by holding down the lock button on the key fob.

I will have to try that!

 

[Ax^]

Earlier I had the passenger window switch come off in my hand! I’ve got it back on but it doesn’t seem to work now, except to move the window down.

Anyway I stopped and wondered how I’d be able to fix it as the window was all the well down. Luckily my guess that removing the switch button and using a key as leverage would get the window up. Quite impressed I managed to improvise that fix, but think I’ll have to stop using that window going forward.

The perils of owning a 17 year old car!

hmm could be an easily modules replacement depending on the car, a wear issue not water damage .

saying that did drive a old astra with a broker passage window for about 2 years once as it just need handling to close

 

[Elpenor]

hmm could be an easily modules replacement depending on the car, a wear issue not water damage .

saying that did drive a old astra with a broker passage window for about 2 years once as it just need handling to close

Think a mate used a pencil to hold his Astra window closed for a couple of years too

The button still works to let the window down, it’s just raising the window that’s the problem. The control on the passenger side for the passenger window has been the same since I bought the car, can be lowered, cannot be raised. At least they match

 

[Ax^]

ah sound like a good sign it just the mechanical switches

might be worth looking around for a mechanic who could replace the switches

damp is a bigger problem that a broke switch

 

[Elpenor]

ah sound like a good sign it just the mechanical switches

might be worth looking around for a mechanic who could replace the switches

damp is a bigger problem that a broke switch

Too broke for that really. If it’s not going to fail the MOT I will probably leave it - if I do lower the window by mistake I can just raise it again by removing the switch cover as I did earlier

 

[Ax^]

Too broke for that really. If it’s not going to fail the MOT I will probably leave it - if I do lower the window by mistake I can just raise it again by removing the switch cover as I did earlier

if you air con works fella

summers around the corner and depending on the damage it could just be a cheap replacement button with a new catch .. I'd look in it just shit and giggles

 

[Ax^]

hmm mot day and it appears some heavy handed git cross thread the bolts on the left offside caliper when doing a service :/

new caliper, hour labour and few position blubs best part of 240 for the 12 month ticket

could be worse i suppose

 

[T & P]

I’m not sure if work vans might qualify for this thread, but I still feel like paying homage somewhere to our 23-years-old and going, humble yet ludicrously reliable Suzuki Carry minivan.

85,000 miles and it has never broken down. Not once. Or needed any major overhaul or required expensive maintenance to pass MOTs. Have literally never had to face a four-figure garage bill since we got it. Even though it gets driven regularly by no fewer than five of us at work, with different driving skills and including a genuinely terrible driver.

It was even earmarked to be written off by our insurance when some twat in a Porsche rear ended it at some speed, but we decided against it.

It’s ugly, struggles to go above 60 mph and you wouldn’t want to be hitting that speed anyway, and has a tiny cabin. But it’s nifty as fuck, so narrow it squeezes through gaps no other four-wheel vehicle could, and as reliable as anyone could hope from an old vehicle. And due to it having a petrol engine, it’s even ULEZ compliant.

My work is going to switch to an EV van next year when we switch to a new location, and I’m considering keeping it, because frankly I reckon it might outlive us all. All hail the mighty Suzuki Carry!

 

[dessiato]

I’m not sure if work vans might qualify for this thread, but I still feel like paying homage somewhere to our 23-years-old and going, humble yet ludicrously reliable Suzuki Carry minivan.

85,000 miles and it has never broken down. Not once. Or needed any major overhaul or required expensive maintenance to pass MOTs. Have literally never had to face a four-figure garage bill since we got it. Even though it gets driven regularly by no fewer than five of us at work, with different driving skills and including a genuinely terrible driver.

It was even earmarked to be written off by our insurance when some twat in a Porsche rear ended it at some speed, but we decided against it.

It’s ugly, struggles to go above 60 mph and you wouldn’t want to be hitting that speed anyway, and has a tiny cabin. But it’s nifty as fuck, so narrow it squeezes through gaps no other four-wheel vehicle could, and as reliable as anyone could hope from an old vehicle. And due to it having a petrol engine, it’s even ULEZ compliant.

My work is going to switch to an EV van next year when we switch to a new location, and I’m considering keeping it, because frankly I reckon it might outlive us all. All hail the mighty Suzuki Carry!

View attachment 432751

You reminded me of these, Honda Acty, which are used in Khartoum as amjad. They're like a taxi, but not a taxi, sort of half way between the taxis and ruckshaws. Great little things, very reliable, and reasonably comfortable too.

 

[bellaozzydog]

I put my (non) smoking barge (Mercedes E430 estate, 2002) in for an inspection health check to see if needed any work/was terminal/was dangerous..

Seems like a fairly long list of issues. Need to chat with the garage to prioritise and see if it’s worth keeping. It’s still got six months MOT and drives like a Rolls-Royce I’d like to extend its life but head rather than heart will have to prevail.

Lots of rust

Hi there,

As promised, please find below the list following our inspection of the above vehicle today. I have also included a link at the very end to WeTransfer which has two videos that Martin discussed; these are too big to attach and send via email. You can see the underside of the vehicle and the extent of the corrosion.

• Oil leak from oil filter housing
• Gearbox oil cooler pipes heavily corroded
• Nearside front fog light inoperative
• Offside rear brake bulb holder burnt out
• Nearside and offside rear tyres worn across and close to legal limit
• Offside rear and nearside rear inner wheel arches heavily corroded and require weld repair
• Exhaust hanger broken
• Offside rear boot floor - multiple holes and heavily corroded
• Nearside rear boot floor - two areas require welding due to heavy corrosion
• Battery tray corroded and holed - water present inside

Any mechanics in the house

I’m having a chat Monday to see what the guy thinks moneywise

So garaged it while I was away with work.

They quoted 600 to do the welding. Then got back to me and said they had to buy in new full panels. All the bits and bobs, plus tyres came to a royal 1600 quid

More than I fancied but if she’s all done underneath welding wise I can expect a few more years trucking out of her, and she is a joy to drive

Total cost to date including purchase price, welding MOT etc 3300

Two more years and she’s cost neutral in my head.

In other news my land rover that’s been having an engine swap for for 4 years 4 months is apparently “pencilled in” for end of July

 

[bellaozzydog]

You reminded me of these, Honda Acty, which are used in Khartoum as amjad. They're like a taxi, but not a taxi, sort of half way between the taxis and ruckshaws. Great little things, very reliable, and reasonably comfortable too.

View attachment 432754

Love the light vans. I’ve got a real thing for Toyota hiace, I scooted round in one in Basra palace for 2 years until a mortar killed it.

Light, fast, not thirsty, practical

 

[bellaozzydog]

My banger is now a camper banger






Interesting fact, there are only 49 of my make and model of banger on the road in the U.K.

 

[Chilli.s]

campsite looks a bit duff

 

[Saul Goodman]

campsite looks a bit duff

You can't beat camping in a shopping centre carpark. Fire up the BBQ but put nothing on it, and when passers by ask you WTF you're doing, tell them you forgot the burgers, and if they buy some you'll cook one or two for them. Free food all day.

 

[bellaozzydog]

Banger had an electrical issue. The blower regulator decided to stay on when the ignition was turned off.

With no fuse to isolate it it was trying to kill the battery. It succeeded and I had to jump start it, blower regulator kept going so thought about disconnecting the battery, which worked.

After some fannying around I reconnected the battery, the car started and the blower was kaput. Won’t blow but that is theoretically better than it running till battery death or loom fire.

So off to garage tomorrow to see if it’s safe to drive, as I have a 5 hour drive a ferry then a 7 hour drive to fit in

Doesn’t help being in a “foreign” country

All thoughts, opinions, actually electromechanical expertise gratefully received

FML

 

[Saul Goodman]

It'll be safe to drive. It's just a knackered MOSFET by the sound of it. I have loads of MOSFETs here if you want to try to fix it or make a new one.
Or you could just replace the regulator with a relay as a temporary measure. It'll be on full blast when you turn it on but it's better than nothing.

 

[bellaozzydog]

Took it to a garage. Bloke listened to my diagnosis. Asked me why I didn’t just unplug it..(while looking at me like an idiot) unplugged it and walked off

So no heater/blower for the weekend and the drive the length of the country to Rosslare ferry then Fishguard to cornwall.

I’ll break out the puffer jacket and towel for mopping the windscreen

Will book it in for a replacement when I get back

 

[Chz]

I can't quite call the new car a banger, as it's only 3+1/2 years old. But it's still better than a new car. I'm reposting this from another forum as to why new cars suck. And are going to suck even more in the future.

Long live the banger.

Toyota.

I got a new fleet Rav4 Hybrid.

I fucking HATE IT.

The biggest pet peeve is the non-stop ads in the center console for "missing" Toyota subscription features. "Experience Drive Connect" takes 30+ seconds to load every time you start the damned PoS only to then tell me that I need a subscription to use it. It's also kinda crippled without a Toyota account, so I made one, but now the idiotic thing tells me that "my log-in has expired" and that I need to type in my PIN. This happens once a week. I'm the only driver of the thing, I drive it every single day, and it knows exactly what key I use.

You made me create a a fucking account, so now fuck off and leave me alone, goddam it.

I have to insert a fucking key, no "start/stop" button. It's 2024 for fuck's sake. I have my hands full of IT crap and I have to fish the fucking key out every time like it's the fucking 1980s.

The brightness of the huge ugly tablet screen is not controlled by the dash lighting adjustment wheel. It's at least 8-10 taps through buried windows to get the the settings screen to adjust the brightness. I drive far, far out of town on a regular basis so I regularly turn the brightness down to minimums (I like my night-vision, thanks) but then need to turn it back up when getting into town, so this is is a major PITA.

The ugly lump of shit is huge on the outside and tight on the inside.

There is practically no usable storage. The glove compartment is tiny. The center console storage is even tinier. There is a tiny, 5in x 6in area under the center stack, but ~3-4 cubic feet down under the center stack area (the space between the legs of the front occupants) of space is inaccessible.

Door "pockets" are a joke. They are slots that I can't fit my thermal mug into.

I had a 2020 Ford Fusion, which was a sedan, and it had TONS more storage space despite being a much smaller vehicle. Mechanically, it was very troublesome but it drove well when it worked, the center console screen was perfectly fine and loaded Android Auto reliably. The design was great, Ford just fucked up on the execution. Chevy Bolt has tons of storage as well. Neither vehicle has ads that load up before you can use the infotainment. I had more storage space in my fucking Honda Civic, for crying out loud, and that thing is 1/2 the size.

I wear hearing aids, so I have them connected to my phone over bluetooth as a rule. Every single other vehicle I've ever driven (Ford, Mercedes, BMW, Volvo, Tesla, Chevy, Dodge, etc - I'm President Circle with Hertz and I've sat in lots of different cars) has the vehicle take over the bluetooth connection when you connect your phone or fire up Android Auto. Not the shitty Toyota. Even with Android Auto running, the audio stays with the hearing aids (so no one can hear me if I pick up a call), so I have to rememeber to disconnect the hearing aids, connect to the Rav4, then do it in reverse when I get somewhere,. For every single drive. I have not found a setting to change this.

After seeing all this, I am NEVER going to consider buying a Toyota as a personal vehicle, and you can be sure that if any vehicle comes with a nag screen, I will never consider it. That PoS can burn in a fire and I'll dance a fucking jig as it burns.

Rant over. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

 

[hash tag]

I can't quite call the new car a banger, as it's only 3+1/2 years old. But it's still better than a new car. I'm reposting this from another forum as to why new cars suck. And are going to suck even more in the future.

Long live the banger.

My Alfa is now 21 and I'd hate to think of her as a banger. She is evolving into a classic, thank you.

 

[Elpenor]

Any idea what year newly made cars stopped being fitted with a CD player? Was discussing with friends this morning

As in cars that are available in the UK