Came back to cumbria to get my car serviced. And found that some scrote has broken into my barn and stolen quite a few of my tools and bits, including sump plug kit and the oil drain thing (with nasty used oil still in it, unlucky scrote). They have also stolen a few boxs of random house crap and my older tool box (got just about everything I would ever need in it though, they also stole some spare bike parts, but they are insured privatly so I will get nice shiny new ones in replace of busted/broked/outdated ones that they took 
probably the first insurance thing that has ever gone well for me!
Anyway, I didn't drive all this way for nothing, it needed a full service (filters oil plugs, and a clean up!), right rear radius arm, and needed rear brake cylinders freeing up as no matter how much I adjust handbrake it doesn't hold the car.
Anyway took it to the best garage around (distington nr workington, the guy is a legend!) And he did the aformentioned, plus needed new right rear wheel bearings (basically the play from the arm, had mean't the wheel had sat weird on the stub axle and eaten its way thru it inc the bearings!, that was probably finished off properly by those stupid GT alloys I bought), he freed up the two left hand cylinders but the right hand ones were well past it (the reason why when I braked at high speed the back end was trying to flick infront of the front, if my GF had been driving it and had to brake she would have crashed as she just freezes up when stuff happens ) replaced brake fluid, and most of the solid metal lines (never got fiat to paint mine as I heard they make a nasty mess) and the front AND rear flexy hoses, and then bled it, and fitted yet another new seal kit to the master cylinder (which stopped it hissing like a snake for about 30minutes of hard use, now its doing it again!!).
Anyway, all the parts were £185 so he did labour and vat for not much over £100, and he would have had his work cut out removing the rear radius arm (I tried for nearly an hour to remove it given what tools I have left here, ended up with a bit of old exhaust over the top of a 10" wrench, budged but not enough ummph to get it over the rust at end of bolt.,
Oh and something I noticed when I got back, the rear springs have been changed or cleaned or something, before they were rusty as anything, tried cleaning the left side when I did the other arm last year, but a wire brush just knocked the surface rust off and found more!! Yet today when I came back the rear springs are clean, all black with a yellow and red paint mark on them (fresh), with only a tiny bit of rust on each (so not totally new), and yet he never mentioned it nor charged me for them, maybe they are the originals he just found some way of making rust dissapear. Oh and it also looks like hes replaced the left radious arm bush too with the newer modified type that doesn't squeek! as all that area is cleaned up and there is another new bolt thru it!!
If anyones in west cumbria and needs some work done he is the man to do it!! He is a total legend! Oh did I mention the car actually handles like a car, and on A roads doesn't feel like I'm going to spin off into a hedge at any moment! Oh and the brakes, bloody hell, they have been soft (compared to now, but still were firmer than other small cars I have driven) like that since I bought it like 18months ago, passengers who can drive always feel uneasy when I am driving as they say the car feels like its running away from me, and not braking as harshly as it should when I am putting in as much input, but now!! I mean cor, the brakes are fantastic, probably knocked a good 40-50% off my stopping distances!!!
Expensive, but really not that expensive, it would have cost £302 for fiat just to service it LMAO!!!
probably the first insurance thing that has ever gone well for me!Anyway, I didn't drive all this way for nothing, it needed a full service (filters oil plugs, and a clean up!), right rear radius arm, and needed rear brake cylinders freeing up as no matter how much I adjust handbrake it doesn't hold the car.
Anyway took it to the best garage around (distington nr workington, the guy is a legend!) And he did the aformentioned, plus needed new right rear wheel bearings (basically the play from the arm, had mean't the wheel had sat weird on the stub axle and eaten its way thru it inc the bearings!, that was probably finished off properly by those stupid GT alloys I bought), he freed up the two left hand cylinders but the right hand ones were well past it (the reason why when I braked at high speed the back end was trying to flick infront of the front, if my GF had been driving it and had to brake she would have crashed as she just freezes up when stuff happens
) replaced brake fluid, and most of the solid metal lines (never got fiat to paint mine as I heard they make a nasty mess) and the front AND rear flexy hoses, and then bled it, and fitted yet another new seal kit to the master cylinder (which stopped it hissing like a snake for about 30minutes of hard use, now its doing it again!!).Anyway, all the parts were £185 so he did labour and vat for not much over £100, and he would have had his work cut out removing the rear radius arm (I tried for nearly an hour to remove it given what tools I have left here, ended up with a bit of old exhaust over the top of a 10" wrench, budged but not enough ummph to get it over the rust at end of bolt.,
Oh and something I noticed when I got back, the rear springs have been changed or cleaned or something, before they were rusty as anything, tried cleaning the left side when I did the other arm last year, but a wire brush just knocked the surface rust off and found more!! Yet today when I came back the rear springs are clean, all black with a yellow and red paint mark on them (fresh), with only a tiny bit of rust on each (so not totally new), and yet he never mentioned it nor charged me for them, maybe they are the originals he just found some way of making rust dissapear. Oh and it also looks like hes replaced the left radious arm bush too with the newer modified type that doesn't squeek! as all that area is cleaned up and there is another new bolt thru it!!
If anyones in west cumbria and needs some work done he is the man to do it!! He is a total legend! Oh did I mention the car actually handles like a car, and on A roads doesn't feel like I'm going to spin off into a hedge at any moment! Oh and the brakes, bloody hell, they have been soft (compared to now, but still were firmer than other small cars I have driven) like that since I bought it like 18months ago, passengers who can drive always feel uneasy when I am driving as they say the car feels like its running away from me, and not braking as harshly as it should when I am putting in as much input, but now!! I mean cor, the brakes are fantastic, probably knocked a good 40-50% off my stopping distances!!!
Expensive, but really not that expensive, it would have cost £302 for fiat just to service it LMAO!!!
