What's made you grumpy today?

[porta]

Damn, that's a pity. I won't give up on one though without getting her to sit in it just in case it works ok for her. Mind you, not even at the stage of definitely going for it yet. I suspect that if Becky passes her MOT in Feb we'll just carry on with her as she is.

Better the devil you know and, like most cars, once it’s paid for itself and is no longer economically viable to trade/sell etc, you may as well keep it until the inevitable

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Don't turn this around because you and your little girlfriends are too moronic to realise. The fact you'd be able to write your name in anything beyond crayon seems like a miracle. Keyboard just must be pure luck with the random finger bashing.

StephenyRB46 can't cope with a flat battery, so you are in good company...

Hey man, you're making me very sad with the posts you're making. I'm very much in favour of people correcting things they think someone may have advised others wrongly about but lets keep it focused on the technical and not bandy about hurtful comment eh?

 

[The Panda Nut]

Thanks for all that. I'm aware of the reported problems which beset the earlier 69hp engines - there was even a TV program about it, was it Watchdog? - and I haven't read much about how the problem was sorted out - if it was actually sorted out. So it's very useful to hear that neither of your's have the problem as it will be a newer one we'll be looking for if we decide to buy one. Do you think looking for one with hill hold, esp etc would be a good way to make sure I don't end up with one with the earlier engine problems? How does the flat spot feel if I were to drive one - ie. is it on pulling away at low revs or is it there throughout the rev range or what?

The POP attracts me because of it's simplicity. We're not at all worried about having alloys - in fact Mrs J prefers steel wheels as she's very good at kerbing rims. I do like the door protector trim though. In the end, if we do look for one, it'll be vehicle condition above all else that will be the main factor.

Does the POP have a height adjustable driver's seat. Mrs J is one of the "vertically challenged" people of this world so a height adjustable driver's seat is pretty much a must have for us.

Re the flat spot I'm pretty sure the newer cars are much better. Ruby still goes OK and driven in convoy with Daffo our 2011 car it kept up ably but its when you come off a roundabout or bend and want the torque she is hesitant and to get progress you have to drop one two gears and make it rev, at which time it gets up and goes OK. Yes it also hesitates somewhat when pulling away and you need to give rather more revs in each gear to go more than steady pace. It still drives fine but the flat spot is notable. I feel it may be something to do with the VVT system settings as it improves (no end) for a while if its beendriven briskly for a ferw miles. It is something you can drive round but tales the edge off at times. Mrs PN doesn't complain though.

Penny and Nudge are Nov 15 and March 17 and don't seem to suffer this issue both feel quite lively. Im sure its a software tweak that has improved things. All of them do well on petrol but I think Ruby (2014) is the best and over 60mpg is possible with not a lot of restraint on a ling run the newer two are more like 56mpg. All run at 40-45 chugging about and in town.

Door protection is available currently at £56 on eBay Ive offered but youngest doesnt want it. AIr con and central locking are the things I would miss, but there are quite a few POPs that were fitted with aircon as an extra, so worth seeking them out. I saw a beauty when looki ng for the last car we bought with 12K on the clock. But the other daughter wanted connectivity.....

As far as I am awarem you need the easy for the height adjustable seat.

Another thought is a City Cross may have slightly higher suspension. Getting in and out of the 4x4 is so easy I would certainly look at City cross and see if they really are the same as the 4x4 in this respect. I wonder if the CIty cross has unique rear suspension parts though. Something to consider.

I agree condition and service records are the key. I have not seen any grotty exteriors apart from obviously abused ones. Darker colours in the interior seem a good idea. The only things we have had to deal with i=on the two latest are wiper blades (insignificant) and cracked tyres onthe 16 car. My tyre place said they would be OK but I chucked them away and bought a new pair of all seasons which have been fine. Both need the brake adjuster freeing so I have another job over christmas to fix the one thats not yet done, It just means the handbrake is a bit long untill they are cleaned and reset. I reckon this is a decent showing.

One final thi g for about 5 months the 1.2 got a front mounted silencer. Penny has this which scared me a bit as they are expensive and hard to find. However all the mounts are there for the standard back box. The front mounted silencer is quieter and the car feels smoother as a result. I want teh same on the other three if they need a new exhaust.

 

[The Panda Nut]

Damn, that's a pity. I won't give up on one though without getting her to sit in it just in case it works ok for her. Mind you, not even at the stage of definitely going for it yet. I suspect that if Becky passes her MOT in Feb we'll just carry on with her as she is.

Daffo was basically well maintained, a full service history from new and was running well and looking good when we PX'd it. We got £650 or there abouts, so pretty well scrap value. Youngest needs bomb proof reliability as she does 35 miles a day to work and back so a newer car made more sense than spending out on running repairs needed. FOr a second car doing fewer more local miles I would run Becky until it causes grief or needs too much work and sell fro scrap as its worth over £100 just for that. I bet you get more value out of another year or two's use than by PX ing at a poor price.

 

[The Panda Nut]

Yes, my physio is all arranged via an app, (My Pathway) if you’ve no smart phone or iPad you’re buggered

Smart phone??? PLEASE can someone get me a phone that is smart.
Mine has decided it will NOT use home internet unless specifically told to do so on every occasion. Its really irritating. I need a 10 year old to help me!

 

[StevenRB45]

Smart phone??? PLEASE can someone get me a phone that is smart.
Mine has decided it will NOT use home internet unless specifically told to do so on every occasion. Its really irritating. I need a 10 year old to help me!

I'm not 10 but I'd imagine you've somehow switched auto connect off...

If you got to where you manually connect to it and then press the cog wheel to the right, if you scroll down there should be a toggle auto connect and check it's on.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Re the flat spot I'm pretty sure the newer cars are much better. Ruby still goes OK and driven in convoy with Daffo our 2011 car it kept up ably but its when you come off a roundabout or bend and want the torque she is hesitant and to get progress you have to drop one two gears and make it rev, at which time it gets up and goes OK. Yes it also hesitates somewhat when pulling away and you need to give rather more revs in each gear to go more than steady pace. It still drives fine but the flat spot is notable. I feel it may be something to do with the VVT system settings as it improves (no end) for a while if its beendriven briskly for a ferw miles. It is something you can drive round but tales the edge off at times. Mrs PN doesn't complain though.

Penny and Nudge are Nov 15 and March 17 and don't seem to suffer this issue both feel quite lively. Im sure its a software tweak that has improved things. All of them do well on petrol but I think Ruby (2014) is the best and over 60mpg is possible with not a lot of restraint on a ling run the newer two are more like 56mpg. All run at 40-45 chugging about and in town.

Door protection is available currently at £56 on eBay Ive offered but youngest doesnt want it. AIr con and central locking are the things I would miss, but there are quite a few POPs that were fitted with aircon as an extra, so worth seeking them out. I saw a beauty when looki ng for the last car we bought with 12K on the clock. But the other daughter wanted connectivity.....

As far as I am awarem you need the easy for the height adjustable seat.

Another thought is a City Cross may have slightly higher suspension. Getting in and out of the 4x4 is so easy I would certainly look at City cross and see if they really are the same as the 4x4 in this respect. I wonder if the CIty cross has unique rear suspension parts though. Something to consider.

I agree condition and service records are the key. I have not seen any grotty exteriors apart from obviously abused ones. Darker colours in the interior seem a good idea. The only things we have had to deal with i=on the two latest are wiper blades (insignificant) and cracked tyres onthe 16 car. My tyre place said they would be OK but I chucked them away and bought a new pair of all seasons which have been fine. Both need the brake adjuster freeing so I have another job over christmas to fix the one thats not yet done, It just means the handbrake is a bit long untill they are cleaned and reset. I reckon this is a decent showing.

One final thi g for about 5 months the 1.2 got a front mounted silencer. Penny has this which scared me a bit as they are expensive and hard to find. However all the mounts are there for the standard back box. The front mounted silencer is quieter and the car feels smoother as a result. I want teh same on the other three if they need a new exhaust.

That's an absolute treasure trove of useful info, thanks so much. Because of the added complication a 4x4 doesn't appeal so much - although might be useful for the occasional day of really filthy weather we get in deepest winter for going out to my youngest boy's house for childminding. The snow rarely gets deep enough to really challenge any of my vehicles so mainly what I'm concerned about is not being able to get around but rather the idiots who make no allowance or adjustment in their driving to take the slippy conditions into account. Unfortunately four wheel drive does nothing to protect against them! I hadn't thought about the City Cross maybe having different rear suspension. I quite like the styling of that version but Mrs J prefers the plainer looking models. Also didn't know about the difference in the exhaust. Probably wouldn't worry me which one I ended up with, Becky has quite a "cheeky" exhaust note which I quite like. I can always tell when Mrs J is returning from a shopping trip if I'm in the back garden as no other car in the street has quite the same noise. I'll ask the lads round at SRS (now NAPA) about availability of the front silencer system just out of interest though.

Again, thanks for all that, much appreciated.

 

[porta]

Smart phone??? PLEASE can someone get me a phone that is smart.
Mine has decided it will NOT use home internet unless specifically told to do so on every occasion. Its really irritating. I need a 10 year old to help me!

If it’s an iPhone you can set it ‘join this network automatically’

 

[portland_bill]

Smart phone??? PLEASE can someone get me a phone that is smart.
Mine has decided it will NOT use home internet unless specifically told to do so on every occasion. Its really irritating. I need a 10 year old to help me!

Missed opportunity, 'trick or treat' just gone. Could have made one earn their treat.

 

[The Panda Nut]

If it’s an iPhone you can set it ‘join this network automatically’

ts Android, its been told but is TOTALY disobedient. I will do a factory reset if I cant find whats the cause. Oh joy another day populating it....

 

[The Panda Nut]

I'm not 10 but I'd imagine you've somehow switched auto connect off...

If you got to where you manually connect to it and then press the cog wheel to the right, if you scroll down there should be a toggle auto connect and check it's on.

I will have a look. Thanks

 

[The Panda Nut]

Thanks for all that. I'm aware of the reported problems which beset the earlier 69hp engines - there was even a TV program about it, was it Watchdog? - and I haven't read much about how the problem was sorted out - if it was actually sorted out. So it's very useful to hear that neither of your's have the problem as it will be a newer one we'll be looking for if we decide to buy one. Do you think looking for one with hill hold, esp etc would be a good way to make sure I don't end up with one with the earlier engine problems? How does the flat spot feel if I were to drive one - ie. is it on pulling away at low revs or is it there throughout the rev range or what?

The POP attracts me because of it's simplicity. We're not at all worried about having alloys - in fact Mrs J prefers steel wheels as she's very good at kerbing rims. I do like the door protector trim though. In the end, if we do look for one, it'll be vehicle condition above all else that will be the main factor.

Does the POP have a height adjustable driver's seat. Mrs J is one of the "vertically challenged" people of this world so a height adjustable driver's seat is pretty much a must have for us.

The hillholder and ASR are only on the newer ones post 2015. As to the flat spot it will be immediately apparent if you test drive so no danger of not noticing. My Mrs doesnt notice it at all. I grab Ruby by the scruff of her neck when I drive on main roads and keep the revs up unless really pottering so while irritating its really not catastrophic. With the VVT the car needs revs to deliver its power so although it may be driven a little harder some of the time, at least you get full benefit from the VVT.

 

[StevenRB45]

Citroën has stood for a week or so as we've both been off and it's the work car.

Fired it up today to find..no fan/heater.

I'm guessing a module isn't talking again...we'll see hopefully it springs to life on the way home or I'll be chilly.

Never failed to make a profit on the Citroën warranty...I miss the eye roll emoji.

 

[porta]

Citroën has stood for a week or so as we've both been off and it's the work car.

Fired it up today to find..no fan/heater.

I'm guessing a module isn't talking again...we'll see hopefully it springs to life on the way home or I'll be chilly.

Never failed to make a profit on the Citroën warranty...I miss the eye roll emoji.

 

[StevenRB45]

Yes but the old forum the eyes were animated...also :bang: for when eye roll wasn't enough

 

[StevenRB45]

And no...it's not sprung back to life.

Heater is actually working, you can actually feel it heating if you turn up the heat to max and change the air direction it comes out of the correct vents on through flow air alone so it's communicating with the heater but fan is plain not working.

*Sigh*

Remind me why I didn't trade this little **** in against something nice? It's likely under warranty but yay that's both cars with pending warranty work.

 

[porta]

Yes but the old forum the eyes were animated...also :bang: for when eye roll wasn't enough

Aha, need to get the forum ‘Apple’ oriented then but I hate being fixated on one platform or another

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Oh dear, my lovely Yamaha AV amp/receiver seems to have decided to call it a day. This morning, after taking Mrs J her cup of tea in bed I sat in the living room watching the news with my cup of tea when it suddenly switched itself on, all by itself. It doesn't respond to the remote even though I tried new batteries in it and I had to switch it off by pressing the on/off button on the front. It stayed off for about 10 minutes then switched itself back on again but still wouldn't respond to the remote and won't connect to other networked devices. So I unplugged it. I let it sit 'till midday when I tried it again, unfortunately with the same results. So I unplugged it again and re routed the freeview box and blue ray player directly into the TV. I rang a local, large, electronic repairer who invited me to drop it off with them and they'd give me an estimate if it was possible. They commented that these things contain dedicated components which sometimes aren't available. If I decide not to repair it there will be a labour charge for the diagnostic work.

Been thinking about this and because the Amp is now quite old, could be 20 years? I bought it when I was still working and I've been retired for over 13 years. I think that even if a repair were to be successful it might not be reliable and something else might fail soon after. So, I think I'll be junking it and buying a new one. Problem now is what do I replace it with. Been years since I looked at what's going on in the AV amp world.

 

[The Panda Nut]

Oh dear, my lovely Yamaha AV amp/receiver seems to have decided to call it a day. This morning, after taking Mrs J her cup of tea in bed I sat in the living room watching the news with my cup of tea when it suddenly switched itself on, all by itself. It doesn't respond to the remote even though I tried new batteries in it and I had to switch it off by pressing the on/off button on the front. It stayed off for about 10 minutes then switched itself back on again but still wouldn't respond to the remote and won't connect to other networked devices. So I unplugged it. I let it sit 'till midday when I tried it again, unfortunately with the same results. So I unplugged it again and re routed the freeview box and blue ray player directly into the TV. I rang a local, large, electronic repairer who invited me to drop it off with them and they'd give me an estimate if it was possible. They commented that these things contain dedicated components which sometimes aren't available. If I decide not to repair it there will be a labour charge for the diagnostic work.

Been thinking about this and because the Amp is now quite old, could be 20 years? I bought it when I was still working and I've been retired for over 13 years. I think that even if a repair were to be successful it might not be reliable and something else might fail soon after. So, I think I'll be junking it and buying a new one. Problem now is what do I replace it with. Been years since I looked at what's going on in the AV amp world.

Good luck with that. It seems impossible to get such things now. You need a smart phone Sir we have a contract for £150 a month..... Jusy sign here

 

[porta]

Oh dear, my lovely Yamaha AV amp/receiver seems to have decided to call it a day. This morning, after taking Mrs J her cup of tea in bed I sat in the living room watching the news with my cup of tea when it suddenly switched itself on, all by itself. It doesn't respond to the remote even though I tried new batteries in it and I had to switch it off by pressing the on/off button on the front. It stayed off for about 10 minutes then switched itself back on again but still wouldn't respond to the remote and won't connect to other networked devices. So I unplugged it. I let it sit 'till midday when I tried it again, unfortunately with the same results. So I unplugged it again and re routed the freeview box and blue ray player directly into the TV. I rang a local, large, electronic repairer who invited me to drop it off with them and they'd give me an estimate if it was possible. They commented that these things contain dedicated components which sometimes aren't available. If I decide not to repair it there will be a labour charge for the diagnostic work.

Been thinking about this and because the Amp is now quite old, could be 20 years? I bought it when I was still working and I've been retired for over 13 years. I think that even if a repair were to be successful it might not be reliable and something else might fail soon after. So, I think I'll be junking it and buying a new one. Problem now is what do I replace it with. Been years since I looked at what's going on in the AV amp world.

There will be someone supporting it, I got both a ‘chip’ and ‘resistor’ for my Awia amp, (1987) both for £20…what you do need is to look at the forums (there’s one for everything) find out what the fault is and find the recommended parts are…then you just need a steady hand for soldering!