The Panda Nut
Nutty about Pandas Infected by Panda virus and OPD
I would say panda but they are not renown forlong lived suspension. We have a lot of creaking on two 319s. Im going to check the rubber spring seats are good and lube them first.
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What's made you grumpy today?
The Panda Nut
Nutty about Pandas Infected by Panda virus and OPD
Long may he, and they enjoy his wise preachings!
10 years in and the Golf had had its first proper advisory on the MOT. Rust on the lower arms visible but not affecting the structure.
Previously I’ve only had advisories for normal stuff like tyre tread or a blown bulb (which only seem to blow on the way to the MOT test centre). usually on those occasions a I have already planned for tyres to be replaced when the car is in for the test
So that’s 10 years without failing an MOT….
Previously I’ve only had advisories for normal stuff like tyre tread or a blown bulb (which only seem to blow on the way to the MOT test centre). usually on those occasions a I have already planned for tyres to be replaced when the car is in for the test
So that’s 10 years without failing an MOT….
It's amazing how much damage the combined forces of my wife and being road parked on a heavily gritted road all winter can do...
To be fair the underside is surprisingly clean rust wise...it's more likely 8 years of regularly catching air on speed bumps.
To be fair the underside is surprisingly clean rust wise...it's more likely 8 years of regularly catching air on speed bumps.
Mine has been a “garage queen” for most of its life, not a proper garage but covered and out of the wind which kept it from getting wet and cold when not in use. I suspect the rust on the lower arms is fair game after 10 years for parts which generally only get a dusting of black paint from the factory and have sat in the flow of dirt, dust, salt, snow and god knows what else for 105k miles. Then it might only need a spruce up with a wire brush and new dusting of satin black. The good thing about these cars is replaceable bushings rather than the pressed in type where you throw half the car away every time you need to replace a bit.
I might see if I can just take the parts off and spruce them up myself over the winter
It's one of those it's under warranty, warranty only supplies OEM Citroën bits, so a knackered ball joint means they are replacing the whole sub assembly. So arm and bushes as well as the ball joint will be renewed.
At that point the only Original component in the front suspension will be...the drivers side wishbone if they don't replace the pair.
I I think my car is a couple of years older than yours as you got your Citroen about the time we got the mini.
The golf had never had a single suspension component replaced, the only thing it’s had in 105k is a lot of tires and a single replacement of the front and rear discs and pads.
If I did start replacing the suspension it would probably feel like a totally different car but so far (touch wood) nothing has worn out.
I do think a lot of that has been helped by the car being under cover for most of its life. Not sitting constantly in cold damp conditions. I’m sure that doesn’t help
We've discussed her erm speed bump aggression strategy before.
It's not quite as bad as it sounds, the things that actually failed were the top mounts, the ARB mounts and now that ball joint.
But because the warranty only does OEM parts and OEM parts only come at the sub assembly level not just broken bits have been getting replaced.
Main chunks were top mounts as they replaced both front struts top to bottom for those even though a separate top mount is about 15 quid a side..
It's not quite as bad as it sounds, the things that actually failed were the top mounts, the ARB mounts and now that ball joint.
But because the warranty only does OEM parts and OEM parts only come at the sub assembly level not just broken bits have been getting replaced.
Main chunks were top mounts as they replaced both front struts top to bottom for those even though a separate top mount is about 15 quid a side..
Oh no! Dear Lord, Please grant me patience. Tonight is the start of a new series of Strictly Come Dancing. Groan, Think I'll just go and camp out in the shed for the duration!
Well that was some rain we had for the past two days, almost biblical and we seem to have a new spring!
Seems to have pretty much bypassed us, staying just south of us from what I can make out. Although quite a lot of cloud on Friday, I Went a good long walk without getting wet and spent most of yesterday in the garden mowing, pruning, weeding, and moving some astilbes to a new position to make way for a small shrub my boy gave me. Lovely sunny morning today. Completely clear blue sky from sunrise but now a few white clouds to be seen - our wee conservatory is lovely and warm in the sunshine which is great as I can leave the door to the house open and it heats the living room - for free!
The Panda Nut
Nutty about Pandas Infected by Panda virus and OPD
Yes spring has sprung. WIld flowers due in may are on full blood round here, but though we have started to have rain its still astonishingly dry here in Norfolk.
As long as it isn't coming through the kitchen floor.
No, luckily in the orphan/abandoned lamb penAs long as it isn't coming through the kitchen floor.
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A friend of mine in Cornwall was presented with a massive water bill some time ago on his ex pig farm, but as the supply seemed to route across other properties he had no control over most of it was waived in the end.
You hear these sort of stories quite a lot don't you. The ones about people being charged ridiculous electricity/internet/water/etc with little chance of challenging these big providers. It scares me and i try not to think about it.
I did have a water leak on my property, went all under my house then I dug up my concrete drive as ground was wet on my land, only to find the cause was the join where the waterboard fitted the water meter to my pipe!
They did give me a refund, but it took a bit of explaining how I had a leak under my kitchen, but it was their fault up on the road, plus of course the local council wouldn't let me dig up their bit of pavement to prove the point.
The reason it got as far as my kitchen is the original iron pipe had been replaced at some time but left sawn off at both ends, so the leak at meter made a pond under ground that the old pipe transferred to under my kitchen!
I replaced my pipe with the blue alkathene with no joints right up to my kitchen stop cock and then reconcreted my drive, I don't think I could do that myself these days.
I have another grump, recently developed constant pain, hip , knee and occassionally my back that needs pain relief to get to sleep.
Daughter looked it up and suggests hip replacement, not ideal but in the back of my mind both my parents died younger than me with cancer.
So waiting for a Doctor appointment as the start of another saga no doubt.
Daughter looked it up and suggests hip replacement, not ideal but in the back of my mind both my parents died younger than me with cancer.
So waiting for a Doctor appointment as the start of another saga no doubt.
Don't ignore random pains. An acquaintance developed a pain in the right shoulder which he ignored assuming it was just due to advancing years. Some time later, because it wasn't going away, he went to the doc. Turned out to be some sort of "referred" pain from prostate cancer! He wasn't a close friend and I've lost contact so don't know how it all turned out.I have another grump, recently developed constant pain, hip , knee and occassionally my back that needs pain relief to get to sleep.
Daughter looked it up and suggests hip replacement, not ideal but in the back of my mind both my parents died younger than me with cancer.
So waiting for a Doctor appointment as the start of another saga no doubt.
The valve stem repair kit I did a few weeks ago, was done successfully…. At the first re-inflation, one didn’t seem to hold air, and the other seemed to have a seal issue but working with the little valves and then re-sealing the other with some more LocTite stuff (akin to the stuff which came with the kit, but more) seemed to sort it (our theory was the half in/half out of the garage might have affected the setting time of the perfect indoor workshop that it’s probably intended to be done in).
That was all good and well. This Saturday… the TPMS light was on.
Just yesterday, I went to fill up the tyres, checking each time to see which one it was. My bed was front right, which was slowly (like once a month) deflating because of my damage to the valve but was fine, it took air in so wasn’t as pressing as the rears were.
I was wrong, filling that back up didn’t turn off the light. Tried the other side. Nope. So signs pointed to a problem with my work…
The rear two… are not just not taking air in. Not from this petrol station heavy duty machine, and then when I tried my trusty old boot 12v inflator… Sealing it in, the pressures were up at around 30psi, it showed that. But when I turned it on to inflate… the dial went right the way around on both. No idea if it was actually taking in air or not but still, major red flag.
Four new TPMS sensors… I tried asking Toyota locally if they would programme ones, if I bought four genuines online (from Swindon’s online dealer who runs a site), got them fitted at a tyre shop then brought it to them to programme. Nope - must all be done by them. They supply around £90 a sensor. Swindon people around £80. Swindon people no longer ship to NI (Nooooooo!).
I think it might be time… for the first time on this car to just go and get some aftermarket sensors - and if THEY have any issues in coming years, then I’ll go sink the money into the genuine’s. When I do… genuine sensors sourced.. fitted some tyre shop and programmed by myself using that ‘Carista’ app which they reckon can do Toyota sensors.
What a **** show, four perfectly good sensors written off by me using stupid cheap alloy dust caps… seizing on, hacked off and boom, big bill. One that, to be honest, does need sorting now as who knows the predictability of the repair job or the remaining two original stems.
The place that sorted my puncture a few months ago do aftermarket sensors £50 per wheel… I may go and give them a shout this week. ‘Hamaton’ is the brand, never heard of it… but if it has anything stamped on it it’s above the lowest-of-the-low I suppose, and they even have a generic global website - bonus points.
That was all good and well. This Saturday… the TPMS light was on.
Just yesterday, I went to fill up the tyres, checking each time to see which one it was. My bed was front right, which was slowly (like once a month) deflating because of my damage to the valve but was fine, it took air in so wasn’t as pressing as the rears were.
I was wrong, filling that back up didn’t turn off the light. Tried the other side. Nope. So signs pointed to a problem with my work…
The rear two… are not just not taking air in. Not from this petrol station heavy duty machine, and then when I tried my trusty old boot 12v inflator… Sealing it in, the pressures were up at around 30psi, it showed that. But when I turned it on to inflate… the dial went right the way around on both. No idea if it was actually taking in air or not but still, major red flag.
Four new TPMS sensors… I tried asking Toyota locally if they would programme ones, if I bought four genuines online (from Swindon’s online dealer who runs a site), got them fitted at a tyre shop then brought it to them to programme. Nope - must all be done by them. They supply around £90 a sensor. Swindon people around £80. Swindon people no longer ship to NI (Nooooooo!).
I think it might be time… for the first time on this car to just go and get some aftermarket sensors - and if THEY have any issues in coming years, then I’ll go sink the money into the genuine’s. When I do… genuine sensors sourced.. fitted some tyre shop and programmed by myself using that ‘Carista’ app which they reckon can do Toyota sensors.
What a **** show, four perfectly good sensors written off by me using stupid cheap alloy dust caps… seizing on, hacked off and boom, big bill. One that, to be honest, does need sorting now as who knows the predictability of the repair job or the remaining two original stems.
The place that sorted my puncture a few months ago do aftermarket sensors £50 per wheel… I may go and give them a shout this week. ‘Hamaton’ is the brand, never heard of it… but if it has anything stamped on it it’s above the lowest-of-the-low I suppose, and they even have a generic global website - bonus points.
