What's made you smile today?

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

In Panda's they were non interference up until 2010 as far as I'm aware with the introduction of variable valve timing which is when the 1.1 was discontinued which never received VVT, in 500's they have been an interference from day one in 2007 as the 500 was the first FIRE engine to have variable valve timing.

That's what I've always understood. The 1.1 was non interference and the VVT was/is without exception, interference however, I'm not entirely sure if the last of the 1.2 60hp (so up until the 68 hp VVT engine took over in 2011) were interference or not. However, experiencing a broken cam belt when away from home would be a most unpleasant and inconvenient thing to have to endure, so I will never exceed the recommended change interval. having said that they don't seem to be too hard on their belts as there are a number of posts on here from folk who have run them well past the recommended interval without any drama. I think keeping an ear out for water pump/idler bearing failure is probably more important.

Edit. When looking at 1.2 engine versions, don't assume that because it's a 169 model that it'll be non interference. The last of the 196's used the VVT 69hp engine which can be easily identified by looking for the VVT valve on the cam cover just to the right of the oil filler cap.

 

[irc]

I think the 1.1 Active Eco is the pick of the bunch, with £35 Road tax and very low insurance. Nicer interior (well, seat coverings anyway, and the darker plastics don't show marks as much).
Still a bit gutless compared to the 1.2 but buzzes along happily around lanes, and seems to really enjoy being revved.
Great first car, but insanely cheap motoring for oldies too.
Very few gadgets to go wrong.
Still able to carry surprisingly large things (although really heavy stuff does slow it down)

 

[AnthonyH]

I think the 1.1 Active Eco is the pick of the bunch, with £35 Road tax and very low insurance. Nicer interior (well, seat coverings anyway, and the darker plastics don't show marks as much).
Still a bit gutless compared to the 1.2 but buzzes along happily around lanes, and seems to really enjoy being revved.
Great first car, but insanely cheap motoring for oldies too.
Very few gadgets to go wrong.
Still able to carry surprisingly large things (although really heavy stuff does slow it down)

The Panda ECO active 1.1L has 54 bhp, a top speed of 93mph and 0-60mph in 14 seconds.

Looks fine. Not everybody needs complicated, or fast.

 

[FiatMatt94]

That's what I've always understood. The 1.1 was non interference and the VVT was/is without exception, interference however, I'm not entirely sure if the last of the 1.2 60hp (so up until the 68 hp VVT engine took over in 2011) were interference or not. However, experiencing a broken cam belt when away from home would be a most unpleasant and inconvenient thing to have to endure, so I will never exceed the recommended change interval. having said that they don't seem to be too hard on their belts as there are a number of posts on here from folk who have run them well past the recommended interval without any drama. I think keeping an ear out for water pump/idler bearing failure is probably more important.

Edit. When looking at 1.2 engine versions, don't assume that because it's a 169 model that it'll be non interference. The last of the 196's used the VVT 69hp engine which can be easily identified by looking for the VVT valve on the cam cover just to the right of the oil filler cap.

That's what I say to people to people when looking at a 169 as a family friend has an 09 plate 1.2 dynamic eco & she asked me how to tell if it has VVT or not as she remembered the old FIRE engine not being interfence as she's had a lot of Fiat's I said yours shouldn't have it being an 09 plate but I showed her if it did have the valve would be on the cam cover by the filler cap, it's funny because whenever someone I know has a Fiat related query they always ask me a woman who I used to work with had a 57 plate 1.1 Panda active & she came to me one day & goes your pretty clued up on Fiat's & she said that a mechanic told her that if her cambelt snapped it would be catastrophic, so I asked her what cc it was & she went 1.1, so I said it wouldn't be catastrophic as it's an old 1108 which never had VVT so it's non interference it was just be an inconvenience so a new belt kit with belt, tensioner & water pump it would be going again.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

That's what I say to people to people when looking at a 169 as a family friend has an 09 plate 1.2 dynamic eco & she asked me how to tell if it has VVT or not as she remembered the old FIRE engine not being interfence as she's had a lot of Fiat's I said yours shouldn't have it being an 09 plate but I showed her if it did have the valve would be on the cam cover by the filler cap, it's funny because whenever someone I know has a Fiat related query they always ask me a woman who I used to work with had a 57 plate 1.1 Panda active & she came to me one day & goes your pretty clued up on Fiat's & she said that a mechanic told her that if her cambelt snapped it would be catastrophic, so I asked her what cc it was & she went 1.1, so I said it wouldn't be catastrophic as it's an old 1108 which never had VVT so it's non interference it was just be an inconvenience so a new belt kit with belt, tensioner & water pump it would be going again.

Our Becky is a 2010 Dynamic Eco and definitely doesn't have VVT (Cheap road tax too) I've been looking at possible replacements for Becky as there's a big question mark over her rear axle and I've noticed the 1.2 (which if we buy another Panda would be what I'd go for) has the cheap tax until around 2016. Although the 139 model are all VVT of course.

Although a failed cambelt/water pump/etc is not catastrophic engine wise for the Non Interference engines it's going to be very inconvenient whenever it happens and maybe very dangerous indeed if it fails somewhere like the fast lane on a motorway or late at night on a bleak moor or other "stuff" I could think of. It's not a possibility you would knowingly encourage.

Talking about cheap small cars - because I'm just getting myself ready for the day when we say goodbye to Becky, which won't be unless she's got something terminal - I'm not convinced on the viability of owning an electric car yet, either when you look at what they cost or charging, or many other aspects - for instance the almost daily developments in batteries - However I'm intrigued with the Dacia Spring to replace Becky. Becky almost never does anything other than shopping runs. The longest journey she's done in all the time we've owned her was down to my brother's cottage in the borders which is a round trip of just under 100 miles including a wee bit of local running around down there. The Spring is cheap to buy, and there are some interesting pre reg priced ones around with maybe 10 miles on the clock. Also seems to hold resale value quite well. I'm certainly not about to gallop over to the dealer and buy one but I quite fancy a test drive if he'll give me one. The Spring is about the nearest thing in an electric car to what the Panda is.

Edit. And it seems, in the basic version anyway, to have very little "Infotainment" type tech - which is a big plus for me.

 

[FiatMatt94]

Edit. And it seems, in the basic version anyway, to have very little "Infotainment" type tech - which is a big plus for me.

The spring actually looks quite a decent little car if your after something reasonably priced, a lot better looking than most of today's offerings. Before I bought the Panda I was considering a basic no thrills Sandero when they were still extremely cheap at £5995 as Fiat didn't really have much that lured me in at the time but then they started doing deals on pre reg Tipo's & Panda's which were both the same price at £7995 so I tried the Tipo & didn't like it so I tried a Panda lounge afterwards which wasn't in the deal but it was there & although I liked it I wanted something more basic so that was what made me go for a Pop over an Easy or a Lounge & that was when my dad found the black Panda at Thames Fiat so I went & had a look, test drove & bought it. It was a nice car until I started having continuous issues with the airbag & body control modules to which after it had happened for the 3rd time I'd lost interest so me & my dad decided it was just best to get shot of it but I got just short of £4k for it with the issues after 6 years ownership which when considering I paid just under £8k new I didn't think that was too bad.

 

[StevenRB45]

Wife: comes in from night shift discussing a colleague who had no de-icer in the car and whose washer jets were frozen.

Me: Smiling and nodding along knowing she's not bought a can of de-icer in about 2 years and that if it was up to her it would likely have plain water in the washers not screen wash strong enough to melt the glass.

Side note the minus 65 neat screen wash dilutes down a treat

 

[bugsymike]

Mummy , why does daddy's new car get rusty so quickly?
It's not even high tide yet!

 

[FiatMatt94]

Mummy , why does daddy's new car get rusty so quickly?
It's not even high tide yet!

Don't park an early Dacia Rusty Dusty there you'll come back to a pile of dust on the ground where it's dissolved

 

[bugsymike]

Don't park an early Dacia Rusty Dusty there you'll come back to a pile of dust on the ground where it's dissolved

I used to have a customer who ran a beach shop next to the pier in that photo, his Vauxhall Victor 1600 was scrap in three years and that was just from parking behind the pier in the Summer, mind you it deserved to, it was Primrose yellow.

 

[FiatMatt94]

I used to have a customer who ran a beach shop next to the pier in that photo, his Vauxhall Victor 1600 was scrap in three years and that was just from parking behind the pier in the Summer, mind you it deserved to, it was Primrose yellow.

Hahaha it definitely deserved it for being that colour

 

[StevenRB45]

Grim up north n that...

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Grim up north n that...
View attachment 459328

Candy floss I loved that stuff as a kid, and seeing it now always reminds me of the traveling fair which came to town in the summer.

You can just about see the "blinking eye" bridge behind it? My daughter is a civil engineer and she was part of the team which designed it - says very proud Dad! I've always thought the swing bridge in the foreground very impressive. Do you know if it still works?

 

[StevenRB45]

Candy floss I loved that stuff as a kid, and seeing it now always reminds me of the traveling fair which came to town in the summer.

You can just about see the "blinking eye" bridge behind it? My daughter is a civil engineer and she was part of the team which designed it - says very proud Dad! I've always thought the swing bridge in the foreground very impressive. Do you know if it still works?

It was market day...about 50 different food vendors and that's what he wanted. Hence him being relegated to the boot..

We walked over the millennium bridge (blinking eye) today to the Baltic and back given I was parked at guildhall..he was very impressed not the first time he's been over it by any means but first time in a few years and also first time since he's been talking properly and had words like "amazing" to wheel out.

The swing bridge is a local bone of contention similar to the Tyne bridge in that there's been bugger all money from central governments to fix either for 14 years for some reason or other. As a result the Tyne bridge was a rusty mess (the scaffolding is them finally repainting it) and the swing bridge hasn't been repaired since it failed to swing in about 2021 having previously opened fairly regularly...just to add to the droppy down flyover in Gateshead.

Found a story from a few months ago on the swing bridge

'No quick fix' for Tyne Swing Bridge rotation fail

Due to mechanical problems the bridge, which is almost 150-years-old, is unable to rotate.

www.bbc.co.uk

I've seen it swing a few times... obviously not recently.

 

[bugsymike]

Grim up north n that...
View attachment 459328

You did tell him he can eat?
I used to pull it off the stick and squash it into a hard ball then eat it.

 

[StevenRB45]

You did tell him he can eat?
I used to pull it off the stick and squash it into a hard ball then eat it.

I think you need to see the initial size..

 

[Cheest]

Almost done.

I quit here for the day because I need to remove the cover over the headlight to run the control wire to the handlebar. One, it's a pain in the butt to remove. And two, I had to pee.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Almost done.

I quit here for the day because I need to remove the cover over the headlight to run the control wire to the handlebar. One, it's a pain in the butt to remove. And two, I had to pee.

That's all looking lovely. Aye, regular visits to the "Loo" are an unfortunate feature of daily life as you get older - Enjoy life while you're young I say.

I'm just looking at the red handled ratchet on the floor in the foreground. Looks very like a replacement I bought when my original 3/8 drive metal ratchet wore out and I couldn't get a repair kit for it. Your's looks like it's some sort of plastic as is mine? So far mine is proving to have been a good buy and very robust, nice on cold days too as it doesn't feel so cold as my older all metal ones. Not being shiny metal though it's difficult to keep clean and always looks dirty. Mine is a Clarke brand, what's yours?

I've just been looking on the Machine Mart website for it but I can't find it, Maybe discontinued - It was a number of years ago I bought it.

 

[SB1500]

Regarding the Fiat FIRE engine... absolute crime that it had to go off sale when consumers continually bought it, had no issues and it was printing money for Fiat. Emissions but then they allow absolute shrapnel engines like the Ford eco boost... the unfortunate scrap metal BMW diesel in my old Avensis ... these tiny little strained engines that pollute far more in reality outside of lab tests and eventually either burn down in the case of the Ford (surely the smoke can't be good for the atmosphere) or become lawn ornaments in the case of the N47 / N57 engines making an entirely otherwise functional car (in the case of the Toyotas they were in) go to waste which equally can't be good for the planet.

Always wondered why they sold the 1.1 and 1.2 alongside each other in the 169 - similar power outputs, similar size weight? I understand that the 1.3 was the brilliant diesel of the range so never questioned that.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Regarding the Fiat FIRE engine... absolute crime that it had to go off sale when consumers continually bought it, had no issues and it was printing money for Fiat. Emissions but then they allow absolute shrapnel engines like the Ford eco boost... the unfortunate scrap metal BMW diesel in my old Avensis ... these tiny little strained engines that pollute far more in reality outside of lab tests and eventually either burn down in the case of the Ford (surely the smoke can't be good for the atmosphere) or become lawn ornaments in the case of the N47 / N57 engines making an entirely otherwise functional car (in the case of the Toyotas they were in) go to waste which equally can't be good for the planet.

Always wondered why they sold the 1.1 and 1.2 alongside each other in the 169 - similar power outputs, similar size weight? I understand that the 1.3 was the brilliant diesel of the range so never questioned that.

And, on the subject of manufacturers who historically have produced some pretty good engines, I've always held Honda engines in high regard - some were better than others but all served their purpose pretty well and efficiently. I've just been reading about a cambelt failure on one of their newer wee - 3 cylinder I think - turbo petrol engines. Apparently its a "run in oil" type belt! Come on Honda, you can do an awful lot better than that!