What did you do today?

[DodgeRover]

Can't you just hammer the reg plate onto yours and save the hassle?

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I snapped the key clean off in the boot lid of 'my' (wife really) new Ford Granada (mk3). Bit of a bugger as I'd just put the dogs in the boot!

Fortunately, the sunroof was partly open and so the missus, who was yet another of my petite blondes (Kyle's Mum) managed to squeeze and arm through enough to pop the central locking so we could get the dogs out. Then we had to hitch to Widdecombe and phone her FDad to come and fetch us!

Fortunately, the local Ford dealer had good records (we'd bought it from them a few months earlier) and we had a new key the following morning and best of all, the bloody thing was still sat on the Moors when we got out to it later that day.

Reminds me of when my oldest, now 37, was a baby and we were in a restaurant. Mrs sends me out to get the changing bag out of the boot , out to the carpark unlock the silver Granada , go to the boot and… Who’s are these fucking golf clubs? And why are the rear headrests leather ? My 2.0i Ghia was parked 3 cars further along ! I quickly re-locked the Scorpio I’d broken into and made a sharp exit. Seems those high security Tibbe locks were as secure as any Old Ford that came before.

[xtriple]

My fucking Jaguar has one of those bloody Ford keys! Cheap-ass bastards!

[NorfolkNWeigh]

My fucking Jaguar has one of those bloody Ford keys! Cheap-ass bastards!

Another boring anecdote incoming.
When Jags first got the Ford key in 89/90 I pulled up outside The Dorchester one night to pick up my Guvnor, standing next to his nice new Sovereign was my mate Harvey, puffing away like mad on a roll up and looking flustered. Now Harvey was close to retirement and had been a chauffeur since his previous job as a Desert Rat 40 years before, so not easily stressed.
Seems he’d been standing next to the Jag, keys in the ignition and engine running, naturally, when it occurred to him the key looked the same as the one for his company Sierra…
Apparently they all lock with any key, but not necessarily unlock ! Luckily I had my Road Atlas in the boot and was able to pull out the wire coil , straighten it enough to hook the door pin. You can’t do that with Sat Nav.

[xtriple]

Oh yeah... I ordered a continuation Service Book for the Jag on Sunday evening (eBay) with a delivery date for Friday to Monday of next week. It arrived this morning!

It;s a jolly good read as well, interesting for non-fiction

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Potential replacement Saab found for my current Saab! It's a TTiD so £30 a year to tax. All the usual foibles have been sorted, rear arches are a bit bubbly but it is cheap.

Be aware the TTiD is a good engine when working but not good when it's not.
Iirc RBJ has some relatively recent experience with them.

They are an abortion. It’s not the original Fiat 1.9 from the Vectra and TiD but an insignia type unit with the dodgy oil pick up O ring. Getting sump off to replace it is an absolute bastard as that engine really wasn’t meant for that chassis. They suffer from chronic problems with the DPF constantly trying to regenerate, pumping diesel into the engine oil plus everything is special and unique - injectors, crankcase breather (not available anywhere) plus plus plus.

Run it until it starts to act up, and weigh it in when it does.

Better still, avoid it like the plague.

[Split_Pin]

Potential replacement Saab found for my current Saab! It's a TTiD so £30 a year to tax. All the usual foibles have been sorted, rear arches are a bit bubbly but it is cheap.

Be aware the TTiD is a good engine when working but not good when it's not.
Iirc RBJ has some relatively recent experience with them.

They are an abortion. It’s not the original Fiat 1.9 from the Vectra and TiD but an insignia type unit with the dodgy oil pick up O ring. Getting sump off to replace it is an absolute bastard as that engine really wasn’t meant for that chassis. They suffer from chronic problems with the DPF constantly trying to regenerate, pumping diesel into the engine oil plus everything is special and unique - injectors, crankcase breather (not available anywhere) plus plus plus.

Run it until it starts to act up, and weigh it in when it does.

Better still, avoid it like the plague.

Thanks chap excellent knowledge. I didn't know these were a completely different engine. This one has had the DPF and EGR removed and mapped out, new turbos and a sump clean. I'm just waiting the hear back if the pick up o ring has been done. It does have some rust on the arches though but it's up for a grand.

Overall, not sure though, I'm not really up for anything Insignia related to be honest.

Sounds like a Fiat TiD might be a better bet although it doesn't seem to benefit from the £30 a year road tax.

[SiC]

For a grand it's cheap enough in today's market to use as is until it blows. I haven't owned an old one (let's face it, they're prime banger territory now) but a newish one as a curiosity car about 10 years ago now. It did drive well then and definitely felt more powerful as an engine than my 1.9TID 16v (150bhp).

The 1.9TiD 16v is pretty low liability. DPF troubles but there are some years that didn't have it. EGR clogs up easily but a piece of piss to access and clean. The 8v 120bhp has the same EGR issues but harder to get to. Swirl flaps can be a problem on the 16v but plenty of cheap repair kits around now. Not hard to do. Probably been done already tbh. They don't get ingested like similar aged BMW diesels do.

More to tax but cheaper to maintain...

[Split_Pin]

Aye I'll have a think about it. MOT to August so I'd get plenty use of it as is until then.

[mercrocker]

My Focus is being a Fuckarse.....Warning light hell has occurred over the last day or so, currently showing "Restricted Speed" and some other guff, thrown up a yellow engine light and blinked a few other unrelated errors. It is saying it is in limp but it is not acting that way, neither is the brake-pedal actuated EAC override actually doing anything. In other words there doesn't seem to be actually anything wrong with it but it is telling me there is - lots. I think it may be the dash clocks or very possibly a failing battery. Got it booked in with the bloke that I trust to look after modern shit but he can't do anything until Monday week. Starting the car is inhibited initially but a couple of tries with the key in and out and it is still firing up and driving normally.

Really tempted to get shot now (once fixed obvs.) and go back to something 20th century....I don't have an arduous commute any more and long distance stuff is taken care of with the Chrysler and to a lesser extent the T25. I'm not playing fucking pinball with cars any more, fuck your warning lights.