Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

TBH we've been a bit shit on the service history and I have no plans to sell it. Although after 4yrs and 30k it's now worth what it was when I got it 🤷

Just thinking it's been due a service for a while.

I'm going to price it all up and see what the difference is.

But yeah it's a strong and valid point.

Edit: £100 materials
Spark Plugs (£30)
4l of oil (£35)
Oil filter (£10)
Air filter (£15)
Polen filter (£10)

On the pricing up, it's so funny the price difference between a K&N and the standard Bosch ones (let alone offbrand)

Although after 4yrs and 30k it's now worth what it was when I got it

Crazy isn't it. Bought my VW for £1400 exactly 3 years ago and have just spent £800 to get it through MOT. To get something that was
a. big enough for my requirements
b. NOT a POS with 160,000 miles on the clock and only 3 months left on the MOT
and c. not a Zafira,
meant spending ~£4k on a 10 year old second hand car! Lets not forget the hassle of finding, viewing, testing and then uncovering the hidden faults. I just couldn't be arsed.

anyone in market for a seasucker rack? can take 3 bikes, have 3 rear wheel holding suction cups too, can take QR, 12x100, 15x100 and 15x110.

Talk to me

@Dammit - you driving through France today? Saw a Brit in a Mercedes van powering down the (French) A1 this morning. Looked in a hurry.

Nope, haven't left England, nor unlocked the van today.

Anyone serviced their own car?

Yes

I do my own oil and brakes on my motorbike, so wondered how hard it would be for the interim service on my car.

There's four factors I'd say:

1. Do you have the necessary tools? i.e. spark plug socket, oil filter removal tool,
   
2. Do you have some way of getting the car in the air to drain the old oil.
   
3. How accessible are the spark plugs and oil filter? Spark plugs in particular can involve a lot of disassembly before you can get to them.
   
4. Do you have a Plan B if things go wrong? Like, for example, cross-theeading the sump plug so it won't seal properly.
   
   

Provides you're satisfied you won't end up dropping the car on yourself while you do the work, you might as well give it a go though. It's unlikely to be hard to do, just fiddly at worst.

Cheers.

I've got most of the necessary tools. Missing proper jack stands, although I guess do have a load of spare paving blocks from our drive and a spare jack from my first car that I use for my motorbike. Would probably get something to hold it.

I'd need to double check Spark plug sockets, but I think they're in my Halfords Advanced tool set.

One of my worries would be getting the old filter off, so I'd probably crack that off first before doing anything else. This is mainly down to the trauma of getting this over tightened filter off

rather than doubting my own abilities.

From the video there is only one sparkplug that's a pain to get to - again I'd probably start there. I was shocked at how well located the filter is. But then as VW service pump the oil out of the dipstick is makes sense as everything can then be done on the ground with the bonnet open, to reduce timecost.

Also idk if all modern cars have this, but today I discovered mk6 auto golfs have automatic handbrake adjustment.

1. Engine on
   
2. Neutral
   
3. Handbrake off
   
4. Foot brake off
   
5. Foot brake hard to the floor
   
6. Lift and lower the handbrake (while pressing the button) three times
   
7. On the last time lock it off
   
8. Foot off the foot brake
   
9. Unlock and lower the hand brake.
   

Adjustment of what?

I could swap my DS for this and I would almost be Bergerac...
https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1521134

You’d have to change your ID to johnnettles1 😁

It used to be just JohnNettles but there was some forum blip a few years back that messed up people’s usernames.😪

Mercedes have similar different processes. To reset the auto transmission learning you switch the ignition to position 1, press accelerator to the floor for 15 seconds, switch ignition off, release accelerator, wait 2 minutes before starting.

You need to buy the car then! 😂😂

I've been thinking along the same lines, used to do all my own work up to and including the g-wagon which I miss because there was so much space under it I only needed to jack it up to work on wheel stuff.

These days I've gone soft.

I've got most of the necessary tools. Missing proper jack stands, although I guess do have a load of spare paving blocks from our drive and a spare jack from my first car that I use for my motorbike. Would probably get something to hold it.

Given the cost of a pair of axle stands, and the downsides of having a car fall on you when you're underneath it, I'd strongly recommend buying a pair of axle stands. And make sure you chock the rear wheels as well as putting the handbrake on.

One of my worries would be getting the old filter off, so I'd probably crack that off first before doing anything else. This is mainly down to the trauma of getting this over tightened filter off

I feel your pain. I often resort to just ramming a long flat head screwdriver through the old oil filter and levering it off with that. It's not like you're going to be reusing it after all.

Tricky to drive/ride to a garage if the screwdriver doesn't work.

The DS all day long dude

True. I've only ever done it on fun cars, not the daily driver tintop.

Next stage you're tearing it off with pliers, after that you're tapping with a screwdriver from inside the remains to get it out of the thread, if that doesn't work you slice into it with a jigsaw blade and pick it out.

The screwdriver normally works but it can be messy.

You know when you lift the handbrake, and it lifts up really high instead of just 3 or 4 clicks.

Axle stands, there were some recommendations for the small ramps on here a while back. They seem quite useful if you have the space to drive on them.

Anyone tried one of these?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154086415357?chn=ps&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&amdata=enc%3A1_yNXuxgVTpOg2pwAPvLrwA57&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-134428-41853-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=154086415357&targetid=1816181028899&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9045906&poi=&campaignid=19090194174&mkgroupid=147009364227&rlsatarget=pla-1816181028899&abcId=9303860&merchantid=101735231&gclid=Cj0KCQiAlKmeBhCkARIsAHy7WVsvVxsJyApsWBHrRMU1f7nE6J2q-Sk20twBsk4DwJ-N77mg1f3A9KYaAgYWEALw_wcB

Ah, that’s amazing!