Bargain Basement Motoring

[NewcastleFalcon]

In the last year thanks to the diligent use of the "How Many Miles in the month thread" ( viewtopic.php?p=721861#p721861) I did 2,876 miles in the year, with a dramatic tail off in the last 3 months due to the price of petrol. I'm afraid I've curtailed its treats of a weekly "run-out" and restricted it to the odd bit of light haulage work round the doors.

I may leave it on SORN for the time being even if it passes its MOT first time, easy enough to tax it immediately should its services be called on.

Regards Neil

[mickthemaverick]

In the last year thanks to the diligent use of the "How Many Miles in the month thread" ( viewtopic.php?p=721861#p721861) I did 2,876 miles in the year, with a dramatic tail off in the last 3 months due to the price of petrol. I'm afraid I've curtailed its treats of a weekly "run-out" and restricted it to the odd bit of light haulage work round the doors.

I may leave it on SORN for the time being even if it passes its MOT first time, easy enough to tax it immediately should its services be called on.

Regards Neil

Whilst I appreciate your thinking there Neil I would still advise a weekly few miles just to keep the mechanics lubricated and the brakes free. I once left my Jaguar untouched for almost 7 weeks and had a hell of a job freeing the handbrake and the engine top end was as dry as a bone, not good for it at all!!

[NewcastleFalcon]

For a small bit of trivial entertainment
Where is today's Station in the background?

An easy one for those who know the Geology of the United Kingdom, and the different type of stuff buidings used to be built with across the country.

Yes and on the bargain basement front, the brake hose clips have made their way from Burnley to Northumberland without drama.

REgards Neil

[mickthemaverick]

Does Penrith North Lakes get me any brownie points?

[NewcastleFalcon]

Does Penrith North Lakes get me any brownie points?

Of course was it the red sandstone

Regards Neil

[mickthemaverick]

Kind of!! SWMBO and I had a long weekend in the Lake District before COVID and stayed in Kendal. I wanted to take the train ride over Shap so we took a return trip from Oxenholme, I think it was, to Penrith North Lakes and had a McDonalds next to the station for lunch!! (Cheapscape I was ) The ride didn't really fulfill my hopes as it was aboard a DMU but at least it was another tick on the bucket list!!

[Huskyxantia]

Vactan is good stuff

[Rp0thejester]

I have always fitted part worns as wasn't driving the car often. I wouldn't recommend buying them online unseen, you don't know what your getting. There are plenty of places near everyone who sells and fits/balances them. Might not have a major website on Google. I found mine by driving past it then found it on Facebook (which I hate). Nothing better than seeing and watching it get fitted for peace of mind.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Since my usual MOT garage closed I have been following the Independent Test route provided by the Local Council testing facilities. Works well if a bit inconvenient. Last time fairly recently was £40 and a free retest, and a booked appointment.

As ever the FCF have a thread on it.
https://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/ ... hp?t=54242

Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Doing some more shopping at carparts4less.

Flexible brake hose to sort the rusted ferrules. Micra's is like this at the front

£30 after discount at ECP, check every time but there is an Extra £6 discount if you order through Carparts4less

and you can collect it from ECP, which I have chosen to do this time to save wasting a day or 2 hanging around for delivery which would be free and which I would normally use.

So far I have had none of the woes of others sometimes expressed on here quite the opposite. I find they are unbeatable on price and well suited to the this BB motorist They obviously both have a sale on all the time and both have discount codes to use to get the cheapest price.

Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Here's a Haynes "two spanner" degree of difficulty job bordering on the one spanner. Replacing a front brake flexible hose on a Micra.

Ensure master cylinder is full
Slacken one 10mm union nut between metal pipe and flexible hose end ^*
remove retaining clip from bracket
Slacken 1 bolt at caliper end of flexible hose ^*
remove retaining clip from intermediate bracket on strut

new hose in hand fully loosen top union nut and immediately connect to new flexi hand tight
route new hose around fittings
connect up bottom end to caliper, bolt hand tight
replenish master cylinder reservoir
tighten up the union-nut, and the hose retaining bolt from the caliper. and replace clips
bleed brakes.

^* The points at which the simple job could well ascend the degree of difficulty scale. Got the part yesterday, but gave the unions a fair drenching in GT85, without attempting any undoing, and put it off to another day.

Of course I don't want to have to put a post in this old chestnut of a thread, so I will be looking very closely at the condition of the item before I attempt any undoing.

Ever Sheared off a Bleed Nipple? https://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/ ... hp?t=53542

Flexible brake hose to sort the rusted ferrules. Micra's is like this at the front

REgards Neil

[bobins]

"Reassembly is the reverse process to disassembly - only you swear in different places"

[mickthemaverick]

Here's a Haynes "two spanner" degree of difficulty job bordering on the one spanner. Replacing a front brake flexible hose on a Micra.

Ensure master cylinder is full
Slacken one 10mm union nut between metal pipe and flexible hose end ^*
remove retaining clip from bracket
Slacken 1 bolt at caliper end of flexible hose ^*
remove retaining clip from intermediate bracket on strut

new hose in hand fully loosen top union nut and immediately connect to new flexi hand tight
route new hose around fittings
connect up bottom end to caliper, bolt hand tight
replenish master cylinder reservoir
tighten up the union-nut, and the hose retaining bolt from the caliper. and replace clips
bleed brakes.

^* The points at which the simple job could well ascend the degree of difficulty scale. Got the part yesterday, but gave the unions a fair drenching in GT85, without attempting any undoing, and put it off to another day.

Of course I don't want to have to put a post in this old chestnut of a thread, so I will be looking very closely at the condition of the item before I attempt any undoing.



REgards Neil

As you found with the bleed nipple Neil, a socket can easily give you too much purchase, so if the ends prove difficult to release do not cut off the hose and apply a socket until you have tried a little heat on the union, ideally applied with a none flame source* and then maybe the double open ended spanner trick to increase the torque! Bon Chancé!!

* I use an old iron!!

[Gibbo2286]

You can avoid some of the spillage by trapping a plastic film under the reservoir lid thereby closing off the breather hole in the lid.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Optical illusion.
Curled up brake hoses in a packet look much shorter than the hose you need. Before opening up the packet, and maybe facing a bit of hassle returning it if it indeed was the wrong length, I measured it with a clothes line, on the car, and in the packet and it appears to be roughly right.

Old favourites number 1,

hammer on an undersized 11mm socket to the 12mm bolt head for which a 12mm socket is too loose. Worked again... caliper end bolt slackened.

That's enough work for now, have a cup of tea. Motivation to get on and finish the job is a bit lacking, one step at a time, let the minor success have its moment to be enjoyed.

Regards Neil