Mikes 2.0 Gls

[Mikebmth]

Looks like you had a ball
Shame the door strips are different...
Did you swap the glass in the rear door or just keep what was in it... Just ask due to window etching... lol

Other than that... Good colour match and looks good

Just hope they dont find more on the MOT and it sails through all the tests

It was a pain in the arse mate, we took front leg off twice before finding the hub problem and I am not 100% sure its totally sorted it yet but sending it for Mot so fingers crossed as I am now skint officially skint..

Didn't swap glass over tbh, front door glass was smashed in accident and rear one just couldn't be arsed tbh..

[Mikebmth]

Wish my diesel cav could be repaired as easy as yours

Looking good

Whats up with her?

With regard to window etching, none of my 3 Cavaliers that I've owned have had the same registration number in the windows..... 22 years of wannabe chav thieves, prangs, accidents and other shit really makes it difficult to find original windows in cars...

So true, I mean most cars have probably had replacement glass and its not the reg but the code etched on...

Cheers for your help Sunday too buddy

[Cavalier342]

No worries.

[Super89]

Wish my diesel cav could be repaired as easy as yours

Looking good

Whats up with her?

With regard to window etching, none of my 3 Cavaliers that I've owned have had the same registration number in the windows..... 22 years of wannabe chav thieves, prangs, accidents and other shit really makes it difficult to find original windows in cars...

So true, I mean most cars have probably had replacement glass and its not the reg but the code etched on...

Cheers for your help Sunday too buddy

B piller has been pushed in... Will get some pics and update my topic. Only just got it how i wanted it

[Lowrider Dave]

Great progress Mike. At least you had somewhere under cover to do it!

[Mikebmth]

Update:

Well 2nd Mot (thanks to insurer) and this time it failed, nothing major I guess but still a kick in the teeth..

Failed on

N/s indicator / repeater not working
Both front indicators loose
O/s Headlamp loose
2 x Track rod ends requiring replacement

The basic lighting bits I know I should of double checked before sending her into the garage but overlooked the small bits and paying the penalty for it, left the car with the garage to replace Track rod ends and secure lights as cannot insure it until I have a valid Mot certificate number for it despite it only passing on 13th December I believe it was..

There are quite a few advisories too but to be honest I think the new tester the garage has got is too fussy, I mean he put engine oil leak and when I questioned him he said it was from the rocker cover gasket which he then added that he knows the early Vauxhall 8 valve ones always leak.

Seems a bit of an idiot so it will be the last visit to him for an Mot and next year I will find a small independent to do the Mot and any work required.

Hoping to have her back this afternoon and re-fit some parts like the deflectors on the o/s which I removed when we changed the doors..

Pics once she is back and been valeted...

[Super89]

Alot of garages are not old car friendly. Best to find one that is next year as you have said.

Any money left from the payout? What you buying...

[Mikebmth]

Another update with no pics....

Just collected her from the local garage (yes Kwikfit as used them for loads of stuff and the lad who runs the place always cuts me a deal when he can) but on this occasion they could not track the car as it has apparently broken a bolt on its Inner Tie Road which will need replacing..

Told me they phoned around for one but no one could get one which I find a sh*te excuse tbh as one quick search and I have found loads of people selling them!! He has offered to fit it for free once I have it and then £45 for tracking but the lad who tracks the cars there must be crossed eyed as last time I had to have it done twice the second time by Pro-tyre..

The car also needs some bits to restore her back to her former glory but hey its back, there was a few advisorys as follows:

* Rear (pipe) Exhaust has slight leak
* Anti roll bar links (fixed as both replaced!!)
* Fuel pipes corroded
* Engine oil low (tested with engine hot, I mean wtf is this guy on!!)
* Oil Leak (Rocker gasket)
* O/s/f foglight not working
* O/s/f Anti roll bar bolt has slight damage
* Small amount of rust o/s outer sill, may require attention soon (been done about 2 years ago so will need further inspection)
* Cover missing n/s/f wing repeater (I broke it on visit to the car after failure trying to prove a point)

So its going to need some work but hey I'll wait for the warmer weather and then get a few bits done, the fuel lines are a nightmare job but otherwise its just silly little things I can do myself..

Oh and £5.99 for a push in Indicator bulb for the side repeater .....Having a laugh

[Mikebmth]

Alot of garages are not old car friendly. Best to find one that is next year as you have said.

Any money left from the payout? What you buying...

Yeah agreed....

No money left now at all, in fact spent more than I expected but hey got the old girl back so need to fix tracking yet and then just enjoy...

Just taken a £100 hit on my car insurance too so no big plans..

[Lowrider Dave]

Slowly getting there Mike, even if it is a ballache.

[vauxhallnutter]

Great to see you have her back Mike and that she is in the land of the living again. All the nitty gritty bits take time but you will get there!

[Mikebmth]

Ok, just keeping this updated...

The car has spent the day in the garage again today after finding they could not track it due to a damaged inner o/s track arm so this has been replaced now but they still could not get the tracking sorted..

Currently the steering (in clock terms) with the wheels as straight as they will go is at about 10pm to 4am angle and this leaves drivers side wheel straight but passenger side toed out at the front of the wheel quite severely which makes driving not at all fun!!

Going to get a second opinion tomorrow but the current one is the impact has damaged the steering rack which is a pig of job to do and as I am very short on time off at the moment with holiday covers to do the car will end up being parked up again until it can be fixed, whilst in the garaged today the car was put in the air and all the subframe checked over which shows no damage from the impact.

Going for a second opinion tomorrow on the steering / tracking so fingers crossed, if not then I'll have to order a steering rack and arrange to get it fitted.

[Cavalier342]

Doing the rack ain't fun! Hopefully it won't come to that.

[Mikebmth]

Doing the rack ain't fun! Hopefully it won't come to that.

Keep ya fingers crossed mate, going to call Pro-tyre over charministan again tomorrow as they managed to work out the suspension problems last time and resolved them in half an hour!

Right pissed off tonight as been stitched up by the guy who was meant to be building my box for my system then having the car problems again is going to equal time..

[Cavalier342]

Charministan!!!! 3 best areas in Bournemouth - Pikeystone, Charministan and Boscombe Bay! 100% travel guarantee to find your car on bricks in the morning in any of them Travel insurance compulsory lol.

All the best tomorrow dude..

[Envoy CDX]

Not a bent wishbone?

[Mikebmth]

Not a bent wishbone?

Nope definitely not...

Car was hit on O/s and if a N/s wishbone had been bent it would be noticeable with the amount the steering is out of kilter, going for a second opinion tomorrow so fingers crossed they can find it although I am not holding my breath as it is miles out!!

Charministan!!!! 3 best areas in Bournemouth - Pikeystone, Charministan and Boscombe Bay! 100% travel guarantee to find your car on bricks in the morning in any of them Travel insurance compulsory lol.

All the best tomorrow dude..

Charministan or the Gaza strip as its also known yeah!! Friggin sh*t pit but the lads up Pro-tyre atleast are trained..

Don't get me wrong, sure Kwik fit have their uses, I mean I just googled a bit about them and one manager of a branch was a Mc. Donalds manager prior to working there so tells you all you need to know..

Even if they can't fix the tracking I will get a report on what needs repairing from them..

[Envoy CDX]

Not a bent wishbone?

Nope definitely not...

Car was hit on O/s and if a N/s wishbone had been bent it would be noticeable with the amount the steering is out of kilter, going for a second opinion tomorrow so fingers crossed they can find it although I am not holding my breath as it is miles out!!

Charministan!!!! 3 best areas in Bournemouth - Pikeystone, Charministan and Boscombe Bay! 100% travel guarantee to find your car on bricks in the morning in any of them Travel insurance compulsory lol.

All the best tomorrow dude..

Charministan or the Gaza strip as its also known yeah!! Friggin sh*t pit but the lads up Pro-tyre atleast are trained..

Don't get me wrong, sure Kwik fit have their uses, I mean I just googled a bit about them and one manager of a branch was a Mc. Donalds manager prior to working there so tells you all you need to know..

Even if they can't fix the tracking I will get a report on what needs repairing from them..

Hopefully, it will sort easily enough. Racks can be picked up from the Astra, Cavalier, Calibra and probably a number of Daewoo's.

[vauxhallnutter]

Sorry to hear you are still having issues Mike but hopefully they will be sorted soon. I have never trusted Kwik Twit after they nearly snapped a bolt in my Calibra's manifold.

[planetc]

Did you change the leg Mike, or just the shock? It's not logical in my mind that the rack would be the point of failure, the design is such that any change in it would be balanced out across the two sides. If the impact was hard enough to damage the hub then the leg itself is likely to have been twisted. You might not be able to see it visually, but any change in the leg would amplify across the steering system as a whole.

[Mikebmth]

Did you change the leg Mike, or just the shock? It's not logical in my mind that the rack would be the point of failure, the design is such that any change in it would be balanced out across the two sides. If the impact was hard enough to damage the hub then the leg itself is likely to have been twisted. You might not be able to see it visually, but any change in the leg would amplify across the steering system as a whole.

O/s leg, shock and inner track rod replaced

Both cv joints replaced too

[Mikebmth]

Finally an update with some good news, after all the bad luck and judgements of late its a refreshing change to the norm tbh...

After the tracking fiasco yesterday I decided that today I would run the car to Pro-Tyre who have looked at it before and managed to track it last time after Kwik fit had messed it up badly and yet again they came up with the goods, took their mechanic / techinician about 45 minutes to get it right but when he came back to the office with his job sheet I asked him what the damage was and he said none mate its fixed.

So after all the worry it turns out it was sh*t fit yet again who had screwed the tracking up really bad, the mechanic at Pro-Tyre said he doesn't know how anyone could of got it so wrong and far out!!

Concerning how they are allowed to work on anyones car to be honest!!

Anyway whilst it was in I asked if they could check for any failure points or damage to subframe etc and they gladly agreed to and the result is all is ok underneath and she now drives in a straight line again..

Now just to get back to the stage I had her at before and find some bits I need then get the paint corrected as it has suffered some damage during its storage but its back and im going to enjoy it..

[Cavalier342]

Well that sums up Kwik Fck then... Can't say fairer than that, they are monkeys!!

Good to hear some positive results finally, I take it you just need to sort out insurance then, and then all is well?

[planetc]

Doh, glad to hear it's sorted.

[Mikebmth]

Well that sums up Kwik Fck then... Can't say fairer than that, they are monkeys!!

Good to hear some positive results finally, I take it you just need to sort out insurance then, and then all is well?

Already sorted mate, she was insured and back on the road last week but was just a pig and a half to drive!!

Insurance company were complete wonkers too, cancelled my policy and made me take out a new one so had to pay new deposit on the insurance etc but price only went up about £80 which wasn't too bad tbh as had expected a bigger loading due to a "Supposed" fault accident..