I must be rare in hating IKEA. Luckily the nearest one is quite a way off. When I shop, I want to have signs up saying where things are and the easiest access to that part - not made to wander round for miles looking for it.
Unless it's a decent tool shop, of course. ;-)
it is absolutely not my favourite place to visit as a shop. But the cafe is excellent, an Ikea family card gets you a cooked breakfast and as much tea/coffee as you like for 99p (mon - fri 10 - 11)
Thats what I ended up doing today. At £20 on sale is a pretty decent price for the peace of mind after this whole break down experience.
The other one weighed a ton with the air compressor coupled in. But the reviews were more favourable for this one on the maplins site.
To add I have driven the car all day no problems, a few short 10 minute journeys, a 1 hour hour journey with a few stops, start started fine, behaved well and had not starting issues, although ever time I started it was a bit cringe worthy.
Seems full charge at home did it wonders and is now functioning again... perhaps it just got hammered with all the constant heating, heated rear screen, radio, lights etc... with not too many lon jounrneys mabe the alternator didn't get a chance to do its job.
Sods law everything has settled down now I have this, although bet if I didn't it would play up. But at £20 for a bit of peace of mind I'm happy.
I did read the comments on all of them and this one got quite a slating so I stayed clear. Its has the same strength battery as the one I got 400 and
17ah so should do the same job minus the compressor.Main thing is it impressively starts a landie!
Dave, I've started to noticed places like tescos and such charging 20p now. I have a compressor from halfords but the clip you attach on to the tyre has broken so I think if I can source a replacement for that its a simple swap over. I'm too cheap to pay for air :)
I think you local one is near purley way same as mine ... I avoid it like the plague... Not a fan personally... but many swear by it. It just seems full of tat when I once went in. Expensive at that.
Sorry to but in here :) but this is very useful info ... I shall be applying for a card and screw the anual diet :) ... ho hum there goes the 6 pack or 2 pack
I got out my old viva from storage a year ago, the engine would start, but it never span over the way it used to (25 plus years ago) and the battery was flat after just a few starts. When I checked voltage drops I found that there was actually only 6v at the starter. Removing and cleaning every relevant cable brought it back to over 10v at the starter and it now spins beautifully and the battery lasts ages before needing a recharge (I have not yet put an alternator back on)
I learnt to drive on a Viva, ahem rather more than 25 years ago. Quite a lot more. Nice cars.
I've not had to resort to torch batteries but a lifetime ago I rewired a very early Mini at the side of the road in pouring rain when the whole loom got taken out by the bodge of a previous owner - the push button starter solenoid on the floor was removed and replaced with ignition key start. The original battery cable was joined with a 3/8" bolt and wrapped in a bit of insulation tape which lasted for a few months and then came undone. It touched the body and gave me a direct short on the battery and one on the dynamo.
The revs suddenly dropped and smoke appeared from round the speedo.
I just managed to get the battery cable off the battery before it went pop. Most of the loom had gone under the bonnet. I had no AA or RAC membership, there was no one with a phone for miles around and bugger all passing traffic.
I had basic tools, a few 1/4" crimp terminals and a few feet of mains lighting flex. I had the car up and going again, with wipers, headlights, brake lights and a charging circuit in an hour or so. I would have had no chance without the wiring diagram in the Haynes manual. Later I unstitched the original loom to see if it was recoverable - every single wire buggered at some point.
mine is an HA from 1964, I have owned it since 1976. first car I drove a lot on the road was an Austin A40 Farina: great little car, very reliable and economical (I could get 40 mpg driven carefully) but it was full of rust.
even emergency wiring simply to start a car would now be impossible. I never really understood why people disliked the mini push buttonstart, I always felt it was charming and reliable plus very hard to use it accidentally. my kit car has still got it.
I had an HA van - which was a super little vehicle. Gearchange like a well oiled light switch.;-) Steering so light it could have been powered. Dreadful brakes until I fitted discs and a servo from a later car version.
Very fast away from the lights, but too low geared for the open road.
My brother had an A35 (was my father's) then several A40s including a Countryman. They all rusted away. Story of his life. Perhaps it's the salt in the NE of Scotland on the coast.
The 'wand' gearchange on early Minis was also better than the later short type. Less joints to wear. Virtually every 'improvment' they made to the Mini actually detracted from the simplicity and charm of the original. Only really decent one was the change to baulk ring synchromesh made early on.
The change to remote gearshift mechanism had more to do with stopping the engine rocking backwards and forwards. The top mount designed for this originally could not cope with the 26BHP of the 850; it would never have survived the 1000!
The ultimate Mini gearshift was as used on the "S"; it was very precise, but because the casting for the remote bolted direct to the gearbox, rather than via a rubber mount, it greatly increased cabin noise.
Especially with straight-cut gears; no wonder I have significant hearing loss!
Chris
One of the better changes was when they turned the floor welds round, so the car stopped filling with water when it rained.
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember John Williamson saying something like:
I've had one of those fairly standard ones for several years and it's performed well, but what killed the battery was forgetting about its existence for a couple of months as it reached 4yrs old. Batteries are cheap-ish though, and it's not a great problem to upscale the battery inside. I'm thinking of fitting a 26Ah replacement.
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "Dave Plowman (News)" saying something like:
Yep, same here - exPO van which carried on for another few years. Cheap as chips but a bit slow.
My first daily driver was an A40 - total bucket of rust, which was a shame because it was a nice car to drive. In the days before strict MoTs, that one was repaired by pop-riveting flitch plates to the bulkhead/chassis legs. Lethal. Got stopped by the coppers once and one of them rather acidly asked me if the holes in the sills were for foot signals. :)
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "Mrcheerful" saying something like:
I could. The only 12V supply needed for mine is for the fuel cut-off solenoid on the injection pump.
My dad used to have HA vans, after the series of Mini vans. I recall the gear lever of one van coming off in his hand one day...
As for A40s, I had a really nice 1961 car a couple of years back; took me about a year to restore as everything below sill level needed repairing, as well as the wings and front panel. At £450 a wing if you can find them, replacement isn't really an option!
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