Spare wheel question

Simon Finnigan ( snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

The best use I've ever found for an old steel wheel is as a hose-pipe reel in the garden. Seriously...

Alternatively, if you've got two, a bit of steel pole roughly 3ft long and a bit of steel wire mesh, weld the pole between the wheels, fill one wheel with concrete, stand the whole lot on the ground with that wheel down, and use the top one as a barbecue - the holes in the rim means that it gets plenty of air through.

Your wheel and tyre are worth SFA. Have a look round most country lanes, there are hundreds of wheels thrown away. They are not worth taking to the scrap yard. A tyre place will probably charge you about a fiver to change and balance the tyre and charge you a couple of quid to take the old one off you.

Adrian wrote in news:Xns98F99AFB03801adrianachapmanfreeis@204.153.245.131:

You forgot flower tubs.

I thought that was a tyre turned inside out?

Tunku ( snipped-for-privacy@dsl.pipex.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

No, I didn't. That'd be hideous, you pikey.

it is, but you cut one sidewall and turn the tyre inside out leaving the wheel as the base, done right and painted, they look ok

Hello there Mrcheerful,

Seeing as I've found you on a thread I always wondered are you a mechanic ? As you seem to be very well skilled and informed :) (was just curious)

Adrian wrote in news:Xns98F9B0E00F010adrianachapmanfreeis@204.153.245.131:

Look lovely, painted daffodil yellow. heheheh.

Hi John

I started at about age 5, my father was Royal Engineers and drove and rode in international races, Monte Carlo, Brooklands, ISDT, those sort of things. My earliest car memory is topping up the battery on a Morris Minor standing in the engine bay, first vehicle driven at age 6 was a Bedford CA. I first repaired cars with my father for his car hire business, I then moved onto other people's cars at about 17 onward, since about 1989 repairing other people's cars has been my main income, in the meantime I ran a motorcycle shop, worked in a bank, worked in an engineering shop, was a senior tech. in a theatre, got a City and Guilds, raced stock cars and hot rods, etc.

Now I run a home based business repairing cars, mainly service and MoT work. So overall I have about 40 years experience. I turn away at least double the work I do !! I don't work cheap, but I really value being able to just say 'no charge' when I want to !! Most repairs still come down to common sense, experience and mechanical things wearing out, the electronic stuff is rarely the problem, although is usually the first to be blamed. A very high proportion of my customers are women.

Thanks for asking.

best wishes Mrcheerful

Excellent stuff there. Thats what I call an experienced mechanic :)

Thanks for that quite enjoyed reading it. :)

I've always been surprised by 2 things:

1. "you can't work on modern cars yourself, it's all electronics"

Once my cars are out of warranty, I do routine servicing and anything not too hard to be tackled outside with limited facilities myself. I have PC diagnostic software, but for routine servicing you don't need it. There's less things to change or check: I'm old enough to remember having to gap points, and (just about) grease nipples.

1. The number of times people will blame an ECU or mutter dark things when there's usually a simpler fault.

SWMBO had a 1996 Mini- one with Rover MEMS and SPI. It cut out and wouldn't restart. Breakdown chappie came out, it started. He followed her home, and said "you'll have to get it to a dealer for diagnostics".

I came home, wiggled wires, and found a loose wire on the coil, just like on the old points-and-carb Mini my Mom had years ago.