Katiegan's Garage | Winter Plans
- Thread starter Katiegan
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opelgt1969
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- Bristol,Va USA
- opelgt1969
- 1,817
- Weirs Beach, NH
- RS73private
I'm not sure how Fiat works, but I have a 2006 Mini Cooper and Mini sells factory aux jacks that can be installed by the dealer.
- 5,905
- West Yorkshire
- Katiegan
- KatieB53
Well, I ended up going to Halfords and buying a cassette adapter for £12.99 and it works brilliantly. I'm also quite impressed with how good the Panda's sound system is.
In love with that panda sticker, kawaii and dangerous.👍
Haha! I'd like to think my Panda is that too.
Robin
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- leeislee
My old Corsa had the airbag light on for years until the new MOT law meant you can't pass with any warning lights on. I took it to an automotive electrician and he fixed it in 5 minutes.
He said the airbag wire that spirals around the steering column always comes loose due to the constant flexing and twisting while driving. Easy fix, it cost me £45
He said the airbag wire that spirals around the steering column always comes loose due to the constant flexing and twisting while driving. Easy fix, it cost me £45
- 5,905
- West Yorkshire
- Katiegan
- KatieB53
The most common problem for air bag lights coming on is probably the sensor under the seat. My dad had some spare time a few weeks ago and cleaned the sensor out for me while I was at work, and so far the light hasn't come back on. Well, not that I've noticed.
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I should really update this more. Since my last update I've still not had my driving test yet so I'm still restricted to taking my mum everywhere and my L FOR LOSER plates. It has however gained another sticker...
You should totally follow me if you have Instagram too *cough*
I've also finally bought a fuel cap for it, in the end I just called Fiat and ordered it from them, it was only £27. It's just in primer, not painted, and I'm planning on wrapping it in blue camo for street cred, however when I ordered 'blue camo' from eBay I got two blue ****ing leaves on a white background. I ordered a replacement mirror glass from Andrew Page too, but it's just a stick on one and has since fallen off, so I think I just need to buy a whole new wing mirror instead. Whoever owned it before me has smashed the mirror glass and just stuck a make-up mirror or something over the top of it because I can't see 🤬 out of that mirror. Also ordered a set of wind deflectors for it for even more street cred, although I've yet to fit those.
I left it in the capable hands of my colleagues at work while I was on holiday for two weeks (Bruiser gets garage priority), and when I got back it had gained 16 miles. I was a nerd and made note of the 56,321 miles it had before I left. Picked it up last Saturday and it had 56,337 miles. The mechanic I work with confessed that my boss had used it to go home and come to work in it once though
. Although since it's been outside for two weeks it's dirty now and I might even have to wash it for the first time! Work wasn't kind enough to wash it for me. 
I may fit the wind deflectors and fuel cap this weekend since I've been too lazy to do that. I may not. I may finally order some actual blue camo this weekend too. Or, I may not.
- 5,905
- West Yorkshire
- Katiegan
- KatieB53
- 5,905
- West Yorkshire
- Katiegan
- KatieB53
Gave the Panda a much needed wash today, and ended up discovering a lot more dents, scratches and scuffs than I first thought it had. I'm not too bothered though, I can't really complain for what I paid. Still need to sort out the mirror, fuel cap and wind deflectors though.
- 5,905
- West Yorkshire
- Katiegan
- KatieB53
Well, it's been over a year since I updated this thread. Mainly because nothing has changed in the past 12 months, really. But hopefully in the following 12 months, quite a lot will change.
If all goes to plan, the keys to Bruiser will soon be handed over to me early next year. I won't be able to drive him however, since insurance for young drivers in the UK is absurd and I got quoted £10k for insuring him. So instead, he'll become my first little project. He's unfortunately inherited the typical traits of a Ford and is starting to rust and rot quite badly at the bottom of his doors, and a few large stone chips have started bubbling too here and there, so I'd like to sort that out. The new engine we put in him is making a few more noises now than normal, so I might take that out and have a look at it or just swap something else in. Turns out we actually knew nothing about the new engine (something I wasn't aware of), so we have no idea on the history of it, how many miles it's done, or if the timing chain needs doing or not. Quite a dumb and dangerous decision if you ask me, but wasn't my choice in the end. Some new wheels will be in order too, since the current ones have been on for about 10 years now and I'd like a change. Not sure on what I'll go for, I really like what 3SDM and Fifteen52 have to offer but not their prices. I don't really want to go the rep route but I might have to with my tight budget. Some new bumpers too, I'd like to put a Zetec S kit on him since that looks a lot better (I would swap an ST kit on, but the Mondeo ST is slightly wider than the standard Mondeo so the bumpers wouldn't fit). I've got a lot of other stuff planned too, but I'll hold off until he's actually under my ownership.
For now, however, I spent all day pampering the ol' boy since he was looking pretty damn dirty.
It's been a while since he's had a proper detail and it was starting to show since the paint was in a sorry state and looking quite badly marred. Hard to tell in the photos since the scratches and marring don't really show up, but it was bad. Regardless, he still scrubbed up pretty well.
Last week I bought some Turtle Wax Colour Magic after seeing it at work, which is supposed to restore old worn out paint. Even though I only put one layer of it on, it really made a difference and I'd highly recommend it to anyone who's looking to quickly restore their paint without respraying.
*Photos are unedited, the sky just got a lil more moody after putting the Turtle Wax stuff on.
I just need to find the time to properly polish and wax him now and maybe put on another few coats of the Colour Magic.
If all goes to plan, the keys to Bruiser will soon be handed over to me early next year. I won't be able to drive him however, since insurance for young drivers in the UK is absurd and I got quoted £10k for insuring him. So instead, he'll become my first little project. He's unfortunately inherited the typical traits of a Ford and is starting to rust and rot quite badly at the bottom of his doors, and a few large stone chips have started bubbling too here and there, so I'd like to sort that out. The new engine we put in him is making a few more noises now than normal, so I might take that out and have a look at it or just swap something else in. Turns out we actually knew nothing about the new engine (something I wasn't aware of), so we have no idea on the history of it, how many miles it's done, or if the timing chain needs doing or not. Quite a dumb and dangerous decision if you ask me, but wasn't my choice in the end. Some new wheels will be in order too, since the current ones have been on for about 10 years now and I'd like a change. Not sure on what I'll go for, I really like what 3SDM and Fifteen52 have to offer but not their prices. I don't really want to go the rep route but I might have to with my tight budget. Some new bumpers too, I'd like to put a Zetec S kit on him since that looks a lot better (I would swap an ST kit on, but the Mondeo ST is slightly wider than the standard Mondeo so the bumpers wouldn't fit). I've got a lot of other stuff planned too, but I'll hold off until he's actually under my ownership.
For now, however, I spent all day pampering the ol' boy since he was looking pretty damn dirty.
It's been a while since he's had a proper detail and it was starting to show since the paint was in a sorry state and looking quite badly marred. Hard to tell in the photos since the scratches and marring don't really show up, but it was bad. Regardless, he still scrubbed up pretty well.
Last week I bought some Turtle Wax Colour Magic after seeing it at work, which is supposed to restore old worn out paint. Even though I only put one layer of it on, it really made a difference and I'd highly recommend it to anyone who's looking to quickly restore their paint without respraying.
*Photos are unedited, the sky just got a lil more moody after putting the Turtle Wax stuff on.
I just need to find the time to properly polish and wax him now and maybe put on another few coats of the Colour Magic.
- 5,905
- West Yorkshire
- Katiegan
- KatieB53
Wouldya just look at it. Bruiser's and the Panda's threads combined. What a time to be alive. (Check out the cool new OP my dudes)
Anyways, it's been a while since I gave an update on either car. And by a while I mean 8 months since I gave an update on Bruiser and 9 months since I gave an update on the Panda. In that time, a few things have changed.
- I passed my driving test in October, so the Panda is used daily now. I've done around 1,200 miles since buying it now.
- The Panda has sustained more damage, this time to the other side of the rear bumper. Wasn't my fault, the landlord at work did it turning around with a trailer while the Panda was parked. Still looking to source some bumpers.
- The fuel door was finally painted in a shade of blue that doesn't match and I was charged £30 for it after my boss reassured me it'd cost me £5. I also received a complimentary tub of the blue paint that doesn't match.
- Panda was serviced at the beginning of April, Bruiser was serviced around the same time I passed my test.
And yesterday, I treated Bruiser to a very much overdue gift.
The rear shockers have been shot for possibly close to two years now, but they were never brought up on the MOT so we didn't rush to change them. Then as time went by Bruiser started to resemble an over-excited hare while going over bumps, and on these roads, that's basically all the time. I actually bought the replacement shockers above in October and planned to change them during the service, but as with all ageing Fords, everything was seized and I didn't have enough time. The shockers then spent another month in the stores at work, and another 4 months in the boot of the Panda, and maybe another month or so in the boot of Bruiser while we sorted an appropriate time to fix them. Yesterday, they were finally installed.
Now, the design of the rear shockers on a MK3 Mondeo is relatively simple. You've got a pinch bolt holding the shocker to the hub, a droplink connected to the shocker and roll bar, and then two 10mm bolts at the top. Good going Ford, other companies should take note. But Ford should take note that after about 13 years the pinch bolts seize so :censored:ing much that even 15-20 minutes of heating them with a rather large propane bottle isn't enough to get them out. A half-inch to quarter-drive adapter was sacrificed in the removal of the pinch bolts (rip never forgetti), as was my will to live, and part of the hub I had to actually cut into to get one of the pinch bolts out. I also discovered that WD-40 is very flammable, as is leaked shocker fluid, and setting your car on fire for two seconds (twice) is slightly terrifying.
I got to work at 9am and didn't finish until 3pm, and that's also without taking a break. I love this car with all my heart, but goddamn I hate working on it.
Anyways, it's been a while since I gave an update on either car. And by a while I mean 8 months since I gave an update on Bruiser and 9 months since I gave an update on the Panda. In that time, a few things have changed.
- I passed my driving test in October, so the Panda is used daily now. I've done around 1,200 miles since buying it now.
- The Panda has sustained more damage, this time to the other side of the rear bumper. Wasn't my fault, the landlord at work did it turning around with a trailer while the Panda was parked. Still looking to source some bumpers.
- The fuel door was finally painted in a shade of blue that doesn't match and I was charged £30 for it after my boss reassured me it'd cost me £5. I also received a complimentary tub of the blue paint that doesn't match.
- Panda was serviced at the beginning of April, Bruiser was serviced around the same time I passed my test.
And yesterday, I treated Bruiser to a very much overdue gift.
The rear shockers have been shot for possibly close to two years now, but they were never brought up on the MOT so we didn't rush to change them. Then as time went by Bruiser started to resemble an over-excited hare while going over bumps, and on these roads, that's basically all the time. I actually bought the replacement shockers above in October and planned to change them during the service, but as with all ageing Fords, everything was seized and I didn't have enough time. The shockers then spent another month in the stores at work, and another 4 months in the boot of the Panda, and maybe another month or so in the boot of Bruiser while we sorted an appropriate time to fix them. Yesterday, they were finally installed.
Now, the design of the rear shockers on a MK3 Mondeo is relatively simple. You've got a pinch bolt holding the shocker to the hub, a droplink connected to the shocker and roll bar, and then two 10mm bolts at the top. Good going Ford, other companies should take note. But Ford should take note that after about 13 years the pinch bolts seize so :censored:ing much that even 15-20 minutes of heating them with a rather large propane bottle isn't enough to get them out. A half-inch to quarter-drive adapter was sacrificed in the removal of the pinch bolts (rip never forgetti), as was my will to live, and part of the hub I had to actually cut into to get one of the pinch bolts out. I also discovered that WD-40 is very flammable, as is leaked shocker fluid, and setting your car on fire for two seconds (twice) is slightly terrifying.
I got to work at 9am and didn't finish until 3pm, and that's also without taking a break. I love this car with all my heart, but goddamn I hate working on it.
- 5,905
- West Yorkshire
- Katiegan
- KatieB53
Treated the Pandaghini to some new front brakes yesterday.
The brakes have always felt a little dull, with a lot of travel in the pedal before it actually started slowing down. The fluid is clean enough and at the maximum level, so I checked the front brakes and the discs were quite worn but the pads probably had a few more miles left on them. Regardless, since parts for the Panda are insanely cheap and this Brembo set before you cost me just over £30 (yes, just 30 pounderinos!!!), including VAT, I thought it'd be stupid not to just change them. Some smartass before me decided caking the caliper bolts in thread lock was a good idea, and I think it'd been a while since the pads and discs had been changed since they both took a lot of persuasion (read: hammering) to get out, but the whole process was easy enough and way less stressful than the shockers on Bruiser.
Got to let them bed in before I really notice a difference, but they're already starting to feel better than the old ones.
The brakes have always felt a little dull, with a lot of travel in the pedal before it actually started slowing down. The fluid is clean enough and at the maximum level, so I checked the front brakes and the discs were quite worn but the pads probably had a few more miles left on them. Regardless, since parts for the Panda are insanely cheap and this Brembo set before you cost me just over £30 (yes, just 30 pounderinos!!!), including VAT, I thought it'd be stupid not to just change them. Some smartass before me decided caking the caliper bolts in thread lock was a good idea, and I think it'd been a while since the pads and discs had been changed since they both took a lot of persuasion (read: hammering) to get out, but the whole process was easy enough and way less stressful than the shockers on Bruiser.
Got to let them bed in before I really notice a difference, but they're already starting to feel better than the old ones.
- 5,905
- West Yorkshire
- Katiegan
- KatieB53
So is the Mondeo yours yet?
Also, the Panda would be sex lowered on TE37s or similar simple design..
Not yet. Still used as my parents' daily and I still can't afford insurance for it. I've ended up doing all the work to it and paying for all the parts though...
I'd love to mod the Panda, but again, if I did that I wouldn't be able to afford insurance.
