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Sikaflex for the win!
Katiegan's Garage | Winter Plans
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Took the Pandaghini for a good run on Sunday around some local country roads. They weren't particularly twisty but the Panda definitely feels a lot better in the corners. I feel like I can power through a corner now without feeling like the car is about to tip over and without understeering wildly. There's a hell of a lot more road noise now but surprisingly the ride comfort is mostly the same. I saw plenty of bikes hammering down the road and even saw an SL55 AMG and a Boxster S having a race. I didn't bother joining them, didn't want to show them up 
. I was also nearly written off by a Fiesta ST that decided to hit the apex which happened to be on my side of the road.
I took my camera with me and snapped a few shots, then played around with them in Lightroom for the first time. I think they came out pretty decent!
And a bonus photo of the view...
. I was also nearly written off by a Fiesta ST that decided to hit the apex which happened to be on my side of the road.I took my camera with me and snapped a few shots, then played around with them in Lightroom for the first time. I think they came out pretty decent!
And a bonus photo of the view...
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Really nice photos! Particularly like the "Wrenching Wench" watermark. 
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Really nice photos! Particularly like the "Wrenching Wench" watermark.
That's the name I use on social media now and for my photography stuff. I've got a Facebook page for it, link is in my signature, if you want to give it a like.
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The ones right by my house are riddled with potholes but that section of road is probably about 10 or 15 minutes away, if that. It's pretty nice around here! There's a car park that has an absolutely beautiful view that I wanted to take some pics of but it was full when I drove past.
Much appreciated! Followed back.
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Sweet! I only really use Insta these days, don't really bother with Flickr. But might get a few snaps on there at some stage.The ones right by my house are riddled with potholes but that section of road is probably about 10 or 15 minutes away, if that. It's pretty nice around here! There's a car park that has an absolutely beautiful view that I wanted to take some pics of but it was full when I drove past.
Much appreciated! Followed back.
I find with those kind of car parks the best days to go are week days. If you manage to get off work at the right time, head straight to one of those car parks and take a few photos. I live in the New Forest and the car parks are packed on weekends. Week nights around sunset you get one or two cars.
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The little Panda has stance! Great job Katie, It's coming along really nicely. I smiled when I saw the photos of all the Pandas at the meet, It's always cool to find people with similar cars and interests. What's a group of Pandas called though? Is it a flock? A murder? A hive? A school? A bunch? A herd? Who knows 
Very nice photos too, keep up the great work!
Very nice photos too, keep up the great work!
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The little Panda has stance! Great job Katie, It's coming along really nicely. I smiled when I saw the photos of all the Pandas at the meet, It's always cool to find people with similar cars and interests. What's a group of Pandas called though? Is it a flock? A murder? A hive? A school? A bunch? A herd? Who knows
Very nice photos too, keep up the great work!
Thank you!
Upon searching on Google, I found out a group of pandas is called... an embarrassment. That's not even a joke. We were literally an embarrassment.
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I've been considering buying a Panda. I'm moving a fair way away from work (okay, it's only 15 miles up the road, but Black Betti is thirsty), so I'm thinking of getting a diesel Panda. Your thoughts on the matter? Do they make a good, reliable, cheap commuter? My other option is a Mini One diesel (or a Cooper D).
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Diesel Pandas are decent, but I think even a petrol one would still be a good commuter. Mine will happily do 40-45mpg around town. You'll get more power out of a diesel though, the Pandaghini's biggest downfall is the fact it's so slow (59hp is certainly felt when you live in a hilly area). The 1.3 Multijet can be remapped for a bit more power too, around 90hp I think, which isn't too bad for a little thing like that. The only thing to really look out for is the timing chain on the diesels, ideally they need changing at around 90k-ish miles since problems start to arise around that mileage. Obviously a properly maintained one will last a little longer, and one with more questionable service history probably won't. All in all though, Pandas are great little cars, parts are dirt cheap, and they're galvanised so there's no need to worry about rust!
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Sounds like a reasonable deal to me!
Be careful buying a low mileage one too. Pandas have thick oil (10w40 for mine) so if it's only been used for short journeys without having a chance to warm up the engine will be a lot more worn than one that's done 120k miles on the motorway. The Panda Cross I got the wheels from has done 130k miles and had the timing chain replaced, and that's running like a dream.
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Well, it's been a while since I updated this!
The Panda is running (mostly) fine. Took him to his first show as a participant a few weeks ago and surprisingly caught a few people's attention! On the drive home however, as I was doing about 80 in the outside lane, the engine management light came on and I lost all power and throttle response, which wasn't fun. I managed to safely pull over, turned it off and back on again, and got my throttle back, although the EML was still on. Went on my merry way again, started getting up to around 75-80mph, and the same thing happened. I pulled over again, turned it off and back on, and decided to nurse it to the nearest services as some roadworks were coming up and there wasn't any lanes to pull over for a good few miles, and I really didn't fancy being stranded. As I pulled into the services, an AA van was parked up, and I asked the guy if he could just quickly code read the Panda to see what the problem was. He gladly accepted, saying all he'd been doing was waiting for calls for dead batteries since it was Download Festival that weekend and we were right by it. My friend with the turbo Panda who I bought my wheels from had followed me into the services after seeing my troubles on the motorway, and we got talking to the AA guy about the show we'd just been to and just general car talk, and as it turned out, the guy owned a ridiculously clean S15 Silvia! I wish I would've got his name or something as it was a super clean car, dark metallic grey with some tasteful mods, nothing too extreme or JDM ASF YO. Anyway, enough about the AA guy, back to the Panda. The fault ended up being something to do with the throttle position sensor, so he cleared it, and the EML stayed off. Offered to pay him for his troubles, but he insisted I didn't owe him any money (even though I'm a member of the RAC and have a tag on my car keys saying so...), so my friend and I went on our way. I decided to stick to 60 for the rest of the journey home (a good hour or so, so boring as hell) and made it without any hitches. The fault hasn't come back since, and I've given it a good run at 75-80 again with no troubles, so we'll see how it goes. For now, here's a photo of him at aforementioned show:
Carlos is also running fine. Had a fault with a coil pack a few weeks ago, but luckily we have a load in stock at work and it was a quick five minute job over my lunch to swap it over. Also had the MOT at the start of June, the only issue was a split CV boot, which was another quick job. Other than that, no troubles, which is good as towards the end of April/beginning of May we were doing a ton of miles going to Blackpool and back, as unfortunately my granddad passed away and that's where he lived. Cupras are pretty good at hauling ass when you get a phone call that a loved one had a major heart attack, lemme tell ya. Also gave it a good detail back in May, the first time it's been detailed since we've had it (apart from the quick polish I gave it on the morning my parents picked it up from work), and I'm seriously impressed at how glossy and deep the shine was after just one application of Auto Finesse's Tripple polish and Meguiar's Quik Wax.
And now for the sad news. For those who haven't seen in the Post a pic of your real car thread, on Friday, Bruiser was sent to the scrapyard in the sky. With the gearbox issues, misfiring, terrible rust, and purchase of Carlos, we really didn't have a need for him anymore. Mk3 Mondeos aren't worth much money at all, so we probably got more money for scrap than if we would've sold him. It was a sad day for sure, as this car has been in the same family since the day it was registered, and has been our daily driver for 12 years. But, it felt like having the old family dog put down. Ol' Bruiser just wasn't the car he used to be, and it was time to end his suffering.
On the plus side though, there's now extra garage space... for a project car?
The Panda is running (mostly) fine. Took him to his first show as a participant a few weeks ago and surprisingly caught a few people's attention! On the drive home however, as I was doing about 80 in the outside lane, the engine management light came on and I lost all power and throttle response, which wasn't fun. I managed to safely pull over, turned it off and back on again, and got my throttle back, although the EML was still on. Went on my merry way again, started getting up to around 75-80mph, and the same thing happened. I pulled over again, turned it off and back on, and decided to nurse it to the nearest services as some roadworks were coming up and there wasn't any lanes to pull over for a good few miles, and I really didn't fancy being stranded. As I pulled into the services, an AA van was parked up, and I asked the guy if he could just quickly code read the Panda to see what the problem was. He gladly accepted, saying all he'd been doing was waiting for calls for dead batteries since it was Download Festival that weekend and we were right by it. My friend with the turbo Panda who I bought my wheels from had followed me into the services after seeing my troubles on the motorway, and we got talking to the AA guy about the show we'd just been to and just general car talk, and as it turned out, the guy owned a ridiculously clean S15 Silvia! I wish I would've got his name or something as it was a super clean car, dark metallic grey with some tasteful mods, nothing too extreme or JDM ASF YO. Anyway, enough about the AA guy, back to the Panda. The fault ended up being something to do with the throttle position sensor, so he cleared it, and the EML stayed off. Offered to pay him for his troubles, but he insisted I didn't owe him any money (even though I'm a member of the RAC and have a tag on my car keys saying so...), so my friend and I went on our way. I decided to stick to 60 for the rest of the journey home (a good hour or so, so boring as hell) and made it without any hitches. The fault hasn't come back since, and I've given it a good run at 75-80 again with no troubles, so we'll see how it goes. For now, here's a photo of him at aforementioned show:
*Enya - Only Time plays*
Rest in peace, Bruiser. You were a good 'un.
On the plus side though, there's now extra garage space... for a project car?
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Well I personally wouldn't recommend a Volvo...
As much as I love mine, and as easy as the mechanical side of things is (because there's sod all to do - it never goes bloody well wrong), the rust and the invalids tasked with welding it damn near sent me into a maniacal rage.
I guess if you got a T5 Volvo they're new enough that rust isn't an issue... aaand if it's an S60 T5 it's basically a Mondeo anyway... just with a beasty 5 cylinder engine, and no Ford rust-happy-fun-time. Electrics can be a pain, mind.
Bugger it - buy a Suzuki Jimny - they're stupid good fun.
As much as I love mine, and as easy as the mechanical side of things is (because there's sod all to do - it never goes bloody well wrong), the rust and the invalids tasked with welding it damn near sent me into a maniacal rage.
I guess if you got a T5 Volvo they're new enough that rust isn't an issue... aaand if it's an S60 T5 it's basically a Mondeo anyway... just with a beasty 5 cylinder engine, and no Ford rust-happy-fun-time. Electrics can be a pain, mind.
Bugger it - buy a Suzuki Jimny - they're stupid good fun.
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My garage is tiny, it barely fit Bruiser, so I'd have no room for a Volvo tank like yours.
I do like Jimnys but all the idiotic young farmers around here drive them so I've been a bit put off. My neighbour's son has a Mk2 Golf GTI that's been stood for about 4 years on their drive, and I've offered to take it from them but the son doesn't want to part with it yet, much to his mother's annoyance. I look at it every day and how sad it is and how much it needs someone to fix it up again... like me...
Yes. Absolutely yes.
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Well, not quite. The original S60 is a pure Volvo design, built on the P2 platform which was designed before Ford bought it. The new S60 would be a different story. One thing has to be said about the S60 though, while it's a pretty big car on the outside the interior is a bad joke - not because of the quality but the space, especially in the back. I'm far from a tall man, standing a whopping 173 cm tall, and my hair is brushing the ceiling in the back seat. On the driver's seat it feels like sitting in a bathtub, now I understand that it's because of all the crash structures but still.
Speaking of the crash structures, the P2 is tough as nails. I got to witness it when a friend of mine got her V70 MkII (which is the sister model of the S60) totaled by an elderly man who at an intersection crashed into the side of the Volvo at an estimated 60+ km/h in an old Lada and that's said to be built like a tank. My friend was doing around 80 km/h at the time of the impact, the V70 spun through 180 degrees and stopped there. The right side (right hand side traffic, driver on the left) was crushed in 30 cm or so at the point where the Lada hit and the only injury she suffered was a slightly bruised right ankle. The elderly man left the scene in an ambulance and the Lada was ready for the scrapyard with most of the nose gone.
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My mistake, I mixed up with the P3 platform.
I've driven both the old and new S60s (as well as S80s, V70s etc.) and at 178cm I had no issues with space in the new S60 or V60. The interior is gorgeous and very well put together, though I hate all the modern technology (even if it is years behind everything the Germans make). But yeah you do feel a bit low. The old S60, V70 and S80 feel much better. And they're the most comfy seats I've ever sat in. The P3-based V70 (3rd gen) is nice though. '07-ish models were really nice. Newer ones fell a bit behind and crammed loads of kit I don't like. I'm all for them base models with manual gearboxes!
@Katiegan Volvo C30 T5? Like a Focus ST but more boring and with grandaddy chairs and a crap boot.
Joey D
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@Katiegan Volvo C30 T5? Like a Focus ST but more boring and with grandaddy chairs and a crap boot.
Having owned one I can echo this statement. It was the most fun car I've ever owned and with the Polestar tune on it, it was seriously quick. By putting some proper tires on it too, the thing handled like it was on rails. The electrics in it were finicky though, especially the radio which was replaced twice in the 10 months I owned it. I miss the car dearly.
And the back wasn't that bad, I managed to fit a weekend's worth of mulch, fertilizer, grass seed, and a spreader in the back when I laid the rear seats down. The circular opening made getting boxes in and out of it at times a little tricky.
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Frankly I've never needed a big boot - I've just driven a few of the (utter rubbish) diesel versions, and the boot is a lot smaller than other cars of a similar size. But yeah, I really want one. They're a lot more comfy than their Ford Focus stablemate as well. If Volvo does one thing well, it's seats. Sorry Katie I think I've derailed this thread a wee bit.
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@Katiegan Volvo C30 T5? Like a Focus ST but more boring and with grandaddy chairs and a crap boot.
I'm looking for something old and easy to work on, to be honest. That's one of the main reasons I never bothered having Bruiser as a project. Modern cars aren't as easy to work on and Mondeos/anything Ford especially is awful. I'm used to crap boot space though, the Panda hasn't got much. Right now it has a box of coilovers in (oh yeah, I forgot to mention I have a set for it now!), a Meguairs detailing kit bag and a 5L tub of oil, and there's no room for anything else now.
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I had an issue on and off for months with the A3 where it wouldn't hold idle and kept throwing up random warning lights. Plug-in diagnostics always said MAS air-flow meter (as i guess that's the first sensor in the throttle chain), but even after a new replacement the same would happen. Clearing the codes would solve it, sometimes for days, sometimes for a month or so, but it would always come back. Took it to loads of different places including main dealers and VWG specialists with no luck. Eventually solved it by cleaning the throttle body out. They get gunked up around the butterfly valves and it causes the throttle position sensor to misunderstand what it's seeing, hence the random warning lights and throttle issues.
It's a fairly simple thing to do yourself, especially if you have the facilities to do so (and some carburettor cleaner) so might be worth a try?
