Mr & Mrs Moglet's cars [10,000 miles in the Tesla]

[Moglet]

The CRV is home!

Unfortunately there is a big problem with it; under acceleration the wheel and pedals shake, and at 40mph+ under full acceleration it feels like a wheel is going to fall off as the whole car lurches from left to right . I didn't notice this on the test drive at all, which is annoying. It got me home and the guys I got it from have been pretty good about it, so far they've suggested getting the tracking done and they'll pay the bill but I'm 99% certain it's not the tracking as it only affects the car under load. Depressing the clutch causes the issue to disappear, as does moving along without giving it too much power, but it also makes the engine sound rough which is a bit worrying.

My initial thoughts are something drivetrain related, and a lot of people on various forums have had the front axles replaced to solve it, but apparently they need to be OEM parts or else the problem will remain. I'm a bit angry at myself for not picking it up on the test drive (we barely went over 40mph which might explain it) but it seems that the garage are playing ball so far and I've also got the extra warranty to try if all else fails.

Besides that though it's been a good drive so far. It's taking a little while to get used to the change in size/steering compared to the '8 but I'm enjoying being so high up and wafting around the place in comfort as opposed to having my spine smashed up. We've almost got the sat-nav working too 👍

 

[Moglet]

Good news! The shaking has been fixed, it was a bad joint in one of the drive shafts and it was a free fix courtesy of the garage I bought it from.

Bad news; It has now developed a problem starting. It will always start but it sometimes takes a few seconds of turning the engine over to get it to fire up.

So far this famed Honda reliability has been somewhat lacking, especially given the car has been serviced by Honda it's entire life and any issues it has had have been fixed right away. The previous owner was even taking it to Honda to have bulbs replaced.

 

[homeforsummer]

Weak battery, perhaps?

 

[Moglet]

That was my first thought; I don't think it's been replaced in the last 10 years! I'm driving to work in it tomorrow so I can nip out to Halfords afterwards and buy a new one. Hopefully that'll fix it, if not then I'll do the leads and plugs etc.

 

[Moglet]

Turns out the battery was weaker than I initially thought; the car refused to start on Saturday morning. Luckily my fiance's car works just fine so I went to Halfords, shelled out £90 for their best battery and took it home to fit it; now the car works beautifully. Except for the squeaky drive belt. The belt itself is cheap but I'm told it's a nightmare to change on the CRV, even if you can get it on to a ramp so it looks like I'll be getting the local garage to do that one for me.

After that it's time to start looking at double DIN units to replace the standard sat nav since that seems to be a lost cause after all. I'm not concerned with getting a sat nav to replace it but I would like a full colour touch screen and an auxiliary input. Oh and it needs to work with steering wheel controls, too.

 

[homeforsummer]

Are there any decent double DIN units out there? I was really put off them for a time because most looked like they were straight from the mid-90s. Nobody seems to have really mastered a double DIN unit that doesn't look hideously naff.

 

[Moglet]

Are there any decent double DIN units out there? I was really put off them for a time because most looked like they were straight from the mid-90s. Nobody seems to have really mastered a double DIN unit that doesn't look hideously naff.

The newer touchscreen ones are very nice, this is one of the ones I've been considering:
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._productId_991017_langId_-1_categoryId_165655

It has a reversing camera input which could come in useful.

 

[homeforsummer]

Yeah, that looks pretty tidy. It'd kind of passed me by that aftermarket systems were probably catching up on functionality with OEM ones.

Considering a new headunit for the Insight but single-DIN ones look so naff too! All fiddly stupid buttons and the like. Again, it's a sign of how much OEM stuff has moved on that aftermarket ones all seem hopelessly outdated.

 

[Moglet]

Single DIN units always look very very chintzy which is a shame as the performance is almost always better than OEM units (unless you've got an upgraded audio option). It's nice to see more and more manufacturers taking notice of how good their audio system is.

 

[Moglet]

Photos of it after almost a month of driving to and from work;

(Note the tyre tracks in the grass there, that's where the Picanto almost got stuck! The CRV didn't even spin it's wheels up in the same situation)

So far it's coping very well with the roads, which is more than can be said for my fiance's Picanto! Since having the new battery fitted it hasn't missed a beat and is taking the country lanes in it's stride; although the only off roading it's done is driving up on to muddy verges to avoid oncoming cars. The 4wd system has kicked in a few times on the slippery mud around here and it's worked perfectly every time which is a nice feeling! 👍

EDIT: Also discovered that I've got a facelifted mk2, with the circular fogs, 2 chrome bars on the grille and clear rear indicator lights. It also has a revised 4WD system that causes the rear wheels to kick in earlier than the pre-facelift models when traction is lost.

 

[Moglet]

I've been busy!

I finally washed the car over the weekend for the first time since buying it:

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I even took the wheel cover off, cleaned the spare and replaced the cover so that the Honda logo sits a bit more straight than previously:

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The inside still needs some work, especially after my fiance spilled some bird seed in the passenger footwell. I fitted my new double DIN head unit but it didn't quite sit flush with the surroundings. I'm not sure if I can be bothered to fix that but I'm definitely going to fix the loose wiring at some point. Also check out my foldable picnic bench

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My average MPG after resetting the trip computer recently has been pretty awful but whatever, it's a fairly chunky thing and I've got a heavy right foot.

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I might still do a few subtle mods but for now I'm happy with how it's running.

 

[Clark]

Tut tut , needs a clean on the inside

 

[Moglet]

Yep! I've only just got my new extension lead so that the vacuum will reach. It'll get done this weekend. 👍

 

[Moglet]

Here's a new addition to the family:

A 1989 Toyota Supra 3.0 Turbo, my wife's new project car. It cost a grand total of £995 but it made the journey from the Midlands to the Isle of Wight without a single hitch. I'll get more photos tomorrow but it's white (obviously) with a navy blue interior which is a bit tatty but we're getting that restored eventually so no worries there.

 

[Slash]

Awesome! Friend of mine has a street/track '89. 2JZ swapped, massive turbo, rear subframe, 1.5" drop with coilovers up front, some large wheels, 5 speed manual I think with a racing clutch and 350whp. Fun car.

 

[Moglet]

Awesome! Friend of mine has a street/track '89. 2JZ swapped, massive turbo, rear subframe, 1.5" drop with coilovers up front, some large wheels, 5 speed manual I think with a racing clutch and 350whp. Fun car.

That sounds pretty badass! I think the 7MGTE will do us for now though
Here's a better photo:

 

[Slash]

His started almost the same way I think.

How it started:

This is it now.

 

[Clark]

That sounds pretty badass! I think the 7MGTE will do us for now though
Here's a better photo:

That looks so perfectly late 80's/90's, the wheels are brilliant. You'll get to sample a car with proper engine now after your washing machine RX8. /flame

 

[Moglet]

The RX8 was still faster We went out in it again today and it's running so much more smoothly after yesterday's motorway journey. It's getting the same MPG as my CRV too, which is a bit depressing!

Here's some photos after a wash, we've started to treat the rust already and discovered a few little niggles that'll get sorted after the main engine work is complete.

 

[mp10]

Nice 👍 liking the wheels too.

 

[Moglet]

Thanks!

I just discovered that it was listed as Shed of the Week on Pistonheads not so long ago!

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/...426197&nmt=RE:+Shed+Of+The+Week:+Toyota+Supra

 

[Clark]

'Why, even the normally ignorant Mrs Shed is in favour of this format. Just before leaving Shed Towers for a hen night at the Dog & Deckchair, Shed was surprised by her apparent (not to say unique) interest in his half-joking proposal to buy an old Supra. The last thing she said as she ran out of the door was how much she was looking forward to the prospect of a big weighty crank whirling in front of her.'

Even the story sounds similar!

 

[Cano]

The white wheels look awesome.

 

[ilikewaffles11]

Love the Supra, very nice! 👍

But man are they heavy. You can really feel the weight in the corners. But damn are they comfortable!

 

[Thatman]

I liked my supra as short as I had it. The 7m tho.

 

[Moglet]

I liked my supra as short as I had it. The 7m tho.

The 7M isn't that bad once you torque up the head bolts correctly! Upgrade the head and bolts instead and I'm told you can safely crank the boost a fair bit. Having said that we're keeping the power as it is, it really doesn't need to be any quicker living where we live.

We wanted a comfortable classic that could get up and go when needed - the Supra is perfect for that!

 

[Ibonibo]

Nice mate.

Was worried after the Rx8 was gone. Back on the sporty road 👍

 

[Moglet]

Nice mate.

Was worried after the Rx8 was gone. Back on the sporty road 👍

Thanks! Yep, we're back on the sporty road again, but we've also kept the car we replaced the RX8 with so we've now got the best of both worlds. The Supra is in the local garage today (they always look after a friend's Aston Martin so I trust them with the Supra!) having the engine looked at to see if they can diagnose the ticking we get from cold, I think it's the exhaust manifold myself but we shall see. Also started to hear a strange sound behind the glovebox on this morning's drive, hopefully it's not the gurgling related to head gasket failure

 

[Thatman]

The first thing my buddy said when I had an issue was "You literally bought the only other car more unreliable than an RX7." Best wishes though!

 

[Beeblebrox237]

The first thing my buddy said when I had an issue was "You literally bought the only other car more unreliable than an RX7." Best wishes though!

I don't think RX-7s are unreliable, they just require constant maintenance and attention. Your mate should try owning a TVR sometime