So I'm driving along yesterday, thinking what a great car my old Mondeo has been since I got it.....

[DanZac]

Why don't we use the same match and burn my vivaro with a snapped cambelt and your mondeo...

If your having a Christmas Car Conflagration can we all join in?

I've got an MX5 to add to the pile and I'm sure there's a few others with top quality, highly reliable motor vehicles they want shot of.

Maybe we could bbq some vegan bacon on the embers, or griddle a few sprouts for a Chrimbo feel.

Add in a Secret Santa where you can palm off all your unwanted scrap and broken schnizzle to some unsuspecting forum member and we've got the start of a forum Christmas tradition.

 

[Morrisman]

Considering i've done 10,000 miles on my BMW bike since it's March MOT, and just 2000 in the Mondeo, since December MOT last year, I'm feeling a way forward....

Mayne it's time to sell up and finish the world trip I started in 1990......

 

[DanZac]

Maybe it's time to sell up and finish the world trip I started in 1990......

Do it.

If you've got the funds, time and health to be able to you need to do it, then you need to do it before it's too late.

You rarely hear of anyone in their old age saying "I wish I hadn't done that" it's always "I wish I'd done XYZ when I still had the time"

 

[Morrisman]

'Third time is the charm', as our colonial friends are want to say. And the third thermostat actually did the trick, but it's genuine Ford component, not a Gates substitute. I dread to think how many hours the mechanic's put into this, but he should get onto Gates customer service and tell them to get their quality control together.

The car is now running a rock steady 89° on the gauge, once again.
And passed its MOT yesterday too.

 

[qwakers]

I no longer fit any gates products, their qc has gone right downhill recently

 

[zx9]

I no longer fit any gates products, their qc has gone right downhill recently

You are not the first person I have heard say that.

 

[Morrisman]

I no longer fit any gates products, their qc has gone right downhill recently

I hope the mechanic will get back to them and let them know how rubbish their products are.

They gave him a right runaround when the first 'stat didn't work properly, had him hook up the car to diagnostics, open the (brand new) body control module up and check the car temp gauge was zeroed correctly etc etc.

 

[Morrisman]

Cars been going great since it was fixed....

....until today. I just went out to go the gym in it and all sorts of wierd stuff, and lights flashing at random again... battery is down to 9 volts, but that probably a result of something than the cause, as it started and ran perfectly on Monday.

I'm just about at the end of my tether with this thing now. I've got the BCM out and it looks perfect, so god only knows what's happened now.

Gonna be a great start to the new year, as the stress over this damn car had me on a real low for the last month or two, and I thought it was over now...
...black dog, here we come again.

 

[ajlelectronics]

Cars been going great since it was fixed....

....until today. I just went out to go the gym in it and all sorts of wierd stuff, and lights flashing at random again... battery is down to 9 volts, but that probably a result of something than the cause, as it started and ran perfectly on Monday.

I'm just about at the end of my tether with this thing now. I've got the BCM out and it looks perfect, so god only knows what's happened now.

Gonna be a great start to the new year, as the stress over this damn car had me on a real low for the last month or two, and I thought it was over now...
...black dog, here we come again.

With the cold, I would be suspecting a faulty battery.

 

[Bobupndown]

Cars been going great since it was fixed....

....until today. I just went out to go the gym in it and all sorts of wierd stuff, and lights flashing at random again... battery is down to 9 volts, but that probably a result of something than the cause, as it started and ran perfectly on Monday.

I'm just about at the end of my tether with this thing now. I've got the BCM out and it looks perfect, so god only knows what's happened now.

Gonna be a great start to the new year, as the stress over this damn car had me on a real low for the last month or two, and I thought it was over now...
...black dog, here we come again.

Time to get shot of it perhaps?

 

[Morrisman]

With the cold, I would be suspecting a faulty battery.

With a 3 volt drop over 2 days it would basically need the lights left on to drop that much. So maybe/hopefully a dead cell. Its just been on charge for two hours and is back to 12.6 volts, so I put it in the car and its all working as it should.

One thing I did find on the BCM was a tiny bit of green on the two pins where the washer wires leaked originally. When it all started I cleaned the plug, blew it out, hoovered it out, squirted wd40 then contact cleaner into the plug and left it to dry for a week, but maybe a tiny bit of washer fluid remained and caused a touch of corrosion. Absolutely no signs of wetness in there though.

Time to get shot of it perhaps?

I'm thinking along those lines now. Its always been a great car, until it reached in 11th year.....

 

[bricol]

Batteries do just fail over night. If it all works now it's charged, and then it does it again, more than likely it's time for a new battery.

Cheaper than a new car.

 

[Morrisman]

Batteries do just fail over night. If it all works now it's charged, and then it does it again, more than likely it's time for a new battery.

Cheaper than a new car.

Batteries about four years old. I shall measure voltage tomorrow, then start it up, measure it again etc. I had a couple of 'low battery' warnings pop up when I was messing about getting the BCM issue diagnosed, a month or so ago.

 

[roofman]

Cars been going great since it was fixed....

....until today. I just went out to go the gym in it and all sorts of wierd stuff, and lights flashing at random again... battery is down to 9 volts, but that probably a result of something than the cause, as it started and ran perfectly on Monday.

I'm just about at the end of my tether with this thing now. I've got the BCM out and it looks perfect, so god only knows what's happened now.

Gonna be a great start to the new year, as the stress over this damn car had me on a real low for the last month or two, and I thought it was over now...
...black dog, here we come again.

life is too short...move it on and be happy again.

 

[bricol]

Batteries about four years old. I shall measure voltage tomorrow, then start it up, measure it again etc. I had a couple of 'low battery' warnings pop up when I was messing about getting the BCM issue diagnosed, a month or so ago.

Needs a proper load test - find your local factors or even your MOT garage. I suspect a new battery will sort it. I've had batteries last 3 yrs, but also well in excess of a decade. And then they just turn off - one in my Alfa 75 30yrs ago failed while sat at work when I was on a night shift . . .

 

[jsf55]

I had one fail when i popped into the spar on the way too work, wouldn't even bump start !

 

[Red'n'Black]

I had one fail when i popped into the spar on the way too work, wouldn't even bump start !

Same here, happened with no warning, dead as a dodo when I came out of the shop. RAC came out and fitted a new one, at their usual extortionate markup.

 

[Morris]

I had one fail when i popped into the spar on the way too work, wouldn't even bump start !

Yup, wifey had that in her old MK3 Golf. Went out and called for fuel (2 miles from home). Filled up and that was that, no start. New battery and all was well. Old one was fubar.

 

[ukracer]

Do it.

If you've got the funds, time and health to be able to you need to do it, then you need to do it before it's too late.

You rarely hear of anyone in their old age saying "I wish I hadn't done that" it's always "I wish I'd done XYZ when I still had the time"

It's a struggle to get it right. External influences dictate your mindset at times.
For example my wife a I were preparing for a year in France after I retired due to my wife already retired due to a stroke.
The £42 per month she gets from her pension was a problem. Plus the stopping of benefits when away from home etc.
So we delayed it for a few months to research things. We were then visited by my son and his then partner with news of a pending grandchild.
Yes we could have been selfish and still gone but we were helped by both our respective parents so we stayed and looked after number 1 grandson.. 3 years ago I was told by my son the implant had failed and his by then wife was expecting. But followed by due to my wife's condition they were seriously considering a termination.
Neither of them wanted to terminate but thought they had no choice. I had both of them in tears when I said of course the choice must be theirs but I was prepared to put in the extra mile to look after them both and my wife.

Suffice to say I have to pay special attention to make sure I don't love the little one more than the big one as I feel so close to little one.

So as I say its not always a straight forward choice.......you make a choice based on many many things. Then things change.

Oh I forgot to add my wife loves number 2 like her own. Yes she gets tired but I just send/take her to bed and stop what I am doing.
When she has not seen then for a day, she's on the phone talking to them.

 

[Morrisman]

20 miles test drive today. Started perfectly, and when I got back I measured voltage at the battery, 12.6 volts. I shall rinse and repeat several more times and see if it goes belly up again before I trust it to drive to the shops etc. One glitch and I shall force a new battery down its throat.