For those interested in "Modern Classic" Cars

[russ p]

On 02/12/2021 at 15:06, steve1 said:

Talking of unusual Fords, I’ve just clocked this outside the local surgery. Not seen one in a while.

 

steve

 

 

 

I don't think I've ever seen one of these is it a mondeo coupe or something 

[Dunsignalling]

9 minutes ago, russ p said:

 

I don't think I've ever seen one of these is it a mondeo coupe or something 

Focus coupe-cabriolet. Pretty and rare, so I presume it was a lot more expensive than the Peugeot and Renault equivalents. Much nicer proportions than either, though.

Edited December 4, 2021 by Dunsignalling

[boxbrownie]

11 hours ago, Dunsignalling said:

Focus coupe-cabriolet. Pretty and rare, so I presume it was a lot more expensive than the Peugeot and Renault equivalents. Much nicer proportions than either, though.

They were built well (and the hood worked well…..this time) but as a result of the strengthening required they were quite heavy compared to the standard model and with the standard range engine options were sluggish TBH.

 

I drove an early sign off model and it surprised me by being so solid on the road with no scuttle shake at all, unusual for a pre production car.

[spamcan61]

I'm not a big Rover fan but this looks rather nice for a 16 year old car, round the corner from Spamcan Towers this morning 

 

Saw a Vauxhall Cascada in a weird metallic beige yesterday, a rare car at the best of times, never fathomed why they existed in the first place.

[Dunsignalling]

I had to Google the Vauxhall Cascada, having never previously heard of it, or knowingly seen one....

 

As a model from a mainstream brand, that has to be something of a record for me!

 

John

[spamcan61]

4 hours ago, Dunsignalling said:

I had to Google the Vauxhall Cascada, having never previously heard of it, or knowingly seen one....

 

As a model from a mainstream brand, that has to be something of a record for me!

 

John

I think I've seen 3 this year, and I do look out for them as a rare 'spot'. OK so Vauxhall/Opel have had an Astra based  cabrio/coupe in the range for several generations, so why they changed to this design lord knows.

 

Doesn't look like there's that many out there nationally:-

 

https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/?utf8=✓&q=cascada&commit=Search#

[Dunsignalling]

28 minutes ago, spamcan61 said:

I think I've seen 3 this year, and I do look out for them as a rare 'spot'. OK so Vauxhall/Opel have had an Astra based  cabrio/coupe in the range for several generations, so why they changed to this design lord knows.

 

Doesn't look like there's that many out there nationally:-

 

https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/?utf8=✓&q=cascada&commit=Search#

Doesn't ring any bells, but I'd probably have thought it was just an Astra anyway. I actually think it looks OK, certainly a bit better proportioned than all the folding tin-tops.

 

John 

Edited December 5, 2021 by Dunsignalling

[RANGERS]

3 hours ago, Dunsignalling said:

Doesn't ring any bells, but I'd probably have thought it was just an Astra anyway. I actually think it looks OK, certainly a bit better proportioned than all the folding tin-tops.

 

John 

There’s a couple of these live in our village, one of them in sight of home, but it has never occurred to me that this was anything other than an Astra convertible!

[great central]

Friend at work has a Cascada which, if someone calls it an Astra convertible, really gets her going. So of course every so often someone mentions her Astra convertible

 

 

[monkeysarefun]

Apparently they came here too -  as the Holden Cascada. I'd never heard off them either before this but checking it out there are quite a few used ones for sale.

[MJI]

There are quite a few cars I have not heard of and most of them are actually alternate models of well  known cars.

 

Astra Convertable above, but convertable Astras were called Astra, I delivered one once.

 

There is also what looks like a Golf convertable with alternate name.

 

I will just call them what they are

[spamcan61]

9 hours ago, MJI said:

 

There is also what looks like a Golf convertable with alternate name.

 

I will just call them what they are

 

I suspect you're thinking of the VW Eos:-

 

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/volkswagen/eos-2006-2014

 

Eos: the Greek goddess of the dawn.... must've had some power hallucinogenics available at VAG branding when they decided that was a cool name for a VAG Eurobox!

[spamcan61]

On 06/12/2021 at 19:40, great central said:

Friend at work has a Cascada which, if someone calls it an Astra convertible, really gets her going. So of course every so often someone mentions her Astra convertible

 

 

GM did seem to expend an awful lot of time/money/effort coming up with something that presumably uses plenty of low volume bespoke parts, but ends up looking like an Astra GTC convertible.

[MJI]

2 hours ago, spamcan61 said:

 

I suspect you're thinking of the VW Eos:-

 

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/volkswagen/eos-2006-2014

 

Eos: the Greek goddess of the dawn.... must've had some power hallucinogenics available at VAG branding when they decided that was a cool name for a VAG Eurobox!

 

Yes the Golf convertable

[boxbrownie]

11 hours ago, MJI said:

There are quite a few cars I have not heard of and most of them are actually alternate models of well  known cars.

 

Astra Convertable above, but convertable Astras were called Astra, I delivered one once.

 

There is also what looks like a Golf convertable with alternate name.

 

I will just call them what they are

The EOS really has only the drivetrain and platform in common with the Golf, almost every other panel is unique, it needed to be for the price premium over the Golf.

 

But yes it is Golf segment and replaced the Golf Conny.

[Dunsignalling]

17 minutes ago, MJI said:

 

Yes the Golf convertable

An Eos is a variety of convertible Golf, but a Golf convertible isn't an Eos.

 

What VW traditionally describe as convertibles are rag-tops whereas the Eos is what is generally known as a coupe-cabriolet , i.e. a folding tin-top. 

 

VW is (or was) unusual in making both*, so it's probably sensible to differentiate the Eos from what present and previous owners would understand by the term "Golf Convertible". 

 

John

 

*AIUI, you did have the choice for a while, though I'm not sure that is still the case.

 

 

 

Edited December 8, 2021 by Dunsignalling

[MJI]

3 minutes ago, boxbrownie said:

The EOS really has only the drivetrain and platform in common with the Golf, almost every other panel is unique, it needed to be for the price premium over the Golf.

 

But yes it is Golf segment and replaced the Golf Conny.

 

But to many of us it is just another VW Golf variant, does not trigger an I want or anything like that.

GM had the same problem.

[Dunsignalling]

3 hours ago, Dunsignalling said:

An Eos is a variety of convertible Golf, but a Golf convertible isn't an Eos.

 

What VW traditionally describe as convertibles are rag-tops whereas the Eos is what is generally known as a coupe-cabriolet , i.e. a folding tin-top. 

 

VW is (or was) unusual in making both*, so it's probably sensible to differentiate the Eos from what present and previous owners would understand by the term "Golf Convertible". 

 

John

 

*AIUI, you did have the choice for a while, though I'm not sure that is still the case.

 

 

 

It seems you still do have a choice of roof material, the soft top Golf is now a "cabriolet".

 

The styling is remarkably similar to the Vauxhall Cascada discussed earlier....

[doilum]

A slightly different thread.

Why has it just taken over two hours to change a lightbulb on my MX5 NC? And that is with the use of a fully equipped workshop with a two post ramp.

Wheel off. Partially prise away the plastic liner, it cannot be removed without first dismantling the shock absorber and spring, and then, by feel extract the rubber cover and bulb unit.  Much of the time is spent trying to o locate the  retaining clip blind.

The alternative method is to remove the whole nose cone and theñ remove the entire  headlight assembly to replace the bulb on the bench. Any   wonder so many cars have defective lights?

[Nick C]

29 minutes ago, doilum said:

A slightly different thread.

Why has it just taken over two hours to change a lightbulb on my MX5 NC? And that is with the use of a fully equipped workshop with a two post ramp.

Wheel off. Partially prise away the plastic liner, it cannot be removed without first dismantling the shock absorber and spring, and then, by feel extract the rubber cover and bulb unit.  Much of the time is spent trying to o locate the  retaining clip blind.

The alternative method is to remove the whole nose cone and theñ remove the entire  headlight assembly to replace the bulb on the bench. Any   wonder so many cars have defective lights?

One of my big bugbears with modern cars! It is illegal to drive with a non-functional bulb, therefore it should also be (or rather, should have always been) illegal to produce a car on which you can't change the bulbs, at the side of the road, using only the tools supplied with the car.

 

It's been the case for a long time - 5th gear did a test many years ago (early 2000s?) in which one of them changed a headlamp bulb on a Megane, while the other did a full service on a Golf - the full service was quicker...

[Kickstart]

50 minutes ago, doilum said:

A slightly different thread.

Why has it just taken over two hours to change a lightbulb on my MX5 NC? And that is with the use of a fully equipped workshop with a two post ramp.

Wheel off. Partially prise away the plastic liner, it cannot be removed without first dismantling the shock absorber and spring, and then, by feel extract the rubber cover and bulb unit.  Much of the time is spent trying to o locate the  retaining clip blind.

The alternative method is to remove the whole nose cone and theñ remove the entire  headlight assembly to replace the bulb on the bench. Any   wonder so many cars have defective lights?

 

It is a pig of a job. Didn't help that the last time I had a bulb fail the new one lasted about 2 weeks (possible I touched it when putting it in - don't think I did but I can't be certain) , with the new one melting.

 

I have fairly small hands and just about managed  it from the engine bay, but think there was a compulsory blood sacrifice! Drivers side a bit more space, passenger side I think I loosened the mounts for the fuse box to wiggle it out of the way a bit.

 

Just had to do the thermostat on mine. Which means taking off the throttle body. 3 bolts  hold  on the thermostat, one being hard to see and one being a pain to get a socket on (I just bought a set of 1/4" drive wobble drive extensions). Still need to get the system to bleed through (not helped with the battery just choosing now to die).

 

All the best

 

Katy

[doilum]

1 hour ago, Kickstart said:

 

It is a pig of a job. Didn't help that the last time I had a bulb fail the new one lasted about 2 weeks (possible I touched it when putting it in - don't think I did but I can't be certain) , with the new one melting.

 

I have fairly small hands and just about managed  it from the engine bay, but think there was a compulsory blood sacrifice! Drivers side a bit more space, passenger side I think I loosened the mounts for the fuse box to wiggle it out of the way a bit.

 

Just had to do the thermostat on mine. Which means taking off the throttle body. 3 bolts  hold  on the thermostat, one being hard to see and one being a pain to get a socket on (I just bought a set of 1/4" drive wobble drive extensions). Still need to get the system to bleed through (not helped with the battery just choosing now to die).

 

All the best

 

Katy

I had forgotten to add that I have ridiculously tiny hands. Back in the day a ten year old child could change the bulb on a Chevette or mk 1 Fiesta in around three minutes.

[peanuts]

7 hours ago, Kickstart said:

 

It is a pig of a job. Didn't help that the last time I had a bulb fail the new one lasted about 2 weeks (possible I touched it when putting it in - don't think I did but I can't be certain) , with the new one melting.

 

I have fairly small hands and just about managed  it from the engine bay, but think there was a compulsory blood sacrifice! Drivers side a bit more space, passenger side I think I loosened the mounts for the fuse box to wiggle it out of the way a bit.

 

Just had to do the thermostat on mine. Which means taking off the throttle body. 3 bolts  hold  on the thermostat, one being hard to see and one being a pain to get a socket on (I just bought a set of 1/4" drive wobble drive extensions). Still need to get the system to bleed through (not helped with the battery just choosing now to die).

 

All the best

 

Katy

Just done the thermo on my 06 astra 1600 asked around some ofvthe garages on my round "it's only four bolts and a jubilee" 15 mins tops what they dont tell you is the four bolts are all hidden by a ignition witing loom bracket the bolts for  which are obstructed by the battery tray ! 20 mins with a tourques socket in a set of grips finnaly got them loose and off push bracket out of way then remove jubilee that's not a jubilee but one of the spring hose clips so beloved of gm ten mins ofvit constantly pinging off the grips and it's off. Now too the four bolts three dead easy last one hidden behind exhaust heatshield bolts for which are inturn masked by more wiring brackets bolted to the lifting eyes another 20 mins getting that lot out of the way and we are in undoblast bolt gentle tap off the housing comes replace re fill check for leaks then a good 30 mins building it all back up.so best part of three hours to change a thermostat least its toasty warm now .

[MJI]

10 hours ago, peanuts said:

Just done the thermo on my 06 astra 1600 asked around some ofvthe garages on my round "it's only four bolts and a jubilee" 15 mins tops what they dont tell you is the four bolts are all hidden by a ignition witing loom bracket the bolts for  which are obstructed by the battery tray ! 20 mins with a tourques socket in a set of grips finnaly got them loose and off push bracket out of way then remove jubilee that's not a jubilee but one of the spring hose clips so beloved of gm ten mins ofvit constantly pinging off the grips and it's off. Now too the four bolts three dead easy last one hidden behind exhaust heatshield bolts for which are inturn masked by more wiring brackets bolted to the lifting eyes another 20 mins getting that lot out of the way and we are in undoblast bolt gentle tap off the housing comes replace re fill check for leaks then a good 30 mins building it all back up.so best part of three hours to change a thermostat least its toasty warm now .

 

Easy compared to an Omega V6 though.

 

I broke off the lug and took the left head off!

 

But I shut up a gloating Vectra V6 owner (can get at thermostat) with the words "Cam Belt" (horrific on a Vectra coathook)

[boxbrownie]

10 hours ago, peanuts said:

Just done the thermo on my 06 astra 1600 asked around some ofvthe garages on my round "it's only four bolts and a jubilee" 15 mins tops what they dont tell you is the four bolts are all hidden by a ignition witing loom bracket the bolts for  which are obstructed by the battery tray ! 20 mins with a tourques socket in a set of grips finnaly got them loose and off push bracket out of way then remove jubilee that's not a jubilee but one of the spring hose clips so beloved of gm ten mins ofvit constantly pinging off the grips and it's off. Now too the four bolts three dead easy last one hidden behind exhaust heatshield bolts for which are inturn masked by more wiring brackets bolted to the lifting eyes another 20 mins getting that lot out of the way and we are in undoblast bolt gentle tap off the housing comes replace re fill check for leaks then a good 30 mins building it all back up.so best part of three hours to change a thermostat least its toasty warm now .

If you doing (or going to be) a lot of work on your car there are special “pliers” for those clips which make the job easier and safer…….if you can get the pliers in the gaps!