Polish Vodka? Part the Second.

You would be surprised!

Everyone really enjoyed it, and four litres was scooped in one go for about seven or eight people!

Very nice!

ATB from George

Gin dobre George,


Interesting feature on Elgar's bike on today's
edition of Composer of the Week on radio 3. Repeated at 10.00 pm tonight.

See bottom of radio 3 schedule page for photo of the bike:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007nb67

Good luck with the headphones. Stax electrostatic 'earphones'have always
looked tempting. Would be good if it was practical to have speakers playing when flatmate not in.

There is a lovely stutue in bronze in Hereford Cathdral Close of Elgar with his bike.

I will attempt a photo for this thread in the next few weeks. It may be typical of "low key" Hereford that the statue catches much more of the human side of Elgar rather than the rather stiff presentation that Worcester [the city of his birth plus or minus three miles] commissioned in the bronze that sits opposite the Cathedral at the top of the High Street. Most evenings see the great man there on his plinth adorned with a traffic cone to top the issue, but perhaps the people of Hereford also have a natural decorum that eludes what Herefordians call Worcesterites - said with no less disdain than were they refering to Sodomites.

Yes some phots in evidence must appear!

______________

Replay via the Royds will restart this weekend, methinks, and the first music will be bach's first partita for harpsichord, played by the venerable blind German organist, Helmut Walcha!


ATB from George

Well here is something.

I am looking after this big old Jap bike for a friend till the MOT can be properly passed. We started it this afternoon and though the battery is dead the machine started quite easily on jump leads.

Of course I would never risk riding such a beast, so I posed on the Carlton next to it!

This certain friend and I cleared a bottle of Finlandia Vodka [very nice indeed] on Friday evening, whilst watching a DVD, before I joined another party which went on till it was almost light.

The weekend does find a natural and gentle rhythm after that!



ATB from George

This is the Merc Frank speaks of!

Very nice car, but perhaps just a little too high class for me!



CLK 230 Kompressor.

ATB from George

Been a splendid evening! Wyborowa, and Tyskie ...

Still am unsure if the Merc is a better car than my ten years' older volvo 240.

A decisionn is just in the next week or so ....

ATB from George

.. about the future of the Volvo and not one about the Mercedes, which is a daft proposition. I would not consider such a mechanically complex car! Auto-transmission, supercharger, and so on!

ATB from George

If you were thinking of having a replacement car, the Merc is a very expensive option spares and service-wise IMHO. Just get another Volvo George, service costs are very reasonable and compare very well to a Ford, but with all that space and comfort.

My silver V70R clocked up 200,000 miles last week Yes the suspension is a little tired (surprise, surprise!), but the engine and bodywork are still very good. The only major expense in the 160,000 since I brought it was when I treated it to a new CAT as it was rattling and thus anoyed me . - It's still on it's original clutch too, believe it or not!

Great cars - I'll get another without doubt.

KR

Peter

Dear Peter,

The Mercedes is a pretty thing, but no Volvo for quality or durability!

It would be a money drain, and no doubt about it!

So whilst occasionally I will indulge thinking a daft thought, I know that sense will prevail in a day or a week!

The actual course of action, if it comes off, will be to have the Volvo well de-rusted [there is hardly any, but at twenty years old, it needs nipping in the bud for the first time] this summer, ignoring the doors. Three of the doors have damage, and I will hunt out pristine doors off scrap 240s, and a new front left wing, which also has some damage, and next year get the whole car properly repainted, after replacing the damaged panels. I do not like the idea of filler, prefering a good paint job onto original metal!

On the mechanical side, I suspect the clutch is getting weak after 133,000 miles. The rear axle was rebushed at 17 years old, and the timing belt, sprockets, and tensioner were all replaced 18 months ago [ie when the car was 18 years old], so I reckon that it should run for the duration of petrol engined cars. The actual engine is still as sweet as new, and even though the exhaust tail pipe and back silencer were changed last MOT the pipe still has not blacked up, being the same colour inside as out.

Not to cover many miles though - less than the 6650 miles PA done so far - and see me out in terms of a car ...

The main cost in green terms, and people often forget this, is the intitial making of the motor car, so that if it is run as sparingly as circumstances allow, then it is not a real problem. Perhaps one day I could get it fitted with batteries and an electric motor, and run a solar powered charger off the garage roof for its rare outings! That would a fine idea: an electric Volvo 240!

I have done less than 800 miles in it this year!

Might do a trip to Poland in the Autumn though ...

ATB from George

For what it is worth, here is a picture of the old car the other day, still lookibg smart, if hardly the last word in modern automotive fashion:



And another of the singularly clean exhaust pipe, which is a tribute to what those old Swedish engineers managed back in 1989 with the aid of Bendix ignition and injection on an engine that basically first saw the light of day in the 1950s, but remained one of the very best ever fitted in a motor car in terms of durability, and, within reason, efficiency.

I know of no VW Golf driver who gets as great a mileage per gallon as I do from the old Volvo.



This pipe has been fitted nearly nine months, so not simply as question of not having been used, to get such a perfectly clean result.

Makes you think doesn't it?

ATB from George

quote:

This pipe has been fitted nearly nine months, so not simply as question of not having been used, to get such a perfectly clean result.

quote:

I have done less than 800 miles in it this year!

quote:

Originally posted by Cymbiosis:
If you were thinking of having a replacement car, the Merc is a very expensive option spares and service-wise IMHO. Just get another Volvo George, service costs are very reasonable and compare very well to a Ford, but with all that space and comfort.

KR

Peter

Here's a little story based on my recent experience with another car manufacturer:

I put my BMW into the main dealer for MOT preps. They had the car in for two days and by the end of day one, they had nothing to report - the car appeared to be OK when I rang to ask. Day 2 (the day of the MOT) I got an urgent message from the garage to ring them. When I rang, they said a couple of small things needed sorting out - and they had only come to light early evening of day 1. They ran through the defects, starting with the low cost items first:

Replacement pipes on windscreen wash system: FOC - OK so far.

Wipers: £46 - pricey, but hey.

They moved on to:

Engine oil sensor: £120 - warning bells began to ring.

Then:

Disks/Pads: £300 -

And finally reduced me to incredulity with:

Brake pipes: £500

BTW, VAT needs to be added to these prices.

At this point I told them not to go ahead. I asked them to reschedule the MOT and said that I would be in for a chat. At the dealership, the litany of defects was extended to the need for new rear tyres too. They were a bit stuck to explain why they had had the car all day since 0800 but only discovered the faults around 1800 which left me with a headache to deal with on the day of the MOT.

All in all they were expecting me to shell out a four figure sum for the work. To their credit they did look a bit shame-faced about the cost: "we can probably discount the bill by 10%..." one guy mumbled. As the car still had a few days MOT left, I took it home to think.

I have since left the car with an independent service guy who specialises in BMWs to see what he thinks - and the world looks a rather sunnier. The wipers do leave minor smears on the screen, but would not be an MOT fail item. The dealership was being a tad keen. This item can be left to my next service.

The oil leak from the oil sensor in the sump turns out to be a slight weeping, and would not be an MOT fail item. The item can be supplied and fitted for £80 (including VAT). The dealership was being a tad zealous. As with the wipers, this can be left to the next service, when the oil would have to be drained and replaced anyway.

The brakes/pads can be replaced with non-BMW parts at a fraction of the price. This is a must do.

The brake pipes can be replaced without the need to drain the fuel tank, remove it, bend the pipes into place, refit the fuel tank, replace fuel, check fuel guage still functions. The task can actually be achieved by lowering the tank slightly - there is no need to remove it. As with the disks/pads, this is a must do.

The tyres are still legal and have a few thousand miles life left - they would not be an MOT fail item. Again the dealership was being keen - it would be advisable to consider replacing the tyres, but not an absolute urgent item.

Tyres aside, the prospective bill I am looking at is under £300 for the disks/pads/pipes all fitted.

Anyway, the point I would like to make at the end of this long tale, is that if you go to a main dealership for servicing and parts, you will end up with the car being serviced by the manufacturer's service experts, but you would be paying through the nose for the priviledge. Luckily independents are now allowed access to the servicing/diagnostic programs so can do the same job as the main dealership at a fraction of the cost. This is one monopoly that I am glad is ended.

Whilst it may be nice to have a superb cup of coffee with as many dainties of your choice that that you can wolf whilst sitting in comfy leather seats, I am willing to forgo the luxurious main dealer experience in favour of a far less costly solution, even if it means oily fingerprints on the mug of tea, uncomfortable plastic chairs and no biscuits.

So, running the Merc may not be as costly as you think, provided you go to an independent for servicing. Besides which, the Merc has the Volvo beat on the stylee front.

B

B
A good point, well made.

I might take exception re non manufacturers brake pads, an independent would fit the correct pads if asked.
I had a guy fit non VW parts on my GTI and it cost a lot to get it back to spec (it also ran better on proper VW bits).

H

Re brake pads

Non O.E. brake pads by law now have to be within 95% of the car makers specks.

So this might not be a worry unless you are on a track day.

quote:

Originally posted by Brad S.:
Besides which, the Merc has the Volvo beat on the stylee front.

IMHO, you are so wrong. The V70 Is a good looking car for an estate IMHO. I was going to prove this point with a picture for you, George and Howard. However, shock horror I don't actually have a picture of my trusty steed save a picture of a tyre with a rather large carbunckle courtesy of all the blooming potholes and the one I show below....,,. Shame on me Anyway, if you look carefully in the bottom LH corner you can see the bumper.... Or take a look in the refletion in the front wing of my little pocket rocket - you'll get the idea

KR

Peter

I did have a ride in one in my younger days, great fun on a short trip.

The spark of life still shines in this thread!

_________________

Somewhere I have a picture of the 240 before my current one, taken in Norway rather a long time ago!

At the time my aunt refered to it as a charmingly style-free zone, but admitted that it was a much stronger car with a better engine than her Saab 900. In my view the lack of torque on the Saab's engine was a disaster, as otherwise it was a nice car, but not one that inspired the confidence that the old Saab Saabs used to give. It also had a boot large enough for at least a lady's make-up set!



However her Saab certainly looked better. This is not her car, I hasten to add, but one of similar colour and body style.

_________________

Probably on another Polish Party tomorrow evening! Hehehe!

ATB from George

quote:

Originally posted by Cymbiosis:

quote:

Originally posted by Brad S.:
Besides which, the Merc has the Volvo beat on the stylee front.

IMHO, you are so wrong. The V70 Is a good looking car for an estate IMHO.

OK, a qualification on my comment. In the CLK v old Volvo 240 stakes there is no contest on looks - the CLK is streets ahead.

You have a good looking car - probably the best looking estate around IMHO. Is that me back in your good books now?

The real solution for replacing the 240 when she eventually runs out of steam

An Amazon!



Completely serviceable, and amzingly strong, I would enjoy such a car far more than the more expensive classic, The Morris Minor!

ATB from George

Yes but you get them in Sweden where they drove on the left like us till 1968!

The cars had a better life in Sweden than here, and so are generaly a better bet than than those actually exported here at the time ...

ATB from George

quote:

Originally posted by avole:
Alternatively, grab life by the balls and get an Impreza turbo.

How well you know George.

Dear Avole, and Adam,

I don't know about me grabbing life by the short and curlies, but I do try in other respects, if not in exciting tastes in cars!

I would love to run a nice high performance car - especially a straight six cylinder like the Jag XJ6 - but I could never bring myself to do it any more than I could bring myself to leave my Naim pieces turned on when I am not listening.

A modest powered old thing like a Volvo Amazon would suit me in my liking for solid, well made things, and also suit in my liking for old things that have withstood the test of time.

I would love to own a Morris Eight [best of all the late Series E model from 1948], but the performance would be hopeless for modern road conditions whereas the Amazon would not be significantly slower than the 240 up to say 70 mph, and I don't go faster than that!

My plan will be to run the old 240 on until an MOT failure or major repair carries her off, and save like mad to find a respectable Amazon, which being so simple with such wonders as breaker and coil ignition, and either SU or Zenith Stromberg carburetta, falls well within my abilities to keep it running very nicely with only annual visits to a garage.

Of course it could be argued that the 240 only goes to a garage once a year, but if the engine management blew, or the catylitic converter failed than I am done in big time.

The other thing is that running a high performance car only occasionally is terrible for them, whereas the rather modest powered old Volvo engine is much more likely to remain a good starter with little use.

Plus the car is actually rather a good handler as well!




ATB from George

Well last night saw a fine sharing of Wyborowa between Frank F, Julian H, and myself!

Tonight saw an even less liekely combination of of myself and a Pole [who happens to be a very good friend] seeing off a bottle of Tequilla!

ATB from George

quote:

Sorry, that accolade goes to the Audi RS2. It was only ever made in estate format and has 315 bhp and Porche bits - absolutely fabulous.

An M5 touring - now that's something Saying that i see an RS2 every day. Still looks good.

quote:

especially a straight six cylinder

Agree George but not in a lardy Jag

James

It has been my considerable pleasure over the last few weeks to have my old Carlton bike recognised as a classic by several people in town.

They complement the old machine as being an example of the best of British - something it shares with Naim Audio pieces in my opinion.

The trouble is that I am frequently going somewhere with a deadline!

On the other hand I have certainly learned how to use the old machine for optimal motion which minimal effort!

Being so light, and with such good hubs, wheels, and tyres it is easy to get along in a very high gear!

I think I will find another Carlton frame and set it up as a fixed wheel machine, just for going to work and take the lesser weight as an excuse to fit mudguards, but nothing else ...

ATB from George