Today I.....

Today I discovered how lovely twist beige interior looks when it is clean. I have spent 3 hours so far on the passenger side, didn't realise how grim it was when I bought it but it is coming up lovely. Sorry it got too dark to take photos.
Can anyone tell me if vaping or strange fags can cause a grubby film like cigarettes use to, as this is what I am cleaning at the moment, the car certainly does not smell of tobacco and doesn't have the pub ceiling colour.
Any thoughts what it might be?
 
RZX said:
Today I discovered how lovely twist beige interior looks when it is clean. I have spent 3 hours so far on the passenger side, didn't realise how grim it was when I bought it but it is coming up lovely. Sorry it got too dark to take photos.
Can anyone tell me if vaping or strange fags can cause a grubby film like cigarettes use to, as this is what I am cleaning at the moment, the car certainly does not smell of tobacco and doesn't have the pub ceiling colour.
Any thoughts what it might be?
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To save yourself so much scrubbing, get hold of some elbow grease from the cheapie shops. It’s a degreasing cleaner but gets everything off anything.
 
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Reactions: kel
hydo14 said:
Today I finally got my A2 TDI back on it's wheels following the extensive suspension and brake overhaul. I went with Bilstein B3 springs and Monroe OE Spectrum Shocks, I am very happy with the ride comfort after a short test drive. No chance to test the handling much as it has also had brand new brakes all around so didn't want to be cooking them before they are bedded in. Also happy to say that the front and rear of the car are at the same height with this spring and shock combination. The biggest thing I noticed so far is the new engine mounts, everything is so much quieter and moving slowly is so much easier.

The full list of work:
  • New springs (Bilstein B3)
  • New shocks (Monroe OE Spectrum)
  • New strut top bearings
  • Meyle HD droplinks and ARB bushings
  • New gearbox mount and pendulum mount
  • New wishbones and console bushings (this was a hateful task and delayed the project by a week as the bolt for the anti roll bar bracket had welded itself to the console bracket so needed a new one of them!)
  • Changed gearbox oil
  • New front calipers, rotors and pads
  • New rear drums, shoes and pistons
  • New brake lines on rear axle
  • So many new bolts
  • Refurbished aero wiper curtesy of depronman
I leave you all with a picture of a what 156k miles and 18 years does to a gearbox mount, yes those are pieces of bushing material not rodent droppings...
View attachment 77560
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Thats a good amount of work and should see your A2 give many many years of further use.
 
Today I swapped the slam panel to resolve a broken headlight holder. Took a few hours to do but it’s done . Another job off the list
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Jayw13702 said:
Now that is a proper BMW


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A thing of beauty. I know the feeling of selling a car like this, I also owned my old Mk1 Golf GTi for 13 years and was absolutely gutted to sell it.
talking of Golfs, do I spot a Mk2 GTi in the background?

Ian
 
Proghound said:
Today I .... drove my Cobalt TDI for the last time, 200 yards round the corner to where it was a bit wider to load onto the transporter. All safely loaded, it's now on its way to @MrDCG in Edinburgh. Enjoy it, Duncan :)
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Today I...

...took delivery of a much nicer A2 thanks to a certain Mr @Proghound ?

E51963CF-EAA8-4378-814E-6FC4E220FCAC.jpeg


I’m a very happy owner & now feel much more like a valid member of the community.

Thanks so much for the help to date: as well as Ian, stand up & take a bow @Clackers @ICowie @depronman & others on here and Facebook. You’ve all been great.

...and apologies in advance for the questions to come. Some will be daft.
 
Nice! It always feels good to see a nice car change hands between club members.

Although I must ask re: the statement that you now feel much more like a valid member of the community - Hope there wasn't any kind of less than positive vibe you got that made you feel this way previously? Just in case there's any feedback we could as a whole seek to adopt...
 
Glad to see it arrived safe and sound Duncan :) I would be lying if I said I wasn't missing it, but I'm enjoying the greater flexibility of parking on my drive, and my automotive life definitely feels simpler now I'm down to 3 vehicles. Next to see whether my Volvo convertible gets PXed for a campervan or stays with me and I go back up to 4. Goes without saying that my remaining A2's are fixtures though :D

Meanwhile feel free to PM me with anything that crops up ?
 
dj_efk said:
Nice! It always feels good to see a nice car change hands between club members.

Although I must ask re: the statement that you now feel much more like a valid member of the community - Hope there wasn't any kind of less than positive vibe you got that made you feel this way previously? Just in case there's any feedback we could as a whole seek to adopt...
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No negative reflection on the community at all. It's just that I didn't have quite the love for my original A2 (PE04 EEX - which I'm keeping and my partner is driving) as I expect to have for RN52 EWW.

Also, having more than one in the fleet seems to be quite common here.

My fleet now consists of 2 A2s, a Mk 5 Golf, a C7 A6 & a VX220. I don't have the space for them all and there's only two drivers in the family...so...I'll probably need to trim back at some point.

Having cut my teeth on PE04 and done a fair bit of repair and maintenance, I've definitely grown more connected to it, so 'I'll probably not be in a hurry to see it leave.
 
Proghound said:
Glad to see it arrived safe and sound Duncan :) I would be lying if I said I wasn't missing it, but I'm enjoying the greater flexibility of parking on my drive, and my automotive life definitely feels simpler now I'm down to 3 vehicles. Next to see whether my Volvo convertible gets PXed for a campervan or stays with me and I go back up to 4. Goes without saying that my remaining A2's are fixtures though :D

Meanwhile feel free to PM me with anything that crops up
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Thanks again for your patience and being so accommodating Ian. All packaged up with great care, so now I need to find a safe place for everything until I can replace the panels. There's a whole front clam for the VX220 and three sets of wheels (1 spare for the VX 7 two sets of Fat Fives) in the garage as well as masses of parts, tools and other stuff, so it'll be a challenge.
 
Ouch. Full service.

Really nice specialist though. Very complimentary about the condition of the car (not a massive surprise given under 25k!)

Full service, engine flush, air filter, oil filter, fuel filter, spark plugs, cleaned and adjusted rear brakes, fitted new coolant tank (I supplied), fresh coolant and cambelt, water pump and tensioner and alternator belt. £733. A lot less than a main dealer! At least it is all done now.
 
RZX said:
Today I discovered how lovely twist beige interior looks when it is clean. I have spent 3 hours so far on the passenger side, didn't realise how grim it was when I bought it but it is coming up lovely. Sorry it got too dark to take photos.
Can anyone tell me if vaping or strange fags can cause a grubby film like cigarettes use to, as this is what I am cleaning at the moment, the car certainly does not smell of tobacco and doesn't have the pub ceiling colour.
Any thoughts what it might be?
Click to expand...
Vape juice tends to leave a sticky residue on everything...its clear usually, but a pig to remove off glass...my mate used to vape in his kitchen as his wife hated the smell in the rest of the house, after a few weeks the cupboard doors and walls were covered in a this sticky clear film...if you rubbed it with a cloth the cloth left fibres all over the doors etc...he's now been banned to the shed!!!!
 
edo said:
Ouch. Full service.

Really nice specialist though. Very complimentary about the condition of the car (not a massive surprise given under 25k!)

Full service, engine flush, air filter, oil filter, fuel filter, spark plugs, cleaned and adjusted rear brakes, fitted new coolant tank (I supplied), fresh coolant and cambelt, water pump and tensioner and alternator belt. £733. A lot less than a main dealer! At least it is all done now.
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At SE England garage rates I don’t think that’s too bad - now you’re all set for a while too. My wife was having a meltdown about the cambelt service on both my cars upon purchase but like I pointed out, the cars are then done and reliable for a good long while (hopefully)
 
Clackers said:
Vape juice tends to leave a sticky residue on everything...its clear usually, but a pig to remove off glass...my mate used to vape in his kitchen as his wife hated the smell in the rest of the house, after a few weeks the cupboard doors and walls were covered in a this sticky clear film...if you rubbed it with a cloth the cloth left fibres all over the doors etc...he's now been banned to the shed!!!!
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info, I think that's probably what it was, it comes off with the elbow grease and scrubbing brush, then go over it again with elbow grease and damp cloth wipe. Getting there slowly, it's fortunate the weather has been kind the last couple of days, hopefully cloudy tomorrow so I can polish the exterior.
 
It could be propylene glycol or maybe vegetable glycerine that’s giving that sticky residue. Loads of detergent and warm water should clear it away.

There was a study in prisons where there was intensive smoking and vaping and they were finding fabrics and hard surfaces were liberally coated with nicotine-containing sticky residue from either source.

Wear gloves. You don’t want green leaf poisoning.


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RZX said:
Thanks for the info, I think that's probably what it was, it comes off with the elbow grease and scrubbing brush, then go over it again with elbow grease and damp cloth wipe. Getting there slowly, it's fortunate the weather has been kind the last couple of days, hopefully cloudy tomorrow so I can polish the exterior.
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How are you getting on with the car in general?

Ian
 
Kleynie said:
How are you getting on with the car in general?

Ian
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Hello Ian
Getting on fine thank you. Obviously bodywork worse than advertised, the interior has cleaned up well. It certainly drives the best of any 1.4 petrol I have driven.
Sunroof open the last 2 days in the glorious Lancashire sunshine.
Once again thanks for your help with everything.
 
RZX said:
Hello Ian
Getting on fine thank you. Obviously bodywork worse than advertised, the interior has cleaned up well. It certainly drives the best of any 1.4 petrol I have driven.
Sunroof open the last 2 days in the glorious Lancashire sunshine.
Once again thanks for your help with everything.
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No problem. I’m sure you can sort the bodywork if required, or just enjoy the sweet engine and that interior :)
 
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