Arragonis' Fabia Mod Thread

[Arragonis]

50.8 for the latest tank (imp). Not bad given the weather and slowly improving.

[Arragonis]

For the first time since Christmas I got a full weekend off and its not been raining / snowing / blowing a gale so it was time to get the cars cleaned out for the summer - remove the mud from inside, wash all the salt off and so on.

Helga has been battered this winter - quite a few scratches from snow removal (I use a bodywork friendly squeezee thing but must have been heavier handed than intended). Scratches are OK, I don't mind those.

Looking underneath though its not so rosy - there are a few rusty patches starting especially in the wheelarches and other tricky areas. I've added some converter and will coat with a sealer / rustproofer before the weather changes but it may be time to think about a replacement.

I'm not too bothered about this level of rust but I have played 'hunt the rust' quite a few times in the past (BL cars had it from the factory...) and don't want to again if I can help it. Plus this year is shaping up to be very busy at work (my laptop may be going to Spain with me) which is good given the economy is so bad, so I won't have much time to play with.

Mrs A has suggested the possibility of a budget for replacement at the end of summer and I have thought about what to get. I don't do mega mileage - a tank lasts a month or so (see my fuel log) so I'm thinking of something smaller and maybe even more economical. The Aygo/C1/107 trio are cheap secondhand as they have issues (clutch slips as it is small in the original ones and larger later) but they are cheap to fix and I (perversely) like minimal motoring.

I could keep Helga of course and just use £s to keep her in good shape, is that a wise investment ? We (as in the family) could spend more and keep the Octavia instead and get Mrs A a replacement (which she deserves and has earned) but that has higher mileage. But its a bigger car (2.0 TDI Octavia Estate/Wagon - think VW Jetta with different badges) and I don't really drive anywhere far very often.

Another option is a van (as in small commercial vehicle - think Transit Connect but smaller). I'm considering this as I usually only carry me and A. jnr at the most, when empty they are light (no rear seats), they usually have small Diesel engines (mega MPG) and they are cheap secondhand. And the best part is that you can throw bikes and stuff in the back instead of the hassle of a bike rack.

I don't know how to do a poll so I'll list my options here :

- Patch her up now as best you can, and maybe spend later.
- Keep Helga and spend £s on rust prevention whatever the cost.
- Buy a Toyota Aygo / Peugeot 107 / Citroen C1 (or something else) as a replacement.
- Keep the Octavia and swap Helga for Mrs A's new motor.
- Buy a van.
- Some other idea I have not considered.
- No idea what you are on about.

Help!

[Angmaar]

I would think that patching up/rust proofing will be better than buying a whole new car.

[Arragonis]

Originally Posted by Angmaar

I would think that patching up/rust proofing will be better than buying a whole new car.

As I tapped though I have played "chase the rust" before, and usually ended up losing in the end. Its a balance of time and money vs hassle.

[Arragonis]

Just to contradict myself as usual I have chased the rust and done the wire brush / converter / paint / underseal dance.

Well, it was too nice a day to be inside working

[ShadeTreeMech]

If the missus dislikes both vehicles, and you are about to be working alot away from the house, keeping her happy is less costly than the replacement vehicle of her choice. And with petrol going up, a 6 year old diesel is likely to be more valuable in trade in its current state than it will be next year.

After Mrs. A gets the rust free vehicle of her choosing, get about 6 stone of undercoating firmly lathered on the underbelly. If an ouce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, you'll certainly be ahead of the rust monster.

[Arragonis]

Originally Posted by ShadeTreeMech

If the missus dislikes both vehicles, and you are about to be working alot away from the house, keeping her happy is less costly than the replacement vehicle of her choice. And with petrol going up, a 6 year old diesel is likely to be more valuable in trade in its current state than it will be next year.

I won't be working away, just very busy. Apart from that all of this is true but the car I fancy (C1 Diesel) is depreciating faster I know strange, but true - its partly because the diesel versions of these "city-bugs" is not selling here in the UK (and are discontinued here) so they are quite cheap used.

Originally Posted by ShadeTreeMech

After Mrs. A gets the rust free vehicle of her choosing, get about 6 stone of undercoating firmly lathered on the underbelly. If an ouce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, you'll certainly be ahead of the rust monster.

I have a wardrobe of T-shirts from the rust chasing fan club. I have tried all sorts of underseal including those that only come off your skin by your skin wearing off. In the end rust wins pretty much always.

I have decided to delay it and now I can get my wheels off (see annoyances thread) I can coat some more.

And then again we met the financial guy who advises us last night and it looks like even replacing at the end of the year is unlikely. So I will get another T-shirt instead

[Arragonis]

Latest short tank (I'm travelling for business and won't have time to refuel) is much better. No (or very little) P&G on this tank which kind of backs up what Euromodder said about P&G making instrumented trips look good but not being backed up in reality. More experimentation needed I think.

More rustproofing this weekend - if the forecast snow doesn't turn up first.

[Arragonis]

Biodiesel ASZ engine. Yes or No ?

[Arragonis]

Anyone know ?

I have a line on some veggie oil going cheap...