Elbow Grease™

My wheels on my car are now shiny white. The car’s still covered in crap, but the wheels are nice and clean! I’ll probably get around to the bodywork today or maybe tomorrow. Then do the inside. But I feel it’s time my car had some TLC to get it back into top condition so I’m going to give the paint a good clean and try to t-cut out some of the lovely souvenirs that students in the car park at work have left me. And shine up the inside too.

So here’s to step one of the process. Black wheels into white.

Yesterday I got my car back from the bodyshop, the front bumper was peeling at the edges and a quick visit to the local Skoda dealer got me booked in for a bumper respray on warranty.

As you can see from the small pic here, the bumper paint was ever-so-slightly coming off (down to the bare plastic) around the join to the main car. It started a little, but was getting progressively worse and was visible on both sides of the bumper, so I decided to sort it whilst I still had my warranty. The bodyshop at the local VW garage has stripped down the bumper and primed, painted and laquered it.

Looks good as new now, the colour matches perfectly with the old paintwork, and now my 3 year old bumper looks only a day old! Even though I managed to get a stone chip on the journey home! Sods law.

In other car news I bought a MOMO upper front strut brace, and as it turned out a Torque Wrench to fit it, which now adornes my engine bay – looking nice under the bonnet where no one can see it. Tightens up the steering a little. I’m amazed at how hot it gets after a drive. It was very surprising when I grabbed it!

Engine bay could do with a clean, but it’ll wait until I’m not so busy.

Well, I did the fun stuff that is bolting things to my car. On Saturday, bright and early, I went over to my mates house and we proceeded to reverse my car up onto ramps on his (gravel) driveway. After initial heart-stopping incidents with the lack of grip the ramps had and the fact my car seemed to just push them rather than drive up them we finally had the rear wheels a foot higher than the ground.

After my initial hesitation of wanting to be under a car supported by thin looking metal on the very study surface that is loose gravel, it soon became bearable – and a nice shelter from the downpour halfway through.

Cars look very different underneath.

In short I bolted the ARB to the suspension struts and then clamped the bushes and bar to the rear suspension, tighened everything up and drove off the ramps with that warming glow of achievement from doing the ‘manly mechanic’ thing, regardless of how easy it turned out to be.

Then a quick test-drive. Big grin. I like it. And at an extra £14.22 to the insurance, it’s not breaking the bank!

Big thanks to John for the use of his Drive, his dads ramps and for the Sausage rolls! And also for his enthusiastic comments through the test drive, I’ll be sure to get the recorder going when I have tested the bar well enough to take him on test drive part 2

I feel meachanically upgraded. No longer inept. Here’s to the next DIY mod!

Just ordered a rear Anti-Roll Bar for the car. It’s a custom job from a tuner in Peterborough called JabbaSport. Bought it as part of a small batch order with some other guys who wanted one. So hopefully once I ring up and pay for it now, it should be manufactured and wing it’s way to me.

I plan to hold back until I get a Strut Brace and new suspension and get them all fitted together. Insurance should work out cheaper that way – as they’re all suspension modifications. Hopefully I’m looking at around 70 quid for the lot. Maybe a bit more.

That’ll be all my handling mods completed. I’m quite excited. Just need to save up now…

I haven’t had much of a go with them yet, but 50 miles since new and they are already looking like they’re cracking up to be the best tyres ever! Well, best I’ve had – not that that’s saying much.

Grip so far is better than before, and they haven’t even bedded in yet. Definitely makes me want to explore the handling aspects of the car more, rear AntiRoll Bar, Suspension, Strut Braces etc.

So I’ll update you on how they turn out, but until then I’ll just say that they were expensive. But I think they were an excellent choice.

Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD-3’s.

Legally I’d assume too fast involves your speedo going above the numbers in the red circles next to the road. I’m told ‘technically’ too fast is a speed higher than you’re ability to avoid/react to any hazards that ‘could’ appear ahead.

Today is Christmas day, I have been driving my Grandparents from their house to mine. All the way my mind wondering ‘Is this too fast for them?’ I mean, they’re old. One has a heart problem, one has problems with getting out of breath. But I’m still finding it hard to drive slow. There’s some nice sweeping country lanes with smooth-as-a-track tarmac between our houses. Roads that you really wouldn’t worry about driving a little ‘too fast’ on. But I’m holding back. All the way, holding back.

Driving fast is dangerous. But so, I find, is driving ‘medium’ and looking constantly at your speedo. I know these roads, but I still can’t drive them blind. Everytime I accellerate from a junction/corner/the stupid Yaris that was far too close I’m watching the little red needle trying to determine where I can stop it that is not ‘too fast’ and not ‘achingly dull’. Surely this can’t be a good thing? With all the speed cameras popping up I find myself working my eye muscles to Schwartznegger proportions flicking between my speedo, the yellow boxes (and then) the road.

I’ve just come back from a spirited drive (without my Grandparents) and I can safely say that I was driving the same roads at a higher speed than I had deemed ‘too fast’ with them in the car. I would also say that I was driving a lot worse before. Checking my speedo, not concentrating on driving and the road: 50mph felt ‘too fast’. Alone and with my mind on driving, ‘too fast’ was most certainly not 50mph.

I can’t help but think, ‘too fast’ is the point where you run off the road because you were checking to see if you were going ‘too fast’ to stay on it, rather than just driving in order to stay on it. I’m not one to say ‘abolish the speed limits’. But I am one to say, concentrate on driving, not your speed; Speed is a byproduct of good driving and the more you’re thinking about speed, the less you’re thinking about driving, and the more likely it is that you’re going ‘too fast’.