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May 25, 2018 14:40:18 GMT
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Skimming to a satisfactory standard of parallelism on a normal lathe is almost impossible. You really need to skim both sides at the same time.. It the slight out of parallel that causes what people call warped discs. The thick and thin areas cause high and low grip which causes uneven wear and therefore the unevenness grows over time. Sorry but that's complete BS. Any skilled machinist can do it. The issue is more to do with stresses in the material. You can machine them true enough but next time you get them hot they will probably just warp again. Once discs have been overheated they are as good as scrap imo. Not worth the hassle. I'll be a bit more polite than you and simply disagree. I am a skilled machinist, I can skim discs, there are some on my car now that I did. However parallelism wasnt within few enough microns and thats what they need to be to prevent uneven wear, They were never warped before but had bad corrosion so its not a problem of previous warping and stresses in the material. After skimming they performed very well, but the judder appeared slowly and now is enough to make me just buy some discs instead of doing them again. I know you can get the internet to tell you almost anything so I apologise for doing it but a quick search on disc thickness variation found this as a reference of how parallel you need to get them. www.bendix.com.au/news/disc-thickness-variation-dtv-issue-14In there they say 0.03mm max thickness variation, which is quite hard to achieve if you are skimming the second side of a disc in a separate setup on a lathe, then machining it and looking for that little runout afterwards when cutting forces have been applied. Yes, any skilled machinist can skim a disc, and many of those discs will work afterwards, but their life will often be shorter than expected for various reasons including the difficulty getting parallelism. I would do it again, but not if new discs were available at a reasonable price.
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May 24, 2018 22:09:05 GMT
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Skimming to a satisfactory standard of parallelism on a normal lathe is almost impossible. You really need to skim both sides at the same time.. It the slight out of parallel that causes what people call warped discs.
The thick and thin areas cause high and low grip which causes uneven wear and therefore the unevenness grows over time.
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Apr 27, 2018 21:46:40 GMT
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Update, and not great news.
I've been running around with the temporary Yuasa Silver battery for a few weeks as given to me temporarily by Halfords until they get a lifetime warranty one in.
The helpful lady at Washington Halfords called today, she said that there was no way she could get me the battery, it seems that they are such a problem for Halfords that they are suspending sales and probably going to discontinue them. At the moment they don't exist on Halfords osdering system so even though she had talked to Yuasa, and they had a battery, Yuasa couldnt send one as Halfords have no way to order one.
She said that they sell almost none of the lifetime warranty batteries and it looked like they were going to stop doing them.
All she could offer me was a refund or to keep the battery I have but get half of my money back.
I chose to keep the battery and get the refund, its actually a cracking deal because its a £120 battery but as I recently managed to get a trade card, and then half the price I've paid £48 for it. I'm happy with that, I really wanted a lifetime warranty battery, but if there is no such thing on the market a good branded battery with long warranty for £48 is great.
Halfords Washington have been great, but it looks like the Halfords lifetime warranty battery is a thing of the past.
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Apr 12, 2018 20:48:45 GMT
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I don't know Elwoody at all, if he doesnt like whats here any more thats fine, if he doesnt want to take part any more thats also fine.
To make a big fuss by spreading negativity then storming off in the huff isnt nice. Its comes across like trying to spoil it for everyone because he doesnt want to play any more.
RR is by far the best place on the internet for variety of retro stuff. Its also the best forum format and a very well managed forum.
I don't like every car that gets posted, I look at the stuff I do like. I maybe could contribute more, I have only had one build thread on here but thoroughly enjoyed it and the encouragement I got, and needed when it was hard going.
What I'm not going to do is complain that there isnt enough of what I like, I'll just look at what I want, and maybe if I think there could be something new I'll post it. (Ive been meaning to start one thread for ages when I sort the pics out).
Some people moved on, some other people arrived, thats life, not the end of the world, or even a problem.
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Apr 11, 2018 21:38:04 GMT
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I can feel like less torque when slow speed manouvering.
In a Carlton GSi you can do parking or a three point turn for example without touching the accelerator because of the idle control valve, it adds air and therefore fuel to bring the idle back when i drops as you release the clutch.
With a light SMF there is less energy stored in the flywheel releasing the clutch causes the revs to drop much more quickly, so stored energy applies less turning torque to the gearbox. Driving on the ICV takes a lot more care. If you arent good with clutch and accelerator balance you might have to rev more to pull away quickly, it can feel like less torque.
I have a Carlton with and a Carlton without SMF, the one with it revs far more snappily, if thats a good description, the standard one feels sluggish in comparison. Acceleration is better too, during acceleration you add energy to the car but also a lot to spinning up the flywheel, that stored energy that isnt required for the weight removed instead goes to the back wheels. Feels like free horses.
I really like it apart from the noise.
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Progress today.
A helpful store assistant called, the other local battery was just as old so she called further afield and found another, that was completely dead! She decided that a new one from Yuasa was the answer.
There is no news on when a battery will be available but she contacted Yuasa who said they will supply one, just don't know when.
She offered a good short term fix - I took the battery back and had a refund and was sold a 5 year guarantee battery, which was £30 cheaper. When my new battery arrives in store I take this one back and swap it, the new lifetime warranty battery will be discounted to match the price of the 5 year one so in the end I get the battery I wanted but for £30 less for the inconvenience.
I'll report back when I get it sorted, hopefully as described.
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Last Edit: Apr 5, 2018 17:01:26 GMT by chris y
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The Halfords store called, the lady said that someone would go to another store and bring a battery to the store I want tomorrow Morning.
I explained that a battery from another store might also be old and explained that I don't want one that is older than its recharge by date because I'm not confident that they are being maintained properly and that cause them to fail which may look like neglect by me.
She said that she understood and would check then call me, and if its no good would get a new one from the manufacturer as Halfords have none in the warehouse.
Lets wait and see.
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I would have chosen Bosch first, all other things being equal, but I couldnt ignore the lifetime warranty when I plan to keep the car long term. If I sell it and I understand correctly the guarantee follows the battery to new owners as long as its fitted to the car so not a bad bonus if I sell.
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OK, I called customer services, I'd prefer to email for the written record but after taking 10 days to reply last time its not worth it.
The lady went away and checked, said that the battery was manufactured 1 year before the recharge date (so October 2015), very interesting.
If you are buying a battery without lifetime warranty its something to look out for, today I purchased a battery that was already 2 1/2 years old.
She said that she would get the store to give me a new battery and charge it first. I said that I wouldnt accept an equally old battery because even though they will charge it I suspect they havent been maintained properly, which could invalidate the warranty. Obviously if a warranty claim shows that its failed due to being left deeply discharged it could be denied and me arguing that it wasnt me wont get me very far.
She checked and the store don't have a battery in stock so are going to get one it, hopefully that means it will be more recently made.
I'll report back when I get the replacement.
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Well, I bought the battery today, all should be well.
However, bearing in mind that not looking after the battery and not allowing it to be excessively discharged are important, and it sounds like a warranty claim would be rejected if I haven't looked after the battery and allowed it to spend time discharged....
I looked at the charge indicator when I got home (too late I know) and it say that charging is required (black indicator). Next I looked on the label, it shows a "Recharge Due" date, which is marked as 10 2016.
I have to speculate then that the battery has probably been on the shelf for a couple of years and hasnt been maintained, there is no evidence that the charging required 18 months ago or any others have been done, and the fact that its flat suggest that it hasnt been maintained. A quick check with a digital multimeter shows 11.7v, which is very flat, 12.2v is supposed to be 50% discharged I believe and less that 12 is discharged. It should be 12.6v if charged.
I know I'm making a fuss about this but its an expensive thing and I don't need to have a warranty claim that may be declined, and I want a reliable car.
I'm going to contact customer services and see what they say.
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To the designer of the Carlton, and many other cars I realise -
Why on earth would you fit drains to take the salty road spray from around the sunroof, and have the front drain tubes exit inside the sills ?
Would it really have been difficult to have them exit outside of the cars shell like the rear drain tubes do, and now my front ones do. Dear Mr Opel, if you cant understand this I'll even show you.
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Mar 31, 2018 16:40:43 GMT
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I hoped you might find a correctly registered frame considering the work you have put in, it would have been a shame to run into identity issues in future.
As for running, check for faults as you are, then set the valve clearances again, set the ignition timing then finally set up the carb. The carb being new means it wont be set up right.
One small point before you run it a lot, block those fan housing outlets that would have gone to the cardboard tubes to the heat exchangers, them being wide open will mean a lot less cooling air over the cylinders. Some people say to leave a hole in the cap to represent the air that would have gone to the heat exchangers but I havent bothered.
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Mar 29, 2018 20:07:52 GMT
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I've been away with work and just got back to find a reply from Halfords, they sent it on the 26th. This is it.
Dear Chris,
Thanks for getting in touch and please accept our apologies for the delay in getting back to you.
In regards to the guarantee, this is correct that it is only valid for the vehicle that it has been fitted to. This does not necessarily mean that a Halfords colleague needs to fit this in store, however we would recommend checking the compatibility of the battery with the vehicle you wish to fit this to, to ensure that it does not fail earlier than expected.
We would always advise fitting the battery that has been recommended by our vehicle lookup system, if you decide to fit a battery that is not listed, this would invalidate the warranty as our systems do not recommend this.
The only other terms of the guarantee, would be that a proof of purchase is presented at any time the battery has failed and you wish to obtain a replacement, this is of course to ensure that the battery has been purchased from Halfords and to confirm the warranty of it.
I hope this helps but if I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me via email or on 0345 504 5353.
Kind regards, Andrea Botha Customer Support Team Supervisor - Product & Services
I'm very pleased that I asked, I would have been fitting the 096 battery that I've always used on these cars and any warranty claim could have instantly been dismissed due to me fitting what their system says is the incorrect battery.
I'll be buying the recommended battery, and after the good advice above I'll be looking after it by keeping it properly charged and hopefully will never need another battery for the car.
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My Son went and said "I've been told by my employer that I can get a Trade card", this was true as it heppens. They said, "which employer "?. He answered and they just gave him a card, no proof of anything asked for.
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Mar 20, 2018 23:17:44 GMT
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Thanks for that ChasR, very educational, I'm glad I asked now for the education.
Still no reply from Halfords, although the batteries have re-appeared on the website.
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Mar 19, 2018 19:22:18 GMT
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I havent, although I've promised my 14 year old Daughter I'll take her if she does OK in her exams. That doesnt help you though.
One idea though is that Tokyo zoo is said to be very good, with Pandas which the kids like. Its easy to find too, we walked past it, and entry was cheap, I'd definitely take any young person there.
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Mar 19, 2018 19:19:26 GMT
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Thanks for the replies fellas.
An insider opinion is most useful Stealthstylz.
By fitted to the same car, does that mean I just tell them the reg if I buy it and they log that or do they have to fit it?
How would they know if the fault was caused by running excessively low?
Last night I replied to the first message and asked about a reply as I wanted to buy a battery, at this point no reply to the original questions or to the request for a reply, its been 3 days now. It should be very easy to write a couple of sentences to just answer my quite simple questions.
The batteries are still missing from the website too.
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Mar 18, 2018 20:29:43 GMT
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I was planning to but a funny thing happened.
They are quite expensive but a lifetime warranty seemed attractive for a car where I plan to keep the car long term. I imagine they would be attractive to a few RR members. For one of my Carltons I bought the best battery I could get a fair few years ago but now its dead, I don't think they like being unused in winter.
When I spotted Halfords lifetime warranty battery I thought that was the answer as long as the terms and conditions were OK, thats where the problem started.
I asked in store, they said said as long as its fitted to the car it was bought for its all good. I asked "do I have to pay Halfords for fitting?", the sales assistant said not.
For my car their system said it should have a 010 battery, however I've always used 096 batteries on these cars (slightly more capacity and max CCA), as it happens the ECP website says 096 too, I wondered whether they would get out othe warranty if I didnt fit the model their system said.
Not wanting to get caught out I scoured the website, I found nothing about terms and conditions. Next I enquired in writing via the website, so I would get a written response to keep with the receipt. I asked about whether I needed to pay for fitting, whether I had to use the model they say for a given car, and asked for a copy of the terms and conditions.
That was Friday, I quickly received this message by e-mail
Hi there,
Thanks for your message!
Hold tight, we’re on the case and we’ll be back in touch ASAP. etc etc.
Anyway, I've heard no more which is a shame as I planned to buy it on Saturday, more oddly though, instead of replying on Saturday (customer services are open Sat and Sun), they have taken the lifetime warranty batteries off the website and not replied in any way!
I've been thinking about buying one for months, I don't think its coincidence that I asked then they took them off the website hours after I asked, I reckon they noticed a gap in the T&Cs and decided to change it. Lets see what happens.
In the meantime, has anyone got one and how are you getting on, did you pay for fitting and do you know the T&C's?
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Last Edit: Apr 27, 2018 21:39:04 GMT by chris y
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Mar 12, 2018 17:46:29 GMT
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For what it is worth I'm more confident buying an old car, say pre 1980, without taking a tame mechanic along to inspect it than I would be with something from this century. This is due entirely to the fact that the older car will be mechanically very simple and is unlikely to have factory fitted plastic covers / trim over everything to conceal the rust until it is too late. For now. the fact that 40 years is rolling means that shortly there will be 80s cars included and there are plenty of 80s cars with plastic over the sills etc and 130 to 150mph capability. Of course these cars have been driven in a rotten condition for years, the MOT is extremely limited anyway in the face of low quality structural repairs that once undersealed cant be checked. Many of them added nothing to the structural integrity. Speaking from experience.
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While I agree that the MOT system is very flawed anyway, and some sellers tell lies, when it comes to buying a car I'll happily travel the country to see what I hope is the right car, and the MOT database is a fantastic tool to check first. Whatever you think of MOT's the database has been very revealing many times.
There are plenty of cars advertised as being in "Mint condition" or "superb throughout" or many other similar things that seem to be worth going to view, often being advertised at the price of a concours example. Many of them when you look at the database have for example, rot fails many years running, then passes a few days later.
My experiences tells me that these are bad cars with a lovely shiny paint job.
I managed OK before the MOT database and will in future, but the difference is that I have several times driven the length of the country to find out that the car is bad and the seller is a liar who hopes he can fool you into paying concours money for a freshly painted heap.
With the database I have a much better chance of spotting the car that isnt for me and can make a better educated decision about whether I want to spend time and money travelling.
Its not perfect but I'd prefer to keep MOTs, it is useful history because many MOTs are perfectly legitimate reflections of the car.
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