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Jan 27, 2018 23:18:20 GMT
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whilst having a few periods of depression along the years, cars and all their challenges have kept me sane. I have tried to have a break from them but its not long before there's some other 4 wheels on the drive!! I agree with this. It's a double-edged sword though I think. My first proper foray into something obviously old and in need of fixing came into my ownership in the midst of a very serious depression. I was properly down. My wife had called in the doctors and I was put on meds and in counselling. It wasn't really working though. I'd been looking at old stuff for a while up to this point, and something just clicked in me. I saw a knackered old piece of junk for sale quite cheap near me and it listed all the faults... and I just thought "I need something to rescue, so I can rescue myself". It was like the vehicle was as broken down as I was and I just knew I had to do it. Paid cash and drove it home. It barely made it. Threw myself into getting all the faults fixed, and it scraped an MOT. It really felt to me like me and this vehicle were fixing each other up... each saving the other. A few years later, and I'd moved on to a completely different vehicle, but I knew that it was dragging me down so I had to walk away as quickly as I could. The situation had reversed and it was going to cause me to succumb to depression this time, not cure it.
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Samage
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,467
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whilst having a few periods of depression along the years, cars and all their challenges have kept me sane. I have tried to have a break from them but its not long before there's some other 4 wheels on the drive!! I agree with this. It's a double-edged sword though I think. My first proper foray into something obviously old and in need of fixing came into my ownership in the midst of a very serious depression. I was properly down. My wife had called in the doctors and I was put on meds and in counselling. It wasn't really working though. I'd been looking at old stuff for a while up to this point, and something just clicked in me. I saw a knackered old piece of junk for sale quite cheap near me and it listed all the faults... and I just thought "I need something to rescue, so I can rescue myself". It was like the vehicle was as broken down as I was and I just knew I had to do it. Paid cash and drove it home. It barely made it. Threw myself into getting all the faults fixed, and it scraped an MOT. It really felt to me like me and this vehicle were fixing each other up... each saving the other. A few years later, and I'd moved on to a completely different vehicle, but I knew that it was dragging me down so I had to walk away as quickly as I could. The situation had reversed and it was going to cause me to succumb to depression this time, not cure it. I can sympathise - my vehicles have definitely felt like a millstone around my neck during low times rather than a help.
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Try this for depressing
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That would make me feel sick. What happened?
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1968 Cal Look Beetle - 2007cc motor - 14.45@93mph in full street trim 1970-ish Karmann Beetle cabriolet - project soon to be re-started. 1986 Scirocco - big plans, one day!
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I have the knowledge, the tools, the workshop but lack one fundamental ingredient... enthusiasm!
After working on project cars all week, come my spare time I really can't be bothered with my rolling restoration which is a poor show on my behalf I know, plus life just gets in the way. But then there are times when the car pretty much backs me into a corner and I have no choice but to sort out its issues.
Don't get me wrong she's not neglected but I know full well if I went back 10 years it would of been done and looking mint!
Anyway I'm off to get a new air freshener for it.
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Jan 28, 2018 10:12:12 GMT
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I get car induced depression, depressed at the fact that this time of year it pees it down too much meaning I can't go and work on them
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Jan 28, 2018 12:35:18 GMT
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It's an easy trap to fall into - it can take any thing from a minor fault that is not easily traced to several faults and even to the point of no return - some posts have already made the case for walking away from the problem when all you appear to be doing is going backwards and that is the best possible advice - simply walk away & leave it alone - sticking at it will just infuriate you all the more and then something else gets damaged / goes wrong. It might be that 30 mins with a brew a clear head and some fresh thinking will resolve the issue - then again it might take 24 hours or a even a week - thing to do though is clear your head, accept the problem has a challenge and return to it with fresh attitude - just locking the garage door forgetting about it and finding other things to do will never return it to the road. I fully accept it's a lot harder to do than say and it gets a lot more difficult when like me you are employed in the restoration industry and up against timescales / deadlines - but the walking away / finding something else to do and returning with a fresh outlook has never failed me.
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Last Edit: Jan 28, 2018 12:37:13 GMT by Deleted
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Jan 28, 2018 13:42:10 GMT
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Don't want to use the term 'depression' 'cos luckily, I don't suffer from it. Terminal stupidity? Maybe. I find it's more a matter of mood. I'd stripped off the air suspension valve block, looked at it, and the pack of 50-odd O-rings waiting to go in and said, "Sod it, I'm not in the mood for fiddly, it'll get launched over the balcony, let's go down the pub." Next morning, I was just ready, loved the work and got it right first time. Same with the brake modulator. Took forever to get the pig of a thing out, then I was left looking at this huge lump of steel along with packs of all the little new parts to go inside it. Left it on the breakfast bar as an ornament and down the pub I went. Two days later, I was right in the mood for messing with small bits. Again, the job went a treat and I really enjoyed it. I find I wake up either in the mood for cars, or not. No in between. Luckily, it's no big deal if I'm not.
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Last Edit: Jan 28, 2018 13:44:37 GMT by georgeb
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Jan 28, 2018 14:56:39 GMT
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We have to have the story on that Caddy.
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luckyseven
Posted a lot
Owning sneering dismissive pedantry since 1970
Posts: 3,839
Club RR Member Number: 45
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Car induced depression luckyseven
@luckyseven
Club Retro Rides Member 45
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Jan 28, 2018 15:57:14 GMT
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Errrmm...looks like it caught fire
I'm a great believer in not fixing things because then something else breaks. And also in not trying to do meaningful work done in winter. It's freezing, water's running down the walls and dripping from the roof. Stuff breaks rather than bends. Paint doesn't stick. Lacquer doesn't dry. Your fingers hurt. You're uncomfortable because you're wearing eight layers, can no longer bend at any of your joints but are still cold. It's just unpleasant. If you're not feeling the love to begin with, putting yourself through misery that'd have Captain Oates muttering about going out for a walk isn't going to suddenly endear you to the current project
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Jan 28, 2018 16:07:22 GMT
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Errrmm...looks like it caught fire Hmmm, I'm not convinced. I'm a great believer in not fixing things because then something else breaks. And also in not trying to do meaningful work done in winter. It's freezing, water's running down the walls and dripping from the roof. Stuff breaks rather than bends. Paint doesn't stick. Lacquer doesn't dry. Your fingers hurt. You're uncomfortable because you're wearing eight layers, can no longer bend at any of your joints but are still cold. It's just unpleasant. If you're not feeling the love to begin with, putting yourself through misery that'd have Captain Oates muttering about going out for a walk isn't going to suddenly endear you to the current project I don't even have the luxury of dripping walls and a roof. I'm a kerbside cowboy. Lying on a wet road in kerb crud, with the car at 30º off horizontal due to the road's camber, in danger of sliding off axle stands because everything's wet, and you have no feeling at all in your fingers until you see all the blood laking down your arm and then the gash suddenly starts screaming blue murder at your brain, but you have to crack on in case it starts raining... and then it starts raining. So you have to run around closing everything, packing everything up, piling it up in the hallway where it's going to drive your wife crazy, so you end up putting it all back in the back garden bunkers, and then it stops raining, and you know you just have this one shot to get it done, so out it all comes again and you try to crack on. But then it gets dark. And it starts raining again. And the stupid thing is, this describes 8 months of any British year. There's only four months when it's ideal.
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Last Edit: Jan 28, 2018 16:07:53 GMT by Deleted
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Jan 28, 2018 16:42:38 GMT
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Not sure what started it waiting for forensics. Battery was disconnected it was due to go in for full leather interior in Feb.
Took the shed, the garden and nearly the house plus forty years worth of tools.
Biggest loss was my deceased mum's key ring that was on the Caddy keys along with a lot of sentimental stuff on the walls.
Definately started in the car as me and my son kicked the door down and I made a futile attempt to put the garden hose on it but there were explosions and something flew out and landed on the hose and melted it through. Wasn't making any impact whatsoever. 3 fire crews atteneded it was ferocious.
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Jan 28, 2018 16:48:40 GMT
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Oh that's gutting.
Very odd that it happened with the battery disconnected. I guess there are a hundred other ways a fire can start in a garage but the first thought is always going to be a short on the car.
Looks like the metal work was roasted beyond any possible resurrection judging by the buckling.
My commiserations. Sad day.
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Jan 28, 2018 17:26:54 GMT
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Not sure what started it waiting for forensics. Battery was disconnected it was due to go in for full leather interior in Feb. Took the shed, the garden and nearly the house plus forty years worth of tools. Biggest loss was my deceased mum's key ring that was on the Caddy keys along with a lot of sentimental stuff on the walls. Definately started in the car as me and my son kicked the door down and I made a futile attempt to put the garden hose on it but there were explosions and something flew out and landed on the hose and melted it through. Wasn't making any impact whatsoever. 3 fire crews atteneded it was ferocious. Gutted for you mate, makes our moaning about depression seem a bit self-indulgent!
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luckyseven
Posted a lot
Owning sneering dismissive pedantry since 1970
Posts: 3,839
Club RR Member Number: 45
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Car induced depression luckyseven
@luckyseven
Club Retro Rides Member 45
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Jan 28, 2018 17:27:53 GMT
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Yeah, heartbreaking. All our condolences are surely with you, v8rumble
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Jan 29, 2018 19:56:03 GMT
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Cheers for that just tying to get the insurances sorted and get back on the horse.
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Jan 29, 2018 22:14:10 GMT
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What a nightmare ! Gutted for you. It’d be interesting to know what caused it. On the original subject, we run 5 cars, one of which is my partners daily a Volvo 850 T5, which replaced a 190 diesel, which was the most reliable car ever made, but slow and started going rusty in nasty places. It’d do another couple of years but we fancied something quicker that used twice as much fuel. It’s had a lot of issues which I have got sorted, but the latest has really got me down, starting with an intermittent limp mode, odd codes, etc. I think I’ve finally sorted it after sorting an earth on the block, a new pnp switch and got it down to one code from 20 odd. It’s really tested me and made me really low. It turns out the code 222, shift solenoid #2 and when I got to use a meter to test the resistance (I’m not good at this sort of thing) it is way out of spec. So I ordered a replacement today. It’s only as it’s the reliable daily that it’s done me in, the funny thing is my partner took the amazon to work which hasn’t been used since November. Started 1st go, and no issues. This was our daily for 7 years, and I wonder how I went modern with a strong reliable car and ended up worse off stress wise than I had 11 years ago. stress No stress Slow, no stress.
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I've done something very similar, my daily as you probably know is my six wheel RRC, which although it looks like I dragged it out of a swamp, is the most reliable car I've ever owned. Having said that, it'll probably have a hissy fit now. On the other hand, family members run Focuses (foci?), an 03 plate fiesta and an 03 plate mondeo, which have been some of the worst we've owned for years, the fiesta has now gone, along with the mondeo, and we're on the third Focus in four years. Won't get another.
Newer is better? I don't think so.
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,258
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Car induced depression ChasR
@chasr
Club Retro Rides Member 170
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Feb 12, 2018 11:43:03 GMT
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Yup, it's got me a few times.
With the MGB it was when it came back looking like a shell of a car after being duped by a painter.
The Stag was similar. When it came back from a specialist with massive scratches in it and a freshly refurbished autobox going wonky it really put me off! It was relieving to see that go but I do know the new owner also poured a fortune into it like I did.
My M3 is no different. Between December 2016 and March 2017 last year I had a bit of bad luck about it. Given the snobbery of "What M3 spec is best" within the circles didn't help. In short I ended up changing a coil and the alternator in December. It had a set of rear tyres then two, not nice when you can buy two tyres on a normal car compared to the cost of one tyre on the M3. March had me reinforce the boot floor and change a few key bushes. However, the front tyres were shot then too so that expense really didn't help matters. My oil cooler decided to start becoming porous and I had such a fiasco with getting another. After owning the Stag with the autobox issue where the cooler was cited as a cause for it going again I didn't want to go secondhand. BMW wanted £320 before discount and aftermarket options were strangely more expensive and had the issues of niggling faults to deal with. I got unlucky with a MisterAuto replacement. I say unlucky as despite it costing £180 it was faulty and MA were a right bunch of bumholes to deal with. That was 3 weeks wasted with undue stress and me getting the car ready literally hours for a trip I had planned months before.
Bar the boot floor I did the rest of the work on my driveway. Of course having nosy neighbours with their newish cars really sets the tone. I've sometimes debated doing that myself when I seem to go through a spate of fixing things and being poor.
I really wanted to set a match to the car and TBH it got me down a bit to even consider selling it (bear in mind it cost me £1500 in the space of 2 weeks to do the boot floor with poly bushes, tyres and the oil cooler with new oil lines!). But it did do the Nurburgring afterwards and I even covered 3,000 miles across Europe in it last summer without a hitch. We always focus on the bad times however.
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Last Edit: Feb 12, 2018 11:45:43 GMT by ChasR
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