Crazy Cat Lady

Back from shot blasting and powder coating: ...and also in the post: Brand new Borg & Beck ball joints and tie rod ends. Debs

Obtain a small piece of dashboard material from ams, preferably same year, model, colour of trim just large enough to cover all three holes, shape it into a lozenge shaped cover to go over all three holes... Not perfect but will look like another hatch, like the airbag cover.

Arrived with the morning post from eBay: 16 plastic valve caps for 99p [includes 2nd class delivery] The last time i checked my tyre pressures i forgot to put the valve caps back on before driving off [a senior moment perhaps] At least this packet of 16 valve caps will allow me to forget to put them back on another four times before i'll need to buy another pack Debs

Jim If it's any help, the BC Racing coilovers come with factory spring preload set at 5mm. I suppose users can go by this for initial set-up, and go by feel and adjust if necessary. But i understand what you say about the car ride height lowering when you soften off the coil pre-load, this is the same with BC, and i must admit my struts look at around their limit of raise with the springs pre-load set at softer, but the car handles so much better with the springs set softer, and the right amount of damping adjustment. IME some bounce in the springs is essential to allow road bump absorption and for the suspension to do it's job with keeping tyre contact on the road surface for maximum grip and road handling control. If the springs are too rigid the wheels will have a tendency to 'hop' over bumps and poor road surfaces which loses tyre grip and control, and not to mention tooth fillings. Debs

Arrival purchase from eBay Thanks to daytona for the fab recommendation! [ref: Detailing topic] Big enough to dry all 3 of my cats when they come in wet from the rain Debs

The car i owned the previous 12 years before the trade-in deal for my Red: Toyota Corolla 1.9D Ultra reliable, face-lift model year 2000. Toyota sourced the diesel engine design from Peugeot, a common rail 1.9L producing no noticeable horse power but there was a small herd of 69 ponies that could lurch forward on occasion. It was a very dependable bus that got me to work and back, and despite the poor brakes and 'get out and run faster acceleration' it faired far better with road holding abilities, very low running costs, an excellent build quality [uK model] and many endearing qualities that i felt very sorry when the time came to part Debs

If you decide to use Redline MT-90, you may find the best price around is at Demon Tweeks, Wrexham if you drive there to collect. Best to phone them to ask how much and if in stock. IIRC: you need 3 and a half bottles to fill, so need to buy 4 bottles - cost me 48 quid at Demon. Debs

Bath tub

Today my Celi and i are celebrating our 1st anniversary together! Help yourself to a slice everyone! Debs

I was ogling a nice set of wheels in my local garage a few days ago, mechanic said they feel rather lightweight too: This 5Zigen set in the photo are 17" but probably far too wide for a Celica but i know they come in 17x7.5 and a choice of finishes including a matt bronze.... I think they look pretty cool and would suit a Gen7 very well. Debs

Taking advantage of the February 20% off club clothing deal - and i got fleeced! CCUK Black full zip fleece CCUK Ladies vest Debs

You're right, it does make you wonder, and i've just seen this....

Thanks for saying. Glad i asked, says they are in the eBay add, they must be telling porkies

They look very nice! i rather fancy a gold colour set on eBay for £34.99 + free delivery + [make offer] It this the best place to buy them? and if so how much should i offer? Are they safe to use?, they are less than half the weight of standard wheel nut and made of aluminium, so do they have a toque setting? Do they have the correct flat washer interface shape for Gen7 wheels? [can't see this on the eBay listing] http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RAYS-Style-Dura-Locking-Nut-M12-1-5-Alloy-wheel-Nuts-civic-ap1-ap2-type-r-fto-/221713965459?hash=item339f2ea193:g:J-cAAOSwfcVUEYnV so many questions, sorry! Debs

Update: Just paid a visit to my local Longlife dealer at Oswestry, and got quoted for £375 to include VAT and fitting. I've asked for a quiet system, plus a slightly smaller rear silencer to allow it more room so it don't clank against the heat shield. The manager has a very good reputation for BMW service, tuning, and diagnostics but they work on other makes too, especially with the Longlife exhaust franchise. He's also qualified to do exhausts himself but has a lad presently undergoing TIG weld training and won't be available for a couple of months all going well. That gives me some thinking time Debs

I have a theory that cars in the UK suffer more corrosion on the right hand side due to surface water puddles in gutters which can stretch out onto left hand side of the road, and when driven though the splashing [on what is often only the passenger side wheels] washes the salt back off of the left hand side of the vehicle. My Corolla was more rusty on drivers side, and my present Celica too plus rear right hand side spring rusted though and broke at 11 years, and 51k miles.

After looking at reviews via google of Longlife dealers, it would seem customer satisfaction is very mixed with Longlife. Seems to depend upon where it's done and more importantly who is there at the time and at any given particular branch to do the job. Longlife product quality is quoted for being very high, T304 grade British stainless steel though-out, but reading between the lines it would seem some franchises maybe using lesser grade materials [or some parts of...] and the skill level of the fitter can vary greatly. A case of go to the wrong place and get a crap job done, or go to the right place and get perfection. The local Longlife franchise dealer near me is a BMW indy garage with fairly good reports and reviews on Facebook, nothing bad to note. I know a couple of local Beemer drivers so will ask them about the place. He maybe worth the gamble. Fortunately i'm not in any hurry, my existing pipe is still working okay, it looks like the 11 year old original being so rusty, but could maybe last another year or two...

Anyone here ever had a custom exhaust fitted by Longlife? There is a dealer only 8 miles from where i live, so just emailed them for the quote. Looks like a professional outfit... http://www.longlife.co.uk

Arrived with todays post from Jays Performance Ltd, Dunfermline Fife [via Amazon uk ...£38 to include delivery] The code number is 33-2041-1 Can anyone here confirm this is the correct type/size for the standard 140 air-box? Debs

I have a tin of David's Zinc 182, it's all ready for action but haven't used it yet.... Was going to use it on the rear sub-frame, but after finding the preparation too time consuming and fiddly using my humble little drill and rotary wire brush, we had a change of plan. The donor sub-frame has been taken apart and the smaller parts sand-blasted, primed, painted and bake hardened. The main centre part was too big to fit in the blaster, or the oven, so was [laboriously] striped using an industrial rotary wire brush to remove surface rust and what was left of the original paint. It's been painted with a primer but i don't know what the product is - will find out and report back soon [with photos]. Another issue is the option of whether to poly-bush or not. The original bushes on my donor sub-frame look fine so we plan to re-use them. However, i'm like what i read about the specifications of the SuperPro polybushes, shame they don't do them for the Gen7 rear sub-frame [...yet?] Debs

That Merc van looks a bit awkwardly stuck where it is, would be interesting to see how they lift it up [ crane? ] and out of there. Hope the red Celi isn't a write-off Debs

Sounds like you've pulled!

Grey Anti-Rust Primer 1 Litre of fun and frolics in a tin, will come in very handy very soon. Just arrived from eBay £12.39 to include delivery. Debs

Perhaps it's what happens if you don't have a rear spoiler? Debs