A few weeks ago Mrs F had to take the Colt to a Kwikfir for an emergency new exhaust. All seemed well, but today she mentioned that the car was bottoming out over relatively low speed bumps.
Just been crawling around under the car and measured the clearance of the lowest part of the mid-section (which is the lowest part of the car) as 10cm. That does seem low to me - is it? (It doesn't feel to be loose.)
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Is it a wooden exhaust? Perhaps I should try that place when my car needs a spruce up.
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Had me scratching my head for a minute there WdB. I've already got the zoom turned up to 110% for this site - obviously that's not enough :)
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Took me a while to see that too.
I think speed bumps can be 4" although a bit lower is recommended.
My Merc certainly grounds often, when there's people in the back, and it doesn't even have "sport" suspension which is apparently a 15mm lower.
Touch wood, haven't needed an exhaust for years, but I got the last one (for a Clio, IIRC) from a Renault dealer having had a couple of bad experiences with fast-fit exhausts.
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Well according to this (US) website, ground clearances range from 4.7" = 12cm, or 2cm more than the Colt.
ask.cars.com/2011/09/what-cars-have-the-best-ground-clearance.html
I guess I'm going to have to give Kwikfit a ring - (politely) try the 'not fit for purpose' approach, and see if there's another part better suited to my car that they could replace the low-hanging one with.
Last edited by: Focusless on Thu 5 Feb 15 at 16:11
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>> I guess I'm going to have to give Kwikfit a ring
"Just bring it down tomorrow and we'll put it on the ramp, see if we can get it any higher for you". Seems reasonable as a first step.
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Am I right in thinking the springs are original are at least OEM spec? i.e it has now been lowered?
Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Thu 5 Feb 15 at 16:33
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>> i.e it has now been lowered?
I'm guessing 'now' -> 'not'. Anyway, no, it hasn't.
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I was just checking because it might affect the 'not fit for purpose' angle. If the ride high is original and they cannot make fit then they have to find one that does fit.
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Can't be to OE spec..Unfit for purpose...
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I'm intrigued by Rats's idea that our Blurry has gone to the trouble of fitting lowered Saturday-night cruiser springs to his Colt 1.3. Future threads we might expect:
- How many furry dice constitute an MoT failure?
- My new bulbs from Halfords don't match the originals and now the road under my car is lit in two shades of blue.
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The one thing I have learnt from nine years of fixing computers is never assume anything! While I would have been extremely surprised if this car had been modified you never know. Also sometimes replacement springs can be slightly lower than the originals due to spec differences etc.
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>> >> I guess I'm going to have to give Kwikfit a ring
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>> "Just bring it down tomorrow and we'll put it on the ramp, see if we
>> can get it any higher for you". Seems reasonable as a first step.
Popped in first thing yesterday morning. They put it on the ramp and initially the chap said there wasn't much they could do - lifting it higher would increase the chances of it knocking against the floorpan. But he had a go anyway, and has managed to lift it what I've measured as 3cm (so now 13cm off the ground); he said that was as far as it will go. You can still see it protruding below the level of the sills, but it is better.
Seemed ok over a selection of humps on the way into and back from Reading yesterday evening, but Mrs F will have to keep an ear on it. I think the guys in the garage have done as much as they can, apart from fitting an unsuitable part of course - any more problems and we'll have to go to someone higher up the organisation.
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>> Is it a wooden exhaust? Perhaps I should try that place when my car needs
>> a spruce up.
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Useful for ground clearance in forestry work.
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>> A few weeks ago Mrs F had to take the Colt to a Kwikfir for
>> an emergency new exhaust. All seemed well, but today she mentioned that the car was
>> bottoming out over relatively low speed bumps.
If it didn't grind over the bumps before, but it does now then its too low. Don't need to scurry about underneath measuring centimetres.
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Take it back to Kwikfir...
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>> Take it back to Kwikfir...
Yeah, that's the plan - see 16:20 post. Although will have to wait until Saturday.
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>> >> Take it back to Kwikfir...
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>> Yeah, that's the plan - see 16:20 post. Although will have to wait until Saturday.
I "saw" that, I would do it sooner than that, chop chop now.
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I would say the difference between "a few weeks ago" and Saturday is probably about the life of a kwikfit exhaust, so best be quick before they claim fair wear and tear
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I was watching a New Zealand traffic cop programme a few days ago, the policeman stopped a car which had been lowered and seemed to be illegal. He produced a broom handle with a plastic trolley wheel attached to one end from the boot of his car. On rolling it under the car and hitting an obstruction he declared the car too low and issued a ticket.
It must be good to live in a country where the traffic laws are enforced.
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>> It must be good to live in a country where the traffic laws are enforced.
No it mustn't. It must be crap. Give me a hopelessly undisciplined scheiss hole like this one any time. At least non-mimsers get a chance of survival.
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Not Much else to do in New Zealand.
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>> Not Much else to do in New Zealand.
>>
They have Sheep, but I guess you'd know that.
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>> >> Take it back to Kwikfir...
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>> Yeah, that's the plan - see 16:20 post.
More wood. Can't help yourself, can you?
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Had this problem with Kwik Fit before. Garbage 'univeral' parts where a small number of SKUs fit 99% of the parque. I went back and shouted at them until they replaced it with a pattern part (where the pattern actually matched).
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Yeah, grovelling in the mud under a car twisting the bits of pipe so they don't knock on the suspension or scrape the ground is a galloping pain that causes muscle strain and backache..
One of the many virtues of the Skoda Estelle was its one-piece but quite sophisticated exhaust, which ISTR cost very little too. Only problem was the rusty manifold studs and nuts.
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>>One of the many virtues of the Skoda Estelle was its one-piece but quite sophisticated exhaust, which ISTR cost very little too. Only problem was the rusty manifold studs and nuts.
So sophisticated, they rattled like a bag of nails after six months, due to loose baffles!
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>> So sophisticated, they rattled like a bag of nails after six months, due to loose baffles!
Nah... how many Estelles did you own bt? Flawed, but brilliant. Exhaust was fine for about 20,000 miles.
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But the exhaust manifold cracked.
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>>Nah... how many Estelles did you own bt? Flawed, but brilliant. Exhaust was fine for about 20,000 miles.
I maintained my daughter's. The silencers lasted around 5K before rattling. It was a brilliantly designed car, let down by materials and processes. In my experience, if it could go wrong then it would go wrong. The list of failures it suffered's too long to recall.
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Update - over the last few weeks the new(-ish) exhaust had started making a bit of a racket; sounded like it was vibrating against something. Went back to Kwikfit this morning, they put it on the ramp, and bent back a bit of the heat shield which had moved(/been knocked?) across to touch the exhaust.
No charge, and back before 8.50 on Good Friday in time for hot cross buns :)
Last edited by: Focusless on Fri 3 Apr 15 at 09:24
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I've not changed an exhaust since about 1978 when my MG Midget needed one. Some will say, ah but that's because you do huge miles and it gets hot, but my wife doesn't go all that far.
( Never had to replace a clutch or DMF either come to think )
With some notable exceptions, cars are pretty tough these days.
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...my wife doesn't go all that far.
You mean she doesn't go all the way, sir? etcetera ad nauseam.
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Last car I had that needed an exhaust was the W-reg Civic.
Back box lasted around 2 years before rotting through just aft of the silencer.
Replacement was around £90 or so at Honda.
Later Hondas have an 8 year warranty on their exhausts so I presume they now make them to last.
Subaru exhausts have double skinned boxes which means they can look horrid on the outside but are still serviceable for many years - dealer exhaust prices are insane - cheaper to have a bespoke stainless one made for £400-500 if it finally dies.
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My last exhaust thing was with the old Fiesta dog car. It was blowing badly and the guys at National changed it. The Cat end was so badly corroded that they couldn't undo the bracket and bodged it on. In fairness it lasted a while but ultimately led to the car's demise. Uneconomic to get a new cat. Shame really. The Volvo has a 'fruity" sounding exhaust at idle but a recent service confirmed that all was well with it.
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>>Subaru exhausts have double skinned boxes which means they can look horrid on the outside but are still serviceable for many years
Glad to earrit, everytime I look at my back box lately, all I can see is £££ signs :(
Um, perhaps not: preview.tinyurl.com/o4fg8sn
Last edited by: Dog on Fri 3 Apr 15 at 11:25
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>> Um, perhaps not: preview.tinyurl.com/o4fg8sn
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Mr Grumpy here.
Why don't you simply post the link, instead of the preview?
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>>Why don't you simply post the link, instead of the preview?
In case peeps want to see what I'm linking to first, instead of actually going to the site itself, which could well be the dreaded DM!
:}
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Thankfully Perro my Back Box is in fine condition.
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I was just pretty impressed that he could look at it. I mean, I keep myself fairly fit but y'know, respect. But I suppose he is a dog...
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Mrs F was driving me and son back from Reading last night and said car felt 'funny'. Initially she put it down to the extra weight in the car, but as the journey progressed we could both feel vibrations through the floor. She didn't think it was pulling well either.
Flippin' kwikfit she said, or words to that effect, can't do a proper job. But I wasn't convinced it was an exhaust problem - started thinking driver side driveshaft or bearings, as the vibration seemed worse going round left hand bends.
Arrived home, got out the car. Ah. That's probably it then - driver side tyre flat as a pancake, and smelling a bit of burning rubber. Oops.
Anyway put on the space-saver this morning and tip-toed back to kwikfit; not free this time :(
EDIT: just a new tyre though, no other damage done fortunately
Last edited by: Focusless on Sat 11 Apr 15 at 12:54
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>> Arrived home, got out the car. Ah. That's probably it then - driver side tyre
>> flat as a pancake, and smelling a bit of burning rubber. Oops.
>>
The last time if felt a vibration like that it was loose wheel nuts, but that was on a lorry. So glad I stopped and checked.
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Surprised you didn't stop to check what was wrong rather than continuing home.
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No wonder we keep getting lumped with loads of extra tech on cars - obviously mandatory Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems on new cars now isn't quite as bonkers as it seems.
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I find it hard to believe that anyone can drive far with any tyre, especially a front one, deflating slowly, and not notice the (usually identifiable) changes in handling at an early stage, long before anything like a vibration sets in.
That said, I have done it myself, ignoring the vibration until there was a rear offside blowout at something like 80mph, fortunately on a straight bit of dual carriageway with no traffic to speak of. I don't think I'd do it now though.
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>> I find it hard to believe that anyone can drive far with any tyre, especially
>> a front one, deflating slowly, and not notice the (usually identifiable) changes in handling at
>> an early stage, long before anything like a vibration sets in.
I understand it sounds odd. Some mitigating factors:
- Mrs F was driving, and she had it in her mind that it was the exhaust.
- It was late (10pm), she was in a hurry to get home and desperate to go to the little girls room.
- I was by no means convinced it was anything other than the exhaust.
- You have to be pretty sure of yourself at the best of times before starting an argument with Mrs F.
- Last night was not the best of times.
- I don't think either of us have experienced a flat tyre when driving previously, and it hadn't crossed my mind.
- It was a short journey, approx. 4 miles.
To be honest, it was probably the best outcome. If we had stopped, got out and spotted the problem, I would probably have tried to change it in the dark, under pressure, at the side of a road in Reading. Hardly ideal. As it was, I was able to do it in the relative comfort of our drive in the light with no time pressure.
But now we know, so at least next time we can ignore it deliberately :)
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>> I understand it sounds odd. Some mitigating factors:
>> - Mrs F was driving, and she had it in her mind that it was
>> the exhaust.
>> - It was late (10pm), she was in a hurry to get home and desperate
>> to go to the little girls room.
>> - I was by no means convinced it was anything other than the exhaust.
>> - You have to be pretty sure of yourself at the best of times before
>> starting an argument with Mrs F.
>> - Last night was not the best of times.
>> - I don't think either of us have experienced a flat tyre when driving previously,
>> and it hadn't crossed my mind.
>> - It was a short journey, approx. 4 miles.
I was pished hence being picked up
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>> >> - Mrs F was driving
>>
>> I was pished hence being picked up
i wish that were true! In fact we'd just been to son's orchestra concert (inc. 6 of Holst's 7 Planets), which I'd walked to direct after getting off the train from Bath. I was fully expecting to drive us all back, but possibly just because she'd driven herself there, and it's her car, she got in the driver's side. I wasn't daft enough to cast aspersions on her ability by suggesting a swap :)
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>> I was pished hence being picked up
I don't think you were the only person to think that, but the rest of us were too polite... :)
Edit wrong again!
Last edited by: sooty123 on Sat 11 Apr 15 at 18:16
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Surprised you didn't stop...
In Reading? Really?
};---)
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>> Surprised you didn't stop...
>>
>> In Reading? Really?
>> };---)
Exactly :)
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My wife, once drove 25 miles across the Scottish Borders on twisty winding 60 mph roads in my old ( then new ) Granada 2.9 4x4 with a completely flat NS front tyre.
You can imagine the state of the wheel, well actually, there wasn't much left to imagine.
When she got home she told me it was "making a funny noise"...
:-(
Edit - this is the same woman who constantly reminds me that she has an IAM qualification and I don't. Well, let's put it this way, I've never so much as scraped paint off a car whereas she...
Last edited by: Runfer D'Hills on Sat 11 Apr 15 at 18:36
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>> Edit - this is the same woman who constantly reminds me that she has an
>> IAM qualification and I don't. Well, let's put it this way, I've never so much
>> as scraped paint off a car whereas she...
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I don't think the IAM teach door mirror retention techniques. :-)
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>> You can imagine the state of the wheel, well actually, there wasn't much left to imagine.
>> When she got home she told me it was "making a funny noise"...
Tee hee...
The lady I parked next to outside the bank the other day, who thought I was the AA man because I was driving a car with garage logos all over it, had a rear tyre that was completely shredded, with holes and rips all round the sidewall. She'd obviously done several miles on it at some speed. You'd have to be moribund or anyway extremely insensitive not to notice something amiss.
It's an awful realisation, that you have to stop right now and probably change a wheel if you have a proper spare, or wait for the AA. Hardly surprising people are reluctant to accept it and try to soldier on. It only makes things worse though.
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My BIL has always had to buy new tyres after a puncture and once a new wheel.
Daughter was once pulled by BIB and asked if she knew she'd a flat tyre, to which she honestly replied, 'no'. One new tyre!
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Had my hair cut this afternoon. Woman in the next chair (yes, get me! They give me coffee at this place too) was telling a convoluted story about a puncture on the A6 (a long way from here) that cost her two new tyres because her Volvo didn't have a spare wheel, even though the handbook told her where it ought to be - presumably because it's an option she hadn't specified. She was indignant and ready to go back to the dealer that had just serviced it and failed to check the wheel was there.
At least she'd looked in the book, I thought. Just a bit late.
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I went for the pram wheel spare option for my car, should I damage a tyre light years from anywhere and the only response from the natives is "Nothing open until Xxxxday" it will stop a corner dragging on the road. Plan "B" for two duff tyres is a recovery lorry.
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>> Had my hair cut this afternoon. Woman in the next chair (yes, get me! They
>> give me coffee at this place too)
Yes, yes, I hear all that, but how much did it cost?
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>>Yes, yes, I hear all that, but how much did it cost?
More than a fiver, I'll wager.
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£3.99 at my local Barber Shop. That's four quid if I leave a tip!
Talking of ground clearance, I had 4 adults in the car Friday for a days walking in the Lakes. No noticeable difference in handling, no bodywork touching tyres over highish speed bumps. That's a rare thing having a full load, but the noise from the rear seats was annoying. It's windy. I'm cold. Where's the tartan rugs? After 20 miles I had to stop & put the roof up. I suppose modern convertibles have these wind deflectors for rear passengers, but I'm alright Jack in the front! Being four up didn't seem to affect performance too much, and we got a few strange looks when three large blokes extricated themselves from a smallish two door 3 series.
They appreciated it though. A driver who just drank pots of tea in the three pubs en route home, several pints+ for the passengers then fish & chips.
A grand day out, apart from the poor viz on the tops.
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>> £3.99 at my local Barber Shop. That's four quid if I leave a tip!
>>
Your profligacy will be the bankrupting of you, Lad!
I feel sure that I have cautioned you about this on previous occasion!
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new exhaust ground clearance - WillDeBeest
