Recent Posts

1

Off-topic chat, Help, Advice, General motoring issues / Re: Non Saab jobs - satisfaction

« Last post by Audax on Today at 01:58:04 PM »

Ring round local garages and tell them that you're not insured and taxed and need an MOT and find one that will collect/drop the car, they'll be insured on their insurance then and there's no arguing that they're going for an MOT (as an aside the trade policy I was insured on explicitly said I was insured to drive cars without the owners permission, useful in the trade as you can find yourself driving cars that come from other garages). If necessary they can use trade plates but I believe you don't need to have VED if you're going too/from an MOT.

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Off-topic chat, Help, Advice, General motoring issues / Re: Non Saab jobs - satisfaction

« Last post by sgould on Today at 01:48:09 PM »

As far as I'm aware, you can drive directly to (and from, if it fails) an MOT.  No stopping on the way to go shopping, but you could probablt get away with a stop for petrol.

Until it has an MOT, you may not want to pay £3500 for insurance. Would a "day insurance" be the way to go?

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Off-topic chat, Help, Advice, General motoring issues / Re: Non Saab jobs - satisfaction

« Last post by Geoff1951 on Today at 01:01:05 PM »

Slightly off topic... the mention of the reversing sensors reminded me of the Triumph Herald my cousin had around the late 70s.  he knew reverse gear was U/S before the MOT.  When he went to collect the car after it passed he asked the garage about the reverse gear. "Not part of the test, mate."
"Well, since you've driven the car forward into a parking space, can you give me a push to reverse it out?"

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Off-topic chat, Help, Advice, General motoring issues / Re: Non Saab jobs - satisfaction

« Last post by Steve McF on Today at 12:59:42 PM »

Unfortunately you're not really insuring your car, you're insuring against the damage you can do to other cars... and as lots of companies have an inability to stock parts (I'm looking at you JLR) so that people end up in a loan car for 6-12 months.... and/or ramped up the prices on parts to an unsustainable level even a minor bump can run into several thousand quids worth of parts needed if it's a new model...

Yes that is true (and yes, take the point about JLR - parts supply seems to be an issue for some reason. They do arrive eventually, but if you get told something is on back order with no ETA, it's a problem!!).

Luckily, my son is not expecting me to fork out £3500 to insure him on his own car. He's doing overtime, buying and selling things that makes him a bit more, and raiding his own savings!!! So in that sense, I don't mind spending a few quid here and there on his car to get things fixed/working again. And he's still insured on my 107, which only cost me an extra 300 quid or so to add him on.

As we get closer to getting the car in good condition for the MOT, I need to work out how to do it, as I have never SORNed a car before, and so never "recommissioned" a SORNed car and got it back on the road. Currently, the car has no tax, no MOT and no insurance. To get the tax, the car needs an MOT. But without the tax, it shouldn't be driven on the road to try and get an MOT......

So what to do? Do I need a transporter?

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Off-topic chat, Help, Advice, General motoring issues / Re: Non Saab jobs - satisfaction

« Last post by Audax on Today at 10:53:02 AM »

I used to get cross with the local Saab dealer for doing a service on the car before they did the MOT. "what if it fails.... I have a freshly serviced car that I can't use?"

Christ, I always used to send them for MOT before even putting them up on our ramp to look at them. Of course there would then be the awkward times that it would pass the MOT and then we'd notice the thing that should have been an MOT failure when doing the service and having to have an awkward discussion with the customer who'd already looked up online and saw that it had passed...

and he can then spend £3500 on the insurance for a 500 quid car

Unfortunately you're not really insuring your car, you're insuring against the damage you can do to other cars... and as lots of companies have an inability to stock parts (I'm looking at you JLR) so that people end up in a loan car for 6-12 months.... and/or ramped up the prices on parts to an unsustainable level even a minor bump can run into several thousand quids worth of parts needed if it's a new model...

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Off-topic chat, Help, Advice, General motoring issues / Re: Non Saab jobs - satisfaction

« Last post by Steve McF on Today at 08:37:31 AM »

Yes, good point - he doesn't need the sensors on it before the MOT, but I am an on a roll and want to get that job out of the way. Also, it's the longest car he'll have ever driven so will make it easier for him to park when it's up and running.#

The car needs a service too, but priority is the MOT so we can get the car back on the road first.......and he can then spend £3500 on the insurance for a 500 quid car

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Off-topic chat, Help, Advice, General motoring issues / Re: Non Saab jobs - satisfaction

« Last post by carrera on 02 May 2024, 10:21:02 PM »

Little victories are important

You don't need reversing sensors or snazzy paintwork for the MOT. I would be tempted to put it in to get the ticket, or at least so you know what other more significant jobs you need to do. I used to get cross with the local Saab dealer for doing a service on the car before they did the MOT. "what if it fails.... I have a freshly serviced car that I can't use?"

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Off-topic chat, Help, Advice, General motoring issues / Re: Non Saab jobs - satisfaction

« Last post by Steve McF on 02 May 2024, 09:17:01 PM »

Today my son fitted the last of the bits to complete the headliner re-installation. But, he said the interior lights weren't working.

So thought I'd have a look when I got home. After Googling the fuse box location and layout, I had a look, and the fusebox layout did not resemble what I'd found. Bit more digging and it turns out the later Mk2s had the Mk2.5 fusebox, so once I'd established that, I located the interior light fuse, and sure enough, it was blown.

The front cigar lighter had never worked either, and I traced that to another blown fuse. Quick trip to Halfords, and I fitted 2 new fuses, and hey presto, all working again😉😊😊😊

So another simple job done, but great to see broken stuff fixed.😉

So next job is those rear parking sensors........

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Off-topic chat, Help, Advice, General motoring issues / Non Saab jobs - satisfaction

« Last post by Steve McF on 01 May 2024, 10:04:32 PM »

Number 1 son has been hassling me to do jobs on the 500 quid Ford Focus he bought in January, and which has been SORNed ever since, blocked in the garage because of a skip immediately outside, due to an extension being built on our house!!

He is also due to turn 18 this month so dying to get the car ready to MOT and insure!!

We located the cause of water leaks being various cracks in seam sealant, some of which were under the roof rails. To remove these required dropping the headliner to access fixing bolts. Plus one end cap was missing the bracket to the body above the windscreen.

We removed the roof rails a couple of weeks back, and I ordered an end cap bracket off Ebay as well as a brand new aerial.

After much prep, and a liberal dose of Tiger Seal, the bracket, roof rails and aerial were all fitted this evening, and we have made a start re-instating the headliner. Hopefully that will be done in the next couple of days, and then we need to fit the rear parking sensor kit I also got off Ebay, and sort the lacquer peel on the front bumper.

But edging closer to getting it taxed and MOTed, and back on the road.

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Off-topic chat, Help, Advice, General motoring issues / Re: What I Did To My Saab Today.

« Last post by TomPaine on 27 April 2024, 04:29:20 PM »

Always a euphoric moment. Congrats. Mine (2004) is due next month.