This is my 1972 Triumph Dolomite 1850 auto. I have owned this car since July 2008 and it has been on and off the road. Last year it needed some major surgery to one of the front subframe mounts and some previous bodgery was also rectified. It is now in regular use and recently had the steel wheels painted and a stainless exhaust fitted.
This is my Vauxhall Astra which is currently my daily driver and I bought it in November 2012. It has been generally quite reliable which is down my regular maintenance and the fact that I promptly deal with the advisories after the MoT. The only changes have been to replace the light bulbs with LED ones where possible and the addition of a tow bar.
I bought this at the beginning of this month for only £60 with MoT until October. It needed a new clutch which I've already fitted and I've also fixed a few other minor faults without any other major expenditure. The only work left to do is to patch the sills. The plan was to fix it and sell it on but I'm considering running it alongside my Astra. It is a bit more practical and has better towing capacity despite being virtually the same kerb weight as the Astra.
Toledo Man said
Sep 24, 2016
The Astra has since been sold to the previous owner of the Picasso. The Dolomite has been resprayed in white.
Going back to the Picasso, it is now my daily driver and I'm chasing down a fault with the engine management light being constantly illuminated. The car seems to be running fine but whatever the problem is, it isn't going to go away and could get worse.
-- Edited by Toledo Man on Saturday 24th of September 2016 12:54:44 AM
Toledo Man said
Jan 21, 2017
The Picasso was hit by a drunk driver the day after New Tear's Day who didn't even stop (it was somebody I knew!). I'm claiming off his insurance and because of the relatively low market value I've decided to let my insurers take it away and pay me out. I've had to buy a replacement car and bought this.
It came with a full 12 months MoT but there was no service history so I gave it a service and I've been fixing some of the small faults. It is light years ahead of the Xsara Picasso and comes with a towbar fitted and should be more than up to job of towing my caravan. It should be a bit cheaper on the fuel and road tax being a diesel.
-- Edited by Toledo Man on Saturday 21st of January 2017 07:40:27 PM
Toledo Man said
Mar 15, 2017
Here's a more recent photo of the Citroen Despite passing the MoT before I picked it up it still needed quite a bit of work. The only job I didn't do myself was to have the front springs and strut top bearings replaced.
-- Edited by Toledo Man on Wednesday 15th of March 2017 10:34:54 PM
Niek said
Mar 16, 2017
Nice one on writing off the old Picasso and getting a new(er) one in the process. Got to love insurance payouts.
Toledo Man said
Mar 20, 2017
Here's a more recent photo.
-- Edited by Toledo Man on Monday 20th of March 2017 08:02:28 PM
Toledo Man said
Oct 6, 2018
I'm now looking for a new project (even though I've got the Dolomite and a Corsa parked outside the house) for my own YouTube channel. I've recently gone past 500 subscribers. I'll consider anything as long as is doesn't need welding.
Toledo Man said
Dec 5, 2018
I bought this VW Polo
I got it through an MoT and is now for sale. I've just bought an E36 BMW and I'll be picking it up at the weekend.
This is one of the photos on the eBay listing.
-- Edited by Toledo Man on Wednesday 5th of December 2018 07:00:29 AM
DanN said
Dec 5, 2018
Every young man should own an E36 at some point in his life.
I had a 1995 325is with a 5 speed manual. What a fun car.
Toledo Man said
Jan 20, 2019
It must be the best 3 Series BMW built. The Polo has been sold, the BMW is now on the road and the Citroen failed the MoT this week.
-- Edited by Toledo Man on Sunday 20th of January 2019 08:54:11 PM
Toledo Man said
May 10, 2019
I forgot to mention that I have a 2004 Corsa C in my possession that I finally brought back to life 2 years after I changed the engine (it was a faulty camshaft sensor that was the problem). I'm working through the issues associated with lack of use and should be fit to pass the MoT before long. I've also been offered a 1991 Toyota Celica (unfortunately, it is NOT the GT4) that has been left at the local garage. The owner owes money to the garage so the garage is looking to to sell the Celica to get something back.
Toledo Man said
May 15, 2019
The starter motor on the Corsa is playing up so that will have to come off. I bought a new fan belt for the BMW but it is too long so I'll have to get that exchanged. There's a knack to fitting them. No news on the Celica. I might dump some petrol in it and try to jump start it. The garage owner is still having difficulty getting hold of the current owner of the Celica.
Toledo Man said
May 17, 2019
The starter motor problem on the Corsa was a simple fix. The bolt had worked loose so I tightened it up. I managed to get the gear linkage lined up correctly for the first time since the engine was replaced 2 years ago and I even fixed the aircon which just needed the refrigerant topping up. I have one of those DIY refrigerant recharge kits and it worked a treat. The Corsa is nearly ready to go in for the MoT. The previous MoT had an advisory on a slight blow on the exhuast so I'll just patch it up with some exhaust putty that I've got in the garage.
I took the drive belt back to the motor factor I bought it from and I got it exchanged for a shorter one (I called them beforehand and give the the BMW part number to cross reference it against) which fitted perfectly so that is a potential disaster averted. I've kept the old one as an emergency spare.
Nothing new to report on the Celica. I haven't been round to the local garage.
Toledo Man said
Jun 3, 2019
The Corsa passed the MoT with NO advisories and has now gone to a new owner who is really happy with it. I'm changing the indicators on the BMW to clear ones to give it a more youthful look. Just the rear light clusters to replace. I'm planning on fitting LED bulbs. I'm still waiting for the V5C for the Celica before I can take it on. I don't want to risk £25 applying for it only to be knocked back. I wish the owner would do the decent thing and sign the Celica over. He owes the garage money and the situation has been going on for 4 years.
Toledo Man said
Jun 13, 2019
I decided to bite the bullet and I've applied for the V5C for the Celica. I'm just playing the waiting game on this one. I know the V5C isn't proof of ownership (I can get a receipt from the garage so I'm covered in that respect) but the car can't be taxed without it.
In other news, the Corsa (briefly) came back to haunt me. It wouldn't start and the owners were stranded in a supermarket car park so I had to recover the it to my garage so I could work on it in relative comfort. I got it running again so all is well (prepare to watch me eat my words as Nik once said).
The BMW now has LED sidelights and number plate lights. I've got some new wheel centres which will be fitted once I've given the wheels a good clean. I've bought the Wonder Wheels stuff that turns the dirt red once you've sparayed it on and then it can be rinsed off. I've also bought some Autoglym tyre dressing. I can use both of these on my Citroen as well.
Toledo Man said
Jul 2, 2019
The BMW is idling badly. Main suspect is a dirty idle control valve.
Toledo Man said
Jul 8, 2019
I've got the V5C for the Celica so I'll be going round to the garage to do the deal. I've already ordered a new battery from Euro Car Parts. I'll tip some petrol in, pump up the tyres and get it round to my workshop (a single garage in reality).
-- Edited by Toledo Man on Monday 8th of July 2019 01:04:39 PM
-- Edited by Toledo Man on Monday 8th of July 2019 01:05:10 PM
Got the Celica home and it has got some awful tasteless mods. The exhaust is too loud so that has to go. The wheels look terrible and need to be repainted or replaced. It will need a service and the brakes overhauled. I've replaced the blue LED sidelight bulbs with some filament bulbs (left over from the LED light conversion on the BMW). I'm planning on taking this car back to as close as stock as possible and sell the parts I remove.
The problem with the BMW was a split vacuum hose to the idle control valve. A new part from the local dealer was just £7.50 and it has fixed the problem.
-- Edited by Toledo Man on Tuesday 9th of July 2019 07:21:40 AM
Toledo Man said
Jul 15, 2019
Somehow, I managed to get air into the Citroen's fuel system making it impossible to start. I'd just filled up at my local Asda when the problem started so I'm blaming a bad batch of diesel. Bleeding the fuel system (easy on the 2.0 HDI engine) seems to fix it and it started up on the button this morning.
I've ordered a lot of parts for the Celica including a new exhaust (the old one is ropey and has an aftermarket back box), discovered that the non-working headlights are HIDs, and I've decided to strip the paint off the wheels with some paint stripper I bought from Screwfix.
Toledo Man said
Jul 16, 2019
I've fitted new front pads and bled the front calipers. I snapped a stud on one of the rear wheels (got new studs on order). The rear pads are shot so I'll get some new ones ordered. The exhaust turned up yesterday and I'm hoping to fit it tonight. I've started stripping the paint off the alloy wheels. Once that is done, I can get replacement tyres. They're all shot and 3 out of 4 don't even hold air. As well as fitting the exhaust, I'm hoping to finish stripping the paint off the wheels and carrying out a service.
The Citroen seems to be fine now. Looks like I've got all the air bled out of the fuel sytem (the joys of diesel!).
Toledo Man said
Jul 22, 2019
The problem with the Citroen was contaminated fuel. I managed to get the tank down to a quarter. I filled up with fresh diesel, chucked in some Redex and it has been fine ever since.
More work has been done on the Celica. I've carried out the engine service, fitted the heat shield for the exhaust manifold, bought a spare wheel for £8 on eBay, fitted new rear brake pads, replaced the broken front wheel stud, removed the HID headlight kit and got most of the paint off the wheels. One major fail was that the exhaust was missing the rear section. I've contacted the seller and they're gonna send it out to me.
Toledo Man said
Aug 4, 2019
I've painted the wheels on the Celica and they look better than before. They're far from perfect and I just need some replacement tyres. The rear section of exhaust has arrived. I bought some nuts and bolts from my local Halfords and after finding some washers in my stash, I've got everything I need to fit the new exhaust. I've just uploaded part 5. I've got 2 more videos ready to upload, 1 video to finish and part 9 will be fitting the exhaust. I had a couple of H4 bulbs so I fitted them and the headlights are working once again as Toyota intended.
Toledo Man said
Aug 13, 2019
Replacement tyres have been fitted so that's the wheels done. The exhaust has been fitted which is a LOT quieter. I've replaced the HT leads, rotor ram and dizzy cap. There is a lack of power at low revs and with the ignition being 100%, I'll need to investigate elsewhere.
Toledo Man said
Sep 4, 2019
I've set the ignition timing, replaced the fuel filter and it still isn't running right. On a more positive not, I've faxed the sunroof. The cables were all rusted up. I had to dismantle the entire sunroof and used lots of penetrating fluid to get it all freed off and it then had copious amounts of white grease to prevent a repeat performance.
Toledo Man said
Oct 12, 2019
I finally fixed a long standing problem with the Citroen. The front suspension rattle I've had for ages was traced to the strut tops. Once they had been reseated and the nut wound all the way done the rattle stopped. It drives like a dream by comparison.
The BMW had to have a drivebelt deflection pulley replaced. The old one had a noisy bearing.
I'm gradually getting closer to finding out why the Celica isn't running properly. It is looking like either vacuum hoses or the fuel injectors. I also need to do a compression test. I discovered an error code relating to the Air Intake Temperature sensor. The code has been cleared and hasn't come back. I also had a couple of ABS codes one of which I've managed to get rid of (NSF sensor). I've improved the brakes slightly by reseating the vacuum hose for the servo.
Toledo Man said
Oct 22, 2019
The compression test showed healthy figures so the 3G-SE engine that's in the Celica is in good condition. I replaced the ECU temperature sender to make sure the ECU was getting the correct information (the gauge has a separate sender which does work) and it hasn't made any difference. It was a cheap and easy job and is one more thing eliminated. I'm going after the injectors next.
Toledo Man said
Mar 2, 2020
I pulled off the top cambelt cover to check the engine timing and it was fine. In doing so, I ripped off the capacitor that's situated on the altenator (it supresses radio interference) and the end of the loose wire shorted to earth and blew the main 100A fuse causing a loss of one of the live feeds to the igniton switch. It took me 4 episode on my own YouTube channel to reslove this. Fortunately, it only cost me a couple of quid on eBay for a pair of replacement 100A fuses.
The BMW and Citroen got through their respective MoTs without too much trouble.
GrayRaceCat said
Mar 3, 2020
Toledo Man wrote:
It took me 4 episode on my own YouTube channel...
You willing to provide a link? I haven't had any luck finding you on YouTube.
I found a split in the air intake hose (the one between the air filter and throttle body) on the Celica so I'll try some tape as a "proof-of-conept" and source a replacement. I pulled the engine ECU out and the circuit boards (all 2 of them) are in pristine conditon (unlike the outside which was covered in dust). Fortunately, Toyota in their wisdom decided to situate the engine ECU in the interior of the car. The next thing to go after are the injectors and the fuel pressure regulator.
The BMW has had new wiper blades and I've ordered some for the Citroen.
Toledo Man said
Jun 2, 2020
The Citroen's alternator failed so I fitted a reconditioned unit for £90. The front end is rattling again. It needs new front strut tops. I bought a pair from Euro Car Parts but they're the wrong ones. I'm having to wait until the dealer is open again and I will order genuine Citroen parts.
The BMW had a clonking sound coming from the right rear whenever I turned left. The first thing I found was a right rear broken spring so I replaced both rear springs (I found some KYB springs on eBay for just over £18 each). The sound was still there so a bit of digging found a worn rear tailing arm bush on the right. I replace both sides (the bushes are about a fiver each from Euro Car Parts) and the other side was not too far behind. I fixed a non-working boot light which was a broken wire between the bootlid and the body where the loom flexes when the boot is opened and closed. I also tried to reglue the fabric on the door cards. It didn't quite work but it was better than before.
The Celica's brakes were binding so I managed to free them off. The front calipers had to be removed and compressed air got the caliper pistons out. Once they were cleaned and given a thin smear of grease they were fine. I've added some fresh petrol and some injector cleaner to try clean out the fuel injectors. I've also fitted a new front number plate.
Nothing has been done to the Dolomite.
I've also been working on a 2013 BMW F30 318d. I'm trying to trace a rattle in the front suspension. I've also fixed a faulty right rear light cluster. It was the multiplug connector. I got a replacement plug from a breaker for a fiver and it has fixed the problem.
I'll also be changing all the brake pads on a 2011 BMW E84 X1.
I've made videos and some of them have already been uploaded to my YouTube channel.
GrayRaceCat said
Jun 7, 2020
Toledo Man wrote:
The Celica's brakes were binding so I managed to free them off. The front calipers had to be removed and compressed air got the caliper pistons out. Once they were cleaned and given a thin smear of grease they were fine.
What type of grease? Is it compatible with brake fluid?
Toledo Man said
Aug 15, 2022
2 years later and the C4GP has been replaced with a 2003 Volvo XC90. An accident in June 2021 wrote the C4GP off by the insurance as "beyond economical repair".
The Dolomite is quietly rusting away and refuses to start. The E36 suffered a bit of damage bus is still road legal. The Celica is finally running a lot better since I changed the fuel pump. Just the ABS and a rust hole in the sill and it will be ready to go through the MoT.
-- Edited by Toledo Man on Monday 15th of August 2022 08:53:02 PM
Just though I'd show you my small collection.
This is my 1972 Triumph Dolomite 1850 auto. I have owned this car since July 2008 and it has been on and off the road. Last year it needed some major surgery to one of the front subframe mounts and some previous bodgery was also rectified. It is now in regular use and recently had the steel wheels painted and a stainless exhaust fitted.
This is my Vauxhall Astra which is currently my daily driver and I bought it in November 2012. It has been generally quite reliable which is down my regular maintenance and the fact that I promptly deal with the advisories after the MoT. The only changes have been to replace the light bulbs with LED ones where possible and the addition of a tow bar.
I bought this at the beginning of this month for only £60 with MoT until October. It needed a new clutch which I've already fitted and I've also fixed a few other minor faults without any other major expenditure. The only work left to do is to patch the sills. The plan was to fix it and sell it on but I'm considering running it alongside my Astra. It is a bit more practical and has better towing capacity despite being virtually the same kerb weight as the Astra.
The Astra has since been sold to the previous owner of the Picasso. The Dolomite has been resprayed in white.
Going back to the Picasso, it is now my daily driver and I'm chasing down a fault with the engine management light being constantly illuminated. The car seems to be running fine but whatever the problem is, it isn't going to go away and could get worse.
-- Edited by Toledo Man on Saturday 24th of September 2016 12:54:44 AM
The Picasso was hit by a drunk driver the day after New Tear's Day who didn't even stop (it was somebody I knew!). I'm claiming off his insurance and because of the relatively low market value I've decided to let my insurers take it away and pay me out. I've had to buy a replacement car and bought this.
It came with a full 12 months MoT but there was no service history so I gave it a service and I've been fixing some of the small faults. It is light years ahead of the Xsara Picasso and comes with a towbar fitted and should be more than up to job of towing my caravan. It should be a bit cheaper on the fuel and road tax being a diesel.
-- Edited by Toledo Man on Saturday 21st of January 2017 07:40:27 PM
Here's a more recent photo of the Citroen
Despite passing the MoT before I picked it up it still needed quite a bit of work. The only job I didn't do myself was to have the front springs and strut top bearings replaced.
-- Edited by Toledo Man on Wednesday 15th of March 2017 10:34:54 PM
Nice one on writing off the old Picasso and getting a new(er) one in the process. Got to love insurance payouts.
Here's a more recent photo.
-- Edited by Toledo Man on Monday 20th of March 2017 08:02:28 PM
I bought this VW Polo
I got it through an MoT and is now for sale. I've just bought an E36 BMW and I'll be picking it up at the weekend.
This is one of the photos on the eBay listing.
-- Edited by Toledo Man on Wednesday 5th of December 2018 07:00:29 AM
I had a 1995 325is with a 5 speed manual. What a fun car.
It must be the best 3 Series BMW built. The Polo has been sold, the BMW is now on the road and the Citroen failed the MoT this week.
-- Edited by Toledo Man on Sunday 20th of January 2019 08:54:11 PM
I took the drive belt back to the motor factor I bought it from and I got it exchanged for a shorter one (I called them beforehand and give the the BMW part number to cross reference it against) which fitted perfectly so that is a potential disaster averted. I've kept the old one as an emergency spare.
Nothing new to report on the Celica. I haven't been round to the local garage.
In other news, the Corsa (briefly) came back to haunt me. It wouldn't start and the owners were stranded in a supermarket car park so I had to recover the it to my garage so I could work on it in relative comfort. I got it running again so all is well (prepare to watch me eat my words as Nik once said).
The BMW now has LED sidelights and number plate lights. I've got some new wheel centres which will be fitted once I've given the wheels a good clean. I've bought the Wonder Wheels stuff that turns the dirt red once you've sparayed it on and then it can be rinsed off. I've also bought some Autoglym tyre dressing. I can use both of these on my Citroen as well.
I've got the V5C for the Celica so I'll be going round to the garage to do the deal. I've already ordered a new battery from Euro Car Parts. I'll tip some petrol in, pump up the tyres and get it round to my workshop (a single garage in reality).
-- Edited by Toledo Man on Monday 8th of July 2019 01:04:39 PM
-- Edited by Toledo Man on Monday 8th of July 2019 01:05:10 PM
Got the Celica home and it has got some awful tasteless mods. The exhaust is too loud so that has to go. The wheels look terrible and need to be repainted or replaced. It will need a service and the brakes overhauled. I've replaced the blue LED sidelight bulbs with some filament bulbs (left over from the LED light conversion on the BMW). I'm planning on taking this car back to as close as stock as possible and sell the parts I remove.
The problem with the BMW was a split vacuum hose to the idle control valve. A new part from the local dealer was just £7.50 and it has fixed the problem.
-- Edited by Toledo Man on Tuesday 9th of July 2019 07:21:40 AM
I've ordered a lot of parts for the Celica including a new exhaust (the old one is ropey and has an aftermarket back box), discovered that the non-working headlights are HIDs, and I've decided to strip the paint off the wheels with some paint stripper I bought from Screwfix.
The Citroen seems to be fine now. Looks like I've got all the air bled out of the fuel sytem (the joys of diesel!).
More work has been done on the Celica. I've carried out the engine service, fitted the heat shield for the exhaust manifold, bought a spare wheel for £8 on eBay, fitted new rear brake pads, replaced the broken front wheel stud, removed the HID headlight kit and got most of the paint off the wheels. One major fail was that the exhaust was missing the rear section. I've contacted the seller and they're gonna send it out to me.
The BMW had to have a drivebelt deflection pulley replaced. The old one had a noisy bearing.
I'm gradually getting closer to finding out why the Celica isn't running properly. It is looking like either vacuum hoses or the fuel injectors. I also need to do a compression test. I discovered an error code relating to the Air Intake Temperature sensor. The code has been cleared and hasn't come back. I also had a couple of ABS codes one of which I've managed to get rid of (NSF sensor). I've improved the brakes slightly by reseating the vacuum hose for the servo.
The BMW and Citroen got through their respective MoTs without too much trouble.
You willing to provide a link? I haven't had any luck finding you on YouTube.
www.youtube.com/channel/UCSVYX-JKJrO8ZaPbIq9MITg
I found a split in the air intake hose (the one between the air filter and throttle body) on the Celica so I'll try some tape as a "proof-of-conept" and source a replacement. I pulled the engine ECU out and the circuit boards (all 2 of them) are in pristine conditon (unlike the outside which was covered in dust). Fortunately, Toyota in their wisdom decided to situate the engine ECU in the interior of the car. The next thing to go after are the injectors and the fuel pressure regulator.
The BMW has had new wiper blades and I've ordered some for the Citroen.
The BMW had a clonking sound coming from the right rear whenever I turned left. The first thing I found was a right rear broken spring so I replaced both rear springs (I found some KYB springs on eBay for just over £18 each). The sound was still there so a bit of digging found a worn rear tailing arm bush on the right. I replace both sides (the bushes are about a fiver each from Euro Car Parts) and the other side was not too far behind. I fixed a non-working boot light which was a broken wire between the bootlid and the body where the loom flexes when the boot is opened and closed. I also tried to reglue the fabric on the door cards. It didn't quite work but it was better than before.
The Celica's brakes were binding so I managed to free them off. The front calipers had to be removed and compressed air got the caliper pistons out. Once they were cleaned and given a thin smear of grease they were fine. I've added some fresh petrol and some injector cleaner to try clean out the fuel injectors. I've also fitted a new front number plate.
Nothing has been done to the Dolomite.
I've also been working on a 2013 BMW F30 318d. I'm trying to trace a rattle in the front suspension. I've also fixed a faulty right rear light cluster. It was the multiplug connector. I got a replacement plug from a breaker for a fiver and it has fixed the problem.
I'll also be changing all the brake pads on a 2011 BMW E84 X1.
I've made videos and some of them have already been uploaded to my YouTube channel.
What type of grease? Is it compatible with brake fluid?
2 years later and the C4GP has been replaced with a 2003 Volvo XC90. An accident in June 2021 wrote the C4GP off by the insurance as "beyond economical repair".
The Dolomite is quietly rusting away and refuses to start.
The E36 suffered a bit of damage bus is still road legal.
The Celica is finally running a lot better since I changed the fuel pump. Just the ABS and a rust hole in the sill and it will be ready to go through the MoT.
-- Edited by Toledo Man on Monday 15th of August 2022 08:53:02 PM