what have you done to your car today ?

Ivan Ryban

Active Member
Dec 9, 2022
39
4
Ok, sorry about that, I had found this thread via the search function and did not realise it was a 1M topic (does not suggest so in the title).. I also created a thread in the Freetrack forum, but I would wait for a year before receiving an answer there (let alone a relevant one..)..

Nevertheless, I reckon this was rather universal question, relating to 1M as well as any other car, so I am glad I got the feedback. Anything else that comes to your mind about control arms I will be glad to hear :D
 

Alexis27

Active Member
Dec 20, 2009
2,147
483
Manchester
Ended up paying £530 (£50 a month) for insurance last month.

The wife's insurance on her Mini is going to be £38 a month. This is despite her crashing into the side of a Polo last spring (100% her fault) and writing it off. (a £100 bumper from a scrapyard sorted the Mini - they're tough!)

Makes absolutely no sense!
 

iammooks

Active Member
Nov 27, 2018
1,784
1,172
Ended up paying £530 (£50 a month) for insurance last month.

The wife's insurance on her Mini is going to be £38 a month. This is despite her crashing into the side of a Polo last spring (100% her fault) and writing it off. (a £100 bumper from a scrapyard sorted the Mini - they're tough!)

Makes absolutely no sense!

I think I'm paying around £250 a year for the FR. That's with maxed out no claims, licence since 1998 and about 17 years IAM membership. My annual mileage is pretty low though, so that might be another factor.

Working myself up to do two jobs today - fitting the headlight I bought from Thai, and finally changing my cat. Not looking forward to either, but I can take the whole weekend and the start of next week to do it, but it's got to be done before the MoT runs out in early February.

I put Tiger Seal around the replacement headlight just to make sure it's as watertight as possible, and will try refurbishing the old one, as there's nothing wrong with it otherwise, and keep it as a spare. I didn't do as good a polish job as I'd have liked, but judging from some of the fogged up lights I've seen recently, it's sparkling clear in comparison.

Now I know I can get the old cat out, I'm less worried about struggling with it, but I'm still not loving the idea of being under the car again. I'm not as young as I used to be and my abs certainly aren't at strong - not that they ever were.

Beer and a cheeky smoke tonight I think.


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iammooks

Active Member
Nov 27, 2018
1,784
1,172
But of course that was going to happen...

65628338a9f01d8abe1c21ad8b2191ae.jpg



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Nam-uk

Active Member
May 11, 2011
1,183
360
lancashire.
I think I'm paying around £250 a year for the FR. That's with maxed out no claims, licence since 1998 and about 17 years IAM membership. My annual mileage is pretty low though, so that might be another factor.

Working myself up to do two jobs today - fitting the headlight I bought from Thai, and finally changing my cat. Not looking forward to either, but I can take the whole weekend and the start of next week to do it, but it's got to be done before the MoT runs out in early February.

I put Tiger Seal around the replacement headlight just to make sure it's as watertight as possible, and will try refurbishing the old one, as there's nothing wrong with it otherwise, and keep it as a spare. I didn't do as good a polish job as I'd have liked, but judging from some of the fogged up lights I've seen recently, it's sparkling clear in comparison.

Now I know I can get the old cat out, I'm less worried about struggling with it, but I'm still not loving the idea of being under the car again. I'm not as young as I used to be and my abs certainly aren't at strong - not that they ever were.

Beer and a cheeky smoke tonight I think.


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Mine around 230
 

iammooks

Active Member
Nov 27, 2018
1,784
1,172
We’re has that bolt sheared ?
If you can’t get it with grips try theses https://www.toolstation.com/screw-bolt-extractor-set/p51010

It's the driver's side headlight on the lower right side as you look at the car. I've soaked it in penetrating lube and will give it a try tomorrow with some vice grips as there's still a little bit I might be able to grip onto. Otherwise I'll have to go up to my girlfriend's house, as that's where I've got all my extractors and my drill

At least I got the sleeve off the exhaust and got the nuts off the turbo so the down pipe is free.

I'm checking the light I took out over, but I can't find any leaks. When I took the back cover off though, the rubber seal wasn't in place properly. Hoping I haven't bought a replacement light for the sake of a seal that came off when I last changed a bulb, but that sort of thing does happen to me, so...


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cuthound

Active Member
Jan 26, 2024
50
27
It's the driver's side headlight on the lower right side as you look at the car. I've soaked it in penetrating lube and will give it a try tomorrow with some vice grips as there's still a little bit I might be able to grip onto. Otherwise I'll have to go up to my girlfriend's house, as that's where I've got all my extractors and my drill

At least I got the sleeve off the exhaust and got the nuts off the turbo so the down pipe is free.

I'm checking the light I took out over, but I can't find any leaks. When I took the back cover off though, the rubber seal wasn't in place properly. Hoping I haven't bought a replacement light for the sake of a seal that came off when I last changed a bulb, but that sort of thing does happen to me, so...


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If you have a Dremel you can use it to cut a slot in the end of the remains of the bolt and then use a screwdriver to remove it. If it is broken flush, then worst case is drill it out and retap the thread.
 
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iammooks

Active Member
Nov 27, 2018
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956a4520085df9eff0fdfae0785d43b2.jpg


At least that's one job done. Much easier than I thought, but the new one was a good inch shorter than the old one. Fingers crossed it won't leak...

Now to get that snapped headlight screw out.


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iammooks

Active Member
Nov 27, 2018
1,784
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630d5e7d66425619db5780f8d6a52c73.jpg


Had to drill the ******* out. Wasn't exactly dead centre on the bolt, but ended up being able to cut a new thread, given that the bolt and the plate were one, and there was no way they were going to part ways.

c6621a344e98e17ef6e24b02a465ca59.jpg


And if it holds, I'm not complaining. Going to file it flush as there's still a bit of the screw sticking out, but I'm done for the day.

If I've got the energy tomorrow, I'll put the light back on and attempt to get the bumper back on. Only SEAT in their infinite wisdom would make a headlight you can't take off without taking the bumper off, and a bumper that's super hard to replace when the headlights are on.


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BadBoy03

A Mk1 Is For Life, Not Just For Fun
Sep 6, 2016
677
437
Somerset
Ended up paying £530 (£50 a month) for insurance last month.

The wife's insurance on her Mini is going to be £38 a month. This is despite her crashing into the side of a Polo last spring (100% her fault) and writing it off. (a £100 bumper from a scrapyard sorted the Mini - they're tough!)

Makes absolutely no sense!
When I moved house 2 years ago, my car went from being parked in a communal residents carpark; opposite my house, to a private drive with security light. Without a doubt I thought this would lower my insurance, but nope. I quizzed them over it & they said I had moved into a high risk area. The funny thing was I'd moved down the road, literally a 2 minute walk in the most boring village you could ever live in.
I lost it with them & the ***** on the other end cancelled my insurance with no warning.
Insurance companies are an f ing nightmare, mafia imo.
 

Nam-uk

Active Member
May 11, 2011
1,183
360
lancashire.
It does depend on postcode, when them crash scams as were rife the insurance companies put the the cost of insurance in the worst effected crash scam areas
 
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Alexis27

Active Member
Dec 20, 2009
2,147
483
Manchester
It does depend on postcode, when them crash scams as were rife the insurance companies put the the cost of insurance in the worst effected crash scam areas
Yep, so when your neighbour legitimately gets crashed into and claims £50k for their Tesla your postcode's premiums go up and everyone in the street has to pay!

The *risk* of you claiming personally hasn't changed, yet you have to pay more. They've intentionally blurred risk, cost and profit - and then have the nerve to claim "we actually make very little profit, if any." Direct Line spend £112million on advertising a year!

Just like when the supermarkets said they made a penny a litre profit for years and then it was uncovered they really made about 9p!
 
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iammooks

Active Member
Nov 27, 2018
1,784
1,172
Does anyone know the part number (or just the type of screw) for the three big screws that go into the underside of the front of the bumper?

One of them has fallen out and the other two are really badly corroded, so it would be nice to replace them.

These ones here:

0a754b5d16665caf6dd3014ef6c6624d.jpg



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Nam-uk

Active Member
May 11, 2011
1,183
360
lancashire.
I used a 8mm socket tex screw of the same size as they were handy at the time, at least easier to get off and look out for missing under tray screws, I had allot missing 2 yr ago
 
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