Project Fuel savings

[Avandriver]

Quite new to Micra ownership but ( learned to drive in a K10 in 1982 )

I have recently been getting sick of having no money and I have decided to do something about it .
The principal reason why I have no money is because Like a bloody fool I like to drive around in a hulking great van

I have used the motor home for the last twelve months as my daily driver and at 20 miles to the gallon it has fleeced me of any spare cash


So I have decided that it is time for the fuel guzzler to go .


So I purchased This


1.0 CVT three door poverty spec

It was owned by a neighbour of my girlfriends , and like the fool I am I bought it without even giving it a good look over .
It has been used and abused daily and not recieved any sort of servicing what so ever for at least three years
It was a horrible pink colour ( dont have any before pics , the pic was taken in the rain after a session with some T cut and pollish )

It needed welding a good service and new seats but I am capable of all that so no worries there and at a purchase price of £100 who could argue .

The plan was to sell the motorhome and get the Micra MOT'd and taxed and then enjoy some cheap motoring .

But my plan has been scuppered .



I have been messed about by tyre kickers and idiots , trying to sell the van .
And I think the head gasket has given up on my Micra


Before I even get to the MOT station I will have to sort this out

At least I can still get around in the gas guzzler .

More to come when I have stopped crying and obtained all the bits to fix the Micra

Steve

 

[1275]

Hey you could have done nearly 300 miles in the van for the price of the Micra

 

[Avandriver]

A definite indication of lack of servicing

You could drive a bus through that gap

I have cleaned the plugs and re-gapped them but it made no difference to the smoke issue .
They are on the list to be replaced along with the leads .


I will be making my own leads from 7mm copper cored HT cable and a selection of end fittings and rubber grommets with the addition of some heat shrink cable seal


Steve

 

[Guy]

Welcome Steve, I'm quite near you if you need a 2nd pair of hands with anything .

 

[Avandriver]

Thanks Guy I will bear that in mind .


I have sorted out the smoke problem ( there was too much oil in the engine , put there by my son trying to help out )

I have had a little bit of a shock today with insurance .


Bearing in mind that I am 47 years young and this is no racing car .
I have a 3.5 ton van on my driveway with a whopping 2.8 turbo diesel engine under the bonnet , my ncd is in excess of 9 years and I am paying £400 a year for comprehensive insurance .

Just had a quote from Sky insurance of £2250 comprehensive .


I am going for a lie down .



Steve

 

[1275]

My Micra costs about £160 fully comp, I'm a similar age to you Steve.

 

[Guy]

That's a joke mate, I'm 40 with 8 years NCB and I'm paying around £600.

 

[Avandriver]

I spoke to my motorhome insurers and they have said that because my NCB is linked to a motorhome , most other insurers would not let me carry it over to a car .
They said that they would cover me for the measly price of £728 .


Still too bloody much if you ask me .
How can it be half the cost to insure a massive van ( see pic in the first post o this blog )


If I cant get my insurance down to a decent cost then I will probably keep the van .

I will be ringing around the usual companies on Tuesday

Steve

 

[johnbr6]

Hope you sort this niggly problem Steve, I am sure there will be a company out there that will be able to help you out.

Sky are normally very good, big surprise that! I am 20, and paying 1200, renewal for this year is 700 quid.

 

[skymera]

Sky? Useful as a chocolate teapot if you ask me. The guy who rung me back few weeks ago seemed like the kid who had crayons stuffed up his nose in school.

Admiral was the cheapest for me, my current premium is around £680

 

[SirChris]

Sky? Useful as a chocolate teapot if you ask me. The guy who rung me back few weeks ago seemed like the kid who had crayons stuffed up his nose in school.

Admiral was the cheapest for me, my current premium is around £680

Lol. Sky peeps have been awesome to me. Been having issues with my other insurer being ass holes. They have been supportive the whole time and extended my policy to accommodate the other insurance twats. Given the mods on the car... they are bloody cheap..bug i think its down to having a few years behind.me.

But Direct line is alright for un-modified cars.
Sent from my NOVO7PALADIN using Tapatalk 2

 

[Squizza]

You tried Keith michaels??? 1100 f+t wi 2years ncb, 19yrs old and a modded motor
now with avivia however for 1200 fully comp!
try these and hope it helps

 

[Noddie]

You could have just run the IVECO on veg oil assuming its a diesel my dad runs his LWB turbo daily on veg oil (new at £1/litre from bookers or 60p/litre used and filter stuff from ebay)
but good luck with the micra! they are still fantastic cars!!!

 

[Avandriver]

Wow ! has it been three months since I was last here ?.

Yesterday I managed to sell the gas guzzling van , the Micra goes in for its MOT in the morning so hopefully i will be buying less fuel than I was before .

I managed to sort out the rough running issues and the smoky exhaust so fingers crossed i will be ok .

Steve

 

[skymera]

Wow ! has it been three months since I was last here ?.

Yesterday I managed to sell the gas guzzling van , the Micra goes in for its MOT in the morning so hopefully i will be buying less fuel than I was before .

I managed to sort out the rough running issues and the smoky exhaust so fingers crossed i will be ok .

Steve

Results for the MOT?

 

[Avandriver]

M O T was passed with flying colours .

Time to start saving money . Its going to be strange buying petrol , been driving diesels for the past twelve years .

Steve

 

[Avandriver]

Ive not updated this thread for ages so its about time I did .

Getting used to driving a CVT was very quick and now I don't think I want to go back to another manual . ( I am quite lazy )

40 mpg is bloody fantastic , I do most of my driving n the M60 so a constant speed at as low a revs as possible is what makes the saving .
I have carried quite heavy loads in the micra

A 1949 Lister D type engine .

My 1960's Villiers generator display


But it aint no van so I have fitted a tow bar to save on my interior getting destroyed ( not tried towing in it but I am not expecting too much ).


I have very soon got to replace the discs and pads and two outer cv boots .
The top engine mounting was replaced about three months ago but it has started to wobble again so I think I ill have to buy a new one instead of going to a breakers yard .

All in all I am loving Micra ownership and hopefully I can keep her for a long time

This gets quite a few comments too



Steve

 

[r-reg-sr]

Mums ride well
strange how my 1.3 was dealing with loads towing other cars and fast driving all doing the same fuel burn

 

[r-reg-sr]

Thats a heck of a reverse light, well done i'd say

 

[h701micra]

Looks like youve bought an ex road rally car and a poorly maintained one at that
Hope it all comes out well and I'm glad your enjoying it

 

[Avandriver]

Ex road rally car ? that would explain the dents in every panel ( even the roof )

The reverse light has beeen removed since the picturewas took ( my son jetwashed it and it started to look like a fish bowl )
Steve

 

[h701micra]

The spotlights and large reversing light dictate to me an ex road rally car. Especially the dents just add to it

 

[Avandriver]

Well as they say .


After spending a small fortune on
Discs and pads
Full exhaust ( including £40 for the middle section hanger )
Two new engine mountings
CV boots


The auto box decided to die on the first run after fitting all the new bits , the cost of a replacement gearbox would have been just too much for my wallet to bear so I decided to say goodbye to this Micra and start again with another one .

But


While looking round for a suitable replacement at the right price I happened to come across this

So I just had to have it

It doesnt have the smile factor that the Micra has but

60 mpg
Insurance bracket 3
and cheap tax
Is a win win all day

Steve


p.s Sorry about the French car pic

 

[MicrAde]

Well as they say .


After spending a small fortune on
Discs and pads
Full exhaust ( including £40 for the middle section hanger )
Two new engine mountings
CV boots


The auto box decided to die on the first run after fitting all the new bits , the cost of a replacement gearbox would have been just too much for my wallet to bear so I decided to say goodbye to this Micra and start again with another one .

But


While looking round for a suitable replacement at the right price I happened to come across this

The horror..........

Sent from my HTC One S using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[skymera]

A 106?