Practically Classics Forum

Well the work done seems to have paid off. Zeb has 'mile munched' 650 miles over yesterday and today . Back seat loaded with our kit. Three, 19kg dogs in their boot cage, us two, plus a whopping great roof box full of stuff. Not a murmur from him, just that glorious 5 cylinder burble all the way

As it is more or less the same engine they put in the Focus ST you should have no problem cracking a tonne with that lot on board!
Nice to see a well maintained car doing it's job properly.

Indeed, in my humble opinion, Ford bought Volvo to get there hands on that fantastic 'White block'.....
Not sure my top box would remain in place at at a ton! I do tend to keep 'left' of 80 whilst on the Peage when the top box is in situ. Despite it's presence, Zeb registered 29.9 mpg en-route today. Maybe he'll crack 30 on next 300 mile leg to home tomo'

Well, as expected Zeb has made it home. With the 'running around' mileage he munched about 1350 in total in 7 days without a hitch.

Next plans for Zeb? Well, we have a trip planned to Kent in September for the Paws in the Park event. This will be a jaunt up to Calais towing our trailer tent, to the tunnel or maybe a Sea France crossing, not finalised it all yet. Then in October a run to Roscoff with swmbo who will be taking him to Devon to a weekend course she has booked.

Work wise, well, I have a set of front discs and pads ready to fit, but at last Controle Technique, I was advised that they are both okay for a while.

The air-con has died. I had it tested before the last trip, thinking a re-gas would suffice. No the condenser is dead. The mech, an independant garage, specialising in auto-electrics and air-con ( so the ad' says) gave me an 'off the cuff' estimate of 1000-1200€
Scary or what? So am thinking of getting hold of a condenser and fitting it, then taking it back to the garage for 'gassing' which would confirm my fitting to be good, erm or not

I do wonder if that quote was cos he didn't want the job mind....

Well, still no zircon in Zeb, sort of shying away for fear of replacing one expensive part to find a short time down the road another part fails due to some years of no use......

Zeb' is only two weeks or so away from another big trip (as mentioned earlier) to Kent for Paws in The Park, where I have a promotional stand booked and swmbo has entered our dogs in the agility and 'dash & splash' event

Zeb is gonna have to do a lot more work this time mind......... I decided that the trailer tent was too much work for short stays, great for a week or more though. So Zeb is gonna tug this to Kent.

Have already had a weekend at St Briac sur Mer to 'test' and all went swimingly well!

Nice one Paul - hope it all goes well - you might not be far from us, we're near Gatwick, so if you fancy popping over give me a shout on here, kettle's always on as it were.

I'd take courage and do the aircon if I were you - it will probably be OK, but the longer you leave it the more likely you are to have other problems...

Mine was the same - hadn't been used in years, due to a holed condenser, but I had it replaced and a re-gas and it's been no problem - icy cold when I need it! And don't use the "winter's coming" excuse, 'cos the aircon helps de-humidify the air even in winter, which helps enormously with de-misting in damp & cold weather. Useful all year round IMHO. Go for it mate!

Cheers

Paul240480 wrote:The air-con has died. I had it tested before the last trip, thinking a re-gas would suffice. No the condenser is dead. The mech, an independant garage, specialising in auto-electrics and air-con ( so the ad' says) gave me an 'off the cuff' estimate of 1000-1200€
Scary or what? So am thinking of getting hold of a condenser and fitting it, then taking it back to the garage for 'gassing' which would confirm my fitting to be good, erm or not

I do wonder if that quote was cos he didn't want the job mind....

That seems a little excessive. The cheapest condenser for your model in Eurocarparts is £66 and it can't be more than a couple of hours labour to fit. Are you sure he's not thinking of the evaporator? Now that would be a serious job, given the tendency of most manufacturers to start off with a heater and build the rest of the car round it A mistake in translation perhaps?

suffolkpete wrote:

Paul240480 wrote:The air-con has died. I had it tested before the last trip, thinking a re-gas would suffice. No the condenser is dead. The mech, an independant garage, specialising in auto-electrics and air-con ( so the ad' says) gave me an 'off the cuff' estimate of 1000-1200€
Scary or what? So am thinking of getting hold of a condenser and fitting it, then taking it back to the garage for 'gassing' which would confirm my fitting to be good, erm or not

I do wonder if that quote was cos he didn't want the job mind....

That seems a little excessive. The cheapest condenser for your model in Eurocarparts is £66 and it can't be more than a couple of hours labour to fit. Are you sure he's not thinking of the evaporator? Now that would be a serious job, given the tendency of most manufacturers to start off with a heater and build the rest of the car round it A mistake in translation perhaps?

Thanks, they use the same word for condenser. My suspicion is that he guesstimated a price for replacement of the whole lot, as is the French way. Also he would be getting parts from Volvo too.
£66 sounds good, I have only looked on Parts for Volvo so far and they want over £200 for one of theirs.

To be honest, £66 sounds TOO good - I'd be worried about the quality at that price. Camberley Auto Factors quoted me £160 for one, I can't remember the make but it was a well known reputable brand. I reckon that's about the going rate, anyhoo.

I did say the cheapest, they also quote an alternative at £141, which is nearer your figure, you pays your money and you takes your choice. I think that if I was intending to keep the car for any length of time, I would probably buy the more expensive item if I could afford it.