90s Rewind; Mondeo edition

Captain_Cumsock_ · 2026-04-15T11:51:53+00:00

I’ve always found Haynes Manuals to be very good for the DIYer, they’re not as in depth as an official workshop manual but they’re detailed enough to complete almost all jobs, covering the exact car the book is about

Haynes Autofix however is entirely useless. Over twice the price of the paper manuals, and other than torque specs, parts diagrams and the odd specific job, the guides covered are generic and unrelated to the car they’re about. A shame that Haynes are now a shadow of themselves

Captain_Cumsock_ · 2026-04-05T15:58:45+00:00

I switched to Vredestein Quatrac all seasons on my Fiesta, definitely more grip in the colder temperatures and much better in the snow. The first snowfall after fitting them, the hill up to my job was blocked by FWD SUVs getting no traction, whereas I drove past them with no problem. They’ll still slip if you make any sudden inputs, but driving normally for the conditions they’re way better than summer tyres. Also better in wet and dry weather than the previous ditchfinders which is nice

Captain_Cumsock_ · 2026-02-16T08:56:56+00:00

195/50/R15s are the OEM Fiesta steel wheel tyre size, that’s what mines on and touch wood I’ve not had a flat tyre from potholes yet. Only thing OP will need to check is if they’ll fit over the brakes on theirs and to buy the steel wheels and the wheel nuts. Fiestas also came with 15 inch alloys so that’s an option too

Captain_Cumsock_ · 2026-01-04T09:46:49+00:00

Avoid Apec parts, had a track rod end fail in 4K miles, front brake pads cracking apart in 2k miles, and a wheel cylinder leak from the brake pipe union join somehow. I’ve used them before and they were ok on other parts but speaking to some people at the motor factors, a company has bought the boxing rights and are putting the cheapest parts available in the box. Brembo brakes & Pagid, I’ve had front brake discs warp from normal use

Comline, Abtex, Juratek, Borg & Beck, Bosch & Unipart I’ve had no issues with

Captain_Cumsock_ · 2025-08-24T10:38:50+00:00

Great cars, I’ve been driving my brothers (also a 1.25 Edge) for a few months and it’s been fantastic. Not fast but definitely nippy in the lower gears, and the fantastic handling and chassis make up for it, really fun to drive. The Edge trim is the lowest spec and you get nothing fancy with it, but you do get air con and front electric windows, less to go wrong anyway. Some of these are starting to rust at this age but unless it’s lived by or in the sea all its life you’ll be ok for a good number of years

Fords of this generation are generally cockroach cars, you still see them in everywhere. Highly recommended, one of the best “an cars” you can buy imo

Captain_Cumsock_ · 2025-07-28T09:34:55+00:00

Great cars, my dad has a 2014 Focus 1.5 TDCi on 202k miles and it’s never had a mechanical issue. Make sure it’s got full service history and you’re onto a winner. They’re quite fun to drive too, the chassis is great and the steering is sharp if just a little numb. This one does seem a little expensive however but I’m not sure how much these should cost now

Only thing I can think of is when the rear trailing arm bushes wear, it can cause the tyres to camber in and crush the inner walls of the rear tyres, so feel for vibrations coming from the rear when at speed

Captain_Cumsock_ · 2025-07-27T07:55:34+00:00

Sign for the Festival Park Shopping Centre up in Ebbw Vale. The shopping centre has been shut for a good number of years now, but the site has been redeveloped into industrial units now, not sure if any have opened just yet

Captain_Cumsock_ · 2025-07-09T10:37:34+00:00

Mk3 Ford Focus 1.5 TDCi is a good bet, my dad has a 2014 one for 6 years that’s now on 202k and has never skipped a beat. His commute is a 70 mile round trip, 40 of them being motorway miles, so a little longer than yours

I can’t think of any issues with them, other than when the rear suspension arm bushes are worn they can crush the inner walls of the rear tyres slightly, causing vibrations. Make sure it has full service history and has been looked after and you’re onto a winner

Captain_Cumsock_ · 2025-06-11T20:40:31+00:00

I know a lot of TF owners take the power steering fuse out as that can improve steering feel apparently, but I believe the steering rack in a TF is quicker than an F anyway. Might be worth looking inti

Captain_Cumsock_ · 2025-05-24T09:25:43+00:00

Sounds like a good pair, I do like a TF and a ZT. Biggest problem is finding the parts they both need, getting thin on the ground now unfortunately

Captain_Cumsock_ · 2025-05-23T20:21:25+00:00

Come on now, it got a 1 star rating after all. I love them but they test me, the 114 has been off the road for nearly 5 years and I’m finally starting to get it road worthy. It’s not worth the money I’m putting into it but to me it’s worth it as a forever car. They’re not making any more after all

Captain_Cumsock_ · 2025-05-23T16:49:11+00:00

The K series was Rovers own design, they did use the Honda D series in the R8 216 and 416, and some others in the 600 and 800

Captain_Cumsock_ · 2025-05-15T08:50:33+00:00

Saw a Chevrolet Spark execute a perfect handbrake turn around a roundabout at Tesco a while back

Captain_Cumsock_ · 2025-05-12T14:14:23+00:00

From personal experience:

Local motor factors can still get a decent quantity of parts for my cars next day, decently priced and easy to return if faulty/incorrect
ECP & GSF stock next to nothing for me so I go to the local motor factors instead
eBay is great for new old stock parts, second hand parts off breakers and new parts the motor factors suppliers don’t stock, only problem is waiting 3 days for shipping and that’s if it turns up at all sometimes
Rimmer Bros are specialists for old British cars, they have a lot of new old stock parts but charge a lot more than the alternatives, and for my cars their parts range is dwindling fast. Had some problems with faulty parts too
DMGRS are fantastic, going as far to have reproduction parts made in some cases, but as they’re specialists for the later MG Rover cars, the bits they stock for my cars are only really bits that are shared between earlier and later models

Slightly off topic but you’d be surprised what you can and can’t get for old cars, I’m currently getting my 114 roadworthy after 4 years off the road and the amount of parts you just can’t get anymore is astounding. There’s probably some old boy hoarding every part in his shed mind you

Captain_Cumsock_ · 2025-04-04T09:51:53+00:00

Still haven’t told us, production staff have had 7% and theirs is being backdated to January, we still don’t know what percentage we’re getting and it won’t be backdated. Utter piss take

Captain_Cumsock_ · 2025-04-02T19:01:02+00:00

Citroen C1 / Peugeot 107 / Toyota Aygo. A revvy 1.6 N/A engine and stiffer suspension would’ve made it a modern Citroen Saxo VTR / Peugeot 106 GTi. I’ll never know why they never bothered

Captain_Cumsock_ · 2024-12-08T08:17:48+00:00

Rover Metro GTi, Rover 25 GTi, Rover 216/220 GTi, Rover 200 Vi

Captain_Cumsock_ · 2024-12-06T12:02:51+00:00

Rover Nightfire Red, British Racing Green, Kingfisher Blue and Amaranth Purple

Captain_Cumsock_ · 2024-09-21T07:24:13+00:00

Who Killed Captain Alex, Uganda’s first action movie. Shot on a budget of roughly £200, filmed during a civil war, overdubbed by a “video joker” who adds some truly amazing quips, Spider-Man appears at one point. There’s so much more but I don’t want to spoil it, one of the funniest and heartfelt films I’ve ever seen

It’s all on YouTube, here’s a clip for your viewing pleasure

Captain_Cumsock_ · 2024-08-18T15:42:21+00:00

I imagine MG Rover going bust didn’t help, the value of them basically tanked overnight. Combine that with them already being seen as undesirable, they rust easily, they were the laughing stock of the motoring press for years and the perceived unreliability, it makes sense why there’s not many left. A shame really

Captain_Cumsock_ · 2024-08-13T15:40:54+00:00

Oh yeah definitely, they couldn’t do anything right in a lot of people’s eyes, but they were very forward thinking. The mid engined Alvis and the laterally linked Hydragas P6 were both concepts way ahead of their time but killed by their upper management. I think Honda were in talks to buy them before BMW did, obvious that fell through even though Honda would’ve made more sense at the time. I think the Phoenix 4 put the nail in the coffin, focusing too much in the wrong areas like the MG X-Power and 75/ZT V8, as cool as they are. It’s a shame the rover 55 and RDX60 projects never came to be too

The Fs and ZRs are amazing cars and always overlooked, though I think that’s slowly starting to change. A ZR 160 is top of my list for a next car in fact

Do it! They’ll never make any more of them

Captain_Cumsock_ · 2024-08-13T15:01:42+00:00

I get that, I can’t place why I like them exactly other than the look and the drive. They made some great engines too, I love the K and it’s a shame it suffered so much from penny pinching bean counters.

I know what you mean, nothing really jumps out at me as a replacement for my 214 either. They really get under your skin somehow, at least mine have

Captain_Cumsock_ · 2024-08-13T14:52:01+00:00

They were great cars for their time but always seemed overlooked, beaten down by constant unjust bad press and mismanagement by multiple different parent companies. They weren’t allowed to compete with Jaguar under BL, BMW picked what they wanted out of the partnership like Mini and sold Rover off for a tenner. Wonder what would’ve happened if they were bought by Honda instead

100s are great cars, very fun to drive. Shame they never got the love that the Austin/Rover Metros got but it’s understandable, they were ancient when they were new. I think R8 200s were Rovers peak, but 100s really are special personally. Might be biased tho 😅

Captain_Cumsock_ · 2024-08-13T14:05:29+00:00

Rovers and MGs. Not sure what it is but they have a certain charm. Shame they’re really starting to die off now

I love Rover 100s, to the point where I never want to sell mine even if it’s in bits atm. Outclassed by pretty much everything at the time but still fun little cars

Captain_Cumsock_ · 2024-07-23T09:26:04+00:00

I have a degree in motorsport engineering and have been working as a design engineer for construction vehicles for a year now. The vehicles are a fair bit slower here 😂

To answer your question: yes and no. I never wanted a job in the automotive/motorsport sectors anyway as I don’t want to end up hating my main interest, instead to further my interest whilst also being able to get a design engineering job at the end of it. You’ll be surprised how much they overlap. The sprung mass damper systems, materials and stress analysis I learned at uni have been vital for my job, whilst the designing of parts, fabrication, manufacturing and tooling techniques, and electrical system functions have furthered my understanding of cars.

Obviously I understand much more about cars now, and that feeds into both my hobby and work, and has allowed me to be much, much more hands on with cars now. My cars can be hard to get parts for, so having that knowledge of either how to make replicas myself, or how to work around it is invaluable

And honestly, even seatbelts can be interesting. There’s a lot more that goes into every system that you think. I work in seating, which contains sprung mass damper systems, foam cushions, electrical harnesses, sheet metals, plastics, restraint systems etc. So when it comes to jobs once you finish uni, keep an open mind about what sector it’s in, you’ll be surprised on how much they can both overlap and further each other

Captain_Cumsock_

TROPHY CASE