Lpgc, there were a few stories about people in Donegal, who tend to live a little "off-grid" shall we call it, refilling their converted cars from their Calorgas home heating tanks. I had heard it said that owners were getting Calorgas at a fairly low price, because it was for central heating and gas cookers, so it made a lot of sense to also use it in the car.
As I say, just hearsay, but I wouldn't put it past people living in Donegal !!!
Pierre3.
Thanks, Richard, I will look at the plans for Edinburgh.
I'm not sure of the situation vis-a-vis, [do you like that - "vis-a-vis", very educated, amn't I ], the Irish police passing on fines from the DVLA. i must ask a couple of people that I know who are connected to the Irish police.
There was a huge bone of contention, some years ago, because drivers from N.I. were being caught on radar checks speeding but the fines couldn't be enforced outside the State. I think, though, that after years of consultations the laws were changed in the two jurisdictions to allow fines and penalty points to be charged.
However, as you mention, after Brexit that could have changed.
Pierre3.
I thought that it would be instructive to members who live outside the UK, and more specifically, in the EU, to find out what happens now the UK is out of the EU.
I bought a replacement switchpack [ which I know that I could have got from Marty Cox, and perhaps should have done - sorry Marty] from Rimmer Bros, which has an exchange surcharge on it, and cost £244 [ €283] with the surcharge being returned, £50 or so.
The exact breakdown was, in Euro's:
Switchpack - €209.10
Surcharge - €57.96
Sub-total - €267.06
Shipping - €16.16
Total - €283.22
All very well, I know it is pretty expensive but I was looking at the idea that because it has come from Rimmer Bros then it may have been repaired by Landrover, but again perhaps not. It was a cost I was prepared to accept to make sure that my windows go back up when I put them down !! I have just fitted a spare switchpack that I got from Marty early last year and I had kept as an emergency back-up. Now I have used it.
So the "new" switchpack was delivered by UPS this morning, and with a bit of a shock. The driver said that there was €80 due to be paid, care of Irish Revenue. I had an idea that there would be something due, but €80 ???? A bit steep.
The new import rules now, after Brexit, is that anything coming into Ireland with a value of over €150 gets [a] charged 12% import duty, [b] 23% VAT, and the VAT is charged on the sub-total of the cost of the item, the 12% duty, the shipping cost, and then, on top of that, 10% handling fee by the import delivery company.
So my switchpack ended up costing €363.22 !!
That is the cost of Brexit to people outside the UK. Anything that comes into Ireland, and probably applies to the rest of the EU, is subject, over certain limits, to 12% duty and whatever VAT rate is current in the importing country, currently 23% in Ireland. It effectively means that if I want to import spares for the P38 from a tax-compliant shipper and the total purchase cost is over €150 then I need to add around 33/34% to the initial purchase price. It doesn't matter if you buy 151 items at €1 each because the total is €151 and therefore subject to duties.
I can see that, if I have to replace something expensive which has to come from the UK, then the poor old P38 will have to be got rid off as it will be too expensive to repair. And, being a P38, I suspect that day may be sooner rather than later.
Pierre3.
On this topic, which is really informative, does anyone know what the situation is for foreign-registered vehicles, for example Irish registered cars ?
Also, what is the intention for Scotland ? I have to take the P38 to Edinburgh in July.
Pierre3.
Hi Richard, I have sent you a PM, if you get a chance to have a look I would be most grateful.
Pierre3.
Richard, I was fortunate in that my pillar trims cleaned up well with a bit of warm water and "Dodo Juice" Purple car shampoo ! I didn't scrub them too hard but rather wiped them firmly with a wet cloth. I had considered putting the roof material on them but when I trial wrapped the back door seat belt trim I felt that it was too thick and would almost certainly wear quickly, and then look awful.
Pierre3.
The headlining panel does, as Richard rightly says and I followed his advice, come out the tailgate. I had to remove all the boot area trim down to the wheelwell panel, and then gently bending the panel pulled it out.
Again, as Harv says, it is two thin sheets of fibreglass with foam sandwiched in between. I am sure that it is repairable using a car fibreglass kit. If you have experience of the old way of car repairing using fibreglass and Isopon then it should be easy enough.
What I would say is to take a lot of care if, and when, you repair the panel, and make sure that the downside-facing surface is absolutely smooth before you glue the material back on otherwise you will definitely see the edges afterwards. I have a small edge line showing beside one of the pull handles because, for some reason, the panel had a crack in it. The fibreglass wasn't actually broken but if you ran your fingers over the surface you could feel a slight difference.
I thought that this wouldn't be noticeable, as there wasn't a visible crack or split but you can see it if you look carefully.
The edges are a bit tricky, just try your very best to avoid the two fibreglass surfaces from seperating around the edge when cleaning off the old material. It comes apart very easily, and, unfortunately, the new material won't really pull it back together. The edges also need to be quite firm as they hold the roof panel in place by sitting in the door seals inner track.
My advice for the holes, for the grab handles, roof lights, and other bits is to cut an "X" in the material from the back surface, and make sure not to go too close to the edge of the hole, just to let the material pull through to be glued down on the back of the panel. I tried to be more "creative" with one such hole but it meant that the very corners didn't pull right through the hole onto the back. Fortunately, there is a reasonable edge around the fittings which will cover any small issues.
I found that the easiest way to get the rear reading lights back was to use one screw which was about twice the length of the original screw and let it pull the light fitting up to the plastic plugs in the roof. I think that the light fitting could break if you try pushing it too hard to get the original, short screws in place.
Also, the grab handles can take a fair bit of shoving to get them back in place. They have small lugs that push into a hole in the roof, but I found that I had the stick the screws onto a screwdriver and then, pulling the spring-loaded handle down, drive the screw into place. A bit a a pain but not too difficult.
The sunvisors are a bit of guesswork, but if you have cut a small hole for the mirror light cable then you should easily find one screwhole. Get one screw in, and you should be able to feel the hole through the roof panel by running your fingers across the material, and then push a screw through the material until you feel the screw hole in the roof.
I found that I had to bend the newly upholstered panel a little bit to get it back into the vehicle. But if one is gentle and wiggle it about a bit it goes in pretty easily. I think the best method of getting it into position without doing damage, especially if you like me have a sunroof, is to get the panel to sit in the rear passenger door seal track first. This will take the strain off the panel and give you time to get the front door seals done.
After that, refit all the pillar trim pieces. It should be easy enough to get a couple of replacement seat belt adjuster covers. I just made sure to wash [clean] the pillar trim pieces before refitting.
Exactly, Richard, and the numbskull who wrote the article mentioned is completely ignoring that fact. So cars become bigger, to be safer but car park designers mark out spaces to be smaller to get more people in. So nobody wins because people start to park by encroaching into a second space. Thereby defeating the original architects idea of more customers, and also jerking everybody's chain when they can't park because of all the "bad" parking.
I also notice, of recent, a lot of the big supermarkets have reduced the number of mother-and-baby spaces, or at least they have in Edinburgh. The last time I visited my daughter there I found it very difficult in a lot of places to find mother-and-baby spaces. A real pain when you have two children [ or grandchildren] of 3 and 4 years of age, and you need to put one in each side of the back of the car. I have to admit to taking two spaces if really necessary, or else I just give up and walk from the back of the carpark with one small childer in each hand !!!
Bring back horses and donkeys, I say !!
Pierre3.
Having read part of that "publication" and one thing that annoys me is the comment about "150,000 cars were sold which are too big to fit into a standard parking space". Well, I believe that a lot of carparks, for the last 5 years or so, are marking their spaces smaller, so that they can get more cars, and therefore more people, into the car park.
I find it almost impossible to get out of my Lexus IS in many carparks. It is easier to get out of the P38 in most places because I climb down whereas in the Lexus I have to open the door and pull myself up, and that is a problem in a small space.
That article obviously want everybody to buy crappy things like this:
God, I hate these to**ers. They bleat on about how we, in the UK and Ireland, should stop driving cars, stop flying, turn off our central heating, but are quite happy to let China keep burning up millions of tons of coal, let Brazil cut down thousands of acres of forest, let India's population keep exploding into billions of people and do almost nothing to stop any of that because these countries are untameable. So we have to stop polluting the world.
Well, I don't think so. People like that Swedish prat can hoof off. When controls have been put on Russia, the USA, China, India, Brazil, and Indonesia then I will look at reducing my emissions footprint.
Pierre3.
Hi Richard, good call on this thread, I found Jon's service excellent. The fob worked first time when I got it back.
Pierre3.
My point is - I would like to keep my P38 even if it meant going electric. The problem is that nobody, nobody at all, will do an electric conversion for a sensible cost, say £10,000. Reading quite a number of US sites about EV conversions they often come in quite a bit under £10K. I appreciate that one would have to pay for some-ones labour to do the work, but charging over £100,000 is just ridiculous.
Pierre3.
I took a selfie after spending to much time outside, at night, in the back garden, during lockdown:
I look a bit older these days.
Pierre3.
Wow, a three month old turkey must have tasted a bit rank !!!!
Pierre3.
Richard - "Yes, they do that although it's usually a crunch rather than a boing." I think the "boing" was caused by me hitting my head on the door frame.
Pierre3.
Well, well, well, fascinating stuff, thanks Richard. Just as well he is in America. I'll bet he voted for Trump.
Pierre3.
You're right there. Even better - a fascinating subject for a Good Friday night even !!!
I always wanted to be a Morris Minor owner, but I bought a P38 by mistake, at an auction, in the dark, at night ....................................... where am I now.
Pierre3
I know exactly how you feel there, a very dangerous place, Wales, particularly if you are wearing a sheepskin coat and Wellitons, sorry, Wellingtons !!!
Pierre3.
Richard, thanks for the information.
I saw the grab handle on the Brit Car website, but I have bought a used, very well cleaned one from a breaker, Tom Peers. Leolito is correct about the price - the new one is around £24 including VAT, I have paid £5 plus postage.
Again - the fasteners, as leolito acknowledges, fit the carpet-type trim in the area around the back seats and boot area. The first fastener, that is pictured, is used where the Harmon Kardon CD unit is installed, on the passenger side in the boot area. There are four of them holding the outer carpeted trim panel around the CD unit.
The fasteners in pics 2 and 3 hold various bits of trim together, such as under the folding boot cover. There are about 4 or 5 on each side, right behind the rear seats. In my vehicle they are a couple of different colours, Brown and Beige, so I suspect somebody before me has had this same problem - lack of supply. I think that I have sourced about 8 or 10 at this stage, from different breakers.
The big fir-tree fasteners are light Grey and do fit the seat base trim panels. There are a couple of short [10/15mm] ones around the side of the seat panels and one big one, beside the transmission tunnel, about 20/25mm long, much bigger than any of the others and easy to find online.
To some extent, I am picking up some spare ones because some of the ones in my vehicle are a bit stripped of the fastener bits.
Pierre3.
Hi Richard, thanks for your information.
I don't know what to make of that bloke ToadHallRR. He appears to be very bombastic and self-opinionated. I think that, having read stuff that he has posted, and read your advice and information I know who I would rather believe. Not wishing to praise you too much [!!!!! 💀 ] I would trust you rather more than him !!! [And no, I'm not gay.]
Pierre3.
Just a note for anyone requiring a good service. Jon Dean repairs key fobs, and he has just done one for me. It took about 2 weeks, bearing in mind that I am in Ireland, and it works perfectly. Now I have two perfectly working keyfobs for a change.
Jon has an Ebay listing as follows:
second-remote-repairs
https://www.ebay.ie/itm/265083658710?ViewItem=&item=265083658710
His email address is as follows:
Jon Dean
po box 160
Biggleswade
Bedfordshire
SG18 1BL
United Kingdom
Phone:07889761563
Email:Casper828_8@hotmail.com
I remember seeing Jon's name come up somewhere else on the forum, but maybe this post will help some-one in the future as it did for me.
Pierre3.