Mat's BX Blog

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 12:54 am

Just to report that I have returned (about 10 minutes ago) from a 640 mile round trip to pick up some new (leather!) seats from Kitch and to drop off an engine to Kermit.
Blimey, it's busy dahn sarf innit. Seemed like every man and his dog had gone out for a drive.... Still, it was nice to meet you both, although a shame I couldn't stay longer and chat cars!

Time for bed now....zzzzzzzzzz

CitroXim · Post by **CitroXim** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 8:07 am

You'll love the leather Mat

I'm really into leather myself...

It is busy down this way and there are times when it really gets a bit too much to bear. Everywhere you go it's crowded, even where you don't expect it to be. I hate crowds with a passion

I try to mitigate it by doing things at times when the crowds are thinner, like Christmas shopping at 05:00 on Christmas Eve

For us who face the madding crowds daily, it is a real treat to escape for a while to places like where you live

You just don't know how lucky you are...

citroen7 · Post by **citroen7** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 5:10 pm

just spent the weekend at centre parcs at elvden near thetford and having not driven "over there" for 4 years i was shocked at the volume of traffic and bad standard of driving ,having said that i drove from my dads pub in Bramerton near Norwich (its called the woods end and he does very good food plug plug

to stanstead without going over 80 in an hour and a half with quite heavy traffic which was not too bad at all
back on topic i would love leather in either of my bxs as we have it in the 405 and it is just like sitting in an arm chair

Well done!

CitroXim · Post by **CitroXim** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 9:20 pm

citroen7 wrote:just spent the weekend at centre parcs at elvden near thetford

I'm jealous

We spent several weekends at Center Parcs just after Christmas a few years back. In fact it used to be a regular after Christmas treat for several years. Now the kids are growing up we've not done it for the past couple of years and I miss it. I love Center Parcs

Our last one was at Elvedon and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Not quite as good as Oasis in Cumbria (we went there twice) but great all the same.

Did you enjoy it?

I think it was Elvedon where the kids finally won their battle to get me to go down the high flume in the pool. Once was enough. For the whole way down I screamed out one very long and extended "ffffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuuuuccccccccccckkkkkkkkk"

Never going down one of those things again.

Funnier still was one trip I did down one of the waterslides. On my back and backwards

I had an audience for that one. Once I followed the girls down the slide. they went down on their fronts so I thought I would as well. Big mistake

At the end is a little ridge, just perfectly placed to give your balls a nasty bump. Another involuntary utterance of the F-word left my lips

I did enjoy the outdoor pool at night, laying in warm water in freezing air and looking up at the stars. Magical!

I did the off-road 4x4 experience in a V8 Range Rover whilst at Elvedon. Great fun but not as good as the rally experience in a Pug 205 on offer at the Nottingham Center Parcs the year before....

Mat, sorry for hijacking your blog!!!

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 11:21 pm

No need to apologise Jim! Made me smile...

Thanks for the comments re the leather - yes I am enjoying it!

I haven't put in the door cards yet, as I want to waxoyl the insides of the doors again while I have access, but my can has dried up/frozen solid! I've given the seats some leather conditioner, as the cold weather and lack of use had meant they had lost some of their suppleness. They really are in excellent condition, espacially given they are (at least) 16 years old.

On the subject of congestion, I used to live in Gloucester, and before that Sheffield, so I am not a complete country dweller, but it's amazing how quickly you get used to the relative lack of traffic (at least in winter). Then when you go back to 'civilisation', levels of traffic you would have previously thought normal now seem incredibly busy!

My wife's Megane was playing up this morning, the starter solenoid seemed not to be engaging the pinion with the flywheel. She thought it didn't sound right so grabbed my booster pack and promptly connected it the wrong way round (well it was almost dark!) Cue lots of smoke and still not starting...she ended up taking the BX as I wasn't going into work today. She's not a convert though - too big and 'rolly' for her.

MULLEY · Post by **MULLEY** » Thu Jan 01, 2009 6:08 pm

Whereabouts in Sheffield did you used to live? I travel to work there 5 days a week & lived there for quite a few years myself.

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Thu Jan 01, 2009 9:25 pm

Used to live in Chapeltown for about 15 years, but I had to brave the city centre most days for the last 5 years. Usually on a bike, as the 7 miles into Sheffield would take about an hour by car during rush hour, but about 40 minutes by pedal power. (Less if you grab a lift from passing buses!

)

Where do you work then?

MULLEY · Post by **MULLEY** » Thu Jan 01, 2009 10:37 pm

ahemmm

a lovely, well respected insurance company thats in the process of changing its name from something people know & having a history of over 200 years, to some silly euro name, perhaps you've seen the tv adverts (featuring bruce willis)?

I'm just off ecclesall road, not far from the city centre.

stuart_hedges · Post by **stuart_hedges** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 9:13 pm

mat_fenwick wrote:She's not a convert though - too big and 'rolly' for her.

I know we've debated this before (I've mentioned it on my blog too), but it always intrigues me. Why do other people think that the BX is a big car?

In what dimension is a BX bigger than a Megane?

DavidRutherford · Post by **DavidRutherford** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 10:05 pm

The bonnet.

I'm sure it's the bonnet of a car that people look at these days. There's a woman where I work who has a C3. It is (to all intents and purposes) almost identical in size to my BX, except of course the shape is very different. The C3 has a snub short bonnet and a raked windscreen, whereas the BX bonnet is flat and the windscreen is upright. Makes the C3 look smaller than the BX, despite the fact that it's taller, wider and only about 2" shorter.

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 10:50 pm

I know what you mean - people always seem to view the BX as bigger than it actually is...

Im my wife's defence, hers is a Megane Coupe (old style) so the BX is definately bigger, she is only used to 2 tiny seats and an equally tiny boot behind her. I think the real reason is she couldn't handle the powah!

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 11:44 pm

The latest update is I have splashed out on some Vredestein Hi Trac tyres after a couple of recommendations on here. The last set of fronts only lasted 7k, and I rarely spin the wheels (usually only if I hit a bump while accelerating) - if they do slip I back off straight away. So I am wondering whether they were from a dodgy batch?
Also, for the first time ever, my BX is riding how it should be! From day 1 about 5 years ago ift was always crashier over the bumps than any other BX I've driven or been in, my initial thought was the spheres, and I bought a lovely riding spares car which the spheres had just been changed on, so I swapped them over. Bugger all difference, so I figured it mut be the struts. Lubing them seemed to help for a short while, so after 6 months or so I swapped the struts over. Again, bugger all difference.

Finally, I have changed the spheres for new ones and it's lovely and smooth!

I guess the spheres from the spares car lost their pressure during the time it took for me to change the struts...
Also got some drop links, a thermostat, top hose , oil filter (thanks M!) and oil change to do this weekend. The reason for a bit of a going over is that I am off skiing next Tuesday, going to be driving down to Switzerland which will be about 1800 miles in a week. Practice for the BXagon I guess, although there won't be much time for checking out the route as I only have a day to get down there - got to pick up some friends from Geneva airport so can't hang around.

Philip Chidlow · Post by **Philip Chidlow** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 7:19 am

Bon Voyage, Mat!

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 11:09 pm

Thanks Phil, am now back home again! 1893 miles later to be exact, with no mechanical problems whatsoever. One driving problem when I skidded on an off camber hairpin, only doing about 10 mph but the back end just slid away. Ended up facing the opposite way with the rear quarter in a snowbank - fortunately fresh snow so no damage at all!

Anyway, here are some photos:

Me wondering what I have left in the car before a night on the ferry. My heart sank when the family with manic toddler and screaming baby came into the same seating area as we had settled down in...

Our 'bed' for the night!

Crossing the Pont de Tancarville on the way towards Paris.

The obligatory group shot - I'm the one in red, behind my father in law with the rabbit ears...

Woke up to this one morning.

BX in the snow again, had quite a bit whilst we were there. The resort roads always got cleared quite quickly, but the tiny road leading to the chalet wasn't quite so well used.

Lovely scenery...

Geneva airport in the rain - looking quite shiny!

Very few BXs spotted whilst over there, in fact only one of the 5 was moving. I did park next to an old chap in a supermarket but didn't get any kind of recognition.

Oh well.

I also stocked up on cheap(ish) LHM, and a Purflux fuel filter from the shelves of a supermarket!

Philip Chidlow · Post by **Philip Chidlow** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 11:32 am

Welcome back! Given you did that many miles (in some pretty wintery conditions by the look of it!) the BXagon should be a stroll in the park!

Nice pics.