God, I hate this pile of shite

[unfazed]

I get the distinct impression your parents do not trust you with mechanically propelled vehicles  :eek

You will need to change you method of grovelling  :lol

[noggythenog]

Theres loads o cars out there for £500 mate...disposable ones with tax & mot....rag em til they break & then buy another one....loads o folk do this but id advise some breakdown cover to compliment them....tis a lottery but eventually youll pick up a cheap one that just runs and runs with minimum spending......nobody seems to want these cars coz so many kids these days get brand new cars as their first cars and many older folk are on finance.


Main thing is getting to work on your own steam...a bit gutting about not having a bike but presuming the folks help you out in other ways then best to keep them happy for now.

[JoeRock]

Easier to chop it in and get another vehicle.

The aggravating thing is that for under £500 - so, the sale of the car for scrap & ebay, and the insurance return would actually pay for the Fazer to be put on the road. But my parents refuse to let me do that.

Fucked if you do, fucked if you don't.

Not sure how to put this Christo, but if you can't afford to get another car, and your parents won't help you out, then you'll have to do what needs to be done to get transport, even if that goes against your parents wishes?

[midden]

If it were just the head gasket, I would be seriously considering just replacing the gasket. But it's not just the gasket - the water pump is dead, end the head is (most likely) distorted.

Swapping out the engine is not viable either: I don't have the tools, time or expertise to do it. Plus, the car isn't worth it - I paid £400 for it, and now it has a dodgy wheel bearing, knackered shocks, and electrical gremlins. Absolutely not worth it.

Excuses................I've change a fair few head gaskets (inc k series) and took chance without head skim and all ended ok.  the one time I did have the head skimmed, it wasn't expensive......
Water pump again not expensive and if you're that hard up go to a breakers and get one.


Think £57 on a seat pod and Christo knows how much for a swing arm and wheel plus other bits which you're not even sure will fit .


Truth you could afford to repair it but just don't want to  :evil [size=78%] [/size]

[ChristoT]

Here's the nub - they will help out: their way. And their way is a way I know they can't afford. They are saying they will replace the Peugeot and insure it out of their own pocket. They seem to think transport for me at Uni is not required (yes it foccin' is!), but have implied they will foot those bills too. It's complete lunacy, I can't see them spending under £2,000 on this hare-brained scheme. Even my brother agrees with me - and we've only just stopped hating each others' guts!  :eek

Their issue is that their way is the only right way. Anyone remember the fight I had to go through to persuade them to let me get the car in the first place? They conveniently forgot that! Their alternative was a brand new Chinky 125. And they think the Fazer is a deathtrap!!!!  :rolleyes

Midden - I have neither the tools, not the time, nor the money, nor the expertise to strip the Peugeot, or have it stripped and rebuilt. Nor do I really want to spend money on that car. See post above about its other issues. Did I fail to mention the dodgy CV joint?

The final issue: my parents are funding me through Uni, and are subsiding my living now (work pays peanuts - no way I can live off what they pay me). If I get on a bike, they are threatening to withdraw all support. So I'm focced. 

[HarryHornby]

http://www.nationalexpress.com/home.aspx
http://www.thetrainline.com/
http://www.intalink.org.uk/

[Exupnut]

http://www.cambridge.co.nz/things-to-do/walk-cycle-ways

[His Dudeness]

Quit your whining and get pedaling.



Your parents have already funded a car and insurance right? I think you owe it to them to fix it and recoup their money and not be expecting them to bail you out of every problem.

[ChristoT]

Your parents have already funded a car and insurance right? I think you owe it to them to fix it and recoup their money and not be expecting them to bail you out of every problem.

Dudeness: wrong. They lent me the money, with a ton of conditions attached - and I still need to pay them back.

I want their OK to ride my bike, no more. I don't want them to bail me out, I don't want them to buy me a new car. I can get the Fazer back on the road with what I have + what I'll get back from the car and insurance.

And that's what they won't foccin' give me. One bloody word, no more, no less.

Cycling not really an option. Apart from me being lazy, it's 20 miles each way. Not fun after 9 hours at work.

[richfzs]

Christo, I'm afraid it sounds a little as though you're looking for some sympathy - I'm afraid you're in the wrong place pal. Where you need to go look, is in the dictionary - you'll find it in between shit and syphilis :lol :kiss

[ChristoT]

Not after sympathy, just venting. It's mad that I have to persuade my parents NOT to spend a fortune when there's a free option that will be resolved sooner!

[ChristoT]

No.

[midden]

Not after sympathy, just venting. It's mad that I have to persuade my parents NOT to spend a fortune when there's a free option that will be resolved sooner!

Just put ya bike on the road, if ya parents don't like it, tough. If they stop funding you, tough, doubt they will though.  Even if they do stop funding it won't be life threatening  you're in UK.

Failing this stop venting, be grateful and put up with their wishes. 

[Andy FZS]

I know it's not what you want to hear....but I can understand their fear of you getting back on two wheels.

[rustyrider]

Lets get this right.  Your parents are funding you through uni so you end up paying them back rather than paying the Government back a student loan for the next 30 years of your life.  They've bought you a car and paid for your insurance as they think you will kill yourself on a bike (and they are probably right), you claim to have no money but you've been spending money on bits to make a dogs dinner out of what could have been restored into a mint Fazer and, despite being convinced you can bodge together lots of bits from other bikes into something that will work and look good, you claim to not have the skills to change a bloody head gasket?  You can get a Haynes manual from your local library so that won't cost you a penny.  Stop moaning, sit down with the manual, look at the pictures and read the words and then get out there and sort it.

[ChristoT]

I know it's not what you want to hear....but I can understand their fear of you getting back on two wheels.

Don't get me wrong, I can see where they are coming from. I just think they're over doing it.

Rusty, there is so much wrong with you post, I'm going to have to break it down:

Lets get this right.  Your parents are funding you through uni so you end up paying them back rather than paying the Government back a student loan for the next 30 years of your life.

Indeed. And I am very grateful for it.

They've bought you a car and paid for your insurance as they think you will kill yourself on a bike (and they are probably right),

They lent me the money to buy the car, with full expectation of repayment and a string of conditions long as your arm. I'm not so sure about the killing myself bit, and intend to take safety courses. You have never ridden with me, so cannot comment on my abilities.

you claim to have no money but you've been spending money on bits to make a dogs dinner out of what could have been restored into a mint Fazer

Currently, I have just under £200 of spending money per month that isn't tied up in fue, rent or food. All other expenses come from that: clothes, spare parts for the car, beer if I go down the pub. Part of the reason Project Fazer is taking so long is because I have to budget every expense very, very carefully, getting the best deals I can off ebay etc.

and, despite being convinced you can bodge together lots of bits from other bikes into something that will work and look good, you claim to not have the skills to change a bloody head gasket?

Not when I need said vehicle to commute, and when I have no proper tools! Give me a workshop, a manual, and plenty of time, and I could probably muddle my way through it. I have none of those here. All the serious engineering on the bike (swingarm and eexhausts) is planned to be done by a professional fabricator.

You can get a Haynes manual from your local library so that won't cost you a penny. Stop moaning, sit down with the manual, look at the pictures and read the words and then get out there and sort it.

See above. Also, as I said earlier in the thread, the engine is just one of the car's problems. Whatever happens, it's getting sold for spares or scrap: I haven't got the time, money or enthusiasm to pour into it to get it back up to good condition.

My frustration at the moment stems from the fact that I have an alternative, I have a plan B that has been thought out, which requires minimal investment and work - and it's been vetoed off the table, with no other sensible solution on offer. THAT'S why I'm frustrated.

[Dead Eye]

I have to agree with most of what's been said. You need to come to terms with the fact that you have no money. That means taking the cheapest and/or most cost effective route

Now, if we assume for the moment that you must absolutely have transport, then you are going to need it fast. That basically throws your project Fazer out the window as it will take too long and cost too much in all of time, parts, tax and insurance.

You don't learn by not doing. I've learnt everything I know by being a cheap bastard because I never had money when I was younger and therefore couldn't afford to buy things new or pay for garages to do the work. So I did it myself, sometimes I had help with particularly large tasks, but for most part its been just me, a manual and the internet. You have done enough work on your Fazer to be competent enough to work on the 106. You may not like the damn thing, but the fact of the matter is that its your only real lifeline.

Neither a head gasket or CV Joint requires any super expensive specialist tools and the parts are quite cheap for small French cars. Hell, the entire new driveshaft just to replace the ABS ring on my car cost only £65 fitted and its in a whole different league to your box on wheels.

The only other feasible option in my opinion is what noggy suggested, which is to buy another cheap second hand car just to drive until it dies. The most expensive car I've purchased, ever, was £500. Granted it wasn't the most sensible option as it was 24 years old and rather expensive to insure, BUT that is beside the point.

Failing these two options, you refuse to take the help from your parents and decide to get project Fazer back on the road. What exactly is the harm in them cutting you off? I'm sorry but in my opinion once you're over 18 you should learn to fend for yourself and how to make sensible financial decisions. University is a generally a stage of life where you have very very little money and I'm pretty sure you are investing a lot more than most other students in to running a vehicle.


-----

You've just posted so I'll comment on one or two things additionally;

Currently, I have just under £200 of spending money per month that isn't tied up in fue, rent or food. All other expenses come from that: clothes, spare parts for the car, beer if I go down the pub. Part of the reason Project Fazer is taking so long is because I have to budget every expense very, very carefully, getting the best deals I can off ebay etc.

If you don't have money for food, you certainly don't have money for beer. If you have £200 of spending money per month, then you have more than I do as I frequently spend more than I earn which has become a slight issue with Credit Cards, which I have thankfully gotten under control.

Not when I need said vehicle to commute, and when I have no proper tools! Give me a workshop, a manual, and plenty of time, and I could probably muddle my way through it. I have none of those here. All the serious engineering on the bike (swingarm and eexhausts) is planned to be done by a professional fabricator.

This goes back to my point above; if you want to have the swingarm and exhaust done professionally it is going to cost a very large amount of money and time to complete this project. In the meantime you will have no form of transport - this seems completely illogical.


-----

Edit: Figured I should add that I mean no offence, it's just tough love.

[rustyrider]

Not sure what was so wrong about my post and as Dead Eye says, you learn by doing.  A 106 diesel head gasket is £13.99 with free delivery from eBay, about the only specialist tool you might need is a torque wrench and you don't need a garage.  You've been to my place and seen the garage.  Do you seriously think I can get my Range Rover in there to rebuild the top end of the V8 engine?  No, because if I get the Range Rover in there I can't get out of it as the garage isn't wide enough so I work on the driveway, no different to you doing it outside.  At this time of year you've got about 15 hours of daylight each day (and the temperature isn't below freezing either), so you get up early on a Saturday morning and work on it until it gets dark.  If you haven't finished it by then, you get up early on Sunday morning and carry on.  The book time is about 5 hours so if you can't get it done in 30 you shouldn't really be attempting anything involving a socket set.

No I haven't ridden with you but your record speaks for itself.  I don't know if your coming together with a Merc was in any way your fault or not but you admitted you dropped the ZX on a sliproad purely because you were travelling too fast for the conditions of both the road and the bike.

You claim it's a rant but you are beginning to sound like a spoilt brat would is having a paddy because he isn't getting his own way. Life's like that, you aren't going to get your own way all the time, shit happens.  Live with it and learn from it.  You never know, get the car sorted and what you learn from doing it yourself may even mean that there will be less on the project bike that you need to farm out to others.

[ChristoT]

Liam, I am suggesting getting the Fazer back on the road as stock, as I can have it roadworthy within a matter of days for minimal investment. This is the most practical solution. And the one that is getting nixed!! The Project part of Project Fazer has to be shelved for now in exchange for immediate, reliable transport.

The £200 is after rent, food and fuel (just about on all three) - AND THAT'S IT. Anything else I spend money on comes from that pot. If I had credit cards, that's where the repayments would come from. The beer comment was just an example - I can't even remember the last time I went down the pub!

The 106 needs a new head gasket, either a new head, or having the head skimmed. It needs a new water pump, replacement from shocks, new rear wheel bearing (quoted by a garage as over £100 - and it's a press fit into the hub, so I can't do it). Coming up: sorting out the electric system - although that's time, nor money, and replacing the CV joint. All this to be done on the street parking outside my landlord's house when I need daily transport to commute to work. Yeah right.

The head gasket alone will need the engine bay stripping (if not an engine out job) to get at, because there's so little space in there. Then I have to get a head that's been joined to a block off 14 years off. Good luck with that!

I am in a dificult situation in that to the Brits, I live in France, and the French think I live in England. I am in residential limbo, if you will. Applying for a student loan with all that crap going on? Nightmare!

[ChristoT]

Not sure what was so wrong about my post and as Dead Eye says, you learn by doing.  A 106 diesel head gasket is £13.99 with free delivery from eBay, about the only specialist tool you might need is a torque wrench and you don't need a garage.  You've been to my place and seen the garage.  Do you seriously think I can get my Range Rover in there to rebuild the top end of the V8 engine?  No, because if I get the Range Rover in there I can't get out of it as the garage isn't wide enough so I work on the driveway, no different to you doing it outside.  At this time of year you've got about 15 hours of daylight each day (and the temperature isn't below freezing either), so you get up early on a Saturday morning and work on it until it gets dark.  If you haven't finished it by then, you get up early on Sunday morning and carry on.  The book time is about 5 hours so if you can't get it done in 30 you shouldn't really be attempting anything involving a socket set.

No I haven't ridden with you but your record speaks for itself.  I don't know if your coming together with a Merc was in any way your fault or not but you admitted you dropped the ZX on a sliproad purely because you were travelling too fast for the conditions of both the road and the bike.

You claim it's a rant but you are beginning to sound like a spoilt brat would is having a paddy because he isn't getting his own way. Life's like that, you aren't going to get your own way all the time, shit happens.  Live with it and learn from it.  You never know, get the car sorted and what you learn from doing it yourself may even mean that there will be less on the project bike that you need to farm out to others.

Rich: you are speaking to someone who once nearly dropped a ratchet screwdriver bit down a Fazer's engine intake. And was about to dismantle the head when he found it lurning under the starter motor. I would put myself in the "questionable" catergory when it comes to my own handiwork.

At the moment, there's no guarantee the car will even last through tomorrow's drive to work, let alone waiting for a gasket! I'd love to know where you found the gasket for £14 though, when I did a quick search on my phone, I could only find ones priced at £45!! Although, to be fair, I wasn't looking very hard. You also have the advantage of another vehicle to use if (for any reason) you can't complete the job. If I can't, I'm up a gum tree.

I cannot deny having done stupid stuff on bikes. I am committed to improving my riding though, and have said for ages now that the minute I'm back on a bike, I'm doing a Bikesafe course.

It is a frustrated rant. My parents are saying they're going to spend a ridiculous amount of money they don't really have to solve the problem in a completely irrational way. They are fixating over the fact that it's a bike, I'm only interested in the fact that it's transport, it's there, and requires very little to get me mobile again. How does trying to solve the problem logically in a way that requires the least input in terms of money and time make me a "spoiled brat"?