Glad you still have the old girl Trilogy, the estate is a timeless design as is the saloon, more so than the coupe imho, they were never in fashion so they haven't got old looking..

Yes still have the coupe but will see about selling it this spring, we have 3 dogs now and the car barely gets used, and you know as well as i that these W124 Merc's don't fare well standing.

The jacking points on it were done couple of years ago, my handy bodyshop has moved away from insurance and trade work (due to mickey taking trade who want ever cheaper) and does more for private customers and classic refurb which he also gets more pleasure from doing, he enjoyed doing those.

For those who don't know the W124 Mercs, they don't have sills like most cars, the outer sills are just plastic covers, the main sill sections are built under the floor sections making the shell very strong, the jacking points really are nothing to do with the integrity of the shell.

We're currently trying to replace SWMBO Subaru Outback with another Subaru, this time a Forester 2.5XT is requested, bit of a disappointment we were due to see one today with a plan to buy but unfortunately it was sold back end of the week, couldn't get there earlier due to work shifts, so the search continues, i shall have to up my game same as i did when i bought the Landcruiser, its seems good examples of these types sell quickly, i bought the LC same morning as it went online, looks like getting the right Subaru is going to need the same approach.

I suggested a Volvo XC70 so she can keep the 4WD stability but she only wants another Subaru because the ownership experience of the current one has been a revelation, both its ability in grip/performance whatever the weather and its complete dependability despite its age, chances of either of us buying european again are slim, so when the next car is found no doubt that will be a week of going right through it changing every oil, stripping and lubing the brakes, and yes like you, a good BIlt Hambering too.

Fit mud flaps. This will stop most of the crap reaching the underside of your cars.

You're not worried about the mudflap fittings breaking the paint and causing corrosion?

The mudflaps on our Yaris were fitted by me in 2005 when we bought it at 2 years old. No paint corrosion at all.(there were poly sheets iirc fitting over te epaint at contact points (it was an original Toyota mudflaps set)

We get lots of road salt every year and I travel lots of single tarck roads covered with mud and cow/horse excrement. The only thing I do is hose under wheel arches and along sill bottoms every time I wash the car. And visually inspect and re-Dinitrol 4941 on dodgy bits.- every three years. And repaint exhausts every 3-5 years. (The Yaris one is 15 years old and like 3 years old).

Of course if you won a Mercedes from 1995-2005 nothing you can do to prevent it dissolving :-)

RT, i can't leave it to just the rain, been under too many nearly new cars in my time and seen what left on salt does.

Nellyjack, what on earth do the Japanese use on their roads, there is Forester XT Sports Cross for sale at the moment at sensible money, its just been imported, yes i know it will be in pristine condition underneath but its not a model that came here and i imagine our simple and cheap insurance renewals will suddenly become a major headache and we will come to regret it, two minds about it, its the later shape body, circa 2005 to 2009, but with the 2.0 litre instead of the 2.5 engine which the later shell was fitted with in UK cars.

Andrew T...:-) if i use water splash, and i do during the winter, its by running through one of two local fords a few times, rainstorms are ok but when you see the tons of salt that get spilled and over ejected on junctions and roundabouts, that amount will take weeks to dissolve come the spring.

Craig pd, yes i have some AC50 but tend to use it where it can't get washed off, it is indeed very sticky stuff, sounds like a pro did the Waxoyling on the B?

Skipdpan, you don't have the same issues as some others, you run new cars and swap them regularly, people like me don't want new cars (i don't like anything new for sale in this country currently) and we want our older choices to last, and be as solid and mechanically and bodily sound as we can keep them, hence the preventative measures.

CK, yes mudflaps do help, but good quality well fitting ones are difficult to find and the genuine article can be scandalous money, and thay all need hosing around or they themselves become salt traps.

BT, ill fitting flaps that damage tend to be accessory shop rubbish don't they?, though its easy to forget they are fitted and trap them when reversing which does more harm than if they hadn't been fitted in the first place.

Madf, you look after your cars anyway, and the time they last is proof.

RT, mudflaps are good for sill abrasion protection behind the front wheels in particular, or at least i've seen big differences in the condition of vehicles fitted and those not, though its entirely possible those who fit flaps care about their cars more than the average owner anyway.

Edited by gordonbennet on 26/02/2018 at 12:17

I live in Durham so its not a problem.

They never grit.

Really. I think you will find they need to grit later this week so never is a little bit of an exageration.

I may believe you if you lived in Florida.

I live in Durham so its not a problem.

They never grit.

Looks like they may need to from today for the next few days - temps down to -4degC and lots of heavy snow in the region forecast.

Does it actually work in overnight heavy snow though? It gets overwhelmed, then we will get all the usual armageddon headlines and chaos.

Maybe Durham council realize this and are saving the precious salt for another 1963 scenario :-)

Edited by corax on 26/02/2018 at 14:05

Anyone notice (especially when walking and a gritting lorry passes by, actively gritting) that the grit they spread really stinks? Horrible smell that stuff.

I remember reading some years ago they added molasses to the stuff to make it 'stick' better. Perhaps that's what you can smell.

<< Anyone notice (especially when walking and a gritting lorry passes by, actively gritting) that the grit they spread really stinks? Horrible smell that stuff. >>

I would guess that any smell may be due to some anti-caking chemical added to the mix. Does anyone distinguish Gritting from Salting? - they aren't necessarily the same thing. The overhead signs round here advise 'Salt Spreading' - tho the trucks are always called Gritters .....