Karl’s Asylum

We went to Big ‘n’ Queer last weekend (B&Q)…and found a shelf for Jems office which went up today. Also in there we found a 4 drawer chest of drawers…in the £135-200 bit. Reduced to £30 as a return. It’s in, it’s good, and it only needed 4 holes drilling! Bonus.

We’ll need storage soon..heh. I’ve also mopped the bathroom twice (I like it clean), we’ve vacuumed like mad today (and upset downstairs who put their music on full blast, diddums), and yesterday I took the Astra to have the tyre repaired.

£12 later, I have a “mushroom patch” repair that looks good, and works well. It seems the tyre had a staple in it. It’s been there a while, as the handbook has it noted as examined 3 times in 2008. Heyho.

I’ve removed and realigned the back wiper as it was cutting into the window seal, I’ve boiled the wiper rubber and treated it, and now it should be good as new. Yes, I’m that tight.

I did the front wipers today, as it seems Astras are quite well known for the linkages siezing up. So off came the wipers, arms, scuttle panel and so on, and in I went with an old toothbrush and a tub of bearing grease. Bish bosh, job done. All greased up well and truly, and moving SO much better. I think I’ll do it yearly.

All in all, not bad.

I’ve been calling round garages to see about sorting out the Astra thermostat. I figure Vauxhall say change the timing belt every 8 years/80,000 miles, and this car MAY only have 55,000 on the clock, but it IS 9 this year…so in one way it’s not due, in another it’s overdue.

May as well get it done, get the ’stat done at the same point (as they’re interlinked), and forget it for the next 6 years or so with luck. First price I got was £206…not awful. Then I had a thought - the excellent local garage I used for the old Astra when they transformed it’s roadholding! One call later, I got a full breakdown of parts and labour, and a quote for a full timing belt kit, rollers etc, and thermostat for £136, including VAT and fitting. That’ll do nicely!

I also called Vauxhall about the ECU light - “we need to connect it to our diagnostic kit”. erm, no. Sorry chaps, I did the self diagnostic mode. “What self diagnostic? Oh, right, THAT one.” I said “it’s a code P0400 EGR valve, on a 2000 year Z16SE 8 valve, I know the part is about £60, but I ALSO know about the Vauxhall Field remedy for it, and more to the point the ECU software update that writes the valve out of the management system. How much for that update?”

“Erm. You’d need to bring it in, and we can plug it in and check the software on the car, then if it IS out of date, we can update it in the price, which is £60.”

Not awful, either…first, I want to try cleaning the valve and resetting the ECU myself, and I’ve seen some inventive solutions to this EGR valve issue too. The £60 will keep.

EDIT: The fault light went out of it’s own accord on the run home from shopping..which is even better!

Then I get home, and we’ve got our quarterly gas and electric bills. According to my spreadsheet, it should be £206 on the gas, and £50 on the electric.

It’s actually £164 gas, and £43 on the electric! Rock on. About £5 a week power, bang on target.