Yes I think I've misunderstood how much of a ball end there is. I was thinking more of a slight wobble-bar sort of thing.

 

Even using a 1/4" drive small ratchet, with adapter and end bit it can be tight to get at fixings without having to remove too much other stuff.

 

My neighbour had a short-handled 3/8" swivel head ratchet wrench we used with the 3/8" socket TPS bit and that gave enough clearance and torque to get the fixings out, I let him take them out as they were in to plastic, funny how careful he was with his own vehicle, I ratcheted them back in to se how tight they were.

 

21 hours ago, nta16 said:

I remember new tools being required for French cars decades back and I think that might have been Torx

 

Torx came out over 50 years ago.

 

Thanks, AG Falco

But when did they go on to French cars, I wasn't thinking that far back, stereo radio was about in IIRC the 1920s but 60s and 70s before most had stereo radios.

 

Torx were fitted to a Peugeot 309 I had in the early 90's.

But this was built in Ryton-on-Dunsmore in Warwickshire not in France.

 

Thanks, AG Falco

Yes that's more as I remember it, I'd call a Peugeot a French car, wasn't a Rootes.  😄

 

ETA: The plant was just at Coventry to us.

 

 

Edited 21 September, 20214 yr by nta16
ETA:

The Peugeot 309 was originally going to be called a Talbot Arizona which was to replace the Talbot horizon.

 

Thanks, AG Falco

Not a car I really remember.  A mate had some SRi as company rep mobiles but I don't remember any being a 309, but I can't remember what numbers they might have been as he changed jobs and/or cars quite often.  He had a couple of Cavalier SRi IIRC one leaded petrol that went like a rocket (compared to the cars I was used to) and the next was a Friday afternoon (unleaded) that highlighted how quick the previous one was - but it did have an 'i' on the boot (badge).  🙄

 

22 minutes ago, AGFalco said:

The Peugeot 309 was originally going to be called a Talbot Arizona which was to replace the Talbot horizon.

 

Thanks, AG Falco

Is that what happened to Talbot? I never knew that. They just disappeared somehow, like Triumph and a few  others. My brothers first car was a mighty 1.0 Talbot Samba. Dreadful, but he loved it. 

Talbot was an old name brought back IIRC going back to Sunbeam Talbots (Alpine) (50s and 30s) and before that.  Then there were the other Talbots . . .

 

And on to things like the Lotus Talbot Sunbeam.

 

ETA: My neighbour's vast website on Talbot. - https://motor-car.net/talbot

 

 

Edited 21 September, 20214 yr by nta16
ETA:

Bump. 

 Because it is spring and Air Filters need checking, cleaning or replacing. 

 

2021 prices were bad enough with Fixed Price Servicing and maintenance, but now it is really getting silly with many for an oil and filter service and look see and report.

 

Edited 9 April, 20233 yr by toot