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managed to get the parcel unwrapped using my parcel opening dawg

Our new silencer arrived today… So now Topcat can have his house back…

Quite right. Keep me locked indoors so you know where to find me when something I’ve done goes wrong.

That's the ferry tickets booked along with our hotels for our trip to France in June 2026. Hopefully we get away from all this rain we've had in Scotland over the last month or so. There will be just the 2 westfield's going and you never know might meet a few during the trip...will get back nearer the time .

Nonsense captain your a highly regarded well respected valued member of the club.( hope i get some points for that)

We hope you’re not being ‘experimented on’ by too much at your special interest exhibition in Barcelona @Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) ?

As Scott said, I have found and removed all of the (encrypted) card details that were on file, so that from now on no auto-renewals should be possible. If anyone does get billed, please shout up.

We've done about 7 continental trips in Westies, typically ~2000 miles each, mainly around France but also to Austria. Apart from the attractions of weather, scenery and food the roads and traffic are so often more amenable to Westie driving than in the UK. Now I've retired (5 days in) I'm looking forward to getting more miles under my belt! We're thinking of tunnel or cross-channel ferry for the outbound to Spain and return via Santander and Bay of Biscay.

my torque wrenches arrived today good job i don't need them urgently it's going to take a while to unwrap them they come with a free roll of duck tape

Lovely stuff @Murraymint and @Craigieboy and @Tim (Sideways) Johnson - Club Treasurer This year we'll be heading for a week in the Dordogne, including 2-night stays each way in the Loire. Using the tunnel on the way down and Caen-Portsmouth ferry on return. Already planning Almeria in southern Spain for '27!

Oh fantastic, can't beat a Euro trip Just remembering that I saw you returning last year travelling up the A1. I'm booked on the Newcastle ferry in June too, though not decided on a route yet. Done the Alps the past 4 years and although we enjoy it, I was thinking of possibly doing more of the Netherlands this year and along to Denmark. Should really get my finger out and do some research. Hope you have a great trip.

Hi Malcolm LONG VERSION: You can ignore it, everything is fine. It’s related to me working backstage on straightening out the recent small issue with unwanted and unexpected auto renewals. I could explain it to you in depth but by the time I finished typing it and you lost the will to live reading it, it’s entirely possible that the Sun might go supernova and bring me sweet relief from forum histrionics. SHORT VERSION: You can ignore it, everything is fine. Sorry for any inconvenience, good sir.

Don't get me started on Grosvenor...!

The Webmaster (all hail the Webmaster and name your first born after him) was also stumped, but on digging deep into the quagmire of info discovered an encrypted file containing stored encrypted card details. I agreed with him that was probably where the issue was, which did not occur until the club changed payment portals from PayPal to Stripe just over a year ago. He asked if those card details (which were encrypted, just to be clear again) should be deleted, to which I said yes, do it please. So if anything goes wrong, it’s on my head. The only tiny inconvenience is that no one will be able to store their card details backstage any longer, so you will need to input your full card details every time you purchase or renew your membership, but better that than the system taking it without your or our knowledge. Will keep an eye on this…. Pass the vodka, please.

Just for the record myself and Andy still went for a pie last month. Weather forecast was wrong. Will be attending tonight

Just managed to pick myself up off the floor in time for delivery of this crimp tool for the Ampseal connectors. Nice bit of kit but £250!! Time to start connecting things up and testing on the workbench (dining table).

We take the ferry over to Rotterdam, then down to Lille, Evreux, Chambord, Saumur, we have a few days in each place and just do some smaller roads with the villages. We then travel back via Portsmouth.

Thanks @Captain Colonial & @Tim (Sideways) Johnson - Club Treasurer for your kind and generous donations!

I've received information from Silverstone events team that they will be opening Car club entries for this years BRDC classic by the end of February..

My calendar arrived - thank you for making it happen. dave

Please go to the Show and Events page on the forum. I have pinned a topic that details the main shows that the events team will be organising this year along with dates. The Replica and self build festival is on the list. Simon has significant participation commitments from suppliers . More so at this time than Grosvenor have for Malvern I'm led to believe.

I know this is just a bit of fun but I wonder if the post ranking system is setting the bar a bit high? Could it not be an incentive to encourage a wider participation - especially for newer members - in the forums? Perhaps you could progress through the ranking based on cumulative number of post views ? Other forums do this and typically after a thousand views you reach the next rank.

It’s just a bit of fun that the forum software writers came up with. Try not to read anything into it. For instance, I’ve got a shedload of points and posts that the unaware might think demonstrates I’m wise and knowledgeable. The reaction emojis soon to pop up at the bottom of this post will show you otherwise…

Oh i see . I store alot of useless info in my head and meet alot of different people who own westfields and i'd say there isnt a single part or car i cannot find from a fw400 full car to a set of AP race calipers i can find it

I hope they're dishwasher safe. She's dropped two "commemorative" mugs over the years which is very annoying...

I don't want the Captain wandering around outside. He's far too useful sat at his keyboard keeping the forum and our membership happy!

Are you and @Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO working together?!? Btw, you’d be amazed what you can access and get away with while wearing a hi-viz. I also recommend a “Motorway Maintenance” sticker on the back of your car and an amber light for beating motorway traffic jams. (I never worked in road maintenance, but it works.)

You know, at this point I’m beginning to think you don’t like me Ian, and you’re just finding work for me to keep me busy… For those interested, here’s the ranks: They are obviously adjustable in level name, target level, and levels can be added or removed.

The sofa ?

In order to prevent the club having poor relations with them due to my “thoughts and experiences”, I shall refrain from sharing them - colourful as they are. Stoneleigh is a LOT closer for me (5 miles!), but there has to be a question mark over it at the moment. Those of you familiar will know that HS2 is going straight through the showground and has been causing local traffic issues for years. They are currently reworking the road outside the showground entrance substantially. By that, I mean that road is currently completely shut between Stoneleigh village and Blackdown. Will they get it done in time? I’m not betting on it.

@Martin Aldred - Shows & Events Coordinator may I leave you to reply? @Boftus we started to advertise Malvern at the end of March last year. We may start earlier this year but are constrained by Grosvenor Show, as they don't supply information of confirmation of our plot etc until then. Great to read you're keen to support.

Hotel booked. Will be travelling solo, so happy to tag along with anyone

@Tim (Sideways) Johnson - Club Treasurer - We'll be there too, but not in the Westfield - although I am thinking of taking the Westfield in 2027. Just need to find someone mad enough to be my navigator! Where are you staying?

My calender also arived today Many thanks

We’re attending the Laon Historique in May. First time in the Westfield, looking forward to packing light

Thats me paid up, so I am in the championship for 2026 ( having got the car back to full roadworthy after prang). While credit card was out I booked on to Prescott test day 28-Mar-2026, Gurston Down 02-May-2026 and 03-May-2026 and Prescott 13-Jun-2026 and 14-Jun2026. I need to rest in a dark room now.

New tyres to replace my 20 year old budget ones. I was getting the wheels refurbished today, but I seem to have booked a skiing holiday somehow.

We'll be there Saturday and/or Sunday.

I will be there on Saturday.

Maybe it can (battery supply) but dont know for how long. Maybe easier use loooong extension core? As for the voltage i have ended with sth like 8-9v supply for fan. Those fans in carcoon or car bubble seems to be normal computer PC fans. For in garage (no rain no snow no sun no frost ) use outdoor carcoon or any outdoor car bubble seems overprotetive. In garage maybe just normal cover would be enough. Maybe with small fan Inside doing constant small but constant air flow ?

WOW, just to get to the thermostat?!?!? I wonder how much they charge for that in an Audi service… BTW — I don’t know how it is in Audi, but some time ago I had to replace the thermostat in a Mazda 6. It was the new intelligent electronic type. Luckily it was still under warranty, but if not… guess the price for “saving the climate” with that intelligent thermostat (BTW, it landed in the trash after 2 years). That’s not exactly saving the planet, I suppose… It was around 600 GBP for the thermostat itself. In Mazda, I don’t think access to it is that ridiculous — at least from what I can see doing oil/spark.filters.brakes change - easier than in kitkars , those cars seem to be designed not to be destroyed during servicing… but I’m not entirely sure how about parts like thermostat... .

All part of the bigger plan..... to stop us tampering! AKA saving money.

Yeah, its a Q3 2.0tdi. We thiught it was either front end off or remove the intake manifold. We felt the front off was the less risky option for us

Helped my brother change the worlds most ridiculously placed thermostate

Calendar arrived thanks.

Getting an old thread back up, but it came up while i was searching something, and i have just put a sticker on............so lets see what else we have! Also,does anyone know if i can get small round colour matched stickers in chrome yellow to pop over the holes? Or any other solutions to tidy them up

The doors with this Westy I’m refurbing were very tired looking with tatty edges and faded cloth, the windows wears quite badly scratched in places, anyway I did some repairs using “Shoe glue”. I've fitted some edging and gave them a really good clean, sprayed the material with autoglym spray dye, and then polished the windows with head light restorer and a sponge buffing pad. quite pleased with the result.

Swapped all the clips on the lower coolant hoses from nasty rusty jubilee clips to full stainless Mikalor hose clamps and refilled coolant. This should mean I have a new leak tomorrow and airlocks galore in the cooling system

I’ve just followed Johns link and requested a spot for the Sunday. Haven't had to pay or enter the club code yet though See you there if we get in, looking forward to it, haven’t been to the Gold Cup for a good few years

and now some photos details and dimensions.... The prop is a Bailey Morris item, so great quality, and is a resilient tube prop, so kind to gearboxes and diffs. The long prop is 790mm closed face of flange to face of flange and 830mm extended. The short prop is 390mm closed face of flange to face of flange and 430mm extended. All flanges except the diff flange are 70mm pcd. The diff flange , which is designed to mate with English diff i 89mm pcd. All dimensions are +- 1 or 2 mm as it's difficult to measure floppy flanges!!! Sprocket adapter is of course 70mm pcd.