Saturday 17 May 2008
It's a funny thing, but as soon as I decided the replacement for the XM would be a BX diesel, preferably a high spec turbo estate, loads of the things started turning up. The most convenient one for me geographically also looked like a bargain; a well-maintained car which the owner had simply decided to move on and replace with something younger because of a hydraulic leak. I went and looked over the car last week and found it to be as described: really very nice indeed, stacks of history, and with LHM all over the drive.

Collection day was today and I met up with a couple of fellow BXClub members Mark and David. David is an engineer who I've mentioned in these pages several times, and he dived under the car to investigate while I handed over cash and did paperwork.

By the time I got back there was various LHM hose related activity going on under the car, David was insisting that I'd make it home without having to call on the breakdown services, and the seller was looking sceptical. A short time later we had liftoff; the car was still losing some LHM but not half as much as it had been and we reckoned we'd get home. So off we went!

The plan was to head straight back, but I needed fuel and lost a fair amount of LHM driving about looking for a filling station. Full of diesel and running low on LHM, I pressed on - only for the LHM warning light to come on... on my least favourite stretch of road in the country evah - the four-lane concrete stretch of the M25.

Despite my extensive experience of hard shoulders, I hadn't broken down on that particular one before and it was horrible; really rather narrow and I felt very close to the lorries thundering by. Topped up and pressed on, really not believing that I'd make it back.

The low level light came on two miles away from home and I drove those last couple of miles desperately looking for symptoms and praying it would make it. And it did - good car.

Some satisfaction was had when being tailgated by a posh new Range Rover driven by an idiot and knowing that he'd get home to find his posh front end covered in LHM.

Apart from the worry of how much LHM I was spraying all over Sussex, I thoroughly enjoyed the drive and I think I'm going to get along very well with this car. The TD engine is a delight; the car has plenty of go at 70 in fifth and it is very good fun when the turbo comes on song. I look forward to taking it up some favourite A-roads. From a practical point of view, I suddenly can't understand why all BXs aren't breaks; there's more headroom both front and rear and the extra loadspace will come in very handy when hauling musical instruments and Morris Men around. This car makes so much more sense than the hatch - David and I could each fit easily in the back. The extra headroom in the front (the roofline is a little higher than the hatchback) is very welcome too.

David had been applying his brain to the problem on the way down and as soon as we arrived home we bought some hose from my local motor factor and he dived under it again. He pulled out the bodge he'd done outside the seller's house (pictured below) and fixed it good and proper. The car will need a new octopus soon, but the temporary repair will last a little while at least. I have a perfectly functioning BX in very good condition for £195!

Going through the history that evening, I couldn't believe quite how good - it's had some serious money and attention lavished on it throughout its life. Even the remote locking still works!

Tuesday 20 May 2008
Stopped at Halfords today for LHM to replace that lost on the journey home at the weekend, and as I was walking away from the car I heard the familiar noise of a cooling system giving up. Oh arses.

Well, there are worse places to break down than outside a car spares shop so rather than call for a tow I set to work. No photos of the hose that had given way because it's almost completely inaccessible - the least accessible of the two that plug into the oil filter housing. I lifted out the turbo hose to make access a little easier and set to work.

The top end of the hose is quite easy to reach so I undid the jubilee clip and pulled it off - and the hose came away at the other end too as I did so. Yes, I pulled it clean off, just leaving a stub wrapped around the oil filter housing end: a stub held on by the stupid factory-fit single-use jubilee clip with no way to shift it. I attacked it with various tools for about half an hour, hindered by lack of access, and eventually managed to lever it off with a screwdriver. Lucky the hose was so perished as its disintegration was the only thing that got it off, I swear. I've never seen one so bad and I have no idea how it held water for so long.

After that it was plain sailing, if tight; I bought a long length of hose from Halfords, as the original part has a tight kink in it, and found a way to route it so that it wouldn't kink. I refilled the rad with about 3.5 litres, so I reckon it had chucked an awful lot of fluid out. Makes sense - the leak was at a low point.

Interestingly, the Halfords guy told me I was lucky as they are just using their stock of hose up and won't be getting any more in. Apparently people just don't buy it any more... cars have become disposable and not many people keep them for as long as 18 years any more.

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