Thanks, with a large helping of "eeek!"...

Multimeter time. Do you have +12v at the switch (ignition on)? Does feeding +12v to the other switch terminal put the lights on? Do you have +12v at the bulbholders? Do you have a good earth at the bulbholders? A duff fitting on one side won't stop the other side working, no.

The odometer works just fine, and is accurate, so it's not a cable issue. From cold, the speedo is broadly accurate (although I've not checked it against GPS), and the needle smooth. But, after about 10 miles or so, it becomes ever more pessimistic, until it refuses to acknowledge...

Ah! That makes sense. The bulkhead's been trimmed, so I'd not noticed that rib.

I've got no mount there for a spare. The one from the tailgate would do the job, I presume?

All of which brings me to a question... I've got a tailgate mount for the spare - but I can't use it! It's fairly low on the tailgate, below the cross-bar of the central H. And, somewhat predictably, trying to mount a spare on there fouls on the towbar. If it didn't, it'd hang under the rear...

That sounds as if they sit on the box, like the centre perch, rather than use the runners? They do look like they match the centre perch I've got.

The seats that are in our 1980 s3 88" SW are not what left the factory in there. I'm not quite sure what they started life in, but I suspect a high-spec Metro. They're pale grey velour, saggy and grubby, but they are fairly comfy. The passenger side has adjustable lumbar support, and both backs...

Yes, you can - a friend ran one off a jerrycan, but he was running a diesel heater in a petrol car, so had no choice... It's a bit pointless, though, imho - the space and hassle would massively outweigh the savings. The '80s Eberspacher in our VW camper is apparently rated to burn just one...

"As a caution" - you mean as an advisory? If so, then it's passed. It's just something the tester thinks you should know about. Which, for both of those, is fair. You've got a spare that'd be illegal to use, because it's the wrong size - space-savers are exempted from that - and it knackered...

EMM. OH. TEA! <happy dance>

Tell me about it! DOT stands for Dept of Transport, USA - which explains _everything_... <grin> It does make a bit more sense than it first seems. DOT3 was the "main" standard, which was improved for DOT4, with higher boiling points, as technology improved. Then DOT5 was introduced, still...

DOT5.1 is not DOT5. 5.1 is glycol based, like DOT3 & DOT4, but with a higher boiling point. 5 (.0?) is silicon based, and not miscible with glycol-based fluids.

That's a "Thanks, no thanks" from me... I've got a few cars that I really need to change the fluid in, and have just done the brakes on the 88, so decided to stock up a bit... Shell DOT 5.1 High Performance Brake Fluid Car / Bike - 3 litre ltr | eBay 6 x 500ml Shell DOT5.1 for £14...

The better-protected end, the steering relay end, came easily. The other end - the one with the nick in the gaiter that started it all - was another story. PLENTY of heat required - I had to take it to a mate's workshop, because my blowlamp wasn't getting it hot enough - and even then reluctant...

Blimey, that wheel-end joint was corroded into the thread of the rod... Eventually, it succumbed. Both ends replaced, rod back in, brake lights working, and ready for the outrigger to be welded in on Monday. Hopefully, we'll be able to get it retested Mon or Tue at the outside.

I guess the question has to be what he's planning to use it for, and how long importing parts will take. If it's a daily driver, and parts take weeks, then you'd want a much bigger and wider stock than if it's a toy and they only take a few days.

That was... interesting. I'm still waiting for the balljoints and brake switch to turn up (there's been a cock-up, and they only had one hand of balljoint in stock, it seems, despite still showing both on the site - then more of that same hand were delivered...) - so, since the starter's been...

That worked, ta.

I'd really like to see that - I'm happy to put it on Dropbox or similar, if we can figure a way to get it to me.