They’re talking about going to Nürburgring in Germany. It’s a legendary race track, and car fans often plan trips there to experience the vibe and drive/visit.
Think of the camshaft as the engine’s timing controller. It tells the valves when to open and close so the engine can take in air and fuel and let exhaust out.
Brake discs are the metal rotors that your brake pads squeeze to slow the car down. Saying “RS4” suggests these are from a higher-performance Audi, not basic brakes.
The BMW M4 is a sporty BMW built for strong acceleration and handling. Here it’s mentioned just as a car they were talking about, not as a technical deep dive.
The Volkswagen Lupo 3L is a tiny car designed to use very little fuel. The “3L” name is basically about extreme fuel economy.
Topic
fuel efficient cars vs big engine cars
They’re basically talking about how expensive fuel changes people’s choices—so efficient cars stay attractive, and big-engine cars can get cheaper because they cost more to run.
That “oil pressure” light is the car’s warning that the engine oil isn’t circulating properly. If it comes on, you should treat it as urgent and get it checked before driving too far.
Oil pressure is how well the engine’s oil is getting pumped around. If the warning light is on, it can mean the engine isn’t getting enough lubrication, which can cause serious damage if ignored.
They’re talking about how fast a sedan-style car can go around the Nürburgring. It’s basically bragging rights based on lap times on a very tough race track.
Here, “production” means the car is something regular buyers could actually purchase. They’re using that to say the lap-time claim is about a real customer car, not a custom-built race machine.
This is an Audi RS4 from the B7 generation, and it’s a sedan (“saloon”). People call it “mint” when it looks like it’s in great condition. It’s a popular enthusiast car because it’s meant to feel sporty, not just get you from A to B.
The Lotus Carlton is a rare, performance-focused version of a regular family sedan. It’s special because it’s meant to be fast and exciting, not just comfortable. The speaker is saying they’d love to buy one, even if it’s not perfect.
This is a Porsche 911 Turbo from the 996 generation. “Turbo” means the engine uses a turbocharger to make more power. The speaker is basically saying it was one of the nicest cars they saw.
This is a 1968 Dodge Charger, which is a classic American muscle car. Muscle cars are known for big engines and a sporty, aggressive look. The speaker is impressed because it’s one of those iconic cars.
“High mileage” means the car has been driven a lot. That can mean more parts have worn out over time, so it may need more repairs. The speaker is saying they’d still consider one even if it’s high-mileage.
The Ferrari 360 is a real Ferrari supercar—mid-engine and built to be exciting to drive. The hosts are basically saying it can be less expensive than some other exotic cars.
Here, “frame” means the car’s main structure that everything bolts to. If it’s bent or damaged, the car may not line up right even after you fix the outside.
A scissor jack lift is a small device that raises a car using a folding “scissor” mechanism. It helps you get underneath for work, but it’s usually more limited than a proper car lift.
That’s a BMW 5 Series wagon (Touring) from the G31 generation, and “530d” means it’s the diesel version. They’re talking about problems it’s having while it’s being used day-to-day.
Brake pads are the parts that squeeze against the brake discs to slow the car down. If the rear pads are worn, you’ll get warnings and you’ll need to replace them soon.
A sensor is a small electronic part that tells the car something needs attention. Here, it’s likely tied to the brake system—either it’s warning that the pads are worn or that the sensor is acting up.
“Service due” is the car’s reminder that it thinks routine maintenance is coming up. If you really did the service, you usually reset the reminder so it doesn’t keep nagging you.
This is a BMW 3 Series diesel wagon (“touring”). They’re talking about it while reversing, when the parking sensors started beeping because the license plate was loose.
This is a Land Rover Range Rover from the L322 generation, with a 4.2-liter engine that’s “supercharged.” A supercharger helps the engine make more power by pushing extra air in.
“Stance boy” is slang for a car that’s modified mainly to look super low and showy. They’re joking about whether the wheel choice makes the car look too “style-first.”
The BMW 1 Series is a smaller BMW designed for everyday driving. In the podcast, they’re talking about a specific 1 Series version (E88) and mentioning BBS wheels. It’s basically a conversation about parts and upgrades for that car.
“Release agents” are chemical coatings used during manufacturing or storage to prevent rubber from sticking to molds or packaging. On brand-new tires, they can temporarily affect grip until the surface is cleaned off through driving.
“Rust free” means the car doesn’t have corrosion in the places that matter. Rust can quietly get worse, so a rust-free car is generally healthier and worth more.
The window regulator is what makes the window go up and down. If it’s failing, the window may get stuck or move slowly, so replacing it fixes the problem.
A trailer attached means the car is towing something behind it. Towing is harder on the car than normal driving, so you want everything in good shape before you go.
“Hybrid turbos” means the turbo system isn’t the simplest stock setup. It’s usually a mix of turbo parts to change how quickly it spools and how much boost it can make.
An “overboosting code” is an error message the car logs when it thinks the turbo is making too much boost. That can be caused by the tune not matching the turbo setup.
“Limit mode” is when the car deliberately reduces power to protect itself. It usually happens when the car senses something isn’t right under hard driving.
“R56” is the internal generation code for a Mini hatchback. They’re saying their Mini R56 is the car they raced and then later tested because it started misfiring.
A compression test measures how much pressure each cylinder can build during cranking. If one cylinder reads much lower than the others, it often points to internal engine problems like worn piston rings, a leaking valve, or a head-gasket issue.
Misfiring at idle means the engine isn’t running smoothly when it’s idling. That can happen if spark or fuel delivery is off, or if there’s a mechanical problem inside the engine.
Cylinders are the engine’s “work chambers.” Each one should behave similarly; if one cylinder is weaker, it can cause the engine to run rough or misfire.
They’re saying the engine was rebuilt recently, so it should be healthy. After a rebuild, you usually need careful break-in and correct maintenance so it lasts.
They mean they followed a break-in process for the rebuilt engine. That’s a careful early period where you don’t push it too hard so parts wear in properly.
They’re talking about using turbo/supercharger boost. During break-in, you often avoid boost so the new engine parts aren’t under heavy load right away.
A misfire means one cylinder in the engine isn’t firing correctly. The car may feel shaky or weak, and it can lead to bigger problems if you keep driving it.
The BMW E46 is a specific generation of the BMW 3 Series. Here, they’re dealing with brake issues—especially because the brakes have been changed before and now need to be corrected for safety.
The gearbox is the part that sends power from the engine to the wheels. If they have to take it out to fix a leak, it usually means the repair is complicated and time-consuming.
A “Mini Cooper S” is a sportier version of the Mini. Here they’re talking about possibly using an engine from one Mini Cooper S to fix or improve another Mini.
An engine swap means putting a different engine into the car (sometimes using parts from more than one engine). They’re discussing different swap options to fix what’s wrong with their current engine situation.
Term
N14
N14 is an engine “type” used in certain Minis. They’re trying to figure out which exact engine it is so they don’t accidentally swap in the wrong one.
Term
N18
N18 is another specific engine “type” used in some Minis. They’re considering using that engine instead because it may be a better match for their project.
They’re talking about taking parts from two different engines—using the upper part from one and the lower part from another—to build a working engine. It can work, but you have to make sure the parts are compatible and that you’re fixing the real problem.
They’re saying they put in a new engine, but then the car started leaking afterward. That suggests the repair didn’t fully solve the problem.
Term
b-force
They mention “b-force” as part of the MINI they’re thinking about buying. It sounds like a specific version or option, but this clip doesn’t explain what it is.
Wheel alignment is when a shop adjusts the angles of your wheels so the car drives straight. If it’s off, the car can pull and tires can wear out faster.
The Ford Mustang is a popular American performance car. They’re basically saying that if you put money into one, it may still be worth a lot when you sell it.
To “tune it” usually means changing the car’s settings so it performs differently. They’re saying that doing that to this Mini can turn into an expensive mistake.
“Part exchange” means you trade your current car in when buying a different one. The dealer gives you a price for your old car and you pay the remaining amount.
They mean the engine has a serious problem. That usually makes the car worth a lot less, and it can turn the repair into a big (and expensive) project.
A “free engine” here implies the seller/party offers an additional engine as part of the deal, potentially reducing the cost of repairing the broken one. It’s essentially a parts-value offset rather than fixing the car immediately.
Term
categorized came up
“Categorized” sounds like the car has a special status from insurance/records (like being written off). That can make it harder to buy/sell and may mean the car has a history you should investigate.
I will never forget, right, when we were on stage, I don't know, second or third Shedfest.
The second. Second one. And I said, there was probably about 5,000 people in front of us.
And I said, and literally 5,000 people screamed Roy's mum, Jaggy.
Do you know the best part of that as well? She stood next to my dad, and at the time,
my dad didn't really understand any of this YouTube stuff. Yeah. And him and my mom aren't
together. So they don't really speak that much. So he was so confused when everyone just said,
and Roy's mom, Jaggy, and then he just stood and went, what is going on? Was he thinking,
I must be missing out on something. Honestly, his face was more of a picture than my mom's.
It was amazing. I remember that. Maybe we should do that again. Okay. So she's definitely
coming to Shedfest. They're both coming again. Okay. All right. And then I remember as well,
third Shedfest, someone made the flag that said, Roy's mum, Jaggy on it. Do you remember the big
flag? Yeah. And then when they're driving around in like, they had it on a Jeep or something.
Yeah. Yeah. There's quite a lot of people that like your mum. That's included. Hi, mum. I like
Jaggy. She's great. Yeah. Okay. Why are you looking so awkward in shift state? I feel like
there's some underlying tone you're trying to... No, she's great. Yeah. She's helped build the
podcast to be fair. Yeah. Yeah. Would be nothing without her. No, exactly. Anyway, let's move on
to what we've been up to. I'm going to dive in. If I may, Shedfest Prep got so much, so much to do.
Speaking of, we have got two stages. We've got a Shed Talk stage. We've got Robin for
Riking Detail. We've got Tom Barkley and Tom Lenthal as well. Tom and Tom.
We have got Mike Ferney. It's going to be there. We've got Bob from the machine shop.
Those mean the machine from Bob's shop? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Bob is bringing his machine,
and then we're going to plug it in and see what happens. Can you do some welding while he's up
there? Because I've got some stuff on my Mustang. I need to... I've got some stuff on my Range Rover.
Shall we just drive them up there? Yeah. Yeah. Just get them to fix it. Yeah. Yeah.
To be fair, by the time I get my Tuareg up there, I'll probably need a new track.
Yeah. So, on the Shed Talk stage, we have got a fantastic host called Grace Webb.
She does like Kitty's BBC stuff, and she's just great. She does like Isle of Man TT as well.
Oh, cool. So, she's really cool. And then on the main stage, we have got Nick Sims from
Motor Analytics, who's going to be hosting that. So, he's going to be doing Q&A with
TDC lot or the gear lot. We're going to be on stage. We're going to be giving away the Allegro
to one unlucky suspect. Lucky. Lucky. Yeah. Yeah. Sorry. And then we've got a t-shirt gun.
So, I'll try not to hit people again. You know what happened last time. Say hello to my little
friend. You nearly took us ages to sort the legal. Oh, I did. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It was only three
people. Yeah. I know, but there's still three people too many. That's true. That is true. Yeah.
Except for that one guy. He deserved it. We have also got awards. Okay. And like we've gone hard on
awards. There's a man called Nick, and he's got a YouTube channel on Instagram page called
A Load of Old Scrap. I actually met him at a drive-thru event at the Haynes Museum like two
years ago. Saw his stuff and I was like, we need that man to make our award. So, there's a little
taster, right? If you're watching with your eye holes and if you're listening with your ear holes,
Taylor's going to describe what I'm picking up, right? So, it's a trophy completely handmade
out of car parts from our unit. So, there's lots of nuts and bolts. Yeah, loads of nuts and bolts
at the top. It's like the cup bit at the top is made out of nuts and bolts. The handles are made
out of the push rod from the leg row. And then we've got a camshaft, which is the center bit
that holds it up. And then at the bottom, we've got a gear set from a gearbox. Yeah. And these
parts all come from either cars from this unit or the TDC unit next door. And they're all handmade
and they look unreal. These are literally the best awards that I've ever seen in my life.
And there are lots of RS4 brake discs in there as well. Yeah, and there's a bit of RS4 coil over
there as well. Yeah, yellow bits. So, yeah, five people are going to walk away from Shedfest with
these fantastic awards. This one, oh, this one's already been awarded to Rory. So, there you go.
You can have that one. Thank you. Most likely to break down. Yeah. Brilliant. That's car as well.
If you actually look closely, you can see a bit of my mini just there.
A bit of engine that fell out on track. So, yeah, we're doing that. Oh, Taylor and I last week,
we're a bit naughty, weren't we? What, on the M4? No, no, no, no. It was the M25 anyway. Oh,
okay. Yeah. Do you remember when you won on the hard shoulder? Yeah. I went on to the other
carriage. That's 150. Did you? Yeah. Amateur. Amateur, yeah. What? Oh, shit, we're rolling. No,
we joke, we joke. We bought a motor vehicle. Oh, it's so bad. What a motor vehicle. So bad.
So, this is in an upcoming episode. Obviously, the TDC boys, they bought themselves a Lupo 3L,
which is like one of the most fuel efficient cars you can ever buy, which is great because we're
in a financial crisis at the moment. Petrol prices are really, really high at the moment. So, then
we thought, what about like really big engine cars? Yeah, surely they're really cheap. So,
we've done the opposite at TDC. Yeah, the idea is that cars that aren't fuel efficient have now
become really cheap because people can't afford to run them as much. So, we bought one and it's
a car that I've been going on about for a while. Banging on about. I was quite excited and then I
saw it and now it's the worst example I've ever seen. I will say it was cheap, but it wasn't
cheap enough for the condition. No, I agree with that. We kind of messed up. We got excited because
the man from whom we bought it, Adam, he was like really eccentric. Do you remember when we bought
your stolen motorbike? We didn't realize it was stolen at the time. Yeah. From Martin.
Martin in Scotland. Yeah. So, take Martin, times him by 10. No, that's not possible. It's possible.
Except Adam, I don't think we didn't go in his house. I don't think he's got a parrot in his
house. Do you remember Martin had a parrot in his house? I remember that. When going to
Martin's house, that just felt like a surreal dream. Yeah. That was just everything. It was
like a dream, but you'd taken a load of drugs before. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Not the good
drugs, the bad drugs. No, yeah, yeah. But we took even more drugs, went to Adam's place,
and then we ended up in Hobbitland. Yeah. We had to walk through the woods,
and there was an outdoor office. There was a desk with computers on it, and a toaster,
and a printer outside in the woods. And a radiator outside as well, yeah.
Undercover. No, it was just out, just in the elements. None of it worked. It was just there.
Nothing was plugged in, but that was the office section of the woods.
It was an experience. So, you looked at all of this, and you went... We're buying a car.
This is the man I want to buy this premium luxury vehicle. Because it was him.
Okay, so it's not premium, nor is it luxury anymore. It was at some point. Yeah. I'll give you
a little clue. New, back in the early 2000s, it was £110,000. I think it was actually more than
that. Okay, starting from £110,000. Today's money, that's £220,000. And it's big. The engine's big.
Oh, so big. Really big. And what about the problem list?
Enormous. Bigger than the engine. Okay, okay. What about the oil pressure lamp? Is that good?
So, it works. It works. Works really well. We do know that it works, because on the M4,
while driving the car to the unit... That's $150. Is that what you're alluding to?
Yeah. It illuminated itself. And I went... And I went, I've got the problem. But what's more
reliable? An R56 Mini or that car? That car. That car. I mean, it's running. Yeah, true.
But for how long? See? Who knows? So, we're going to do some filming with it today, actually,
and find out why it's illuminated. See if there is actually an oil pressure issue.
But yeah, all of that to come. So, tomorrow's episode is actually going to be RS4,
which we've been filming on the V2 channel, which has been doing so well that we've brought it
over to main channel. And as part of that episode, I go to a place in Banbury called MRC. We get a
oldest friend, like prehistoric. Oh, like Tiff Nadelle. No, even older than Tiff Nadelle.
Really? Wow. It's Tom Lenthal. Oh, the right brother of Tom Lenthal.
Oh, good. Tom Lenthal. So, he's got a Project 8, doesn't he? 600 horsepower, supercharged,
blah, blah, blah. Fastest saloon on the Nurburgring? Yes. I don't know if it still holds.
I don't think it is now, but it works. But it's a seven-minute something.
It's the fastest combustion. Oh, okay. Production. Production. Yeah.
So, anyway, it's Tom Lenthal in that car, which is about £120,000, versus me in the RS4, which is
realistically about, I don't know, 12 to 15 grand now. So, Tom should annihilate you.
Annihilate me. Yeah. Yeah. But you'll have to find out if he does annihilate me.
Speaking of your RS4. Yeah. I went out on the weekend and I went to car show.
Oh, yeah. Bista. You went to the scramble. I did. I went to the Bista scramble.
I've never been to the scramble. I can't believe you've never been.
No one's ever invited me. It's really, really good.
He keeps on going. I see it on Instagram. I'm like, brilliant.
Are you all right, Rory? What's wrong?
What? Why are you looking around like that?
What? Look, man, I said you should really invite Alex to all these events and take the win.
No, I don't want to. I didn't say that. You didn't want to get it.
Don't you dive me in it like that? Why are you doing me dirty like this, man?
I invited you to a show the other day. You didn't even reply.
I text you and I got no reply. Well, you need to give me more notes.
I'm a family man. I messaged you a day before it was on
and you didn't even text me back. I mean, I need a month.
You also need to speak to my wife who's my carer because I don't know what I'm doing from day to
day. Anyway, I went to the Bista Sunday scramble and I only took a few pictures,
but one of them that I took was this. Oh, that is a red B7 RS4 Saloon.
And it was mint with a capital M. It looked nicer in person. It's weird, these.
It was so nice. Did you see the link I sent you this morning from Facebook?
I did, yeah, but I want a red Saloon. Okay, this was a Black Ovan, but it was only like 11 grand.
It was pretty reasonably priced, but I want the red Saloon. I did notice as well that you
kept sending pictures of a certain type of car in the chat to us.
Porsches. Yes. God, there was a lot of Porsches. So there was this. This is a G-Body Carrera
at CS. Really nice. It was so, so nice. White in color, looks lovely. White with red wheels.
And you were obviously with Tom as well, and he sent me lots of pictures of a Lotus Carlton.
I saw the nicest 996 Turbo. That could be your suit. It could be, it's not, but it could be.
It was so, so nice. And was this Tom's first time to a Scramble?
Yes. He was amazed by it. Did he love it? And you met Johnny Smith as well, didn't you?
Yeah. Do you know what? Johnny Smith, I've met him a couple of times. He had a good chat with him.
He's such a lovely bloke. He's a great bloke, yeah, yeah. And I didn't realize he's got a
68 Dodge Charger. It's really cool. Really cool. I also saw this. Oh, the Lotus Carlton.
It was a mint Lotus Carlton. Please, someone, if you've got a crashed one or a really high
mileage one, please let me know. I'd love to own one of those. And I have come to a realization
that there is a car, there's one car that at some point I'd really, really love to own.
Yeah. Not necessarily soon. I'm not desperate to buy one. I'd quite like to buy one before
they go up in value. I can only go by the one thing that you kept saying that you really wanted
to own. So it must be a BMW M2 because you didn't shut up about that. I do like not to, but that's
more of a like just to buy as a sort of daily thing. But no, there's one. I thought that was
like a dream. No, no, that was dream. Yeah. That was like, I need it. You see, he throws
these words around willy-nilly, doesn't he? I keep seeing them and you've actually had one. I
keep seeing them and I'm like, I really, really like those. And I'd like to own one at some point
before they go up in value. Is it Italian? Yeah. Is it Fiat? No. Italian. Oh, not a 360.
It is a Ferrari 360. Boring. I keep seeing them and I really like them. Yeah. Really,
really like them. And they're at the point at the moment, they're actually fairly reasonably
priced. And I think, could you imagine me with a Ferrari? No, I couldn't. I can't. No, just don't.
I could imagine you with Ferrari with a tow bar. But like a car like that, I'd love to be able to
say, you know, I bought a Ferrari or something like that because they are quite compared to all
the other cars of that. I mean, the Lamborghini, it was parked next to it's parked next to a
Gallardo. That's 100, 120 grand car. The Ferrari, you can get half that. Yeah. So it's literally
a go car. It's just, it's just framed with a nice body on it. I do also like that I could work on
one. If I bought one and I set the engine out of it or whatever, I could fix it myself. You could
have bought mine. Whereas I wanted to. I didn't know I'm not got the money for that. Oh, well,
then you don't have the money for that. So what are you talking about? You've got a Porsche.
I know. I don't know. I'm saying in the future at some point.
All right. OK. Dips from P1 Autocase bought my 360. Has he got any further with it?
The engine is out. He's had a look at the frame because they've got a frame jiggery
poking machine and he said it's actually not as bad as he thought. Like on the one side,
it's out by like a mil on the other side. It's out by like a centimetre. Do you know what?
I was just need a whack. A whack. It's had a whack. It's had so many whacks. I was thinking about
that car the other day and I thought, you know what? I wish I wish the time was a bit different
and we had that car more like now because back then we had a bit less sort of not balls. I
suppose balls is the right word. Equipment. Equipment for stuff. Yeah. We've got so much more
equipment. We were on a scissor jack lift at that point. And I feel like we didn't we didn't show
out like we didn't do what we could have done now. We also didn't know the people we know now.
Yeah. Like if we had that car now, I reckon it would be in within a couple of days. The engine
would be on the floor. We'd be sorting out the chassis. I feel like we would have finished
that car. But because of the timing and stuff, like we didn't have as much equipment or knowledge
or you know, whatever. We didn't do as much with it. Also, we wouldn't have let Alex drive it
into a toolbox. Oh, speaking of driving things into other things. Have you got something to
tell me? So Rory's been borrowing my G 31 530 D touring my daily driver. Why is that Rory?
Because everything's broken. Everything's broken. Everything's broken. And then Taylor
and Rory went out for lunch. And then apparently you hit a fence, didn't tell anyone about it
because why would you? Well, Rory came in this morning, clean my car, full tank of fuel. Thank
you very much. And I've ordered all the bits that are raw. Do you know? No, I'm one one here.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no. No, we need to talk about the state of your car. Because you get in
it. It's got bings and bongs. It's fine. Bings and bongs. It's got so many bings and bongs,
it phones BMWs for help. You just cancel it quickly. It's like you can't drive any further.
There's so many things wrong with it. So I went on eBay. I was sitting there in the car wash.
And I just like, you know, I've done this. What do you mean sitting in there in car wash?
Well, I've got it. You've got it scratch washed. I believe me. That's the worst of the problems.
And then I realized you had a Carly in the center console. So do I? Yeah, I plugged it in. And
then I then scanned it. I found out he had needed rear brake pads and well, or just a sensor. So I
ordered both of them. And I was like, oh, look, it's also coming up. Key battery. So I ordered
a key battery. I knew about the key battery. That's been annoying for a few months. And then the
service due, even though you've had a service on it. So I then reset that. No services due again.
Well, I did order you an oil filler as well. Okay. Thank you. Yeah. So I did that. And then
what was the other thing that kept your number plate, your number plates,
half off, which then causes the front parking sensor to go off, which will then lead to no, no,
no, no, no, no, no, no, no. To my point, the car came back clean, which I was very grateful for.
Thank you very much, even though I'm sure I paid for it. No, you pay for the fuel, but not for the
car wash. And then we were looking around the car and I was just admiring my car. And I was like,
I looked at like a big, big scratch, big gouge on the front bumper on the corner. I was like,
do you know what? I don't remember doing that. And Roy was like, well, I didn't want you to do it.
And then Taylor was up, oh, that might have been me. Yeah, I hit a fence. And I was like, brilliant.
I brush. Thanks for telling me. I brushed the fence. You said I brushed the fence. I didn't
think there was any damage. Why don't you get out and look. In fairness. No, there's no fairness
about it. When you drive other people's cars, you're a little bit more careful. Also, you and
crashing cars recently, you've got terrible form. You backed your brand new BMW into a massive fence
the other day. You weren't concentrating. I did. So funny enough, and this isn't an excuse. This is
the truth. I got in your car and the parking sensors were just going beep because the number plate was
hanging off. I don't think you can blame it on the number plate. No, no, I can because the number
plate's hanging off and the parking sensors. It's not as bad. So one of the stickies has just come
off. Like half of the number plate is away from them. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it was, it was just
binging and I didn't realise how long the front of that car is really long and I just pressed up
against the fence and the fence like moved a bit, but I didn't realise. So I do apologise. And the
other day I turned up in my 335D touring and I was reversing and I put it in reverse and it was just
going beep because my number plate's hanging off. Oh, really? So you've got form and you did it again?
And I turned the sensors off and I was looking forward. Forgot I turned them off and then
back into the fence. So Taylor's on a driving ban at the moment. I get all flustered. I just
keep crashing. Yeah, okay. So no more driving my car, thanks very much. To be fair, you've
crashed it more than I have. Yeah, but it's my car and at least I can fess up to myself. The
amount of times I look at your car and you've got either so close to the garage door or a pile
of tyres that's in front of it that I just look at it and go, God, he's clocked and I'm like,
no, he's actually hit it. Do you know what, Laurie? My car's work. But there's no, you drove
into the unit door the other day, bounced off of it and then rolled backwards a bit.
It's my car. If I want to crash my car, I'll do it. But I won't have you crashing my car or not
telling me that you've crashed my car. I did tell you. No, you didn't. I did. I told you this
morning. I didn't realise I damaged it. You told me this morning once I pointed it out to you.
I didn't realise I damaged it. Sorry, I don't want everyone seeing mommy and mommy fighting.
All right, then a quick break from this podcast to give a shout out to the sponsor of this episode.
That is Shopify, our very, very good friends. They are a commerce platform behind millions of
businesses worldwide from household names, including Gymshark and Mattel to brands just
getting started. Like we were about three years ago, weren't we, Chris? We were.
And look how far we've come now. Three days we have got Shedfest, the biggest show of our lives.
We're expecting 12,000 of you at Bolesworth Castle on Saturday. Are you bricking it or
are you doing all right? I was a bit nervous this morning because I was told by several people
I strategically arranged a delivery to come when I wasn't here. Yes. I don't have to do that. That
was so clever. There were like four of us about 20 minutes to unbox a Luton van. Yeah. Yeah. There
are so many clothes that we've got now. But I had to go through all today and yeah, I was told
when I came into the unit, I'd panic, but I didn't know. But I've been in there like a mole.
You have. You really have. And Shopify has been kind of very, very helpful with all of the orders
and actually us getting to this point, haven't they? It's an e-commerce platform, but if you're
selling in person, they have a whole set up to help with that. You can buy your devices off there.
You can be like literally like a full-on shop. You'd be in the high streets. You buy it all off
them and it's just really easy to get going. And we've got some good news as well. Not only
Shedfest is just around the corner, but Shopify is sending us something. They are. They're sending
us a plaque, sort of like a YouTube plaque. Oh, 10,000 orders. Well done, Chris. 10,000 orders.
That's fantastic. So recently I've been updating the auto alec section of the website, haven't I?
Yeah. With some direction for yourself. Yeah. That looks rubbish. Yeah. That looks good. Yeah.
Yeah. I love that. It's really easy again. I mean, the only thing I struggle with is not
a shopper, I think. It's like inspiration because you can do anything. And the great thing about
Shopify as well is that they've got their own design studio with hundreds of ready to use
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you pick up one of the templates like an hour and you're done. Amazing. Yeah. And it'll look good.
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if you need a helping hand, Chris? We just use their help. Yeah. Very helpful. Yeah. 24 seven
helpline. I know. So I do actually use it quite late sometimes on your phone, bit of live chat.
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forward slash auto Alex, that is shopify.co.uk forward slash auto Alex on with a podcast.
Anyway, you've been driving my car. Yeah. Blah, blah, blah. I've been driving my Range Rover L322
4.2 supercharged. It's fantastic. Leaky. Yeah. Very, very leaky. It's a Land Rover product.
What do you expect? But it's really bad. I had to top up the power steering fluid again.
Oh, really? And then on my driveway this morning, I was like, that's a big leak.
Are you still enjoying driving it? I really enjoy it. Yeah, I really love rotating my vehicles.
You know, my fleet, you know, my car collection, I like rotating between them.
Yeah. I came in in my V10 BMW today. Oh, your BMW. How was it?
Delightful. What did you come in, Rory? Oh, you came in my car.
I came in the borrowed car. It's all mine a brick.
We'll get on to that in a minute. Apart from that weekend, it was really nice.
Went up to Gareth and Orelise because their daughter Elise is three. So did some bouncy
carcelling, which was fun. And what did Orelise do? Not Orelise, Elise. Damn.
No, I was actually in a bouncy carcelling by myself quite a long time. Do you know what?
At my age, being on a bouncy carcelling, very tiring. Like my knees were knocking.
Well, you are like nearly 60. I'm nearly 60. Yeah. And also, I fell out,
like literally fell out of the sides. Oh, my God. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was quite...
Amelia was there like watching me and I was just like rolling backwards and I just
fully fell out. No, no one caught it. Did she laugh? No, I think she was concerned. She was like,
Daddy, where are you? Was she German as well? Was she caught German? Yeah. What was your point,
Rory? Huh? You got something smart to say? She had a German accent when you said that,
Daddy, where are you? What are you? Come back into the place, maybe have some fun.
Into the light. Into the light. So, yeah, that's been me. And then Shedfest. Oh,
my God, Shedfest is three days away. If you haven't got your tickets, get your bloody tickets, people.
Oh, merch. We've got new merch. We've got a new logo. Yes, I can see that.
Right. Describe it, Rory. It's an A and an A, but one's upside down and it's almost in like a
racetrack sort of style pattern, which is more modern. It's more modern. It's nicer. It's less
in your face. And it means if you don't like auto, Alex, you can still wear it.
Yeah. Or if you don't want to be a bit more discreet about the fact that you don't want
someone walking up to you going, who's auto, Alex? Yeah. So, we've got all of that stuff for sale
online, I think, and also at Shedfest. Not online yet. Not online yet. If you go to Shedfest,
you can actually get the merch before it even hits the online store. I know.
But yeah, it's nice. I like that new logo. It's good, isn't it? So, yeah, lots, lots, lots going
on. I literally cannot wait to see you guys at Shedfest, which is in three days. Do I mention
that? I think you might have mentioned that. Yeah, get your tickets. Not long now.
Taylor, what have you been up to? I've been up to a lot, actually. Obviously, we went to go and
buy that car the other day, which is really broken. And then I sort of broke down a little bit on the
way home and I stopped at my mate Henry's house and fixed it a little bit. Other than that,
I have... Oh, I've bought some new wheels for my M5. Oh, the wheels. Do you know, I must admit,
when you first bought them, I was like, I think they're a little bit too stance boy for that car.
And I was like, I don't know if he's made the right decision. But then the more I look at it,
the more I kind of get it. I posted a picture of it on my Instagram and a few people said,
don't like it. Yeah. I think it looks... No, I preferred the old. Do you know what, though? I
don't care because I keep... I park it up somewhere, I turn around and go, that is cool. Yeah. It
looks different. It looks unique. It's really cool. It's very me. Yeah. Very, very me. And yeah,
they are my dream wheels. I've always wanted a set. They're a set of BBS E88s and I bought them
while we were in Cornwall away. I found them on Facebook Marketplace and my knees have just been
knocking to put them on. I've been so, so excited. And they look in Goodnick as well. They've got
nice Michelin rubber on them now. Yeah. Pilot Sport 4Ss. I put a new set on. So... Oh, question.
Obviously at Shedfest, we've got like a bit of a sprint course. Are you going to drive that vehicle
on that sprint? No. No? No. Oh, why? Because my tyres were £1,100. Oh. Can we not get some
Park Warns on there? No. Oh, okay. Oh, I want to hear it sing. It is good. It is good. You know what?
I think if we say on the day, do you want to drive your car? Are we like, yeah. Yeah. He'll do it
on the day. I might do a little bit. Yeah. That didn't take long. A little bit. You're going to do
a little burnout or maybe some donuts. I won't do a burnout. I'll do some skids. Do some donuts for
the people. But yeah, if you'd have to donate, please come on, Michelin tyre fund. Okay. We're
going to set up a GoFundMe for you. For my tyres. And then people can donate. Yeah. I'll get a pound.
Can you imagine if people like gave loads of money to GoFundMe for Taylor's tyres? It's like
£100,000. Well, I think there's better causes if we're going to set up a GoFundMe.
Isn't it? Well, to your mini. Which will get on to in a minute. Oh my goodness. But yeah, so I put
those on. I'm really, really happy. I love that car. It's cool. It is my favourite car to drive
out of any car I own. Honestly, I love it so, so much. What about Minj, your mini? I like driving
that as well, but the M5. If I wanted to get in and just go for a drive in any one of my cars,
always M5. Another question. We're obviously going to the Nurburgring. Would you take that
and drive it on the Nurburgring? Yeah. Really? I probably am going to take that because I don't
think my 911 is going to be done by the time. And you're worried about tyres at Shedfest?
Yeah. And you would drive it on the Nurburgring? Yeah, but that's a little while away. So I'll
get a bit of use out of them. It's only because they're brand new. Yeah, but maybe they've got
like the release agents on them. You need to just, you know, burn a little bit. Oh, wear them in a
bit. Yeah, wear them in. Yeah. Yeah. But yeah, so I just love it. I love it so, so, so, so much.
It's such a great car. Yeah. And yeah, I really enjoy driving it. So I'm really happy with that.
Other than that, I have sold a car, which I'm quite sad about. Yeah. And I was actually really
sad to see it go. Yeah. But I am building the 911. It's costing quite a lot. Yeah. You need to
obviously free up a bit of cash. And sometimes, as Rory's experiencing recently, it can be a bit
stressful having too many cars and projects on the go and constantly maintaining them and stuff
like that. Would you agree with that, Rory? Yeah, yeah. Sell them all. Sell them all. Sell them all.
So sometimes, as sad as it is, it is good to release one, let other people own it and enjoy it.
Because after all, we are only custodians of motor vehicles. You're never an owner,
you're a custodian. So you can move it on. A carer. So yeah, I have sold my 205 GTI.
It has been purchased by LLF. Yeah. And they are currently raffling it. So if you look on
the LLF website, you can actually see that car and you can buy a ticket for it and win it.
Yeah, absolutely. And I have asked my mum to buy a ticket. Just so I can win it back because I do
love it. Imagine the scandal. Yeah. I am really sad to see it go. But do you know what? I want
someone else to enjoy it. That car is great and I feel like I've done right by it. Yeah. I feel
like you've finished it. Yeah. I feel like selling that car, you know, I'm sad, but also I bought
it needing a lot of work. It was quite a tired car. Very rust free, but very tired. I did write
by it. It came out so cool. So, so cool. And you took it on a fantastic adventure with all of its
mates. Yeah, I enjoyed it. It enjoyed it and now it can live on and hopefully someone else will
enjoy it and look after it and care for it. That's my dream. So yeah, I'm sad but happy.
Other than that, went to Bistro obviously, had a great time there. Went with Tom, saw Johnny Smith,
blah, blah, blah. And I have got my twire egg back. Oh, you do, which we're looking at right now.
Yeah. So it's actually in the unit. Shall I take a picture of what I'm currently looking at? Yeah.
Yeah. So you forget how nice that blue is on the, on the truck, especially when it's cleaned up a bit.
It's, I'll be honest, I have machine polished it. Have you? Yeah. When did you do that? I did it
when we came off the Scotland trip. It was like a couple of days after because when we took it on
Scotland trip, I did drag it up a few bushes and it was quite scratched down the sides.
And I literally just spent a few hours just going over it. I didn't do it like a full proper
like, it looks really nice. For something that's done nearly 270,000 miles. That is crazy. It
actually looks really well. And it's not really needed much, has it? No, no, it's been quite easy
going. But yeah. So it was up to North with Jamie Al fabricator, having a little bit more well
done because I was doing some more working out. I found a little bit more rust under some of the
heat shields and stuff. So it's had a few more bits done. So that car I can now say is rust free,
which is a bit mad really. Like considering how much rust we found on it. Are people going to see
this at Shedfest? Yes. So this is coming to Shedfest, which is why it's in here. I've got a few more
little bits to do on it. I've got a new window regulator to put on it and a few bits and bobs.
And I'm actually driving this car up to Shedfest with the trailer attached. I'm having my six
series on the back. That's cool. So if you see me going to up North on Friday this week,
give us a wave because I'll be in my rick chugging along, hopefully happy and not exploded at the
side of the road. Yes. Live in my life in my tweric. But yeah, I really do. For a car that I
hated for a while and detested and it fought me to the end, I do actually really like it. It's
such a cool thing. It's a unique build. Yeah, it's really, really cool. And for me, I was thinking
about this the other day. It's like a little bit, that car for me is a bit of a trophy because it's,
that's been the hardest I've ever battled with a car. 100%. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like,
it fought you every step of the way. Every step of the way. And like every time I fix something,
something else broke or everything that I fixed was a pain to fix because it was either rusty or
broken or it was just a pain from start to finish. And I will never forget the day that I took the
engine out and everyone walked in this unit and just went, oh my God. Yeah, just walked straight
back out. And just went, that's never going back together. And here it is. And for me,
it's a bit, it's a bit of a medal. Like a question. This is obviously got hybrid turbos.
Yes. Is it going to get a little bit of a tune up at some point? It needs to because the last time
I towed with it or Jamie towed with it, it did actually go into limo because it came up with
an overboosting code because it's not mapped to how much boost it has now. So I do need to get it
tuned. So this is in, it's in it's like slow form. No, no, it's still fast. It's really fast,
but it will be faster. Yeah. If you absolutely boot it like up,
up a hill full boost with a trailer attached, it will go into limit mode.
Are you saying that Jamie is my catalyst? Yeah, why was Jamie, because he was ragged.
He is a child of me. Yeah, he was ragged it. So yeah, I do need to get it tuned. I don't really
know where to take it at the moment. But yeah, that is on the to do list with it. But other
than that, it's come along really, really well. And I'm really happy with it. I think it's a great
car. It's really interesting. And yeah, I enjoy driving it as well. Water rigged. Yeah. So if you
see Taylor on the M4 or wherever, I'm up to Bolsworth and give him a wave. Giss a wave. But
other than that, not a lot really, I don't think. Oh, we went to Landau. Oh, we did go to Landau,
race track in Wales. We went to Landau and I took my R53 on track. I have to say that is such a
good little car. It's brilliant. Yeah. It's I love driving it. It makes a great noise. Don't we all
love a mini? Love a mini. Love taking minis on track, which we'll get onto in a minute.
I absolutely love driving it on track. Yeah. It was great fun. I just it's such a good car.
Yeah. And it's fast and really, really well-dialed in. Yeah, it's really fast now. There's a couple
of little bits I want to finish off on it. But yeah, I actually want to take that car to a few
little mini shows and stuff this year because I just really enjoy driving it and using it. It's
great fun. Which brings me on to Rory's calamity. Oh, Rory, should we discuss what you've been
up to recently? Okay. I've been very upset. Oh, God, he's been so upset. Little to people's
knowledge, we actually filmed a podcast on Friday. Yeah. And Rory was so upset and miserable. We've
actually filmed it again today. Yeah. I was thinking about it over the weekend. I was like,
do you know what? No one is going to listen to this and be uplifted. No. They're just going to
be depressed. I was depressed. I still am. Yeah. So you've got to put a brave face on it because
life is about perspective. Yes. Isn't it? Yes. Yes. And you're happy in life. I'm very happy
in life. You just have a few cars that don't work. A few. But yes, but that's your fault.
Stop buying shit cars. It is your fault. No, no. There's a few of them that I will actually say
not my fault. No. Anyway, back to the mini. Sure, what's going on with the mini? Because that's
all fixed up. Lovely, lovely. And the point of being at Landau was to race your mini R56 versus
going to be the finale of the mini series. Well, it has been the finale of the series.
That was going to be the finale. It's the finale. If anyone watched the recent track episode,
you'll see like the end credits at the end. And then if you've carried on watching it just
after that, there's a little clip and it's a clip of what Rory? We did a compression test on the
mini because it was misfiring at idle. And one of the cylinders is lower than the other.
Yes, by about half. Yeah. So I've got 200 in free and 101. Yeah. And it looks like something's
let go in the engine. Yeah. So it did four laps of Landau, which may add is not really
an engine intensive track at all. And I will say that I've seen you drive it harder on the public
road up to speeds that you were allowed to do. Then you were on track because you were shifting
quite early. You know, you were giving it some around corners and stuff like that.
It should have been able to do that. It should be okay. Yeah. Like there's no reason why.
It's a freshly rebuilt engine as well. And we did run it in as well. Like you did a
thousand miles on it without boosting it. And then we'd done an oil change on it and stuff like
that. And then it had another oil change just before it went to Landau as well. And it's been
properly tuned by 1320 now. It's got a really, really good tune on it. But it is an N14.
It is, but it should still last. But it should still last. But it's, sorry, it's your N14.
Sorry. Yeah. It's my car. So it's cursed. But you know, I've never had a car break me
like that car has. I was going to say that car has actually broken you as a person.
Yeah. I genuinely, because there's some cars where you can put money into them and like,
yeah, they will break it. But then you'll know if you keep putting more money into it,
at least you'll end up with something working at the end of it. I feel like I've already done that
part and I've ended up with something broken at the end of it. I have changed every single
possible part on that car. Including the engine. And twice. We rebuilt the top and
lower end on the original engine. Still didn't work. We then put a brand new rebuild engine
from eBay. But I mean, still, how was it? So funny enough, I'm sure you can probably see on
there's a rebuilt company that offers rebuilt mini engines. And they,
we bought the engine without saying who we were, because we shouldn't have to. And we paid full
price for it. And then they contacted us saying that because they knew who I was, because my name
was on it, that there was no warranty on it because they hate people from Birmingham. Well,
no, because they said the car was modified. So they wouldn't offer any warranty on the engine,
which it is. But in all fairness, it's got a very good tune on it and a stock turbo.
But they don't know that. No, yeah. That's why they do a flat. It's been modified.
And to be fair, you agreed. You're okay. Fair enough for it not to last 1500 miles,
which is that's all it's done. Yeah. Something's weird. Something's very weird with that. But yeah,
yeah, it broke me. And then on the Friday, just to add to that, I then had juicy come in because
I was like going, all right, I need to get a car to get home in. Because I also in the
background, my Jaguar's lost a cylinder somehow. What's happened to it? It just fell out.
So that's misfire. I'll put it back in. And then I was like going, all right, well,
I've got my BMW E46 and I've got the Range Rover, my 600 pound Range Rover. And both of them also,
which again, you'll probably see coming up, the Range Rover just needing a new engine as well.
Yeah. So that had a new engine put in. And annoyingly, it looks like one of the seals
is leaking, which involves just taking the gearbox back out again. So that was a massive job. And
we found out that on Friday. And then also then my E46, we tried to do some brakes and it looks
like the brakes have had some, some modifications that needs changing, which now means that it
needs to be made safe. It needs to be made safe. Yeah. So that's another thing. And that all happened
all in one day. And I was like, I'm done. Some of it is self inflicted. Yeah. But you have had
some bad luck. I've had terrible luck. I've been like that before. Like when I've had bad luck with
cars, it really does grate you down because we're so passionate about them. And we spend quite a
lot of money on them. Like, and you know, it's not like this is channel money a lot of the time.
Like a lot of it is out. Like we spend a lot of the mini is I am personally nearly 10 grand
into that. Yeah. And I'm left with something that realistically is worth three and a half grand.
Yeah. Like our hobbies and our passions and our work is cars. And we spend a lot, you know,
of what we earn on these cars and these projects and stuff like that. And you take it personally.
And if you remember, right, when we went to the Nürburgring in my mini for the first time,
and the engine blew up, I really took that personally and I was really upset. And I had
a breakdown as well. Like I get it. I fully get that was all scripted though. So you can't say
I think it's very different when it's when it's like some of the cars, as Tay said,
our channel owned. And then when they break down, it's just like, oh, yeah, it is what it is.
That's when I get upset. Yeah, but you don't take it as personally. No, no, no. But then,
yeah, when it's when it's something you've spent so much time and like, and these are cars that
you want to own personally, you sort them out and you've done all that work. The mini, like as I
said, makes no sense to put the amount of time and money that has gone into that car. But I really
actually loved like and for the full laps that it did was great. It was great. Car looks good as
well. It looks really good. So yeah, I was I was happy to know that I would have ended up with a car
that was good at the end. But now I'm just stuck in this weird limbo situation of like,
do I just do I just admit defeat and just I've had offers for the three and a half that I said,
and just go or do I I mean, a man on Instagram has offered me an engine for free.
What what engine? It's just a Cooper S, but he knows nothing about it. Is it an N14? No, don't
do it. Or do we do another thing where we buy an N18 one, which is an N18 car, an N18 car,
and just take all the bits off and put it on an N18 car. Because the bits on that car are worth
quite a lot of money. Yeah. So like if we got one from Copa or something, that would be fun.
Do we take the original engine and combine the top of that one and the bottom of that one?
Yeah. And then make a good engine. Yeah. Well, we still don't know what's
wrong with the new engine yet. It would be worth having a look into that a bit deeper.
I'm so intrigued to know what's happened. Yeah. Because, as I said, it shouldn't have happened.
Yeah, it shouldn't have done. No, but it has. And the biggest thing, you've done exactly what
I do when you get upset with cars, you put everything up for sale. Yeah. You go, oh,
I'm done with this. I was really tempted to buy the Mini myself for three and a half grand.
Yeah. It was like bloody hell. I do exactly the same. And I did it with my R53. I was,
you know, I sold it and regretted it straight away. So I think the key thing is,
it's as much as you want to and you want them to as well, probably, because you're a bit done with
it, is to just not give up and we just need to just get it done. Roy's got lots of decisions to
make. How's your bum? How's your weekend? Oh, yeah. Well, that added to it, actually. Sorry.
It's over the whole of last week. I was just shitting. It was good for the weight loss.
Oh, my God. Yeah. Yeah. It was just, it was coming off me, but that was everything else.
Brutal. It was like a waterfall from my heart. And I had three nights in a row where it was just
pouring out. I woke up in the middle of the night and I was like, God, it can't be again.
And I was just like, Oh, no, it's happened again. Oh, no.
Mummy, wipe me up. And I had three nights of just no sleep. I think it, you know what,
it actually was from when the mini broke down, but I just started just, yeah.
Does stress go to your stomach? It does, actually. It does with me as well.
Yeah. Stress makes you spray. And I, yeah. As I said, I've never had a car that's broken
me as much as that though. It's broken you many times. You think you'd learn by now?
Yeah, but I remember when you had your rage over there, that social clip that we'll
Oh, yeah. That was, had you forgotten that? Yeah. Have you got Stockholm syndrome?
Yeah. Like that car just, and then there was actually, there was another one over there
because when I put the new engine in it started leaking, you did that big screen.
Yeah. You remember? Yeah. Yeah.
Well, you just don't like an easy life, do you? Do you not? The other thing,
do I just do the really sensible thing and buy an F 56 with a b-force?
I think just if you want a mini that's good and reliable, just buy a good and reliable mini.
Yeah. An F 56. Yeah. I need to find out what's happened to that. I need to at least know what
has happened. Well, then you're going to spend many days after work opening up the engine doing
it yourself. I need to, I'll tell you what though, on Friday, there was one funny thing is you,
you were really sad all day walking around really, really, you had the right hump.
You had the turds. I had to send a message in the chat when I got home because I just
realised I was being an absolute miserable bastard. Yeah, you were.
But then there was a moment where you were sat on that chair on your phone and you read something
and just started giggling. Oh, yeah. Remember? Oh.
You just start and I was like, what are you laughing at?
So is this a comment? Oh, it was so funny.
This is my, there was, it was my favourite comment of the year, I think.
Is it the favourite comment out of everything? I don't know. It might be.
It was so random and so beautiful and just so funny all at the same time.
So this is going back to, which we haven't actually discussed, was our classic cars trip.
Yeah, which is doing so well. Yeah, yeah.
Do you know, the episodes beforehand didn't do that well, but I think we'd,
we'd probably gone on a bit too long with them and then, but annoyingly,
the work needed to get done on all the cars to actually do this trip.
Yeah. There was a comment where basically Taylor was doing an alignment on my car
and in the video, he says, isn't it ironic that I'm the only one that can make your car straight?
To which someone, someone commented saying,
Taylor, that was comedy gold and it went mostly brushed over.
And then the next person commented saying, is Taylor gay then? Always thought he was.
And then another one went, yeah, you dressed it. He's not exactly hiding it.
And then another one went, he's gay. And then a guy named Sean S.
1-1-0-3. But the funniest comment ever went, no, he's an attack helicopter.
Oh, that's fabulous. Attack helicopter.
An attack, is that like a code? You know, when you say on the bus, he's on the bus.
It could be our new one. Yeah. Is it?
Are you an attack helicopter? Are you an attack helicopter?
Yeah, yeah. Actually, over the weekend, it was quite funny.
I think Mike sent me a, Mike, our editor, sent me this little clip.
Oh my God. Okay. So what did we just see there?
It was a clip of Mike reading the comments and then a picture of my face on the front
of a helicopter. An attack helicopter, yeah, yeah, yeah.
So yeah, it's quite funny that you had a little giggle, didn't you?
I did. Yeah, that was the only thing there.
Well, that and the fact that my Mustang turned up.
Oh, yeah. But then in my despair, I was sitting there going,
God, this needs a lot more money spent on it.
But, you know, with that car at least, you'll spend the money and it'll be worth double what
you spent on it. With a mini, you've spent it and it's still worth maybe a quarter of what you've
put in. Yeah, it's not.
Yeah, put one.
Buy an R56. Do you know what? Buy a GF-5.
Do you know what? That is the one thing I will say.
If you're ever thinking about buying an R56, don't.
If you happen to then buy one and then think about modifying it, don't.
If you then want to tune it, don't.
And then if you want to then take it on track, don't.
Definitely don't.
What happens if you own it?
Sell it. Sell it. Sell it immediately.
Yeah, yeah.
Do you know, if you want a mini, get an R53.
They're really good.
No, if you want a mini, get an F56, I think.
Well, you see that.
An R53 still do have issues.
They do, but they're old.
If you want like an older mini and you want to have a bit fun, get an R53.
I can't recommend one enough.
F56, you've not actually driven one.
So you can't say.
No, but I want one.
I want one now.
I want not driven one.
So you can't comment.
So also, they are expensive still.
They're still 10 grand.
What if someone has an F56 now and they would part exchange your, whatever, R56?
No one would do that.
You wouldn't know someone might.
But if I could literally walk out of that into an F56, 100%, I'd do that.
That's not happening because the engine's broken on it.
You put there's a free engine on the table here.
Oh, okay.
So you'll give them a free engine.
Because that was actually worth more than I was trying to find another green R56.
Minis are worth a lot.
I can't find another one for less than six and a half grand.
Even my R53, a categorized came up.
One came up the other day for like three, seven, 50, I think it was.
Yeah, they are worth quite good money.
Okay.
We need to move it on and let's quickly move it on to one of the sponsors of the
Auto Alex podcast.
That is our very good friends car vertical.
And you know how last time on the podcast, we had an email.
At podcast.autoalexcars.com.
From a man called Mr. Tinkler.
That was very good, by the way.
Mr. Tinkler basically said that his father-in-law was buying a car, then changed his mind,
then bought the car and then found out that it had been crashed and then he got a bit of money.
I can't quite remember the details, but we're getting more emails from you guys saying,
we ran a car vertical report and this is what we found.
Well, we've had another one from a man called JB and he says, how's it team?
First time emailer, long-term listener.
As I listened to the podcast dated 15th of April, 2026 of Mr. Tinkler chatting about his
in-laws X3 with accident damage, it made me think of my shitty buy.
I only pulled the report after the purchase about nine months late.
Yes, I know, stupid.
However, it showed structural damages.
I approached the dealership and was told it was not brought to our attention when we bought the car.
I explicitly asked the sales lady as well as the sales manager,
and they stated that the car was not in an accident.
Needless to say, the matter is currently with the MIOS, the motor industry ombudsman
of South Africa for adjudication, as I was severely misrepresented.
Oh, and by the way, after I brought the damage to their attention,
they did miraculously find the photos of the damage.
Anyway, keep up the good work with the podcast and just letting you know,
car vertical also works in South Africa regards JB.
The point of this is, obviously, yes, we are sponsored by car vertical,
but we do not leave the unit.
We do not leave the house.
We do not leave any car unchecked unless we've run a car vertical report.
We use it day in, day out, don't we?
Yeah, literally all the time.
We actually bought that vehicle that was really in poor condition this week,
and I ran a car vertical check on it before we went and saw it, before we even left the room.
We actually found a bit of damage on it on the report and built up a full timeline of that car.
Which you guys will see very, very soon in the upcoming episode.
Yeah, absolutely.
So yeah, leave no car unchecked.
Always, always run a car vertical report.
What's more, car vertical doesn't only work in the UK.
As JB said, it works in South Africa, most of Europe, America, Australia as well.
It will give you, like Taylor said, a full timeline.
You'll find out if it's been crashed, stolen, repaired,
clocked, all of those types of things as well.
Also, if you use my code, alexcast, you will get 20% off your car vertical report.
And if you front load now and get lots of car vertical reports, you will get up to 50% off.
Leave no car unchecked if you want to buy a car van or motorbike.
Always, always, always run a car vertical report,
because it will save you a lot of money and a lot of heartache in the long run.
And if you have a car vertical story that you want to share,
email us at podcasts at autoalexcars.com,
and we'll try and read it out in the next podcast.
Fantastic.
Yeah, email us your stories.
Let us now move it on to a predicament.
We've got a man called Harry Sugden.
Is this a...
Harry Sugden.
Harry Sugden, sorry.
Is this a car, a car recommend?
A car lemma.
A car lemma.
Yeah, yeah, shall we read what Harry Sugden has said?
He says,
Hi guys, love the pod.
I've recently bought a house and am due to move in hopefully late July time.
I drive a Mark VI Golf GTI Edition 35.
I've spent a lot of money and time on the car,
but have never really fallen in love with it.
But my girlfriend and I met in that car
and spent the first few months together, always in my car.
Going to nice places and making some great memories.
My daily commute is now 42 miles round
and costs a lot on fuel each week,
plus the £400 tax and high insurance.
My dad has very generously offered me his 2015 320D for free
as a big help to lower my bills due to the house.
He said he always expected to help me out in whatever way he could
when it comes to me buying my first home.
I'm extremely grateful for this opportunity for him
and I understand not everyone could be in my position.
Very well said.
However, I am thinking of selling the GTI
and using half the money towards some house stuff or debts
and half spending on a nice classic
that my girlfriend and I can take on tour to the lakes.
We often go there.
Any suggestions around £6,000 budget
and has to be taxed, MOT exempt or close to being
and nothing that's going to be consistently broken like Rory's.
A leg grow.
Does that actually literally run that?
Yeah.
Well, I might not recommend something.
Is this a good move
or should I just keep the GTI as a weekend car?
I know I'd miss the power.
Getting a leg grow.
Cheers, Rory.
So you say get rid of the GTI and then get a classic
and then spend money on debts and house stuff.
I would agree.
Get rid of it because you can probably buy it in the future again.
What classic car are we recommending?
A leg grow.
Also.
Taylor, what classic car are we recommending?
A leg grow.
Taylor, what classic car are we recommending?
My favourite classic car is the A leg grow.
It can't be an A leg grow, man.
It is.
No.
You're so nice.
How much can you get a E34 BMW 4 now?
They're quite cheap.
Yeah, less than six grand.
You can get one for that.
Are they on the cusp?
I don't think they're quite there yet.
Are they 40 years old?
No, not yet.
No, no, no.
All right, well, an E28.
No, they're big money.
They're a bit pricey though, aren't they?
You can't get a nice one of them for six grand.
You'll have to weld it up.
They're like, they're expensive.
Is there anything French and hot hatchy
that's 40 over 40 years old?
Not over 40.
No.
Do you know what?
I tell you what, we were looking at
angular car auctions.
Angular?
Angular.
Angular.
Angular.
Anguababa.
Anguababa.
Anguababa.
Okay.
Go to Anguababa car.
And I wouldn't, I couldn't believe some of the prices
that some of these classics were going for on there.
They're cheap, aren't they?
Yeah, yeah, there were some amazing deals.
Yeah, yeah.
There was a, actually, and there were a few of them
in the price range, which I was shocked at.
Which I think are 1985, or if not very close.
Yeah.
Porsche 944s.
I don't like that.
There were a few 944s.
Great shout.
Yeah, yeah.
Really great shout.
You can get one for six grand these days.
Yeah, yeah.
That is a daily drivable classic car.
Tax.
Why are you pulling a face?
I don't like them.
What do you mean you don't like them?
2.5.
They've got a funny bum on them.
Four cylinder.
They look, oh my god.
I love the look of those.
I think that is actually a great shout.
A 944.
Yeah, also.
Because that is also a car that probably will go up in value.
Also, you can fold the seats down.
And, Harry, I imagine you're a bit younger.
You and your girlfriend fold the seats down.
How do you know?
Well, I was actually.
Because he's been given a car by his dad.
No, no.
He's going to be younger than me.
How do you know about the folding seats?
Because I fold the seats down.
Yeah.
And when I park up sometimes, I'm like,
this is nice.
I'm going to have a little lie down with myself.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
Do you want to ask me what I do?
No.
I was actually about to say, if he does sell the Golf,
we'll need to valet it.
Why?
Because apparently he met his girlfriend,
and I spent the first few months together.
I'd be all up on the roof, wouldn't I?
Yeah, it'd be all over the gaff.
I wouldn't want to go in there with a UV lamp.
Yeah.
Don't get a black light on that.
I hope your dad listens to this.
944, great shout.
I am with you on that 944.
What are you saying?
I reckon if you've got a Golf, sell it,
buy something like an old Golf,
like a Mark 1 or a Mark 2 Golf.
Yeah.
They're really good cars.
And they're really easy to work on,
and they're cheap to fix.
But they're slow.
So, what on 944 isn't?
944 is a lot quicker.
Rapids.
Rapids.
No, what do you mean?
With the 944 2.5,
I think they came out the factory with a 168 brake.
They couldn't pull the skin off a rice plate.
They're rear-wheel drive, man.
Do you know what, with a 944 as well,
if you invest money into it,
you can rank them a bit more special.
Like, can't you get like supercharger kits?
You can, yeah, yeah.
For them as well to make them a bit,
I don't know, a bit more spicy.
I think you're wrong here.
I think this time Rory is right.
Well, you think that I'm wrong,
but I know that you're wrong.
So, I win.
That's your opinion, and your opinion is incorrect.
No.
Everyone's entitled to their own opinion.
No, no, but yours is wrong.
It just seems that yours is incorrect on this occasion.
You've been outnumbered.
No.
Yes.
I've been outnumbered by two people
that I know haven't got as good car taste as I have.
What are you on about?
I've got great taste in cars.
Just look at my R56 Mini.
Rory, it's time to pipe down now.
Okay, sorry.
Okay, Harry, 944 or a Mach 1 or a Mach 2 Golf?
Yeah, something like that.
If you want to be really boring.
Something fun or, yeah,
but yeah, you can buy your Golf back in the future at some point.
You know, when you've been married for 50 years
or whatever, you can say,
do you know what?
Do you remember when we met and I had one of them?
I'm going to buy one now because it's classic.
Yeah, but you might need some pills to re-enact your youth.
Yeah, and some UV lamps.
Yeah.
What during?
Well, you want to see the, no, let's rise.
Let's move on to the fruits of your labour.
A game.
A game.
Let's move on to a game.
Are we ready for a game?
Right, heaviest vehicle or heaviest car?
You have to establish which of the three cars,
there are five question, is the heaviest?
And I want open discussion about this.
Is there an X351 in your list?
No.
Sorry.
See, that's a deceptive car.
Yeah.
You'd think it weighs a lot more than it does, but it's all...
What is an X351?
It's like 1700 kg.
But what is it for people?
Like, that is a Jaguar XJ of like 2010 to 2019 variant.
Well, the one what you've got.
Yeah, but they're...
Aluminium body.
Yeah, aluminium body.
Super light.
I think quite a light engine as well, I believe.
Yeah.
Yours is even lighter because it's lost a cylinder.
Yeah.
You should pop that back in, actually,
because then you can start driving and then you wouldn't drive my car
and then complain about all my bings and bongs.
Look, I'm not complaining.
I just...
You are complaining.
All right, I was complaining,
but I just don't get how you could leave it.
Like, it took me literally 10 minutes to almost...
Yeah, but I don't hear it because I haven't got my hearing aids on.
Goodness gracious.
Right, which car is the heaviest?
Question one of five.
We have got a 2022 Tesla Model S Long Range.
The second car is a 2008 Ford Transit.
Okay.
So we'll go for the smallest Ford Transit,
so a short wheelbase on the top,
or a BMW X5 4.8 IS from 2004.
So the E53.
Which of those vehicles do you think is the heaviest?
Tesla.
Tesla.
Okay, both of you are saying Tesla?
Yeah, so it's the Model S as well, isn't it?
It's the Model S Long Range.
Yeah, well, those are actually really heavy for that time.
How heavy do you think a Tesla is?
I think it's like 2.6, isn't it?
2.5, 2.6?
I think the X5 is about 1,800-1,900 kilos off the top of my head.
The Transit is probably...
2.2?
No, they're 2.2 laden.
I think they're about two tons.
Oh, yeah, no, about two...
Yeah, something like that.
And then the Tesla's big.
Okay, you're both incorrect.
A 2008 Ford Transit is actually heavier than a Tesla.
Is it?
Starting from 2,400 kilos for a Ford Transit.
This is an empty box.
Are you sure that's not laden?
I'm sure.
I'm sure.
Really?
Yes, I've checked.
That means they can't carry much, though.
It's 2.4 tons.
Then, BMW X5...
What the Tesla's like this?
Is 2.2 tons for an X5.
Is it?
Yeah.
And then the Tesla starts at 2 tons and 50 kilos.
I hope we just thought it was more than that.
Yeah, you would.
Question.
Where did you get these answers?
Were they generated by the internet?
It's AI.
Yeah.
Where does AI get the answers from?
The internet.
Well, you say that.
Also, I cross-referenced.
Oh, you did actually cross-referenced.
I did cross-reference.
So, both of you are incorrect.
Okay.
Okay.
That sounded like a donkey.
Oh, I like donkeys.
Whoa, okay.
I don't like horses, but I like donkeys.
They're quite nice.
You are more of a donkey.
Yeah, yeah.
Donkeys' ass.
Yeah, yeah.
Donkeys are nice.
They're cute.
Okay.
Right, next set of three cars.
We have got a 2024 BMW i7 X-Drive 60.
I hate those.
They're large, aren't they?
They're massive.
They're very large.
The next vehicle is a 2008 Hummer H2.
Large.
Very large.
And then we have got a 2023 Mercedes-Benz G500.
So, not the big, big one.
It's a G500.
Which of those three vehicles do you think is the heaviest?
H2.
I think it's going to be close between that and that.
What engine was the X7 again?
It was an i7.
i7.
So, it's battery.
There's no engine.
It's a large vehicle and it is battery.
The Hummer is really big.
It's so large.
It is big.
Yeah, so large.
I reckon the BMW.
You think BMW?
Yeah, I'm just going to say it to be different.
Okay.
It's probably wrong.
I can reveal that.
In the Hummer, three tonnes.
The Hummer is 2.9 tonnes, which is the heaviest of the three.
Well done, Rory.
Then we have got the BMW i7, which is 2.6 tonnes.
And then the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon is 2.5 tonnes.
So, did you know they're having to actually change a ruling,
I believe, in the UK?
I think it is the UK.
Because some of these really large electric vehicles
are now over 3.5 tonnes.
Wow, yeah.
So, they're having to change the fact
that you can now drive up to four tonnes
if it's an electric vehicle on a standard UK license.
Yeah.
That's scary, isn't it?
It's so ridiculous.
The world's gone mad.
Okay, so, 1-0-2 Rory.
The next set of three cars, Audi B7 RS4 Avant.
Lovely car.
Next car, Mercedes C63 AMG Estate.
And then we have got a BMW M3 E90.
They didn't do an estate in that generation, did they?
I reckon the Mercedes.
Because I know that it's got a cast iron cylinder block
because I've seen a coffee table made out of one.
And I think the B7 RS4 has got an aluminium block.
Okay, but the Mercedes is two-wheel drive.
Hmm.
Which one?
You've gone for Mercedes.
What was the estate one?
What, what?
Which one was the estate?
Both of them.
Both the Mercedes and the RS4 are estates.
And then you've got the BMW.
I'm just going to be completely rogue.
Yeah.
The BMW.
Right, so you've gone for the only saloon car
that's two-wheel drive.
Two-wheel drive, yeah.
And you think it's the heaviest.
Right, okay.
I feel like deducting a point because that's so silly.
I can tell you you're wrong.
Okay, BMW M3 starts from 1600 kilos.
Mercedes C63 starts from 1,750 kilos.
Yeah.
The Audi RS4 also starts from 1,750 kilos.
However, there is a heavier version of the RS4
than there is the Mercedes.
So you can get a 1.82 tonne Audi RS4
versus a 1.8 tonne Mercedes.
So 20 kilos.
20 kilos.
But both of you are wrong again.
Well, after the matter then.
Yeah, still one love.
Okay, the next lot of three cars.
We have got a Lotus Elise S1.
1996.
So you're going very light.
Very light.
Then we have got a Hummer.
No, I'm joking.
Caterham 7 620R.
Okay.
A really fast one.
Yeah.
And then we've got a 1959 Austin Mini.
So Lotus Elise S1, the first one.
Caterham 7 or an Austin Mini.
Which do you think is the heaviest?
Elise is the heaviest.
Okay.
Then I'm going to say it's the Mini then Caterham.
Okay.
So Elise is your answer is the heaviest.
Taylor.
I reckon the Mini is the heaviest.
Okay.
I can reveal the heaviest vehicle on the list
is the Lotus Elise.
725 kilos, followed by the Austin Mini 620 kilos
and the Caterham 7 545 kilos.
The Mini weighs 600 kilos.
Yeah.
That's not a lot, is it?
No.
Okay.
So it's currently two love.
Oh, do I get an extra point for naming the exact order though?
No, you get a point deducted for being like all showy office.
We don't like that on this program.
Show boating.
You have one though.
Okay.
Because you've got two points out of four.
But as we all know, it's Winner Takes All.
Dum, dum, dum.
Can we just leave you with that?
No.
Winner Takes All, are you agreed?
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
Trevor, you agreed?
Don't mind, I'll blow your brain back.
Wow, Trevor's in the room.
What Sam doing is Jamaican accent again.
No, that was just Trevor.
Okay, right.
The last cars we have got, you're aligned with Winner Takes All, aren't you?
Yeah.
This is my favourite question.
Okay.
I thought I did really well here.
We have got a Lamborghini Urus 2018.
Oh, okay.
A Toyota Land Cruiser Amazon 1998.
Or, this is my favourite bit, 300 beats.
300 beats.
Which one of these do you think is heaviest?
The Honda Beat.
Yeah.
So that was...
You know, Edwin's Honda Beat.
Tiny little wreck thing.
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
So three of those.
Three of those versus a large Larry.
Versus a Lamborghini Urus.
I'm going to go with large Larry.
Okay.
How much do you think large Larry weighs?
I think it weighs two, two, two, three.
Two, three.
Taylor, what's your answer?
So Winner Takes All, you've got to go for a different answer.
Wait, Honda beats would be about 700, wouldn't they?
It's a 700 times...
Yeah, no, I'm going to go Land Cruiser.
Okay, all right.
Taylor.
I've got to do a different answer because otherwise it's boring.
Yeah, come on.
Out with it.
Is it the Urus or is it 300 beats?
It's probably the Land Cruiser, but I'm going to say it's 300 beats.
300 beats.
I can reveal the answer is it's the Land Cruiser.
2.4 tonnes for a Land Cruiser.
The Urus weighs 2,200 kilos and 300 beats combined is 2,280 kilos.
So yeah, well done, Rory.
You win.
Nothing.
Yeah, do I win an engine?
You win a broken car.
It's outside waiting for you.
He's got enough of them.
Yeah, yeah, there's a whole paddock full of your broken cars.
All right then, and with that fantastic victory, well done, Rory.
We're going to call it there because we've got so much Shedfest prep to do.
We do.
What have we got coming up?
We have got, well, obviously this car that you have bought.
Yes.
Which needs a full restoration.
Oh, it does.
And then we want to do some trip somewhere stupid, isn't it?
Yeah.
And see if it can make it.
We're going to take it to the moon.
Oh, no, they did that recently.
We can't do that again.
Oh, OK.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
But Africa, next best place?
Yeah, yeah.
We've been talking about doing an Africa special,
and this might be the car to do it in.
Yeah.
And then we've obviously got our barn finds,
which are coming together quite nicely.
My Mustang's back.
Taylor, yours is nearly back from the body shop.
Yeah, it's getting there.
I spoke to Sam from SL shop, and he said,
I'll let you know if we can collect it either today or tomorrow.
OK.
And then I think I've decided on a destination for them.
Oh, yeah.
Norway.
Norway.
Norway, really cool.
OK.
Norway.
Norway.
OK.
So Norway, if you actually look on like top driving roads in the UK,
not in the UK, in Europe, there's 10 driving roads in Europe
that are sort of widely known as being the best driving roads.
Yeah.
Four of them are in Norway.
Really?
OK, nice.
In that case, then, why wouldn't we take our Porsches to Norway
because they're our best driving cars?
Damn it.
So if we could somewhere else, we'll have a little rethink of that.
Sandra Bay.
We'll have a little think.
Apart from that, what else?
Well, we have Porsches.
We've got Shedfest.
We've then got...
Oh, we're going to be working on the 205 GTI Turbo as well.
Yes, we are, yeah.
Which is exciting.
Roy's Mini.
My Mini.
It's finished.
Yeah, no, we've got my Mini.
Let's see.
Alex's Dismay.
And this broken car.
Yeah, all in the box.
And then we still do have...
We need to get around to our luxury series.
We do.
We have a luxury series coming.
And our G-back inside.
That was probably going to end up being our Christmas special.
Probably.
Yeah, probably.
But for now...
Oh, sorry.
Have you mentioned those?
Yeah.
Well, the trophy is that I actually like show to everyone and discuss.
And we had a conversation.
And then you said, oh, yeah, look, that's the spring from an RS4,
that one, and then I handed it to him.
And then it said, most likely to break down.
Do you mean those ones?
Oh, now you say that.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
So yeah, everyone, please, please, please get your Shedfest tickets.
There are only three days left.
We do not want you to miss out.
There's so much amazing entertainment,
live track action fun fest,
stuff for the kids to do, amazing food, two stages.
We're going to meet as many of you guys as possible.
It's going to be fantastic.
The weather looks good as well.
Yeah.
We've got our merch as well.
So yeah, bye-bye.
Everything you can, really.
From us, thank you very much for watching with your eye holes
and listening with your ear holes.
We can't wait to see whatever you do.
Do it to the best of your ability.
We'll see you soon.
Bye-bye for now.
Bye.
About this episode
The hosts bounce between Shedfest prep, car-show chatter, and a painfully expensive project car that was cheap to buy but awful in condition. They tease a huge, big-engine mystery purchase, compare it with fuel-sipping oddballs, and then spiral into damage, maintenance, and reliability woes. Alongside that, they discuss new wheels, a sold 205 GTI, a rust-free tow rig, listener buying dilemmas, and a few weight-guessing games that end with some surprisingly heavy and light cars.
