Autumn 2021 round up
Well I wasn’t wrong when I predicted the weather would turn by the time I got my Polo Breadvan back out of the garage after a brief period of storage towards the end of the summer. Overall we had a pretty damp and dark end to summer here in the East of England. But that didn’t stop me getting out and using the car well into the autumn.
Events update
I drove up to visit family on the North Norfolk coast. There I joined the belated 'St. George’s Day Run' to Holkham Hall. The event is run aid of the East of England Air Ambulance by the North Norfolk Classic Vehicle Club. This the third time I’ve done this enjoyable non-competitive road rally. But it is the first time it absolutely poured with rain from start to finish. We made it with no bother and even fit in a brief pit stop at Whitwell Station en route.
I also attended what will probably be the last event of the year I take the Polo to: the ‘Takona’ Cars and Coffee in Sawbridgeworth. There I met writer, designer and all round Polo fanatic Richard Gooding who will be featuring the car on PoloDriver.com. He was there with his new Polo Blue GT - a really innovative car with it’s active cylinder control and other tech. It was a good morning out and I will try and get down to the event which happens on the second Sunday of each month again, though probably not until next year.
Polo breadvan update
The Polo Fox Breadvan has undergone a minor amount of TLC with the damaged boot trim panel being replaced. I’m also working on touching up the badges on the rear as well as a couple of small (and easily reversible) customisations to make the car feel more my own. Meanwhile further driving and visual inspection confirmed the anti roll bar bushes are very worn and I resolved to replace these with uprated polyurethane bushes soon.
Mechanical
I’ve been spending a lot of time working inside the car, which you’ll read about next. The car has been mercifully reliable and so far nothing much needs doing yet.
I have noticed the coolant expansion tank has cracked on one of the two bolt mounting points. This doesn’t seem to have been enough to spring a leak, however it's probably wise to be on the lookout for a replacement. I also decided the cap was looking a bit ropey and seemed to be weeping occasionally so replaced this with a 'new old stock' part for peace of mind.
Electrics
I fitted a 12v socket / cigarette lighter, which helped me to start exploring the electrics. It seems there have been some modifications to the wiring. Most things work well but I noticed a distinct lack of any illumination inside the car once the nights started drawing in. The problem with the lighting is two fold: one issue is no power is getting to the interior courtesy light, the other simply that numerous bulbs in the dashboard and switches were either blown or not present.
I set about replacing bulbs which gave me an appreciation of the simplicity of the interior of the car. I can now tell what speed I’m going and even find the switches in the dark, which is rather useful.
While I was working behind the dash I also gave the speedo cable a few drops of lubrication and made sure it was securely attached when replacing the gauge cluster as it has been a little ‘sticky’ requiring a few taps occasionally to free off from the zero mph position. That seems to have done the trick as it hasn’t stuck once since.
What's next?
I aim to use the car lightly over the winter to keep everything ticking over and continue to enjoy its basic charms. But I’m unlikely to be taking it out in any particularly bad winter weather or on freshly gritted roads.
As far as further work; if I get round to it those anti roll bar bushes may get changed, I will try to find a replacement expansion tank and the courtesy light still needs to be sorted too, unless of course something more pressing comes along!