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Daimler addiction: my fourth, Regency red with magnolia   [page 7] English text

The 1992 Regency red Daimler 4.0 litre: selected forum comments on my story

Some xj40.com forum members gave interesting comments on my story on the Regency Daimler on the pages before. This was end of January 2014. Selected comments are cited below. For the original discussion, see the page on the xj40-forum.

Steve (Doormouse)

Blimey Rens! You must be bored shitless and up at the crack of dawn to write that little vignette!! LOL

Pim S.

Great (and detailed!) story, Rens!

I think your suspicion of it having stood in a damp area (a lake? a swamp?) is right: the corrosion on its underpinnings looks much, much worse than on my badly neglected Sovereign.

The rust-freeness of the bodywork is a joy to behold, but ensure you rustproof those sill ends as soon as you can!
Same counts for the lower rad bracket, which looks salvageable enough from your pics.
Also pay attention to the pipework: rustproof the steering rack hydraulic lines, and inspect/rustproof the fuel & brake pipes. Corrosion in those areas is the kind of stuff that makes MOT testers rather nervous …

Poor mpgs/poor running/doubts about coolant:
I'd start with with compensating for the missing maintenance record of the last few years: new spark plugs, new rotor, a fresh air filter (plus a good throttle body clean), a fresh fuel filter and a tank full of petrol plus injector cleaner. That unintended engine flush can't have hurt, looking at the condition of the 'original' engine oil. knipoog

Ruling out the above will give you a headstart in problem hunting, and gives you a good opportunity to get more familiar with the engine bay internals in the process.

I'd also throw in a new thermostat + seal, backflush the rad, clean the coolant hoses where possible and fill the system with decent coolant. I never used the 'dillute with tap water' trick either, always bought ready-mixed fluids.
The fan belt looks tired, not too complex (or expensive!) to replace.

The oil leak: the self levelling/brake pump is at the front of the engine, sounds like a likely culprit for the rust-proofing in that area. Give the area a really good clean (brake cleaner), that should help you pinpoint the cause of the actual leak. Could be something as simple as replacement pump seal, but hard to tell untill you've removed the crud.
Self-levelling oil: comes also in other colours than "Citroën green", given the missing maintenance logs for the last few years I would flush and replace.

The tactile panel is still available new, and not horrendously expensive. They seem to rust easily: the PO [Previous Owner, RS] of my Sovereign removed it altogether to make the car look less crusty …

Windscreen washers: pumps tend to get stuck after long periods of disuse, a gentle tap with a hammer MIGHT bring it back to life. You'll need to remove quite a few front end bits to get decent access, but nothing more complex than a spanner, some applied force and a healthy portion of WD40 can't fix …

Fuse C4/instrument lights: I'd probably look at a replacement dimmer if I could get it cheaply and easily, electronics boffins like nlcrane might have better advise, though.

Looks very decent all in all, some good potential in this one!

Tom F.

Great write-up – enjoyed reading it. How about some pics of the SD1's? There are a few fans of them on here.

Rory S.

Another Daimler Schaterlach I am sure you will have it looking even more fantastic this year … The leaper really does need to go Verdrietig

Derek S.

Marathon post there , i shall have another read of it soon but for now , the wiper stopping should be an easy fix , there is an inline fuse under the dash , usually it's blown as it's too small so fit a 10 amp in there [ as recommended in a TSB [Technical Service Bulletin, RS] from jaguar ] and that should make it park properly .

It looks to me as if the car has been stood in an area that got flooded , maybe it was parked in a field one winter , a company i worked for stored a hundred brand new minis in a field one year and that flooded resulting in countless warranty claims for knackered brakes and rusted components , your car looks in a similar condition .

Comment Rens Swart

Blimey Rens! You must be bored shitless and up at the crack of dawn to write that little vignette!!

Apart from that I do not understand all English here :), I can assure you that I am not bored at all. Taking pictures takes some time, the story more or less drips into my mind during night and bathing, and then I write it down in two evenings (English is not my mother tongue). Keep in mind that I handle a keyboard possibly five times as fast as some of you, but a spanner ten times as slow as most of you :)

Marathon post there, i shall have another read of it soon

Great write-up - enjoyed reading it.

Great (and detailed!) story, Rens!

Sorry for the marathon, I liked writing it and if I am in the flow I hate leaving out interesting details :-), thanks for the compliments.

The leaper really does need to go :(

I think I will keep it, although I was impressed by the reasoning of the first owner that a jaguar does not belong on a Daimler because a Jaguar is not a Daimler. I have three other Daimlers without a leaper and if would remove it, horrible holes in the bonnet will be left. So I think I keep it just for alternation (voor de afwisseling).

It looks to me as if the car has been stood in an area that got flooded

I think your suspicion of it having stood in a damp area (a lake? a swamp?) is right: the corrosion on its underpinnings looks much, much worse than on my badly neglected Sovereign.

I am glad you confirm my presumptions, bad to hear that it is as bad as it looks. I could of course drive it in a swimming pool with 40 cm of WD40, or Fertan. In any case I will buy a barrel of both. But what I did not intend is taking the whole car apart and rust proofing it. Although I know that Pim did not intend do to it with his Sovereign either, it turned out different for him. I think I will remove rust with a wire brush and use Fertan and/or WD40 to the extend that I will not take the whole suspension apart. In fact I hope that the good cure of the car during its first 18 years result in the rust to be only a thin outer skin over what in fact is a good car.

Tell you what Rens, there's PLENTY there for you to be getting on with 'til this time next year Myzon!!! Good luck with it though!

Thanks, in fact I intended to do it in a few evenings :-) But as I am not very fast with spanners, it could cost some more time. I have an optimistic attitude. As you will have concluded from the above.

Any case, Pim's and Derek's advice is on my list. Thanks a lot. I think I will leave the keyboard now and start with giving the engine and lower parts a good clean.

Please keep commenting on my problem list :-)

Best regards, Rens

Pim's comment

I think I will remove rust with a wire brush and use Fertan …

No need to be as drastic as I have been :mrgreen: , but do ensure you tackle the fuel/brake/steering pipes sooner rather than later.

Especially the fuel pipes: these have a tendency to rust in normal conditions, let alone after the damp environment they've been exposed to …

A wire brush, maybe some ScotchBrite (or wire wool) for a smooth finish, rust convertor, primer and paint and you're all set!

Steve Doormouse's comment

Best if you can take them off to do them properly but it is a ball ache of a job?

Pim's comment

Naki's done a full fuel pipe replacement afaik, that looked like a proper pain in the gonads indeed …

Different sizes wire brushes to get into the curves & corners, followed by undilluted rust convertor were my solution, I'm not unsatisfied with the results at all.

Naki K.

Epic post Rens! You don't post much for years, then do a years worth in one post! Verbaasd

Great to have an insight into your cars and work done/ work needed.

Keep the info coming, its exactly the kind of thing this forum flourishes with.

Naki's comment on the fuel pipe treatment

Naki's done a full fuel pipe replacement afaik, that looked like a proper pain in the gonads indeed …

Different sizes wire brushes to get into the curves & corners, followed by undilluted rust convertor were my solution, I'm not unsatisfied with the results at all.

Well not quite. I have removed full set of fuel pipes from my breaker.
Replaced rear section tank to filter on one.

I cleaned the middle section of pipes on my xjr. As a compromise, I did not fully remove them from the car, but dropped them down from their brackets so I could clean and treat all round. It was only the centre section effected.

I find it really satisfying to clean up and wax the underside if the car, as seeing flaky brown compared to shiny black? Just no comparison!
Ok it will not stay black and clean for ever if you drive it on dirty roads, but the main thing us to know its safe condition and not deteriorating.

Rens' comment on the loads of work to do

did you Post pictures of your rusty bulkhead before?

No, not yet, I didn't want to spoil the idea of a nice Insignia. I believe the A-pillar, sill front ends and fuel flap surround are worse. Do I dare to post pictures of dreadful subjects like that?

i doubt there is anything that could shock me now. i think all the squeamish ones have turned away by now anyhow.
come on, dont be shy. i have laid myself out for abuse and ridicule here too many times already. someone else's turn?

You are completely right. You deserve it to be able to look at pictures from other members after posting so much interesting stuff yourself. Although I don't think any fellow member would consider making your attempts to keep all these XJ40's on the road ridiculous. On the contrary!!!

I am not shy, I am ashamed. I bought my Daimler Insignia two years ago, knowing that it was rusting at locations not easy to repair. And I left it, I looked at it, I feared it and did nothing apart from driving 43.000 km with it. But now I have made a tiny start. The advent of the Regency Daimler is in fact a good excuse to start with the Insignia, or the other way around.

In fact to keep things clear I should start a new thread on my Daimler Insignia. With a similar 'well-written' story as this thread on my Regency Daimler. But I guess you would prefer a couple of pictures instead of waiting for another month before I completed such a book on the Insignia Glimlach

Naki's comment

Ok, a couple of things. I think having "more than one" 40 is the best way for a true 40 fan. There is no doubt a large proportion of them need some kind of work. So if you actually want to drive one daily, or on a regular basis, then one in the Workshop and one on the road is a good route I reckon.
So you buying this red 4.0, gives you the daily driver and now the insignia is free to be taken apart to fix everything.

I remember the days when I only had one car, and it was an absolute nightmare, as everytime something went wrong, it was an almighty rush and bloody inconvenience, to be with no car, and get it fixed as quickly as possible. Invariably it cost me much more finding the fastest way to get it fixed, and it was nearly always garages back in those days.

I spent many many thousands, where as now I could do the same for hundreds or free. And only because I have multiple vehicles. knipoog (and more skills & confidence too).

So yes, start a thread for each car by all means. So we don't get mixed up between what need doing for each car?

Rens' comment

Those history and considerations are so recognisable! I will do my best.

Steve's comment

Best to have two cars on the road I reckon with at least one of them a 40?

Derek's comment

Best to have two cars on the road I reckon with at least one of them a 40?

Used to be able to do that , costs are too much for me now so i just try to rotate them , seems a waste leaving one or more parked up ready to go and not getting your moneys worth out of them , even more so when i use the old freedom pass Schaterlach

Overview: Introduction to my fourth Daimler

Page published on xj40.com January 2014, published on my website February 2016

Kind regards,
Rens Swart