Two jobs for us today, the first was in Bristol where we fitted a set of recharged units to an MGF, the weather was very good, pleasantly warm and the job was soon completed. In fact sooner than the customer’s friend had anticipated as he turned up to watch us working and by that time we were adding the finishing touches! He did however go for a ride in it, the customer went for a good drive including over speed bumps and both were amazed at the difference. We then travelled to the Haynes Motor Museum in Sparkford, Yeovil near Somerset where we looked at a previous customer’s Allegro Equipe which was undergoing some repairs in the workshop. We had previously recharged the existing units and at the time the system had been contaminated with Citroen LHM fluid which had been used by mistake by the previous owner. It would appear that the the front unit had been weakened by this as it attacks the internal rubber components which are only compatible with the correct water based fluid. Another recharged unit was soon fitted and a drive around the grounds of the museum confirmed that the suspension was spot on again

Our jobs for today were the fitment of recharged Hydragas units to two MGFs, once again after setting off from our hotel in Gravesend we were stuck in heavy, slow moving traffic for a good while and when we arrived at the customer’s house in Bishops Stortford it was raining steadily, this continued through the job but it didn’t dampen our spirits or the customer’s when he took the car for a drive afterwards, he was delighted with the results. There was far less hindrance travelling to the next job in Meesden. When we got there we said hello to the dog before starting work . We had the benefit of a carport for shelter and the job was soon completed

After a nightmare journey through a lot of traffic congestion on the way from Telford to Kent and after having our punctured front tyre repaired successfully at Thurrock we didn’t arrive for our job, which was a late series 1 Allegro 1300 automatic until lunchtime. We were wondering if it was going to be “one of those days”. We were met with the suspension completely collapsed on one side and rock hard rigid on the other. A quick pump up on the collapsed side revealed a rear unit which had rusted through so at least the pipe wasn’t to blame and the unit was going to be changed anyway. From that point on the job went like a dream and all four units were soon changed for nice recharged and tested ones, a good job because it was freezing out there with a chilling wind! The ride quality is now beautiful with loads of travel on the suspension just like when it left the factory all those years ago

Early and frosty start this morning when we left our hotel in Slough to travel to Wokingham where we carried out the fitment of a rehosed front Hydrolastic unit to a Riley Elf, these are guaranteed to be a challenging job and challenging it was! We carefully worked our way through it and it wasn’t too long before the suspension was up where it should be again. We’ve taken the original unit away and will examine it in our workshop, it was showing signs of slow leakage with the top of the unit full of fluid, we’re hoping it’s the hose or ferrule causing it. We then travelled to a breakers yard half a mile away where the customer had kindly informed us they had an MGF in, the Hydragas units were soon removed, it helps keeps our stocks up. The final job was nearby where we went to look at a Riley Elf the same colour as we had previously worked on, this was a garage find where it had stood for around 20 years, all it needed was a pump up and this was soon completed

Today we travelled to Brentford where we carried out the fitment of a set of recharged Hydragas units to an MGF. The weather was very pleasant and the customer enjoyed chatting to us while we worked, she was very impressed with the results and can’t wait to tell a local group about it all when they meet up soon. We then travelled to Ruislip where we carried out another fitment, this time to a low mileage 5 door Metro Mayfair, a rare sight today. When completed the customer took it for a short drive and on return said we’d made it a “different car”, this is a comment we’ve heard many times after our work

Today we were working far more locally by our standards, in Pendeford near Wolverhampton where we fitted a set of recharged Hydragas units to a Maxi 2. The ride quality was dire and the final straw came when the customer attempted to pump more fluid in and one of the fill valves let go spraying suspension fluid all over the load space area. We were reasonably lucky with the weather and as the job progressed we could clearly see that it was too late for one of the front units which had been leaking for a long time. On completion the customer went for a short drive and was so pleased with the difference, the ride quality is back to like new and the car is now very pleasant to drive

Today our job was a little closer to home in St Helens, Merseyside fitting a set of recharged Hydragas units to this lovely MGF. We had a garage for shelter and the job was soon completed with the suspension as it should be. No hotel stays today we will soon be home again

After stopping overnight in Southampton we travelled to Surrey where we fitted a set of recharged Hydragas units to this MGF which was suffering from a very uncomfortable ride. The job was soon completed and the customer was soon driving over speed humps on his road as if they were nothing. We then travelled to look at a Riley Elf in Wokingham, a much loved car which has been in the family since new. The suspension has gone down on one side and we confirmed that a Hydrolastic unit is responsible and we secured the job of fitting a replacement rehosed unit next week, watch this space! We then travelled to a breaker a mile away who we’ve dealt with before and come away with a set of Austin Ambassador Hydragas units and rear radius arms. We finally went to another breaker/MG specialist in Oxford where we collected two sets of old MGF units and sold them a set of our recharged units. Now with car laden a final stop at the Services before we complete the journey home

After an early set off this morning driving through the wind and dodging fallen tree branches when driving through the New Forest we arrived safely in Lymington near Southampton ready to fit a set of recharged Hydragas units and two new front to rear suspension pipes to an Allegro. The car was already down to the bump stops on one side due to the badly corroded front to rear pipe, the other side was up but was rigid with no travel as a result of the units being empty of gas. We set about removing both of the original pipes which fell apart on removal and was suffering from corrosion in multiple areas, particularly near where they pass behind the steering rack and behind the underbody fixing tabs. We firstly replaced the pipes and then the units, we had the benefit of a garage to carry out the work. Once completed it made the car what it deserved to be as it is a low mileage example. The customer has a little more work to do before it can go on the road and he’s looking forward to using and enjoying it

Today we travelled from our hotel in Rochford to Frinton on Sea to fit a set of recharged Hydragas units to this much loved MGF, unfortunately the two rear units hadn’t survived, they had been pumped up with fluid too many times whilst low on gas. We meet some great people on our travels and today was no exception. After the job was completed we spent around half an hour putting the world to rights with the lovely couple who own the car on this mild and pleasant afternoon. Also of course they were delighted with the results of our work