Morris Minor Owners Club

Strange things are afootand I am trying to suppress my paranoia.
Yesterday I shopped in Tesco's, drove 100 yds to the petrol station and discovered a flat rear tyre. After driving home on the spare I checked the deflated wheel and found no damage. It was pumped up and has held it's pressure.
Today, just round the corner,one of the aftermarket tele dampers fell off. They are held top and bottom with nyloc nuts. No sign of the missing nuts.
We just don't get trouble around here. Me thinks the lowlife have a new game on a new teritory.

The flat tyre - just maybe. But hard to imagine they carry useful ring spanners/socket sets about with them - or even have the slightest idea what to do with them anyway!

It's equally unlikely, one could argue, that two nyloc nuts undid themselves simultaneously.

Low lives have an aversion to work, and getting their hands dirty.

If your tyres had been slashed, it would be another matter.

Try shopping at Sainsburys, you get a better class of vandal

Hi Peetee does your tescos have CCTV for the car park they might be willing to look at it for you around the time your car was parked there, i know its a bit over the top but you never know you might see the low life (if there is one) messing with your car, also if it has been messed with they or the local police may know who it is, you might Evan know them yourself and be able to dish out your own justice, at the end of the day if someone is messing with it they are putting you and your family in danger and should be dealt with accordingly, regards Mikey.

Peetee wrote:Today, just round the corner,one of the aftermarket tele dampers fell off. They are held top and bottom with nyloc nuts. No sign of the missing nuts.

You mean both top AND bottom nuts had been removed?! You haven't named your car 'Christine' by any chance?...

Ask a mate for some help and get them to drive your mog into Tesco and let them to some shopping. You follow in another car and watch the mog. Once low life touches your car, walk up and kick it in the teeth with plenty of swing.... avoid tripping over him in the process... especially if you take a run up. This should prevent him from touching your car again.

The events that followed are equally baffling. Applying a bit of logic to the scenario i realised that the tele damper was extremely difficult to unbolt in situ and must have proved quite a challenge to the lowlife. Conclusion;no foul play, much more easy 'targets' on the car. Must have simply come undone - although that seems bonkers as well.
As for the flat tyre, well, the car has been driven about 40 miles without issue but was parked up this morning and 5 minutes later was totally flat again. Fortunately there was a tyre place within a few yards and, within sight,the mechanic removed the tyre to find a poorly constructed innertube within that was weeping air. Again i was stumped. The wheel tyre, valve and tube were all checked out and nothing was found to explain the sudden, rapid loss of air. After consulting with me over the question of innertube/ no innertube the mechanic cleaned up the rim fitted a new valve and the tyre with no tube and off we went.
Watch this space...

So, mystery solved then. Good luck with the tyre.

I had 4 smart chrome valve-caps which 'evaporated' overnight once and I've been keeping an eye open for a couple of lads on bikes with shiny valve-caps ever since.

Mind you, I haven't checked eBay.....

ive had 2 sets of chrome valve caps nicked off mine so ive stoped getting them

The chrome dust caps I use can be tightened up with a spanner.

My latest theory for the tyre is thus: The leaking innertube allowed the air out and the tube to deflate but it didn't escape the tyre. However the rough mounting surface of the wheel was enough to allow the tyre to loose air when it was distorted by a speed bump or potholes - both of which were encountered directly before each flat tyre episode.