Your fleet running reports

[mik]

Am I the only one here that doesnt want the garage yet kid covering my car in swirls?

No - I always ask them not to wash (but if they want to hoover it - fine). I don't need my wheels acid-cleaned.

[Matty]

Am I the only one here that doesnt want the garage yet kid covering my car in swirls?

Is correct. Porsche always ask and I politely decline, as I enjoy doing it myself.

I should hope at £250+/hour labour rates on servicing they have proper detailers for their cleaning!

[Matty]

Am I the only one here that doesnt want the garage yet kid covering my car in swirls?

No - I always ask them not to wash (but if they want to hoover it - fine). I don't need my wheels acid-cleaned.

Talking of which, are people still using Bilt Hamber to clean their wheels now? Mines almost run out, but it ain't cheap stuff

[mik]

Talking of which, are people still using Bilt Hamber to clean their wheels now? Mines almost run out, but it ain't cheap stuff

Kinda yes..... it's still my go-to, but I've g-techniq wheel armoured all current wheels immediately after refurb, so it's just been car shampoo since then.

[tim]

Am I the only one here that doesnt want the garage yet kid covering my car in swirls?

No - I always ask them not to wash (but if they want to hoover it - fine). I don't need my wheels acid-cleaned.

Talking of which, are people still using Bilt Hamber to clean their wheels now? Mines almost run out, but it ain't cheap stuff

Yes but I use it sparingly. The Jennychem citrus pre-wash does a pretty decent job of this, so I use a bit of both.

[Sundayjumper]

Not mine this time, the lad next door. He has a 118i - similar age to my 118d, funnily enough, but he's had his for ages. It developed a misfiring problem. He took it to a local BMW specialist, they did the plugs & coils. It didn’t cure it. They did the valve cover gasket. It didn’t cure it. They suggested he replace the MAF himself and let them know whether that cures it.

He wasn’t sure so his mum texted my wife to ask if I have a BMW specialist that I use when it’s something I can’t do myself.

My wife replied that it's never happened yet but if it does we'll let them know

I had a look at the car and read the codes. Main error being the engine running too lean. Live data showed the lambda reading not changing at all while driving. I decided it was probably a duff lambda sensor.

New sensor arrived and I went over this evening. Old lambda sensor:

IMG_9479(1).JPEG (60.54 KiB) Viewed 54 times

That is NOT an engine that's running lean ! Looks like the lambda failed and was telling the ECU the mixture was lean. The ECU adds more fuel, the lambda still reports lean mixture, the ECU adds more fuel... etc. until the ECU maxes out its adaptation and triggers the check engine light. Meanwhile everything will be getting caked in soot.

Very very easy to replace and from a short test drive there is now no misfiring and no check engine light.

So how TF did a BMW specialist have the car in twice and not diagnose this ? Then, disillusioned with the specialist, they asked the weird bloke who lives next door and he (touch wood!) nailed it on the first guess. Yet another entry on my list of reasons why I don't trust other people to work on my cars.

[DeskJockey]

Drove by the nearest Ford garage and asked if they could top up the power steering fluid. An hour later I'm back at my dad's. They checked for leaks, but couldn't see anything, and topped up 35 something. Receipt doesn't specify the metric, just the quantity, but he said it was quite low.

Can't have been litres, but 35 ml or dl? Either way, that's hopefully the end of the car related issues for this holiday. Cheaper than France and Spain, if that holds.

[V8Granite]

The o-ring on the power steering reservoir on the ML was leaking a long while back and it dropped maybe 10mm below minimum. The noises it made when cold were pretty loud but air in hydraulics do sound like that.

O-ring replaced and fluid topped up, silent again and that was about 60,000 miles ago now so I wouldn't worry too much.

Dave!

[mik]

It’ll just be 35ml I expect. Sounds like a job jobbed.

[V8Granite]

Not mine this time, the lad next door. He has a 118i - similar age to my 118d, funnily enough, but he's had his for ages. It developed a misfiring problem. He took it to a local BMW specialist, they did the plugs & coils. It didn’t cure it. They did the valve cover gasket. It didn’t cure it. They suggested he replace the MAF himself and let them know whether that cures it.

He wasn’t sure so his mum texted my wife to ask if I have a BMW specialist that I use when it’s something I can’t do myself.

My wife replied that it's never happened yet but if it does we'll let them know

I had a look at the car and read the codes. Main error being the engine running too lean. Live data showed the lambda reading not changing at all while driving. I decided it was probably a duff lambda sensor.

New sensor arrived and I went over this evening. Old lambda sensor:


IMG_9479(1).JPEG


That is NOT an engine that's running lean ! Looks like the lambda failed and was telling the ECU the mixture was lean. The ECU adds more fuel, the lambda still reports lean mixture, the ECU adds more fuel... etc. until the ECU maxes out its adaptation and triggers the check engine light. Meanwhile everything will be getting caked in soot.

Very very easy to replace and from a short test drive there is now no misfiring and no check engine light.

So how TF did a BMW specialist have the car in twice and not diagnose this ? Then, disillusioned with the specialist, they asked the weird bloke who lives next door and he (touch wood!) nailed it on the first guess. Yet another entry on my list of reasons why I don't trust other people to work on my cars.

I hate with a passion the lack of diagnostics currently used by some garages. Basic fault finding....

Confirm fault
Live readings
Component check
Change in a logical order if nothing jumps out

Parts cannon garages show how little some people know imo.

Dave!