Your fleet running reports

[tim]

I dropped the XJ8 off for a gearbox service at a Jaguar specialist in Norwich on Tuesday, and have just been to collect it. What they initially thought was causing the whirring noise was low oil. It turns out it was massively over-filled!

Some nobber had been at it, butchered the fill plug, daubed sealant around the gasket to cover up a leak and fuck knows what else. So they cleaned it all out, replaced the filters and plugs, gasket etc and now it purrs like a Jaguar should instaead of making angry whirring noises.

What the long-term effects of too much oil might be is impossible to say, but for now it drives very nicely.

Onto the next issue; sorting out Jiminy Cricket who has taken residence in the HVAC system, along with a small mouse playing the bongos. At least that's what my kids reckon it is. Probably something loose/broken, so will attempt to get behind the dash at the weekend.

I did a hard ECU reset when I got home just to clear out any shift point shenanigans it had falled back on.

[Broccers]

The ‘rivers’ diagonally crossing the road half way down hills are always fun on the a30. I’ll be leaving the white Land Rover down there when it’s finished - just need to decide if I want to suffer the 260 mile journey in it, or in the relative comfort of the Defender with the Series 3 on a trailer...

Is your property built yet? When can I borrow it. We're in a penthouse. People go yeah penthouses are amazing but in reality you just bash your head on the robbed space for the roof.

If I don’t get the Land Rover down there myself I might trade a week in the house for relocating it from South Leicestershire!

Are you making good use of the emerging cafe scene in Newquay? Sam at Pavilion is our default, but my kids always want the cinnamon buns at grounded, and my sister reckons Basket has the best cakes anywhere.

The weather's rubbish today. Yesterday I got burnt legs in 15c heat . Love it down here I've actual real human friends. Sally who owns the bowgie is a sister in law of one.

[John]

I'm off to Crantock this weekend, can't wait!

[Sundayjumper]

I did a round trip to Oxford in the Cayenne last weekend to pick up another tandem, and it's now producing a burning smell when warmed up. Not quite the same as burning engine oil (DAMHIKIJDA) so I'm thinking it's coming from the PAS or PDCC (the funky active anti-roll bars) systems. They both use the same type of fluid.

Another job. Put it on the list.

[tim]

DId 122 miles in Maurice this evening fetching some blood from Addenbrookes - It's magnificently wafty now. I find it's best left in "sport" mode unless you're just tootling around town as otherwise it's a bit too keen to get into 5th.

Sounds lovely now accelerating up to 70 mph through the gears. And 27.5 mpg for the round trip isn't too shabby either!

I was contemplating doing a 60-100 video, but it feels a bit unseemly in this. Mark it up as "adequate".

[Jimexpl]

I'm off to Crantock this weekend, can't wait!

Where are you staying?

[Jimexpl]

DId 122 miles in Maurice this evening fetching some blood from Addenbrookes - It's magnificently wafty now. I find it's best left in "sport" mode unless you're just tootling around town as otherwise it's a bit too keen to get into 5th.

Sounds lovely now accelerating up to 70 mph through the gears. And 27.5 mpg for the round trip isn't too shabby either!

I was contemplating doing a 60-100 video, but it feels a bit unseemly in this. Mark it up as "adequate".

I haven’t driven one for years, but seem to recall that the change up point was surprisingly low when not in Sport unless your foot was flat to the floor for kickdown.

[speedingfine]

Bit of a result on the gearbox Tim!

[tim]

DId 122 miles in Maurice this evening fetching some blood from Addenbrookes - It's magnificently wafty now. I find it's best left in "sport" mode unless you're just tootling around town as otherwise it's a bit too keen to get into 5th.

Sounds lovely now accelerating up to 70 mph through the gears. And 27.5 mpg for the round trip isn't too shabby either!

I was contemplating doing a 60-100 video, but it feels a bit unseemly in this. Mark it up as "adequate".

I haven’t driven one for years, but seem to recall that the change up point was surprisingly low when not in Sport unless your foot was flat to the floor for kickdown.

Yeah they have a very long throttle too, it's so vastly different to my M140i I quite often find myself only using half the throttle I think I am. Of course, Sport mode is anything but sporty, but it does hang on to the gears a bit more like my other car does in comfort.

[V8Granite]

Is it definitely Sport and not Standard and Comfort on these ?

Dave!

[tim]

Is it definitely Sport and not Standard and Comfort on these ?

Dave!

That's very much how it feels Dave! but the owner's manual refers to it as sport mode.

[John]

I'm off to Crantock this weekend, can't wait!

Where are you staying?

Quarryfield.

[Jimexpl]

I'm off to Crantock this weekend, can't wait!

Where are you staying?

Quarryfield.

Our friends own the farm on the village side of quarry field. They only use vintage tractors. I think the newest is a 1950s Porsche - an air cooled single cylinder diesel that thumps away.

[GG.]

Near side rear light full of water and triggering an error message I blame you @Sundayjumper - clearly you've been casting a hex again

Another £400 for a replacement (having replaced it once before and done the OS 12 or so months ago) and Eurocarparts don't have any in stock. Seems they only last around 3 or 4 years before cracking which is ridiculous.

On a slightly different note - whilst idly browsing autotrader I plugged in my car's details (manual, .2, coupe, 3.8) and there are officially none for sale. None. I think I need to stop putting miles on it now...

[Foz]

Porsche prices seem to have firmed up significantly in the last 6m

[V8Granite]

The 3.4 996 models have gone from 10k to around 15k on the normal sites aswell. That’s for a 3.4 manual coupe.

Dave!

[GG.]

I think everything is going crazy/inflation running rampant as a result of lockdown lifting, rock bottom interest/finance rates and lots of saved cash sloshing around in people's pockets.

We've basically now had to can our kitchen renovation works as it is simply impossible to find a builder to do the works. No-one even responds!

[Mito Man]

Just covid madness, lumber index significantly outperformed Bitcoin this year

[Swervin_Mervin]

I've put just over 100mi on the 330i in the last 2 days, mostly yesterday, and mostly cross country. That's the most it's been driven in 12mo.

It's amazing what a difference it makes when you've not driven something for so long - I'd got in the frame of mind for being ready to sell and try something new. But driving it these last 2 days has only served to remind me just how bloody good it is, despite being a fairly humble family car. At first it felt old, heavy and hard work. But once it's warmed up and I tuned back into driving it, it started to come alive.

There's a heft to the controls, and feedback by the bucket load, and it's actually fairly chuckable once you get going. I'm still hoping to move it on this year at some point though, as 9 years in one car is just too long! But, along with watching a lot of M539's vids recently, it's got me thinking more about going with something a bit older next time, rather than the 650i GC I had been considering.

We'll see though.

[Sundayjumper]

The 3.4 996 models have gone from 10k to around 15k on the normal sites aswell. That’s for a 3.4 manual coupe.

A 3.4 manual coupe ? I think I've got one of those somewhere.

Are people still frothy about cable throttles too ?