Your fleet running reports

[Sundayjumper]

A quick word of caution - likely in the "Sucking eggs: a how to" category; xxx 498 201 is for sure a boot, but not all boots are equal so check the sizes to make sure they're the same.

Yeah, it does seem a bit too good to be true that 4Exxxxxxx is completely identical to 3Wxxxxxxx apart from the name on the box but I'm happy to give it a try. There's definitely a Bentley tax on stuff - see the pic I posted before of the main dealer wanting £120 to change a number plate bulb

[nuttinnew]

A quick word of caution - likely in the "Sucking eggs: a how to" category; xxx 498 201 is for sure a boot, but not all boots are equal so check the sizes to make sure they're the same.

Yeah, it does seem a bit too good to be true that 4Exxxxxxx is completely identical to 3Wxxxxxxx apart from the name on the box but I'm happy to give it a try. There's definitely a Bentley tax on stuff - see the pic I posted before of the main dealer wanting £120 to change a number plate bulb

I really would like to know if it was just a bulb that time, and I wonder what the part number on the light unit is.
A few years ago I was talking with a chap who collected Bentleys/Rolls Royces (I can't remember which, might even have been both) from around Europe for servicing. One customer was called, his car needed an exhaust, the price £7000, and the reply was "get on with it and don't bother me with trifles". On that basis it probably was just a bulb.

Back to VAG part numbering for a mo', it's consistent, the same basic nine digit system is used across everything*

*I'd started typing more but I'm sure you've got the gist, and you likely wouldn't have needed or wanted to know most of it

[Sundayjumper]

I really would like to know if it was just a bulb that time, and I wonder what the part number on the light unit is.

I'm 99% sure it was just the bulb. It was on the "health check" carried out on the MOT last June, done by a Bentley main dealer. The number plate has four bulbs in individual holders. When I got the car the same one - the rightmost one - was not working. Two screws to remove the cover, pop a new bulb in, replace the cover, job done.

Part number is 1J6943021B. Not even a Bentley part number !

https://www.flyingspares.com/rear-numpe ... 3021b.html

Now, the £120 quote didn't specify *what* it included. I'm 99% sure it was just the bulb.

[Sundayjumper]

Health check:

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The day after I bought it:

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[IanF]

Following on from the video I just recommended; the chap replaced the two central speakers and this is something I want to do. He uses Polk 5.25” 600W speakers and had to drill new holes to mount it. I’m thinking that means a metric speaker would fit better and wondered if anyone had any recommendations.

[Mito Man]

This reminds me of some Bentley silliness. Quite a few years ago now, my dad’s Bentley had a strange problem with the boot which would initially close correctly but after driving it a while the section which abutted the rear wing would rise and sit 5mm or so proud of the car which would then interfere with the electric boot opening fully so you had to push it back down flush so it would all work properly before opening it again.

So after an unsuccessful repair at a local bodyshop he takes it to the dealer who in the course of a week of presumably opening and closing the boot many times run the battery down. He gets a call and they say something along the lines of “Sir, your car is ready for collection, however the battery is very weak. We can do a health check and recharge it for you for £400”
My dad asks them how much a new battery is and again “£400 including fitting” to which he replies “Why don’t you just fit a new battery then”
“Well that would be a good idea Sir” the service department chap replies.

[mik]

My dad asks them how much a new battery is and again “£400 including fitting” to which he replies “Why don’t you just fit a new battery then”
“Well that would be a good idea Sir” the service department chap replies.

<gets young tech paid £13 per hour to fit £110 battery>

[Sundayjumper]

Following on from the video I just recommended; the chap replaced the two central speakers and this is something I want to do. He uses Polk 5.25” 600W speakers and had to drill new holes to mount it. I’m thinking that means a metric speaker would fit better and wondered if anyone had any recommendations.

Speaker sizing is a bit weird, 5.25” is the same as 130mm somehow. There isn’t a (e.g.) 120mm or 150mm version.

[Jobbo]

This reminds me of some Bentley silliness. Quite a few years ago now, my dad’s Bentley had a strange problem with the boot which would initially close correctly but after driving it a while the section which abutted the rear wing would rise and sit 5mm or so proud of the car which would then interfere with the electric boot opening fully so you had to push it back down flush so it would all work properly before opening it again.

So after an unsuccessful repair at a local bodyshop he takes it to the dealer who in the course of a week of presumably opening and closing the boot many times run the battery down. He gets a call and they say something along the lines of “Sir, your car is ready for collection, however the battery is very weak. We can do a health check and recharge it for you for £400”
My dad asks them how much a new battery is and again “£400 including fitting” to which he replies “Why don’t you just fit a new battery then”
“Well that would be a good idea Sir” the service department chap replies.

The boot lid rising up being fixed by the flat battery so there was no power to the motor causing it…?

[integrale_evo]

Speakers have always been strange sizes, 10cm-4in, 13cm 5.25in then you get to 6 and 6.5 in which can be 16,16.5 or 17cm

Lots of car manufacturers like to use a unique basket or mounting points even if using an off the shelf cone and magnet setup.

A lot of aftermarket manufacturers will sell custom fit speakers to fit specific makes / models, or sell adapters to fit generic size ones.

[Sundayjumper]

A lot of aftermarket manufacturers will sell custom fit speakers to fit specific makes / models, or sell adapters to fit generic size ones.

And if you have a parts bin car (e.g. Porsche, Bentley, Ferrari) even if there's not an adapter listed it's quite possible that one for a VW or Fiat will fit. I couldn't find adapters for the Cayenne; I found that the ones for a T5 fit perfectly.

[Sundayjumper]

We had a nice cruise down to the coast yesterday to see my parents. Driving very very conservatively (60-65mph & almost entirely motorway) I just about eked out 22mpg. The weather was lovely and the sun brings out a nice purple tinge to the paint.

I’m also finally ready to reveal the outcome of the numberplate situation. On generous loan from a world famous food tik tok star with a penchant for eggs I present…..

DEED1841-FDC5-41A9-AE60-160E424B4071.jpeg (80.6 KiB) Viewed 910 times

If you don’t like it, I don’t care. You can bite me & my hard boiled egg

[mik]

Achieving egg level 3 is indeed something to be proud of.

[Gavster]

It looks really good in the sun (the car, that is)

[Explosive Newt]

We had a nice cruise down to the coast yesterday to see my parents. Driving very very conservatively (60-65mph & almost entirely motorway) I just about eked out 22mpg. The weather was lovely and the sun brings out a nice purple tinge to the paint.

I’m also finally ready to reveal the outcome of the numberplate situation. On generous loan from a world famous food tik tok star with a penchant for eggs I present…..


DEED1841-FDC5-41A9-AE60-160E424B4071.jpeg


If you don’t like it, I don’t care. You can bite me & my hard boiled egg

I thought it was the Aston I liked best of your cars but it looks spectacular.

One question - aren't Bentleys fiendish for servicing? Are you planning on doing this yourself, but don't engines* have to come out and suchlike?

*at least one engine, possibly more?

[16vCento]

Engine out isn't needed for any servicing on them.

It does come out for a lot of repairs though, but you can get away with some stuff being done in service position with the front end module removed.

At least vac pipes have been done, they are a shite job.

[Jobbo]

I mentioned it on here before at least once, but my wedding car in 2018 was a similar Flying Spur in a similar colour. Perfect for that role too; lovely inside, plenty of rear seat space and unobtrusive. I’m sure there are plenty of them around in dark blue but it would be amusing if it was the same car; I don’t remember the registration to check though

Quite like the plate despite the dodgy spacing.

[mik]

my wedding car in 2018 was a similar Flying Spur in a similar colour. Perfect for that role too; lovely inside, plenty of rear seat space and unobtrusive.

[Matty]

Shia Labeouf ??

I’m also finally ready to reveal the outcome of the numberplate situation. On generous loan from a world famous food tik tok star with a penchant for eggs I present…..


DEED1841-FDC5-41A9-AE60-160E424B4071.jpeg

[Sundayjumper]

One question - aren't Bentleys fiendish for servicing? Are you planning on doing this yourself, but don't engines* have to come out and suchlike?

First thing is just to state the obvious: it's big. So a service needs 12 litres of oil & 19 litres of coolant. There's 12 spark plugs, two air filters, the brakes are large and the tyres are large. No getting around that really.

Second thing is that the engine bay is rather tightly packed so there's more than the usual amount of labour required to get at stuff. Spark plugs, for example, mean taking the whole inlet plenum system off. All those hours, at whatever the labour rate is, with the Bentley tax, will make life expensive if you're not doing it yourself.

Beyond that it's just nuts & bolts the same as any other car. The CV boots that I'm planning on doing next week look pretty straightforward tbh.

So yeah, I'm planning to do everything myself. The car doesn't have much history aside from the handful of interesting bits I already posted (you don't get immaculate FSH on a £9k Bentley ) so paying a specialist ~£1k for a routine service doesn't make a lot of sense to me. My aim will be to run it for a year or two while getting it as nice as possible - looking for max VFM there - then then move on for minimal net cost.