Your fleet running reports

[DaveE]

A quick update on the Porky one

I'm still loving the Boxster GTS - it's a truly wonderful thing

Can't remember if I mentioned previously, but I took the head unit out, and then apart and fitted a new circuit board that gives us Android Auto and Car Play (both wirelessly) via the native PCM screen

It was nerve wracking to do, but in the end pretty simple and it works seamlessly. Gives us things like Google Maps (rather than the old, out of date nav system), Spotify etc - but retains the OEM look of the interior

Being an older model, the manual gearbox is the old 6 speed, not the newer 7 speed, and it has much shorter ratios (I've seen lots of reviews that comment on the 7 speed box and the irony that because the ratios are so long, you actually don't end up changing gear very often, defeating the purpose of choosing manual)

It's a lovely thing to drive at any speed - just pootling about it's still super engaging, sounds great (no particulate filters to muddy the sound here) and it just makes you feel very special

My wife's driven it a bit now too, and even though she was a little apprehensive, she loves it - she took it on her own for a 400+ mile round trip to visit her parents recently and loved the experience - and at a motorway limit cruise, it has a range of just over 400 miles to a tank - which is impressive IMO, especially given the short 6th gear

Speaking of range, a nice touch is that when you put petrol in, the range automatically updates - you don't have to reset any trip measures etc so you can always trust the range, you don't have to wonder if you reset it last time you filled up

On the practical side, the front and rear boots in combination give plenty of capacity, we can still easily get the weekly shop on-board (although it's only two of us, so not a "family" shop per say)

This is by a long way the best car I've ever owned!

[Rich B]

I updated my M2 to add carplay (it was an option that mine didn't have, it only needed software and an antenna) it's amazing how it brings the whole interior up to date in one hit. Great mod.

[NGRhodes]

Previa failed its MOT on a side bulb. Annoying as I knew about it and forgot.
Next job in a few months is to get the turbo looked at as it keeps dropping boost.

[240PP]

Speaking of range, a nice touch is that when you put petrol in, the range automatically updates

I may have read that wrong but doesn’t every car do that?

Glad you’re enjoying it. I think I prefer the looks of the 981 to my ex-987, seems like you’re getting ‘more car’. I’d consider one next but I’m being pushed towards an SUV.

[jamcg]

On of the first things I did to the Twingo was a new head unit- they only have a single din space, and it’s set down low at a funny angle- which when wanting CarPlay rules out the usual 90’s style deployable screens- I managed to find a Sony with single din rear workings and with a bodged facia panel got it in- it doesn’t look too bodged irl and it’s not wireless CarPlay but it fit and works which is the main thing

[Matty]

Speaking of range, a nice touch is that when you put petrol in, the range automatically updates

I may have read that wrong but doesn’t every car do that?

I was thinking the same! What car was Dave driving that means it needed to be reset? Any if it was manual...how did it know? So many questions.

[V8Granite]

You've got me looking at the Merc GL again. They come with centre & rear diff locks as standard and the 420/450 is decently powerful.

That would presumably share the Jeep Grand Cherokee WK platform - I think the Jeep is an interesting possibility. Didn’t have a Merc engine though.

The GL and ML are shit off road, the air suspension raises the height nicely but then the throttle action is crap, loads of dead travel as it has a different throttle map when off road.
It tips from corner to corner instead of letting the air suspension keep a wheel on the ground like a Range Rover does so well.
The traction control is impressive but a lot of the time 1 wheel having traction just isn’t enough. Even without low range the power and torque of the 500engine is more than enough but it’s a 4WD, in no way an off roader.

I took mine properly off road once, never again.

Dave!

[DaveE]

I updated my M2 to add carplay (it was an option that mine didn't have, it only needed software and an antenna) it's amazing how it brings the whole interior up to date in one hit. Great mod.

yeah, you can code that in later BMWs

we fitted a similar thing (to that which I fitted to the Porsche) to our M140i that gave wireless Android/Car Play

but that required a secondary box to be installed/wedged somewhere behind the dash

I have seen there are now replacement screens for BMWs that have everything built in - so you just swap the screen over and presto, Android and Car Play

[DaveE]

Speaking of range, a nice touch is that when you put petrol in, the range automatically updates

I may have read that wrong but doesn’t every car do that?

I was thinking the same! What car was Dave driving that means it needed to be reset? Any if it was manual...how did it know? So many questions.

I'm pretty sure every car I've ever had required me to reset the trip in order to have the range "correct" after I'd filled up (Mercedes, BMW etc)

[DaveE]

Oh, and the other thing - alcantara covered steering wheel FTW

It's something I've never experienced before, but now that I have, I never want to go back to a leather-clad wheel again

it's lovely!

in an idle moment yesterday I was wondering how much costs to have wheels re-trimmed (in case my next car doesn't have an alcantara wheel)

[McSwede]

I may have read that wrong but doesn’t every car do that?

I was thinking the same! What car was Dave driving that means it needed to be reset? Any if it was manual...how did it know? So many questions.

I'm pretty sure every car I've ever had required me to reset the trip in order to have the range "correct" after I'd filled up (Mercedes, BMW etc)

Blimey. That seems old fashioned. All my cars, for yonks have auto updated range. Even down to how you are driving at the time. All that data is live. Even on our old E90 320d.

[DaveE]

I was thinking the same! What car was Dave driving that means it needed to be reset? Any if it was manual...how did it know? So many questions.

I'm pretty sure every car I've ever had required me to reset the trip in order to have the range "correct" after I'd filled up (Mercedes, BMW etc)

Blimey. That seems old fashioned. All my cars, for yonks have auto updated range. Even down to how you are driving at the time. All that data is live. Even on our old E90 320d.

I must have been doing it wrong all these years then

[Jobbo]

I may have read that wrong but doesn’t every car do that?

I was thinking the same! What car was Dave driving that means it needed to be reset? Any if it was manual...how did it know? So many questions.

I'm pretty sure every car I've ever had required me to reset the trip in order to have the range "correct" after I'd filled up (Mercedes, BMW etc)

Are you not just talking about the trip mileometer? I always reset that when I fill up but that has no effect on the range to empty on the computer, even back in the days of E39/E46 BMWs.

[mik]

What Jobbi said. Trip meter vs remaining range.

Make sure you check how to keep your alcantara on the wheel in good condition. With use they start to look crap, but with the right techniques - recover superbly.

[JonMad]

Thanks to a nice chap at a carpet shop in Aldershot who gave me an offcut and a couple of cans of adhesive spray.

Also swapping out the A2 pepperpot alloys for the white VW ones (& 14” white Compomotives on the back) for extra rally. Kemble Targa next weekend.

Hopefully the new, leaking washer pump will be fixed/replaced on Tuesday.

[JonMad]

IMG_0407.jpeg (37 KiB) Viewed 965 times

[Zonda_]

Safe to say I hated the TT every time I drove it, appallingly hard ride, hideous torque steer and typical Audi understeer when cornering hard so it's gone. Replaced by a dangerous rwd with 300+bhp!

[McSwede]

Safe to say I hated the TT every time I drove it, appallingly hard ride, hideous torque steer and typical Audi understeer when cornering hard so it's gone. Replaced by a dangerous rwd with 300+bhp!

Hey there you, with your BMW

[tim]

Safe to say I hated the TT every time I drove it, appallingly hard ride, hideous torque steer and typical Audi understeer when cornering hard so it's gone. Replaced by a dangerous rwd with 300+bhp!

Did you not test drive it?

[integrale_evo]

My dad’s 73 and loves his TTS