Your fleet running reports

[Sundayjumper]

Already got my eyes on a RHD throttlebody kit. It’s actually pretty sensible money all things considered

It's a baby M3, innit ?

I'm not allowed ITBs unfortunately, Road Rally regs, only allowed if they were factory fitted.

[Simon]

Mrs managed to bump the bollard in Tesco car park with the wing of the Yeti so I'm on the lookout for a decent Smart repair person to deal with it, along with the other scratches that she 'has no knowledge about'.

[Sundayjumper]

I'm very excited. I spent a lot of time over the weekend researching useful stuff for The Compact - roll cages, suspension, skid plates, chassis reinforcements - but also came across this and had so much WANT that I ordered one right away. I don't often make snap decisions like that so this is serious It is Gauge.S, a plug-in replacement for the E36 economy meter that pulls live data from the ECU. Connects to your phone or home network by wifi, configurable to add external sensors, and calculate your own defined metrics from those, and log it all, and automatically upload it to FTP or dropbox, and and and. So geek. So cool.


https://shop.sorek.uk/products/gauge-s- ... luster-pnp

gauge.jpg (82.17 KiB) Viewed 1601 times

[DaveE]

It had to happen at some point, and yesterday, "something went wrong"

Pulled out of a junction (very sedately), got into 3rd, went for 4th and the gear stick seemingly wasn't connected to anything

I suspect a gear linkage has gone

Anyway, we were stuck in 3rd and in quite a dangerous place, so the AA prioritised us, the guy arrived in 45 mins, which was pretty amazing IMO

He had a good go at fixing it, but couldn't - he did manage to get it into 2nd, and fortunately we were only about 10 mins from Mid Sussex Porsche center

So we drove (very slowly, and coasting where we could) there, with the AA van behind us

Just spoke to the service dept who will get back to me once they've had a look at it, but it could be a big job from what I've seen online:

[Matty]

Would you normally take it to a Porsche dealer?

[DaveE]

Would you normally take it to a Porsche dealer?

it was the most convenient place to take/leave it

I'll see what they say, but there's a reputable Porsche specialist not a huge distance away, so once I know what's wrong and have a price, I'll give them a call too - it may be that recovery to their place + their cost is less than the main dealer price (which I'm sure is going to be huge)

[DeskJockey]

Yikes, that can't have been pleasant.

Wife mentioned that the Zoe had lost all connected services (live traffic, etc.) and I did notice that it wasn't connecting to the phone app either anymore. Thought I would figure it out today, how hard can it be, right?

Step 1: log into Renault's portal. Wrong password apparently (odd as I use a password manager), but manage to reset that and it allows me to log in. It then redirects me to an authentication portal asking for some information I don't have. Close the window, launch the portal again, log in and all is fine.

Step 2: Need the R-Link toolbox app to be able to update the SD-card in the car. Spend 40+ minutes finding out where to download that from. Finally found it on another Renault portal in the "help" section, very well hidden. Download and install.

Step 3: Get SD-card from car, plug into reader. App fails to recognise card. Remember that there's an SD-card reader in the laptop, plug it in, all updated it says.

Step 4: Launch Renault shop site, red warning that it cannot retrieve information about the car. List of contracts shows me that most are expired, but no option to renew or update. Great.

Step 5: WhatsApp with Renault support who says "can't do that online because..." (fair amount of chatter online about it, seems to be somewhat Brexit related). Advisor asks for VIN, apologises that I cannot fix it myself, and puts in a request for a free year's extension to all connected services, and sends me a link for an update to the TomTom software and maps.

So, should be back online later!

Galaxy update: right expansion tank magically appeared with my indie, so need to get it down to him to be fitted. Ford still scratching their heads about the parts number mix-up.

[DaveE]

Yikes, that can't have been pleasant.

Wife mentioned that the Zoe had lost all connected services (live traffic, etc.) and I did notice that it wasn't connecting to the phone app either anymore. Thought I would figure it out today, how hard can it be, right?

Step 1: log into Renault's portal. Wrong password apparently (odd as I use a password manager), but manage to reset that and it allows me to log in. It then redirects me to an authentication portal asking for some information I don't have. Close the window, launch the portal again, log in and all is fine.

Step 2: Need the R-Link toolbox app to be able to update the SD-card in the car. Spend 40+ minutes finding out where to download that from. Finally found it on another Renault portal in the "help" section, very well hidden. Download and install.

Step 3: Get SD-card from car, plug into reader. App fails to recognise card. Remember that there's an SD-card reader in the laptop, plug it in, all updated it says.

Step 4: Launch Renault shop site, red warning that it cannot retrieve information about the car. List of contracts shows me that most are expired, but no option to renew or update. Great.

Step 5: WhatsApp with Renault support who says "can't do that online because..." (fair amount of chatter online about it, seems to be somewhat Brexit related). Advisor asks for VIN, apologises that I cannot fix it myself, and puts in a request for a free year's extension to all connected services, and sends me a link for an update to the TomTom software and maps.

So, should be back online later!

Galaxy update: right expansion tank magically appeared with my indie, so need to get it down to him to be fitted. Ford still scratching their heads about the parts number mix-up.

This kind of thing is what terrifies me about modern and future cars - they're so dependent on apps, data etc, than when they're no longer supported, when something goes wrong etc, what happens?

e.g. it seems that every new car now comes with a place for your phone to wireless charge - how long will that be a thing? How long will phones continue to use the same wireless charging tech? 5 years maybe/say/guess? Then what? You just have a shelf that doesn't charge your phone anymore?

[Broccers]

Would you normally take it to a Porsche dealer?

it was the most convenient place to take/leave it

I'll see what they say, but there's a reputable Porsche specialist not a huge distance away, so once I know what's wrong and have a price, I'll give them a call too - it may be that recovery to their place + their cost is less than the main dealer price (which I'm sure is going to be huge)

Shifter cables all ok?

[Sundayjumper]

Then what? You just have a shelf that doesn't charge your phone anymore?

All of my cars have a shelf that doesn't charge my phone. I survive.

[DeskJockey]

Yikes, that can't have been pleasant.

Wife mentioned that the Zoe had lost all connected services (live traffic, etc.) and I did notice that it wasn't connecting to the phone app either anymore. Thought I would figure it out today, how hard can it be, right?

Step 1: log into Renault's portal. Wrong password apparently (odd as I use a password manager), but manage to reset that and it allows me to log in. It then redirects me to an authentication portal asking for some information I don't have. Close the window, launch the portal again, log in and all is fine.

Step 2: Need the R-Link toolbox app to be able to update the SD-card in the car. Spend 40+ minutes finding out where to download that from. Finally found it on another Renault portal in the "help" section, very well hidden. Download and install.

Step 3: Get SD-card from car, plug into reader. App fails to recognise card. Remember that there's an SD-card reader in the laptop, plug it in, all updated it says.

Step 4: Launch Renault shop site, red warning that it cannot retrieve information about the car. List of contracts shows me that most are expired, but no option to renew or update. Great.

Step 5: WhatsApp with Renault support who says "can't do that online because..." (fair amount of chatter online about it, seems to be somewhat Brexit related). Advisor asks for VIN, apologises that I cannot fix it myself, and puts in a request for a free year's extension to all connected services, and sends me a link for an update to the TomTom software and maps.

So, should be back online later!

Galaxy update: right expansion tank magically appeared with my indie, so need to get it down to him to be fitted. Ford still scratching their heads about the parts number mix-up.

This kind of thing is what terrifies me about modern and future cars - they're so dependent on apps, data etc, than when they're no longer supported, when something goes wrong etc, what happens?

e.g. it seems that every new car now comes with a place for your phone to wireless charge - how long will that be a thing? How long will phones continue to use the same wireless charging tech? 5 years maybe/say/guess? Then what? You just have a shelf that doesn't charge your phone anymore?

It is more a frustration than anything else. The car is fully functional with the important stuff, e.g. drives, radio works, etc. It is more about the add-ons that you rely on no longer working. I can live without the live traffic data, and the app, but it is annoying when the tech is all there and all it needs is a "key".

[Mito Man]

Then what? You just have a shelf that doesn't charge your phone anymore?

All of my cars have a shelf that doesn't charge my phone. I survive.

Yes, like all tech something better will replace it and you won’t care. See old car cd/tape players, navigation, in car phones…

[Mito Man]

This reminds me, back in the i3 days one day the online systems didn’t work which was casually mentioned during servicing. What resulted was a 2 week investigation and full replacement of the in car entertainment system by BMW under warranty but it still wouldn’t work.
Eventually the culprit was tracked down to “Sir, turns out the online subscription just expired”.
That was back in 2015 when all this subscription stuff was new.

[Swervin_Mervin]

While we're moaning about modern cars - a gripe from me about the driver assistance bollocks in the Superb. Was pulling up in a parking space at the weekend, with a hedge in front, creeping it forward on the beeps when all of a sudden it started alarming, the dash lit up and it slammed the brakes on.

What made it worse was the people in the space next to me were waiting to reverse out so were watching me at the time. Probably wondered what the hell I was doing as I nearly nutted steering wheel There was still another 8" to the hedge

If it were my car I'd be coding all this crap out. It started with the parking sensors the other week when driving down a road - the wife reckoned it was just the angle the car was at as I went around a bend and it detected a parked car and thought I was heading straight for it

Honestly happy to get back in the analogue 330.

[Mito Man]

The Model 3 did that all the time, including on the motorway, luckily it's a simple setting to turn off in the display rather than having to code it.
See also those traffic calming roads where they go down to one lane in villages, it still screams if you go a bit fast as it thinks you're about to drive into a bollard at 30mph and then as you cross the line it will apply corrective steering to make you stay in lane and direct you back into the bollard.

[Matty]

Are the flowers a memorial for all those who've perished due to the lane assist?

[Rich B]

I'd quite often open my door a little to get a decent view of the kerb whilst reversing into tight parallel spaces, the golf did not like that one bit. It would slam on the brakes and not let you carry on. Just annoying.

[GG.]

It had to happen at some point, and yesterday, "something went wrong"

Pulled out of a junction (very sedately), got into 3rd, went for 4th and the gear stick seemingly wasn't connected to anything

I suspect a gear linkage has gone

Anyway, we were stuck in 3rd and in quite a dangerous place, so the AA prioritised us, the guy arrived in 45 mins, which was pretty amazing IMO

He had a good go at fixing it, but couldn't - he did manage to get it into 2nd, and fortunately we were only about 10 mins from Mid Sussex Porsche center

So we drove (very slowly, and coasting where we could) there, with the AA van behind us

Just spoke to the service dept who will get back to me once they've had a look at it, but it could be a big job from what I've seen online:

Yikes - is that really necessary to get at the linkage!

I remember the very first review I saw of the 986 2.5 had a linkage problem happen to Tiff on a road test. That didn't select any gears however...

https://youtu.be/xGiFQPGwRxE?t=142

[Mito Man]

Defender insurance has gone from £450 to £400. Phew.

[GG.]

Defender insurance has gone from £450 to £400. Phew.

That's monthly right?