Your fleet running reports

[mik]

@16vCento I did an exchange on the alternator on our D3. Removing it was therefore a hateful dark wet evening with a head-torch job. By luck, one of the massive spanners (not you @Beany ) that I inherited from my dad was just the right size, and a few smacks with a 2kg lump hammer moved the nut.

Refitting the replacement was a doddle by comparison.

I still have a Disco3/4 battery in my garage - in case there is a power-cut and we need to keep the street lit up for a few days.

[Beany]

Recognition at las....aaw

[Swervin_Mervin]

330i has been for a sleep over at Darren Wood's BMW. Was stinking on startup when cold, in the cabin. Nothing materially amiss - the cam cover gasket's weeping a little which I already knew so it's likely just that. Had it's MOT as well - another year it's passed comfortably. It really is hard to fault these old buses.

[16vCento]

@16vCento I did an exchange on the alternator on our D3. Removing it was therefore a hateful dark wet evening with a head-torch job. By luck, one of the massive spanners (not you @Beany ) that I inherited from my dad was just the right size, and a few smacks with a 2kg lump hammer moved the nut.

Refitting the replacement was a doddle by comparison.

I still have a Disco3/4 battery in my garage - in case there is a power-cut and we need to keep the street lit up for a few days.

Yeah the actual replacement of the alternator is a doddle, 3 13mm bolts and away you go!

The battery weighs more than most engines I think!

I had to carry 2 batteries down to it when it got dropped of the AA truck as the jump pack he had wouldn't touch it.

I took the battery of the Volvo and an old 900cca Jaguar battery down, put the jag battery on and then used lead to connect the Volvo battery and it finally started.

It's handy having spare batteries!

[speedingfine]

£230 for a new wing from Merc for the old stager. Just ordered it. How much should I be charged for fitting and painting in your opinion folks? Ta.

Delivery date - 26/05/21. Guy at my local dealer said he'd call to try and get a better date, but I guess I'll start looking on eBay

[Gwaredd]

As it's an alternator theme, the one on the Auris died a few months back. Started it one morning and a warning on the dash told me it wasn't charging and that was that.

£230.00 for a replacement as it has a fancy clutch that decouples when not needed (probably for emmisions) and it's a proper compact unit. That said, it was a swine to get too and necessitated the removal of the O/S driveshaft to carefully jiggle it out of its Tetris shaped hole. I guess that's the price you pay when you shoehorn a hulking great 2.2 diesel lump into a reletavely small hatchback.

Other than a small water leak coming in through the rear light gasket (fixed with Tiger seal) it has been fantastically reliable over the years.

[Explosive Newt]

Bodyshop verdict was that the cheapest and easiest way to fix the XF’s impact damage was to put on a new wing, so he’s gone off to scour scrappies for a second hand crystal blue wing.

Annoyingly, he spotted straight away that the front and rear bumpers do not exactly match the rest of the paintwork. Which is now something I cannot unsee. Makes me wonder if it has been involved in a shunt or just if someone has made a hash of reconditioning the bumpers.

[Jobbo]

The bumpers were probably that way from the factory.

[Explosive Newt]

I wondered if they might have faded differently to the rest of the car to be honest.

While he hasn't found a side panel in the right colour yet, he's reassured me that with the current weather one of these RWD jags is bound to have a crash sooner or later...

[Mito Man]

Have a bit of a problem with a wet hole...

Doing some late night tinkering on the Italian lady. Upon removing the final spark plug I noticed that it was very crusty and wet - the coil plug boot noticeably stained too.

Not sure how water is getting in there? The coil plug is such a tight fit that I can’t imagine it coming from the outside
Haven’t had any running issues. Just changing them as they’re due but is it something to keep an eye on or what?

[Matty]

£230 for a new wing from Merc for the old stager. Just ordered it. How much should I be charged for fitting and painting in your opinion folks? Ta.

Delivery date - 26/05/21. Guy at my local dealer said he'd call to try and get a better date, but I guess I'll start looking on eBay

Where is it being shipped from? The moon?

[integrale_evo]

Will have come from the outside somehow as none of the engine water goes anywhere near the top of the cylinder head unless you’ve smashed it to bits which might affect how it runs

Damp trapped in places like that literally takes forever to dry out. You’d imagine engine heat would dry it quickly, but nope, with no airflow it will just sit.

Could have been over enthusiastic jet washing, could be some weird condensation cooling effect.

[integrale_evo]

£230 for a new wing from Merc for the old stager. Just ordered it. How much should I be charged for fitting and painting in your opinion folks? Ta.

Delivery date - 26/05/21. Guy at my local dealer said he'd call to try and get a better date, but I guess I'll start looking on eBay

Where is it being shipped from? The moon?

I believe once merc run out of a part and it goes on back order they wait for so many orders until they decide to remanufacture the part. I’m assuming the lead times on a small run of wings for a 20+ year old car is a fair while.

[dan]

£230 for a new wing from Merc for the old stager. Just ordered it. How much should I be charged for fitting and painting in your opinion folks? Ta.

Delivery date - 26/05/21. Guy at my local dealer said he'd call to try and get a better date, but I guess I'll start looking on eBay

Where is it being shipped from? The moon?

Don't be silly, its only 3 days to the moon. Must be Mars.

[Simon]

Have a bit of a problem with a wet hole...

Doing some late night tinkering on the Italian lady. Upon removing the final spark plug I noticed that it was very crusty and wet - the coil plug boot noticeably stained too.

Not sure how water is getting in there? The coil plug is such a tight fit that I can’t imagine it coming from the outside
Haven’t had any running issues. Just changing them as they’re due but is it something to keep an eye on or what?

On the Focus Mk2 1.6 and similar specced Volvos water comes in through the vents above the bonnet line then manages to drip across to the top of the engine where it floods 1 or 2 spark plug holes, resulting in misfire in those cylinders. Could it be possible on the Mito too?

[Mito Man]

I had a good look but can’t tell. There’s no bonnet vents and the engine cover/airbox does a good job of covering everything. I last drove it 200 miles or so a few weeks weeks ago then drove it straight into the garage so surprised it’s still damp. It must be water perpetually trapped between the spark plug and the coil as it has a thick rubber gasket with a very tight fit but as to how it originally got there I have no clue

[RobYob]

Well in the course of trying to sell my mot failed E39 I've had had two time wasters from PH, four from Facebook and a brace of fake bidders on Fleabay.

I'd be quite happy to see the bastard thing burn down to its axles now.

Which is a sad end to a car I quite liked for the last three years.

[Sundayjumper]

Damp trapped in places like that literally takes forever to dry out. You’d imagine engine heat would dry it quickly, but nope, with no airflow it will just sit.

Could have been over enthusiastic jet washing, could be some weird condensation cooling effect.

Yeah, my vote is jet washing, or even rinsing down with a hose. Been there, done that...

[16vCento]

Quite common on Corsas that the pipes to the screenwash jets would leak, and it would drip down onto the coil pack and you'd end up with that problem as well.

[mr_jon]

Err, yeah, just dry it out and stick some kitchen roll down the plug socket to get all the crap. Check it again in a few weeks.