OV9

Having gone back to my local garage the Yeti brakes now have the feel I expected of them. I think they just re-bled them.

Update from the bodyshop. Sills are rotted and need replacing. Porsche want 400+ VAT per side or he can custom fab some for £500 all in. Also aircon condenser is rotted and needs replacing. I've managed to sort a replacement for £470+VAT. The OEM one is nearly £900. The replacement I've ordered is a modified OEM one that fixes a flaw with the original where the mounting screw frets away the bottom of the core after a number of years.

Source of dashboard noise. An easy fix with some felt tape...when I can find it

The Clubman has been used every day this week and has not lost any oil or water yet

I happened to be looking out the window yesterday when my wife went out in it, and noticed that the high level brake light isn't working. It's a large one-piece LED unit and the best price I can find for a new one is just under £100

Assuming it's the original then it's lasted fifteen years which is good I guess but how long do normal bulbs last ? You wouldn't have spent £100 replacing filament bulbs in that period. I'm not convinced LEDs like this are really a good idea.

Sundayjumper wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 9:42 am The Clubman has been used every day this week and has not lost any oil or water yet

Shame about the LED unit though..

Delphi wrote: Wed Nov 23, 2022 1:14 pm Update from the bodyshop. Sills are rotted and need replacing. Porsche want 400+ VAT per side or he can custom fab some for £500 all in. Also aircon condenser is rotted and needs replacing. I've managed to sort a replacement for £470+VAT. The OEM one is nearly £900. The replacement I've ordered is a modified OEM one that fixes a flaw with the original where the mounting screw frets away the bottom of the core after a number of years.

Honestly, for an older super-GT those prices sound pretty reasonable. I was reading each sentence and expecting much bigger numbers.

I might have to have a look at that Gtecniq stuff for the windscreen, the wipers on the E46 or at least my one seem to be uniquely annoying.

Sundayjumper wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 9:42 am The Clubman has been used every day this week and has not lost any oil or water yet

I happened to be looking out the window yesterday when my wife went out in it, and noticed that the high level brake light isn't working. It's a large one-piece LED unit and the best price I can find for a new one is just under £100

Assuming it's the original then it's lasted fifteen years which is good I guess but how long do normal bulbs last ? You wouldn't have spent £100 replacing filament bulbs in that period. I'm not convinced LEDs like this are really a good idea.

Worth getting it out and testing it, could be a loose connection or a worn wire rather than the actual leds

McSwede wrote: Wed Nov 23, 2022 7:30 am I haven't tried this stuff @mik but I have tried a couple of others including Rain-x and my bug Bear with it is that under 35mph you still need to use the wipers and that they tend to judder. When you do as many miles as I do, that gets quite annoying. I'll be interested to hear how you find it in that respect. @scotta ' experience would also be interesting to hear.

we did the race car for race of remembrance and... It didn't rain. I plan to do the X5 with it also as ive just bought new wiper blades. hopefully give it a go over the weekend.

Not mine but I've mentioned it before - a chap who used to live a few doors up the road from me has finally finished (more or less) his Lexus V8 powered Lotus Eclat. It's off for its inaugural MOT next week.


He had an ulterior motive in keeping me up to date though, he sold his Lancia Beta Coupe recently and is off to look at a Lancia Beta Volumex Coupe and wondered if I fancied driving him to Derbyshire with my trailer to pick it up I don't mind helping people but that's a stretch.

Its the end of the road for the Z4.

I have been in 2 minds for some time, but I decided that the yaris, mx5 and z4 were 3 cars that tick the 'just go for a drive' box but dont tick the fit well into family life box, Id be better off with 1 or 2 cars that ticked one of those boxes more. I am also tempted to by the Emira and can't justify that and a Z4. So I sold the GR, almost sold the MX5 and have now traded in the Z4, more on its replacement later.

Another factor is that a remap is still not available for BMWs made since lockdown, its annoying that the car has only 340bhp and not 380 in the new 240i. Had Litchfield swapped £600 of my hard-earned for 435bhp or if I didnt have another rwd soft top 2 seater, then maybe Id be thinking differently.

As a daily, it does the basics very well. Interior, Idrive, Wireless Carplay, Comfy seats and it takes any excuse to spend the 10 seconds dropping the electric roof as the heated seats, heated wheel means that it works in any season, so long as it isnt raining.

The ride is very very good and was improved by the ac schnitzer suspension but that said, its more of a baby GT that an out and out sports car. The best part of the car is that B58 engine, which perfectly suits the 8-speed auto box, it feels good to rev high through the gears and in manual mode, it will resist changing up even if you hit the rev limiter. Its also a very rare car, usually when you buy a car you suddenly start seeing noticing them on the roads, but I think I have seen a handful of Z4s since I picked up mine.

Downsides, visibility is poor with the roof up and the car is hard to place on the road, you always feel like it is wider than it actually is. I dont spend my time clipping every apex of the a38 but a rwd 2 seater sets certain expectations. The handling and steering feel isnt bad, the rear diff works miracles at times finding grip out of corners but you kind of feel that the car is happier cruising.

Its unlikely that BMW will fit the higher revving twin turbo S58 from the M3 before they descend into the inevitable rot of electric motors, but if they do I will be queuing up outside my local dealer.

The Dooper is up for sale. Someone made an offer (without viewing or anything), I accepted, then they started asking about paperwork for the replaced engine. I don’t have any.

He replied:

Without any paperwork I’m going to have to withdraw the offer. With some official paperwork I can adjust the mileage back down legally but without I can’t unfortunately.

What a docking shyster !! He’s openly admitting he was planning on clocking it.

End of term: VW Golf

It was reliable, adaptive cruise made life easy and it faithfully took me to work and back as well as trips to Wales and Scotland.
But it was pretty boring and I never felt an emotional bond with it in the same way as the previous cars. Perhaps Jag and Porsche spoiled me?

Explosive Newt wrote: Sat Nov 26, 2022 6:04 pm End of term: VW Golf

It was reliable, adaptive cruise made life easy and it faithfully took me to work and back as well as trips to Wales and Scotland.
But it was pretty boring and I never felt an emotional bond with it in the same way as the previous cars. Perhaps Jag and Porsche spoiled me?

wasn't it a 1.5 that you bought as a stop gap? Of course there was no attachment, it was an appliance.

Rich B wrote: Sat Nov 26, 2022 6:36 pm

Explosive Newt wrote: Sat Nov 26, 2022 6:04 pm End of term: VW Golf

It was reliable, adaptive cruise made life easy and it faithfully took me to work and back as well as trips to Wales and Scotland.
But it was pretty boring and I never felt an emotional bond with it in the same way as the previous cars. Perhaps Jag and Porsche spoiled me?

wasn't it a 1.5 that you bought as a stop gap? Of course there was no attachment, it was an appliance.

That's the one. Turned into rather a longer stop gap than I had planned, with job changes and house moves creating uncertainty. I'm suprised I don't feel more attached to it given the time spent. I was definitely more attached to my old X-type in spite of it leaking oil and being technologically terrible by comparison.

Sundayjumper wrote: Sat Nov 26, 2022 2:15 pm The Dooper is up for sale. Someone made an offer (without viewing or anything), I accepted, then they started asking about paperwork for the replaced engine. I don’t have any.

He replied:

Without any paperwork I’m going to have to withdraw the offer. With some official paperwork I can adjust the mileage back down legally but without I can’t unfortunately.

What a docking shyster !! He’s openly admitting he was planning on clocking it.

& Why worry about paperwork when he would have made up the service docs anyway?


O/t, do Clubmans have a fold flat passenger seat (standard or optional) for a longerer load bay?

Sundayjumper wrote: Fri Nov 25, 2022 4:52 pm
He had an ulterior motive in keeping me up to date though, he sold his Lancia Beta Coupe recently and is off to look at a Lancia Beta Volumex Coupe.

It's great to see these are now appreciated as they were pretty much worthless at one point.

My best mate had one in the same colour as a first car at 16, his mum had it from new. It was a late carb version with a Guy Croft exhaust which I believe were more powerful than the later injected cars and we fitted a Recaro interior from a VX to it.

Surprisingly quick, easily a match for a Mk2 16v Golf or 1.9 205 which were common in the early 90s.

I welled up clicking on the link as he passed away on his 31st birthday after suffering a brain haemorrhage.

Explosive Newt wrote: Sat Nov 26, 2022 7:33 pm

Rich B wrote: Sat Nov 26, 2022 6:36 pm

Explosive Newt wrote: Sat Nov 26, 2022 6:04 pm End of term: VW Golf

It was reliable, adaptive cruise made life easy and it faithfully took me to work and back as well as trips to Wales and Scotland.
But it was pretty boring and I never felt an emotional bond with it in the same way as the previous cars. Perhaps Jag and Porsche spoiled me?

wasn't it a 1.5 that you bought as a stop gap? Of course there was no attachment, it was an appliance.

That's the one. Turned into rather a longer stop gap than I had planned, with job changes and house moves creating uncertainty. I'm suprised I don't feel more attached to it given the time spent. I was definitely more attached to my old X-type in spite of it leaking oil and being technologically terrible by comparison.

VAG group make really good cars. My Skoda scala was a good car. But when someone asks me what it was like and your response is “it’s a good car” and that’s all you can say it shows just how boring they are. I had that 2 years and the only thing I miss about it compared to the current Twingo is the cruise control

My Golf GTI was a great car - looked good, went well with 245bhp, handled well, etc... but I didn't give it a second thought when it when it left - and as per everyone else, the only thing I missed was the brilliant adaptive cruise control.

MikeHunt wrote: Sat Nov 26, 2022 1:18 pm I have been in 2 minds for some time, but I decided that the yaris, mx5 and z4 were 3 cars that tick the 'just go for a drive' box but dont tick the fit well into family life box, Id be better off with 1 or 2 cars that ticked one of those boxes more. I am also tempted to by the Emira and can't justify that and a Z4. So I sold the GR, almost sold the MX5 and have now traded in the Z4, more on its replacement later.

Here you go, no need to wait:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-detail ... 1211882071

Let us know once you've taken delivery. Also, let me know when I can pop by and have a drive.

I can’t say I am missing the adaptive cruise as that in the Tesla seems if anything better; although I certainly missed it when I drove anything else (even the Jag F type in Scotland). Otherwise… meh. I guess I miss Apple CarPlay.

Being with the F type for the weekend made me realise what it was - there is no sense of occasion or adventure. When I went out in a sports car, the trip in itself was something fun to look forward to. It was just a time inbetween destinations in the Golf.