OV9

Matty wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 3:18 pm Some knobend drove into the side of the Up in an island in Birmingham. I stopped on an island because someone pulled out in front, then they walloped the side. Felt the whole car move .

Amazingly, it's done nothing. I think their number plate hit the alloy, and there is a very minor mark on it, but otherwise, nothing.

I pulled over. They fuxked off. Vauxhall Astra, DL65 DTN or DL65DTN. Throwing that out for the Google records. While I should report it, no point if there's no damage.

Typical Birmingham. Knew I should have gone around via the M6.

That’s terrible! I wonder if there’s any cameras that caught it, failing to stop after an accident must carry some penalty. Glad you’re okay though

IanF wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 3:22 pm

Matty wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 3:18 pm Some knobend drove into the side of the Up in an island in Birmingham. I stopped on an island because someone pulled out in front, then they walloped the side. Felt the whole car move .

Amazingly, it's done nothing. I think their number plate hit the alloy, and there is a very minor mark on it, but otherwise, nothing.

I pulled over. They fuxked off. Vauxhall Astra, DL65 DTN or DL65DTN. Throwing that out for the Google records. While I should report it, no point if there's no damage.

Typical Birmingham. Knew I should have gone around via the M6.

That’s terrible! I wonder if there’s any cameras that caught it, failing to stop after an accident must carry some penalty. Glad you’re okay though

My neighbour had someone take hit their mirror earlier this year, the police aren't bothered about a collision unless there was an injury.

At least the Up is unscathed.

I had the same with my Mito years ago, Mk4 Golf into my right rear wheel. His car needed a new headlight and wing whereas I just had a scratch on my alloy. I didn’t bother mentioning to insurance as the only thing that would happen would be that I’d have to declare it for the next 5 years and get shafted unnecessarily.

Matty wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 3:18 pm Some knobend drove into the side of the Up in an island in Birmingham. I stopped on an island because someone pulled out in front, then they walloped the side. Felt the whole car move .

Amazingly, it's done nothing. I think their number plate hit the alloy, and there is a very minor mark on it, but otherwise, nothing.

I pulled over. They fuxked off. Vauxhall Astra, DL65 DTN or DL65DTN. Throwing that out for the Google records. While I should report it, no point if there's no damage.

Typical Birmingham. Knew I should have gone around via the M6.

That's a bit crap, other than the lack of damage which is incredibly lucky. Where did it happen?

Jobbo wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 4:22 pm That's a bit crap, other than the lack of damage which is incredibly lucky. Where did it happen?

Spring hill roundabout. They were coming out of Summer Hill road

Mito Man wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 3:56 pm I didn’t bother mentioning to insurance as the only thing that would happen would be that I’d have to declare it for the next 5 years and get shafted unnecessarily.

A2 derv got rear ended a few days ago in stop-start M25 traffic queuing to get on to the A2. It took him two goes. First time was "I can't believe he's not hit me" close that to most would have been a wake up call to stay tf back but no, after the next shuffle forward contact was made. He stopped (didn't have much choice) and in the pishing rain it looks like the A2 bumper has popped in and out. details exchanged, off we go. I've been waiting for a friend to come back from holiday to use his pit/ramp to check behind the bumper and see if anything's happened, the intention if all is good is to forget and get on with life (the A2 was a London car and the bumper wasn't perfect when we got it). Got a letter from his insurance today admitting liability, so that's that plan fckd.

Matty wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 10:55 pm

Jobbo wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 4:22 pm That's a bit crap, other than the lack of damage which is incredibly lucky. Where did it happen?

Spring hill roundabout. They were coming out of Summer Hill road

That’s a crap roundabout. I tend to use it pretty much every time I go into Brum by car now because of the way access to all smaller roads has been blocked off inside the ring road.

Got my tyre pressure warning light on my left rear for the second time today. Investigation found a screw in the tread, and to keep things on an even keel I ordered two. £620 from Black Circles. Think I'll get a glass cover made for the two tyres that come off, repurposing them as a garden table and therefore justifying some of the cost.

Better news is that a mates daughter wants to be driven to her summer prom in my car. Here's me thinking that all 18-year olds would hate and label it as a planet destroying dinosaur!

PaulJ wrote: Fri Mar 17, 2023 4:05 pm Better news is that a mates daughter wants to be driven to her summer prom in my car. Here's me thinking that all 18-year olds would hate and label it as a planet destroying dinosaur!

She does, but it's a cute colour dinosaur.

Bit of afternoon tinkering

Finally had all the bits ( needed a special threaded bush from bmw for the plastic clip which attaches the glass to the regulator )



Testing before refitting everything


Repairing the door membrane. Yeah it’s ugly but should still help stop noise and drafts. Replaced all the broken and missing clips too.


Unsurprisingly the door has a much more solid bmw like thump when closed now

Special tool now for sale


Popped the kidney grilles out, separated the chrome outer rim from the slats and gave them a lick of paint.

The 4.8iS should have silver grilles; is that what you had and painted black?

Yes because they looked rubbish against the blue paint and black trim, especially the ones on the top of the bonnet.

They were all faded and flakey so needed painting or replacing anyway. Plus they’ll now match the other BMWs

Black looks infinitely better. Same as the scuttle/bonnet grills. Who gives a shit if it's correct, it's your car not anyone else's!

I meant ‘should have’ as in ‘came from the factory with’, not as a criticism of Harry changing the colour

nuttinnew wrote: Fri Mar 17, 2023 6:12 pm

PaulJ wrote: Fri Mar 17, 2023 4:05 pm Better news is that a mates daughter wants to be driven to her summer prom in my car. Here's me thinking that all 18-year olds would hate and label it as a planet destroying dinosaur!

She does, but it's a cute colour dinosaur.

Your tolerance is appreciated.

The upper ones particularly annoyed me if I looked out of the upstairs window


I resisted the urge to buy some black eBay grilles with m colour stripes

Rich B wrote: Fri Mar 17, 2023 7:05 pm Black looks infinitely better. Same as the scuttle/bonnet grills.

This. Big improvement there Harry

I seem to have made some sudden, and significant progress on the Cayenne !

It has PDCC (Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control), which is the funky active anti-roll bars. They work extremely well.... when they're working.

Almost right from when I bought it, I can't remember exactly, it started occasionally throwing up a chassis error related to insufficient pressure in the front ARB and the system would be disabled. Turning the car off & back on would clear it and it'd be fine again. This gradually more frequent. It became apparent it only happened during left hand turns but still only occasional. More and more frequent until it would trigger without fail on the very first left turn after leaving home. Very annoying. And not much info out there on the internet. Burst hoses are not uncommon but those are obvious. The hydraulic pressure is supplied by the same unit as the power steering pump, it's a tandem unit, and people reckon those can fail. And they're big ££££s. But if that then why only left turns ? About a year ago I pulled the front valve block apart and swapped the solenoids left-right to see if it was one of those but it made no difference. I went into a sulk. It seemed it was maybe an internal problem with the ARB and those are also ££££s.

Now, with the Clubman & Vito gone, I'm finally getting around to other jobs on the list and this is one of them. I took another look at the error codes and still the same. But this time I also looked at the live data and although it looked sensible with the engine running, with the engine off one side of the front ARB was rapidly fluctuating between 50.0 mbar & 655170.0 mbar while the other was steady @ 0.0 mbar. "Oi oi" I thought "that can't really be happening when the pump's not running, sounds like a wiring problem."

Unplugged the pressure sensor - the reading dropped to 0.0 and stayed there. Not the wiring. Plugged it in. Unplugged it. Plugged it in. Unplugged it. Plugged it in. Pressure reading now staying steady !

Seems like it was a mildly contaminated plug all along

I've been for a drive including slow & fast left turns, gentle & sharp, and it's been absolutely fine I'm posting this to hopefully jinx it. If it still works tomorrow I will conclude it's genuinely fixed.

With a mot looming I spent another few hours on the x5 today.

Start with the worst job, I’d spotted a slightly dubious looking brake pipe during various other jacking up jobs. I had rubbed it back and coated it in grease over winter, but dug out my flaring tool and sorted it properly today.

Crusty


That’s the bit that pokes through the inner wing to meet the flexi hose. Thankfully out of all the pipes it’s also the shortest, easiest to route, and closest to the abs unit!

Used a coated cupronickel which looks almost identical to the oe lines.

The unions cracked off easily, took it into my shed and made a copy. Stainless flare nuts, bent by hand around a socket in a vice. I enjoy making them and getting them neat and tidy, as close to the original as possible with no wobbles or kinks.

Having had a garage do a terrible job of one many years ago and thinking I could do better with my eyes closed, I’ve done them myself ever since.



It’s the one closest to the camera on the abs unit and goes off through the arch liner further back


Bled checked for leaks and test driven. All good.

Also adjusted the handbrake, no photos of that…

Swapped the screen wash motor, the old one seemed to be leaking and slowly draining the washer bottle.

Black grilles

Nice Harry

My dad had a basic brake pipe flaring & bending set - I quite enjoyed making them up (although getting the correct angle AND the correct “plane” could be feckin frustrating!

Not a bloody clue where it went .