OV9

Car update: Another week, another no change in status. No further assessment done. No resolution on who damaged the car further (although I think we can all guess).

...sigh.

Remember, nobody in this chain has any sense of urgency or understanding of basic customer care.

Exciting update!

Tried to change the aircon clutch on the x5. After digging up a locking device to hold the outer cover while undoing the pulley but I then faced a very awkward circlip.

After some faffing I managed to get that out and remove the belt pulley.

That leaves the coil. The actual faulty part. Unfortunately another even more awkward and recessed circlip, with access limited by various coolant and oil cooler pipes which meet at a junction point right in front of it.

So I’ve spent £12 on an endoscope camera thing to hopefully put somewhere with a decent view and get the clip off.

The other problem is the clutch I bought isn’t actually the same. The front cover is the same, the total depth of the casing is the same, but the pulley grooves are one tooth over. In theory I could use a three rib belt instead of a 4, but that seems a bit dodgy. I’m hoping that when I get the coil off it measures the same as the new one so I can use that with the old centre and new cover.

All of this is to try and get the aircon working again on my driveway for £60 instead of £300 for a new compressor plus more effort to remove plus messing around with a regass etc.

Welp, Copart are claiming "nothing to do with me guv, car was already damaged when we got it" so I told insurance quite plainly that the car wasn't damaged when it left me, so it'd be in their interest to find out who did cause the additional damage, because (and I was somewhat more polite than this) I'm fucked if I'm having damage caused by their own agents coming out of my pocket in premium increases.

Insurance also interpreted a mild reflection on the splitter in the picture I sent them of the car on the transporter as being the same as over a foot of gashes and tears in the splitter - so I have set them straight on that. The reason I didn't send sixty close up images of the car as it left me is because there was no additional damage (other than that caused by the theft attempt) from the recovery as it left me.

The car wasn't showroom fresh - it's a decade old - but it is (was..) lacking in dings, scratches etc and it absolutely didn't have the front end of the car shredded up. I'm not Sherlock Holmes but I'd have fucking noticed that.

Oh and apparently Evans Halshaw completed their assessment on Tuesday but haven't sent insurance the quote

Imagine having basic competence in literally the only thing you need to do

I remember Rev ranting about this at one point and frankly, he was right - service in this country is regularly fucking atrocious.

I'd be getting it sent elsewhere. We had our F20 1er repaired at BMWs own bodyshop at my insistence. It will be processed much more quickly.

We just had the Superb done at a Skoda Approved bodyshop that just happens to do restoration of road and race Porsches. Again, very efficient with quite done and sent in a day

i did a bit of work on the van tonight. Over the last few days it had developed a weird creaky sound from the rear left area. it wasn’t obviously in line with suspension movement and i couldn’t replicate it rocking the car. i got it into my head it was the rear brakes rattling somehow where the pads had heavily worn . The guy i bought the van from gave me a full set of pads so i thought id swap them over.

So, jacked up the van, took the caliper apart and the pads were absolutely… …fine.

i put it all back together, did the wheel bolts back up using my new torque wrench (yay!) and pondered on what else it could be.

I’d folded the single rear seat forward on sunday when i had 2 bikes in the car… i gave it a quick fold back and forth and went out for a drive.

it was the fucking seat not being clicked fully back in position!!!

i fitted some new number plate lights and declared the night a success (if a total waste of time!!)

Swervin_Mervin wrote: Thu Apr 24, 2025 8:35 pm I'd be getting it sent elsewhere. We had our F20 1er repaired at BMWs own bodyshop at my insistence. It will be processed much more quickly.

We just had the Superb done at a Skoda Approved bodyshop that just happens to do restoration of road and race Porsches. Again, very efficient with quite done and sent in a day

Problem is I think the BMW dealership literally 300ft up the road use this place for their repairs...

(and in fairness, other than being a bit slow, EH have been generally on the up and up in terms of sorting things out etc)

Beany wrote: Thu Apr 24, 2025 10:00 pm

Swervin_Mervin wrote: Thu Apr 24, 2025 8:35 pm I'd be getting it sent elsewhere. We had our F20 1er repaired at BMWs own bodyshop at my insistence. It will be processed much more quickly.

We just had the Superb done at a Skoda Approved bodyshop that just happens to do restoration of road and race Porsches. Again, very efficient with quite done and sent in a day

Problem is I think the BMW dealership literally 300ft up the road use this place for their repairs...

(and in fairness, other than being a bit slow, EH have been generally on the up and up in terms of sorting things out etc)

No offence Bean, but it sounds like you're making excuses for them all.

Whereabouts are you again? It's not that easy to find BMW Approved bodyshops as they clearly want you to phone them direct, but there looks to be a dealership in Malton, Harrogate with their own on-site shop.

I don't normally advocate using dealerships but over the years the best body repairs I've had have always been the brands own.

I'm generally too much of a lovely boy, that's my problem!

I'm expecting to hear back tomorrow about what the fuck is going on, and if I don't like the answer, I'll request they move the car to Stratstone Leeds, which is an actual official BMW approved workshop. I checked the small print and it's the option of a BMW approved workshop they offer, not a guarantee of one to be used, so I now I feel like I'm being fuckin' ripped off.

Beany wrote: Fri Apr 25, 2025 12:59 am I'm generally too much of a lovely boy, that's my problem!

I'm expecting to hear back tomorrow about what the fuck is going on, and if I don't like the answer, I'll request they move the car to Stratstone Leeds, which is an actual official BMW approved workshop. I checked the small print and it's the option of a BMW approved workshop they offer, not a guarantee of one to be used, so I now I feel like I'm being fuckin' ripped off.

AFAIAA you're entitled to use whoever the feck you like. The insurer can try it on, but where the vehicle is repaired is ultimately your choice. There can be an issue if the assessor disagrees with the bodyshop estimate mind. We had that with the 125i, which had been rear ended. The assessor went down to the workshop though and after seeing the damage and talked through by the workshop guys, agreed to the figure.

This reminds me - I need to phone the Skoda bodyshop as they were waiting for a new arch liner to arrive, and they phoned me a couple of weeks ago now to tell me it was there

i have a clunk on the Elise steering, basically every time the steering wheel gets to a certain point whilst turning left (90° on the wheel) it clunks quite loudly, then again 360° later.

i’m presuming it’s something on the steering column rather than the rack because it aligns so precisely with the steering wheel position.

any ideas? i’m going to start taking things apart anyway - my initial thought would be one of the universal joints?

Rich B wrote: Sat Apr 26, 2025 1:44 pm i have a clunk on the Elise steering, basically every time the steering wheel gets to a certain point whilst turning left (90° on the wheel) it clunks quite loudly, then again 360° later.

i’m presuming it’s something on the steering column rather than the rack because it aligns so precisely with the steering wheel position.

any ideas? i’m going to start taking things apart anyway - my initial thought would be one of the universal joints?

Clunk at a certain point of rotation might indicate the pinion, or “something” the shaft between that and the wheel. But if it only happens when turning left…. that’s weird.

Rich B wrote: Sat Apr 26, 2025 1:44 pm i have a clunk on the Elise steering, basically every time the steering wheel gets to a certain point whilst turning left (90° on the wheel) it clunks quite loudly, then again 360° later.

i’m presuming it’s something on the steering column rather than the rack because it aligns so precisely with the steering wheel position.

any ideas? i’m going to start taking things apart anyway - my initial thought would be one of the universal joints?

Jack the front up and move it from the wheel. See if its smooth in motion. Check for play in the wheel bearings.Check the track rod ends. sounds likely to be the rack however. Eliseparts do a quick rack replacement that might be worth considering.

Boys corsa is suffering from temporary death. Clutch slave cylinder has gone and pissed fluid all over the clutch. This was at 1am this morning. Handily he was near my nieces house so i limped it round on a bump start and abandoned it there till this morning.

Went back and called the AA to get it recovered. 7 mins later the AA Van appeared.

Recovered to my brothers work.

scotta wrote: Sat Apr 26, 2025 2:04 pm

Rich B wrote: Sat Apr 26, 2025 1:44 pm i have a clunk on the Elise steering, basically every time the steering wheel gets to a certain point whilst turning left (90° on the wheel) it clunks quite loudly, then again 360° later.

i’m presuming it’s something on the steering column rather than the rack because it aligns so precisely with the steering wheel position.

any ideas? i’m going to start taking things apart anyway - my initial thought would be one of the universal joints?

Jack the front up and move it from the wheel. See if its smooth in motion. Check for play in the wheel bearings.Check the track rod ends. sounds likely to be the rack however. Eliseparts do a quick rack replacement that might be worth considering.

it does it repeatably with the front jacked up. the fact it’s the exact same point in the steering wheels rotation is “steering” me away from it being anything rack and beyond. It feels like it’s something column related.

Rich B wrote: Sat Apr 26, 2025 2:30 pm

scotta wrote: Sat Apr 26, 2025 2:04 pm

Rich B wrote: Sat Apr 26, 2025 1:44 pm i have a clunk on the Elise steering, basically every time the steering wheel gets to a certain point whilst turning left (90° on the wheel) it clunks quite loudly, then again 360° later.

i’m presuming it’s something on the steering column rather than the rack because it aligns so precisely with the steering wheel position.

any ideas? i’m going to start taking things apart anyway - my initial thought would be one of the universal joints?

Jack the front up and move it from the wheel. See if its smooth in motion. Check for play in the wheel bearings.Check the track rod ends. sounds likely to be the rack however. Eliseparts do a quick rack replacement that might be worth considering.

it does it repeatably with the front jacked up. the fact it’s the exact same point in the steering wheels rotation is “steering” me away from it being anything rack and beyond. It feels like it’s something column related.

Do you mean it does it at exactly the same point in degrees rotation of the wheel or at the same point in the Turing circle?

scotta wrote: Sat Apr 26, 2025 2:39 pm

Rich B wrote: Sat Apr 26, 2025 2:30 pm

scotta wrote: Sat Apr 26, 2025 2:04 pm

Jack the front up and move it from the wheel. See if its smooth in motion. Check for play in the wheel bearings.Check the track rod ends. sounds likely to be the rack however. Eliseparts do a quick rack replacement that might be worth considering.

it does it repeatably with the front jacked up. the fact it’s the exact same point in the steering wheels rotation is “steering” me away from it being anything rack and beyond. It feels like it’s something column related.

Do you mean it does it at exactly the same point in degrees rotation of the wheel or at the same point in the Turing circle?

rotation of the steering wheel. so it repeats (at the same point) several times lock to lock.

the clunk seems to originate from the upper half of the steering column, but i know from experience that clunks can travel!

Sounds like one of the universal joints to me, probably the lower one as that’s more likely to get dirt etc on it.

Sundayjumper wrote: Sat Apr 26, 2025 3:16 pm Sounds like one of the universal joints to me, probably the lower one as that’s more likely to get dirt etc on it.

yeah, that’s my thought, but i don’t know how you’re supposed to get to the fuckers! there’s literally no room for a full sized human to access them!

i’m going to take the seat out to see if that helps….

Rich B wrote: Sat Apr 26, 2025 3:20 pm

Sundayjumper wrote: Sat Apr 26, 2025 3:16 pm Sounds like one of the universal joints to me, probably the lower one as that’s more likely to get dirt etc on it.

yeah, that’s my thought, but i don’t know how you’re supposed to get to the fuckers! there’s literally no room for a full sized human to access them!

i’m going to take the seat out to see if that helps….

Time to teach your son the art of spannering?