OV9

Rich B wrote: Sat Jun 28, 2025 1:29 pm

Sundayjumper wrote: Sat Jun 28, 2025 1:12 pm

Huh. You must have an oversized hole ! The definitely don’t fit a 360. I’ve seen some shocking photos of radios that “fit” when they obviously don’t.

i've ordered one now as you reminded/inspired me to do it. i just need to get an opportunity to fit it (as well as fixing the variety of other issues it has!)

Honestly, the more tricky question is who is more likely to have fucked up the aperture for a standardised system - Ferrari or Lotus?

I'd be more interested in the ones with a flip out display that can be put away, but in fairness, they *do* cos a fucking bomb if you want one that isn't shite, it seems.

Mind you the Z4 with the 'computer' option is a pain in the arse to do carplay/AA headunits for so I'm not rushing it. BT audio from the phone will do for now.

speedingfine wrote: Sat Jun 28, 2025 12:26 pm Nice how many pennies?

In the US, $154. Only available from Walmart bizarrely:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Power-Acoust ... 5055269224

By a massive stroke of luck my wife’s friend that moved to San Diego 15 years ago is over here on holiday this week and brought one over for me The timing could not have been better.

I would have gone for an Aliexpress jobbie if they fitted.

It was the e36 dash in one of their photos which sold it to you wasn’t it?

That US Walmart really lets you do a full shop
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ballista-ME ... irect=true

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Forever-Gol ... om=/search

Looks like there are several versions on AliExpress, some have a screen which clearly sticks out a bit over the single din body, so wouldn’t work if the dash has a hole for the unit to sit flush in. Some look similar to the wallmart ones.

I prefer age appropriate stereos in my cars, but tempted by one of these to hide in the Alfa and actually use, while keeping a period looking one in the dash.

Cassettes and a fussy analogue radio tuner are a pain in long journeys

Chatting with my neighbour this morning having not heard from him for a couple of weeks (most unusual) and I'd not seen the Clio for a bit - the one he recently finished the paint on and was well pleased with.

Turns out someone in a Ka tapped him at speed on the M1 and put him into a fucking lorry. he's OK (whiplash and airbag burns) but the rear end of the clio was basically ripped out, it's a Cat B now.

So he took the Megane 225 for MOT, expecting it to fail on a couple of bits, so he decided to make that his new daily. Till he went to start it, and it lit up like a Christmas tree with a big ELECTRONIC FAULT: STOP warning and after the problems he'd had with fixing the suspension etc, he's done with it.

So his new car (that I've not seen yet) is in his yard. Time to pop some shoes on and go see...

Edit: It's a 2003 Mini Cooper S with basically nothing that needs done to it other than some minor bodywork issues. It's got ducted interwarmer thingies, smaller pully, remap, decent exhaust. Basically wants a few things, needs nothing. And the electronics are BMW so they're unlikely to completely shit themselves for no reason.

I think working on french cars has put him off working on cars

MINIs are great. I approve.

Sundayjumper wrote: Sun Jun 29, 2025 8:11 am

speedingfine wrote: Sat Jun 28, 2025 12:26 pm Nice how many pennies?

In the US, $154. Only available from Walmart bizarrely:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Power-Acoust ... 5055269224

By a massive stroke of luck my wife’s friend that moved to San Diego 15 years ago is over here on holiday this week and brought one over for me The timing could not have been better.
.

Massive stroke of bad luck for your wife's friend that she had to lug it half way across the world

$154 is a bit of a bargain though

Jobbo wrote: Fri Jun 27, 2025 7:35 am R5e alarm went off at 12.18am last night, waking me up again. I’ll be deactivating it as a matter of course every night for now but I need to get it to Renault.

Apparently the alarm is fitted when it arrives in the U.K. is that common these days? Every car I’ve owned for maybe 20 years with an alarm seemed to have it integrated and I assumed from the factory. But the only obvious sign on the R5 is an alarm sticker in the window.

Charging and early wake-up calls aside, how are you finding the R5? Still got it tagged (alongside the Insta) as potential daily

Beany wrote: Sat Jun 28, 2025 2:29 pm Honestly, the more tricky question is who is more likely to have fucked up the aperture for a standardised system - Ferrari or Lotus?

They both have a certain reputation for sure but to be fair, working on the 360 I've found it to be pretty well screwed together.

Matty wrote: Sun Jun 29, 2025 5:18 pm

Jobbo wrote: Fri Jun 27, 2025 7:35 am R5e alarm went off at 12.18am last night, waking me up again. I’ll be deactivating it as a matter of course every night for now but I need to get it to Renault.

Apparently the alarm is fitted when it arrives in the U.K. is that common these days? Every car I’ve owned for maybe 20 years with an alarm seemed to have it integrated and I assumed from the factory. But the only obvious sign on the R5 is an alarm sticker in the window.

Charging and early wake-up calls aside, how are you finding the R5? Still got it tagged (alongside the Insta) as potential daily

The alarm hasn’t gone off for the last couple of nights - the dealership called and said I should check that all the doors, boot, bonnet and windows were closed. So I opened ans closed them all and it hasn’t happened. I don’t think it was anything left open to be honest, but we’ll see.

Overall, my wife loves it and uses it most of the week in preference to the Cayenne. She says it’s nippy and fun and a nice contrast. I drove it on Saturday and also really liked it - it does feel like it wants you to chuck it about. Everything about it feels quality. Except the stupid Renault card key but hey.

Jobbo wrote: Mon Jun 30, 2025 7:35 am

Matty wrote: Sun Jun 29, 2025 5:18 pm

Jobbo wrote: Fri Jun 27, 2025 7:35 am R5e alarm went off at 12.18am last night, waking me up again. I’ll be deactivating it as a matter of course every night for now but I need to get it to Renault.

Apparently the alarm is fitted when it arrives in the U.K. is that common these days? Every car I’ve owned for maybe 20 years with an alarm seemed to have it integrated and I assumed from the factory. But the only obvious sign on the R5 is an alarm sticker in the window.

Charging and early wake-up calls aside, how are you finding the R5? Still got it tagged (alongside the Insta) as potential daily

The alarm hasn’t gone off for the last couple of nights - the dealership called and said I should check that all the doors, boot, bonnet and windows were closed. So I opened ans closed them all and it hasn’t happened. I don’t think it was anything left open to be honest, but we’ll see.

Overall, my wife loves it and uses it most of the week in preference to the Cayenne. She says it’s nippy and fun and a nice contrast. I drove it on Saturday and also really liked it - it does feel like it wants you to chuck it about. Everything about it feels quality. Except the stupid Renault card key but hey.

You don't have to use the key. You can setup your phone as a digital key.

https://gb.e-guide.renault.com/eng/rena ... igital-key

Just bought some of these off the bay for much cheapness - hadn't seen them before. I can see them coming in useful.....

interesting, that looks like a better solution than 90% of the fixings holding an Elise together!

Single use with cut/snap off obviously, but look as strong as, but less fiddly than the screw-in-expanding-back type fixings

the main thing i was looking at was wheel wheel liners - the OE fittings are basically single use anyway. I’ve bought some to try.

Probably stronger, but also a complete arse to remove and can't be re-used (which a lot of fittings are, even if wheelarch ones tend not to be good for).

Audi update: warning on Tuesday evening that the right rear tyre had lost pressure. It looked fine so I reset it and only bothered to check the pressure when I got to work Wednesday morning, which showed it was down to 28psi. Had to go out to a meeting and the warning came back. Stopped at HiQ on the way back from the meeting: 'Oh, very busy - could do you an appointment at 4.30pm or tomorrow'. I declined and went to an independent place who got me straight in, tyre off in moments, screw in the middle of the tread found and fixed quicker than I fix a bike puncture when I'm out and about. Moral of the story: don't bother with a big chain when trying to get a puncture fixed.

MX5 update: I've been busy with work this week so not really used it; but it's a year ago today that I collected it. That's whizzed past.

DeskJockey wrote: Thu Dec 12, 2024 9:10 pm Zoe now sports new wipers front and rear. Took all of two minutes to replace them, and no more grumbling across the screens when using them.

So easy and satisfying.

Disappointingly the wipers on the Zoe are juddering badly already, not even a year old and a premium brand.

MOT on the MINI. Pass, with advisories for crusty rear brakes, which I did know about tbf, but has evidently got worse through lack of use.

By deliberately doing the MOT today I aligned MOT expiry with registration date. Just because.

The Yeti passed yesterday too. Advisory on rear drop links which are an easy job to do myself in the next few weeks, and a slight oil leak, but no spots on the driveway so I'll leave that until it's an actual problem.