Your fleet running reports

[mik]

The leather cover was trashed, so I pulled it to bits and used it as a pattern to fashion up my own cover from some of the seat cloth I had. Not perfect, would like to do another attempt, but ok with it.

ive warmed to your interior treatment. The gear gaitor is perhaps a step too far, but the rest looks great.

I like the gaiter - more than the arm-rest in fact

[DeskJockey]

It works well I think. If you want to take it too far, then do a headliner and inner arch liners in the same material. The latter will need some kind of protective covering obviously.

[Beany]

I'm not getting a response from the motor when trying to wash the rear - like at all - so I doubt that'll help!

Ah. the BMW washer motors are shit, I'm replacing one every year on one of the cars. They just sit at the bottom of washer tank and corrode but are easy enough to replace.

Another one series issue is that the filter on the screen wash tank clogs up with gunk and blocks the flow. My mate had the same issue. Wheel liner off to get access to it.

From the video that I skimmed (and then rolled my eyes at...) it also wants a solid foot worth of extension bars too, and access to the motors proper really requires the actual wing to come off. (although granted, that might have been part of the wing removal - by that point I'd stopped bothering really paying attention)

As for 'easy enough to replace', Mito, working on a car on the street is a bit different to working on a car in daddys fully stocked, heated garage. I stopped bothering trying anything involving lifting the car after the second time a bus decided 'fuck it, I can get through that gap' and nearly smeared me down the side of the car.

Sort of why I bought a car that is a bit further away from devolving into a rolling project

[Swervin_Mervin]

Oh yeah and the rear wash doesn't work on the 135i, and apparently checking the motors is a wheel off, inner arch out, entire wing off job.

Think I'll live with a mucky rear screen for now

I assume you've tried just cleaning the jets?

I'm not getting a response from the motor when trying to wash the rear - like at all - so I doubt that'll help!

Yeah I assumed as much!

[DeskJockey]

I assume you've tried just cleaning the jets?

I'm not getting a response from the motor when trying to wash the rear - like at all - so I doubt that'll help!

Yeah I assumed as much!

As an aside you probably shouldn't wash your rear with screen wash. A bit harsh on the skin.

[V8Granite]

When I kept having issues on the 500e and the wife’s mk1 Focus I switched to only ever using Halfords pre-mix berry and haven’t cleaned a washer nozzle in over 12 years.

Dave!

[Beany]

I'm not getting a response from the motor when trying to wash the rear - like at all - so I doubt that'll help!

Yeah I assumed as much!

As an aside you probably shouldn't wash your rear with screen wash. A bit harsh on the skin.

Sounds like someone's speaking from experience.

[integrale_evo]

Fido Dido sticker in the rear quarter glass and it’s a 90s marvel

If you step out in a Naff Co 54 jacket and Bomber jeans people will genuinely wonder if you are from the past. 40 year old women will swoon.

Dave!

Have had a subtle one for a while

[GG.]

So I was warned (via t'internet) to watch out for any electrical gremlins appearing after the security update had been done.

I didn't note there there was anything but yesterday I realised the global close function seems to have stopped (i.e. close all windows by holding the lock button on the key). Weirdly it does global open... which was annoying as I had to then get back in the car and close everything manually

I wonder if the option as just been flicked to 'off' in the car ECU - I know that OBD readers can adjust these sort of things (every yootoober seems to do ads for Carly). Maybe now if the time to pick one up - may be cheaper and easier than taking the car in to the dealer.

[Sundayjumper]

Maybe now if the time to pick one up - may be cheaper and easier than taking the car in to the dealer.

I can't vouch for Carly but it's definitely worth having some kind of diagnostics thingummy. Not just the cost & hassle of going to the dealer but the convenience of doing it whenever you like. Weekday evening ? Sunday afternoon ? Out for the day, or even away on holiday ? Not a problem.

[V8Granite]

Fido Dido sticker in the rear quarter glass and it’s a 90s marvel

If you step out in a Naff Co 54 jacket and Bomber jeans people will genuinely wonder if you are from the past. 40 year old women will swoon.

Dave!

Have had a subtle one for a while

One of my favourite thing about cars is ones which are very much of their time.

I think your compact is absolutely nailing it.

Like Imolas on a 2wd Saphire Cosworth or a Peco BB4 on a Saxo, it just works.

Dave!

[16vCento]

So I was warned (via t'internet) to watch out for any electrical gremlins appearing after the security update had been done.

I didn't note there there was anything but yesterday I realised the global close function seems to have stopped (i.e. close all windows by holding the lock button on the key). Weirdly it does global open... which was annoying as I had to then get back in the car and close everything manually

I wonder if the option as just been flicked to 'off' in the car ECU - I know that OBD readers can adjust these sort of things (every yootoober seems to do ads for Carly). Maybe now if the time to pick one up - may be cheaper and easier than taking the car in to the dealer.

Have you checked it's selected in the menu?

On the XF there's a screen in the vehicle settings where you can turn global open/close on and off

[GG.]

So I was warned (via t'internet) to watch out for any electrical gremlins appearing after the security update had been done.

I didn't note there there was anything but yesterday I realised the global close function seems to have stopped (i.e. close all windows by holding the lock button on the key). Weirdly it does global open... which was annoying as I had to then get back in the car and close everything manually

I wonder if the option as just been flicked to 'off' in the car ECU - I know that OBD readers can adjust these sort of things (every yootoober seems to do ads for Carly). Maybe now if the time to pick one up - may be cheaper and easier than taking the car in to the dealer.

Have you checked it's selected in the menu?

On the XF there's a screen in the vehicle settings where you can turn global open/close on and off

Ooh - there is a vehicle settings menu - I don't ever remember seeing that in there but will have a look.

[Simon]

So I was warned (via t'internet) to watch out for any electrical gremlins appearing after the security update had been done.

I didn't note there there was anything but yesterday I realised the global close function seems to have stopped (i.e. close all windows by holding the lock button on the key). Weirdly it does global open... which was annoying as I had to then get back in the car and close everything manually

I wonder if the option as just been flicked to 'off' in the car ECU - I know that OBD readers can adjust these sort of things (every yootoober seems to do ads for Carly). Maybe now if the time to pick one up - may be cheaper and easier than taking the car in to the dealer.

On my old Mk4 Mondeo, to re-enable global closure each window had to be reset in turn, so it knew where to 'stop' - to do that you had to put the window all the way down manually, then all the way up manually, then press the window switch all the way up (it was a manual and one-shot switch) and hold it one more time up for about 5-10 seconds. Do that on each window and then it'd work.

Worth trying?

[GG.]

So I was warned (via t'internet) to watch out for any electrical gremlins appearing after the security update had been done.

I didn't note there there was anything but yesterday I realised the global close function seems to have stopped (i.e. close all windows by holding the lock button on the key). Weirdly it does global open... which was annoying as I had to then get back in the car and close everything manually

I wonder if the option as just been flicked to 'off' in the car ECU - I know that OBD readers can adjust these sort of things (every yootoober seems to do ads for Carly). Maybe now if the time to pick one up - may be cheaper and easier than taking the car in to the dealer.

On my old Mk4 Mondeo, to re-enable global closure each window had to be reset in turn, so it knew where to 'stop' - to do that you had to put the window all the way down manually, then all the way up manually, then press the window switch all the way up (it was a manual and one-shot switch) and hold it one more time up for about 5-10 seconds. Do that on each window and then it'd work.

Worth trying?

Thanks, yes it could be something like that. It seems odd that global open would be set differently from global close but some issue with not knowing the window position could the be culprit...

[integrale_evo]

One of my favourite thing about cars is ones which are very much of their time.

I think your compact is absolutely nailing it.

Like Imolas on a 2wd Saphire Cosworth or a Peco BB4 on a Saxo, it just works.

Dave!

Cheers, it’s supposed to be just a bit of cheap fun, it’s a fine line between enough and too much. I want it to be a bit silly without being completely embarrassing to be seen in. Although I’m sure there are plenty of people who wouldn’t be seen dead in it

[GG.]

Perfectly period late 90s accessory to match the year correct alpine head unit I already use.

Alpine gives strong nostalgia for me. We had a multichanger head unit in our 928 at some point in the early to mid 90s playing the just released Meat Loaf Back into Hell. It was a very cool thing, though a bit temperamental!



If I ever end up with a 90s Porsche it will have to have one.

[Sundayjumper]

MOT time for the wife's MINI tomorrow. I did oil & filters at the weekend and had a general check over, all OK apart from the rear pads getting low.
There's still that clonking from the front suspension but I HAVE ordered new wishbones now along with rear discs & pads. If the weather holds out at the weekend I might get around to doing all that.

The 360 is getting a new accumulator for the F1 gear system. It's never shifted as fast as I'd like and definitely nowhere near the claimed possible 150ms. It also semi-regularly flashes the low pressure warning (which bizarrely is the same light as for the engine cover being open - not my pic) and that's commonly down to one of two things - the accumulator or one of the solenoids in the valve block. I'm doing the accumulator first as it's the easiest. The accumulator is a pretty simple device that acts as a store of hydraulic pressure. Not a huge volume but pretty high pressure - over 50 bar (~750psi). The membrane degrades and slowly loses its springiness. So although the system will still charge to full pressure it won't maintain it while shifting, and the pump will end up running too frequently too, possibly burning out if it's really bad. Internet says they only last about 10 years and I've no idea if it's still on the original so.... even if it's not I'll tell myself it's preventative maintenance.





I'm coming to the conclusion it's a good car, but has not had all the semi-consumables it should have had. A previous owner that either didn't notice, or didn't care if it wasn't stopping them driving it, or didn't want to pay main agent prices. Most of the history is main agent. Things I've done that fall into that category:

Thermostat
Engine & gearbox mounts
Voltage regulator
Dash illumination
Lambda sensors
Accumulator

The dash is probably the biggest shocker price-wise. Ferrari don't sell the EL panel on its own, they would like you to buy a complete cluster @ £3,772.65 +VAT, plus fitting & coding. Official lambdas are over £400 each vs. £90 each for genuine Bosch just not in a pretty box with a horsy on it. They don't sell voltage regulators, only complete alternators. Even the accumulator, a very specific part, is £250 for a quality pattern part from a specialist vs. £500+ from the dealer. All up, including labour for these things, I've probably saved myself £10k so far compared to an owner that just gets the dealer to fix it.

[Beany]

Have you been taking any other notes on this, other than in here?

Because "fixing a ferrari with a halfords socket set, axle stands and an OBD reader" would make a pretty good youtube series/blog/etc.

I mean, you see other people cranking on ferraris, but they're usually big youtubers with a pair of two post lifts, compressed air and a fully stocked near-commercial workshop...

[Sundayjumper]

Have you been taking any other notes on this, other than in here?

Nah. I don't even frequent other forums nowadays. I'll occasionally drop into the Ferrari one but it's mostly quite irritating - widespread obsession with "factory gated 6sp manual" and humble-bragging about how much they pay to get stuff fixed as if regular 5-figure bills are a good thing. A small number of people that actually know their stuff. So it's a good resource to dip into when necessary, but it's not generally a community I want to be part of.

And as for youtubing, nah, CBA. Personally when I want info I'd much rather a well written description & some photos that I can absorb at my own pace*. From talking to Gavster about his work I know that a) making decent videos takes a LOT of time, and b) unless you're getting millions of views you won't get any money back for it. So..... CBA.

And I know you said "Halfords" simply as "not £££££££ Snap-On" but only a small proportion of my tools are Halfords ! Main stuff is Teng but recently I've bought quite a lot of "US Pro" branded tools and although it's clearly lower quality, and I've broken a couple of bits, for domestic work I reckon it's good VFM. To be fair I've also broken Teng & Halfords stuff in the past


* edit - Pelican do a great job on this.