Pat Earrings

Great to see another fan! I’ve been following him for years, way back when I was in Uni. I saw him recently in Brum and he did not disappoint.

So spent a couple hours doing a full service on my 1.4 MK8 Civic, all the filters etc. It has the iDSI engine with EIGHT…yes eight spark plugs. They were £17 each as I opted for NGK. Fuck me the rear ones were a nightmare to get out as access is limited and you have to work blind for the first two. All done, and correct 0w30 oil and even treated it to Ceratec. The old plugs were Bosch which I’m not a fan of but it does look like they were all done together before and they weren’t too bad at all, so that was good to see. It’s not fast but it’s a smooth engine. My arm is now marked to fuck.

You know I saw this and thought what the actual fuck, people will sell literal dog shit if they thought they’d get a £1 for it. The sad reality dawned on me that there are absolute mingebags out there who would still buy stuff like this.

I’ve always serviced/maintained my own cars and I have been quite fastidious. To the point where eventually when I sell them I’ve always incurred losses but I cannot live with myself if I don’t sort out basic servicing/maintenance etc. Any jobs I can’t do I get done by my garage. For me it’s vital that my mode of transport is in good order and I keep on top of it. I can’t stand the culture now where they will wait until a light bongs or just assume an MOT and oil change is enough.

That’s the best way of describing it. I got it late December and drove it a couple times and totally forgot how it felt. my garage are ace, great bunch of lads that don’t shy away from a challenge and are more than happy for you to come and have a look etc. rarity these days. A bluebird with a working heater is rare I’d imagine, always seen them not working or bypassed.

I have driven it a lot today (Bluebird) and it feels like it’s stretched it’s legs so to speak. Engine is healthy, gearbox lovely and snicky and to top it off it’s nice and warm again. Full cooling system renewed and it’s great to enjoy it. here’s a picture of it dismantled during its long stay away

It’s back!

THE BLUEBIRD IS FINALLY READY it went in my trusted garage near the end of December last year and owing to delays sourcing stuff etc, it’s finally done. It hasn’t even been driven yet in 2023. Heater matrix that was given was correct but had the adjusting rod the opposite way on, and we couldn’t do anything about it. We agreed on having it have a constant flow of heat so it’ll always blow hot air, at various speeds but only hot which is a compromise I can live with. I have heat! So it now has a new heater matrix, new radiator and new thermostat and fresh coolant. The final bill isn’t too disgusting either. celebratory picture to follow tomorrow when it returns.

“Middle part of exhaust is missing” that’ll be the cat converter then 😂

Where did you get these reproduced Max? I’m looking to do the same for the Bluebird when it eventually returns

I didn’t think people could get sadder, but there you go.

Curious..that tape on the front of the plate..have you put it there? We usually tell people to do that if they’ve had theirs cloned, just so we can differentiate from the genuine.

Love this, what a way to come back to BMW. Dibs when you sell 😂

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/266086036588?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=6F4lWD2-SfK&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=KCW16zwOSD-&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY