Bear's bangers: Ampera's dirty bottom scrapes through, RX-7 bidet identified

[Bear]

1 hour ago, Zelandeth said:

Well on the plus side if it comes to it, I don't imagine a big Volvo is likely to be a particularly difficult car to sell.

True, but they were expecting a 166,000 mile petrol auto V70 to fetch £2800, and it's blue and doesn't have a sunroof, so I already hate it.

[Bear]

I wish the C6 were like this underneath

 

[Bear]

I despair - Halfords not having LDS or fully synthetic GL5 gear oil I can sort of understand, but the local motor factor also drew a blank...  but could get LDS  by Wednesday.

So 2 litres of LiquiMoly fully synth 75W90 GL5, 1 litre of LDS, 1 litre of Ravenol DTF-1 on the way from my Amazon, one day delivery.

But of course, local shops are closing and need our support!

(The factor also can't provide TRW control arms for the X3 due to some weird contract apparently. "Why do you want TRW?" "Supposed to be the OEM" "Makes sense. We can't get them")

[Bear]

Got LDS - ran the diagbox - followed the procedure for bleeding - it appeared full when depressurised but when bled fully, had devoured a load of fluid. The various manuals say that 'full low' should have LDS visible in the lower part of the filter insert, so hopefully, it's there now.

Suspension height setting - I can't measure under the front easily, but worked from wheelarch heights. Each round of failed reference height programming, it adjusted itself - it first, up, until I got 704mm front arch lip height, a good 20-25mm up from where it was lurking before. But that worked out as a chassis clearance of 145mm, not the desired 160mm. When I measured 704mm but told it I'd measured 10mm less, it  was having none of it and didn't magically add another 10mm to the front.

So I'm fairly sure that despite looking quite normal, the brackets are probably unhappy. They're £81 for a full set of mount, balljoint and rear brackets, so annoying to do the lot, but £20 on the wishbone balljoint carriers is fine.

Of course I could have a more sinister issue, like leakback from the struts, which would probably be a write off situation if it made the car unusable.

Post arrived with tools from @DavidB (thankyou!) and perfectly timed, as there's a fluid transfer syringe in there and I've got two bottles of 75W90 and one of transfer case fluid to put into a BMW.

But not today. I'll give the C6 a run and see if I can beat my record of 2.5 miles before a new error shows up on the screen

The A/C is bloody good on it though. I swear the other day the driver's side offered me warm air as well as cold, too.

[GeordieInExile]

21 hours ago, RichardK said:

 I swear the other day the driver's side offered me warm air as well as cold, too.

You are almost certainly imagining things. 

The aircon was, needless to say, not working when I got it. But incredibly, it really did just need a regas m8!

[Bear]

4 hours ago, GeordieInExile said:

You are almost certainly imagining things. 

The aircon was, needless to say, not working when I got it. But incredibly, it really did just need a regas m8!

It did it again!

I did spend some time arguing with it via Lexia, but perhaps the flap just stuck in a different position, or some thing else has moved...

Despite throwing errors all over the shop to the point where I told my gf that I'd be more worried if it DIDN'T interrupt a drive with a series of beeps and messages to tell me how miserable it is, it did a better job of tackling war-torn Hyson Green and Lenton than the BMW did. And with a boot full of Durian and suspension on 'high' to get off the field without scraping the nose on the grass, it managed to scare me at the first stop with a stream of water running out from underneath...

*dips finger in it. Sniff*

"It's not coolant, it's not screenwash, it's not suspension fluid, it's not diesel, it's not brake fluid, it's not alien blood. It's... A LOT OF CONDENSATE"

The A/C works VERY well. And the drains are, it seems, quite clear

So I'm now at the stage where I need the fancy tools for measuring ride height. I don't appear to have a bodged bracket, I definitely have lots of working sensors, and the issue now seems to be that I don't know the right lies to tell the car to make it have enough ground clearance.

With the silly tax on all my cars, I have to make a choice - does the X3 get committed to the garage for July, leaving the C6 with the burden of 'do not break down or I will leave you where you rest', or do I try to do the X3's diff and transfer case oils (and maybe get that prop bearing sorted) and let the C6 have July to think about what it's done. It runs out of MOT in August I think so the handbrake (and maybe arguing with the EGR warning) should probably be priority jobs.

[Noel Tidybeard]

Kitchy made an video

 

[Bear]

It's those experiences that are why I think it's worth me getting the right things for measurements instead of the bonus 'defaults' from forums

[EyesWeldedShut]

19 hours ago, RichardK said:

With the silly tax on all my cars, I have to make a choice - does the X3 get committed to the garage for July, leaving the C6 with the burden of 'do not break down or I will leave you where you rest', or do I try to do the X3's diff and transfer case oils (and maybe get that prop bearing sorted) and let the C6 have July to think about what it's done. It runs out of MOT in August I think so the handbrake (and maybe arguing with the EGR warning) should probably be priority jobs.

If the X3 is roadworthy by end of June then I'd run that in July whilst doing MOT prep on the C6.
If C6 is then roadworthy by end July swap over and drive it prior to the MOT?

 

54 minutes ago, RichardK said:

It's those experiences that are why I think it's worth me getting the right things for measurements instead of the bonus 'defaults' from forums

+1 if you meant bogus - there is so much crap info on some forums now it's a bugger - everything needs triple checking it feels

[Bear]

One out, one in...

[mat777]

Made it home by 1am in the "one out"  last night/this morning. God, it's addictive!  My best description would be "rocket-propelled school bus", and the brakes have better feel than some single-seaters I've driven!

Brilliant to meet you and see your fleet last night, much envy of the garage setup!

[loserone]

That would be exactly a perfect complement to an EV 😂

[dome]

14 hours ago, RichardK said:

One out, one in...

986/996?

[Bear]

29 minutes ago, dome said:

986/996?

[Bear]

Added my first contribution to the car's history - though the emissions were a tad awkward.

[mat777]

It already looks a million times better just for evident wash and valet you've given it! Glad to see it passed with the existing front tyres too, but I'll still be getting the new ones dropped off for you ASAP  

[Bear]

5 hours ago, mat777 said:

It already looks a million times better just for evident wash and valet you've given it! Glad to see it passed with the existing front tyres too, but I'll still be getting the new ones dropped off for you ASAP  

Barely - I pointed a hose at it to wash some dust off, and stupidly damaged a brake pad wear sensor while cleaning the wheels I think 😕

I didn't plan to MOT it today, I wanted to check it more first, but they see me and assume I want an MOT now 😂

Addictive is definitely the right word for the RRCXKR - I wish my brain had a setting between "keep it functional" and "full restoration needed" as it's built to be enjoyed and really very good, I think, as Range Rover Classics go for handling and ride.

I think the Boxster is more in my comfort zone, I have a list of small missing bits to sort out but it's been deployed for town run and shopping, roof down and up, and seems like the sort of car that will respond well to my style of doing things.

Nice meeting you and @horriblemercedes - and I still feel slightly guilty for not warning you at the NSL sign 😂

[Bear]

Van failed the MOT - needs welding on the base of the A-pillar inside the arch. Garage is booked up, if anyone wants some money and is local? Looks like a fairly easy fix but I know nothing.

It also looks like part I'd have wanted to sort while sorting the front wings with new ones.

So back in the hole it goes:

Driveway now has strong "we're still voting for Blair despite the war since we just bought our second BTL home on a fraction of a percent mortgage and have quit our jobs to be property specialists and life coaches" energy.

Except time has passed.

This is now cleaned, draining properly, hot waxoyl bathed and fitted with the cover I found hiding under the boot carpet.

Needed drains cleaning, it weed on my leg after a bath when I went to drive uphill.

Looking nicer after the roof has been scrubbed, but the tension cables are worn and it is quite tired. I can live with it, but really it's about due a new top I think.

Shame, because the actual top is fine - it's just the velcro or sleeved bowden cable bits that have worn.

No longer true, I left a hairdryer in it after doing the waxoyl.

Fixed the missing bit.

Without an S how does anyone* even know it's a nice one?

*without ears**, anyway.

**speaking of ears, the CD player seems a bit crap, but the options for single-DIN audio in a carplay era are very naff. Except for Porsche's mental-price, tiny-screen PCCM.

I wish I earned enough that a PCCM radio wasn't like considering buying a diamond-encrusted Rolex. But I wish the Chinese android head unit makers would make a ripoff of it instead of making everything look like a Amstrad and Saisho paired up to create a budget brand.

[EspenO]

I suppose something like this will clash with the AC controls 🤔 Pioneer kit usually lifts sound quality quite well compared to most others, IMHO.

Naffness is in the eyes of the beholder, but the Continental and simpler Blaupunkt units are usually pretty discreet. 

[Bear]

All the protruding screen ones block controls - I am thinking Blaupunkt Stockholm, but to be fair the Boxster has crap audio - two speakers on the dash. Proper solution is 2 DIN and move heater controls down (Porsche's way) but I want simple/basic feel).

Shame the retractable screen models always have naff display and controls when closed really.

[Bear]

How did I end up living opposite a graveyard and somehow all of my cars are the same colour - black?

Okay, the camper is white, but it got a black mark:

Slightly confused how this bent lip of the front wing which goes under the arch - possibly a patch to join? - is a fail when this isn't:

Speedholes for an inner wing closing panel

[IronStar]

On 28/06/2024 at 19:54, RichardK said:

**speaking of ears, the CD player seems a bit crap, but the options for single-DIN audio in a carplay era are very naff. Except for Porsche's mental-price, tiny-screen PCCM.

I wish I earned enough that a PCCM radio wasn't like considering buying a diamond-encrusted Rolex. But I wish the Chinese android head unit makers would make a ripoff of it instead of making everything look like a Amstrad and Saisho paired up to create a budget brand.

How about Chinese, Android, 1DIN and CarPlay? 
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005509492740.html

It's not looking as good as PCCM radio but at this price....? Some alternatives are available in the related items that fit the same description.

[Bear]

Ah, summer

This can stop now

Come on indoors

Because the PT Cruiser has gone! And I didn't have to drop the price to fire-sale desperation after all, just needed the right buyer.

So this one gets to live indoors and my stress levels are now:

C6 - try to ignore how determined it is to appear to be dying.

BMW - fix the bloody centre bearing!

Boxster - tidy it and service it, put new tyres on front, get a proper alignment.

Campervan - get the MOT done then make arrangements to put new front wings and filler panels in as the bit they objected to is a lip of a filler panel.

Still need to find some work though!

[Bear]

10 hours ago, IronStar said:

How about Chinese, Android, 1DIN and CarPlay? 
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005509492740.html

It's not looking as good as PCCM radio but at this price....? Some alternatives are available in the related items that fit the same description.

I saw one that looked quite nice - physical volume button and matte-finished panel - but then when it went through all the usual login/here's an app/here's a voucher/sign up jere nonsense it was vanished.

I wonder how bad they are, really - why develop something then make it so cheap it's useless?

[IronStar]

17 minutes ago, RichardK said:

I saw one that looked quite nice - physical volume button and matte-finished panel - but then when it went through all the usual login/here's an app/here's a voucher/sign up jere nonsense it was vanished.

I wonder how bad they are, really - why develop something then make it so cheap it's useless?

This one in particular has resistive touchscreen, not capacitive one, so worth looking around a bit if you plan on using it for anything more than maps.
As for how bad - well, not really. Sure, the UI of the unit itself may be a bit awkward, but CarPlay and Android Auto are both glorified screen casting, which doesn’t really require all that much processing power. The most expensive component of the unit is screen itself, which is not all that big and resolution is usually low-ish bringing the price down. Android is free, and reskin for the particular device is a quantities game, especially if it’s not really polished. Rest of the components are peanuts- they always use hardware from few phone generations ago which is probably a leftover surplus of who knows what. Drivers are coming with the hardware so no need to develop that either. 
 

I have an OEM-looking Android thing in 159 that cost 100-something for few years now. Large chunk of that attributed to CAN box that translates rest of the car into the unit, and bit of the price going towards making it feel at home in 159.  The software in it is not really great, and it’s underpowered, but other than an odd hickup, it’s doing CarPlay amazingly well. It auto-connects to phone and just gets out of the way.  I never expected to be able to game on it, so expectations more than met. 

[Bear]

This is the one I like the look of:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007002786673.html

[IronStar]

21 minutes ago, RichardK said:

This is the one I like the look of:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007002786673.html

That one doesn't do wireless CarPlay / Android Auto, that would be a deal breaker for me.

[Bear]

1 hour ago, IronStar said:

That one doesn't do wireless CarPlay / Android Auto, that would be a deal breaker for me.

I'm not worried about wireless as I'm absolutely hopeless at remembering to charge my phone, so plugging it in is a benefit not a drawback

[Bear]

Finally found a picture of some Mercedes T1/601 panels from the back that shows the structure of the inner wing, and the reason I can't find the part that is rusty is because...

...it's part of the front wing. Duh. So if I replace the front wings, I get new filler panels as well.

This makes the MOT fail EVEN MORE CONFUSING, but reinforces the idea that what I should do is just replace the bonnet and front wings, sand and redo the front panel, and just make the damn thing look nice again.

Simple, right? Of course not. None of these pieces are genuine Mercedes. They're all these mail-order, terrible pictures, brands I've never heard of replacement panels. They could be stamped on the same tools thrown away from the Bremen plant. They could be shaped by a farmworker in Vietnam as a side hustle, working from pictures. I have literally no idea what kind of quality the pressing will be, what thickness and standard the steel is, no idea of how well it will fit.

I did find one company claiming to offer a galvanised metal bonnet. So I'm going to order the bonnet and front wings (sadly the front wings don't claim to be galvanised) from them and see what i get. It needs them anyway, the bonnet is holed and as it's a bolt-on part I can't mess it up too much I think.

[IronStar]

12 minutes ago, RichardK said:

I'm not worried about wireless as I'm absolutely hopeless at remembering to charge my phone, so plugging it in is a benefit not a drawback

Should be fine then, and you really can’t go wrong at that price. Bonus points for wired being a bit more stable connection than wireless.