RichardKs wanderings: The Box

[beko1987]

A good friend of mine runs a 54 plate v8 x5 as his daily. In Central London. It's ulez exempt! Bar normal things the odd BMW normal thing it's been alright! 

He's a vacuum cleaner collector too (know him 20 years now 😂) and he said he got 19mpg on a run here once (less on the way home/uphill). Last time he bought it it split it's header tank and now the last few times he brings his dad's pez fiesta. Says it's far more thankful for the good long journey, he can rag it about a bit and give it a good shakedown before it goes back to inner London. And means he brings me less vacuums to refurbish as less fit in... 

It's a lovely bus though, if I had the balls... 

[Oi_Oi_Savaloy]

Ah, the diesel ones - just a much better engine (same as the 530d - a car I did over 130,000 miles and absolutely loved it  - only got rid of it at 252,000 as circumstances changed but that's another story) than the petrol ones.  If it's an auto - don't chip it - the gearbox is the weak link...........but if it's a manual (forgot to look!) chip away.  Looks like a really nice example.  Carry on!

[RichardK]

Auto and already chipped 😂 Well, remapped for the emissions modifications (it makes more).

[RichardK]

First bit of tidying in progress...

Clearly safer, if nothing else!

One wing, two doors, and the metal-filing-hairest sills ever clay barred...

[N Dentressangle]

👍 Window tints are not nice.

[RichardK]

Good grief this is tedious. I can tell cars have got bigger when trying to polish one.

Also: clean birdshit off, people. 

(Or eggs)

[N Dentressangle]

Had an E46 in that colour which was awful for birdshit stains. I'm guessing BMW's paint of the period was nothing very special.

[Floatylight]

1 hour ago, RichardK said:

Good grief this is tedious. I can tell cars have got bigger when trying to polish one.

Also: clean birdshit off, people. 

(Or eggs)

My youngest a good few years ago was egged on (sorry) to egg a car on Halloween, being him, he obliged, then came home, an hour later the police were on the doorstep, a police car had been driving along the perimeter road to the town and saw his friends*** and stopped to ask them what they were doing, one of the lads asked the copper "are you looking for the lad that's egged the Ferrari..... Having a bonnet respray on a Ferrari 458 is more expensive than you might think... (the egg was removed almost immediately, but definitely left a mark on the ceramic coated paint)

[Zelandeth]

Yep. That's definitely an egg mark.

Having been *thoroughly* targeted by my classmates at secondary school, I've had to deal with the mess left a load of times.

Worst was when someone got the car while I was driving - at 50-ish it will leave a permanent circular mark on a windscreen.

My comment on that one was "You absolute asshole.  Admittedly, nice shot...but you asshole!"

They also make a HELL of a loud bang when hitting a large double glazed window at 3am.

[RichardK]

Driving the X3 without the tinted windows is much nicer. I am always impressed with how well people doing vehicle tints or vinyl wraps manage the job vs. most repairs I see done on cars, and not only were they very well done, they came off clean as well.

What I did wonder is if the back ones have been redone, as the original VIN check for the car does mention darker glass. The back window is not appealing to take apart - it looks like it will have damaged heater elements. But I think the car’s had a few moments in its life that it might be ashamed of. Haven’t we all? Could be the lights, tail lights and tailgate speak of mishaps that are no longer relevant.

What is relevant is that while I researched an X3 buying guide a while back, I didn’t really pay much attention other than noting that most reviews were positive. I was more interested in the failings of the horrid four-pot timing chain nightmare engines and trying to help people avoid buying a rough one.

Which means that the existence of the mad 286hp 3.0sd model had got a mention but more along the lines of ‘you don’t need that one, the regular 3.0 diesel is the most reliable and sensible option’. And then was forgotten about because when would I ever need to remember anything about BMW X3s?

Turns out, this is one of those aforementioned 3.0sd models. It would have cost around £45,000 in 2006, built in October and registered in December. So far, almost everything fitted to the car that I can see lines up with the spec – and when was the last time you took the glovebox torch out of an 18 year old BMW and it worked?

As well as 286hp from a twin-turbo 335d engine, it has 580Nm - or ‘more torque than a Ford Ranger Raptor’. It can do 0-60mph in 6 seconds according to some tests. It should have staggered 19-inch 235/45 on 8.5J and 255/40 on 9J ‘Style 191’ alloys. It should also have ‘adaptive headlights’. It definitely has Xenon ones, I don’t recall seeing them steer though. Sometimes BMW codes don’t line up with descriptions for a given year, but also it’s a 133K mile, 18 year old car that appeals to a certain demographic not known for careful driving or investing good money on repairs, so it could just as easily have had a couple of impacts and some replacement parts not to original spec.

However, it’s not showing TOO many signs of that sort of history. It’s had a few small bumps here and there, but any broken or scraped bits align with visible damage (for example, a misaligned front bumper/wing/trim has a corresponding ‘some twat reversed into it’ mark).

The history has lots of main dealer attention right up to 2020/21, though only one receipt for work tracing an oil leak on the turbo and declaring the turbo fine, but a vacuum pipe issue. There’s a vacuum pipe and distributor block mount in the boot, unused, so perhaps it was ordered anticipating problems and then not required. It also once wore the number plate JBK 7 which is presumably worth more than the car at almost any stage of its life…

This is the sort of forensic picking apart I do of any car I get my paws on, and I’m mostly going through it in case any AS people are near BMW breakers/specialists/find themselves with a stash of weird BMW pieces. I might also add the part numbers when I know what I’m looking for

Cosmetic damage report: what I want to fix

The body kit on the tailgate is loose/not aligned. That seems to be down to the tailgate having been closed onto something, bending the edge. I can get new clips and refit it.

The rear centre LED lights don’t light, but look original. The outers look like replacements, they’re too clear and I can’t find the DOT markers/part number. That’s not a surprise at all - most old BMWs have had dull/cracked/broken lights replaced with cheap DEPO units or similar, but I’ll keep an eye out for some genuine ones.

The sill trim on the boot is cracked on the screw mounts. It looks like hamfists over tightening, rather than impact, and probably a previous mechanic* not knowing where the hidden screws were. I will replace it if I find an undamaged item, but it’s serviceable as it is with some larger washers in place for the screws and a new screw cap; the OBD port cover was found cracked in the boot as well. (Again, no shade on past owners here - BMW plastics are some of the worst I have encountered for just breaking, my E36’s manual roof override cover was the same, and don’t get me started on E39-on climate-control buttons).

Some of the boot trim has been mangled getting to the fuel filler lock to remove it. Not a worry.

Missing access cover on NS headlight, which I suspect fell into the cavity behind the fog light before making a break for freedom after the impact that broke the arch liner and misaligned.

Both mirror housings are unhappy but holding it together. Same. I’ll keep an eye out for affordable replacements in better condition.

I get the feeling this was a very nice car and liked, then someone managed to annoy someone else and the car got the brunt of it. It feels worth making it nice if it doesn’t cost a fortune.

 

[Oi_Oi_Savaloy]

Ooof - the engine from a 335d?  Wow.  That must absolutely shift even just on part throttle!  Ignore my wittering about 530d's then!  (apologies)

[RichardK]

11 hours ago, Oi_Oi_Savaloy said:

Ooof - the engine from a 335d?  Wow.  That must absolutely shift even just on part throttle!  Ignore my wittering about 530d's then!  (apologies)

It doesn't feel quick when you're not flooring it, yet anything in the rear view mirror gets very small very quickly with minimal fuss. If the transmission weren't making lots of noise it'd be remarkable.

Which means it /will/ be remarkable when I'm done fiddling about with it.

[RichardK]

When I tried my Delphi clone for the PT Cruiser it didn't work, but I thought I'd give it a shot at talking to the BMW. Except I've lost the Toughbook's PSU somewhere...

Looking for the 12V rig to power it, I found I had kept a thing from my E39 528i

Now to find a working copy of INPA.

Today's question: how to make active headlights be active.

They level at power up and the auto light sensor is working and not flashing the LED to indicate a fault, but they're not steering that I can see.

The normal OBD thing I use (Launch C123 or somesuch) did give me a couple of steering angle sensor errors.

Today's other question: is there a remotely decent BMW forum that isn't either American-dominated or absolutely defunct?

I get the feeling the BMW E83 does not have many fans.

[horriblemercedes]

17 hours ago, RichardK said:

 

What is relevant is that while I researched an X3 buying guide a while back, I didn’t really pay much attention other than noting that most reviews were positive. I was more interested in the failings of the horrid four-pot timing chain nightmare engines 

It's a myth that it's a weakness for four cylinder ones in particular. M47 and M57 versions don't have chain problems, N47 and N57 versions do

[RichardK]

3 hours ago, horriblemercedes said:

It's a myth that it's a weakness for four cylinder ones in particular. M47 and M57 versions don't have chain problems, N47 and N57 versions do

As far as I can tell all BMW engines - such as the BMW V8 in my L322 before - fail to meet expectations of timing chain life/never having to maintain them, but N47s are by far the worst - and it looks like B47s are following tradition now more of them are getting some miles on.

X3 tidying continues...

Not perfect, but I didn't crack the paint and the bumper trim will go back on now with a full set of new clips and some rustproofing applied over the scuffmarks.

[horriblemercedes]

2 minutes ago, RichardK said:

As far as I can tell all BMW engines - such as the BMW V8 in my L322 before - fail to meet expectations of timing chain life/never having to maintain them, but N47s are by far the worst - and it looks like B47s are following tradition now more of them are getting some miles on.

N47s and 57s are as bad as each other. The components that fail are identical 

 

Chain problems on M47 and 57 (like your car) are very rare

[RichardK]

Spot the difference:

Window tinting film adhesive is horrible stuff to remove if it stays attached. Like on the back window

Also staying attached - the back bumper section.

[RichardK]

"Bear, why do you think everyone is a freakin' idiot?"

Here is what a BMW X3 sill should look like below the A-pillar.

Here is the nearside sill below the A-pillar.

I appreciate the jacking point is very well disguised and not easy to identify or find.

That area will be getting a lot of Jenolite products.

The inside has had a lot of Autoglym leather food.

The outside has been clay barred, twice, but I keep getting distracted before it's polished. Eventually it will be finished.

Now I need to sort out the wheel asshattery. The tyres aren't any recommended size that I can see - 245/50 18. They should be 235/45 19 on the front and 255/40/19 on the rear.

I can find the wheels, but it'll cost a fortune once I've added tyres into the mix.

Impressively the runflat tyres hold their shape even when one has /zero/ PSI! No wonder TPMS is fitted (even if there are no sensors in these AFAICT).

 

[RichardK]

Thought I'd ask the local garage about the centre bearing. They couldn't quote as "it could be rusty and an absolute bastard" - then suggested I could undo the carrier and spin it to see if the bearing was noisy.

Gave the underside a quick rinse.

I mean, for an 18 year old car from the North East it's done bloody well.

I think i'm missing an undertray

But the bearing carrier looks like it should be alright!

Nice day for messing with cars

Test global closure. It works (apart from the sunroof needing repairs to resync).

Map is out of date a bit

Tints fully removed and glass cleaned. Really didn't need extra tints.

Not too bad given it still needs thermostats sorting

It has a name. Susuwatari.

Or "sooty".

Sounds absolutely epic driving down a narrow one-way town street with windows down. 

While the weather is nice I'll attack it with some underseal wax etc. because I'm really quite impressed with the condition of it. A shell worth replacing mechanical parts on.

[Robson3022]

You’re doing all the things I’d have liked to have done to it. But once I was in it for £3500 I thought I best stop!!! 
 

Well done that man. 
 

I have a man with a set of correct wheels. They are a) in desperate need of a referb b) in desperate need of tyres but I think they all hold air. 
 

want me to give him a shout? 

[RichardK]

14 hours ago, Robson3022 said:

You’re doing all the things I’d have liked to have done to it. But once I was in it for £3500 I thought I best stop!!! 
 

Well done that man. 
 

I have a man with a set of correct wheels. They are a) in desperate need of a referb b) in desperate need of tyres but I think they all hold air. 
 

want me to give him a shout? 

I'm not paying too much attention to what I COULD spend, so far I'm £150 in for 4.5L of genuine coolant concentrate because the lad at Euro CarParts didn't know what G48 was and said all blue ones are the same, and two thermostats, and £30 worth of cleaning products.

I think I'll be chucking about £600 at it next month to do the front suspension bushes and rear dampers (weighing up options for suspension - the springs look good, but it's bouncy), and source a spare wheel. The main thing is the body, basic engine/gearbox behaviour and overall interior condition suggest it's not a waste of money.

It's getting an oil and filter change today, and it's only on V-Power diesel for now.

Definitely interested in the wheels, depending on price and condition. I've got several sets watched on eBay but I'd rather get 'cheap and honest and bare wheels' ready for refurb and new proper-brand tyres than some scrap wheels painted silver with 'good tyres' from four different brands with a variety of tread patterns and damage. If they still have TPMS even better!

You should have seen the amount of sand I removed from inside the bumpers and undertrays...

[Robson3022]

2 hours ago, RichardK said:

I'm not paying too much attention to what I COULD spend, so far I'm £150 in for 4.5L of genuine coolant concentrate because the lad at Euro CarParts didn't know what G48 was and said all blue ones are the same, and two thermostats, and £30 worth of cleaning products.

I think I'll be chucking about £600 at it next month to do the front suspension bushes and rear dampers (weighing up options for suspension - the springs look good, but it's bouncy), and source a spare wheel. The main thing is the body, basic engine/gearbox behaviour and overall interior condition suggest it's not a waste of money.

It's getting an oil and filter change today, and it's only on V-Power diesel for now.

Definitely interested in the wheels, depending on price and condition. I've got several sets watched on eBay but I'd rather get 'cheap and honest and bare wheels' ready for refurb and new proper-brand tyres than some scrap wheels painted silver with 'good tyres' from four different brands with a variety of tread patterns and damage. If they still have TPMS even better!

You should have seen the amount of sand I removed from inside the bumpers and undertrays...

Did you find the water leak? 
 

I shall find out about the wheels asap. 

[RichardK]

31 minutes ago, Robson3022 said:

Did you find the water leak? 
 

I shall find out about the wheels asap. 

I haven't found a specific leak but the EGR thermostat has a break in it and a dark stain dribble running down the cooler. The design of the thermostat is like a long tube...

And there's a 2mm hole there which on a new part is closed off.

Every instinct is telling me that this is by design and the thermostat has a weak point as a safety release valve to avoid pressurising the water jacket of the EGR cooler but I've read a few forum posts where people claim they have cracked it when doing work there. And there's plenty of cracked plastic on show, such as the air cleaner box, so lend credence to past work damaging it.

I'm replacing both thermostats anyway so I'll shine a UV torch around when I've got some components out of the way.

I want to clean up all the vacuum hoses and breathers and things but I appreciate that could be a VERY long process and involve many annoyances!

Of more concern is the amazing runflat offside rear which 'looked a little soft' but was entirely reasonable looking with zero PSI. It's losing .5 bar in a day so I have a slow puncture to trace, but I wonder if I was driving about on a 'flat' tyre for a while.

This makes me happy...

I did find some accident/damage repair though - the tailgate doesn't line up, and while cleaning I spotted the scrappie's white marker. I can't adjust the roof line lower to get the angle right, it looks like it's out of slack on the hinge, but I'll find a repair manual and see if I need to move the body hinge closer to the roof first then adjust the tailgate.

It's more likely I'll just forget about it, as it's not leaking. I do wonder what happened to it around 2020ish, it definitely had an eventual year or two while wearing JBK 7!

[RichardK]

Range Rover's gotta Range Rove or something.

MOT time?

Over 1,000Nm right there.

MOT fail!

Front mount under the headlight. The panel is manky but I am surprised it failed.

Let's see.

I think I'd need to weld new headlight pods on, which might then involve messing with inner wings.

Oh well.

I learned a thing about BMW keys as well.

It had been glued once already. It stopped working. I went to change the battery. Rookie mistake.

I am going to suck it up and buy a new key from the dealer because all the aftermarket ones look shit without a BMW logo on and I want the proper item.

While checking the remote module hadn't gone AWOL with INPA, I tried something.

Does it play MP3 CDs? Some do...

Yes.

Yes it does.

Not buying a new headunit offsets the inevitable horrible replacement key bill at least.

Ordered the first suspension parts too - a pair of Bilstein B4 rear dampers from vile spamfest Autodoc for less than one BMW-branded "probably Sachs".

It will get B4 fronts when I earn some money, sell the PT Cruiser, or find £400 lying in the street.

[RichardK]

Why was my car egged?

https://www.devonlive.com/news/benefit-cheat-builder-banked-850000-1695931.amp

Looks like the owner of the plate JBK 7 was a charming and popular individual 😂

[N Dentressangle]

29 minutes ago, RichardK said:

Why was my car egged?

https://www.devonlive.com/news/benefit-cheat-builder-banked-850000-1695931.amp

Looks like the owner of the plate JBK 7 was a charming and popular individual 😂

He sounds great. What a greedy theiving git, and a stupidly light punishment. Got to be the most risk free way of nicking £20k there is.

I wouldn't be welding new pods in the RR. Strip down, clean up with wire brush on grinder, maybe a few easy welds if there's a way, then some good thick coats of paint and underseal. No more MoT grief. It's not structurally load bearing anyway, so doesn't need to be like the Forth Bridge.

[RichardK]

Sorted:

Washed underneath quite a lot:

Drive in the sun to encourage water to drain out/dry out from the chunky sills after washing most of a Spanish 4x4 course out.

It's got character, at least:

[N Dentressangle]

Magic underseal MoT in a can over that front body mount? 😉

[RichardK]

1 hour ago, N Dentressangle said:

Magic underseal MoT in a can over that front body mount? 😉

Wire brush, rust converter, sit on the headlight and see if it wobbles, THEN the underseal in a can. I'm not a monster.

He just didn't like how much flaky visible rust there was, i think. Neither did I, I hadn't realised how bad it looked until I started cleaning the area up, I thought it was mud.

I need to fix the radiator - I think it's a standard one rather than anything fancy, but it's quite thick. Wondering about having it refurbished - new ones seem expensive, but I'm so used to "pay for a service in Britain, get something broken, or not very good, after a lot of hassle, the  wish I'd just bought a new one". But it is only a pinhole so... how hard could it be to have it recored and pressure tested?

Bonus feature, it has remote gearbox cooler so no in-radiator coolers as far as I remember.

[RichardK]

What the Range Rover really needs is someone skilled with metal fabrication to take a set of new inner wings and make some alterations to fit the modified chassis, suspension and engine layout. I can visualise it, but have zero skill - essentially a fluted part for the offside front body (not wing) mount, a box for the steering box which has swapped sides on the chassis, and new cutouts for the dampers. It doesn't, as far as I know, need the tall damper mounts at the front - it was running dual dampers for a while, but the terrafirma remote damper setup is ahead of the usual location and involves cutting a fair bit of inner wing away without that being done with a new flange to reinforce the edge.

It also needs new rebate/lip from bulkhead to inner wing - the bulkhead/floors are good, but that L-shaped strip is missing. And new wings would also give me the chance to consider the location of some other aspects of the layout.

Ambition > skills though - so I'm either still looking to swap for something more in my skill and budget space now I don't have regular income, or sell, or if I can't sell without making a loss I'll just enjoy it, rather than trying to emulate the five to six-figure Range Rover Classic environment.

It could be made into that standard of thing though, I think, with not too much extra effort by someone with the right experience and skills.

Cars cost money, I've lost more than this cost me on a seven year old Volvo in 18 months, so I'm chilled - I just don't want to start a project that I can't finish and I think spending £600 on Froggatt's wings, removing mine, breaking the new ones and having a mess rather than a fixed car is quite probable as outcomes go!