Supernaut's Cars - 323i / Megane

[Supernaut]

In other news, I've ordered a Disklok for the 323i.

It looks like it could be in an episode of Road Wars, so I'm not taking any chances. Even though I live in a quiet block of flats on a quiet dead-end street with a dedicated car park (that isn't visible from the street).

 

Today I spent some time tooling about in it, not in a "get the fuck home" mode, but just having a bit of a faff about. Went and visited @reb and we (unsuccessfully) tried to get some Volvo 850 headlights from U-Pull-It. Then one of his cats fell asleep on me.

I discovered that 3rd gear is rather amusing. It will go from 30mph all the way to [redacted] without needing a gear change.

MPGs? Erm, yes. Some.

[Supernaut]

It seems Diskloks are made of unobtanium at the moment.

I managed to reserve one at Halfords Airdrie, for collection on Saturday. I assumed this was going to be delivered to the store in their next stock order.

 

They just phoned me saying the website was telling porkies, and they can't even order one from head office. Disklok themselves are out of stock if you try to order direct.

 

Any other suggestions for reasonable steering wheel locks? Like a 2nd-best alternative to a disklok.

[Supernaut]

I got a different steering wheel lock.

While it isn't a Disklok, it actually exists.

It's one of the Stoplock ones, the big arm that goes across the wheel and through the spokes.

 

I also got a little Sony head unit today. It's got no CD player in it, so is very compact. However, it does bluetooth and has a USB port. Much better.

 

The Alfa Romeo has repaid my lack of interest in it by blowing its left rear sidelight bulb. I have some spare bulbs here, but I need to actually look at the tail light and see what it uses. Some other time...

[Supernaut]

I do find myself doing some thinking, and I knew this was inevitable.

With the BMW 323i now on fleet, the purpose of the Alfa Romeo 147 is unclear.

 

I much prefer how the BMW drives. It actually absorbs bumps, goes faster than the Alfa, and is actually better on fuel due to its longer gearing! The Alfa is a small, lightweight hatchback on ridiculously low-profile tyres and aggressive suspension. It properly hops, skips, and jumps everywhere. It never settles.

I also reckon neither car will be any good during winter. One is relatively small with RWD and a boat load of torque, the other is small and FWD but on stupid (215/45/R17) tyres.

 

The main issue with the Alfa is that I STILL haven't got the paperwork for it. I bought it in June and sent a V62 in the absence of the V5. This is getting silly now, DVLA!

 

Would anybody have anything they'd like to swap? I'm thinking something boxy, with good load-lugging for general shit-carrying and tip runs. Reasonable (mid-30s or more) MPG, and comfort rather than sportiness. Also, at least a passing chance of getting through snow would be nice. So just FWD with more sensibly-sized tyres would do.

That description covers everything from a mid-size estate to a 4x4 and anything in-between, really! Hell, even a large saloon with folding rear seats would do.

 

The Alfa Romeo's details:

It's a 147 2.0 twinspark Lusso.

Lusso means leather, dual zone climate (all still works) and cruise control.

62k miles, MOT until March 2022.

Not perfect cosmetically, some lacquer peel on the roof and a tiny ding in the driver's wing, but a solid 10-footer.

Weird issue with the electric windows, the anti-trap sensors are going off constantly, so the windows go down fine but only go up an inch at at time.

One key.

 

 

This is basically me trying to be sensible and having just one 'silly' car with something that's actually useful as utilitarian transport alongside it.

[Andyrew]

1 hour ago, Supernaut said:

.It actually absorbs bumps, 

When i borrowed it to fit the spoiler back on it rode awful.  It was so bouncy. I had it for around 10 days and really didnt like the ride, the mx5 was softer.

Then just before dropping it back to chris i checked the tyres and they had 46 or more psi in all 4 of them! 

Dropped to 34 ish and Rode so much better on the way back! 

 

 

[Supernaut]

4 minutes ago, Andyrew said:

When i borrowed it to fit the spoiler back on it rode awful.  It was so bouncy. I had it for around 10 days and really didnt like the ride, the mx5 was softer.

Then just before dropping it back to chris i checked the tyres and they had 46 or more psi in all 4 of them! 

Dropped to 34 ish and Rode so much better on the way back! 

 

 

Ha!

When I picked it up they were too low! I topped them up to 34 in the front and 32 in the rear at Rugby services and the steering feel improved significantly.

 

It's also had recent rear shocks. I wonder if you drove it before they were done. I've had two other E36s and they both had buggered rear shocks (until I replaced them) and you can really notice when they've given up.

[Supernaut]

V5 turned up today. Quick turnaround when done online!

 

Today I also lubed up the passenger door and boot locks, and restored them to a functioning state. Good. One of the things I like about E36s is grabbing something out of the boot as you leave, then flicking the key in the boot lock and locking the whole car.

I also had a look in the spare wheel well, if only I had 4 more of these! The same wheels as I had on the 320i auto coupe.

 

Now that I have the full V5, I can visit the BMW dealer and get a spare key ordered up.

[Lacquer Peel]

Lovely car to have a quick shot of last night, I am not sure about the gearbox though - the gears are so widely spaced on the gate and it feels kind of rubbery. Maybe something you get used to.

[Supernaut]

35 minutes ago, Lacquer Peel said:

Lovely car to have a quick shot of last night, I am not sure about the gearbox though - the gears are so widely spaced on the gate and it feels kind of rubbery. Maybe something you get used to.

E36s seem to be like that.

It's definitely better when properly warmed up. However it's definitely more of a motorway bruiser than a backroad blaster.

[Lacquer Peel]

Maybe I am spoiled by the 850s's quite mechanical and tight gearchange and the 205's gearshift that you can flick around with a finger or two.

[Liggle]

11 hours ago, Lacquer Peel said:

Lovely car to have a quick shot of last night, I am not sure about the gearbox though - the gears are so widely spaced on the gate and it feels kind of rubbery. Maybe something you get used to.

It's a manual BMW thing - I've had 2x E36s and 3x E9x's all the same 

Glad you are enjoying it. My 323i was strangely fast too, quicker than my mates 328i saloon at the time. 

[Supernaut]

1 hour ago, Liggle said:

It's a manual BMW thing - I've had 2x E36s and 3x E9x's all the same 

Glad you are enjoying it. My 323i was strangely fast too, quicker than my mates 328i saloon at the time. 

I have no experience of a 328, so can't say!

It's definitely quicker than the other E36s I've owned, but that's not difficult.

They were; a 316i manual 4-door, and a 320i automatic coupe. The 320i was quite nice, but nowhere near as quick as this. Whereas the 316i was definitely slower, but due to being a 4 cylinder it was far more chuckable on corners.

 

What's remarkable about how this drives is that it's so effortless. It just gathers speed as soon as you twitch your right foot. It may 'only' make 170hp or so, but the torque curve feels more like a plateau. It just goes from about 1,500rpm and upwards.

 

 

I found a photo of both of them at once!

[Liggle]

Mine did well at Bedford Autodrome against quicker cars, and considering it had an open diff and tall gearing it was good at this:

It was proper bASe spec (no traction control, air con etc.) but had cloth sports seats specced which I thought was odd

[RichardK]

On 9/25/2021 at 6:03 PM, mintwth said:

Lighter socket may be on a switched live. If you take a multimeter to it, check with the ignition on as well as off.

Alternatively, can you 'fix'it by using a different lighter socket. Sockets can be hidden under the centre armrest, in or behind the glove box, by the back seats or in the boot. 

Mine isn’t a switched live, I have to unplug the dashcam wire.

[Supernaut]

1 hour ago, RichardK said:

Mine isn’t a switched live, I have to unplug the dashcam wire.

Aye, both my others were the same.

This one is just dead. Also, the handbrake light doesn't illuminate either. I'll need to take the whole centre console out and have a look at the wiring under there at some point. I'll see if I can get some shelter in a local shiter's unit at the weekend.

[Supernaut]

Picked up my spare key. Look how modern it is!

It even has a button, for remote locking, or alarm, or something? I assume the car has an alarm, but it doesn't seem to want to talk to this key. There must be a syncing process I'm not aware of.

However, it unlocks the car the old-fashioned way, and starts it. I drove it home using the new key.

[dome]

2 hours ago, Supernaut said:

Picked up my spare key. Look how modern it is!

It even has a button, for remote locking, or alarm, or something? I assume the car has an alarm, but it doesn't seem to want to talk to this key. There must be a syncing process I'm not aware of.

However, it unlocks the car the old-fashioned way, and starts it. I drove it home using the new key.

Is that not a light up key, hence the button? Looks like a lamp lens pointing at the blade

[Supernaut]

11 minutes ago, dome said:

Is that not a light up key, hence the button? Looks like a lamp lens pointing at the blade

It does light up, yes.

I stupidly thought it was a light to tell you it was doing something. It doesn't seem like it would be much use to actually light things up with...

[320touring]

5 minutes ago, Supernaut said:

It does light up, yes.

I stupidly thought it was a light to tell you it was doing something. It doesn't seem like it would be much use to actually light things up with...

It's for finding the keyhole at night

Putting some hair round about it has a similar effect

[Split_Pin]

Cavalier has the same lamp on the key.

Obviously I press it every time expecting to doors to unlock.

Such is progress.

[Six-cylinder]

On 10/1/2021 at 8:27 AM, Supernaut said:

I have no experience of a 328, so can't say!

It's definitely quicker than the other E36s I've owned, but that's not difficult.

They were; a 316i manual 4-door, and a 320i automatic coupe. The 320i was quite nice, but nowhere near as quick as this. Whereas the 316i was definitely slower, but due to being a 4 cylinder it was far more chuckable on corners.

 

What's remarkable about how this drives is that it's so effortless. It just gathers speed as soon as you twitch your right foot. It may 'only' make 170hp or so, but the torque curve feels more like a plateau. It just goes from about 1,500rpm and upwards.

 

 

I found a photo of both of them at once!

My 328i always pulled stronger from its extra 300cc and 23 bhp. It was part of the reason I kept the 328i not the 323i and the other reason is the 328i is must rustier and has been badly repaired!  

[Lacquer Peel]

18 hours ago, Supernaut said:

It does light up, yes.

I stupidly thought it was a light to tell you it was doing something. It doesn't seem like it would be much use to actually light things up with...

Pre-LED torches were pretty useless.

[Supernaut]

2 minutes ago, Lacquer Peel said:

Pre-LED torches were pretty useless.

It does seem like an LED.

One LED. In orange too, not even a white one.

[Lacquer Peel]

I'll amend that to early LED torches were pretty useless, also true. 

[mintwth]

4 minutes ago, Supernaut said:

One LED. In orange too,

Maybe its just to make the key look "cool"*. I wonder if they're available in different colours to match the cool* neons under the BMW 

[Supernaut]

Spent a few hours at the brothers touring's unit yesterday evening, along with a few other Scotoshiters.

We managed to bring the lighter socket in the 323 back to life. It wasn't the wiring. The socket itself was absolutely minging, so the centre pin wasn't making contact. Some scraping with sandpaper and a small flathead screwdriver saw functionality restored.

 

I'm also picking up a pair of standard mirrors this evening. They've got Boston Green caps on them, but a quick coat of generic gloss black will have them sorted in no time.

Part of me is tempted to just fit them, then take the caps off and paint them later, when I have somewhere to do it. The M3 mirrors really are awful. While they may look good to some, the functionality of them leaves something to be desired.

 

 

While I'm here: BUY MORE TICKETS FOR THE ALFA PLZ.

I want to get shot of it and buy something utilitarian.

[Supernaut]

Genuine barn find m9.

Aha, but what are those? Yes, proper rectangular mirrors rather than the M3 replica mirrors. I picked these up on Thursday, fitted them yesterday when they were still Boston Green, then painted the caps today:

Just a few coats of generic gloss black, plus a few coats of lacquer. Sorted.

These even work properly on the switch and everything. My acreage of mirror glass has basically doubled with these.

The M3 replica mirrors were actually electric but the wiring didn't have plugs on the end, and were instead shoved down the back of the door cards. I shake my head at whoever did that. The less said about the self tappers holding them on, the better.

 

 

Land Rover things also occurred today.

It fired up and drove under its own power for the first time in about 30 years. Once it was running it was properly quiet, and on restarting the second time took all of half a crank of starter to fire.

It got reversed all the way to the back of the shed, and we spent the afternoon drilling rivets out of the rear tub.

 

Look, video proof of it running!

 

[Supernaut]

"Let's go live to Ollie Williams, and see what the weather is like at the peak of Glen Shee. Ollie?"

 

 

 

"Thanks Ollie"

 

[Supernaut]

I find myself debating whether to go down to Blantyre to get these:

https://www.gumtree.com/p/wheel-rims-tyres/full-set-of-bmw-15-alloys-winter-tyres-hankook-continental-wheels-/1417431925

They're 15" BMW wheels with 205/60/R15 winter tyres, for £120.

Squishy. Surely they can't look any worse than the E46 wheels currently on it.

They do look like they're from a fairly modrin one, the offset could be all to pot though.

[Sham]

Sidewalls ftw.

Much more comfort, much more predictable at the limit even if there is marginally less overall grip.

I don't understand the liking of huge metal discs (unless needed to clear humongous brakes) and rubber band tyres.