Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

The discs look tiny in those big rims, needs 410mm carbon-ceramics to fill those properly.

They do look puny don't they. Tightarse wisdom would suggest tiny wheels and massives tyres as a cheaper solution though ;)

New bluetooth headunit for R53 just arrived. Sadly fitting kit has not arrived. Should be a nice addition though!

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Anyone any experience of cheap reversing cameras? Just got a v70 with no parking sensors and my girlfriend is stressed about reverse parking it. Seems potentially as easy to add camera as sensors. Lots of cheap systems on amazon, etc, but suspect they may be a bit rubbish in real life.

2nd for Bromley Car Audio, they did a great job of fitting my Becker Cascade / iPod loom to the W123 coupe

MTEC discs are a very popular choice over here in Abarth 500 world too.

The coated ones?

Yes. Coating wears off under the pads but prevents rust in the normal areas.

Roof came off the Landy today and she feels like a different car. A dozen bolts and 40 mins work.

I’d take the door tops off and fold the screen flat too, but one of them feels like it will snap before the ancient corroded 3/4” nut gives in.

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Thanks for the recommendations chaps, I'll speak to Bromley Audio when I get the C55 back - which is going to be next week now, putting something of a crimp in my weekend mountain biking plans.

My Liber-t tag just arrived, so driving to Morzine will be more straightforward if we are ever allowed to do so again.

Coated discs are a bad idea IMO, how can they get the coating to be a uniform thickness after the discs have been machined? Then again how many people check new disc for run out, and how many smear the hub surface with copper grease.

Is it still birmabright on yours?

I'm there on Saturday. I am happy to ask on your behalf if you want to ping me some questions.

I dunno mate. No history on it.

I'm there on Saturday. I am happy to ask on your behalf if you want to ping me some questions.

Grazie! I've got a 2007 Mercedes C55 AMG, which is the W203 model. These came fitted with a CD player in the glove box which has a known fault, caused I believe by the plastic drive cog wearing, that causes the CD player to not recognise that it has a magazine fitted.

I believe the changer is an Alpine unit that was OEM kit on lots of different cars, so I'd bet your chap will have run into this situation before.

I'm not up on landie history, you do know what I am talking about tho?

Best €10 you will spend if you regularly drive through France.

I assume you are looking for repair over replace with second hand?

Yeah, it was the aluminium alloy they used for the panels. Hmm, google says they switched in 1980, which was they exact year mine was made.

I assume you are looking for repair over replace with second hand?

I'd prefer to repair the existing unit, yes - but I'm not opposed to swapping for a known good unit, it'd just be my second choice.

My Liber-t tag just arrived, so driving to Morzine will be more straightforward if we are ever allowed to do so again

Just watch out if you have bikes on the roof. A lot of the 30kph lanes are 2m max, although there is often but not always a "truck" one on the slow side. Even if you do have to stop at one of the barriers, the lack of having to mess about with payment is worth it.

TBH I was going to put the bike/s in the back - an extra 4mpg from having a more slippery car would get me a lot further down the road. Last year I took the 911 largely because it's better on fuel than the C55.

Cool, some people have asked WTF I am on about. I think birmabright closed down late 70's early 80s and then land rover used up the stock before changing. Have repaired some cracked and damaged birmabright with the frost repair kit.

Spotted this on my way back from Croydon.. says it all. Think it’s got the novelty factor going for it though

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Just spoke to the place that has my 911, chap says they've now spent 50+ hours on re-trimming my drivers seat, said he's living in fear that I'll ask him to do the passenger side. During those 50 or so hours he's made two complete leather covers, the first didn't fit as well as they wanted it so was re-made, and they've killed the heating elements that I provided and had to buy a new set from Porsche West London. He hopes to have to finished off early next week.

They've also swapped my amp for a Morel unit, which they say is a lot higher quality and as it's not a class D it won't interfere with the DAB signal. I'll give it a whirl and see what its like - given that I'm going to convert the back two seats into a luggage compartment there doesn't seem to be a great deal of point in having two mid's in the there, so moving to a four channel setup, changing the two Hertz woofers in the doors to Morel units at the same time might be on the cards.