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

very interesting - thanks for this. shame to see it so poorly adopted in haringey but guess they have to start somewhere. owning a tesla in balham seems completely feasible

It’s a 3 series e90. All tyres are less than a year and I’ve done sub 5k on them so no real wear.

The traction control warning is always below 30mph, occurring more often at slow speeds when I attempt to accelerate or travel over a few bumps in the road at slow speeds.

I’m hoping it a faulty sensor and not a replacement drive shaft.

I’ve managed to get it into a garage first thing so will report back - I don’t have the time to diagnose or fix so opted for the easy/potentially expensive route.

Couple of old US pickup trucks I've seen on my travels in the last couples of days... Straya!

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I would say that its likely a wheelspeed sensor issue (or something related like alignment) as they are used by both the DSC and the tyre pressure system. If the sensor is loose or damaged it could be being affected when the car is accelerating or going over bumps. On the e90 its also a reasonably common probem that the yaw sensor in the DSC fails which can cause the traction control light.

The lights are quite general and could mean a lot of things though. The garage should be able to pull the chassis codes and isolate the problem (FWIW you can download a tool called BMW scanner and read them using a laptop at home).

Anyway, good luck with it!

The one laying frame is sick, needs the front dropped too though

I used to own a Custom Deluxe. Nice tall seating, the engine/transmission had no punch but lots of pull. Dual tanks with a switch inside so you could swap feeds between them. A fill up once a pay day type system. What no one tells you when you own a truck is that all your friends rope you in to help move apartments. Good times.

I would love a truck like that, would be a lot of fun...

Car back and they couldn't find anything specific. Said there was a bunch of errors when running diagnostics which would be related to the battery going flat 6 weeks ago. So really none the wiser.

Garage reckons it could just be a result of the battery going flat and subsequent faults being thrown and to see if it happens again. I hate waiting to see if something happens, but thats all I can do for now.

This is not what I expected from Percy.

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If they cleared the codes and it doesn't come back then I'd say it was a win.

Looks like trim rather than an encapsulated windscreen - just glue it back in.

Or get a servant to do so.

Looks like trim rather than an encapsulated windscreen - just glue it back in.

I'll do so when I get home, I'm at Silverstone at the moment to get the wheel arches rolled (by a chap who normally works with Cup cars and GT3's, so he has a lot of experience of getting wide tyres under these cars).

As an alternative to @Colm89 's e91 woes, mine has just been through a service and MOT at BMSport (thanks @Fixedwheelnut !) without problem. Doing a long trip over the weekend, so by typing this I've almost guaranteed an engine light trigger/ECU explosion.

has someone had a go at it or just has the trim just come undone?

I was accelerating hard and it popped out, which is odd as the same trim survived multiple 140mph runs at Bruntingthorpe and was fine, but I think it wasn’t secured properly when it was installed post-paint.

Looks like they didn't use any adhesive when they reinstalled it. I'd assume it should have some.

There’s certainly none visible, so I’d agree with that diagnosis

Should i swap the smart car for a twingo?

Ha ha ha, i am sure you'll be fine. Just keep your drains clear

Just saw someone take their big yellow steering lock off their new FFRR.

Are cars now that easy to steel?

Pretty hard these days I believe.

Pretty easy with keyless entry isn't it?

It was in a shopping park car park at a time when only the super markets were open.

I know burglaries are a common method. Just a bit surprised with a car like that. What are they now? £120k by the time you've speced it?

Yep, or if the OBD2 port is insecure. IIRC BMWs used to have an insecurity where they could be started via the OBD2 port along with other cars.