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

E36 sold. Phew.

Long live the Clio!

If you intend keeping it any time, buy (don't need the pro version, just the regular £70 job) OBDeleven. Does almost everything full version of VCDS does, but for a lot less.

Reckon you've got a duff ABS sensor, or the cable. Cruise won't work if anything wrong with ABS/tyre pressure calculation/gearbox if an auto

Why do dealers lie so much?

Looked at two F11 (estate) 530d now. Both all fine apart from the two things that I specifically asked about before travelling to view. 1) Timing chain ok, no noises 2) Has it been smoked in.

Fuckers.

Spotted one is going out of business so assumed he'd be selling remaining stock either cheap/quick/less bullshit, but nope, same old nonsense!
The last time I went to a used car dealer was to look at a civic diesel manual, my questions were 1) clutch ok, not slipping? 2) is the clutch ACTUALLY OK, because they are renowned for it. And yeah, barely made it back off motorway on a test drive, rolling clutch smoke all the way back into his yard lol.

I always buy private, at least if you get a lemon you've paid £2k less which will either fix the problem or go most of the way toward making it back into a decent car. Also I think most folk are honest enough to mention, or at least not actively cover up problems, helps that you know where they live, should they 'not mention' something key.

💢

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Absolutely lovely! I think I might actually prefer the FC to FD (although FD are beautiful).

Yep, I prefer the look of the FC

Thanks.

Plan is to keep this and run it into the ground as it's decent spec and low mileage. Then we'll look at getting a nicer car, maybe electric, once kids are a bit older.

Will this first gen be OK?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07L75WVFL/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_PVF5Q3QVP4XSXYD19X23

OK hive mind, does this work?
Name that high pitched screeching noise!

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Starter motor sticking.

Check starter motor electrical connections and engine and gearbox earths. If they are good, starter motor mount bolts. If they are good, remove starter motor and see the teeth will be worn. It will be the solenoid hence checking the wiring and starter motor mounts first.

Or it could be the ignition switch electrical connection wear not disengaging the electrics quick enough.

Thanks lynx!

I'll check those out this weekend.

I think you made the right choice. I love E36's (although I've never owned one) but I think the Clio really be a thing to keep hold of long term.

Yeah thats what I have. I'm sure there is some benefits to the new one. Think I paid about £70 for this (I think it came with something else) when launched, been super useful, probably earned around £500 off the back of it by coding and helping diagnosing + adapting new parts onto mates cars with it. Then for myself its been totally invaluable, we have a 1st gen proper bluemotion polo, which are really weird, its a 9n2 Polo, with a 1.4 PD tdi engine and head, but with a 1.4 CR tdi turbo, egr, cooler and manifold setup running the newer bosch 15.xx ecu and of course a 1st gen dry dpf system (the ones that don't really work).

Without it, the engine would have drowned in diesel and eaten all its plain bearings (like every other 1st gen bluemotion has by now) as the DPF regen that VAG send them out with, basically doesn't work. Changing EGR duty cycle, altering the pressure differential set points etc (forgot proper name) has fixed it and made it into a brilliant car, that never does less than 65mpg, usually in the high 70's, drives confidently, yet still has its DPF system in tact and has nice 'as clean as intended' exhaust emissions. Engine internals + bearings all happy being lubricated with oil and not diesel lol.

VW that generation are fine, its just the DPF systems that kill them, most dealers don't possess the knowledge on how they actually work, so when they start acting up, you'll soon be dumping huge sums of money at the workshop whilst they experiment their way around the problem rather than knowing how to actually fix it.

Those tools are handy for other things too, adding factory extra's onto the car, long coding in useful adjustments (coming home lights, internal lights brightness etc), adding cruise control etc.

Cheers. I picked one up. Figured £40 was fine, given the cost of cheap ones. I think the main difference is the new one is iOS compatible and works on a wider range of cars - eventually including BMWs at some point.

Less fussed about the"apps". TBH I found it quite hard to find a YT showing it working as a diagnostic tool, as so much of the promo stuff is all about the apps.

Started putting on some Pallas side trims . 70s vibe going on here

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Your car and house sort of fit, style wise.

@BrickMan @hugo7 which cables did you get?

which cables did you get?

Sorry mate idk what this means.

I haven't received the OBDeleven yet. From what I could see it plugs in rather than having any cables.

If anyone doesn’t love these, they clearly have no soul

Ah, thought you were getting a cable that goes from the OBD2 port to computer, not a bluetooth adaptor.

Be interested to see if it works on other cars as am after a non copied elm327 adaptor.

Is this what you are after? https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B074JF6YNG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I bought it for my Mazda. Works fine.

After a cable that is a real elm chip. But keep looking at the PI projects for OBD2 and there is some interesting things around?

No one has mentioned the JLR visual copyright of the C type court case in sweden?
https://www.newlawjournal.co.uk/content/eu-copyright-protects-shape-of-jaguar-car the full story is over on pistonheads and believe it is the daughter. Basically one replica car has been built, were thinking making a couple more. This may effect the kit car community.

JLR has already gone after Ineos https://nipclaw.blogspot.com/2020/08/trade-marks-jaguar-land-rover-ltd-v.html

So what do you guys think, apart from the you can buy a new c type now. https://teamtalk.jaguarlandrover.com/news/celebrating-70-jaguar-c-type-joins-classic-continuation-family

E63 flat-shifts under full power, something I've not experienced before, it's fun (and makes a great noise). It's also somewhat challenging to keep it in a straight line.

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You're not alone in your pedal offset woes...

Joining in on the someone stole the catalytic converter fun. Went to use the car at the weekend (09 Lexus RX400 hybrid) and it immediately started making what I assume Satan farting would sound like. Took a while thinking about what I might have done (hit a bump? I don't remember anything major last time I drove it) until eventually looking under the car and seeing a massive, cleanly cut gap in my exhaust pipe about half a metre long. That explain the noise then!

I'd vaguely heard about catalytic converter theft but never really paid much attention. Turns out Japanese hybrids circa 2002 - 2009 had some pretty snazzy exotic rare earth metals in them - and the hybrid thing means they are ften in better nick than traditional engine cars of the era.

I started looking into what the replacement would cost from Lexus and it's only then that I uncovered why my insurance was £1k for a 40 y/o driving a granddad SUV - owners of these RX400h are getting done by the thieves so often that insurance companies have gone nuts on the risk, and Lexus regularly run out of the OEM part. Oh, and Lexus are charging best part of £750 to fit a new cat - that's WITH a 50% discount due to the sheer volume of these getting pinched.

Seems I have three routes here:

1. Pay Lexus a load of money to install a new one (which could get pinched again tomorrow) plus another £300 for a specialist cat protector device
   
2. Pay £200 for a generic cat that will work but isn;t OEM - probably fit myself - but run the risk of this being stolen
   
3. Replace it with a piece of exhaust tubing and move on. There are another 2 cats thrughout the engine/exhaust which are doing a fine enough job, why invest more?
   
   

I'm thinking about option 3 as the car is a hybrid, it doesn't have to pass an emissions test as part of the next MOT. This way there's nothing for these scumbags to pinch, and fitting will be easier and much cheaper.

Ideally I'd need the garage that does the work to also do MOTs - any recommendations for decent places around North London anyone can recommend?