What have you done to your car today?

Associate
Joined
13 Feb 2010
Posts
604
Location
Bournemouth
Changed the cabin filter on my mk2 focus. It was rocking a ford oem filter still given that was 12 years old thought it might need changing even though my car has only done 45k ( 15k two years ago when i bought it) on a side note think the engineer that designed the focus needs a slap for making it such a faff to get at the cabin filter. I had to remove the glove box, the internal fuse box and the fuse box mount and then the cover for the filter and then replace it all.

I changed the cabin filter on my mk2 st, I assume it's the same as a normal mk2, while it was awkward with having to remove the glovebox and fuse board, it was still a relatively easy job to do.
 
Soldato
Joined
6 May 2004
Posts
5,991
Location
Fareham
My car originally had a cloth interior without heated seats and last weekend I fitted some heated leather seats in which are all good, except the car doesn't have the wiring for heated seats and of course the buttons aren't there either. I'm not overly bothered about having heated seats but my previous car had it and it is a mild irritation knowing that the heating elements are there but just not connected. So today I have fitted a new climate panel with the heated seat buttons and made a start on running the wiring:

They won't do anything yet but at least the buttons are there. Will VO code the car to enable it when I've done the wiring.

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Annoyingly the two fuse boxes for this car are in the engine bay and in the boot. The fuses for these cars with factory heated seats are in the engine bay fuse box so that's where my power wires will be running to. Luckily BMW made it really easy to get wires from the engine bay fuse box into the car itself:

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Managed to run ground wires to each seat, the power wires from the fuse box to each seat and the power wires for seat back adjustment to each seat before it started raining again. Just need to wait for the order of the terminals and connectors to arrive from BMW, crimp them on and run one last cable from each seat to the REM module in the boot and VO code the car then it should be good.

Must also remember to clean all those leaves out of the side corner parts in the engine bay :D
 
Soldato
Joined
6 May 2004
Posts
5,991
Location
Fareham
I have missed not having it in this car but wouldn’t have retrofitted everything just for the purpose of having them. It’s just a nice bonus that I gain heated seats as well as a nicer interior :)

Heated steering wheel is definitely a nice one to have. I've never owned a car with it but did have it on a hire car in Colorado last year. Definitely came in handy there.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
29 Jun 2003
Posts
34,513
Location
Wiltshire
One bulb was on its way out so swapped it out on both sides.

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They don't half make it difficult to carry out on a modern car do they? Front grille off, jack one side up and turn wheel each way to get to the screws holding the mud guards in place, pull away part of the bumper to get to a screw on the side of the light cluster then unbolt varies ones holding it in place then finally you can slide the whole unit out. Open the back up and swap the bulb out. Put back together then the same on the other side. Complete ball ache but its done now at least. I thought xenons were meant to last more than 5 years?
 
Associate
Joined
25 Dec 2008
Posts
918
Location
Norwich
I changed the cabin filter on my mk2 st, I assume it's the same as a normal mk2, while it was awkward with having to remove the glovebox and fuse board, it was still a relatively easy job to do.
Its not a hard job to do but parts that need servicing regulary should be simple like a regular air filter. At least it wasnt like the mk1 focus though which would if done badly could lead to water entering the car via the glove box area
 
Associate
Joined
13 Feb 2010
Posts
604
Location
Bournemouth
Its not a hard job to do but parts that need servicing regulary should be simple like a regular air filter. At least it wasnt like the mk1 focus though which would if done badly could lead to water entering the car via the glove box area

I agree things should be made easier for serviceable parts.

I serviced my mums Nissan Micra today, and what a pita to get the spark plugs out, you need to remove a big bulky plastic cover from the top of the engine which is the air intake, this also houses the throttle body and crank ventilation valve, so you gotta remove a number of hoses and connectors, all the bolts, the intake then splits into 2 and then more bolts and then the ignition coils need removing before eventually getting to the spark plugs, such a faff because car manufacturers don't like to make things easy for us DIY home mechanics.
 
Caporegime
Joined
29 Jul 2011
Posts
36,340
Location
In acme's chair.
Wow, that's bad design. I still remember when Ford made it nigh on impossible to change a bulb in a Mondeo. Needed to remove the coolant reservoir and everything!

If I recall correctly indicator bulbs on the Celica required taking the bumper off to get to a bolt, front wings off to get to a bolt, and then you take the whole unit out... Because otherwise the ABS module was in the way. Might have been able to take the arch liner out and jack up each side instead of taking the whole lot off, I'm not sure...

Bumper had to come off the Corolla as well...
 
Soldato
Joined
21 Jan 2010
Posts
8,441
Location
Ceredigion
If I recall correctly indicator bulbs on the Celica required taking the bumper off to get to a bolt, front wings off to get to a bolt, and then you take the whole unit out... Because otherwise the ABS module was in the way. Might have been able to take the arch liner out and jack up each side instead of taking the whole lot off, I'm not sure...

Bumper had to come off the Corolla as well...

Eh? What bulb required the bumper off o The corolla? I did indicators, dipped and mains and have no recollection of having to remove the bumper for any of those.
 
Associate
Joined
7 Feb 2019
Posts
116
Location
Yorkshire
Broke the little clip that holds the floor mat in place on the driver side foot well when leaning out the window to enter a code for a car park :mad:
I hate being a short ass sometimes.

Not exactly sure how it was being held on in the first place, doesnt look like anything snapped. Bit of Epoxy should hold it in place indefinitely
 
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