What have you done to your car today?

Not me doing the work.. but I got all the parts together and paid for it.. so it counts, yeah?











some before / after of the rear







Basically the whole underside of the car removed, shell ground back, treated and painted. Subframes removed, blasted and powder coated. New brake lines, new springs, shocks, upgraded rear arms, front and rear calipers replaced with stripped, rebuilt ones done by Bigg Red, front ones upgraded to JCW calipers in the process. All bushes and drop links and anything that wears, replaced. New heat OE heatshields.

Car feels totally transformed, it handles so precise. All the rattles and clunks have gone. Very pleased with it, and from looking at it on the road.. you'd never know.

Engine work next now I'm confident in the chassis.
I'm guessing that cost a pretty penny, over £10k?
 
I'm guessing that cost a pretty penny, over £10k?

Quite a lot less actually, didn't go into it with a set price and the scope did creep (there was just more bits that made sense to do whilst the car was in bits). When I got the bill, I asked my wife to guess what came to - and she was spot on, just shy of £3k.

There was probably around £800 of parts that I dropped off with the car as well tho.
 
Had 4 pin dents removed by a local company in Stoke. Didn't realise how manual and skill based it still was, just assumed nowadays you stuck a big old plunger on and pulled it right out. Apparently not!

Wheel refurb next and the fingers crossed I should be finished for the foreseeable.
 
Today I watched this appear in front of me after a stone flicked up on the motorway. :mad:

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Got a cheap unit off Aliexpress, better than expected for £60. Does Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, there’s even a dashcam on the back.

For total neatness, I am still in 2 minds whether it stay, since the base isn’t curved to the dash, I had to add extra 3M strips to the front to fill in the gap which isn’t as neat as I’d like. The cables I had a choice whether to go towards the windscreen and do around along the front then under the steering wheel or opted for the most direct route. I went for the latter so there isn’t a cable seen going across the dash. It will have to do as I don’t want to rip out the original unit, plus after market unit for this car is very limited.

As for the unit itself, clear screen, easy to set up, does everything I’d thought it would.


Yc9CFi2.jpg
 
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I put petrol in my new fiesta. Discovered that the fuel cap is not lockable, and the only thing thats there to stop you putting stuff in the fuel tank is ....a flappy bit of rubber. It means anyone can just open it without any keys or any security and tip water/any number of objects in to the tank that should not be there. Now thats security :eek:
 
I put petrol in my new fiesta. Discovered that the fuel cap is not lockable, and the only thing thats there to stop you putting stuff in the fuel tank is ....a flappy bit of rubber. It means anyone can just open it without any keys or any security and tip water/any number of objects in to the tank that should not be there. Now thats security :eek:
Eh? Is it a Ford easy fuel?

The outer cover should lock with the central locking. Good luck trying to tip much in without the emergency funnel - I tried a bottle of Wynn's fuel cleaner and ended up with it all over my foot when I tried without
 
Eh? Is it a Ford easy fuel?

The outer cover should lock with the central locking. Good luck trying to tip much in without the emergency funnel - I tried a bottle of Wynn's fuel cleaner and ended up with it all over my foot when I tried without

I did think of that, but even when its all locked up, the cap still opens anyway. suspect it might be defective or perhaps I got the limited edition that gives you the thrill of finding out what materials have been shoved in it by chavs
 
I did think of that, but even when its all locked up, the cap still opens anyway. suspect it might be defective or perhaps I got the limited edition that gives you the thrill of finding out what materials have been shoved in it by chavs
I thought the Fiesta outer flap did lock but a quick Google suggests otherwise. I'm sure my Focus did, and now you've got me wondering if I should check my wife's Kuga :D

Regardless though it's pretty difficult to try and put anything in or get the fuel out (although as with all these things if someone really wants to they'll find a way or come suitable equipped with the ~£10 funnel)
 
Got a cheap unit off Aliexpress, better than expected for £60. Does Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, there’s even a dashcam on the back.

For total neatness, I am still in 2 minds whether it stay, since the base isn’t curved to the dash, I had to add extra 3M strips to the front to fill in the gap which isn’t as neat as I’d like. The cables I had a choice whether to go towards the windscreen and do around along the front then under the steering wheel or opted for the most direct route. I went for the latter so there isn’t a cable seen going across the dash. It will have to do as I don’t want to rip out the original unit, plus after market unit for this car is very limited.

As for the unit itself, clear screen, easy to set up, does everything I’d thought it would.


Yc9CFi2.jpg

I've tried similar but found the audio output quality to be terrible from the integrated aux cable (almost sounded like mono + picking up interference?)
Did you encounter anything like this or is it likely to be a user/car specific issue?
 
I've tried similar but found the audio output quality to be terrible from the integrated aux cable (almost sounded like mono + picking up interference?)
Did you encounter anything like this or is it likely to be a user/car specific issue?

It sounds the same as my other cheap £20 Bluetooth device. There is an option to use FM which i haven't tried but i can't imagine that to be better than Aux.
 
Flushed the washer reservoir syphoned out the last of the eurocarparts ethyl glycol muck after putting radiator brush into bottle to scrub walls a bit:
will now start the ethanol base fluid.
removed a windscreen washer nozel which was spraying erratically and put in soak in coffee machine cleaning fluid - blasted some fluid through with syringe, needled it too.

e:
Its growing.....
no update
 
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Booked the car in for a new windscreen via insurance, through National Windscreens for the 27th.

Its growing.....

kqXuxvm.jpg

It will keep growing until it reaches another edge.

I had a rock hit my windscreen about 1cm from the edge. If it had hit the edge it would have been fine, but nooo...

Genuine 35 year old BMW top-tint windscreen cracked... :(
 
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