What have you done to your car today?

[InvaderGIR]

Sounds like VW kept the same silly set up for your Polo as they did on the mk2 Golf, the light switch provides the 12v to the bulbs. All well and good but running power from the battery, through the switch and back to the lights causes a drop in voltage. It also does sound like you've got an actual problem somewhere mind, you should check relays, fuses and the switch.

With my Golf you can get an uprated light loom which simply replaces the plugs on the lights and one end goes into one of the old plugs. It is wired into the battery with relays and a fuse so when the lights are activated the relay clicks in and provides a nice clean 12v to the bulbs direct from the battery.

I wonder if you can get similar looms for the Polo, for info this is the loom for the mk2 Golf. There are plenty of conmen charging £30 for the same item, I'd rather pay £6...in fact I just ordered another as I butchered my first one.

 

[N43SP33D]

Finally got all the bits and pieces I've ordered over the last few weeks to get the Supra road ready again.
Went to work really early this morning in order to get most of the day off so I could go straight to the workshop to do the following to the Supra:

- Complete coolant flush in radiator, engine + heater system, later filled with new Toyota long life (red)

- Drained current oil and replaced with 5 litres of Fuchs TITAN GT1 XTL 5W-40 synthetic engine oil

- Replaced oil filter + fuel filter with new oem units

- Installed new fuel pump, old one was needed a change after 160k

- Brake system flushed + new fluids

- New ceramic brake pads all round

- Replaced front two shocks with slightly harder springs that sit 15mm lower than stock.

- Power steering system flushed + new fluids

- Rear tyres replaced with new 265/35 ZR18 FEDERAL 595 RS-R



- Gearbox + LSD fluids drained and replaced

- Filled up washer fluid

Think I managed to change or refresh every fluid in the car aside from the clutch fluid.

With all the major service items done now for another few thousand miles it's time to put the Supra back on the road.
Finished off the day by putting some new tax on it and drove it home from the workshop for the first time in over a month now.

The weather wasn't looking too promising, but at least roads were more or less dry and there were a few spells of sunshine. New exhaust system sounds awesome, seeing as it is more or less straight through currently.

Quick photo whilst the sun was out:



Next on the list is to get a slightly smaller import spec license plate and create a sub box for the sound system that can be plug and play and put in the boot.

awesome work, I need to do my fuel filter, heard its a pain to do. Do you have to do anything like disconnect the battery before you begin work? How much fuel is lost?

 

[Fuzz]

Yesterday but hey ho,
Took all the wheels off and stripped down the brakes for inspection/crap removal.
Found a seized slider.
Inspected the suspension and found an ACE bar drop link well past its best.
New ones I've ordered will have to be cut in half and lengthened before I fit them though due to the 2" lift.
Play in ball joints appears to have completely disappeared (something I was thinking I'd need to do before next weekends Coast to coast trip) so that's one less thing to worry about.
Just the noise in the transfer box to worry about now but Its been there off and on since I bought it so probably just the newness worn off
Poked the rusty bits a bit more, put that off again for another day (complete galvanised chassis change eventually I think.)
Load it up this week in prep for the 5hr drive up to some backwater village on the north east coast Friday night
Family commitments means I can't leave straight after work so I suspect I'll be driving through the night for this one.

 

[Will]

Front bumper off, rubbish old roadrunner style 'meep meep' horns removed...



New pair of (louder) FIAMM AM-80S horns installed...couldn't fit them at identical angles due to the terminals and the bracket interfering, sorry if this offends anyones OCD



Then, frotn bumper put on and everything re-assembled after fitting a new PU front lip (from DG Motorsports). Fit is not amazing but it is good, in hindsight I could have made a slightly better job of it but its secure and tidy enough.

 

[Akagi]

I do like your MX5. Yours is the one with the ducktail spoiler yes? Think I can just see the end of it in your last pic.

 

[Will]

Cheers, yeah its got a ducktail type spoiler on it. Think the lip helps balance it out, gets rid of the 'chinless' look the normal Mk3 has as standard. Slightly apprehensive as to how well this front lip will last, in terms of paint job (painted it myself, lots of rubbing down and prep with plastic primer and the paint seems to have taken well, but its still pretty low...

 

[Akagi]

I would say go over it with a few coats of black plastidip to protect it, but it would get rid of the nice sheen it has to it.

 

[Rainagul]

awesome work, I need to do my fuel filter, heard its a pain to do. Do you have to do anything like disconnect the battery before you begin work? How much fuel is lost?

Battery was disconnected anyway as I was doing loads of jobs, but I don't think you need to disconnect it.

I had the car up on the ramp which made the job easier, but you could do it with jackstands as well.

I put some grips on each fuel hose leading in/out of the filter, so when you disconnect the filter the amount of fuel lost is minimal, then you don't have to worry about depressurizing the system. Just be careful to not damage to fuel hoses, and get a bucket handy ready as well in case.

Other then that, it's a quick simple job, take out one out, bolt new one in, attach hoses, job done

 

[Traffic_Warden]

Quick Hoover, Washed and top up with an extra layer of wax

 

[teenwolf]

love it

 

[Akagi]

Wow... I need a pack of 15 amp piggyback spade connectors and four basic H1 fitment bulbs.

Total price from Halfrauds: £37.55
Total price from GSF Car Parts: £11.03

How do the orange people get any business?

 

[rodenal]

Their trade price will be nothing like that. I've bought £10 bulbs for £2.50 trade before, for example

Scooby looks absolutely awesome. The latest interior is such an inprovement

 

[Frozennova]

You need a trade card Acme. That lot on a trade card would have been about £5-6

Today I've put the MX5 up for sale, will be the first time car I've kept for less than 12 months.

 

[Stormster]

Today I have seen a bit of progress with how it's going on in the paint shop... nearly done, it's being painted today. Last owner made a few bodges I've had put right plus a poor respray before turned into a plethora of microblisters so it's been back to bare metal!

 

[Akagi]

Now that sounds expensive. You crazy man.

Hope it looks the part when its back. I would have been tempted to buy a black facelift front end instead. I assume colour matching isn't an issue with black but I might be wrong?

 

[Stormster]

It's metallic so yeah you'll always have a colour matching issue. Most of the car was covered in microblisters mate, would have made no benefit buying different panels. Only the roof and rear bumper and bootlid were original paint, but the pillock screwed about 20 holes into the bootlid for the numberplate surround tat he stuck on so I've had that done properly. Facelift front on a pre-face body just looks wrong too.

I've not had the roof or back bumper done. But if there is a difference in colour after good paint correction, which he is doing for me, then I will just get them re-done when I have a bit more spare cash. It's costing me £1250 inc the wheels being refurbed so for the work he's dropped himself into, is a good deal. Providing it looks good afterwards and in months to come

 

[rodenal]

There should be absolutely no issue matching with a dark car

 

[Maccapacca]

Cut the windscreen out the Hilux, kinda wish I didn't

 

[Liquid_Entity]

Just paid £176 to put it through the MOT. Failed on:

N/S/F Coil Spring broken (sure I knew about that a few weeks ago when it went boinggg)
Number Plate Light bulb (the one bulb I forgot to check before the test)
Handbrake adjustment (was pretty light before now it's stiff as treacle)

£35 MOT, £141 parts & labour. Not bad for hopefully another 12 months of driving in the 52 plate Mondeo.

 

[Akagi]

Right so I fixed the headlight by implementing subtle re-wiring.

Wire coming from the working headlight, piggybacked from the connector:


Running along the back of the slam:


Fused:


And going into the other one to give it the power that the gimped wiring can't -
also note the custom radiator fan bracket I made, because I have an incompatible fan and rad (bolt through type fan, non bolt-through type radiator):



And bought a pair of new Neolux bulbs, and a couple of spares...

Wish I'd used black wire but I couldn't find any...

Now I just have to wait for my new Brembo disks and pads to arrive, and I'm MOT ready...