By all means
Looks so much better, not a fan of the silver!
Today I've just driven it, nice not having to repair broken things all the time.
What have you done to your car today?
- Thread starter mattyprice4004
- Start date
Looks so much better, not a fan of the silver!
Today I've just driven it, nice not having to repair broken things all the time.
I have an iPhone because it matches my horribly outdated Rovers.
Chucked some fuel in it, took the Mrs shopping, washed it, then used it as a seat while I had a BBQ. Useful.
Ordered some bits for the 75:
- Crankcase breather filter
- Oil filter
- 5/30 fully synthetic oil
So far, so good...
- Crankcase breather filter
- Oil filter
- 5/30 fully synthetic oil
So far, so good...
FINALLY!
Fitted my Xenon Projectors over the weekend, and the difference is staggering. Just need to fit the self-leveling and headlamp washers for the MOT now.
Also fixed a mis-aligned wiper arm, a bit of door trim that had fallen off, the airbag light being on and the cruise control switch needed moving forward slightly.
Next, 4 new glowplugs to tackle my cold starts being a bit rough. Then done!
Fitted my Xenon Projectors over the weekend, and the difference is staggering. Just need to fit the self-leveling and headlamp washers for the MOT now.
Also fixed a mis-aligned wiper arm, a bit of door trim that had fallen off, the airbag light being on and the cruise control switch needed moving forward slightly.
Next, 4 new glowplugs to tackle my cold starts being a bit rough. Then done!
Argh! I knew it had to break at some point...
A few weeks ago, when I got into the car at work and started reversing there was a huge bang. So loud infact, that security came out of their hut at the other end of the car park. I checked everything over, couldn't find anything untoward and drove home as usual.
I've heard a knocking noise when going over bumps for a couple of weeks, so thought I'd check the ball joints on the lower arm. Turns out the ball joint connecting the hub to the lower arm is totally shot, which is annoying as the arm is only around 2 years old. I also found out the front spring has snapped clean in two - that'll be what the bang was...
Not impressed.
A few weeks ago, when I got into the car at work and started reversing there was a huge bang. So loud infact, that security came out of their hut at the other end of the car park. I checked everything over, couldn't find anything untoward and drove home as usual.
I've heard a knocking noise when going over bumps for a couple of weeks, so thought I'd check the ball joints on the lower arm. Turns out the ball joint connecting the hub to the lower arm is totally shot, which is annoying as the arm is only around 2 years old. I also found out the front spring has snapped clean in two - that'll be what the bang was...
Not impressed.
A massive shock that a 155k spring and a £40 cheap lower arm have failed? Hardly, look at the Mondeo stats. Same issue
To be fair, he may be referencing the point where you said that the previous owner had spent a considerable amount of money maintaining this car, rendering any possible issues moot...for the time being.
However, I will agree that such items can fail at short notice; as a spring breaking is pretty much impossible to predict
He spent a daft amount of money on the car, but cut a few corners. For example, he had a fairly good quote for the lower arms and associated bushes (similar setup to the E46 AFAIK) however chose to buy the cheapest items on eBay. The good quote was around £400 all in, he bought £130 parts and spent £120 on fitting so only saved £150. Now they're knackered again, lord knows low long behind the passenger side will be.
The brilliant thing is he had the suspension springs done too... all but the driver's side which has now snapped. That's right, 3 springs.
Now I have to decide on either fitting cheap parts, or getting decent aftermarket or OEM.
Think it's going to be cheap
Think it's going to be cheap
Bought a donor MG ZT-T to get my 75 up to scratch, and take some spares from.
Hope I don't keep the ZT-T instead...
Hope I don't keep the ZT-T instead...
To be fair the 75 is a great car, and sourcing another for spares is more of a future-proofing exercise than anything else.
One of my injectors misses slightly when cold, DMF is just starting to rattle, and there's some good old expensive BMW sensors dotted around the engine that can and do fail.
Take the bits off use off, put them in a box and sell the rest then cube the car. I come out quids in, issues sorted with a box full of bits. Win win.
There's no doubt the 75 is a good car, just at 12 years old things will break. Worth fixing though, doing 100+ miles a day, 50/50 motorway at 70+ and sitting at around 49mpg. That's with the AC on, not keeping economy in mind. Also with all the extra power it's a nice drive, too.
One of my injectors misses slightly when cold, DMF is just starting to rattle, and there's some good old expensive BMW sensors dotted around the engine that can and do fail.
Take the bits off use off, put them in a box and sell the rest then cube the car. I come out quids in, issues sorted with a box full of bits. Win win.
There's no doubt the 75 is a good car, just at 12 years old things will break. Worth fixing though, doing 100+ miles a day, 50/50 motorway at 70+ and sitting at around 49mpg. That's with the AC on, not keeping economy in mind. Also with all the extra power it's a nice drive, too.
Indeed, so awful. At 155k you'd expect everything to be original, still working fine and without any wear.
Or you could join the real world and see 155k and 12 years of British roads things will need replacing - not to mention of course that most of the important bits are BMW anyway, the brand we all bum so much
Well, an interesting couple of days off.
I spied a rather nice ZT-T on eBay, and moving house in a couple of months means an estate would be handy.
Put in a cheeky bid, forgot... and won it. bugger!
Needed a fair bit of DIY work for the MOT, most of which I took off the 75. I then broke the 75 for spares and got £200 more than I paid for it back! Shows how much the rest of it was worth
Now have a 53 plate ZT-T diesel with a full year's ticket for no additional cost over the 75, it's in that lovely Trophy Blue and also has the 18" Hairpin alloys and roof rails etc. Brand new clutch, DMF, Master and Slave 12 months ago at a cost of £1100 (the main reason for looking, the 75 could do with a new clutch as it's heavy @ 156,000 miles).
To pass the MOT it needed a lower arm, strut top bearings (fitted these new as they're cheap enough) and the MAF from my 75.
I spied a rather nice ZT-T on eBay, and moving house in a couple of months means an estate would be handy.
Put in a cheeky bid, forgot... and won it.
bugger!Needed a fair bit of DIY work for the MOT, most of which I took off the 75. I then broke the 75 for spares and got £200 more than I paid for it back! Shows how much the rest of it was worth
Now have a 53 plate ZT-T diesel with a full year's ticket for no additional cost over the 75, it's in that lovely Trophy Blue and also has the 18" Hairpin alloys and roof rails etc. Brand new clutch, DMF, Master and Slave 12 months ago at a cost of £1100 (the main reason for looking, the 75 could do with a new clutch as it's heavy @ 156,000 miles).
To pass the MOT it needed a lower arm, strut top bearings (fitted these new as they're cheap enough) and the MAF from my 75.
My new car failed it's last MOT (not under my ownership) on both front wheels having a nut missing, due to locking wheel bolts that had to be forcibly removed.
Today I fixed other bits and bobs - just got to swap the lower engine mount for the one on the 75 and replace an AC pipe and it's all sorted.
Odd not having things broken, I'm used to having to put up with 'issues'...
Odd not having things broken, I'm used to having to put up with 'issues'...
More buggering around!
- Cleaned the EGR valve out
- Tested the fan, found it only works on speed 3. The one in the 75 is OK so it's having that
- Air con leak tested and regassed
- Engine mount removed from 75 and ready to fit (ran out of time)
- Xenon projectors removed from 75, polished back to as-new and fitted
Looking smart now.
- Cleaned the EGR valve out
- Tested the fan, found it only works on speed 3. The one in the 75 is OK so it's having that
- Air con leak tested and regassed
- Engine mount removed from 75 and ready to fit (ran out of time)
- Xenon projectors removed from 75, polished back to as-new and fitted
Looking smart now.
Been to scrapyard for some door trim clips, a spare fuel pump (always handy) and also to load up with stuff to eBay - I've got the clips and FP, also found a spare MAF and managed to dig out about £150 worth of stuff to sell on.
Paid £20 for the lot...
Paid £20 for the lot...
Ordered some bits to replace parts that have fallen off the ZT-T.
Joking aside, just had 2x new boots fitted (225/45/18, ouch) and ordered the following too:
- Modified PCV valve
- New Xenon burners, the originals are 10 years old now and quite dim
- Touch up pen, original MG Rover rattle can of paint and a can of laquer
- 4x Alpine SPG-17CS component speakers (ouch...)
A few more service bits coming too, but nothing exciting. The ZT-T is proving to be incredibly useful, so I've decided to splash out a little.
Joking aside, just had 2x new boots fitted (225/45/18, ouch) and ordered the following too:
- Modified PCV valve
- New Xenon burners, the originals are 10 years old now and quite dim
- Touch up pen, original MG Rover rattle can of paint and a can of laquer
- 4x Alpine SPG-17CS component speakers (ouch...)
A few more service bits coming too, but nothing exciting. The ZT-T is proving to be incredibly useful, so I've decided to splash out a little.
Watched it tick over to a run-in 145,000 miles today.
Running like clockwork, well chuffed. Spent some of the 'ZT is going to blow up' fund on laptop bits, so it better not break for a while
Going to order the entire exhaust, as it's original and just starting to let go. Shame as it's done 10 years and nearly 150k - not bad innings.
Edit: £70 for the front section and £57 for the rear. Not as cheap as I'd hoped!
Running like clockwork, well chuffed. Spent some of the 'ZT is going to blow up' fund on laptop bits, so it better not break for a while
Going to order the entire exhaust, as it's original and just starting to let go. Shame as it's done 10 years and nearly 150k - not bad innings.
Edit: £70 for the front section and £57 for the rear. Not as cheap as I'd hoped!
Last edited: