What have you done to your car today?

[mattyprice4004]

yesterday, battery died, so bought a new one
think it was still the original one on there, not bad for a 2009 car

Not bad, so far my record is a 2003 car having its original in 2014. Only died because I left it off the car outside in very cold weather...

 

[mattyprice4004]

Hooned the 180 hard at 2am this morning. Bwaaaaah pop pop pop
Sorry Preston

 

[mattyprice4004]

Guys those drop in filters are all about the placebo don't kid yourself. Even with a totally reworked air intake and map youd be lucky if it made a couple of bhp difference to standard

Dyno proven 17BHP gain on my ZS180 from just a new air intake and decent map.
Not quite a couple...

 

[mattyprice4004]

Off on a 1,300 mile jaunt to Germany in a rusty E46 330d with knocking on for 300,000 miles in a couple of days - wish me luck!
In my defense, it's the only car I have with working A/C and it's gonna be scorchio over there.

Just checking over the usual stuff today, throwing some spares in the boot and crossing every finger and toe I have.

 

[mattyprice4004]

Borg and beck parts are cheap crap these days too. Just an old brand that used to mean something slapped onto cheap parts.

Some of their stuff is, but the parts I've had for my ZT-T were fantastic - had 60,000 from a set of front discs

 

[mattyprice4004]

I don't think he drives as sedately as you though .

Perhaps not - I did write that forgetting I did a lot of motorway driving, and my 3am delivery route for work is through a roundabout-based town with no need to slow down, ever

 

[mattyprice4004]

Uh oh!

The ever-reliable 530d decided that it didn't like the O/S front spring anymore - deep joy.
Being M Sport they're not quite as common as the standard springs, but as I don't need the car day-to-day at the moment I just ordered a set from AutoDoc in Germany.

Properly-specified M Sport springs for £30 per side - that'll do






Replacement springs are due on Tuesday / Wednesday - I've taken it all apart ready.
Quite impressed with how easy the E60 / E61 is to work on!

Checked over everything else while it's apart - the drop link rubber boot has split so that'll be changed, and the top mount was already knocking slightly - a Meyle replacement is on the way too.
Damper was still absolutely fine, and they're quite costly to replace so will be left (original on 186k).

Top marks to the dirt on the damper - even after various cleaning methods, this is the best I could get it!

 

[mattyprice4004]

Did you hit a bump or did it just finally give way?

I heard a dull thud on the driveway one evening while I was in the living room with the windows open - still night, no one around etc so it was rather puzzling.

Then I went out at 8am to collect my partner for work, and found the car wouldn't move...

 

[mattyprice4004]

4x Goodyear Eagle F1s bought, that was painful. Damn you 285 width!

Also mentally preparing myself for the guaranteed pain involved in S85 throttle actuator replacement and associated faffery. Joy

 

[mattyprice4004]

The story is tragic.

Bought the car at 12 months old. Dealer had 'helpfully' refurbished 2 wheels because of minor curbing. In generic silver, not quite the OEM finish.

Put up with it for a year. Curbed a wheel slightly, perfect excuse to get all 4 done properly in the correct factory finish.

Wheel Refurbishment 1.

Collected car. Took it home. Removed all 4 wheels to apply sealant. Dropped one, landed face down.

Took it back a week later, for Wheel Refurbishment 2.

All was well. Few months back got Pilot Sport 4 fitted all round surprisingly with zero rim protection. Few months later, entering a multi storey carpark with those ever handy yet largely pointless high curbs, crunch.

Wheel Refurbishment 3

Actually gasped at the 'dropped face down' bit, not sure I'd have been able to keep my dialogue neighbour-friendly if I did that

 

[mattyprice4004]

I had an e46 330cd msport - it was rubbish.
Overrated handling (no its not great as its that heavy)
Power was acceptable, mainly the torque that did it but it was no rocket ship
Ride was absolutely awful- msport suspension and 18" low profile tyres.

BMW/Audi ect.. nope i wont be going back there any time soon.

Different strokes for different folks - I loved my 330cd, the only thing that I found annoying was the gearbox and clutch (but given the moon mileage, worn things are expected).
Either the one you had was broken, or you're more of a barge man

 

[mattyprice4004]

I'll bet that he didn't keep his dialogue neighbour friendly.

To be honest, when I work on my car on the driveway, if its not going my way I swear like im deranged...

I can't imagine our esteemed Fox being as uncouth as loudly swearing - but I could be wrong

Luckily I have the excuse of being brash and Northern; I think if I did any car work quietly my neighbours would panic!

 

[mattyprice4004]

Oh yay, latest update in the saga that is keeping a 190,000 mile 530d on the road...

After a couple of sweary days on the driveway, the tip car now has:
- New crank pulley (OE Corteco)
- New belts (aux belt was well on the way, worrying at 2 years old)
- New RH front lower arm (the intermediate smaller arm, not the silly long one)
- Cracked strut brace replaced (suspect lazy mechanic in the past)
- New front brakes with sliders etc also replaced and hubs cleaned up (suspect lower arm and dirty hubs caused the last set to warp)

Still to do:
- Rear brakes are a little crusty, so will swap those before the MOT in March
- Rear air suspension height needs resetting, sat a little to one side after I (badly) adjusted it by eye a couple of months ago
- Replace mechatronic seals and sleeve in the gearbox (quite a big job) and replace plastic sump with revised metal version

The pile of parts to be fitted is finally getting smaller...

 

[mattyprice4004]

Is it an E60? If so how is it possibly worth all that bother

I quite like it, and there's no point moving to something newer if it still does what I want.
Quite a good 'swiss army knife' in terms of ability - usefully big for tip runs, comfy for runs to Southampton and back for business and still returns decent MPG on a long run. No point spending £8k+ on an F10 when this still does the job so well.

I'm also partially retired now, so labour is free
Edit: Forgot to add it's in wonderfully condition both inside and out; save for a few swirl marks the paintwork is still A1. Even rather rust-free underneath!

 

[mattyprice4004]

Good lord, forgot I started this thread over 10 years ago…
Today I started rebuilding the 1.8T Kavachi engine I’m preparing to insert into my ropey Rover 45 for a bit of ‘sleeper’ fun.
Also mentally preparing myself for the arduous task of changing the glow plug controller on my ancient E61 BMW 530d, she’s a wee bit lumpy when cold (but at 200k it can be excused)