Happy New Year! 2016 Fix list

[biggeek]

Happy new year Guys & Gals

So what's on your 2016 fix list?

I have one or two things I plan to fix  :-[


I had to break this list into to two parts

Part 1 (fixing what I didn't complete or get quite right in 2015)

Panoramic sunroof
Reinstall Rear bellows
Reinstall amp
re-route wiring for speakers,headunit amp
Check auxiliary water pump
Reinstall front bumper including all screws
Secure both headlights
Check for vertical headlight adjuster replace if needed
solder rear amp connectors
Recondition leather seats
Fix or replace floppy wing mirrors
Recondition and Force balance wheels
Realign rear bumper
Inspect guibo joints/ flex discs
Investigate power steering whine
Perform basic service
Check driver's door lock if ok reinstall  insulation
reinstall all trim
fix radio reception on stereo
Perform upgrade on stereo unit after factory reset
Apply antibrake squeal to brakes
Install new 10-inch subwoofer
Fully clean interior including the boot
spray wd-40 on all components. dremmel all rusted nuts and bolts

Part 2 (brand new thing to break & bodge )

Big job will be the Valve cover gasket not done any engine work before and from the research I have done this one is quite extensive on the N62 engines.

valve cover gasket of course (inc VVT gasket)
solenoid o-ring
upper timing case covers
vacuum pump o-ring
camshaft o-ring
ccv valves
spark plugs
spark plug domes
drive belt
auxiliary belt
any pulley or tensioner requires
water pump & thermostat
disconnect & inspect fan & radiator ( radiator is not required but I would rather have a lot of space)
replace all hoses
decide whether or not to use my victor reinz gasket it...I am leaning towards oe for the gasket but V Reinz for the hoses  :crazy:

If I have time
switch to less dusty brakes
Replace all brake hoses (OE)
calliper rebuild

General maintenance schedule and record keeping
General maintenance

I hope to be spending most of the time on my e30 325 cab....oh you should see the list for that one :yikes:

[X5-D-Sport]

Hell.... your list of car jobs is amost as long as mine... )

best we take the summer off to get it all done ehh  ...  ::)

I've modded my reversing lights with descrete add ons, as the original reversing lights were useless at best,

fitted 100watt HIDs on all 6 lights on front, vented slotted disks all round with high temperature "Red-Stuff" brake pads, totally eliminating brake fade..
but will say that the braking is noisey as a result of the increased braking performance/hard pads.. as the pads rumble when applied hard, but effiency greaty increases as the pads get hotter with harsh use... fabulously reassuring tho.

Ive done a 2" suspension lift on my D-Sport following some extra wide rubber & 4 matching wheels & 35mm spacers..
extra long flexi braided brake pipes,
lifted the front susension 2" also, + camber adjustments to suit...
There is camber adjustment at the strutt top, & this can be increase to tilt the wheel tops 2 degrees inward toward the vehicle centre, to negate tyre outer edge scrub, & counteract the camber change from raising the vehicle.

With the wheel/tyre mods of a matching set of 4 huge wheels & tyres, the total track width increase of 70mm, & 50mm height increase... she looks & drives beautifully... & feels altogether MUCH bigger & holds the road well.
the tyres are at the extreme limits of remaining under the arches, so may contemplate the wider plastic arches of the V8's possibly.
and as I've often trawled across a few fields to find my horses in the past, the extra ride height has significant benefits.

I did discover one interesting thing... and that was, in relation to the dreaded front tyre outer edge scrubbing..
that..
the OEM camber set-up is flawed  !!!  :'(  the tyres scrub due to 3 factors primarilly
1 - the OEM camber is set 0.5 degrees the wrong way - top of tyre outermost, encouraging the scrubbing.
2 - there is adjustment at the strut-top to correct this 0.5 degree in our favour.
3 - the rear tyre/wheel set-up WILL fit under the front arches & with item 2 & 3 corrected, the tyre scrub will cease  O:-)

Ive had this susension set up a little while now, and last year put some 25,000 miles on my tyre set, & they are still legal...

Now, I gotta fix a list of electrical gremlins like... the AC pusher fan not working etc

Have a great & SAFE 2016 (edited from 2026 - oops) you people.

[Steamyrotter]

2026???

Can't we get through 2016 first???


I am planning in a gearbox removal.......






So at least that won't be a surprise when it blows the hell out of itself!!!
) >:D

[X5Sport]

2026 is when the current job list finishes......

[X5-D-Sport]

Hi X5-Sport chappie, Year, I need another gearbox too... I cooked my Torque converter & the box is ancient & giving issues between 1st & second on the change.... when it's cold & the box isn't warmed up, I have to got from 1st to 2nd manually or there is a monumental THUD between gears...

I understand that there are rubber pads/teats on the end of the piston valves in the mechatronic unit, and when they are old, the flatten, causing the thud & can destroy a box & burst the gears out due to the shock..

At 153,000 miles on the original box, I think she deserves a replacement soon !!

I found an Indie nr London, that specialises in BMW box rebuilds & will swap in a rebuilt box & torque converter for £1100 fitted & guaranteed for 6 months... may take them up on this..

[X5Sport]

At this rate you'll be competing with Steamy for transmission work.  Still 153k is good going.  Mine brewed up at a mere 38k - just out of original warranty!

The failure in mine was something called the 'sprague clutch' in the TC.  It's plastic apparently, and having broken and then got jammed into the oil pump, it proceeded to cause a catastrophic failure from pressure loss.  More worrying was no warning, or warning lights!

As an engineer it surprised me that plastic was being used in a critical area f the drive system, plus there was no debris catcher between the TC and pump.

Cars are definitely made to a price rather than quality these days though I do wonder if the strive to reduce overall weight may be a factor too.  Manifold materials also being an example.

No wonder so many manufacturers still don't offer a base warranty of more than 3 years.  Says a lot about 'quality' to me.

[X5-D-Sport]

Unfortunately, having worked in Automotive Engineering Quality for 20 yrs -  as a Root Cause Concern engineer for various suppliers to OEM's....
I must say, it is totally alarming how much total SH*TE is built these days, and we are lucky a vehicle survives the warranty period at all.

If it saves 0.001 of a penny to make an item, & shortens an item life exponentially, they WILL trim the fat so tightly that some vehicles are lucky to make it out of the production plant at all.
Financial analysts & spotty piss-poor Uni-Grads drive vehicle development now - not ENGINEERS.

Us Engineers simply have to somehow make the shite that these idiots contrive somehow keep driving long enough to scrape thru the warranty period - just...

I've seen this with GM, Jaguar-Landrover especially, Ford, Honda too...
Its simply horrifying how much we pay for such cheap rubbish...

These vehicles are designed on a budget - appearance is king... engineering reliability comes way down the ladder compared to how good the badge looks for GM Vans or Renault for example - even at the severe risk of overheating... its gambled off at the risk factor based on warranty claims, against every solitary penny that can be shaved off... GM has this issue with the New Vivario Vans... the badge & Logo is so huge, that the vehicles simply over heat above 2,000 feet - ie much of central France..

Costing example,
a transfer "case" or Sump for a Defender Mk 4 makes the company that cast & machined it as little as £32 gross, & £6 profit each.  Landrover then sell this part for well over £700 + vat to their customers at the main dealer.

A bumper camera costing £13 to buy into the UK, sells for over £295 to the customer over the counter..

BMW X5 torque converters arrive into the UK at £28.... but we pay £250 for them... and so on...

And for the most part, all this stuff is totally base budget crap that has little hope of surviving a few years...
------
If you unfortunately own a New 2015 Defender Mk4 costing some £60,000... unlucky - because it is a serious pile of cheaply built junk - and as reliable as the British weather... on a bad day..
JLR have serious problems building 2 the same - that's why they class them as bespoke - they are all different lol
its base costs to gather the junk & then assemble it, is approx. £22k.. and of course.. add the 7 hours max it takes to assemble as it rolls thru the plant as its "nailed" together...

& voila - you've been done !

[X5Sport]

Ah the joys of cost v benefit analysis.......as an engineering PM I work with it every day.  :blink:

[X5-D-Sport]

Scary isn't it !!