[Paul B]

How much has the Bimmer cost so far P-Ben?

Too much.

The park distance worked for a short period yesterday (it never has) but promptly went back to the error beep.

Just sat in the in-laws new fiesta 1 litre 3 cylinder thing. I'm astounded by it (and for once their sensible choice of city vehicle). I bet the ST is a right laugh!

[underground]

I'd like any info people can offer on dash cams please. I started thinking about it today after arriving, and then leaving, The Avenue Washlands where a set of really dodgy / chavvy / downright nasty looking fuckers were just leaving the trail, clocked the car in a really 'we want to do something to that' way and then sat down and began watching us park up etc.

I'm less bothered about recording driving (although obviously it'd be great to do just in case) and more about something that would sense movement when left alone and get a picture / vid of any naughty people. I'm not even sure doing so would be worth the bother what with being insured etc anyway but it got me thinking...

[tomtom]

I've got one. Bubba has one. Mine was quite ££ (150) but has good lens/sensor. Most have motion detect etc.. More expensive have gps. Even more expensive wifi. Size important depending if you want it mounted permanently or not. On hols at mo. But can post more upon return in 10 days or so...

[Paul B]

leaking valve, no charge.

Or not. Turns out it was obviously still loosing pressure as on Fri night on the M1 it pretty much tore itself apart (quite a lot of sidewall damage).

The tyre shop have been apologetic, done a full inspection and used a tar based sealer this time. They say it doesn't need a refurb currently.

[a dense loner]

I'm not at heart a mean man but I lv reading your bad luck stories Paul

[Bubba]

I'd like any info people can offer on dash cams please.

This site is great for up to date dashcam info: http://dashcamtalk.com/

Guide and forums, etc...

[SA Chris]

Bulbs all fine, can see when I lock/unlock. Cheers all

Its the hazard/relay box thing. Ah - flasher unit - thats what they're called (thanks memory). Simply a bimetalic strip that bends when a current passes through it (as it heats up) causing it to lose contact - break the circuit, cool down, relax back to its former shape, make contact again and so on... so its mechanical - and I imagine if you leave it on for ages it'll get knackered. Should think a replacement is in the £5-10 range. Normally found in/around the fuse box and shaped like a black cube, c 2 by 2 by2 cm in size...

That's the thing I was thinking of, I though it was just called a relay.

[Paul B]

From what I understand you can either have a relay, a bimetallic strip or a chip.

[Sloper]

I'd like any info people can offer on dash cams please. I started thinking about it today after arriving, and then leaving, The Avenue Washlands where a set of really dodgy / chavvy / downright nasty looking fuckers were just leaving the trail, clocked the car in a really 'we want to do something to that' way and then sat down and began watching us park up etc.

I'm less bothered about recording driving (although obviously it'd be great to do just in case) and more about something that would sense movement when left alone and get a picture / vid of any naughty people. I'm not even sure doing so would be worth the bother what with being insured etc anyway but it got me thinking...

The problem with 'snapping' the offenders is that the images may well be of insufficient quality to rely on in criminal prosecutions; also the Police are unlikely to be interested in low level vehicle damage, I'd suggest that unless you have a very high end vehicle the costs would outweigh any benefits and the camera would be the thing they'd look to steal.

The camera to record driving is, if you're a higher risk driver (by reason of age, car, where you live etc) would probably repay its cost in one collision that would otherwise be likely to be settled @ 50/50 i.e rounabout collisions, narrow roads, no witnesses etc. In fact I'm thinking of getting one.

[tomtom]

Thats why I have one Sloper.. 25K PA on the (mainly on the M60/M62) and the odds are at some point I will have a crash/accident - where there will be a chance its hard to prove one way or the other (especially as I mainly drive on my own..).

Interestingly, it also makes me drive better - as I also think if I have an accident while hooning along it'll be recorded if a clever copper spots the camera! To date the closest incident I've nearly had to use if for was when a big lump of wood came off a trailer in front of me on the M56 - that I fairly easily avoided - but if I'd not been able to it would have been very handy...

[Sloper]

Yes, some fuckmonkey recorded himself on a bike doing>150 and then after he crashed they hit 'playback'  do not pass go, when out of hospital go direct to gaol.

I can't remember the theory but observation general improves performance, from stacking shelves to surgery; I guess it just goes to show as a species we're lazy careless bastards.

[tomtom]

Yes, some fuckmonkey recorded himself on a bike doing>150 and then after he crashed they hit 'playback'  do not pass go, when out of hospital go direct to gaol.

I can't remember the theory but observation general improves performance, from stacking shelves to surgery; I guess it just goes to show as a species we're lazy careless bastards.

Sounds like they need some cameras up in that tyre place you went to :/

[JackAus]

Fucking useless Kawasaki...

Somehow my 2009 Ninja is not the 2009 blue as you would expect.
Instead, I have the 2008 blue which is much lighter. Now I've got to get 4 fucking fairings respray to the correct colour because the place I bought them from in the States doesn't fucking sell the 2008 blue.

And the paint is US$200 for just under a litre! Fuck knows how much paint I'll need to buy.

I got dicked around by the guy I tried to buy an exhaust from aswell.
He had the Carbon exhaust on ebay (brand new in Italy). So I buy it and pay with Paypal. He accepts the payment then decides to email me and say that he doesn't have the Carbon in stock and will take an extra 3 fucking weeks for him to get it in. And would I want the cheaper Titanium model (that he has in stock) instead... Tell him nope, just refund my money simple as and I'll buy from someone else. He refunds it and paypal place a fucking block on the money. Not like I fucking needed it to buy the exhaust from someone else!

Moral of the stories: Don't crash your fucking motorbike. It hurts your body and your wallet.

[JackAus]

Sidenote: Not in any way related to Sloper's post above! I hadn't noticed it! :D

[Fiend]

Steam steam fucking STEAM.

Passenger side of the windscreen and the side window are both steaming up and not demisting, especially in wet weather (not unknown up here).

Blowers are working fine, I can feel then with my hand and they're about equal in force and heat on the passenger side and drivers side.

I replaced the pollen filter last week, the only one was filthy but has made little difference.

I suspect there is water / dampness coming in "somewhere" but I can't find any. I had taken out the glovebox and taken up the carpet whilst searching for the pollen filter in completely the wrong place, and there was no dampness.

Any ideas that don't involve "just take it to the garage"??

[tomtom]

Run it with the ac on.

[Paul B]

I'm going to take a guess that your rubber seals are a bit perished. Do you have a sunroof?

I think they're like this on mine but I can't see any visible signs of where the problem might be arising from.

[Fiend]

TT aircon died a while ago, can't be arsed to get it fixed for the 4 days of hot weather this year. Steaming has only been a problem in the last few weeks.

PB yes that sort of thing sounds right, I will have a close look at them.

[Paul B]

Just get the ac pressure tested and re-gassed if it passes. As car repairs go this will be fairly cheap.

I'd definitely check your sunroof first if you've got one. I'm sure if it's perished you can just run a bead of bathroom sealant over it... job done.

[tomtom]

Ac's useful in these circs as it dries things out... Steamed up windows when you come back to the car on a sunny day? If so just residual water that's leaked in somewhere...

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

Do you park on a hill? We've had leaks in various cars, some are due to parking on a steep drive and heavy rain running over the door sills. I've also had leaks around a pollen filter in a SEAT where water ingresses through the plenum chamber. Due to really poor design that I would hope is only on SEATS not other VAGs, but worth checking.

Check the carpet in all footwells, it may be damp under the carpet.

Another thing to check is the drain holes in the bottom of doors, if they get blocked water that flows down the window runs into the door and builds up until it drains into the car, although is this was the case I would expect very damp carpets or even puddles! 

As suggested get the AC fixed, some cars use the AC when you put the demister on so if it's not working the demister won't work nearly as well as it should.

[Fiend]

Cheers Obi. I park on the flat. We do get occasional heavy rain tho.

Didn't notice any dampness when I took up the carpets before.

I do get a lot of water coming out of the drivers door when I open it after rain, but no dampness inside and no problems with steam on my side.

[Fiend]

Okay. Someone on Facebook suggested it might be coolant leaking into the "heat exchange manifold" (or something like that). I immediately dismissed this idea because it wasn't happening on the driver's side of the car.

Today I realised that my car has different temperature controls for the driver's side and the passenger side  Which means there might well be different heat exchange manifolds (?) or at least different aspects / feeds from it....

And the fluid definitely seems to be more.....oily and less evaporaty than water....

[kelvin]

This has happened on my Berlingo but you can smell it to be honest, the first time the heat goes on after a few days off.

[tomtom]

Check if you're losing coolant. If you keep having to top up your radiator (or coolant bottle) then it's a possibility. But most coolant had a fair chunk of antifreeze in it - and smells sweet (for want of a better description) when spilled..