Bloody cars

[Gary820]

109 pages go digital and saves the trees eh

We have a lot of digital stuff but our warranty admin insists we print stuff. It can be accessed via her computer but wants it printed. She might start re thinking that when that job pack lands on her desk lol.

 

[Gary820]

Well never a dull day, someone at another dealer is in for a telling off and the dealer a bill from us.
Intermittent running fault/minor misfire with no faults stored and job sent my way rather then sending it out.

Well after various tests all coming back fine I got my thinking cap on which ended up with the intake manifold removed, found this quite badly coked up so needed sorting. Also decoke of the cylinder head, we have a tool to do this without removing the head, blasting tool that uses very fine walnut shell blast media, blasts it in and hoovers it all out (just make sure valves are closed!)

Also found the cause of it all, cylinder 5 glow plug which looked new wasn't actually fitted all the way in as it'd been crossed in and barely half way in!

Straight edge is sat on top of some of the other glow plugs!

It snapped trying to remove so had to be drilled out and the threads re cut.

Same car had the rear brake pads fitted incorrectly, they have an inner and outer pad, inner pad is very difficult to fit in the outer but someone managed to fit both outer pads on the same side!!
Caliper didn't fit very well and wasn't allowing the pads to release properly!!

Pads on this side were half worn compared to the other side which were like new, can see the gap between pad and caliper. Shocking.

Also a rarity for me, a mini!! 15 miles on the clock and it's broken down.

All that glitters isn't gold lol, it's main bearing shell/trust bearing. That much end float the crankshaft sensor no longer picks up the sensor wheel lol. Absolute crap and made out of chocolate I think!!!

One scrap engine!

Just for a change a timing chain guides that's fallen apart too! There's certain engines I wouldn't buy tbh as they're really not good!! Keeping me busy though lol

 

[frank rabbets]

Keep em coming Gary. Really interesting. Wish I worked in a shop. That manifold reminds me of how to diagnose a suspected inlet leak causing rough idle. My dad and I used to spray the whole intake system with petrol withe the engine running. If the roughness went during that process you had a leak somewhere. If it caught fire that was just one of those things and almost acceptable. Often a cracked manifold which was difficult to see.

 

[clivehorridge]

Surely there's something wrong with the burn to create such a lot of carbon build up? Cleaning is only that, but there should be a fault and a fix in the process, I would have thought.

 

[Gary820]

@frank rabbets just a small part of my working day/week. Get the odd interesting job, have to take pics for warranty so while got them on my phone.
Brake cleaner is good for finding intake leaks, you know when it's there lol.

@clivehorridge we have coking issues sometimes on cars that just get pottered around, it's the egr that causes a lot of it tbh. This particular car had the poorly fitted glow plug that wasn't anywhere near home. Poor cold start combustion and poor dpf regeneration caused a really bad coke.

Should of got a pic of the intake ports in the head before and after, shows how good the tool is we have, ports get from clogged black to like brand new and spotless

 

[Pat]

@frank rabbets just a small part of my working day/week. Get the odd interesting job, have to take pics for warranty so while got them on my phone.
Brake cleaner is good for finding intake leaks, you know when it's there lol.

@clivehorridge we have coking issues sometimes on cars that just get pottered around, it's the egr that causes a lot of it tbh. This particular car had the poorly fitted glow plug that wasn't anywhere near home. Poor cold start combustion and poor dpf regeneration caused a really bad coke.

Should of got a pic of the intake ports in the head before and after, shows how good the tool is we have, ports get from clogged black to like brand new and spotless

Well,Gary it sure makes your life interesting.your walnut recipe amazed me.What next?

 

[uHu]

Should of got a pic of the intake ports in the head before and after, shows how good the tool is we have, ports get from clogged black to like brand new and spotless

Tool? What tool? It's time to get a new tool.

 

[Gary820]

@Pat it sure does keep the day interesting. Monday wasn't picture worthy but inherited a job from one of the lads, heated seats intermittently switching off and not working, eventually found the communication wire kept randomly shorting to earth, what made it a pain was the shorted wire was a redundant wire for the rear heated seats (not fitted on the car) and it shouldn't actually be there!! The other lad was about to order an expensive control unit but I didn't agree.

Have a diff to finish in the morning that was clicking when changing direction of travel. We'll see what else comes through the doors too lol.

@uHu it's a great tool, works like a sand blaster, fill the cylinder with blast media (very fine walnut shell) and add compressed air, there's attachments which fit the various intake ports we have, attach a hoover and the attachment has a small hole to put the blasting Lance through, have various ends for the Lance as some have better access then others. It blasts off the carbon and it gets hoovered out, as it's not a hard media it doesn't cause damage to the valve stems etc.
It's better then having to remove a cylinder head to the same job, keeps cost down for warranty and for customers if it's an older car.

 

[clivehorridge]

I've got tons of walnuts going spare every year, our trees drop about 200 per day in the autumn....

 

[Gary820]

I've got tons of walnuts going spare every year, our trees drop about 200 per day in the autumn....

Sell them to bmw mate soon get used lol.
£21 for a 20kg bag of blast media. Does smell nice though.

 

[Gary820]

Not much interesting today really.
Been catching up on paperwork and quality controls.
Had a poor handling over 120mph complaint but just needed a 4 wheel alignment,
Not a normal customers car though

Little light in side of bumper gives a clue plus ones behind the grille lol.

Had a look over a mini with a running issue that's ongoing but home time came around and a 4 day weekend was calling

 

[StarCruiser]

Ahh, the lights enable the customer to do 120mph legally then.

 

[Paddler Ed]

Do the BMW's run down a special vehicles line? I know historically Volvos did and had a few little tweaks as they went along compared to the civilian versions - not the Blue Brothers style Police Engine, but more the T5s ran slightly bigger brakes, different rims (to fit over said brakes) and uprated electrickery supply, more empty spaces in the dashboard and pre-wired for flashers in the grill/tailgate/lights and some changes so that sirens changed with the horn buttons/pad so that the driver didn't have to think too much about that.

 

[Gary820]

Yeah they're authority spec from factory, lights pre fitted apart from roof but the wiring is there, extra battery, all wiring for radio gear to just be plugged in for the specific force, control panels for lights etc, switch near the steering wheel for radio (don't need to take hands off to use radio that way) run lock system so car can stay running but can't drive it or get into gear, also have a control unit that integrates it into the vehicle network.
We can order the lights etc.
Have specific training courses for them.
Warranty is different to a normal car too.

The cars themselves are a strange spec too, SE spec so doesn't get much in the way of creature comforts, usually a 3.0d auto x drive, come with M sport suspension with electronic dampers and sports auto box, no nav which is usually standard on all cars.

There is a few that differ, there's a couple of very discreet 1 series M135i and 125d M sport unmarked. Have a 5 series with grp roof skin full of aerials, boot full equipment with air con, rear seat folds away to reveal screens and has very dark windows, it's a 2007 model too so very discreet surveillance car.

 

[Paddler Ed]

The 854 and S70 T5s used the ski flap as an access point for the gun safe. Quite popular as ARVs for a long time, and then the BMWs started coming in at better life costs.

Some of the older Volvo police cars (there's one in the UK) that were built in the 1980s were really odd - cloth front seats for the Coppers, and vinyl back seat for the customers...

 

[Gary820]

The 854 and S70 T5s used the ski flap as an access point for the gun safe. Quite popular as ARVs for a long time, and then the BMWs started coming in at better life costs.

Some of the older Volvo police cars (there's one in the UK) that were built in the 1980s were really odd - cloth front seats for the Coppers, and vinyl back seat for the customers...

The X5's are a popular arv, no rear seats just a large lock box (which weighs a fair bit), the 5 series has a box in the middle of the back seats.

Some of the earlier X5, 5&7 series security vehicles have the centre console converted into gun safes but they're armoured too

 

[frank rabbets]

The Morris Minor panda cars just had special exterior paint done by Jo Blogs across from the police station. lol.

 

[Paddler Ed]

The Morris Minor panda cars just had special exterior paint done by Jo Blogs across from the police station. lol.

Did they get the rubber wings like the Post Office vans did, or were PC Plod expected to be better drivers than Postman Pat?

 

[Gary820]

Well today I had an email forwarded to me from service advisor at work, I'm off for a couple of days and normally just ignore them lol. Well we'd just pulled up at Chester zoo for the day and it was worth reading...
This was the carbon filled intake with badly fitted glow plug and brakes.
Makes the job worthwhile when get feedback like this.



Subject: Feedback - 530d Msport



Hi Mike


Good morning,


Just thought I'd ping you an email with feedback of the work done and my experience last week - WR11 XDZ.


The car is cured and there's a real improvement in it. It is a sensation to drive and is living upto its name of being 'The Ultimate Driving Machine' (excuse the pun).


That car is my pride & joy especially as it's rare and it's really comforting to know it's in great health having been looked-after by the professionals.


Thanks again for your work and for putting my interests first, it really was appreciated. Also for your help in dealing with Harry Fairbairn.


If you could pass on my thanks to Gary aswell for his good work and professionalism that would be appreciated.


I will be back in a few weeks or so to have the other problem sorted and the brake fluid service needs doing in March so I will be back with my custom for that. Can you remind me of your price for it?


I haven't received a Cooper customer service email yet if you could get one sent out to me I will gladly fill it in.


Other than that it was a real pleasure doing business with you and using your dealership. I am very pleased with BMW, especially the car.



Kind regards



Mr Bowley

 

[Crispin]

his will make you smile......






I Only had to program it but made me smile, i3 fire engine lol.

I saw this guy's twin today bombing around Shepherds Bush in London. Was different plate.