1998 Continental R - one year on - Running costs

1998 Continental R - one year on - Running costs

Author
Discussion

Bluebottle911

811 posts

194 months

Friday 16th January 2015
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Vixpy1 said:
Phantom motors in Crondall near Farnham , great guys and reasonably priced
I'll second that and there are several others here who would vote the same way, some from much further afield. Warren brings his car to PM all the way from the frozen north every time he needs it serviced. I have used them myself in the past and would still do now if I did not have a competent specialist on my doorstep. Stuart and Simon are very knowledgeable when it comes to cars from this era, as well as being very nice people. Given where you are, it is a no brainer.

Contimaz

38 posts

110 months

Friday 16th January 2015
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Very helpful indeed - Many thanks for that . . . I will make contact immediately -

matt5791

381 posts

125 months

Friday 16th January 2015
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Contimaz said:
The first 350 mile trip was also a bit disappointing with lots of wheel judder coming up the steering and a lot of creaking and groaning form the bodywork around me - all forgiven due to the fact that the car itself is simply stunning to look at but something that needs investigation - it seemed that the judder lessened after 100 miles and I wonder if these juggernauts misshape the steel belting in the tyres after standing for a time.
If you are into doing any of the work yourself, an easy one is thorough treatment of the leather because with age it become less supple and as a result creaks - a lot - when I first had my car it creaked more than my 250,000 mile Audi A6 - which was quite annoying to say the least.

The Gliptone range I have found to be really excellent - the G11 and G12 cleaner and hide food really work wonders with the leather in these cars - you have to work hard with the G12 cleaner, but you are rewarded if you persevere. The G11 conditioner is quick and easy to apply.

Edited by matt5791 on Friday 16th January 22:35

Contimaz

38 posts

110 months

Monday 23rd February 2015
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A further Thank you for the intro to Phantom Motors - these chaps are very knowledgable and seem to specialize in Conti Rs, Ts etc rather than being jacks of all models . . . so no quirk is new to them. Currently having a chrome rad and vertical vanes replaced with the colour coded version and laser cut grille. Phantom are carying out a full road test and health check, which will be very interesting.

Having driven the car regularly since buying it just before Christmas it has become more and more enjoyable, I think mainly because everything is now loosening up after 4 years and only 1,000 miles covered by previous owner. Even the tyres appear to be round again after seeming to be square on the first outing.

Only worry is the time it takes for the pressure warning light to go off on initial start up - 1 minute, which I am told should be more like 20 secs maximum. Also a rather odd small surge when lifting off the accelerator and applying the brakes - it seems the engine increases in revs by 3-500 rpm just as the brakes are applied.

Glad to hear that creaks and movement is normal and I will be using the recommendedhide food and cleaners as soon as the car is back from Phantom.

matt5791

381 posts

125 months

Monday 23rd February 2015
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Glad to hear it's getting better - one thing I forgot to mention about the hide food I recommended above - when you first apply it, the leather will be all shiny and unpleasant. but don't worry, it soaks in and this goes away. I think, if a car hasn't been done for ages, or ever, you can probably give it 2 or 3 treatments. Pay special attention wherever there are leather contact points (joins, leather touching leather, other things rubbing against leather etc.)

Vixpy1

42,620 posts

263 months

Tuesday 24th February 2015
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Just done most of mine with Gliptone..

Any one else open the door, realised that the whole interior is made of leather .. and then sworn ?

matt5791

381 posts

125 months

Tuesday 24th February 2015
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Vixpy1 said:
Just done most of mine with Gliptone..

Any one else open the door, realised that the whole interior is made of leather .. and then sworn ?
Yes, I think the gliptone is very good, it's the one I use.

But it is extraordinary just how much leather is in these cars - even the seat mounts on the floor and covered in leather!

And the down side is, when it gets older it can creak a lot, which is really annoying.

Modificata

531 posts

245 months

Tuesday 24th February 2015
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I use Zymol Leather Cleaner and then Conditioner on my cars. Very good natural product and gives the car a factory finish.

Contimaz

38 posts

110 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
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Hi Guys, Have had a detailed health check on the Conti R and now need a bit of a health check myslef having trawled around for sparesand seen the crazy prices.
Are the front brake discs really £387 each ? and regardless of the costs of parts, is the labour time to change the discs and re-pad the calipers substantively different from the same job on any premium car such a a 7 Series Bimmer or Big Audi ? I would expect about 2 hours per side maximum if I were carrying out the work myself, having done the same to numerous Astons ( old ones admittedly - DB5, V8 )and a 7 Series. I won't embark on it if the work is highly specialized but I would have thought that it cannot be hugely different from one high performance car to another ?

Also has anyone attempted repacement of rocker cover gaskets which weep oil after a while. It is massively labour intensive with parts costing the price of a gin and tonic - so I would consider plodding through it myself on the basis that clocking up £1,000 of my own spare time would give me about a week to do the job.

Do you chaps work on your cars yoursleves or maybe you always prefer to trust a specialist ?


Jordan.

23 posts

203 months

Friday 27th February 2015
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Gday - I have a go myself with my Turbo R, usually with help from friends and it's fun.

In the last 12 months I've had Pirelli P Zero's put on.







Then I picked up these parts from http://www.spurparts.com.au/ at good prices. I think he does ship to the UK.



The hoard consisted of front rotors, wheel bearings and seals, front brake pads and a caliper kit, along with rear pads and damper return hose with air and oil filters, as well as 10 litres of Mobil 1 oil and a splash Castrol minerial oil.

The rotors were certainly not £387 each! Flying Spares and Intro car both have them listed for £124.95 and Robert Hall for £95.00 ex VAT. Not sure if your car has the big brakes or not - these prices are for the standard size.

I also got some red to makes the brakes faster.



I was lucky enough to have an uncle who did the work.



Changing the caliper seals was a bit beyond me.



I was also quite fortunate with the limited labour bill.





After getting the brakes and bearings done with a service, I then changed the rear suspension spheres in my apartment complex drive way.



Richard who has the Continental R is the brains trust who showed me how.







It made such a dramatic difference to the ride.



More detailed write up of how to change them is here http://www.bentleyspotting.com/2014/04/smooth-ridi...

Following this work the car feels a lot fresher - enough to take it to the Rolls-Royce Owners Club Australia track day.



Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRS2KTu6rQQ

Last month I bought tools and embarked on a service myself.



It was slightly embarrassing the every tool I used was brand new - but you have to start somewhere!



More detailed write up on the service here http://www.bentleyspotting.com/2014/12/servicing-b...



I am enjoying learning a lot more about the Bentley by working on it. And it's fun.

Modificata

531 posts

245 months

Friday 27th February 2015
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Jordan

Pardon my french buy you are a legend and an a$$hole! and i mean that as a compliment. I've been a huge fan of Bentley Spotting for a few years now reading almost every post. I love your posts and especially the videos. In fact the site might just make me make a make a silly mistake like buying a Bentley. I really should avoid the site! wink

matt5791

381 posts

125 months

Saturday 28th February 2015
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Contimaz said:
Hi Guys, Have had a detailed health check on the Conti R and now need a bit of a health check myslef having trawled around for sparesand seen the crazy prices.
Are the front brake discs really £387 each ? and regardless of the costs of parts, is the labour time to change the discs and re-pad the calipers substantively different from the same job on any premium car such a a 7 Series Bimmer or Big Audi ? I would expect about 2 hours per side maximum if I were carrying out the work myself, having done the same to numerous Astons ( old ones admittedly - DB5, V8 )and a 7 Series. I won't embark on it if the work is highly specialized but I would have thought that it cannot be hugely different from one high performance car to another ?

Also has anyone attempted repacement of rocker cover gaskets which weep oil after a while. It is massively labour intensive with parts costing the price of a gin and tonic - so I would consider plodding through it myself on the basis that clocking up £1,000 of my own spare time would give me about a week to do the job.

Do you chaps work on your cars yoursleves or maybe you always prefer to trust a specialist ?

All I would say is, just be extremely careful.

Are SZ family RR&B cars more complex or harder to work on compared to a modern luxury car?...in the recent past I've had Audi A8 3.7, A8 4.2 Tdi, S8, Touareg V10 Tdi....would I rather work on the Bentley or one of those cars?......it's a very easy question to answer (answer: I'd rather work on the Bentley, it's much simpler, if a little unconventional in some areas, and to work on them can be laborious.) The only issue that can affect these cars is age of course, many are approaching, or over, 20 years old. But on the flip side, many have had a pampered life, especially in the case of the Continental R and you don't see the issues cause by all weather driving that affects ordinary cars. So it's swings and roundabouts.

Have a look at this forum if you want additional advise, can be helpful sometimes.

http://www.rollsroyceforums.com/forums/27-sz-motor...

Rocker gaskets - mine weep a little. It's an easy job, but there is a lot of laborious stripping down. If I had the time I would do it myself. For a job like this and your brakes, I would recommend speaking to Tanworth Garage near Birmingham (Tanworth-in-Arden), speak to Ian. They don't style themselves as a specialist, but don't let that put you off. There is a train station near by.

Edited by matt5791 on Saturday 28th February 08:43

Contimaz

38 posts

110 months

Saturday 28th February 2015
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Thanks for the 2 very encouraging posts regarding doing some of the standard donkey work myself. It appears that the front brakes / discs (rotors) and pads would be a good start and a huge labour cost saving. My discs/rotors are the large ones, which seem to be a Hobson's choice purchase at circa £380 each but with all that weight needing to be stopped it must be a worthwhile investment.

The cam cover gaskets will follow and probably give a further insight at what lurks beneath by the time all the dismantling has been done.

I will keep you posted how I fare.

The spring cup issue looks so horrible I think experts need to be used for that - anyone else had experience of this ?


Contimaz

38 posts

110 months

Wednesday 18th March 2015
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brake disc skimming seems a sensible solution to the strange way the pads leave behind a raised ridge in the centre of the disc face but has anyone used a proper machine shop for this that can be recommended.

The in situ system looks totally inappropriate for skimming the large discs -340mm - so looking for a good machine shop to take off a few thou.to save £a thou.South of England.

Were the original pads ATE ? they have deteriorated and crumbled badly so I am wondering if they are the correct type of pad. Even Flying Sp don't want to tell me the make that they sell.

Disappointed to see that, although the Conti has had a shedload of expensive work carried out regularly by reputable main dealers, at vast expense, the cosmetics of the mechanical things has never been attended to. Callipers look totally rusted and unloved, pad sensors wires not properly clipped back so broken off. Everything grimy and rusty underneath - all visible external parts are concours. Why a bit of gunk and hammerite paint couldn't be used when servicing fast turnover items defeats me - probably because £100+ per hour is impossible to justify for such things.


matt5791

381 posts

125 months

Monday 23rd March 2015
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Contimaz said:
brake disc skimming seems a sensible solution to the strange way the pads leave behind a raised ridge in the centre of the disc face but has anyone used a proper machine shop for this that can be recommended.

The in situ system looks totally inappropriate for skimming the large discs -340mm - so looking for a good machine shop to take off a few thou.to save £a thou.South of England.

Were the original pads ATE ? they have deteriorated and crumbled badly so I am wondering if they are the correct type of pad. Even Flying Sp don't want to tell me the make that they sell.

Disappointed to see that, although the Conti has had a shedload of expensive work carried out regularly by reputable main dealers, at vast expense, the cosmetics of the mechanical things has never been attended to. Callipers look totally rusted and unloved, pad sensors wires not properly clipped back so broken off. Everything grimy and rusty underneath - all visible external parts are concours. Why a bit of gunk and hammerite paint couldn't be used when servicing fast turnover items defeats me - probably because £100+ per hour is impossible to justify for such things.

The problem is these cars often sit around a lot and don't get used much, and this is where crumbling pads and the other issues you have identified stem from.

Bluebottle911

811 posts

194 months

Monday 23rd March 2015
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Modificata said:
Jordan

In fact the site might just make me make a make a silly mistake like buying a Bentley.
Do it! Turbo R is a great companion to a Ferrari.

Contimaz

38 posts

110 months

Thursday 26th March 2015
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have done a lot of suspension work on the Conti R. . . found the front wishbone huge bushes were worn so have replaced them with no problems. Parts from Flying Spares and their service is excellent - could not be more helpful and parts arriving next day. Replaced noisy wheel bearing on one side ( all this very straightforward as a home job ) but will need to have geometry checked later since the eccentric pin has been out when replacing the bush.
Front discs have been machined and the result seems excellent - loads of meat still on the disc so replacement at £500+ per disc is really not necessary. The car is so far very straightforward to work on - lots of painstaking dismantling but very easy to understand and worth doing yourself if you have the time - at the massive hourly rates it is satisfying to know that taking bits apart is saving you £100+ per hour.

andypocock

38 posts

116 months

Sunday 29th March 2015
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Contimaz said:
The spring cup issue looks so horrible I think experts need to be used for that - anyone else had experience of this ?

New spring cups are available at very reasonable prices and replacement is straightforward. Just make sure they are welded on by somebody that knows how to weld properly.

And keep the new ones well rust proofed.

Contimaz

38 posts

110 months

Wednesday 1st April 2015
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latest 'home' job is to have dropped out a very leaky steering rack. Needed to remove a small section of exhaust to do this but did not need the special Bentley tool to undo the rack bolts since a conventional ring spanner could get onto the bolts with a bit of careful teasing. Interesting to find the rack very sloppy in the tube which must be causing the excess play on centre line steering.
Rack has gone to Steering Services in Dorking, Surrey, who are very familiar with the Conti. racks and are extremely reasonable for a complete overhaul - £275 ish. Very helpful and professional.
Next job is the cam cover gaskets, which appears to be a longwinded strip down and re-assembly, with an easy and straightforward gasket replacement in the middle.
I have been advised by a main dealer to use cork gaskets rather than the usual neoprene - any advice on this please ? does the cork sit better and avoid leakage or is it just a matter of ensuring that the normal gasket is very accurately placed before replacing the cam cover ? I am tempted to use some gasket adhesive such as hylomar as this must assist the seal and help the gasket sit properly for assembly.

Any advice for or against gratefully received.

matt5791

381 posts

125 months

Thursday 2nd April 2015
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Contimaz said:
latest 'home' job is to have dropped out a very leaky steering rack. Needed to remove a small section of exhaust to do this but did not need the special Bentley tool to undo the rack bolts since a conventional ring spanner could get onto the bolts with a bit of careful teasing. Interesting to find the rack very sloppy in the tube which must be causing the excess play on centre line steering.
Rack has gone to Steering Services in Dorking, Surrey, who are very familiar with the Conti. racks and are extremely reasonable for a complete overhaul - £275 ish. Very helpful and professional.
Next job is the cam cover gaskets, which appears to be a longwinded strip down and re-assembly, with an easy and straightforward gasket replacement in the middle.
I have been advised by a main dealer to use cork gaskets rather than the usual neoprene - any advice on this please ? does the cork sit better and avoid leakage or is it just a matter of ensuring that the normal gasket is very accurately placed before replacing the cam cover ? I am tempted to use some gasket adhesive such as hylomar as this must assist the seal and help the gasket sit properly for assembly.

Any advice for or against gratefully received.
Sounds like you are having great fun there! The rack is quite conveniently positioned - which is lucky because they do seem to need regular overhauls. My own car had a leaky one and it was done by the dealer before I bought it.

I heard the gaskets were the other way round - ie. neoprene is what is now preferred. But I could be wrong. You could get a second opinion from Keith the parts manager at Birmingham Bentley if you call him up - very helpful and encyclopaedic knowledge of Crewe parts having been involved with them for many years both in Birmingham and previously at Broughtons. It's the kind of question he would have an instant and very well informed answer to.