Best of the Bargain Basement Vol. 2
Discussion
Yeah that tends to be where the "shimmy" is felt the worst, too much slack in (usually) the lower control arms so the whole thing wobbles around.
I've got my mechanic giving it a once-over in the next couple of days. It's far from perfect, but hey, £495!
As long as it's not got anything hazardous wrong with it and it doesn't pop anything expensive in the interim then we'll see what happens come MoT time in August.
I've got my mechanic giving it a once-over in the next couple of days. It's far from perfect, but hey, £495!
As long as it's not got anything hazardous wrong with it and it doesn't pop anything expensive in the interim then we'll see what happens come MoT time in August.
charltjr said:
Yeah that tends to be where the "shimmy" is felt the worst, too much slack in (usually) the lower control arms so the whole thing wobbles around.
I've got my mechanic giving it a once-over in the next couple of days. It's far from perfect, but hey, £495!
As long as it's not got anything hazardous wrong with it and it doesn't pop anything expensive in the interim then we'll see what happens come MoT time in August.
Oh right, so if braking causes this, it's not actually a brakes issue? How much to fix?I've got my mechanic giving it a once-over in the next couple of days. It's far from perfect, but hey, £495!
As long as it's not got anything hazardous wrong with it and it doesn't pop anything expensive in the interim then we'll see what happens come MoT time in August.
BrabusMog said:
Emeye said:
BrabusMog said:
To get rid of the smokey smell try this.
Cut a potato in half and put each half in a small bowl of water, one somewhere in the front of the car, and one on the rear middle seat. Leave it over night. Next morning, cut a lemon in half and put each half in warm water in bowls in the same positions.
Are you a witch? Cut a potato in half and put each half in a small bowl of water, one somewhere in the front of the car, and one on the rear middle seat. Leave it over night. Next morning, cut a lemon in half and put each half in warm water in bowls in the same positions.
Nope, just an ex smoker who has had to hand back a few company cars that had strict no smoking rules 
Couple of issues have arisen since my last post though. On the motorway the other day a horrendous screeching / squealing started from one of the rear wheels. It was very loud but stopped as soon as I touched the brake. It also seemed to reduce when on a left hander but I might be imagining that. Driven it twice since with no noise occurring so I'm hoping it's just a sticky pad or something? The car had only done some 400 miles since April and clearly has a very new battery so I reckon it hadn't moved in a while until it was traded in.
Slightly more concerning is a noticeable crunch between first and second gear, though this only occurs when you are given it the beans (I mean foot to the floor) slow or medium pace from a standstill and it's fine. Does this mean the box is on its way out or will a transmission fluid change sort it out?
It's going in for a full service on Monday. So hopefully my mechanic can fix both.
Edited by rossi1001 on Thursday 3rd December 19:53
Hoofy said:
Oh right, so if braking causes this, it's not actually a brakes issue? How much to fix?
It could be the brakes, or it could be the suspension. It can be a complete sod to track down on the E39.There are quite a lot of threads about it but this one is quite good.
http://forum.bmw5.co.uk/topic/48298-steering-wheel...
In other news, the dirt cheap E39 broke down on me last night and is at the garage as we speak! I'm going to start a reader's cars thread on it so I'll update when I know more. Current best guesses are that one of the fuel senders is stuck so the gauge was lying or a fuel pump/relay/wiring issue.
That's what I call proper shedding - 36 hours and 140 miles into ownership and it conks out
charltjr said:
<snip>
Current best guesses are that one of the fuel senders is stuck so the gauge was lying or a fuel pump/relay/wiring issue.
That's what I call proper shedding - 36 hours and 140 miles into ownership and it conks out
Most likely the fuel pump relay - it's quite common I think.Current best guesses are that one of the fuel senders is stuck so the gauge was lying or a fuel pump/relay/wiring issue.
That's what I call proper shedding - 36 hours and 140 miles into ownership and it conks out
Just like the wiper relay (both the same) which fails intermittently. I got caught out in pissing rain with mine - th ewipers switch to intermittent when you stop, and mine wouldn't come back on again. Waited 25 mins and all was well until the next time.
I replaced the relay eventually.
I've had just about everything go wrong with my E39.
Propshaft rear CV joint failed (makes a click, click, click sound when driving slowly)
ABS ECU failed (completely) had to buy a new one @ £350
Cam cover disintegrated, resulting inoil every where (another £300) - couldn't find a good used one anywhere.
Oil filter housing gasket on side of engine failed - more oil everywhere...
Now I think the giubo is on it's way out.
Still - she has done 191K miles..
charltjr said:
Hoofy said:
Oh right, so if braking causes this, it's not actually a brakes issue? How much to fix?
It could be the brakes, or it could be the suspension. It can be a complete sod to track down on the E39.There are quite a lot of threads about it but this one is quite good.
http://forum.bmw5.co.uk/topic/48298-steering-wheel...
In other news, the dirt cheap E39 broke down on me last night and is at the garage as we speak! I'm going to start a reader's cars thread on it so I'll update when I know more. Current best guesses are that one of the fuel senders is stuck so the gauge was lying or a fuel pump/relay/wiring issue.
That's what I call proper shedding - 36 hours and 140 miles into ownership and it conks out
If this is even half as good as the ad says then it is a fantastic car for a grand! http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...
Hoofy said:
charltjr said:
Hoofy said:
Oh right, so if braking causes this, it's not actually a brakes issue? How much to fix?
It could be the brakes, or it could be the suspension. It can be a complete sod to track down on the E39.There are quite a lot of threads about it but this one is quite good.
http://forum.bmw5.co.uk/topic/48298-steering-wheel...
In other news, the dirt cheap E39 broke down on me last night and is at the garage as we speak! I'm going to start a reader's cars thread on it so I'll update when I know more. Current best guesses are that one of the fuel senders is stuck so the gauge was lying or a fuel pump/relay/wiring issue.
That's what I call proper shedding - 36 hours and 140 miles into ownership and it conks out
TheFinners said:
If this is even half as good as the ad says then it is a fantastic car for a grand! http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...
That does look great value for a grand!! I'm not convinced the plate is a private one though? I'd love to know what these are like to drive, I'm interested in replacing the Swift Sport for something faster and slightly less noisy, this could be it...
Edited by Ghost91 on Tuesday 8th December 15:19
TheJimi said:
That car has my alarm bells ringing though as I'd expect it to be at least £2k.
Something must be wrong with it at that price ... the MOT history site says on 28 May it passed with no advisories... Mileage then was 86,233 - so I guess the seller has rounded the figure down to the nearest 10,000.TheGreatSoprendo said:
Ghost91 said:
I'm not convinced the plate is a private one though?
It is if your name's RX51 NXO! And if it isn't: https://www.gov.uk/change-name-deed-poll/overview
What do you reckon to the E39 528i?
This one looks mint but it's automatic sadly.. Would rather a manual
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...
This one looks mint but it's automatic sadly.. Would rather a manual
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...
I've just won an S60 D5 for a comfy commuter shed... Unseen from ebay. Excited and worried about picking it up, the ad sounds honest enough and the seller answered my questions well enough. I've heard the auto 'box isn't the best on the older ones but it was cheap, MOT history site checks out okay and looks nice so worth a punt.
The Swift now no longer has to make my ears bleed on the commute, all being well - haven't decided what will happen to it yet though.
The Swift now no longer has to make my ears bleed on the commute, all being well - haven't decided what will happen to it yet though.
Edited by Ghost91 on Wednesday 9th December 07:51
Ghost91 said:
I've just won an S60 D5 for a comfy commuter shed
Good luck. If the autobox is only slightly juddery as in every now and then, eg when coming to a stop, then you're probably ok for a year.
I've got the Geartronic version and it's not smooth like my old CLK was. When I enter a roundabout, decelerating, if I then accelerate immediately after releasing the brake, it sometimes doesn't connect until a bit later than it should and you get a jolt. I've learnt to decelerate, wait until it "feels" like it's sorted itself out, then depress the accelerator. It's done this since January when I bought it and doesn't appear to have got any worse. Just won't be taking it on a track any time soon.
On a motorway, it's fine. Cruise to your destination with a minimum of fuss. In heavy traffic, just enjoy the music. I guess that's what the S60 is really about.
Edit: oh, I hear changing the clutch fluid may help. If it doesn't it seems like a waste of money. I dunno.
Edited by Hoofy on Tuesday 8th December 17:47
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