V8V woes

[Frances The Mute]

Gents

I'm rapidly losing faith in my car - 56MY with 2007 spec. I had an issue start several weeks ago where the bonnet open warning would announce itself periodically. Opening and closing it worked, for a while. Then, oiling it worked, for a while. Then it was on constantly, regardless of what I did.
The warning bell is annoying enough but the lack of wipers because of the fault is what really started to grind on me.

Two weeks ago, I stripped down the front end to access the switch and pull it to see if there was a proble as I believe simply detaching it from the loom is not a worthy 'fix'. This made no difference and the switch now resides on my workbench as the tab had been bodged which suggests this issue has been present, before.

With the switch out and look disconnected, the problem persisted. At this time, it appeared the battery was tired as I then had a low power warning. I was reasonably convinced that this was the true root cause so a new battery was duly fitted and once powered up...the fault was still there.

Ive been away on business this last week so I switched the battery saver circuit on via the boot switch, hoping it would be reset. I try it today and it's still there.
Further research suggests there's an actual battery reset, located in the aperture on the upright panel behind the driver seat but I can feel nothing in there. Is it possible to be hidden elsewhere or will I need to strip out the trim again in order to find it?

I've not been able to enjoy this car for the last 5 weeks which doesn't bode well as I've only had it for 12 weeks as it is.

I'd appreciate the benefit of your collective experience.

[Frances The Mute]

Neil1300r said:

Battery reset switch. Bottom of the panel in the corner by the bulkhead. Little rubber aperture. Push in, doesn't feel like you've done anything as it doesn't really feel like a switch but worked on mine.

Thanks Neil, that confirms exactly what I found and to no avail.

I'm visiting Bamford Rose on Monday morning for something else so I'll see if they can get to the bottom of it for me.

[Frances The Mute]

I ran a diagnostic check with my OBD scanner and it found nothing. It may be possible to find something on the 'body' circuit as opposed to the OBD circuit so I'm sure BR will be able to check and/or advise on Monday.
I'll need a new switch to replace the broken item so if BR don't have one available, I'll get one ordered and fit it myself.

I don't believe it to be anything more sinister to be honest. The TPMS light briefly illuminated when I took it for a run tonight so the issue could still lay with a system reset.
I appreciate these cars have their foibles but I don't have the requisite diagnostic equipment as I have for other marques. I'm used to solving issues myself so it's taking some time to get used to having to depend on others.

Thanks for all of the replies. I'll let you know how I get on.

[Frances The Mute]

Ok, progress has finally been made. It appears the research I've been doing over the last few weeks and months, prior to me buying the car, has conditioned me into making assumptions.

Given how things had panned out, I assumed that all of my issues (including the driver seat heating up of its on volition) where due to the battery failing and system not fully resetting. After being stuck in traffic for 2.5 hours this morning on the M42, I eventually made it to Bamford Rose who have corrected and advised the following:

Bonnet open message was due to a faulty switch. This will continue to register if unplugged so the loom has been bridged until a new switch arrives.
I now have active windscreen wipers so no longer have to rely on rain-x and speeds of 40mph+ to see out of the car.

Heated seat issue. There was a service action for this and the car had slipped through the net so an appointment is currently being made for the required thermostatic switch to be installed. The heating element has been disconnected in the interim to save cremating what is left of the small of my back following today's journey.
Chatting to Mike this morning has helped me re-align my expectations regarding the foibles these cars have. 20+ years of BMW ownership clearly hasn't helped in preparation for the experience of owning a British sports car.

In addition, I expressed interest in the Stage 1 Vantage upgrade with the addition of the 200 cell cats, air box etc. A very effective demonstration was carried out with a car on site and I have to say, compared to another car I had driven with similar modifications done, it sounded incredible. A true mix of menace and character as opposed to the shrill, overbearing high-end chatter normally found with these sorts of changes.

So, in summary, I'm back in the right direction and the drive home was very pleasant indeed.
Regardless of the awful weather, it was hugely enjoyable to pedal the car home with the ability to see out of the window, without being sautéed to the incessant tune of the warning bongs which the premium sound system had to work hard to mask.
Thanks to all for your suggestions.

[Frances The Mute]

davek_964 said:

I wonder if the reputation of the car having foibles makes people a bit hyper sensitive to faults when they first get the car. My car showed a fault within 2 days of ownership - and I worried that was the start of continuous niggling faults - but in almost 18 months of ownership so far I've not found it any worse than the Porsche it replaced.

I'm sure it plays a part. It's all to easy to be swayed by Internet chatter when you're new to a marque, too.

arp489j said:

Foibles? You should try a Range Rover Sport!

Because I assumed the first one was just a Bad Friday car, I stupidly bought another one, which was even worse. It certainly spent more of its life in the Land Rover garage than in my garage. Truly awful things...

In three years of V8V ownership the total number of "foibles" is two:
Bonnet switch and a sometimes lazy fuel filler flap. I know, that is the kiss of death now.....

RB

There's no danger of that. Without going into it too much, I see enough of those from a production point of view.

[Frances The Mute]

Thanks for that. I was about to start a separate thread about this topic to see who else had the work carried out on their car.

Having it switchable would be essential for me. It sounded fantastic in the quiet mode to be honest. It had a guttural roar over what is experienced with fuse 22 pulled. In beast mode, it was surprisingly tuneful without the usual nasal wail I've heard on other similar systems. A perfect setting when out for a hoon to enhance the experience.

How do you find it at motorway speeds in both settings?

[Frances The Mute]

I shall have to investigate further. Cheers.

[Frances The Mute]

matrignano said:

I'm having the "bonnet open" warning issue as well now, oh joy.
Coincidentally it has started a few days after getting my front grille replaced. I haven't opened the bonnet since getting the car back from the dealer.

Does anyone know if the switch/sensor/leads are close enough to the grill to have been potentially damaged while the grille was being replaced?
I have a sneaky feeling my dealer is trying to deflect responsibility on this one, but the coincidence is just a bit too high...

It depends how clumsy the removal/install was.

The switch itself (Ford item) is pretty poor to be honest. The casing is flimsy, as is the internal mechanism. Mine just gave up the ghost and a new one from AM bits was sourced for not much money.