Thirsty Discovery and Z4 thread
Discussion
camel_landy said:
C70R said:
Turns out that the "rear end knock" was actually one of the rear backrests not being locked in position after I collected a chest of drawers last week. 
M
Z4 was collected last night, and made it home without any major dramas.
If/when the Volvo gets replaced by a nearly-new Tesla M3 later this year, that's probably going to be the way it stays for a little while. Definitely worse ways to spend c.£50k on a 'fleet' I reckon.
Because I'm lazy, this thread is now a Discovery/Z4 combo.
I'm booked on a trackday with the Z4 at my local track (Snetterton) at the end of March, so I'm going to get a few bits done in advance to give the car the best chance of lasting the day.
Planned for the next few weeks:
- Drop down onto a set of square OEM 17s with fresh rubber (PS4 or similar)
- Get the alignment done, because it's not quite right at the moment (tiny bit of camber, but not too much)
- Slightly more aggressive pads (DS2500) and fresh fluid (ATE Typ200)
- Rebuild the gearshift, and replace all the plastic bushes (oil was done 20k ago, but the shift is pants)
Also need to sort myself out with a couple of new helmets, as my last car was a tintop and both my helmets are open-face. Annoying.
I'm booked on a trackday with the Z4 at my local track (Snetterton) at the end of March, so I'm going to get a few bits done in advance to give the car the best chance of lasting the day.
Planned for the next few weeks:
- Drop down onto a set of square OEM 17s with fresh rubber (PS4 or similar)
- Get the alignment done, because it's not quite right at the moment (tiny bit of camber, but not too much)
- Slightly more aggressive pads (DS2500) and fresh fluid (ATE Typ200)
- Rebuild the gearshift, and replace all the plastic bushes (oil was done 20k ago, but the shift is pants)
Also need to sort myself out with a couple of new helmets, as my last car was a tintop and both my helmets are open-face. Annoying.
The stream of consciousness continues. The Disco is booked in for a few bits and an MOT in a few weeks' time before we take it to Islay for a whisky festival in May.
The Z4 is back from the local specialist. The brakes are excellent (I really rate DS2500s as a road/track compromise), and the gearshift is... less terrible. I honestly think I'm going to give up and learn to drive around its limitations. It's not terrible, but it's far from great.
In more important news, I swapped down to 17s with new Goodyear Assy 6s earlier today and took it for a drive. I'm actually stunned at the difference. I'd expected it to be noticeable, but I didn't expect it to be this much better. The b-road bumps that I could feel through the seat of my pants are now absorbed so much better, and the little scuttle shake there was is now gone.
Keen to see whether it improves the chassis balance on track on Friday, but it's a big thumbs up for the b-roads.
The Z4 is back from the local specialist. The brakes are excellent (I really rate DS2500s as a road/track compromise), and the gearshift is... less terrible. I honestly think I'm going to give up and learn to drive around its limitations. It's not terrible, but it's far from great.
In more important news, I swapped down to 17s with new Goodyear Assy 6s earlier today and took it for a drive. I'm actually stunned at the difference. I'd expected it to be noticeable, but I didn't expect it to be this much better. The b-road bumps that I could feel through the seat of my pants are now absorbed so much better, and the little scuttle shake there was is now gone.
Keen to see whether it improves the chassis balance on track on Friday, but it's a big thumbs up for the b-roads.
Edited by C70R on Tuesday 28th March 07:31
C70R said:
The stream of consciousness continues. The Disco is booked in for a few bits and an MOT in a few weeks' time before we take it to Islay for a whiskey festival in May.
Ahem *cough*... Only the oirish put 'E's in Whisky. 
C70R said:
In more important news, I swapped down to 17s with new Goodyear Assy 6s earlier today and took it for a drive. I'm actually stunned at the difference. I'd expected it to be noticeable, but I didn't expect it to be this much better. The b-road bumps that I could feel through the seat of my pants are now absorbed so much better, and the little scuttle shake there was is now gone.
Keen to see whether it improves the chassis balance on track on Friday, but it's a big thumbs up for the b-roads.
Same is true for the LR stuff... IMO too many people want to go for the 'bling'. 20"... 21"... Even 22" but the ride is sooo much better on 19".Keen to see whether it improves the chassis balance on track on Friday, but it's a big thumbs up for the b-roads.
M
camel_landy said:
C70R said:
The stream of consciousness continues. The Disco is booked in for a few bits and an MOT in a few weeks' time before we take it to Islay for a whiskey festival in May.
Ahem *cough*... Only the oirish put 'E's in Whisky. C70R said:
In more important news, I swapped down to 17s with new Goodyear Assy 6s earlier today and took it for a drive. I'm actually stunned at the difference. I'd expected it to be noticeable, but I didn't expect it to be this much better. The b-road bumps that I could feel through the seat of my pants are now absorbed so much better, and the little scuttle shake there was is now gone.
Keen to see whether it improves the chassis balance on track on Friday, but it's a big thumbs up for the b-roads.
Same is true for the LR stuff... IMO too many people want to go for the 'bling'. 20"... 21"... Even 22" but the ride is sooo much better on 19".Keen to see whether it improves the chassis balance on track on Friday, but it's a big thumbs up for the b-roads.
M
Agree on the Land Rover wheels stuff. I'll never understand why people want these to look 'bling'. If OEM 18s would have cleared the V8 calipers, I'd have dropped down a size.
Well, I learned two things at Snetterton.
1. I don't like wet trackdays (rivers running down the pitlane at times)
2. I'm no driving hero (a friend who came to spectate jumped in the car and was immediately going quicker than me)
In all seriousness, with trying to learn a new track, in a new car, in the pouring rain, this was always going to end up being more of a shakedown than a proper trackday. To that end, the car went really well, and managed somewhere in the region of 50 laps over the course of the day.
Things I learned about the car:
- The pads worked well, but the pedal feel after a few hard stops is poor. Time for braided hoses I think.
- The tyres were phenomenal. I didn't push at anything like their limits, but they didn't struggle for grip all day.
- The car threw a couple of weird codes, after feeling hesitant late in the afternoon, that point to a dead temperature sensor and/or thermostat. After clearing them and cooling down, it drove just fine.
- I should have checked for a towing eye before I left, but am grateful to the chap in the M3 in the next garage who lent me his.
- One of the rear calipers is binding ever so slightly.
Overall net positive, and I drove home with the heated seat, aircon and cruise control on, listening to a podcast. The list of bits to continue the light titivation isn't too bad, and I'm hoping to get some of the more critical bits done before I head to Switzerland and the Ring with some friends next month.
The Discovery goes in for a few bits (new front brakes, a slight knock on the rear suspension that resurfaced), a service and an MOT next week, and the Volvo goes in for its first (and probably only) service the week after. An expensive month of car ownership ahead!
1. I don't like wet trackdays (rivers running down the pitlane at times)
2. I'm no driving hero (a friend who came to spectate jumped in the car and was immediately going quicker than me)
In all seriousness, with trying to learn a new track, in a new car, in the pouring rain, this was always going to end up being more of a shakedown than a proper trackday. To that end, the car went really well, and managed somewhere in the region of 50 laps over the course of the day.
Things I learned about the car:
- The pads worked well, but the pedal feel after a few hard stops is poor. Time for braided hoses I think.
- The tyres were phenomenal. I didn't push at anything like their limits, but they didn't struggle for grip all day.
- The car threw a couple of weird codes, after feeling hesitant late in the afternoon, that point to a dead temperature sensor and/or thermostat. After clearing them and cooling down, it drove just fine.
- I should have checked for a towing eye before I left, but am grateful to the chap in the M3 in the next garage who lent me his.
- One of the rear calipers is binding ever so slightly.
Overall net positive, and I drove home with the heated seat, aircon and cruise control on, listening to a podcast. The list of bits to continue the light titivation isn't too bad, and I'm hoping to get some of the more critical bits done before I head to Switzerland and the Ring with some friends next month.
The Discovery goes in for a few bits (new front brakes, a slight knock on the rear suspension that resurfaced), a service and an MOT next week, and the Volvo goes in for its first (and probably only) service the week after. An expensive month of car ownership ahead!
Edited by C70R on Saturday 8th April 08:27
The Discovery is going in to the local specialist this morning, so I've lobbed my road bike in the back to enjoy a lovely, sunny cycle home.
In a fit of madness I 'invested' in a bunch of detailing clobber, including a foam gun thing that attaches to my ancient pressure washer. It's a revelation, although I need to do a bit of fiddling with settings to get the right amount of foam. I can't believe I've never considered one before now!
Rinse, foam, scrub, rinse. That's it's, and the old bus is looking presentable again. Annoyingly it being clean has reminded me that some of the plastic trim is losing its top layer. But now that the farmers are dragging less mud onto the roads, I might consider washing it a bit more often. Famous last words...
In a fit of madness I 'invested' in a bunch of detailing clobber, including a foam gun thing that attaches to my ancient pressure washer. It's a revelation, although I need to do a bit of fiddling with settings to get the right amount of foam. I can't believe I've never considered one before now!
Rinse, foam, scrub, rinse. That's it's, and the old bus is looking presentable again. Annoyingly it being clean has reminded me that some of the plastic trim is losing its top layer. But now that the farmers are dragging less mud onto the roads, I might consider washing it a bit more often. Famous last words...
Edited by C70R on Monday 17th April 07:56
The scores are on the doors, and the old bus rides again for another year, with fairly minimal outlay.
I'd asked the specialist to be really thorough with any little niggles before the MOT, and in the end only a few minor bits needed doing to bring it back up to scratch.
Final list was
- Front pads and discs (shame to bin relatively new pads, but the 30k mile discs were shot)
- Rear droplink (the source of my creak/rattle)
- Little 'persuasion' to the rear brake shield (thankfully not the 4hr job to replace!)
- Brake flexi pipes on 3 corners
- Inner track rod and alignment (an advisory last year)
- Aircon regas (was done last summer, but now empty and a 2hr vacuum test showed no leaks, including the pipes to the third row - as much as it pains me to lose that gas, this might have to be an annual thing)
Not an unusual list for a car approaching its 20th birthday, and I'm happy it got a clean bill of health. I added an oil change too for peace of mind, since the last one was ~10k miles ago.
The only fly in the ointment was a failure to diagnose the slight rattle from the suspension compressor. They disassembled the whole assembly to determine that the noise was coming from the compressor body itself. Given it was a brand new JLR part last year, fitted at great expense to the dealer I bought the car from, I'm going to take it back to the fitting garage in London before 12mths is up to make sure I get the benefit of the parts warranty.
Overall a big thumbs up for my local, Norfolk indie. Happy to share the details if anyone is in the area.
I'd asked the specialist to be really thorough with any little niggles before the MOT, and in the end only a few minor bits needed doing to bring it back up to scratch.
Final list was
- Front pads and discs (shame to bin relatively new pads, but the 30k mile discs were shot)
- Rear droplink (the source of my creak/rattle)
- Little 'persuasion' to the rear brake shield (thankfully not the 4hr job to replace!)
- Brake flexi pipes on 3 corners
- Inner track rod and alignment (an advisory last year)
- Aircon regas (was done last summer, but now empty and a 2hr vacuum test showed no leaks, including the pipes to the third row - as much as it pains me to lose that gas, this might have to be an annual thing)
Not an unusual list for a car approaching its 20th birthday, and I'm happy it got a clean bill of health. I added an oil change too for peace of mind, since the last one was ~10k miles ago.
The only fly in the ointment was a failure to diagnose the slight rattle from the suspension compressor. They disassembled the whole assembly to determine that the noise was coming from the compressor body itself. Given it was a brand new JLR part last year, fitted at great expense to the dealer I bought the car from, I'm going to take it back to the fitting garage in London before 12mths is up to make sure I get the benefit of the parts warranty.
Overall a big thumbs up for my local, Norfolk indie. Happy to share the details if anyone is in the area.
Edited by C70R on Thursday 20th April 11:48
Always fun to get a missed call from the garage when you think they've finished working on your car...
After 48hrs since they injected the gas and dye, they finally spotted a tiny leak in the aircon radiator. At 200-something quid for a genuine part and a few hours labour, I'm glad it was only that and happy to have the system buttoned up again.
With aircon in the second and third rows of seats (including climate controls for the second row - in a 2005 4x4!), I was concerned that one of the many miles of pipes might have been the issue. Thankfully not!
The garage who fitted the (genuine JLR) suspension compressor last year have agreed to take it back in a few weeks and replace the noisy part under warranty. Result.
After 48hrs since they injected the gas and dye, they finally spotted a tiny leak in the aircon radiator. At 200-something quid for a genuine part and a few hours labour, I'm glad it was only that and happy to have the system buttoned up again.
With aircon in the second and third rows of seats (including climate controls for the second row - in a 2005 4x4!), I was concerned that one of the many miles of pipes might have been the issue. Thankfully not!
The garage who fitted the (genuine JLR) suspension compressor last year have agreed to take it back in a few weeks and replace the noisy part under warranty. Result.
camel_landy said:
C70R said:
The stream of consciousness continues. The Disco is booked in for a few bits and an MOT in a few weeks' time before we take it to Islay for a whiskey festival in May.
Ahem *cough*... Only the oirish put 'E's in Whisky. Finding a good, reliable specialist garage is probably one of life's least rewarding experiences.
While the LR garage I've found in Norfolk seem to really know the cars well, and the standard of their work seems good, everything else is just painful. They spotted the things I knew were wrong, and spotted a few things that only a specialist would have known about. The standard of their work also seems good, as it should for an annual maintenance bill that started with a 2.
However, getting any information out of them was like getting blood out of a stone. On initially dropping it off, with a list of things that needed fixing (along with the MOT), the receptionist optimistically told me I'd probably have it back the following day. I knew that wasn't happening, and waited patiently for the call that never came. Cue much chasing from me and lots of over-promising from them. The car was eventually with them for a week. Not a major issue, but one that could have been easily mitigated by better comms.
Secondly, they changed the inner track rod, but neglected to tell me that they didn't have the facilities to do an alignment. My first motorway drive at the weekend revealed that the steering is now off-centre and there's a noticeable wobble at 70mph+.
So bloody frustrating, because they are getting the hard bits right and making a mess of the easy bits!
Anyway, I tried to give them the feedback as calmly and honestly as I could, and have booked in for an alignment (Hunter, natch) at the place that did my Z4 tomorrow afternoon.
While the LR garage I've found in Norfolk seem to really know the cars well, and the standard of their work seems good, everything else is just painful. They spotted the things I knew were wrong, and spotted a few things that only a specialist would have known about. The standard of their work also seems good, as it should for an annual maintenance bill that started with a 2.
However, getting any information out of them was like getting blood out of a stone. On initially dropping it off, with a list of things that needed fixing (along with the MOT), the receptionist optimistically told me I'd probably have it back the following day. I knew that wasn't happening, and waited patiently for the call that never came. Cue much chasing from me and lots of over-promising from them. The car was eventually with them for a week. Not a major issue, but one that could have been easily mitigated by better comms.
Secondly, they changed the inner track rod, but neglected to tell me that they didn't have the facilities to do an alignment. My first motorway drive at the weekend revealed that the steering is now off-centre and there's a noticeable wobble at 70mph+.
So bloody frustrating, because they are getting the hard bits right and making a mess of the easy bits!
Anyway, I tried to give them the feedback as calmly and honestly as I could, and have booked in for an alignment (Hunter, natch) at the place that did my Z4 tomorrow afternoon.
Tracking was done at the same place that tweaked the Z4 setup before Snetterton. I'm glad that I had my Bluetooth obd thing to hand, because they didn't have a clue about how to put the air setup into 'tight tolerances' mode. It's driving much better now, and the wheel is straight.
A rare trip back to London for it this week, to take along to the lovely folks at RR London in Battersea for a warranty replacement of the suspension compressor. Conrad and the team really know their onions when it comes to these cars, so it's always nice to get their careful eye over it. As ever, he wouldn't let me leave without a little additional fettling - this time a tweak to rectify the poor design of the driver's seat base that allows it to move a little.
A new compressor that pumps silently, and I was on my way. However, Conrad's eagle eye did spot that my front airbags were looking a bit tired, which is unsurprising given 19 years and 110k miles of abuse. They are on the list for replacement later this year.
Getting under it on a ramp also gave me the opportunity to poke around behind the plastic sill trims. This is really the only place where these cars rot badly, and I was pleased to see only a small amount of crusty metal in there (the loose bits are dried/compacted road grime which got blown out with compressed air). Going to get this rectified before winter, I think.
As ever with complicated cars, the path of true love never runs smooth. The beautiful weather this weekend should have called for a topless trip in the Z4, but we'd spotted a beautiful George III chest of drawers at a local antique dealer so the Discovery was pressed into service. Unfortunately the sunny weather flagged that it appears that all is not well with the aircon after the radiator was replaced, so I'm going to book it back into the local specialist who did the work ASAP. Annoying, but not the end of the world.
Assuming that nothing else major comes up this year, that's not a terrible return for pressing a complicated car that's almost 20yo into heavy service (I'll probably do 11-12k). That being said, the proactive work will likely nudge me over the planned annual maintenance budget. It was never a hard limit, and was very much 'finger in the air', but one to keep an eye on.
The antique dealer visit did give me an opportunity to pore over the potential future replacement. I'm a big fan.
A rare trip back to London for it this week, to take along to the lovely folks at RR London in Battersea for a warranty replacement of the suspension compressor. Conrad and the team really know their onions when it comes to these cars, so it's always nice to get their careful eye over it. As ever, he wouldn't let me leave without a little additional fettling - this time a tweak to rectify the poor design of the driver's seat base that allows it to move a little.
A new compressor that pumps silently, and I was on my way. However, Conrad's eagle eye did spot that my front airbags were looking a bit tired, which is unsurprising given 19 years and 110k miles of abuse. They are on the list for replacement later this year.
Getting under it on a ramp also gave me the opportunity to poke around behind the plastic sill trims. This is really the only place where these cars rot badly, and I was pleased to see only a small amount of crusty metal in there (the loose bits are dried/compacted road grime which got blown out with compressed air). Going to get this rectified before winter, I think.
As ever with complicated cars, the path of true love never runs smooth. The beautiful weather this weekend should have called for a topless trip in the Z4, but we'd spotted a beautiful George III chest of drawers at a local antique dealer so the Discovery was pressed into service. Unfortunately the sunny weather flagged that it appears that all is not well with the aircon after the radiator was replaced, so I'm going to book it back into the local specialist who did the work ASAP. Annoying, but not the end of the world.
Assuming that nothing else major comes up this year, that's not a terrible return for pressing a complicated car that's almost 20yo into heavy service (I'll probably do 11-12k). That being said, the proactive work will likely nudge me over the planned annual maintenance budget. It was never a hard limit, and was very much 'finger in the air', but one to keep an eye on.
The antique dealer visit did give me an opportunity to pore over the potential future replacement. I'm a big fan.
Edited by C70R on Monday 15th May 08:00
There are a few days a year in the UK, a few fleeting moments, when a convertible makes more sense than any other way of getting around. Today was one of those days.
I popped out this evening to grab some dinner, and managed to spend an hour getting lost in the sunny, North Norfolk lanes. The perfect way to unwind on a Friday.
The Z4 isn't the last word in fun handing, but it's still a really enjoyable thing to hustle along B-roads. It's sensationally capable, to the point where you'd need to be driving much faster than you can stop safely to get it badly out of shape.
Sure, the chassis and steering don't adjust and communicate with you like an MX-5. But it's got the kind of grip and composure that a standard MX-5 on 185-section tyres could only dream of. For us average drivers, predictable is good.
Sure, it's a few percent less entertaining than a contemporary Boxster. But I know I can give this thing a mechanical kicking and it will keep coming back for more with only relatively basic maintenance. And there's a lot to be said for that.
It's a fabulous all-rounder, never giving less than 6/10 or more than 8/10. I'm looking forward to getting to know it in much more intimate detail on a Euro trip to France/Switzerland/Germany (including a few laps of the Ring) in July
I'm going to (perhaps inevitably) replace it with something more fun next year. But right now it's giving sterling service.
I popped out this evening to grab some dinner, and managed to spend an hour getting lost in the sunny, North Norfolk lanes. The perfect way to unwind on a Friday.
The Z4 isn't the last word in fun handing, but it's still a really enjoyable thing to hustle along B-roads. It's sensationally capable, to the point where you'd need to be driving much faster than you can stop safely to get it badly out of shape.
Sure, the chassis and steering don't adjust and communicate with you like an MX-5. But it's got the kind of grip and composure that a standard MX-5 on 185-section tyres could only dream of. For us average drivers, predictable is good.
Sure, it's a few percent less entertaining than a contemporary Boxster. But I know I can give this thing a mechanical kicking and it will keep coming back for more with only relatively basic maintenance. And there's a lot to be said for that.
It's a fabulous all-rounder, never giving less than 6/10 or more than 8/10. I'm looking forward to getting to know it in much more intimate detail on a Euro trip to France/Switzerland/Germany (including a few laps of the Ring) in July
I'm going to (perhaps inevitably) replace it with something more fun next year. But right now it's giving sterling service.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff