Thirsty Discovery and Z4 thread
Discussion
Crikey! You're much braver than me!! 
I gave serious thought to a 35i, particularly given that they could be had for very little money. But I ended up with an E85 because I wanted to enjoy it on track. I still have moments when I wonder if I'd enjoy the punch from a DCT-boxed 35i with a map more.
I gave serious thought to a 35i, particularly given that they could be had for very little money. But I ended up with an E85 because I wanted to enjoy it on track. I still have moments when I wonder if I'd enjoy the punch from a DCT-boxed 35i with a map more.
Yep I think the 35i would be a bit out of its depth on track but is a nice fast road car. Mine is running 370bhp+ and is pretty rapid. Lots of punch very low down, a great soundtrack a a nicely appointed cabin.
I've done RS Megane, Elise, E92 M3's and lots of Porsche stuff etc, but the Zed makes a nice change and much easier progress on a back road. I'd say it is actually a lot better handling than it was given credit for, but mostly due to grip than balance, if that makes sense.
I've done RS Megane, Elise, E92 M3's and lots of Porsche stuff etc, but the Zed makes a nice change and much easier progress on a back road. I'd say it is actually a lot better handling than it was given credit for, but mostly due to grip than balance, if that makes sense.
A lovely sunny day after a week spent on planes and in airports gave me the opportunity to tick a few jobs off the Discovery list while I wait for the Z4 to come back.
Way back in December, Bambi decided to headbutt the recovery point cover at 40mph. It didn't end well for either party, so Bambi was thrown into the hedge and a Chinese pattern replacement was ordered. If you scroll back a few posts, you'll spot the gaffer tape holding my passenger front arch on after someone walloped it in a car park. A new part would have stood out against the 20yo plastics, so a used arch was sourced from a breaker.
Armed with a bunch of new trim clips, I made a start. Frustratingly, the starting point for removing the old arch was to remove the grille and headlight. This is because one of the securing screws is located behind the headlight. Luckily it only took about 5min, but it's a bit of a disturbing start...
Thankfully everything was pretty straightforward, and it all went back together looking as it should. I think I probably lost about 3kg in sweat, but great to tick these jobs off the list.
Way back in December, Bambi decided to headbutt the recovery point cover at 40mph. It didn't end well for either party, so Bambi was thrown into the hedge and a Chinese pattern replacement was ordered. If you scroll back a few posts, you'll spot the gaffer tape holding my passenger front arch on after someone walloped it in a car park. A new part would have stood out against the 20yo plastics, so a used arch was sourced from a breaker.
Armed with a bunch of new trim clips, I made a start. Frustratingly, the starting point for removing the old arch was to remove the grille and headlight. This is because one of the securing screws is located behind the headlight. Luckily it only took about 5min, but it's a bit of a disturbing start...
Thankfully everything was pretty straightforward, and it all went back together looking as it should. I think I probably lost about 3kg in sweat, but great to tick these jobs off the list.
I collected the Z4 this morning, and popped down to meet up with some friends who were on a trackday at Snetterton. I was hopeful that replacing a load of bits would make a difference, but I wasn't quite prepared for how much better it would feel.
The original rear trailing arm bushes were absolutely knackered, and the new ones have absolutely transformed the way it feels on B-roads. Gone is the pulling into camber and wheel ruts, and the steering feels altogether more sharp and direct. For anyone who has a BMW running on original RTABs, change them immediately!
Both engine mounts had lost almost all of their oil, and the new ones have really improved the way the car feels when transitioning on/off the throttle at high revs.
I popped along to my local tyre place to get the car on their Hunter system and tidy up the alignment back to my specs, and we're back in business.
I also visited an aircon specialist with the expectation that the system would need a top-up, but their machine showed it was well within the expected pressure range. That'll do, pig.
Because my BMW mechanic works out of a unit on a farm, the car was absolutely filthy. Think I'll try and give it a wash this evening.
The Land Rover is still dropping a little overnight, so I did some very scientific diagnosis last night. I jacked it up into its highest setting, and stretched some tape from the arch to the wheel rim on all corners. I then removed the fuse for the suspension ECU so that it wouldn't try and self-level. The idea behind this is that any slack in the tape demonstrates corners that aren't holding pressure.
The scores were clearly on the doors this morning, where the tape on both front sides was slack. So back it goes to the specialist while I'm on my Euro trip, for them to figure out whether it's a leak in the pipework or the airbags. I'm preparing for both airbags, which should come to a smidge under a grand fitted. Yay.
The original rear trailing arm bushes were absolutely knackered, and the new ones have absolutely transformed the way it feels on B-roads. Gone is the pulling into camber and wheel ruts, and the steering feels altogether more sharp and direct. For anyone who has a BMW running on original RTABs, change them immediately!
Both engine mounts had lost almost all of their oil, and the new ones have really improved the way the car feels when transitioning on/off the throttle at high revs.
I popped along to my local tyre place to get the car on their Hunter system and tidy up the alignment back to my specs, and we're back in business.
I also visited an aircon specialist with the expectation that the system would need a top-up, but their machine showed it was well within the expected pressure range. That'll do, pig.
Because my BMW mechanic works out of a unit on a farm, the car was absolutely filthy. Think I'll try and give it a wash this evening.
The Land Rover is still dropping a little overnight, so I did some very scientific diagnosis last night. I jacked it up into its highest setting, and stretched some tape from the arch to the wheel rim on all corners. I then removed the fuse for the suspension ECU so that it wouldn't try and self-level. The idea behind this is that any slack in the tape demonstrates corners that aren't holding pressure.
The scores were clearly on the doors this morning, where the tape on both front sides was slack. So back it goes to the specialist while I'm on my Euro trip, for them to figure out whether it's a leak in the pipework or the airbags. I'm preparing for both airbags, which should come to a smidge under a grand fitted. Yay.
Great to read your updates C70R. I love that your petrolhead activities range from replacing trim on a 19 year old Land-Rover to hot laps of the Nurburgring in a 911.
On the dropping suspension - you might find the specialist can’t find the leak. That was certainly the case with my L322. The nationally / internationally famous Range Rover specialist I used went right round mine looking for a small leak, but couldn’t find it. They advised me to keep running it as it was until I hear a hissing after I have parked it up, then get it in for diagnosis and work. They said that until it is hissing or shows in the soapy water survey of the system, they’d just have to throw expensive parts at it.
On the dropping suspension - you might find the specialist can’t find the leak. That was certainly the case with my L322. The nationally / internationally famous Range Rover specialist I used went right round mine looking for a small leak, but couldn’t find it. They advised me to keep running it as it was until I hear a hissing after I have parked it up, then get it in for diagnosis and work. They said that until it is hissing or shows in the soapy water survey of the system, they’d just have to throw expensive parts at it.
Tom4398cc said:
Great to read your updates C70R. I love that your petrolhead activities range from replacing trim on a 19 year old Land-Rover to hot laps of the Nurburgring in a 911.
On the dropping suspension - you might find the specialist can’t find the leak. That was certainly the case with my L322. The nationally / internationally famous Range Rover specialist I used went right round mine looking for a small leak, but couldn’t find it. They advised me to keep running it as it was until I hear a hissing after I have parked it up, then get it in for diagnosis and work. They said that until it is hissing or shows in the soapy water survey of the system, they’d just have to throw expensive parts at it.
This is part of my ennui. I actually don't mind spending money on parts (my track record should show that), but I just want to be sure I'm replacing the right parts.On the dropping suspension - you might find the specialist can’t find the leak. That was certainly the case with my L322. The nationally / internationally famous Range Rover specialist I used went right round mine looking for a small leak, but couldn’t find it. They advised me to keep running it as it was until I hear a hissing after I have parked it up, then get it in for diagnosis and work. They said that until it is hissing or shows in the soapy water survey of the system, they’d just have to throw expensive parts at it.
Given that the front and centre valve/distribution blocks were replaced with OEM parts last year, it's REALLY unlikely that one of those is the problem. That only leaves the front air springs and their air lines as the potential root causes. It's not a catastrophic loss of pressure (as evidenced by the small drop (1cm or so in 24hrs), but it's enough to periodically bring up the warning light which annoys me.
I'm going to have a stern-ish word with the garage when I drop it off tomorrow morning, and tell them I expect to collect it with shiny new parts and the promise of no more warning lights. Let's see how that works out for me...
In other news, I'm really looking forward to my roadtrip that starts at 5am on Saturday morning in deepest, darkest Norfolk. Working at a big tech company means that it's been a year of frustration and uncertainty professionally, so I'm really keen to detach myself from work for a few days and just spend some time in the moment. Just me, the car, and the 800 podcasts I've been storing up.
Edited by C70R on Thursday 29th June 10:54
On the subject of those podcasts, the Z4 received its final bit of pre-trip titivation.
Since buying it I've been using a Bluetooth-to-FM thingy that plugs into the cigarette lighter to get Fleetwood Mac from my phone to the miserly 6-speaker stereo system. I had thought this was working pretty well, apart from at the point on the North Circular where Dreams was replaced by some sort of Grime pirate radio station for a mile or so. Phonecalls were also painful, because I was using the phone's hands-free mic, which isn't great at separating background noise.
This was enough to make me want to do a decent job of sorting it, so I shelled out £15 for one of eBay's finest Bluetooth dongles that plugs directly into the back of the OEM stereo in place of the AUX port. I've done a lot of car audio fettling in my life, including building custom door pods and sub enclosures, but removing the Z4's stereo was one of the most annoying things I've ever dealt with. The videos on the internet suggest that one simply pokes a pick or small screwdriver into the top of the airvents, and they will "just pop out". Did they balls.
After an hour of swearing, manhandling and checking the price of replacement vents on eBay, it finally "just popped out". It looks like someone had been in there before me (although thankfully no signs of cable molestation), and broken one of the tabs that secure the vents. Great. A dab of Araldite, and everyone's a winner.
Thankfully after all that aggro for what should have been a simple job, the sound quality has greatly improved. I ran the mic around the steering column and attached it between the two dial binnacles, and call quality seems to be up to the task which is always good.
An annoying job that was (almost) worth the effort.
Since buying it I've been using a Bluetooth-to-FM thingy that plugs into the cigarette lighter to get Fleetwood Mac from my phone to the miserly 6-speaker stereo system. I had thought this was working pretty well, apart from at the point on the North Circular where Dreams was replaced by some sort of Grime pirate radio station for a mile or so. Phonecalls were also painful, because I was using the phone's hands-free mic, which isn't great at separating background noise.
This was enough to make me want to do a decent job of sorting it, so I shelled out £15 for one of eBay's finest Bluetooth dongles that plugs directly into the back of the OEM stereo in place of the AUX port. I've done a lot of car audio fettling in my life, including building custom door pods and sub enclosures, but removing the Z4's stereo was one of the most annoying things I've ever dealt with. The videos on the internet suggest that one simply pokes a pick or small screwdriver into the top of the airvents, and they will "just pop out". Did they balls.
After an hour of swearing, manhandling and checking the price of replacement vents on eBay, it finally "just popped out". It looks like someone had been in there before me (although thankfully no signs of cable molestation), and broken one of the tabs that secure the vents. Great. A dab of Araldite, and everyone's a winner.
Thankfully after all that aggro for what should have been a simple job, the sound quality has greatly improved. I ran the mic around the steering column and attached it between the two dial binnacles, and call quality seems to be up to the task which is always good.
An annoying job that was (almost) worth the effort.
And my final update, so it doesn't feel like I'm spamming the thread to death, is that I've registered for my MSUK RS Clubman licence. That sounds much grander than the actual process of filling out a form on the MSUK website, but it allows me to take the Discovery along to my local Land Rover club's trials days and see what it's actually like on the loose stuff. How exciting! At least it will keep me busy during the winter trackday 'off season'.
I've also booked Cadwell Park on the 31st of August with a big group of friends. It's been a while since I was last there in my Mini track car, and I met a lovely chap from here who was kind enough to treat me to a few laps in his M2. I'm doing a Drive Limits instruction day at North Weald airfield the week before, so I'm hopeful that this will give me the confidence to push the Z4 a bit harder than I did at Snetterton. That said, the Z4 is probably the least 'hardcore' car out of the group, so I'll be very happy to just have fun and get around in one piece.
I've also booked Cadwell Park on the 31st of August with a big group of friends. It's been a while since I was last there in my Mini track car, and I met a lovely chap from here who was kind enough to treat me to a few laps in his M2. I'm doing a Drive Limits instruction day at North Weald airfield the week before, so I'm hopeful that this will give me the confidence to push the Z4 a bit harder than I did at Snetterton. That said, the Z4 is probably the least 'hardcore' car out of the group, so I'll be very happy to just have fun and get around in one piece.
Had a phone call from the Discovery specialist halfway up the side of an Austrian mountain in the Z4 (thanks hands-free!) to tell me that I was bloody right all along and they've found leaks in both front airbags at full extension.
Luckily OEM-spec replacement parts are only 300-something a side and fitting isn't too tricky. It's going to be an expensive month of car fettling...
Luckily the Z4 is acquitting itself very well on my Euro trip (full write-up to come), and I'm heading over to the Ring this evening after visits to the Porsche and Mercedes museums in Stuttgart.
Luckily OEM-spec replacement parts are only 300-something a side and fitting isn't too tricky. It's going to be an expensive month of car fettling...
Luckily the Z4 is acquitting itself very well on my Euro trip (full write-up to come), and I'm heading over to the Ring this evening after visits to the Porsche and Mercedes museums in Stuttgart.
Well, my Euro trip is done. I had thought about writing up as I went along, but I ended up having far too much fun to spend time 'live-blogging' (not that anyone would have been interested), so I'll do a roundup instead.
Day 1. London to Lausanne
One word: "Rubbish". It's too far. Much too far. Almost 12hrs driving in total this day left me absolutely knackered.
On the plus side, I did get to take this cool photo at Reims and pop into my old local pub in Lausanne for a pint and a burger.
Day 2. Swiss passes to Liechtenstein
I had no real idea what to expect from these passes, as I didn't drive that way much when I lived there, but boy did they deliver. Even with an early start on a Sunday morning, traffic was such that I very rarely got an unobstructed run up the passes. Going down felt more like a war of attrition with my brakes as much as anything else. I think the pace can be best described as 'gentle touring', given that you're prone to rounding a bend to discover any one of cyclist/motorhome/bus/camper, but the scenery was absolutely ridiculous.
After lunching at Schattdorf, I struck out East on the 17 (House of Love, anyone? No? Anyone?), and found probably my favourite road of the entire trip. A snaking ribbon that climbed gently from the base of a wide valley, and ran for 20-odd miles across the valley's side, winding in and out of the hillside contours, with the occasional tunnel and forest for good measure. It was narrow in parts, but very quiet on a Sunday afternoon. Save for a few miles following a biker, I pretty much had this one to myself. Roof down, music up; pure bliss. Up there with the best drives of my life.
I stayed the night in Vaduz, Liechtenstein, which was eminently forgettable and one to avoid in future. Like Switzerland, but less interesting.
Part 2 coming shortly...
Day 1. London to Lausanne
One word: "Rubbish". It's too far. Much too far. Almost 12hrs driving in total this day left me absolutely knackered.
On the plus side, I did get to take this cool photo at Reims and pop into my old local pub in Lausanne for a pint and a burger.
Day 2. Swiss passes to Liechtenstein
I had no real idea what to expect from these passes, as I didn't drive that way much when I lived there, but boy did they deliver. Even with an early start on a Sunday morning, traffic was such that I very rarely got an unobstructed run up the passes. Going down felt more like a war of attrition with my brakes as much as anything else. I think the pace can be best described as 'gentle touring', given that you're prone to rounding a bend to discover any one of cyclist/motorhome/bus/camper, but the scenery was absolutely ridiculous.
After lunching at Schattdorf, I struck out East on the 17 (House of Love, anyone? No? Anyone?), and found probably my favourite road of the entire trip. A snaking ribbon that climbed gently from the base of a wide valley, and ran for 20-odd miles across the valley's side, winding in and out of the hillside contours, with the occasional tunnel and forest for good measure. It was narrow in parts, but very quiet on a Sunday afternoon. Save for a few miles following a biker, I pretty much had this one to myself. Roof down, music up; pure bliss. Up there with the best drives of my life.
I stayed the night in Vaduz, Liechtenstein, which was eminently forgettable and one to avoid in future. Like Switzerland, but less interesting.
Part 2 coming shortly...
Day 3. Austrian passes, cool castle, Munich
I set off early to get as far from Liechtenstein as soon as I could, stopping only briefly to be liberated of thirty quid for a tiny bottle of sunscreen. I don't miss Swiss prices at all.
I drove across the North-West part of Austria, with the goal of getting to Castle Neuschwanstein by lunchtime. The valleys here were much wider and flatter, and the roads much more fast-flowing. I did climb up to some altitude around Unterhalden, and the views were no less idyllic than the previous day's.
I'm an architecture bore, so Castle Neuschwanstein has been on my bucketlist for some time, and it absolutely delivered. The only downsides were the 45min hike to the top in 30-degree heat, and the fact that you can't actually see its best angles from up close. Either way, bucketlist item ticked off and onto Munich for the evening, with obligatory litre of Pilsner and pretzel.
I'm very easily pleased, so when I realised that my hotel had a car lift to its underground car park, I knew I needed to give it a bash. The reality was forgetting to turn my engine off in my excitement and nearly gassing myself, and then almost taking my wingmirror off on the way out of the lift. Still worth it.
I set off early to get as far from Liechtenstein as soon as I could, stopping only briefly to be liberated of thirty quid for a tiny bottle of sunscreen. I don't miss Swiss prices at all.
I drove across the North-West part of Austria, with the goal of getting to Castle Neuschwanstein by lunchtime. The valleys here were much wider and flatter, and the roads much more fast-flowing. I did climb up to some altitude around Unterhalden, and the views were no less idyllic than the previous day's.
I'm an architecture bore, so Castle Neuschwanstein has been on my bucketlist for some time, and it absolutely delivered. The only downsides were the 45min hike to the top in 30-degree heat, and the fact that you can't actually see its best angles from up close. Either way, bucketlist item ticked off and onto Munich for the evening, with obligatory litre of Pilsner and pretzel.
I'm very easily pleased, so when I realised that my hotel had a car lift to its underground car park, I knew I needed to give it a bash. The reality was forgetting to turn my engine off in my excitement and nearly gassing myself, and then almost taking my wingmirror off on the way out of the lift. Still worth it.
Days 4/5: Munich, Stuttgart, autobahn, car museums
A big part of this trip was about the opportunity to see the various car museums/exhibitions that Germany has to offer. Motorworld and BMW in Munich, and Porsche and Mercedes in Stuttgart.
Motorworld is a really cool space, built in an old industrial building on the outskirts of Munich, it houses lots of independent shops, car businesses (a Bugatti service centre) and conference/co-working spaces. Its party piece is the rare and interesting cars that are dotted around the place, some for sale and others apparently just in storage. Very cool, and well worth a visit.
The BMW museum was great, but very corporate and slick. It felt like more of a brand-building exercise than a celebration of the marque, if that makes sense.
By contrast, the Mercedes museum was like a 'greatest hits' album of everything they've produced, weaving in some of the social history that influenced each car. If I could only go back to one, it would be this one.
The Porsche museum was smaller than the others, but no less impressive. Lots of competition and rare/concept cars, and I think a full catalogue of everything they've ever built.
Back to being an architecture bore again, but the Stuttgart public library is one of the most impressive buildings I've ever been inside.
A big part of this trip was about the opportunity to see the various car museums/exhibitions that Germany has to offer. Motorworld and BMW in Munich, and Porsche and Mercedes in Stuttgart.
Motorworld is a really cool space, built in an old industrial building on the outskirts of Munich, it houses lots of independent shops, car businesses (a Bugatti service centre) and conference/co-working spaces. Its party piece is the rare and interesting cars that are dotted around the place, some for sale and others apparently just in storage. Very cool, and well worth a visit.
The BMW museum was great, but very corporate and slick. It felt like more of a brand-building exercise than a celebration of the marque, if that makes sense.
By contrast, the Mercedes museum was like a 'greatest hits' album of everything they've produced, weaving in some of the social history that influenced each car. If I could only go back to one, it would be this one.
The Porsche museum was smaller than the others, but no less impressive. Lots of competition and rare/concept cars, and I think a full catalogue of everything they've ever built.
Back to being an architecture bore again, but the Stuttgart public library is one of the most impressive buildings I've ever been inside.
Days 6/7. The Ring.
I haven't been to the Nurburgring since 2019. Various life complications and COVID got in the way of me feeding my addiction, which is probably for the best as far as my wallet is concerned. The days I was there Sport Auto were running a private trackday, which meant that I could spend the daytimes watching a very impressive selection of cars hammering around at pace. As luck would have it, I stayed at the Dorint along with all of the participants, so the hotel car park was like a Cars & Coffee meet.
Last time I was here I took a passenger lap in the Apex M3, but I wanted to see what 'fast' really looked like this time, so I booked myself a ride in the GetSpeed GT3 RS. It was absolutely viceral. Just brutal. Obviously the chap driving was incredibly talented, but this thing just gripped, rotated and hooked up like nothing I've ever ridden in before. When we got back in and I'd stopped giggling like a child, he casually mentioned that we'd just done a 7m16s lap, in traffic, on 100-lap old tyres. Jesus. If you want to get an idea what that looks like, take a look at this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoZXsiJOWaM&ab... - I just can't recommend this enough. Just do it.
The following day I ventured out for a couple of gentle tourist laps of my own, with due trepidation based on the recent reputation of the place. For context, I've always driven carefully on TF sessions after watching an Evo pinball off both barriers in front of me on my first ever lap. It didn't take long for me to remember why I drive carefully. Not long into the lap, and I'm slowing with hazards on for the marshalls to extract a German BMW from the barriers. Good job I checked my mirrors, because I was just able to get out of the way of a British Focus that divebombed me and screamed past the marshalls. I caught up with the Focus a little later in the lap, while he was getting his belongings out of the car after hitting the barriers on both sides just before Brunnchen. Karma is a b*tch. I managed 5 laps in the evening session, with the traffic getting progressively lighter and me getting progressively smoother. I've vowed to come back and do a trackday next year.
I haven't been to the Nurburgring since 2019. Various life complications and COVID got in the way of me feeding my addiction, which is probably for the best as far as my wallet is concerned. The days I was there Sport Auto were running a private trackday, which meant that I could spend the daytimes watching a very impressive selection of cars hammering around at pace. As luck would have it, I stayed at the Dorint along with all of the participants, so the hotel car park was like a Cars & Coffee meet.
Last time I was here I took a passenger lap in the Apex M3, but I wanted to see what 'fast' really looked like this time, so I booked myself a ride in the GetSpeed GT3 RS. It was absolutely viceral. Just brutal. Obviously the chap driving was incredibly talented, but this thing just gripped, rotated and hooked up like nothing I've ever ridden in before. When we got back in and I'd stopped giggling like a child, he casually mentioned that we'd just done a 7m16s lap, in traffic, on 100-lap old tyres. Jesus. If you want to get an idea what that looks like, take a look at this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoZXsiJOWaM&ab... - I just can't recommend this enough. Just do it.
The following day I ventured out for a couple of gentle tourist laps of my own, with due trepidation based on the recent reputation of the place. For context, I've always driven carefully on TF sessions after watching an Evo pinball off both barriers in front of me on my first ever lap. It didn't take long for me to remember why I drive carefully. Not long into the lap, and I'm slowing with hazards on for the marshalls to extract a German BMW from the barriers. Good job I checked my mirrors, because I was just able to get out of the way of a British Focus that divebombed me and screamed past the marshalls. I caught up with the Focus a little later in the lap, while he was getting his belongings out of the car after hitting the barriers on both sides just before Brunnchen. Karma is a b*tch. I managed 5 laps in the evening session, with the traffic getting progressively lighter and me getting progressively smoother. I've vowed to come back and do a trackday next year.
So, after that stream of consciousness, there we have it. Home in one piece.
I thought I'd have a little review of the trip in numbers, and this is what I came back with:
- 2,024 miles
- 7 days
- 6 countries (France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, Belgium)
- 5 car museums
- 7 tanks of unleaded (30-something mpg average)
- 1 litre of 5w30
- 4 Alpine passes
- 130mph cruising on the autobahn
- 5 laps of the Nurburgring
- 3 crashed cars on my first lap
- 0 reliability issues
Now to give the car a bit of TLC before a couple of trackdays in August. There's a slight vagueness in the steering, which I think is going to leave me swapping out the front wishbones to tighten up the bushes a little. It's also due a service in 6k miles according to the computer, so I'll get the oil changed early as a present.
I've been looking at adjustable dampers as a solution to make it a better track car with minimal road compromise, and Konis are looking like the best bet despite the fiddly rear adjustment. I'm also getting a tiny bit of driveline shunt from behind me, so I'm going to have a poke around the diff mounting bushes and the driveshaft bolts.
Overall, a bloody fabulous trip, and one I'll be looking to repeat/modify/improve in future.
I thought I'd have a little review of the trip in numbers, and this is what I came back with:
- 2,024 miles
- 7 days
- 6 countries (France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, Belgium)
- 5 car museums
- 7 tanks of unleaded (30-something mpg average)
- 1 litre of 5w30
- 4 Alpine passes
- 130mph cruising on the autobahn
- 5 laps of the Nurburgring
- 3 crashed cars on my first lap
- 0 reliability issues
Now to give the car a bit of TLC before a couple of trackdays in August. There's a slight vagueness in the steering, which I think is going to leave me swapping out the front wishbones to tighten up the bushes a little. It's also due a service in 6k miles according to the computer, so I'll get the oil changed early as a present.
I've been looking at adjustable dampers as a solution to make it a better track car with minimal road compromise, and Konis are looking like the best bet despite the fiddly rear adjustment. I'm also getting a tiny bit of driveline shunt from behind me, so I'm going to have a poke around the diff mounting bushes and the driveshaft bolts.
Overall, a bloody fabulous trip, and one I'll be looking to repeat/modify/improve in future.
Cheers chaps. Mr Tidy (I think you enquired about my number plate on the Z4 Forum?), just go and do it. It really doesn't take much planning, although it's definitely not a cheap way to spend a week with current Eurotunnel and hotel prices.
I had a lovely cycle over to collect the Discovery this morning with its fresh front air springs and shocks. The specialist was kind enough to discount the previous diagnosis and a bunch of labour, given that I'd actually identified the issue, so the impact to my wallet wasn't too painful. £700 for a pair of BWI OEM front air springs and dampers fitted with new hardware seems very reasonable. After experiencing the buttery smoothness of the drive home, I've vowed to get the rears (also 116k originals) done next year. Hopefully that's the end of the suspension issues for now, but this is a 00s Land Rover so never say never...
Rinsed some of the grime off the Z4 last night, and my simple pre-trip spray wax efforts seem to have paid off (Turtle Wax 'Fast Wax') meaning that it was a doddle to foam and rinse. While it might seem a bit tragic, I couldn't resist popping on the subtle Ring tramp-stamp/badge of survival.
That's it for car-related stuff for a few weeks, I think. A bit of mid-August fiddling for the Z4 before a couple of trackdays, and then it's onto the backburner while I plan to tackle the slight crust on the Discovery sills before winter. Luckily the specialist recommended a good bodyshop locally, so I'm going to get a quote from them in a couple of months' time.
I had a lovely cycle over to collect the Discovery this morning with its fresh front air springs and shocks. The specialist was kind enough to discount the previous diagnosis and a bunch of labour, given that I'd actually identified the issue, so the impact to my wallet wasn't too painful. £700 for a pair of BWI OEM front air springs and dampers fitted with new hardware seems very reasonable. After experiencing the buttery smoothness of the drive home, I've vowed to get the rears (also 116k originals) done next year. Hopefully that's the end of the suspension issues for now, but this is a 00s Land Rover so never say never...
Rinsed some of the grime off the Z4 last night, and my simple pre-trip spray wax efforts seem to have paid off (Turtle Wax 'Fast Wax') meaning that it was a doddle to foam and rinse. While it might seem a bit tragic, I couldn't resist popping on the subtle Ring tramp-stamp/badge of survival.
That's it for car-related stuff for a few weeks, I think. A bit of mid-August fiddling for the Z4 before a couple of trackdays, and then it's onto the backburner while I plan to tackle the slight crust on the Discovery sills before winter. Luckily the specialist recommended a good bodyshop locally, so I'm going to get a quote from them in a couple of months' time.
Edited by C70R on Tuesday 11th July 11:03
So, the Discovery has ticked over a year in my ownership. I thought I'd look back on it in 'warts and all' fashion, to help others with what it might cost to run one of these with zero mechanical talent/inclination.
The figures are slightly skewed by the fact I bought a car that had been used sparingly and then left standing for a year after the (only) previous owner passed away in 2021. But even so, this is a car whose history file shows that it's been maintained regardless of cost.
I'm not going to include fuel, insurance or tax, because they are just standard cost of ownership. If you wanted to estimate the fuel costs (I'm not brave enough) the mileage is currently at 117.5k, meaning that I've covered a smidge over 12k in it in the past year at an average of 19mpg. Gross.
In chronological order (the details of everything that got done are contained in the thread):
- Recommissioning at the specialist in Manchester: £2,200
- New A/T tyres: £550
- New compressor, valve blocks, battery and alternator: £1,850 (most of which was paid by the supplying dealer)
- New ride-height sensor, sunroof drains cleared, gearbox adaptations reset and bonnet catch replaced: Free
- Annual service: £1,750
- New compressor to replace the faulty first replacement: Free
- Aircon rad to replace the faulty first replacement: Free
- New plastic exterior trim: £80
- New front air springs and shocks: £790
So that leaves me with a grand total for year 1 of ... drum roll ... £7,220. Which is quite a lot of money.
In fact, it's not a million miles away from the original purchase price.
Thankfully I didn't pay £1,850 of that, thanks to the supplying dealer picking up the tab for the initial faults. I take slight consolation in the fact that everything I've changed has been things that are expected to go wrong with higher-mileage, complicated cars. And, ignoring the consumables (air springs, tyres, battery, brakes etc.) the big-ticket items that have been changed (compressor, alternator, aircon rad etc.) are things that should hopefully prolong the Disco's longevity with me. It's my intention to run this for another 4-5 years, as I can't think of anything else I'd rather own for the same outlay.
All of that being said, I'm expecting a slightly easier next year of ownership. If the Disco continues to suck up cash, then I might find myself giving it a stern talking to and threatening it with a new owner... Avanti!
The figures are slightly skewed by the fact I bought a car that had been used sparingly and then left standing for a year after the (only) previous owner passed away in 2021. But even so, this is a car whose history file shows that it's been maintained regardless of cost.
I'm not going to include fuel, insurance or tax, because they are just standard cost of ownership. If you wanted to estimate the fuel costs (I'm not brave enough) the mileage is currently at 117.5k, meaning that I've covered a smidge over 12k in it in the past year at an average of 19mpg. Gross.
In chronological order (the details of everything that got done are contained in the thread):
- Recommissioning at the specialist in Manchester: £2,200
- New A/T tyres: £550
- New compressor, valve blocks, battery and alternator: £1,850 (most of which was paid by the supplying dealer)
- New ride-height sensor, sunroof drains cleared, gearbox adaptations reset and bonnet catch replaced: Free
- Annual service: £1,750
- New compressor to replace the faulty first replacement: Free
- Aircon rad to replace the faulty first replacement: Free
- New plastic exterior trim: £80
- New front air springs and shocks: £790
So that leaves me with a grand total for year 1 of ... drum roll ... £7,220. Which is quite a lot of money.
In fact, it's not a million miles away from the original purchase price.Thankfully I didn't pay £1,850 of that, thanks to the supplying dealer picking up the tab for the initial faults. I take slight consolation in the fact that everything I've changed has been things that are expected to go wrong with higher-mileage, complicated cars. And, ignoring the consumables (air springs, tyres, battery, brakes etc.) the big-ticket items that have been changed (compressor, alternator, aircon rad etc.) are things that should hopefully prolong the Disco's longevity with me. It's my intention to run this for another 4-5 years, as I can't think of anything else I'd rather own for the same outlay.
All of that being said, I'm expecting a slightly easier next year of ownership. If the Disco continues to suck up cash, then I might find myself giving it a stern talking to and threatening it with a new owner... Avanti!
Edited by C70R on Tuesday 25th July 10:45
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