Discussion
The title is pretty self explanatory really, I thought I'd put a post on here introducing myself after lurking for a good few months.
In October I bought an M400 that had been written off and repaired (from the classifieds here, I guess a few of you saw it) and have been more impressed than I thought possible. Took a while to screw up the courage to go for it but absolutely no regrets so far, beyond not wanting to drive it with all the bloody salt on the roads.
Anyway I'd like to thank you all for the info and advice I've already taken from these forums and ask a couple of questions I've come up with lately. With a bit of luck I'll be able to help others down the line, but I can't really see how at the moment given my current talents with the spanners!
1) I'm newly based near Oxford. Does anybody know of any trustworthy souls around these parts for servicing/MOT work. On that note, with its past I'm thinking it might be worth getting someone who knows the cars to take a look and see what work has been done/needs doing. Any recommendations out there?
2) Water ingress in the headlamp clusters has cost me a bulb, but I can't help noticing the lights aren't that great anyway. Has anybody gone with different bulbs/mods to improve night vis? It's more fun in the daylight, but the roads are so much quieter...
3) Tyre suppliers. I'd like the same rubber on all 4 corners for predictability, but from what I can see it's pretty hard to get different sizes of the same type on Blackcircles. It's currently on 888's but coming to the end of the rears (who'd have thought) and looking for something a little more day-to-day. For all they work better than I'd expect in the wet, every time I catch a glimpse of them it makes me nervous
Thanks for your time and I hope to meet a few of you in the not-too distant,
Occy
In October I bought an M400 that had been written off and repaired (from the classifieds here, I guess a few of you saw it) and have been more impressed than I thought possible. Took a while to screw up the courage to go for it but absolutely no regrets so far, beyond not wanting to drive it with all the bloody salt on the roads.
Anyway I'd like to thank you all for the info and advice I've already taken from these forums and ask a couple of questions I've come up with lately. With a bit of luck I'll be able to help others down the line, but I can't really see how at the moment given my current talents with the spanners!
1) I'm newly based near Oxford. Does anybody know of any trustworthy souls around these parts for servicing/MOT work. On that note, with its past I'm thinking it might be worth getting someone who knows the cars to take a look and see what work has been done/needs doing. Any recommendations out there?
2) Water ingress in the headlamp clusters has cost me a bulb, but I can't help noticing the lights aren't that great anyway. Has anybody gone with different bulbs/mods to improve night vis? It's more fun in the daylight, but the roads are so much quieter...
3) Tyre suppliers. I'd like the same rubber on all 4 corners for predictability, but from what I can see it's pretty hard to get different sizes of the same type on Blackcircles. It's currently on 888's but coming to the end of the rears (who'd have thought) and looking for something a little more day-to-day. For all they work better than I'd expect in the wet, every time I catch a glimpse of them it makes me nervous
Thanks for your time and I hope to meet a few of you in the not-too distant,
Occy
Welcome!
the headlights need sealing front and rear to be totally water-proof. And yes the OEM headlights are crap to point of being dangerous. Change for HIDs and you'll be amazed that you can actually see the road ahead.
OctalStan said:
1) I'm newly based near Oxford. Does anybody know of any trustworthy souls around these parts for servicing/MOT work. On that note, with its past I'm thinking it might be worth getting someone who knows the cars to take a look and see what work has been done/needs doing. Any recommendations out there?
Sorry- can't help with this one,but if you're prepared to take it down the M40 then Noble London (aka Trimar Sports) based at the M25/A1 junction are very good. OctalStan said:
2) Water ingress in the headlamp clusters has cost me a bulb, but I can't help noticing the lights aren't that great anyway. Has anybody gone with different bulbs/mods to improve night vis? It's more fun in the daylight, but the roads are so much quieter...
the headlights need sealing front and rear to be totally water-proof. And yes the OEM headlights are crap to point of being dangerous. Change for HIDs and you'll be amazed that you can actually see the road ahead.
OctalStan said:
3) Tyre suppliers. I'd like the same rubber on all 4 corners for predictability, but from what I can see it's pretty hard to get different sizes of the same type on Blackcircles. It's currently on 888's but coming to the end of the rears (who'd have thought) and looking for something a little more day-to-day. For all they work better than I'd expect in the wet, every time I catch a glimpse of them it makes me nervous
Save 888's (or preferably Corsas) for summer. Put some Eagle F1 Asymetrics on for winter/daily use. Water ingress in the headlamp clusters has cost me a bulb, but I can't help noticing the lights aren't that great anyway. Has anybody gone with different bulbs/mods to improve night vis? It's more fun in the daylight, but the roads are so much quieter...
Occy
[/quote]
The headlights comprise a three piece assembly - the outer lens cover moulding, a carrier moulding in body colour for the lights and a rear cover moulding. The first two use a high strength bonding sealant which is designed to be `permanenet`. The rear cover uses a flexible silicone type seal material as this part is removeable to replace the bulbs etc. The most likely water ingress is around this moulding - it must have a complete, sound, bead of sealant around it - including the screwed attachments. You will also need to allow the internals to dry out completely before re-sealing or you will still get `misty` headlights if any moisture is left in the sealed assembly.
Occy
[/quote]
The headlights comprise a three piece assembly - the outer lens cover moulding, a carrier moulding in body colour for the lights and a rear cover moulding. The first two use a high strength bonding sealant which is designed to be `permanenet`. The rear cover uses a flexible silicone type seal material as this part is removeable to replace the bulbs etc. The most likely water ingress is around this moulding - it must have a complete, sound, bead of sealant around it - including the screwed attachments. You will also need to allow the internals to dry out completely before re-sealing or you will still get `misty` headlights if any moisture is left in the sealed assembly.
When i had water ingress into the headlights it was because the front sikaflex that holds the light unit/perspex lens in was leaking water. I get a friend to remove 25% of the seal at a time and rebead it. I also removed the rear cover, dried it out with a hairdryer, put in some silica bead stuff (for soaking up moisture) and didn't get a problem again. Sealed the rear 3 tims before i noticed the front seal was cracked 
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