BMCWP

Cheers - order placed - previous code was invalid but there was a new code (at time of posting) MID80 so just under 50% off at £18 so still good

So fed up with my squeaky noisy Bosch blades and having to do more long runs in the rain I decided to buy some cheap eBay wipers (as you do) instead of the more expensive and noisy Bosch ones - so, go onto eBay and select a pair that according to their listings "will fit my car" of course I dont look at my own wipers until I go to fit and while they are in deed I suppose the "hook" type they seem wider and I cant seem to fit these as while they seem to click in ok the little plastic shroud wont close (see photo) I dont know if its needed to be honest but dont fancy just leaving them on in case they come off and scratch the screen - anyone any links to cheap not squeaky wipers that fit - or do I need to go back to halfords and just get the cheap ones from there again.

I would have thought that my LS430 being (slightly) more modern than a 400 would have no issues with them, as even my 20 year old Jaguar had no issues. I do know that some sidelight bulbs can cause problems as I once put them into my 04 range rover and on start up it resembled a police car as they looked like strobes 🙄 although no error messages came up. I'm not overly worried about them and won't be ordering any - as for fire while unlikely I have seen some cheaper lamps with so called heatsinks on them burn out and damage the holders but those from what I can gather came from China and were early on in the life of led bulbs. Technology marches on so who knows what is next but for now as I said I'll leave well alone. 🙂

So guess who only noticed last night that the seat belt buckle is illuminated at night with the lights on? Yep, Me. 😕 😂 I was also considering changing the bulbs in the other interior lamps (door handles, foot-well/seat lamps etc) to blue leds as I had done to my older car but am not sure if its a good or bad idea as I had mixed results before with chinese bulbs - anyone else done this successfully and is it a pain in the back

I can't see any paperwork to show mine being done so sounds like something I should do - any preferences/recommendations as to where to buy one?

I ran a Jaguar XJ8 for 8 years on LPG and it never once gave me any problems - add in to that it was not "serviced" (filter clean) in 4 years as nobody told me it needed it 😎 There will be a separate tank for the LPG and a filler behind a cap - in this case you can see it down at the rear right in the bumper plastic so at least they did not cut the body. the actual tank will be either a small "donut" tank in the spare wheel well (so no spare!) or a larger cylinder in the back of the boot under the fridge - you will not know unless you ask or look. To me its a bonus to have it as it will save you money if you do a lot of miles but don't fall for the hype of getting low MPG it will help but its not a deal breaker

If you go to Amazon and search for Rocboc Coccyx Cushion Gel Seat Cushion Non-Slip Gel Cushion Relieves Sciatica and Coccyx Pain That will get you to the one I have - yes the heated/cooled seat function won't work as well but you are not supposed to use heated seats with these anyway (it says so in the instructions) but as I rarely used mine its no biggy and its used for long runs (over 20 minutes) its not perfect but better than any of the others I tried.

Replaced all four brake disks and new pads - not bad since the disks have been on there from it left the factory 🙂 Also quick service (all fluids and filters) all nice and ready now for another winter as my daily driver except that drivers seat cushion - still can't get anyone to look at it let alone refoam it so I'm using one of those "eggshell" cushions bought off amazon not perfect but better than nothing.

Badges done now as well 😎

Wheels were a bit worn looking (and one was a slightly different colour) and I had a few cans of Plastidip so... Good thing is, if I don't like it or it does not wear well I can simply peel it off - I'll do the emblems on the boot next 🙂

If you find a well worn baseball hat in the boot and wires for an external sub woofer don't say I didn't warn you 🤣 but having proof of the cam belt is a good thing and I must say I did slightly jump at my own car as it was the only one available at the time (and even now there are none for sale over here) good luck and happy motoring

Well for us over here in Northern Ireland the imports were a massive success in the early to mid 90's and you would not have been able to move for fleets of taxi's mostly all white automatic diesel's in poverty spec (no electric anything but cloth seats central locking and AirCon) with simple radios that had the Japanese frequency's on them that in some cases allowed you to listen in to other taxi firms as they used PMR radios that could be picked up on them - then the insurance company's caught on and despite proof from many 3rd party garages they increased the premiums on them saying they "could not get parts" and that ended that. So for that reason I see very few imports here now but I assume going by the threads on here they are still very popular and certainly not an unknown brand

weird I seem to have lost the first paragraph 😕 anyway basically the reg is on the V5C in the last photo of the link of pictures you posted 🙂

🤣😁 As for the fails it was the advisory's that got me as they seemed to be consistent and that would lead me to believe the car was not looked after at all - any of my cars that failed on something small (we have a different way of doing MOT's over here and they are VERY strict) it was immediately rectified and therefore would not show up again. Another one (possibly me reading into it too much) was the one about the number plate - usually done here by the boy racer types so adding 2 and 2 together (bad tyres, spaced number plate) I have expected to see it videoed sliding round a B road somewhere driven by a baseball hat wearing yoof 😎

My own 2006 car is one owner from new, currently 80,500 miles and I have a full service history and receipts for lots of work done over the years and my car cost half that including all the little jobs I did like new tyres and cam belt 😕 However I ran the plate through a little app called "Vehicle Smart" that can show the previous MOT results including advisories and to put it mildly that car has had a colourful past. I can only speak for myself in saying that I would personally walk away from that one. If it was cheaper maybe I would consider it as they do say the cam belt was done but I would most definitely insist on seeing the service history first 🙂 Sorry if I am sounding like a doom merchant but there are plenty of good cars out there and my gut instinct is that is not one of them. Just my ten pence worth and I am happy to be ignored as I often buy cars with my heart and not my head and wonder why I keep doing that to myself 🤣

Thanks I have Paul's details as that was were I got the cluster from 🙂 I'll see what the story is and how much its likely to cost as my budget is limited - and as i am the only person that drives the car it might just be the best option to manually adjust it and then sort it out later

So I purchased a nice 2nd hand dash cluster that I need to make my car UK road legal and when investigating the removal of same (before I was ready to actually swap them over) I remembered that my wheel does not move so it looks very like it would make the swap over a little awkward (if not almost impossible) so I really should sort that out as while I am at it. If i press the down button there is a "squeak" but no movement and the other 3 do nothing at all (not even a squeak) so my question is thus... is there a possible fuse blown or maybe a manual override anywhere (clutching at straws there) or is it a matter of biting the bullet and getting replacement motors/parts and could a ham fisted idiot like me fix that or should I let my mechanic at it.

Got one from Lexussparesdirect on eBay he had a pre facelift one for sale so I asked did he have one for my car and he did 🙂

Sorted 🙂

MOT man is not happy my car has a KPH only speedo so I need a MPH/KPH cluster if anyone has one? there are a few on eBay but I thought I'll ask here first in case somebody has one they don't need (long shot I know but might as well ask)

They are great aren't they 🙂 I have kept my original ones in the shed in case I decide to go back to factory although I would put LED lamps in if doing so as the bulbs in them are almost 14 years old now - as you know so easy to fit and look great at night. Next up is the replacement of all the other interior lighting with LED's after I get new brake disks and change my KPH cluster for a UK one.

Washed it, put fuel in it and drove it 🙂

No argument from me either as I had the choice of a 2006 A8 W12 or the LS430 (I think I made the right choice) 🤣

I'll add in a Plus 1 to the never go back to a Merc comments. I had a few and my last one was a 2006 S Class - one owner, full service history, low mileage "cherished" example sold "as seen on behalf of a customer" from a local so called dealer. I should have known better 🤨 Electrical gremlins, dodgy suspension and the final nail in the coffin an faulty gearbox put the idea that an S Class was the ultimate car firmly out to pasture. (I was coming from a Range Rover and on reflection should have just spent the money doing it up and keeping it I would have saved myself a few grand. Anyway, enough of that I bought my 2006 model with a good service history and few niggles but all have been more or less sorted now for very humble money I had the cam belt done as a precaution as the car had only done 76,000 miles however it was 13 years old (I read somewhere do the belts at or before 100,000 or ten years) and it was on its last legs so a job well worth doing. My car came in from Southern Ireland and has a KPH speedo that I have to change and no sunroof (Sun? in Ireland?) 🙂 Everything bar the afore mentioned steering wheel motors works, I updated the SatNav with a Disc from the interwebs for £19 (2018) and the only problem seems to be the inability to type in a postcode but to be honest I rarely use it. Air con is still ice cold but do check the condition of the drivers seat cushion, mine has "flattened" out over the years and is a little uncomfortable slightly spoiling the entire "magic carpet" sensation (its not that bad I can live with it but its on my list to get sorted) And yes, you do see boy racers coming past - those that know nod in approval, those that don't sometimes find out there is a lot of life in a 13 year old 4.3 V8 😉

I was going to fit my missing centre cap on the wheel as it just arrived from the states (as nobody in the UK seemed to have one) but they sent it in a standard jiffy bag and of course its arrived crushed - so I now have to wait to see if they will replace it and hopefully this time send it in bubble wrap in a little box marked "do not crush" 😕