Finally...

[mmm-five]

It’s never going to be my daily driver again, but it won’t be a garage queen either.

It will be doing 500+ miles a week between Liverpool and London over the next 4 weeks, and then it will be over to Germany for 6 days at the 'Ring.

So about 3000 miles in its first month back on the road

Still need to sort some cosmetic stuff out that I kept putting off. It’s relatively minor stuff, but potentially expensive & time consuming. I want to remove the seats and give it a deep clean, and whilst the seats are out I might get them re-Connollised/retrimmed/replaced.

Of course I’ve also got to pay for the Alcons (calipers, discs, pads, brackets & pipes) when they’re ready.

My first 'mod' once the car is back home (it's currently at the hotel near the office) will be to put the Gruppe-M back on. Hopefully before a Christmas I’ll also have a new carbon spoiler to put on too.

 

[Beedub]

your in love with the ////M, .... you can just tell!!!

 

[mmm-five]

Safely back at home.





Noticed that not all the PDC sensors are working, as it beeps when I reverse towards something large/solid, but not when I edge towards ballards...so I assume the side-rears are working, but the rear-rears aren't :thumbsdown:

Also opened my sunglasses holder to put my sunglasses back in...and the clip pinged out and is now somewhere behind/below the seats

 

[BMWZ4MC]

I'd keep it in the garage if I were you
It's so frustrating finding the little things that have been either missed by the body shop (or perhaps busted then hidden by them).

 

[Beedub]

I'd keep it in the garage if I were you
It's so frustrating finding the little things that have been either missed by the body shop (or perhaps busted then hidden by them).

every single time ... your totally bang on, if it isn't the panels that NEVER line up back as good as it did, they just don't even if they are removed and theirs no damage they never line quite back up properly, its the other stuff they break, scratch or damage in general on the route to repair, i HATE my cars going for repair work, and even general servicing now as no one looks after your Pride and joy like you will... its just not possible.

m5 those little bits id fix them myself if i was you! do not send it back.

 

[mmm-five]

It’s definitely not going back to the bodyshop

I’ll be doing the little things over the course of the next couple of weeks, and some bits with the aid of ducklakeview.

Then, after the ring trip (and depending on contract extension) I’ll take it off the road to get the seats either reconnolised or retrimmed, and then want to get a front end respray.

Whilst the seats are out, I think I’ll remove the rails and given them a good scrub & paint as they’re showing a bit of corrosion...although I might just simply replace them if they’re cheap enough.

The Alfa will do for the commute between London & Liverpool...especially in the current s**t weather we're having.

 

[mmm-five]

I'd keep it in the garage if I were you
It's so frustrating finding the little things that have been either missed by the body shop (or perhaps busted then hidden by them).

It wouldn’t fit...even when there wasn’t a step up. The 'garage' is storing something a little older (not mine). Anyway, I’m not 'precious' about the car...it’s made to be used.

 

[BMWZ4MC]

I'd keep it in the garage if I were you
It's so frustrating finding the little things that have been either missed by the body shop (or perhaps busted then hidden by them).

every single time ... your totally bang on, if it isn't the panels that NEVER line up back as good as it did, they just don't even if they are removed and theirs no damage they never line quite back up properly, its the other stuff they break, scratch or damage in general on the route to repair, i HATE my cars going for repair work, and even general servicing now as no one looks after your Pride and joy like you will... its just not possible.

m5 those little bits id fix them myself if i was you! do not send it back.

I agree completely. It's even worse in Sydney - the main dealers for premium European brands simply don't show any respect for your car and yet charge far more than they do in the UK for parts and labour. The assumption seems to be that if you own an expensive car then you should be able to afford to pay whatever they ask for any work and then replace the car before it needs anything more than routine servicing. I don't let my fiancée take her car to Mercedes even for servicing, insisting that I should take it in. They tend to behave a little better when I make it clear I won't stand for their bullshit.

The trouble is that maintaining a main dealer service history is even more important in Sydney as the alternative independent shops are usually inexperienced with European cars and many of them create problems to fix expecting the customer to be naive to their antics.

 

[BMWZ4MC]

I'd keep it in the garage if I were you
It's so frustrating finding the little things that have been either missed by the body shop (or perhaps busted then hidden by them).

It wouldn’t fit...even when there wasn’t a step up. The 'garage' is storing something a little older (not mine). Anyway, I’m not 'precious' about the car...it’s made to be used.

I was being facetious - I assumed your garage had been converted into a room in your house

 

[mmm-five]

I'd keep it in the garage if I were you
It's so frustrating finding the little things that have been either missed by the body shop (or perhaps busted then hidden by them).

It wouldn’t fit...even when there wasn’t a step up. The 'garage' is storing something a little older (not mine). Anyway, I’m not 'precious' about the car...it’s made to be used.

I was being facetious - I assumed your garage had been converted into a room in your house

It’s still a garage - we’ll the front 18 foot is - the other 30 foot is a room and downstairs toilet/shower. It’s just that the front part has some old British bikes in it (Triumph, BSA, Ariel).

 

[BMWZ4MC]

Sounds interesting, any pictures (the bikes not the shower room)?

 

[Beedub]

interested in the shower room pics too!! sounds like great idea!! :evil: :evil: :evil:

 

[mmm-five]

Sorry, no pictures. Wouldn’t want to tempt any burglars...with shower-envy

 

[BMWZ4MC]

Sorry, no pictures. Wouldn’t want to tempt any burglars...with shower-envy

How will I plan my burglary without them? :evil:

 

[Nictrix]

The Ariels not a Red Hunter is it?

 

[mmm-five]

The Ariels not a Red Hunter is it?

No Red Hunter or Square Four...at my last look.

I'm away from home a lot so only go into the 'garage' every couple of months. There's another 'shed' for bits I need access to (tools, cleaning gear, spare parts storage).

There was a Leader, an Arrow and a Pixie - but I think it's only the Arrow that's left...as they're being sold fund my father's retirement (they're his bikes after all).

The Pixie was only sold a couple of weeks ago...


At one point there were a couple of BSA Bantams (D7 & D13), Triumph Tiger 110, BSA A10, BSA B6...err I can't remember the rest as he kept swapping and changing. There was also a Greeves trials bike and a Villiers of some sort - don't know much about those.

Looks like he also had a fairly modern Honda Cub...as his ebay history shows he sold one of them recently too...


That little piece of wood in the top-left of the picture, is the 'ramp' for getting the bikes out of the back garage, through the shower room, through the office, through the front garage and onto the drive.

Just called him, and the only bikes he's got left are a Triumph Tiger 90 and a Triumph Speed Twin

 

[Nictrix]

The Ariels not a Red Hunter is it?

No Red Hunter or Square Four...at my last look.

I'm away from home a lot so only go into the 'garage' every couple of months. There's another 'shed' for bits I need access to (tools, cleaning gear, spare parts storage).

There was a Leader, an Arrow and a Pixie - but I think it's only the Arrow that's left...as they're being sold fund my father's retirement (they're his bikes after all).

At one point there were a couple of BSA Bantams (D7 & D13), Triumph Tiger 110, BSA A10, BSA B6...err I can't remember the rest as he kept swapping and changing. There was also a Greeves trials bike and a Villiers of some sort - don't know much about those.

Just wondering as my dad had an Ariel Red Hunter when he was young but although he had it for a while he has no pictures of it.