Yesterday I was helping my housemate out by sorting a seized door lock
on his 5 series when It started to give the electrical problems I
posted about.

Tody I got stuck into it and found the fault lay with a fusible link
about 50mm long that bolts in series to a battery lead. It's a strip of
soft metal rated at either 50 or 80 Amps, I don't know which. A quick
call to our local BMW dealer and they tell me I'd have to wait 48 hours
because they don't hold battery leads in stock. I told him I didn't
want the whole lead, just the little fusible link that's held in with
two 10mm nuts "Sorry sir, the fusible link isn't available on its own,
you'll have to buy a complete battery lead and they are 120 pounds plus
VAT". 120 quid for the sake of a 50mm piece of soft metal that could
quite easily be supplied on its own.

Like fuck I will - It's only slightly cracked under one of the nuts so
a pair of larger diameter washers have been employed to spread the
contact area a little more and cure the fault.

Robbing cunts

-- 
Lozzo
SV650S K5, CBR600F-W, SR250 SpazzTrakka
and a shit load more 2-wheeled junk in the garage
I believe in free speech, but I still have to pay my phone bill

On 2 Sep, 14:26, "Lozzo"  wrote:
> Yesterday I was helping my housemate out by sorting a seized door lock
> on his 5 series when It started to give the electrical problems I
> posted about.
>
> Tody I got stuck into it and found the fault lay with a fusible link
> about 50mm long that bolts in series to a battery lead.

How on earth did you trace the fault to this? Impressed, I am.

<snip>
>
> Like fuck I will - It's only slightly cracked under one of the nuts so
> a pair of larger diameter washers have been employed to spread the
> contact area a little more and cure the fault.
>
> Robbing cunts
>
Heh. Not like you have a thing against BMWs anyway, is it?

Lozzo wibbled:

> Yesterday I was helping my housemate out by sorting a seized door lock
> on his 5 series when It started to give the electrical problems I
> posted about.
> 
> Tody I got stuck into it and found the fault lay with a fusible link
> about 50mm long that bolts in series to a battery lead. It's a strip
> of soft metal rated at either 50 or 80 Amps, I don't know which. A
> quick call to our local BMW dealer and they tell me I'd have to wait
> 48 hours because they don't hold battery leads in stock. I told him I
> didn't want the whole lead, just the little fusible link that's held
> in with two 10mm nuts "Sorry sir, the fusible link isn't available on
> its own, you'll have to buy a complete battery lead and they are 120
> pounds plus VAT". 120 quid for the sake of a 50mm piece of soft metal
> that could quite easily be supplied on its own.
> 
> Like fuck I will - It's only slightly cracked under one of the nuts so
> a pair of larger diameter washers have been employed to spread the
> contact area a little more and cure the fault.
> 
> Robbing cunts


That rant took a bit longer to arrive than expected!

I have the same problem with Mercedes 

Try this lot http://www.asm-autos.co.uk/



-- 
Buzby
There's nothing more dangerous than a resourceful idiot

Lozzo wrote:
>
> Robbing cunts

Aye; it cost me £97 for a replacement key, ffs.

No wonder they have a team of (semi-) trained,
suit-wearing chimps in the local dealer, along
with a desk full of smiling dolly-birds at the
door.

Not surprisingly, I'll be changing my own brake
pads - they only cost £13.95 for a full set
(4 pads) of Mintex's finest.

--
Antony

Lozzo wrote:
> "Sorry sir, the fusible link isn't available on its own,
> you'll have to buy a complete battery lead and they are 120 pounds plus
> VAT". 120 quid for the sake of a 50mm piece of soft metal that could
> quite easily be supplied on its own.

Have you tried http://www.eurocarparts.com or 
http://www.gsfcarparts.com, instead of Robin Bastard GmbH?

antonye wrote:
> Lozzo wrote:
>> Robbing cunts
> 
> Aye; it cost me £97 for a replacement key, ffs.
> 

That's going rate for VW-Audi, too, round about.

> No wonder they have a team of (semi-) trained,
> suit-wearing chimps in the local dealer, along
> with a desk full of smiling dolly-birds at the
> door.
>

That's very like Audi, as well. When I bought a headlamp lens, a bloke 
in a suit brought it out to me...

JB wrote:
>> Heh. Not like you have a thing against BMWs anyway, is it?
>
>Fuckers they are when it comes to spares prices.

If you think they're expensive, have a look at parts prices for old Porkers.
Just make sure you're sitting down before you look.

-- 
Message posted via MotorcycleKB.com
http://www.motorcyclekb.com/Uwe/Forums.aspx/uk-motorcycle/200809/1

On Tue, 2 Sep 2008 08:20:03 -0700 (PDT), antonye 
wrote:

>> Robbing cunts
>
>Aye; it cost me £97 for a replacement key, ffs.
>
>No wonder they have a team of (semi-) trained,
>suit-wearing chimps in the local dealer, along
>with a desk full of smiling dolly-birds at the
>door.

I've quietly added up the cost of the potted palms etc whenever I've
been to a BMW dealer.

>Not surprisingly, I'll be changing my own brake
>pads - they only cost £13.95 for a full set
>(4 pads) of Mintex's finest.

A good independent is the way forward - I use a great bloke who runs
out of a industrial unit.  He's got a couple of blokes working for
him, all BMW trained, and he provides a brilliant service at a
reasonable cost.

-- 
Champ

Two standard issue crutches
To email me, neal at my domain should work.

In article , Champ says...

> I've quietly added up the cost of the potted palms etc whenever I've
> been to a BMW dealer.

My current workplace recently got rid of 2 receptionists, and added a 
shitload of potted plants.

This, IME, is a Bad Sign.
-- 
Bear
2002 Yamaha R1
Saab Aero Sport

On Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:10:23 GMT, Chris Bartram
 wrote:

>Lozzo wrote:
>> "Sorry sir, the fusible link isn't available on its own,
>> you'll have to buy a complete battery lead and they are 120 pounds plus
>> VAT". 120 quid for the sake of a 50mm piece of soft metal that could
>> quite easily be supplied on its own.
>
>Have you tried http://www.eurocarparts.com or 
>http://www.gsfcarparts.com, instead of Robin Bastard GmbH?

Good call.  I've used them a lot for VW, Volvo, Renault and Peugeot
parts and they're spot on with good prices to boot.

-- 
Pip: B12

JB wrote:

> 
> "TOG@Toil"  wrote in message
> news:ffda0f87-1db4-479f-936a-3fd83c25863c@d45g2000hsc.googlegroups.com
> ...  >On 2 Sep, 14:26, "Lozzo"  wrote:
> > > Yesterday I was helping my housemate out by sorting a seized door
> > > lock on his 5 series when It started to give the electrical
> > > problems I posted about.
> > > 
> > > Tody I got stuck into it and found the fault lay with a fusible
> > > link about 50mm long that bolts in series to a battery lead.
> > 
> > How on earth did you trace the fault to this? Impressed, I am.

Don't be.

> www.e34.net
> Fusible link cracked is a known issue with E34/E36 (fusible link is
> only needed where battery is remotely mounted under back seat or in
> load area and all other fuses are all in boxes under bonnet etc.

*DING*

A quick search and I found a whole page of owners who'd traced the
fault to either the fusible link or the control module under the rear
seat. I took the easy option and wiggled the fusible link first, and
'hey presto', it worked.

-- 
Lozzo
SV650S K5, CBR600F-W, SR250 SpazzTrakka
and a shit load more 2-wheeled junk in the garage
I believe in free speech, but I still have to pay my phone bill

In article ,
Pip   wrote:
>>Have you tried http://www.eurocarparts.com or 
>>http://www.gsfcarparts.com, instead of Robin Bastard GmbH?
>
>Good call.  I've used them a lot for VW, Volvo, Renault and Peugeot
>parts and they're spot on with good prices to boot.

Just be careful to take the old bit in with you to compare with the bit
they're selling you. In some cases they manage to be competitive by
sourcing direct from eg Bosch and if it's some electrical widget like a
temperature sensor, O2 sensor, relay or whatever they might not match
the right model variation in the same way a main dealer could.

DAMHIK

-- 
CB500 (blue + flies)

Chris Bartram wrote:

> Lozzo wrote:
> > "Sorry sir, the fusible link isn't available on its own,
> > you'll have to buy a complete battery lead and they are 120 pounds
> > plus VAT". 120 quid for the sake of a 50mm piece of soft metal that
> > could quite easily be supplied on its own.
> 
> Have you tried http://www.eurocarparts.com or
> http://www.gsfcarparts.com, instead of Robin Bastard GmbH?

Wonderful, thanks. GSF do one for 30p

-- 
Lozzo
SV650S K5, CBR600F-W, SR250 SpazzTrakka
and a shit load more 2-wheeled junk in the garage
I believe in free speech, but I still have to pay my phone bill

The Longhaired Boxhead via MotorcycleKB.com wrote:

> JB wrote:
> >> Heh. Not like you have a thing against BMWs anyway, is it?
> > 
> > Fuckers they are when it comes to spares prices.
> 
> If you think they're expensive, have a look at parts prices for old
> Porkers.  Just make sure you're sitting down before you look.

They used to be cheap when I had mine, so long as you stuck to places
like German & Swedish or Porsche Pirates. E.g. the huge ventilated
front disks on my 951 were 50 quid each.

-- 
Krusty
www.MuddyStuff.co.uk
Off-Road Classifieds

'02 MV Senna  '03 Tiger 955i  '96 Tiger  '79 Fantic Hiro 250

On Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:12:30 GMT, Chris Bartram
 wrote:

[parts prices]

>That's very like Audi, as well. When I bought a headlamp lens, a bloke 
>in a suit brought it out to me...

I recall standing in front of the Parts Counter in an Audi dealership
many years ago, waiting for a relay or something,  Bloke next to me
had ordered an indicator switch and had been waiting for three weeks.
He'd already paid for it (three weeks previous, or they wouldn't order
it) so was quite keen to get his hands on it.

Partsbloke appeared from the dim recesses of the warehouse, with a
long flat box in his hands, which he slipped onto the shelf under the
counter.  Placing my little relay on the counter, he turned to the
other bloke and asked if he was Mr Thing, which he duly turned out to
be.

Partsbloke sort of apologised for the delay, but the stalk had had to
come from Der Vaterland, see.  However, it was here now ... but there
was a slight problem.  Mr Thing was getting distressed by now, and had
taken hold of the edge of the counter.  I guess driving round North
Devon without indicators for a few weeks was getting to him (should
have bought a BMW, 'cos they apparently don't have indicators, do
they?) and he was twitching well.

"That stalk part number's been deleted, see?  But don't worry, they've
replaced it" with which he reached under the counter, grabbed the long
flat box and slid it onto the top.  "We got it here, look.  It's now
... err ..." (the single polysyllabic Deutsche word blew his mind)
"all in here, see.  It's the WHOLE ASSEMBLY".

Then he came out with that phrase we all hate to hear: "There's a bit
more to pay".  There was, too: Mr Thing had forked over fifty quid
already and the twitch wasn't getting any better.  However, as the
switch was now 'only available as a complete assembly' this meant he
had to have the wiper switch too - and the steering column, and by the
"little bit extra" there was a surcharge amounting to a ~400% price
increase.

Mr Thing looked like he was going to puke, or Hulk Out - or keel over,
I dunno ... so I called out  that I'd be back for the relay and did a
quick one before getting dragged into something that could have turned
quite messy.

It's nothing new.

-- 
Pip: B12

In article <OBdvk.51876$E41.47420@text.news.virginmedia.com>,
Chris Bartram   wrote:
>That's very like Audi, as well. When I bought a headlamp lens, a bloke 
>in a suit brought it out to me...

I was in Audi parts getting some trip clips a while back (these are only
about 20p each, suprisingly) and there was a bloke getting an updated
Satnav CD.

Now these are available online direct from the travelpilot people for
slightly over 100 pounds, but Audi wanted to charge him 230 quid.

-- 
CB500 (blue + flies)

Lozzo  wrote:

> Yesterday I was..

I saw the Subject first, and thought this must be one of Nige's rants
against whatever has upset him today.

His presence is catching.

Alan.
-- 
To reply by e-mail, change the ' + ' to 'plus'.

Krusty wrote:
> The Longhaired Boxhead via MotorcycleKB.com wrote:
> 
>> JB wrote:
>>>> Heh. Not like you have a thing against BMWs anyway, is it?
>>> Fuckers they are when it comes to spares prices.
>> If you think they're expensive, have a look at parts prices for old
>> Porkers.  Just make sure you're sitting down before you look.
> 
> They used to be cheap when I had mine, so long as you stuck to places
> like German & Swedish or Porsche Pirates. E.g. the huge ventilated
> front disks on my 951 were 50 quid each.
> 
Most bits weren't too bad on my old 911s. The bonnet badge, at £38 was a 
bit steep, but stuff like wheel bearings were normally reasonably priced.

Not bad at 'trade' prices, but scary for retail stuff.

-- 
Pete M - OMF#9

BMW 325i SE Touring
Range Rover V8 Turbo

"Wait! We can't stop here, this is Bat Country"

Pete M  writes:

> Krusty wrote:
>> The Longhaired Boxhead via MotorcycleKB.com wrote:
>>
>>> JB wrote:
>>>>> Heh. Not like you have a thing against BMWs anyway, is it?
>>>> Fuckers they are when it comes to spares prices.
>>> If you think they're expensive, have a look at parts prices for old
>>> Porkers.  Just make sure you're sitting down before you look.
>>
>> They used to be cheap when I had mine, so long as you stuck to places
>> like German & Swedish or Porsche Pirates. E.g. the huge ventilated
>> front disks on my 951 were 50 quid each.
>>
> Most bits weren't too bad on my old 911s. The bonnet badge, at £38 was
> a bit steep, but stuff like wheel bearings were normally reasonably
> priced.

Most of the consumables are very reasonable, but some of the other stuff
is scary - try pricing up a complete set of targa roof seals.

Or a barrel and a piston - not that you'd need those very often.

> Not bad at 'trade' prices, but scary for retail stuff.

Indeed.

-- 
Morini Corsaro 125 | CB450K4 | XL250 Motosport | 900SSD | R1150RT
Laverda SF2 | Harley FXD                       BOTAFOF #33 TWA#10
The UKRM FAQ: http://www.ukrm.net/faq/index.html
"Je profite du paysage" - Joe Bar

"Krusty" <dontwantany@nowhere.invalid> writes:

> The Longhaired Boxhead via MotorcycleKB.com wrote:
>
>> JB wrote:
>> >> Heh. Not like you have a thing against BMWs anyway, is it?
>> > 
>> > Fuckers they are when it comes to spares prices.
>> 
>> If you think they're expensive, have a look at parts prices for old
>> Porkers.  Just make sure you're sitting down before you look.
>
> They used to be cheap when I had mine, so long as you stuck to places
> like German & Swedish or Porsche Pirates. E.g. the huge ventilated
> front disks on my 951 were 50 quid each.

Erm, do I like the sort of person who'd buy parts from a Porsche dealer?

-- 
Morini Corsaro 125 | CB450K4 | XL250 Motosport | 900SSD | R1150RT
Laverda SF2 | Harley FXD                       BOTAFOF #33 TWA#10
The UKRM FAQ: http://www.ukrm.net/faq/index.html
"Je profite du paysage" - Joe Bar

On 2/9/08 19:06, in article g9jv8s$q82$2@registered.motzarella.org, "Pete M"
 wrote:

> Most bits weren't too bad on my old 911s. The bonnet badge, at £38 was a
> bit steep, but stuff like wheel bearings were normally reasonably priced.
> 
> Not bad at 'trade' prices, but scary for retail stuff.
Sob - a new LH front wing cost me £800 for my 83 911.
Mind ewe that car was worth every  penny.My hobby was trying to drive the
back road from Wetherby to Harrogate without touching the brakes.

Steve
-- 
1936 BSA B18
1985 K100RS
1992 Katana 400
1998 HD FXDS
2007 HD VRSCDX

Timo Geusch wrote:

> "Krusty" <dontwantany@nowhere.invalid> writes:
> 
> > The Longhaired Boxhead via MotorcycleKB.com wrote:
> > 
> >> JB wrote:
> >> >> Heh. Not like you have a thing against BMWs anyway, is it?
> >> > 
> >> > Fuckers they are when it comes to spares prices.
> >> 
> >> If you think they're expensive, have a look at parts prices for old
> >> Porkers.  Just make sure you're sitting down before you look.
> > 
> > They used to be cheap when I had mine, so long as you stuck to
> > places like German & Swedish or Porsche Pirates. E.g. the huge
> > ventilated front disks on my 951 were 50 quid each.
> 
> Erm, do I like the sort of person who'd buy parts from a Porsche
> dealer?

I don't know, do you? 

-- 
Krusty
www.MuddyStuff.co.uk
Off-Road Classifieds

'02 MV Senna  '03 Tiger 955i  '96 Tiger  '79 Fantic Hiro 250

On 2 Sep 2008 21:01:09 GMT, "Krusty" <dontwantany@nowhere.invalid>
wrote:
 
>Timo Geusch wrote:

>> Erm, do I like the sort of person who'd buy parts from a Porsche
>> dealer?
>
>I don't know, do you? 

You've never met Timo? Trust me, he doesn't.

-- 
  _______
.'_/_|_\_'.  Ace (b.rogers at ifrance.com)
\`\  |  /`/  
 `\\ | //'   BOTAFOT#3, SbS#2, UKRMMA#13, DFV#8, SKA#2, IBB#10
   `\|/`
     `

Ace wrote:

> On 2 Sep 2008 21:01:09 GMT, "Krusty" <dontwantany@nowhere.invalid>
> wrote:
>  
> > Timo Geusch wrote:
> 
> >> Erm, do I like the sort of person who'd buy parts from a Porsche
> >> dealer?
> > 
> > I don't know, do you? 
> 
> You've never met Timo? Trust me, he doesn't.

I'll give you a whoosh on that one.

-- 
Krusty
www.MuddyStuff.co.uk
Off-Road Classifieds

'02 MV Senna  '03 Tiger 955i  '96 Tiger  '79 Fantic Hiro 250

Champ wrote:
>
> A good independent is the way forward - I use a great bloke who runs
> out of a industrial unit.  He's got a couple of blokes working for
> him, all BMW trained, and he provides a brilliant service at a
> reasonable cost.

Yup, we've got one near here in South Woodham Ferrers that
I have used in the past. I only found it as I needed an
MOT on the old 3er and the first place I found through the
Yellow Pages that could fit me in is right next door.

I took the same 3er down there when the airbag light came
on and he got out the computer and reset it for me, then
wouldn't take payment. I gave him a tenner anyway and told
him to buy himself a drink and funnily enough he remembers
me every time I go back. I ended up going there again when
the key died on the Barge-o-Matic having already visited
the local (less than a mile away) dealer just to check that
the key was duff and not just the dealer wanting to sell me
a new key. He ran a load of tests again through the plug-in
diag kit and confirmed it was new key time and ordered it
all for me. Again they didn't charge for the diagnosis
and got me a ket within 3 days direct from BMW.

It's a shame that the attitude of the dealer was "yeah,
you need a new key" rather than even bothering to go
outside and check it, as they lost a sale.

--
Antony

A.Lee wrote:
> Lozzo  wrote:
>
>> Yesterday I was..
>
> I saw the Subject first, and thought this must be one of Nige's rants
> against whatever has upset him today.
>
> His presence is catching.
>
> Alan.

;)

-- 


Nige, 'It's all about the speed'

Range Rover Td6 Vogue
BMW K1200S
Suzuki GSX-R1000 K3 (coming soon)
Focus ST3

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Steve 
saying something like:

>Sob - a new LH front wing cost me £800 for my 83 911.

>Mind ewe that car was worth every  penny.My hobby was trying to drive the
>back road from Wetherby to Harrogate without touching the brakes.

Were the two related, by any chance?
-- 
Dave
GS850x2 XS650 SE6a

"It's a moron working with power tools.
 How much more suspenseful can you get?"
 - House

Grimly Curmudgeon  writes:

> We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
> drugs began to take hold. I remember Steve 
> saying something like:
>
>>Sob - a new LH front wing cost me £800 for my 83 911.
>
>>Mind ewe that car was worth every  penny.My hobby was trying to drive the
>>back road from Wetherby to Harrogate without touching the brakes.
>
> Were the two related, by any chance?

My semi-educated guess would be that he had a bubbly wing - all the
early-ish ones up to the early 90s do that.

-- 
Morini Corsaro 125 | CB450K4 | XL250 Motosport | 900SSD | R1150RT
Laverda SF2 | Harley FXD                       BOTAFOF #33 TWA#10
The UKRM FAQ: http://www.ukrm.net/faq/index.html
"Je profite du paysage" - Joe Bar

antonye  wrote:

>  I ended up going there again when
> the key died on the Barge-o-Matic having already visited
> the local (less than a mile away) dealer just to check that
> the key was duff and not just the dealer wanting to sell me
> a new key. He ran a load of tests again through the plug-in
> diag kit and confirmed it was new key time and ordered it
> all for me. Again they didn't charge for the diagnosis
> and got me a ket within 3 days direct from BMW.
> 
> It's a shame that the attitude of the dealer was "yeah,
> you need a new key" rather than even bothering to go
> outside and check it, as they lost a sale.

Um, if the dealer was spot-on without having to go through ages of
diagnostic tests, why is this a bad thing?


-- 
BMW K1100LT  Ducati 750SS  Yamaha XT600E  Honda CB400F
chateau dot murray at idnet dot com
"What you're proposing to do will involve a lot of time
and hassle for no tangible benefit."

On 2/9/08 23:53, in article g9kg58$nor$6@registered.motzarella.org, "Grimly
Curmudgeon"  wrote:

> Were the two related, by any chance?
Nope - I even managed it once at about 5am.The fuel filler cap was rusted to
buggery and the only decent repair was a whole new wing.

Steve
-- 
1936 BSA B18
1985 K100RS
1992 Katana 400
1998 HD FXDS
2007 HD VRSCDX

The Older Gentleman wrote:
> antonye  wrote:
> 
>>  I ended up going there again when
>> the key died on the Barge-o-Matic having already visited
>> the local (less than a mile away) dealer just to check that
>> the key was duff and not just the dealer wanting to sell me
>> a new key. He ran a load of tests again through the plug-in
>> diag kit and confirmed it was new key time and ordered it
>> all for me. Again they didn't charge for the diagnosis
>> and got me a ket within 3 days direct from BMW.
>>
>> It's a shame that the attitude of the dealer was "yeah,
>> you need a new key" rather than even bothering to go
>> outside and check it, as they lost a sale.
> 
> Um, if the dealer was spot-on without having to go through ages of
> diagnostic tests, why is this a bad thing?
> 
> 
Worse *perceived* service, innit.

-- 
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
116 Giulietta 3.0l Sprint 1.7 145 2.0 Cloverleaf 156 V6 2.5 S2
Triumph Sprint ST 1050: It's blue, see.
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

On Tue, 2 Sep 2008 17:36:16 +0100, Bear 
wrote:

>In article , Champ says...
>
>> I've quietly added up the cost of the potted palms etc whenever I've
>> been to a BMW dealer.
>
>My current workplace recently got rid of 2 receptionists, and added a 
>shitload of potted plants.

Just wait until they implement Drogna as a currency.

Catman wrote:

>>
> Worse *perceived* service, innit.
> 
Heh, odd that.
My rents bought a Hyundia once, which developed a rattle very early in 
its life. It went back in on a Monday morning for a fettle.

They called in the early afternoon to say it was fixed and ready for 
collection.

It had been a loose camshaft, which was still operable but not fully 
bolted down with whatever camshafts are bolted in with.

The perception was one of 'wow, they got the top off, torqued and back 
on in a couple of hours' rather than 'fuck, they sell cars with wobbly 
engine bits'

After I inherited the car and ran it for a couple of years without an 
oil change or anything like that it was sounding pretty fucking 
rough[2], but no matter how much I longed for a more modern car it just 
WOULD NOT DIE. When I finally offloaded if for scrap it was still 
running. Some guy took it for banger racing. IIRC it was a Mitsubishi 
engine.

[1] Not sure what my point was so I'm putting 'blog' in the subject.
[2] For some reason, every engine I own starts gradually sounding more 
and more like a diesel, then like a bag of typewriters being shaken in a 
bag.

cat wrote:
> Catman wrote:
> 
>>>
>> Worse *perceived* service, innit.
>>
> Heh, odd that.
> My rents bought a Hyundia once, which developed a rattle very early in 
> its life. It went back in on a Monday morning for a fettle.
> 
> They called in the early afternoon to say it was fixed and ready for 
> collection.
> 
> It had been a loose camshaft, which was still operable but not fully 
> bolted down with whatever camshafts are bolted in with.
> 
> The perception was one of 'wow, they got the top off, torqued and back 
> on in a couple of hours' rather than 'fuck, they sell cars with wobbly 
> engine bits'

Kind of my point.


-- 
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
116 Giulietta 3.0l Sprint 1.7 145 2.0 Cloverleaf 156 V6 2.5 S2
Triumph Sprint ST 1050: It's blue, see.
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

The Older Gentleman wrote:
>
> Um, if the dealer was spot-on without having to go through ages of
> diagnostic tests, why is this a bad thing?

Ok, maybe I was being a bit fussy but there was much more
to the story than the above, like how I got stranded at
Cadwell in the car and had to call out the AA...

The key would (remote) unlock the doors and turn on the
ignition but simply not start the car. I got it recovered
back home [1] and the next morning I went out with the spare
key and it started first click. Tried the "duff" key again
and it also started first click. Lock the car with the
remote, try the duff key again and it starts the car.
Lock the car again, wait ten minutes, try the duff key
and it will unlock and switch the ignition on but it
will not turn over, as at Cadwell. Try other key; starts
first time. Try duff key again - starts first time.

So it appeared to me that while the key was perfectly
valid it had "lost" it's connection/synch with the
imobiliser circuit rather than being *completely* duff.

When I walked into the dealer I said that the key was
playing up and wouldn't start the car but would unlock
it fine and the spotty yoof in a £12 ASDA suit just
shrugged his shoulders and said "New key, innit. £90 mate."
without even bothering to step outside and let me
give him the full story or show him my trouble as above.

So yes, he was right but the attitude stinks.

The friendly garage, on the other hand, took their time to
go through the computer diagnostics to see if anything
could be done first and to check the keys and immobiliser
circuit read-outs before making an *informed* decision.

The friendly garage certainly gave me more confidence
that they knew what they were doing and had investigated
the fault and tried to fix it before replacing the key.

[1] eventually - they tried everything to get it started
and even hot-wired the starter so it turned over but the
car decided it was being "stolen" and turned itself off!
It did save me a fortune in petrol tho!

--
Antony

antonye  wrote:

> So yes, he was right but the attitude stinks.

OK, that I can understand.

-- 
BMW K1100LT  Ducati 750SS  Yamaha XT600E  Honda CB400F
chateau dot murray at idnet dot com
"What you're proposing to do will involve a lot of time
and hassle for no tangible benefit."

On Tue, 2 Sep 2008 17:36:16 +0100, Bear 
wrote:

>In article , Champ says...
>
>> I've quietly added up the cost of the potted palms etc whenever I've
>> been to a BMW dealer.
>
>My current workplace recently got rid of 2 receptionists, and added a 
>shitload of potted plants.

Most of the places I've been to, it has been difficult to tell the
difference between the potted plants and the 'reception staff' in any
case.

I used to see one, as it happens.  Lovely blonde bird, pretty and
shapely - physically well out of my league - but it seemed that she'd
lopped a good chunk off the front of her brain and slapped it on her
chest.  
Conversation was /not/ her strong point.  We called her The Fuchsia.

-- 
Pip: B12

On Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:43:38 +0100, cat  wrote:

>[1] Not sure what my point was so I'm putting 'blog' in the subject.

Don't.  Just don't, OK?  There's lots of reasons, but it is late and
I've already wibbled more than usual today - so please, just don't,
and stop harping on about it.  Ta.

-- 
Pip: B12

In article , Pip says...
> On Tue, 2 Sep 2008 17:36:16 +0100, Bear 
> wrote:
> 
> >In article , Champ says...
> >
> >> I've quietly added up the cost of the potted palms etc whenever I've
> >> been to a BMW dealer.
> >
> >My current workplace recently got rid of 2 receptionists, and added a 
> >shitload of potted plants.
> 
> Most of the places I've been to, it has been difficult to tell the
> difference between the potted plants and the 'reception staff' in any
> case.

Both of these were ... well they weren't amazing, else they wouldn't 
have been receptionists, but they were very cool at sorting stuff out 
that I needed sorting, which I often do (meeting rooms, lunches, drinks, 
etc) as I work from home a lot.

> I used to see one, as it happens.  Lovely blonde bird, pretty and
> shapely - physically well out of my league - but it seemed that she'd
> lopped a good chunk off the front of her brain and slapped it on her
> chest.  
> Conversation was /not/ her strong point.  We called her The Fuchsia.

These were more functional than decorative.
-- 
Bear
2002 Yamaha R1
Saab Aero Sport

Pip  writes:

> On Tue, 2 Sep 2008 17:36:16 +0100, Bear 
> wrote:
>
>>In article , Champ says...
>>
>>> I've quietly added up the cost of the potted palms etc whenever I've
>>> been to a BMW dealer.
>>
>>My current workplace recently got rid of 2 receptionists, and added a 
>>shitload of potted plants.
>
> Most of the places I've been to, it has been difficult to tell the
> difference between the potted plants and the 'reception staff' in any
> case.

Usually, they don't put lipstick on plants. HTH.

-- 
Morini Corsaro 125 | CB450K4 | XL250 Motosport | 900SSD | R1150RT
Laverda SF2 | Harley FXD                       BOTAFOF #33 TWA#10
The UKRM FAQ: http://www.ukrm.net/faq/index.html
"Je profite du paysage" - Joe Bar

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Timo Geusch 
 typed
>Pip  writes:
>
>> On Tue, 2 Sep 2008 17:36:16 +0100, Bear 
>> wrote:
>>
>>>In article , Champ says...
>>>
>>>> I've quietly added up the cost of the potted palms etc whenever I've
>>>> been to a BMW dealer.
>>>
>>>My current workplace recently got rid of 2 receptionists, and added a
>>>shitload of potted plants.
>>
>> Most of the places I've been to, it has been difficult to tell the
>> difference between the potted plants and the 'reception staff' in any
>> case.
>
>Usually, they don't put lipstick on plants. HTH.

I would dispute that.

Pretty much any prime-time TV show will demonstrate that you statement 
is false.

-- 
Wicked Uncle Nigel - "He's hopeless, but he's honest"

My position was (and, to be honest, largely remains) one of complete ambiguity.

Lozzo wrote:

> you'll have to buy a complete battery lead and they are 120 pounds plus
> VAT".

You could always make a battery lead, sans link.
http://www.camberleyautofactors.com/home/index.php
http://www.ebcfactors.co.uk/
http://www.cliffordsofbrighton.co.uk/

or more usefully:
http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/VWP-onlinestore/home/homepage.php

...but you knew this.

-- 
Simon

sweller wrote:

> Lozzo wrote:
> 
> > you'll have to buy a complete battery lead and they are 120 pounds
> > plus VAT".
> 
> You could always make a battery lead, sans link.
> http://www.camberleyautofactors.com/home/index.php
> http://www.ebcfactors.co.uk/
> http://www.cliffordsofbrighton.co.uk/
> 
> or more usefully:
> http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/VWP-onlinestore/home/homepage.ph
> p
> 
> ...but you knew this.

If I had to re-make the battery lead I'd just acquire a fucking huge
piece of copper and bolt it in where the link used to be. The rest of
the lead is fine, it's just the fusible link that gave problems, and
that's now been replaced with a Rover/Honda part.

-- 
Lozzo
SV650S K5, CBR600F-W, SR250 SpazzTrakka
and a shit load more 2-wheeled junk in the garage
I believe in free speech, but I still have to pay my phone bill

In message , Timo Geusch 
 writes
>Pip  writes:
>
>> On Tue, 2 Sep 2008 17:36:16 +0100, Bear 
>> wrote:
>>
>>>In article , Champ says...
>>>
>>>> I've quietly added up the cost of the potted palms etc whenever I've
>>>> been to a BMW dealer.
>>>
>>>My current workplace recently got rid of 2 receptionists, and added a
>>>shitload of potted plants.
>>
>> Most of the places I've been to, it has been difficult to tell the
>> difference between the potted plants and the 'reception staff' in any
>> case.
>
>Usually, they don't put lipstick on plants. HTH.
>

Ginge by proxy  - some septic tart cracked that one the other day



-- 
geoff

In article , Bear 
 writes
>In article , Pip says...
>> On Tue, 2 Sep 2008 17:36:16 +0100, Bear 
>> wrote:
>>
>> >In article , Champ says...
>> >
>> >> I've quietly added up the cost of the potted palms etc whenever I've
>> >> been to a BMW dealer.
>> >
>> >My current workplace recently got rid of 2 receptionists, and added a
>> >shitload of potted plants.
>>
>> Most of the places I've been to, it has been difficult to tell the
>> difference between the potted plants and the 'reception staff' in any
>> case.
>
>Both of these were ... well they weren't amazing, else they wouldn't
>have been receptionists, but they were very cool at sorting stuff out
>that I needed sorting, which I often do (meeting rooms, lunches, drinks,
>etc) as I work from home a lot.
>
>> I used to see one, as it happens.  Lovely blonde bird, pretty and
>> shapely - physically well out of my league - but it seemed that she'd
>> lopped a good chunk off the front of her brain and slapped it on her
>> chest.
>> Conversation was /not/ her strong point.  We called her The Fuchsia.
>
>These were more functional than decorative.

The receptionists (two[1]) at the Matra[2] plant at Velizy Villacoublay 
were exceptional.
They sat behind huge mahogany desks in the middle of a large 
minimalistic  entrance hall.
Stunningly beautiful.
Spoke several languages fluently.
Were fully up to date with what the divisions did and how to get to them 
or the people to see. Plus Matra provided them with a clothing budget 
that meant they were dressed haute couture.

[1] I understood that with two they would cover for each other when 
having their hair 'done' at Matras' expense.

[2] An interesting place to work. Things I remember were. Good food in 
the canteen and my first experience of mix sex loos.
-- 
Mick Whittingham
'and I will make it a felony to drink small beer.'
William Shakespeare, Henry VI part 2.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Mick Whittingham
 saying something like:

>The receptionists (two[1]) at the Matra[2] plant at Velizy Villacoublay 
>were exceptional.
>They sat behind huge mahogany desks in the middle of a large 
>minimalistic  entrance hall.
>Stunningly beautiful.
>Spoke several languages fluently.
>Were fully up to date with what the divisions did and how to get to them 
>or the people to see. Plus Matra provided them with a clothing budget 
>that meant they were dressed haute couture.

I've been in several places where the front desk staff were definitely
valued highly and it showed. In many places receptionists are regarded
as low status employees and paid accordingly, so it's hardly surprising
you tend to get airheads on the desk - which is entirely
counterproductive in my view. A decent receptionist can make a helluva
difference to one's initial impression of a company, no matter what
capacity one is approaching in.
Even / especially as a courier it was noticeable and some companies were
a pleasure to deliver to - I even looked forward to going to some of
them - because they employed decent people on the front desk.

-- 
Dave
GS850x2 XS650 SE6a

"It's a moron working with power tools.
 How much more suspenseful can you get?"
 - House

On 2 Sep, 16:28, Eddie  wrote:
> antonye wrote:
> > Lozzo wrote:
> >> Robbing cunts
>
> > Aye; it cost me £97 for a replacement key, ffs.
>
> That's hardly restricted to BMW: we need a new key-card for the Renault
> Lux-o-barge, and it's probably going to cost us more than that.

Pops' company Laguna needed 2 new keys at one time, both damaged by
dropping, first was ~£100 各, second was ~£130 各...

And the dash-mount CD autochanger didn't work on delivery of the car.
But they did that under warranty, obv.

Other than that it was a really rather nice car - Lovely dark grey,
'04 2.0T, full leather. I wouldn't BUY one though.

--
SeanH - '01 Fazer in bits | '97 GSX-R 750 SRAD.