Waz

I was only just starting to touch the wear-wires, so it would have been a matter of days before it lit up the dash with the (O) of joy. which being VW they decided to only put on the LHS and not on both, so as mine were wearing ever so slightly more on the RHS, it goes to show that those kind of OEM money saving efforts are actually risking a safety failure. Needs some good old fashioned squeal tabs!

I had a similar experience leaving Quoteline Direct - Wilsons group, or Bollington Insurance Brokers (that's all one co!) They stated NCD as +9yrs for the last few years and this year they decided to change the way they do renewals, by adding an auto-renew process at 7 days before renewal date. Naturally I was dubious that this was actually a benefit to the customer in convenience in these trying times, so I checked the prices with the insurance co the had the "best price" for me. When I foudn out that going direct to that company was £100 cheaper on just the premium, and that the broker charges a £60 handling fee, they basically doubled the cost by using them. So, ten days before the renewal, I told them I did not want to auto-renew. "opt-out and keep it open?" they asked, yes, please - opt-out of auto renew, and I'll confirm before the actual date. Next Day I get a text - don't forget, we will auto-renew for you... I called them immediately - please cancel the renewal altogether - you've blown it. I will arrange a policy elsewhere. Next day, I get an email, please login and check your new documents! FFS!! I called again - so - three calls, all very clear and guess what? they still took the money and I had to call again to get a refund that I'm currently waiting on. Absolute cheating swine. I knew it instinctively - auto renewal = thieving bastards. but apart from that they quoted Aviva at 290 +fee total 350, and I went to Aviva direct for 190. And I will tell anyone who will listen, avoid Quoteline / Wilsons / Bollington Brokers. they are twats. oh yeah - NCD, I could count up to 16 years without incident and continuous cover, and Aviva actually reward up to 15. but the broker only provided 9years proof, so that's all I got. but it was much cheaper, so I'm alright with it.

From the fitted perspective So now I'm just trying to run them in. But I think I can be sure that I got my money's worth out of the old ones, that's for sure!

Nice shiny new disc. that's 345mm of stopping pleasure, weighing in at 12kg per-side, I couldn't believe it when they were delivered. With the pads showing how much piston was really extended in the first pic...

Old and New Pads...

So MOT time reminded me to get this task done, as I was already only doing 1200odd miles a year before the pandemic brought everything to a standstill, and that is the brake pads were 'a bit low' apparently a year ago, when I bought tyres to spare my shame at the previous MOT. So I thought it's proabably a luxury job to do disc and pads as a matter of course. This caliper may have travelled as far as it can to consume the pads. Maybe it was very timely that I get the job done. maybe a coule of mm left...

This was outstanding advice and simple to do! (ish) I had previously bought a pair of new drop links due to MOT advice about one of the joints having a split rubber, and I was already chasing a minor knock. Having fitted it and had an absolute pain of a job to remove the upper ball joint, I put off doing the other side until another day. So I used this BH half-term week to set aside time to do the other side and get into the new noise. The 2nd link was just as awkward as the first, the lower joint came off straight-forward, but the upper one again was not having it and eventually I had to abandon the allen key that was camming out of the centre of the bolt and the spanner and go for mole-grips on the ball and a proper socket and bar on the nut side. Once I got this little bugger off, I test drove it to check the theory - silence! So I fitted the new link and went back round the block - clonk, clonk. Off came the wheel on the side I originally did and once I had it up on stands, I jacked the hub end up until the ARB was unloaded and started prying - the new link I fitted last time was ever so slightly mobile at the ARB end, so I tightened it up and THIS was it! so I am more than convinced I did a proper job when I did it, but I can't be 100% sure I had no strain on the joints when I tightened them and as the fixing is this stupid nut + hex socket, I can't have checked the torque, so I will run a couple of hundred miles on the new one and re-check the tightness to avoid a repeat. Thanks for the Sanity-check Tony!

Thanks Tony! I will certainly try that before I let myself be consumed with madness.. If I wanted to annoy someone with this sound artificially, I'd drill an M12 hole in something and fill it with an M10 bolt with a nylock on it and do it up enough to stop the nut falling off, but not enough to snug it to the surface, if that makes sense? The sound is noticeable a slow speeds, but not really there at high speeds. Rough surfaces make it audible, but it's not exactly 1:1 with every bump on the street. I'm surprised that big divots in tarmac are just a normal thud in the suspension, but an uneven surface is a musical experience of a metal on metal bassline. Which is why I was obsessing over the ARB and links.

I’ve been chasing a knocking noise for a few weeks, and today I think I’ve found it. If I push down on the near-side front wing and then pull it up fairly quickly, a sharp metallic click issues from the shock strut. I’ve already replaced the droplink on MOT findings and can’t move the ARB easily, so I think it’s a damaged spring. Everything looks very OEM and I am wondering what to do with it. If I was to do the whole package of springs and coils, what on earth would I go for and quite frankly, I don’t want to fit it myself. I think I’ve still got PTSD from the cheap KONI set I put on my MX-5

Interesting, because it doesn't feel harsh and I remember Tony mentioning an H&R springs avoidance policy on account of being a bit steep rate. I haven't taken my ramps to the car yet, I may be forced to roll about under it after-all!

They're a MOMO wheel. "Quantum Anthracite" Currently fitted with Michelin PilotSport3's in 225/40-18 compared to std fitment of 225/45-17 is pretty close.

the irony. - the new club keyring, never used on the RX8. safely tucked up on the drive. I've been for a few enthusiastic country lane drives around the south downs and I can safely say - I can't find the "monumental" understeer that was bandied about with this car, and to be honest, I can't really detect that the weight is all over the nose of the car as it would seem to be an obvious likelyhood being essentially a FWD transverse lump. I guess the 4WD system by adding a prop and a rear diff must balance it up, the battery's in the boot, so that's been thought of (although the engine bay is very full) I think the alloys being an inch-up on standard probably sharpens it up a little too, but thankfully it's not harsh.

I'm looking forward to just being able to drive when I want and not worry about the problems that might make it hard work just to use!

It's definitely quicker than the RX8 was. Probably a combination of leaking horses on the compression saga and the rating of car is higher anyway. The 4wd really puts it to the road. I like the fact that it's commonly listed as 0-60 in 6.5s but the owners manual has 0-100km in 6.3s in the technical data!

the new blog begins