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liner33

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Posts posted by liner33

  1. There are plenty of ways to test without firing a parts cannon and replacing everything 

    First off I would be jacking the front end up, removing the wheels and giving it a thorough inspection , get a tape measure out and start comparing side to side. 

    After that you will need to isolate parts and see if it makes a difference ie pop the track rod ends out and see if that feels different going lock to lock    

    As to whats likely to bend , well anything that's connected to the wheel really.

    I'm not familiar with the IS250 but if it has struts , a steering feel like that can often occur if the top mounts are worn , you would need to drop the strut to check. Of course the steering rack/arms could even be bent  

     

  2. "My car has ALWAYS felt like it loves to go left, but fights against going right. I feel a resistance turning right, but very easy and compliantly turns left. Steering wheel always slight off to the left too even after the 2 visits to WIM"

     

    I think this section would worry me most , rather than chasing down the harmonics I'd be investigating this issue first , this indicates to me that something is worn or damaged 

  3. A popular mod on the M-Lites ie (M135/m140/m235 and m240) is fitting the lower arm and tension arm from the BMW M4

     

    The lower arm increases the camber (Which is not adjustable)  by about -1 degree and the tension rod increases the caster. 

     

    Apparently this does help the steering feel a great deal as well as offering more grip when cornering, the caster changes help the car self centre better which has always been an issue I feel 

     

    Question is am I going to see ridiculous tyre wear on the roads if I do this , any other potential pitfalls ?  

     

    Here is my last geo print out 

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    and this is a typical one after these changes 

     

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  4. So I've done it correctly , since the adjustment is the same side to side then the preload will also be much the same (Discounting potential differences in weight of the car) 

    If I was to set the ride height of the car the same I would alter the preload from one side or the other 

  5. No the Prius had a servicing plan which cost about £600 for the first three years, I paid for the last service and MOT at an alternative Toyota dealer, same with the Octavia as I bought a service plan for the first three years at time of buying then another plan which covered 2 years servicing and mots thereafter , got a small refund on that when I sold the car. 

    We bought a plan on the Lexus also but that was a whopping £960 for the three services ! 

    I serviced my 370z's myself and pretty much all my weekend cars but rarely my daily 

    Ironically the BMW has a free service left but they only want to do it every other year or 16000 miles and I only do about 6k per year, I'd rather service it myself annually, did the brake fluid change (NOT included as part of the service plan anyhow!) and the oil & oil filter myself recently and nothing else is due until next year now , as for retained value I cant see it affecting it much , either the car has been serviced or it hasn't in my view. Bit of a shocker doing the 235i as it takes 7 litres of oil ! 

    I did a oil and filter change on the Fiesta at 2000 miles, as well but I'll get that serviced by Ford as its got 5 years warranty and it saves having to argue  

     

     

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    Fitted my Bilstein coilovers at the weekend and just sanity checking things 

     

    First thing I did was measured the ride height of the car on its current set up which was Eibach springs and stock dampers, I noted the ride height was same front to back but different side to side, variance of about 4-5mm, bearing in mind there is no adjustability in the set up since its mostly oem parts

    So onto fitting the new stuff , I measured the amount of thread showing on the front struts and the gap between the flange and the locking ring on the rear, accurately with a vernier gauge,  and made sure the measurement was the same side to side and within a few mm of the ride height before so that the geo and headlamp aim should be about right 

    But the ride height is still different side to side the offside sits lower than the nearside so must be body related rather than suspension related or perhaps its simply weight , the drivers side weighing more than the passenger ?  

    I assume that on this suspension if I was to get the ride height equal side to side I would have to increase the preload on one side rather the other ? 

    Is this simply one of the shortcomings of this type of suspension where you cant alter the ride height without altering preload, although reading up on this type of suspension they tell you to adjust everything equally not have a variance  

  7. Its surprising how few people know how to change a wheel. I had to teach a 50yr old neighbour how to safely remove his wheels the other week as he wanted my opinion on his brakes. He covers about 30k miles per year and didnt have a clue 

     

    When I was taught to drive in the military changing wheels and basic checks (POWER) ie (Petrol, oil, water, electrical and rubber) were taught before you got behind the wheel

    • Like 1
  8. On 14/05/2020 at 18:15, adam_r said:

    When wheels have been stuck for me I undo all the nuts 2 turns then lower the car. The weight of the car on the wheel normally unseat the wheel from the hub. Jack the car back up and then remove all the nuts. 

    If extra persuasion is required, whilst the car is lowered with weight on the wheel, give it a kick or wobble the car and that's been enough to do it. 

    (above has always worked for me, but only had to do it on 2 cars) 

    Years ago my mate bought a Capri and the rear wheels were so stuck nothing we tried would shift them , in the end we loosened the wheel nuts a few turns and got him to drive around the block and over those really severe rubber speed bumps , still no joy, in the end we tried a handbrake turn and that did it 

  9. Yes it is a late 2019 model . Offered in 4wd as well . Pretty sure the Prius was bigger than the CT certainly in the rear . The UX is quite a bit bigger than the CT and I suspect may be the "baby" Lexus from now. 

  10. So wife wanted to change the Prius and wanted something a bit nicer but really loved the Prius and the way it drove so Lexus seemed the obvious choice 

    The UX is a small SUV like the Toyota CH-R , same chassis as the Prius and more room in the front than the Prius but less room in the back and a smaller boot. Much more powerful than the Prius and about 2 seconds quicker to 60 thanks to its 182hp 2.0l hybrid, also the CVT is much improved in these with synthesised gears so you'd think it was a conventional auto. Generally is a much nicer place to be and a great mile muncher with some nice features that make long journeys a little more relaxing ie adaptive cruise, lane assist and various self driving safety systems like auto braking 

    The Takumi is very well specced but at the time we bought ours they didnt come with Apple carplay or Android auto but they do now, but that bothers me more than the wife who doesn't care about stuff like that as long as the volume is decent. 

    Covered about 7000 miles now and its averaging 45mpg which isnt too bad , but the wife loves it and calls it a 7 year car. (We usually keep our cars 3 , 5 or 7 years) 

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  11. Wife wanted to change her car and as my son had flown the next to Uni we no longer needed two family cars , I took the opportunity to downsize from my Octavia Estate but still have a fun daily 

     

    Roll up the Mk8 Fiesta. Far too much fun for a 50+yr old man but hoot to drive and loads of creature comforts like android auto, lsd, blind spot monitors, heated seats and wheel, and a popping and banging little 3 pot turboed engine. Real hoot to drive 

     

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  12. My immobiliser cant be easily bypassed as like most things I do my research and dont rely on anecdotal evidence. Look that the theft stats from the early 90's and compare them to today and then show me how much of an epidemic there is . Yes manufacturers can and should do more but worrying that your a professional car thief capable if stealing cars in this manner will walk past a 50k Range Rover to steal your Yeti is delusional but that's your choice 

  13. Few more pics

    My cheapo ebay pedal set, including blue starter button surround 

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    Few pics of the car now with the chrome window trims wrapped in black and a fresh set of Michelin Pilot Super Sports 

    A before shot 

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    Afters 

     

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