What Shocked You Today

[portland_bill]

Volvo have had lights that need coding to the car for a few years too. I think it is to do with CanBUS, where each unit is a module that needs to talk to the car. The equivalent of our proxy alignment is probably all that is needed, but each manufacturer will speak their own language. Even if the light cost £50, it would still need the alignment coding. Maybe not necessary for halogen lamps, only the LEDs.

If I had an LED headlamp fail after only 4 years, I'd be expecting the manufacturer to be subsidising the cost quite significantly.

Edit: If a headlamp might scrap a 4-year old car, its used value will plummet. Which will impact new sales. Mnaufacturers have found this in the past, but all have short memories.

 

[PuntoHowTo]

Out of interest thought I would see what a new headlight for our Mini is which has LED headlights. A rather reasonable £170 not sure it that needs to be coded but at least its not 3 - 4 or 500.

 

[StevenRB45]

If I had an LED headlamp fail after only 4 years, I'd be expecting the manufacturer to be subsidising the cost quite significantly.

Edit: If a headlamp might scrap a 4-year old car, its used value will plummet. Which will impact new sales. Mnaufacturers have found this in the past, but all have short memories.

It's only really started getting teeth last few years.

Yes, they fitted overly complex and expensive lights that needed coding, but as long they mostly worked you could get away with it.

If you think about a 8 or 9 year old Audi or BMW there's a good chance you imagine it with at least one none functional DRL.

Of course in recent years the MOT changed...so this would now lead to anything registered after 2018 being unable to attain an MOT certificate.

In the modern era your 100% mechanically fit car will be an MOT fail if you've got a DRL out, and of course with integrated units you can't just fix the DRL and they are the most likely bit to fail with being on constantly. Seems like an especially frustrating way to run a few K bill over pretty much nowt.

 

[s130]

Out of interest thought I would see what a new headlight for our Mini is which has LED headlights. A rather reasonable £170 not sure it that needs to be coded but at least its not 3 - 4 or 500.

Lucky you.

My 500X Xenon headlamps cost £850 as I found out when some road debris took my O/S headlamp out, smashing the lens and denting the bonnet edge! I think the bonnet repair was £350 to £400. Had to claim on my insurance for that little bill.

If that happens again I'll probably look into put halogen units in. The Zenon lamp itself has the inbuilt HV module and the feed is 12V. Would just have to work out how the manage the High/Low beam control as in the Xenon it is a flip mirror/flap. Probably need an extra relay.

 

[PT500]

Amazing they are getting away with that, especially in the green recyclable world we live in.

Because they are taking money for it. Green comes second to profit.

 

[portland_bill]

Lucky you.

My 500X Xenon headlamps cost £850 as I found out when some road debris took my O/S headlamp out, smashing the lens and denting the bonnet edge! I think the bonnet repair was £350 to £400. Had to claim on my insurance for that little bill.

If that happens again I'll probably look into put halogen units in. The Zenon lamp itself has the inbuilt HV module and the feed is 12V. Would just have to work out how the manage the High/Low beam control as in the Xenon it is a flip mirror/flap. Probably need an extra relay.

With halogen lamps we have had a height adjuster in the cabin, since around 1998, to compensate for a load in the rear. Zenons must have automatic load sensing and adjustment, to prevent dazzle, usually with some link to the suspension. I think you'll have quite a challenge adding the load adjusters. The halogen lamps will have little motors in them, but controlling them could be difficult.

 

[PuntoHowTo]

Lucky you.

My 500X Xenon headlamps cost £850 as I found out when some road debris took my O/S headlamp out, smashing the lens and denting the bonnet edge! I think the bonnet repair was £350 to £400. Had to claim on my insurance for that little bill.

If that happens again I'll probably look into put halogen units in. The Zenon lamp itself has the inbuilt HV module and the feed is 12V. Would just have to work out how the manage the High/Low beam control as in the Xenon it is a flip mirror/flap. Probably need an extra relay.

Just be aware with modern cars things like headlights can be coded to the car from new in the factory and cannot be replaced. Youtuber I follow fell foul of that when the damaged repairable he bought which had all the parts needed to repair it included, including new headlights which turned out to be the wrong ones, it needed matrix headlights and it could not be reprogrammed, so £4000 later he had the right headlights for the car thankfully the care was valuable enough to make it almost worth while

 

[s130]

With halogen lamps we have had a height adjuster in the cabin, since around 1998, to compensate for a load in the rear. Zenons must have automatic load sensing and adjustment, to prevent dazzle, usually with some link to the suspension. I think you'll have quite a challenge adding the load adjusters. The halogen lamps will have little motors in them, but controlling them could be difficult.

Thankfully for the lower powered Xenons there is NO requirement for automatic levelling or washers. I also have the 0,1,2,3 level switch as per traditional halogen units.

Anyway it is a job / task / project that I would ideally not want to undertake but another £800+ bill for one headlamp vs £125 for a legal hologen unit, £300 total would save me £500 and I could sell the other Xenon to recoupe some more money.

Another concern I see it that whilst Autodoc still list the 500X Xenon headlamp many places don't. And the Fiat dealer bodyshop who did the repair work could not get a unit from Fiat and had to spend quire some time trying to source a unit. Meanwile the car was off the road for over a week whilst the bonnet repair was done in a couple of days.

I wonder if it is still legal to have oil lamps?

 

[portland_bill]

I wonder if it is still legal to have oil lamps?

Almost certainly it is, but probably have to be attached to a 1903 De Dion Bouton, or similar.

 

[s130]

Almost certainly it is, but probably have to be attached to a 1903 De Dion Bouton, or similar.

A bonus car! No MOT, no road tax/VED, no ULEZ/Congestion charge. Doubt the De Dion Bouton can do more than 20mph so ultra safe from speeding tickets in Wales.

Only 5 years to go for our 130TC

https://www.classicandsportscar.com/news/40-year-cut-classic-car-status-set-stay-uk
https://www.classicandsportscar.com/features/london-ulez-9-things-classic-car-drivers-need-know

 

[PuntoHowTo]

Not sure shocked is the right word but anyway. I saw this on eBay recently and it was cheap and my size so with a punt, it is a Romeyn Tailors special edition suit jacket which is a Tribute to Gianni Agnelli, with fiat and Ferrari to boot.

I paid £20 for it but it is exceptionally fine, and fits me exceedingly well. Absolutely pristine condition. I’d guess from the fiat badge it is maybe 20 years old? The blue circular badge being used from the early 2000s till about 2007

 

[PuntoHowTo]

A just 22k mile fiat Punto currently selling on Facebook for just £350 !!

Someone might fancy a punt on a very low mile 22 year old car
https://www.facebook.com/share/myxxaW6quTc9vHeT/?mibextid=79PoIi

 

[varesecrazy]

Not sure shocked is the right word but anyway. I saw this on eBay recently and it was cheap and my size so with a punt, it is a Romeyn Tailors special edition suit jacket which is a Tribute to Gianni Agnelli, with fiat and Ferrari to boot.

I paid £20 for it but it is exceptionally fine, and fits me exceedingly well. Absolutely pristine condition. I’d guess from the fiat badge it is maybe 20 years old? The blue circular badge being used from the early 2000s till about 2007

How cool would you look in a Punto 5,000,000 in that,

Your Punto is a "chrome stripes' I assume.. TBH I liked that era

Although our 127 sport still had the laurels (racing heritage)

 

[StevenRB45]

Friend sent me this...

Now the internet will tell the Puretech engine is disposable...this car begs to differ.

Make & Model:Citroen , DS3 PURETECH PERF LINE S/ Date of Reg:AU17JVM Colour:White cc:1200 MoT:20

Bid Live on Lot 12 in the Wednesday 13th December 6pm £400 Refundable deposit required Auction from Anglia Modern Car Auctions.

www.the-saleroom.com

Who the hell bought it and what they used it for is another question..it's aged incredibly well considering.

 

[varesecrazy]

Friend sent me this...

Now the internet will tell the Puretech engine is disposable...this car begs to differ.

Make & Model:Citroen , DS3 PURETECH PERF LINE S/ Date of Reg:AU17JVM Colour:White cc:1200 MoT:20

Bid Live on Lot 12 in the Wednesday 13th December 6pm £400 Refundable deposit required Auction from Anglia Modern Car Auctions.

www.the-saleroom.com

Who the hell bought it and what they used it for is another question..it's aged incredibly well considering.

200,000 for a Gear Box. and a clutch a month or so apart..
But they got another 6 + months use out of it

 

[portland_bill]

I think if I had to live with a Citroen for that period/mileage, I'd have driven it off a cliff. Presumably someone who needs to drive a lot, but is not a keen driver. 800 miles/week for 6 years. That's a long commute.

 

[PuntoHowTo]

Who the hell bought it and what they used it for is another question.. it's aged incredibly well considering.

Looking at the pictures it definitely wears it's miles, it's white, it's cheap, what's the betting it was some sort of fleet car pool car that spent most of it's time being used by a multitude of different people?

 

[bugsymike]

I think if I had to live with a Citroen for that period/mileage, I'd have driven it off a cliff. Presumably someone who needs to drive a lot, but is not a keen driver. 800 miles/week for 6 years. That's a long commute.

I do it from the opposite direction, I bought a roughly seven year old Citroen C3 1.6 HDi Picasso (probably ex Minicab) with over 200K miles for £300. I did a few repairs including steam cleaning the inside of the DPF as it was trying to Regen, so chucking out white smoke and have run it locally roughly 40mile radias for four years, apart from normal service items brake pads and tyres , admittedly a few months ago I did replace the DPF (£150 ish) and top up the Eloys fluid, approx £35 per year Road tax, so cheap runabout, still using it and even if I weighed it in , it has still been good value.

 

[StevenRB45]

I think if I had to live with a Citroen for that period/mileage, I'd have driven it off a cliff. Presumably someone who needs to drive a lot, but is not a keen driver. 800 miles/week for 6 years. That's a long commute.

Given my experience of a DS3 was it making 3 toes on my foot go numb after 15 minutes every time I drove it. Maybe it was an S and M thing?

Looking at the pictures it definitely wears it's miles, it's white, it's cheap, what's the betting it was some sort of fleet car pool car that spent most of it's time being used by a multitude of different people?

It's very much a 15 yard car..however mines a 10 yard car with less than a fifth of the miles .

The wheel arches are both testament to the quality of DS3 paint...I assume that's stone chipping that's joined up and flaked off and actually quite impressive in that it's probably been bare metal for a long time and the galvanizing is holding it together largely.

Seems a bit well looked after for a pool car, it's externally scruffy but new gearbox and clutch in the recent past...14 services someone actually did spend money on it. Also while it's been used it doesn't appear to have been battered i.e. interior doesn't seem to have broken bits, bumpers are in one piece.

I'd be tempted to say driving school car but it's a bit too scruffy cosmetically as most are fastidious at not having a car that looks like a bin.

 

[portland_bill]

I'd be tempted to say driving school car but it's a bit too scruffy cosmetically as most are fastidious at not having a car that looks like a bin.

That's quite a good shout. Many driving instructors run a car for a few years, then pass it on to a family member, still with the dual controls fitted, so it is available as a spare when the new main car is broken or needs servicing. So it could have done most of its miles early, then gradually got scruffy when in the care of wife/son/daughter, etc. Then when another new one is purchased, the old one is pensioned off, and the recently replaced becomes the family car.