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meatpimp
May 15, 2004

Psst -- Wanna buy

:) EVERYWHERE :)
some high-quality thread's DESTROYED!

:kheldragar:

I now know too much about modern thermostats with integrated heaters. This car, and others, have a heater in the thermostat to trick the stat into thinking the coolant is hotter than it is, in effect making the coolant cooler. This is for high-load conditions to increase the viscosity of the oil.

https://www.mahle-aftermarket.com/media/local-media-north-america/pdfs/catalogs-and-literature/mo-2-1013.pdf

This looks like the thermostat failure I'm seeing. The stat is working, but the heater is dead. No major issue, just a check engine light until I get around to changing it. I'll double-check next time I have the car in the air, if the terminals show the circuit to be open, then that'll tell me for sure.

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You Am I
May 20, 2001

Me @ your poasting

God drat car companies making simple mechanical items so over complicated.

Ultimate Mango
Jan 18, 2005

Nice E61! I still miss mine.

For those seats, get some leatherique cleaner and conditioner and watch the magic. make sure to let the oil soak in and get hot (oil, cover in black garbage bags, let sit outside in the sun all day) and with the cleaner you will get that new BMW Napa leather matte finish.

IOwnCalculus
Apr 2, 2003





That thermostat seems like it could fail dangerous if the coil fails, since it won't open as quickly as expected.

meatpimp
May 15, 2004

Psst -- Wanna buy

:) EVERYWHERE :)
some high-quality thread's DESTROYED!

:kheldragar:

IOwnCalculus posted:

That thermostat seems like it could fail dangerous if the coil fails, since it won't open as quickly as expected.

The heater helps to vary the temperature from like 105* to 95*, I'm not really concerned, since it is only in play when you're hammering it, and I only do that for short bursts. It won't come in to play for my use. On that note, I got a quote from a local shop for $520, including the thermostat, so that's worst-case. Ultimately, I'll probably do it myself somewhere down the road.

In other news, I am waiting on some pure methanol to be delivered today. Hopefully that'll take out the haze that's on the inside of the headlights. And on the light front, I took out the fog lights and wet sanded then polished them today. I think there was a bit of difference.

Before:



After:

Bajaha
Apr 1, 2011

BajaHAHAHA.


Huh, I didn't know about using methanol inside the lights to clean the lenses.

Curious to see your results and method, reading online it seems like it'll either work great or you'll be buying new headlamps if you ham fist it. If it's low risk I'd like to try it but I think I'd practice on a few beaters headlamps before attempting on something where replacement lamps are expensive

IOwnCalculus
Apr 2, 2003





Seminal Flu posted:

only in play when you're hammering it, and I only do that for short bursts.

Does not compute

Though in all seriousness, while it is a very German solution, it's one that makes me go "neat" more than "what the gently caress".

meatpimp
May 15, 2004

Psst -- Wanna buy

:) EVERYWHERE :)
some high-quality thread's DESTROYED!

:kheldragar:

IOwnCalculus posted:

Does not compute

A quick 20-70 run isn't going change the oil viscosity through the heater making the thermostat open a bit more. If I was tracking it or sustained and repeated pulls there may be a difference, but that's not what this car will see. Am I making sense?


Bajaha posted:

Huh, I didn't know about using methanol inside the lights to clean the lenses.

Curious to see your results and method, reading online it seems like it'll either work great or you'll be buying new headlamps if you ham fist it. If it's low risk I'd like to try it but I think I'd practice on a few beaters headlamps before attempting on something where replacement lamps are expensive

Xenon adaptive headlight unit... couldn't be more than what... $700 used? :laugh:

blindjoe
Jan 10, 2001

Seminal Flu posted:

A quick 20-70 run isn't going change the oil viscosity through the heater making the thermostat open a bit more. If I was tracking it or sustained and repeated pulls there may be a difference, but that's not what this car will see. Am I making sense?


Xenon adaptive headlight unit... couldn't be more than what... $700 used? :laugh:

I wanted to replace mine as they were yellow, then figured out they wanted $1500ea. Looks like you can get them for $900 each now.

All the halos and stuff are expensive, and annoying when the car dings at you every time you start it and the halo light is out. Plus as it was an 05, the halos are some yellow weird light that you can't easily replace with LED.

Ended up polishing them, and putting the xpel covers on them. I recommend those, as you don't want a rock to chip your expensive lights. Plus additional UV protection makes it worth the $70 from pelican.

meatpimp
May 15, 2004

Psst -- Wanna buy

:) EVERYWHERE :)
some high-quality thread's DESTROYED!

:kheldragar:

blindjoe posted:

I wanted to replace mine as they were yellow, then figured out they wanted $1500ea. Looks like you can get them for $900 each now.

All the halos and stuff are expensive, and annoying when the car dings at you every time you start it and the halo light is out. Plus as it was an 05, the halos are some yellow weird light that you can't easily replace with LED.

Ended up polishing them, and putting the xpel covers on them. I recommend those, as you don't want a rock to chip your expensive lights. Plus additional UV protection makes it worth the $70 from pelican.

Methanol didn't touch it. It WAS on the outside, even after a 1500/2000 wet sand. So I went with a more aggressive 1500/2000/Meguiars plastic cleaner / Meguiars plastic polish and that worked. There's still some stuff on the inside, but I'm leaving that. Overall, it looks great. I'll get covers for it and call it good.

I also just got back from selling the Thule roof stuff. Got $250 for it after just listing it yesterday. That brings total car price to $3750. :whatup:

Ordered a cheap set of Kuhmos for it. I've had really good luck with Kuhmos.

TheNothingNew
Nov 10, 2008

Seminal Flu posted:


Ordered a cheap set of Kuhmos for it. I've had really good luck with Kuhmos.

I had some on a Miata and quite liked them, yeah.

I figure you're the person to ask: how to get pet hair out of cloth car felt? Like that stuff they line trunks with. Wagon's covered with dog hair and I'd like it to be less so.

meatpimp
May 15, 2004

Psst -- Wanna buy

:) EVERYWHERE :)
some high-quality thread's DESTROYED!

:kheldragar:

TheNothingNew posted:

I figure you're the person to ask: how to get pet hair out of cloth car felt? Like that stuff they line trunks with. Wagon's covered with dog hair and I'd like it to be less so.

No easy way with that. Make sure you have a STRONG vacuum with a brush attachment. Keep going over the area slowly in a circular pattern so you cover every area from all directions.

In BMW news, there's good an bad.

The good is that the PO said he had some suspension work done. When I got under it, I saw 2015 date codes on the control arms. That explains why the fucker is so smooth. The end links have a little play, but that's the easiest of the easy. Also, every date code on every part I've checked shows to be original, everything made in late 2008. I thought the front had been repainted, since my paint thickness gauge showed 6-7mil thickness on the front and 2-3mil everywhere else. As I look more, I think it's more of the way the thickness gauge reads on different materials. I think the front fenders of this are plastic and the hood aluminum... I have no idea for sure, but there's no indication of any respray even after disassembling the lights and grille.

The bad is that I took off the oil filter cap and was met with the cartridge filter staying in place, with the center of the cap broken off inside. From the looks of the deformed pleats, the oil filter was clogged HARD and if I had to guess, the last time it got changed the mechanic noped out of there and left it all in place.



Anyway, that required a trip to the BMW dealer today for a $50 oil filter cap (new cap on the left).

Just waiting on USPS for an Amazon delivery of oil filter, air filter and cabin air filters and I'll be checking to see how this thing likes a sump full of nice, clean synthetic oil (I bet it really likes it).

Fermented Tinal
Aug 25, 2005

by Pragmatica

TheNothingNew posted:

I had some on a Miata and quite liked them, yeah.

I figure you're the person to ask: how to get pet hair out of cloth car felt? Like that stuff they line trunks with. Wagon's covered with dog hair and I'd like it to be less so.

I have a pet air attachment for my canister vac, it's like a mini-beater head and it strips fur off everything. Most will come off first pass and then you come from the other direction to get the rest.

iwentdoodie
Apr 29, 2005

🤗YOU'RE WELCOME🤗
Going to do a flush with anything to get poo poo out that's inevitably stuck in there, or just run fresh oil and hope for the best?

Also, had something similar happen on our old CX7. Wife always took it to a shop for changes, and I finally did it myself when I had time. Get under, see the center Allen key looking part of the cartridge housing (which isn't used to remove it) mangled beyond belief. Get it unscrewed by using the right tool, and the filter came out in pieces. Probably been in at least 4 changes.

I was so goddamn pissed.

Fermented Tinal
Aug 25, 2005

by Pragmatica
The last time I went to a jiffylube/quicklube/whatever I asked them to install any filter that didn't say Fram on it, didn't care about anything else.

Guess what the last oil filter on my Mazda 6 said on it.

I now get my changes done at crappy tire because when I ask for mobile1 full synthetic and a mobile1 filter I watch the tech go into the store, walk past the Fram stuff, and grab the not-poo poo filter I asked for.

Fermented Tinal fucked around with this message at 21:13 on Jun 16, 2018

meatpimp
May 15, 2004

Psst -- Wanna buy

:) EVERYWHERE :)
some high-quality thread's DESTROYED!

:kheldragar:

iwentdoodie posted:

Going to do a flush with anything to get poo poo out that's inevitably stuck in there, or just run fresh oil and hope for the best?

Also, had something similar happen on our old CX7. Wife always took it to a shop for changes, and I finally did it myself when I had time. Get under, see the center Allen key looking part of the cartridge housing (which isn't used to remove it) mangled beyond belief. Get it unscrewed by using the right tool, and the filter came out in pieces. Probably been in at least 4 changes.

I was so goddamn pissed.

Thankfully, I'm going into this expecting PO fuckery, but yeah, not happy.

From the looks of the filter, nothing penetrated, so I think I'm okay. I've let the oil drain all day and just buttoned it up, so I'll drive it for a thousand or 1500 miles and change it again and go from there.

Edit: Holy poo poo did an air filter and fresh oil make a difference.

meatpimp fucked around with this message at 22:40 on Jun 16, 2018

Applebees Appetizer
Jan 23, 2006

I took grandma's car (HHR) to a local shop that everyone said was good, to get diagnosed for a couple of issues. When I left it at the shop, I asked him to go ahead and change the oil, and to use synthetic. I should have asked how much because $75 later I have the most expensive loving oil change I have ever had in my entire car owning life (a long time).

The guy was no help with the diagnostic either, money in the toilet.

[e] or the time I forgot to put the drain plug back in an MR2 and four quarts of synthetic went right on the ground, then having to buy four more quarts after that.

Applebees Appetizer fucked around with this message at 07:52 on Jun 17, 2018

meatpimp
May 15, 2004

Psst -- Wanna buy

:) EVERYWHERE :)
some high-quality thread's DESTROYED!

:kheldragar:

I suck at pictures and keeping up with my threads.

However, I've got a set of tires arriving today, so I'll get them put on tomorrow. In preparation, I've got the car up and the wheels off, getting the tape weights and 9 years of crap off of the insides of the wheels.

When I put it up, I was shocked to find out how damned STIFF this thing is. In this picture I've got the front end supported on jack stands and the passenger rear jacked up with a floor jack. The DRIVER side rear is up in the air almost as high as the passenger side rear. Hard to tell from the picture, but all 4 wheels are off the ground here...



Also, I did a multi-step sand and polish with the headlights like I did the fog lights. I don't have a before picture, but they were almost as bad as the before fog light pic above.

I got a good, clear polish out of them, but they started clouding up a day later. I bought a Sylvania headlight coating kit: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KIVYE6G and it looks to have worked great. We'll see as time goes on.

Pomp and Circumcized
Dec 23, 2006

If there's one thing I love more than GruntKilla420, it's the Queen! Also bacon.

TheNothingNew posted:

I figure you're the person to ask: how to get pet hair out of cloth car felt? Like that stuff they line trunks with. Wagon's covered with dog hair and I'd like it to be less so.

An afternoon with a poo poo load of disposable lint/pet hair rollers works well. Keep rolling until there's no more hair coming out!

bolind
Jun 19, 2005



Pillbug
Yeah, my E87 (shorter wheelbase, I realize, but still) you can jack up one jacking point and the car will basically lift that side. I'm not proud but I have done a wheel change that way.

meatpimp
May 15, 2004

Psst -- Wanna buy

:) EVERYWHERE :)
some high-quality thread's DESTROYED!

:kheldragar:

bolind posted:

Yeah, my E87 (shorter wheelbase, I realize, but still) you can jack up one jacking point and the car will basically lift that side. I'm not proud but I have done a wheel change that way.

It's okay, this is a safe space for unsafe work. I do the same thing. My wife's Juke and brother's GTI both hike the rear wheel when jacking the front up same-side. I do rotations and wheel changes like that, too. This is the first time I've seen it across the car though, especially with one this long.

Got the Kuhmos mounted and balanced yesterday, so it's new tire day today.

Shopping for transmission fluid change stuff and spark plugs, since I don't know when these were changed last.

Suburban Dad
Jan 10, 2007


Well what's attached to a leash that it made itself?
The punchline is the way that you've been fuckin' yourself




Seminal Flu posted:

Shopping for transmission fluid change stuff and spark plugs, since I don't know when these were changed last.

In your heart, you know the truth. never

Applebees Appetizer
Jan 23, 2006

bolind posted:

Yeah, my E87 (shorter wheelbase, I realize, but still) you can jack up one jacking point and the car will basically lift that side. I'm not proud but I have done a wheel change that way.

I put the jack under the B pillar and lift my cars NASCAR style to rotate the tires all the time, works like a charm :v:

IOwnCalculus
Apr 2, 2003





If you're not getting under the car, why worry?

blindjoe
Jan 10, 2001

Seminal Flu posted:

It's okay, this is a safe space for unsafe work. I do the same thing. My wife's Juke and brother's GTI both hike the rear wheel when jacking the front up same-side. I do rotations and wheel changes like that, too. This is the first time I've seen it across the car though, especially with one this long.

Got the Kuhmos mounted and balanced yesterday, so it's new tire day today.

Shopping for transmission fluid change stuff and spark plugs, since I don't know when these were changed last.

When you do the transmission fluid, make sure you check the electronic sleeve (if your car has it? mine did). Its a plastic thing that keeps the fluid out of the electronics, and can get old and leak.

Can be found as a mechatronics sleeve? https://5series.net/forums/diy-do-yourself-14/diy-mechatronics-sleeve-transmission-leak-96033/

I had to have it done when we bought the car, but haven't touched it since so I don't remember all the details.

Maybe you don't need to if its not leaking, but probably doesn't hurt to check while you are under there.

meatpimp
May 15, 2004

Psst -- Wanna buy

:) EVERYWHERE :)
some high-quality thread's DESTROYED!

:kheldragar:

blindjoe posted:

When you do the transmission fluid, make sure you check the electronic sleeve (if your car has it? mine did). Its a plastic thing that keeps the fluid out of the electronics, and can get old and leak.

Can be found as a mechatronics sleeve? https://5series.net/forums/diy-do-yourself-14/diy-mechatronics-sleeve-transmission-leak-96033/

I had to have it done when we bought the car, but haven't touched it since so I don't remember all the details.

Maybe you don't need to if its not leaking, but probably doesn't hurt to check while you are under there.

Thanks for that. I'll definitely get the sleeve to have on hand and evaluate whether or not to change it once I open it up.

LloydDobler
Oct 15, 2005

You shared it with a dick.

Some newer Volvos only have one jack point in the center of the car. My C70 is like that. My V70 has 2 but they're so close together that I never use the rear one. They will both lift both wheels off the ground. I rotate tires that way.

meatpimp
May 15, 2004

Psst -- Wanna buy

:) EVERYWHERE :)
some high-quality thread's DESTROYED!

:kheldragar:

In other car news -- I have not washed the Escalade since March. It still looks clean. It's out in the rain right now and the rain is just falling off of it. I was driving in the rain today and every time I stopped, a wave of water came down from the roof, since it's just pooling and not sticking.

I'm an absolute believer in the cheap Chinese ceramic coatings. I've never seen anything make water bead and fall off like this stuff does. Yes, it takes two coats instead of the high-dollar stuff's one coat (it's probably more dilute), but drat... so worth it.

Applebees Appetizer
Jan 23, 2006

What is this ceramic coating you speak of?

meatpimp
May 15, 2004

Psst -- Wanna buy

:) EVERYWHERE :)
some high-quality thread's DESTROYED!

:kheldragar:

Applebees Appetizer posted:

What is this ceramic coating you speak of?
https://m.aliexpress.com/item/32862286377.html?pid=808_0000_0101&spm=a2g0n.search-amp.list.32862286377&

Stupid cheap, stupid good.

It IS a coating, though, so proper preparation and application is critical.

Applebees Appetizer
Jan 23, 2006

Care to elaborate on the process? Sounds like something I would do to both of my cars to make my life a little easier.

Been thinking about getting the waterless spray washer too, I forget the name of it. Could be the perfect system.

iwentdoodie
Apr 29, 2005

🤗YOU'RE WELCOME🤗

Applebees Appetizer posted:

Care to elaborate on the process? Sounds like something I would do to both of my cars to make my life a little easier.

Been thinking about getting the waterless spray washer too, I forget the name of it. Could be the perfect system.

Wait, what?

Fo3
Feb 14, 2004

RAAAAARGH!!!! GIFT CARDS ARE FUCKING RETARDED!!!!

(I need a hug)

Seminal Flu posted:

https://m.aliexpress.com/item/32862286377.html?pid=808_0000_0101&spm=a2g0n.search-amp.list.32862286377&

Stupid cheap, stupid good.

It IS a coating, though, so proper preparation and application is critical.

I'm interested. What is the proper prep? Searching just gave me engrish.
Can you use it on something you have just compounded and polished? Or is it strip everything back with fairy/dawn dishwashing liquid first?

meatpimp
May 15, 2004

Psst -- Wanna buy

:) EVERYWHERE :)
some high-quality thread's DESTROYED!

:kheldragar:

Fo3 posted:

I'm interested. What is the proper prep? Searching just gave me engrish.
Can you use it on something you have just compounded and polished? Or is it strip everything back with fairy/dawn dishwashing liquid first?

Compound/polish, then wipe down with isopropyl alcohol, then apply in a small area at a time. ~5 min to dry, then buff off.

And to show I'm not exaggerating, here's the car as it sits right now. Hasn't been washed since March. Has been driven ~1000 miles. Rained 2" in the last 2 days and I was driving through a lot of it.

The sides are dry, the top surfaces have water beads that run off as soon as I hit ~40mph.

Applebees Appetizer
Jan 23, 2006

iwentdoodie posted:

Wait, what?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDxRPQLh_zA

Seminal Flu posted:

Compound/polish, then wipe down with isopropyl alcohol, then apply in a small area at a time. ~5 min to dry, then buff off.

That all seems kinda redundant, whats the point of compound/polish if you're gonna wipe everything down with alcohol? Is that just if the paint is in crappy condition?

meatpimp
May 15, 2004

Psst -- Wanna buy

:) EVERYWHERE :)
some high-quality thread's DESTROYED!

:kheldragar:

Applebees Appetizer posted:

That all seems kinda redundant, whats the point of compound/polish if you're gonna wipe everything down with alcohol? Is that just if the paint is in crappy condition?

The compound and polish is to correct the paint (after clay, which was assumed). None of those products have any protective value, they are for polishing, the alcohol wipes down to give the polished surface the best adherence properties for the ceramic coating.

Applebees Appetizer
Jan 23, 2006

Yeah I know it's not protective, what i mean is how do you know if the paint needs to be "corrected" or not? If the paint looks fine to me, can't i just clay then wipe it down with alcohol?

meatpimp
May 15, 2004

Psst -- Wanna buy

:) EVERYWHERE :)
some high-quality thread's DESTROYED!

:kheldragar:

Applebees Appetizer posted:

Yeah I know it's not protective, what i mean is how do you know if the paint needs to be "corrected" or not? If the paint looks fine to me, can't i just clay then wipe it down with alcohol?

Ayup.

Fo3
Feb 14, 2004

RAAAAARGH!!!! GIFT CARDS ARE FUCKING RETARDED!!!!

(I need a hug)

Applebees Appetizer posted:

That all seems kinda redundant, whats the point of compound/polish if you're gonna wipe everything down with alcohol? Is that just if the paint is in crappy condition?
I was mainly asking because I know my car is waxed enough that a ceramic coating will not stick, and also because this is a semi permanent coating I would want to fix the paint as much as possible before coating. Currently don't compound it or polish much as the paint is 28 years old and thin - I just keep it very coated/waxed which I would need to strip.

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Applebees Appetizer
Jan 23, 2006

Yeah me too. The paint on my xB is fine, just a strip would work but our Lexus could probably use more than that and I suck with a buffer so I'd probably have somebody else do it....I wonder if anyone is putting on the ceramic coating as a service, that would be nice because I don't really fell like doing it myself. Meatpimp you gonna be in FL any time soon? :v:

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