Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Keith's Dakar Z3 M Coupe - Progress Update with Pics.

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #46
    Took delivery of some lovely new parts;

    Braided clutch line;




    Rogue Engineering Top Mounts;




    Using Pauls DIY I started to strip the trim out of the boot. And it does need stripping - an obscene amount needs to be removed just to access the top mounts. Look at the shear amount of trim that you must remove;

    Before;




    Trim out;




    After;




    I wanted to uprate to Rogues anyway, but I was hoping to kill two birds with one stone - change the top mounts, and get to the root of an annoying n/s/r squeak. Armed with a roll of anti squeak tape to use where appropriate, I proceeded to crack on with the jobs at hand.

    Old top mounts were obviously perished, allowing water to get in and cause quite a mess;



    All sorted;






    I also think I identified a couple of likely culprits with regard to my squeak - spotting signs of wear on mating surfaces.

    Here you can see where the overlapping part of the HK boot trim had been rubbing on the other (note the anti squeak tape on the opposing part to the right);



    More signs of rubbing;




    I will drive the car tomorrow to see if the squeaks are gone!

    New clutch hose will be fitted next week, along with new fluids.

    Ex-Dakar MC Owner - Gone But Not Forgotten

    Comment


    • #47
      Very pleased to report that the journey in this morning was completey squeak free.

      Can't tell you how happy I am. You know when something takes the shine off you enjoying the car? Just because it's ever-present and chips away at your patience? Well it's all sorted now. I'm convinced it was mainly the trim, but the top-mounts may have been a contributing factor. Anyhow, all sorted now, so well chuffed. Drove the whole commute without the stereo or heater fans on, just to relish the silence (well, apart from the engine ).

      Well worth the time and effort.

      Ex-Dakar MC Owner - Gone But Not Forgotten

      Comment


      • #48
        Treated the car to an day out with my good friend Scuffmaster.

        I won't bore you with the process unless anyone specifically wants me to describe it, but they came up exceptionally well IMO. A truly marvellous product, of which the pictures do the talking best.

        Before;




        After;








        I also treated the centre dash console and gear shift leathering to it as well, so along with the door cards I did before Christmas, the entire car has had its leather washed, shampooed, scuffmastered and conditioned. The cabin looks (and smells) great.

        I haven't any pictures of the fresh centre console (I forgot) but I'll try get some pictures of that next time - but its literally come up as-new.


        Next up I dealt with the rear wiper spray nozzle, which had not worked since I got the car. After reading all the nightmare stories about sorting this, such as the problem where the hose comes off from the junction just inside the bulkhead, leaving you with a dry rear window and wet footwell... Something which I did not want to find.

        I'd kind of prepared myself for a very fiddly job, but it was much easier than I thought. The motor pump was audible (so power/pump was good), there was no visible sign of windscreen wash coming out or dripping anywhere, and the footwell was dry. Upon checking the nozzle itself, it appeared to be mostly dry, but smelt of screenwash a little. After pulling off the hose that feeds it, I blipped the washer and fluid came out freely from the hose. It was just a blocked nozzle all this time. After reading the stories, I'm surprised the backpressure had not caused something to pop off elsewhere before now.

        The nozzles were cleaned/loosened with a pin, and then it was submerged in a strong detergent and boiling water, and agitated. A surprising amount of shit came out;




        This was then blown clean with an airduster, refitted and tested;






        Working for very the first time during my my ownership, nice!

        As you can see above, notice the 'Duncan Hamilton' dealer sticker in the rear window. Although a 'prestige' motor dealer, it has been pi55ing me off for ages and has no place on my car. So whilst there it was simply lifted at one corner with a scalpel, removed and residue cleaned with some goo-gone. Rear end looks much tidier now IMO;


        Ex-Dakar MC Owner - Gone But Not Forgotten

        Comment


        • #49
          I then went to fill up the washer bottle (it had not needed replenishing before since I bought it), and was appalled at what I found;




          Previous owners (longest owner of the two previous was the original lady who bought it) must have filled up there washer fluid with hard water. A 10 year old mineral sludge was remaining, blue from the anitfreeze, and was clogging up my washer bottle. Disgusting. This was whipped off for some treatment.

          Soaked with some G101 and then pressure washed;




          Then the outside scrubbed;




          ...And a new bottle cap has been ordered, as the old item had gone a little yellow with age.


          An old hose clip on the headlight wash pump was replaced with a lovely little jubilee clip that I had, purely for aesthetic value.




          The pre-pump filter was scrubbed clean (this looked like it had been living at the bottom of the ocean beforehand - stringy sludge was hanging from it);




          The area of the engine bay that was revealed during removal was of course treated to a G101 bath (if you are wondering, the foil in the bottom corner is there to protect an electrical plug);




          And all back together, just before dark, and filled up with antifreeze screen wash and soft water;






          Washer bottle came up nice and clean after a good scrub, so its another little part of the engine bay that has had a little refresh.

          Best part however, was the unexpected benefit that doing the above offered. After the filter element below the pump was cleaned free of all the sludge, the nozzle pressure rose dramatically! It must have only been working at about 50% pressure before (which I thought was normal)... Now the windscreen jets are much more powerful, so a very satisfying outcome overall.

          As always, thanks for looking.
          Last edited by -Keith-; 29-01-2010, 08:27 AM.

          Ex-Dakar MC Owner - Gone But Not Forgotten

          Comment


          • #50
            Keith - have you thought of charging a day rate for this kind of service?! You're a legend my friend....

            Second, have you ever been tested for Asperger's?!!! LOL

            Nick

            Comment


            • #51
              Originally posted by Dr. N View Post
              Keith - have you thought of charging a day rate for this kind of service?! You're a legend my friend....

              Second, have you ever been tested for Asperger's?!!! LOL

              Nick


              Cheers!

              RE going for a test... Ignorance is bliss

              Ex-Dakar MC Owner - Gone But Not Forgotten

              Comment


              • #52
                Just went to my local dealer to get a new washer bottle cover to replace the original which over the years has gone a bit yellow. Turns out they have stopped production of the old style one we have on our cars. I had to get the replacement part, which is nice, but I had to cut a clip off the back of it with a scalpel to make it suitable. It sits nice and tight, so it'll do over the old item.

                CLICKY for old one.

                New item;


                Ex-Dakar MC Owner - Gone But Not Forgotten

                Comment


                • #53
                  [QUOTE=-Keith-;81024]Treated the car to an day out with my good friend Scuffmaster.


                  I read an earlier thread somewhere that mentioned scuffmaster products not being a good match for Estoril, have any Estoril owners treated their seats to a make-over, been happy with it and can recommend a similar product?

                  I would rather have something specific recommended than chance it.

                  Once again keith, fantastic work and contribution to the forum!!

                  Comment


                  • #54
                    Originally posted by chopper View Post
                    have any Estoril owners treated their seats to a make-over, been happy with it and can recommend a similar product?
                    Chopper. Last year I bought the Estoril and Black dyes from Gliptone on recommendation. The fact that they cost £40 and still reside in the cupboard under my sink are testament to my nervousness about getting started on this!!!

                    Hopefully I'll give it a bash in the spring when there's a bit more natural light. I'll update on results, but it would be great to hear from anyone who has done this successfully.

                    Comment


                    • #55
                      The key is to try a sample on a small bit of inconspicuous Estoril leather. Don't put it on neat to begin with as a bolb of neat dye will always look like a bad match.

                      Make up a 15% water 85% dye solution, and wash a bit using the sponge. If it is too dark, use the toner that is supplied. It'll just take some trial and error.

                      Also, you will have to do the entire bolster/estoril area to ensure a 100% match - but that is no problem one you have masked off the area and made up enough solution to get the whole lot done in one go

                      Also, like any painting; prep is key - you must take your time to wash and prep the leather before hand.

                      Ex-Dakar MC Owner - Gone But Not Forgotten

                      Comment


                      • #56

                        Comment


                        • #57
                          I've used both estoril and imola on two different ///M's from a German company with perfect matches.

                          You can see the refurb on estoril here:

                          http://www.zroadster.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=21648
                          VIDEO or Journal

                          Comment


                          • #58
                            Impressive result Jonttt no doubt! Looks like a thicker compound - more like a paint? Still, obviously good stuff. Nice work.

                            Ex-Dakar MC Owner - Gone But Not Forgotten

                            Comment


                            • #59
                              Yep it is like a thin paint. Given the worst areas on the bolster were completely devoid of any colour left (hence the bare brown leather colour) I think this both "soaked" in and "painted" the surface.

                              There was some surplus dye removal when the final stage of treatment was applied but obviously it had done its job and re dyed the leather. After final "buffing" there dye was stable and no transfer to clothing etc...

                              My current ///M (Imola) was no where near as bad but still made a big difference when done. I didn't bother doing the black though on this as is mint anyway so just treated with conditioner.

                              Either way its well worth the effort to redye the bolsters if needed and definately to condition the leather regularly
                              VIDEO or Journal

                              Comment


                              • #60
                                Thought I'd update on my leather treatment progress. No pics I'm afraid.

                                As discussed in the last few posts, I bought the 'scuffmaster' dyes from Gliptone but after reading about a few cockups (one on here I think...) I decided to hold off until some unspecified time in the future.

                                Well, almost exactly a year on I dug them out of the cupboard and spent a good 10 minutes trying to get them fully mixed again (now over a year old...). I then bit the bullet and gave it a bash.

                                In summary, the black was great. Easy to use and covered very well in 85% solution. Couldn't be easier to apply and didn't leave any swirl marks, even when applied quite liberally - a little REALLY does go a long way... :-) I used it to cover a couple of small marks where the previous owner had somehow managed to get yellow gloss paint on the seats. Worked a treat.

                                The Estoril on the other hand wasn't quite so impressive. Mainly because the solution was much thinner than the black. I used it neat. It seemed to leave a waxy layer on the surface of the leather which could be/may have been mistaken for 'poor colour match' but this comes off with leather nourisher after treatment. Performance on the usual hairline cracks in the leather bolster was excellent - i.e. you would never know they were there. Stain coverage was not so good with the Estoril, but could probably be achieved with repetition.

                                All in all, a trauma-free experience - even though I couldn't be arsed to take the seats out.

                                Although pretty pricey, I would recommend these products highly for a half-day spruce up. Very pleased with the result.

                                If you have an all black interior, good for you. Otherwise I can vouch for the Estoril dye being a good colour match, although really only produces a noticeable change on scuffs (hence, scuff master I suppose......). Of course, this could also be a result of the leather being in pretty good nick anyway!

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X