100,200 Miles

Of all days, Boxing Day. Went out in the car to go to the shops. Tyres all fine. Been keeping an eye on them everyday to ensure they are not deflating. Then on the way home, all of sudden I get that feeling that something isn't right, like a flat tyre feeling.

I pull over as soon as I can, perhaps 30 seconds later as I was on a small lane with nowhere to stop and yes, rear left tyre was flat. The same one that had problems sealing in the garage when the tyres were first put on. It was already trashed, you can't seem to drive hardly at all on flat tyres any more without ruining them. Not happy.

So spare (skinny space saver) on and limp home.

I managed to luckily source another full set of second hand winter tyres, actually a better set, Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3Ds. Fortunately they are located somewhere near where we are due to visit the next day, so borrowing another car, I collected them.

I was then stuck for a few days as it was the period between Christmas and New Year. But I managed to get a mobile tyre fitter to come round on 29th December to swap all the tyres over.

Still not feeling secure though as the corrosion is obviously still there and could now at any point cause a tyre to deflate. So I am now paranoid about driving anywhere.

99,200 Miles - Winter Tyres

I was lucky last winter...we had no snow. I was not looking forward to driving the Bimmer in the snow, especially not after the minor disaster in the Volvo when it snowed.

So this year, I finally sourced a set of winter tyres for the car. Not brand new, but I found a set off the same car, so the right staggered sizes (8J front, 8.5J rear). They were Nankang SV-2 s. A bit of a budget tyre, but nevertheless, a winter tyre that should cope much better in the low temperatures and especially snow (if we get any) than my Dunlop SP Sport Maxx's.

Got them fitted but unfortunately, this opened a can of worms. On the day the tyres were fitted, when I returned to the garage to collect the car, the left rear tyre was flat in the car park. So the garage took the tyre back off and showed me how badly corroded the wheels are. I didn't think too much of it, thinking all wheels get corroded after a while. Just wire brush it and it'll be fine I thought. So they put plenty of goop on and the tyre sealed and held pressure.

After a couple of days I finally got on the motorway and it felt like the wheels were not balanced. So I took it back and asked them to recheck the wheel balance. When they checked the balance again, they were miles out, almost as if they had not done it at all the first time. Strange, but anyway, they got balanced and all seemed fine.

97,200 Miles - Traction Control

Traction control started activating when going round right-hand turns, especially roundabouts. Was activating more than expected for normal behaviour. I have found it quite hard to get the traction control light to flicker on and cut power to the engine in all the time I have owned it. So doing it on almost every turn meant something was wrong.

Booked it into Deutsche Tech again thinking I would only need a new wheel speed sensor or steering wheel angle sensor alignment, but turned out that the driveshaft (N/S rear) had play in it, causing it to shift when turning, meaning that the trigger wheel on it was clashing with the wheel speed sensor. So sensor needed replacing and also the driveshaft!

96,500 Miles - Oil Service, MOT and Noise!

MOT time again, this time (due to work location) at the highly recommended Deutsch Tech of Milton Keynes. MOT was fine apart from the handbrake needing adjusting, which I pointed out, as it seemed to only be biting on one side.

Oil service filled it up with Castrol Edge 5w30.

When the car went in, I also asked them to investigate a noise that had been coming from the engine bay when running for a while. Sounded like a pulley/resonating sort of noise from the front end. As a result of the investigation they decided to change the FEAD anciliary belt idler pulley.

When the car was delivered after this work was carried out, it had sprang a leak from thermostat outlet elbow (plastic). The garage admitted it was something they must have done and took the car back to fix. Also the noise was still present, so it was not the Idler pulley but now suspect the alternator.

So in the end, I ended up with a new FEAD ancillary belt, idler pulley and alternator plus a new (although it wasn't originally broken) thermostat housing/thermostat.

96,170 Miles - Tyres

Rear tyres were starting to show signs of wear, so it was time for 4 new tyres.

Went for a set of Dunlop SP Sport Maxx RT Fantastic tyres!

94,360 Miles

Added 1.5 litre of Valvoline Synpower 5W30 engine oil as the getting low yellow warning light came on.

91,765 Miles

Added 1 litre of Valvoline Synpower 5W30 engine oil as the getting low yellow warning light came on.

88,207 Miles

Added 1 litre of Synpower Valvoline 5W30 engine oil as the getting low yellow warning light came on.

82,812 Miles - Inspection I

Inspection I carried out at PJ Hodge and Sons of Northampton. Oil filled with Valvoline Synpower 5w30

Also, after a trip through a flooded section of water, the undertray had become loose, so got that reattached.