Anglesey Track Day

-
Another track day, another mechanical fault - it's the rules, don't you know?  Almost crashing the car is also the done thing, and I did have a half-hearted go at this, getting a tank-slapper on down the pit straight which resulted in the marshall sticking his head out of his window and giving me a Paddington bear-style stare.  As I was already in trouble, I hung the backside out on every corner for the remainder of the lap, then came in.  Nobody came after me though, even though this company (Focused Events) don't take any nonsense and send you home if you fall off the track twice, which seems a bit harsh!

Anglesey is a great circuit, this was the international layout which is the longest at just over 2 miles, but the straights are much shorter than they first appear, and it's pretty hard on tyres and brakes - more so than Brands Hatch, for instance.  It's very technical and takes some learning, but there's a lot of run-off so it's much less daunting than Oulton or Cadwell.

Here's a few laps; not a lot happens, but you do get to see the Irish sea at 1m45s.  I mostly get stuck behind a French hatchback which is presumably trying to find the supermarket... nobody would take a front-wheel drive car to a trackday, surely?  That would be like going to an expensive restaurant then demanding Micro chips, wouldn't it?



By 3pm I was on the way home, a stud securing the turbo to the manifold gave way again and it was blowing pretty badly.  I couldn't give it any beans during the 5 hour ride home (a record non-stop drive for me), but I drove through Snowdonia and it's just wonderful in a topless car on a sunny day.  I got an incredible high-40s mpg too!

If you're reading this because you're thinking about taking a long hike to Anglesey, it's certainly worth it but DO NOT STAY IN HOLYHEAD.  Holyhead is SHIT, it makes Great Yarmouth look like Monte Carlo, and may even be worse than Tenby.  If you want the complete Hell-like experience, stay at the Travelodge which is LIKE PRISON, except in prison they at least give you soap and you do get lots of company.

Popular posts from this blog

Adding bluetooth to a Mini with Harman Kardon audio

-
Image
My R53 Cooper S has the unexpected bonus of the Harman Kardon premium audio system.  While it has impressive power and sound quality (once you discover the hidden settings ), it's firmly stuck in the past with just CD and analogue radio.  You can't change the head unit as the speakers are all wired to the 10-channel amp that lives in the boot, so new cables would need to be run from the head unit to each speaker, which would be an almighty faff. I wanted to add bluetooth so I could play my cheesy '80s music from Spotify, so bought a Grom BT3  which is a small module that plugs into the CD-changer port on the rear of the standard-fit Boost head unit.  It allows you to stream music from your mobile, and make/receive calls via the supplied microphone.  You can also buy another module that plugs into the Grom to provide DAB radio, USB, or iPod wired connections, I didn't bother with any of those, I just wanted Bananarama, loud. There are 2 versions of the Grom for BMW
Read more

BMW E39 diesel pump replacement

-
Image
I replaced the fuel pump in the tank of the 530D yesterday.  It was quite fiddly and I couldn't find any useful guide on the internet, so I thought I'd create a quick outline of the procedure: Symptoms of failure : poor starting/cutting out when the fuel level falls to around a quarter of a tank. Cost : £42 from GSF , plus 2x 9mm petrol hose clips (the originals are not reusable). Procedure :  remove the rear seat base by pulling up sharply on it's front edge (there are a pair of spring clips holding it in place).  Beneath are 2 access panels to the tank, the pump is under the right-hand side one (behind the driver on a UK right-hand drive car).  Remove the cover and disconnect the 2 hose connections and the electrical plug (removed by pushing the locking clip sideways).  Unscrew the locking ring by gently rotating it with a hammer and chisel. Now slowly remove the fuel sender unit, noting it's orientation and how it slots into the pump assembly below - it'
Read more

MINI tailgate hinge replacement

-
Image
I replaced the snapped tailgate hinge on t'old MINI today, and it wasn't too bad a job.  The design is a bit crap and they tend to seize, and then break and attempt to bonk you on the head with the tailgate.  Didn't like that. The hinge is held on by a single nut but you need to partially drop the headlining to reach it.  To do this you need to: remove the tailgate seal remove the rear seats remove the rear side panel trim on the affected side This is all covered by some helpful folks in this YouTube video.  After this, you need to remove the white C-pillar trim; it's held in by 4 plastic tabs (2 top, 2 bottom), which fit into metal clips in the body.  It needs a sharp tug but there is a fair risk of breaking the tabs, but I got away with it. Now you should be able to gently pull down the headlining, to release the clip in the centre: That should give just enough clearance to get a 13mm socket onto the nut securing the hinge.  There is quite a lot
Read more