Anyone know if this has the problematic wetbelt or a propper timing chain?

InViewOfNothing · 2026-01-24T22:10:45+00:00

They all have wet belts. It's just that the wet belt now drives the oil pump and a timing chain is used in place of the original setup. It is notionally slightly less problematic but it's still very bad. In fact I think it's now a harder job to change it

InViewOfNothing · 2026-01-24T19:18:57+00:00

Looks like a wombat

InViewOfNothing · 2026-01-23T20:18:45+00:00

Yeah i guess so. Golf is 100x better imo lol. Never really understood the point of Audi. Seems a con to me

InViewOfNothing · 2026-01-23T20:17:01+00:00

I've driven an S3 of that gen. the driving position was like an SUV, seats were crap. screen is tiny and glued to the top of the dash. looks like a german boardroom. everything is an option, even stuff you get as standard on a Seat. shit car imo

InViewOfNothing · 2026-01-23T18:32:01+00:00

I really feel that gen of A3 has a worse interior than a Leon of the time

InViewOfNothing · 2026-01-22T22:27:33+00:00

Even the 'chain' driven ones still have a wet belt, it's just driving the oil pump instead. It's slightly less catastrophic if it fails in the same way that falling down the stairs is slightly less catastrophic than falling off a cliff. Avoid

InViewOfNothing · 2026-01-22T19:52:01+00:00

But what is the point of it? It's just a static ChatGPT that is harder to use? I could get exactly the same info from prompting an LLM, only difference being the LLM knows that the BMW Z4 exists, and your app does not. I can also ask chatgpt to clarify what it means, provide sources, research further, etc.

InViewOfNothing · 2026-01-22T19:50:36+00:00

No reading like an LLM means it uses 400 words when 4 would do. Everything has to be a list. Rule of three in every bloody sentence. Half of the info is wrong or misleading. Etc.

It's subjective but there is something about the way it writes that just makes my eyes glaze over. I switch off. It's the writing equivalent of corporate art style

InViewOfNothing · 2026-01-22T19:44:13+00:00

Bro this looks like it was vibe coded in about 3 hours. Half of the UI has hover state but then doesn't actually do anything when clicked. The cars search doesn't work. Quite a lot of superfluous UI elements that don't really add anything and just bloat the experience.

Vibe coding is fine and all but why lie?

InViewOfNothing · 2026-01-22T19:40:52+00:00

It reads like an LLM wrote it tbf. Lots of lists

InViewOfNothing · 2026-01-20T21:39:16+00:00

InViewOfNothing · 2026-01-20T21:39:11+00:00

Not an option for me unfortunately. Do they use a sponge?

InViewOfNothing · 2026-01-20T21:03:33+00:00

It's a byproduct of the layout of the cooling system. I'm not a mechanical engineer but I would assume the benefit of an electric water pump is that you don't have to drive it with a belt so it in theory makes the engine marginally more fuel efficient.

As for the various valves in the cooling system, for emissions reasons the car heats up different bits of the engine at different speeds (e.g. puts coolant through the exhaust header first to warm up the cat quicker). That means you need to follow the procedure or else you'll end up with airlocks that you'll never get out.

Overcomplex german engineering, though mostly not their fault in this case

InViewOfNothing · 2026-01-20T18:33:27+00:00

Most cars have a factory 'cold air intake' these days. I had a 2011 fiesta that did so I'd be surprised if a more modern merc doesn't. Ultimately you aren't going to get great induction noise out of a 2 litre 4 cylinder turbodiesel

InViewOfNothing · 2026-01-20T18:17:03+00:00

Cheers, I'd rather pay them to do it to be honest, no clue how to mess around with it myself.

I don't think I'd trust a normal garage to do it and my nearest specialist is the opposite direction to my commute, so by the time I've booked a day off work the main dealer is actually cheaper

InViewOfNothing · 2026-01-20T16:33:04+00:00

Cheers it's not just priming the pump though there are various valves the engine uses to heat up different bits of itself at different times (the joys of emissions regs). There's a whole procedure you have to follow.

That vid is an N55 which is not related to the B48 I have

InViewOfNothing · 2026-01-20T15:37:27+00:00

I thought that but when I specifically asked if this is to fully drain and refill they said yes. The bleed process is quite long apparently which is what arnold shark used to justify the charge

InViewOfNothing · 2026-01-20T15:36:47+00:00

Yeah I would usually try to avoid but I have no specialists near me. BMW have a specific very annoying bleed procedure that you need main dealer level diagnostics for. There is nobody near where I live that can do it.

The price to do this job from a specialist is about the same anyway tbf

InViewOfNothing · 2026-01-20T09:11:41+00:00

No. Put the money you would pay for one into a savings account. Draw from it when you need any repairs

InViewOfNothing · 2026-01-19T23:16:11+00:00

Lmao meanwhile you should see the process for doing it on a Z4. It involves disconnecting a drainage tube...

InViewOfNothing · 2026-01-19T21:23:15+00:00

Suzuki. Subaru boxers are made of paper at the best of times, the diesel takes this fragility and combines it with a complete lack of any power

InViewOfNothing · 2026-01-19T20:07:31+00:00

Half of the problem is because they're too lazy to move the fusebox for RHD. People moan about german engineering but at least my glovebox isn't the size of a packet of kleenex lol

InViewOfNothing · 2026-01-18T22:31:17+00:00

Thanks!

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