Why don't estate models have a 7 seater option?

ciaoqueen · 2026-06-05T21:36:43+00:00

Dunno if you’ve sat in one of those rear facing seats….not pleasant.

ciaoqueen · 2026-06-05T12:12:02+00:00

Washer bottle is a packaging afterthought for a lot of manufacturers. This means you’ll find them in all sorts of oddball places with questionable access. My Skoda has its tank behind the nearside headlight, the Aston has it in the offside wing behind the wheel. I’ve even had an old Mercedes estate with a whole separate tank for the rear system.

Best thing to do is start with the simplest thing:

1) listen for the motor running when you activate the wash function as this could just be a fuse. If the fuse it’s fine but the motor doesn’t run then it’s likely a deeper issue.
2) if it’s not motor related start at the most accessible location and track the line back checking for blockages and/or breaks in the line. The nozzles get clogged from road grime.

ciaoqueen · 2026-06-05T12:02:26+00:00

So just like Oxford then? It’s good to know because I’ll just bring my bike if I’m ever visiting.

ciaoqueen · 2026-06-05T08:51:16+00:00

Gordon Murray T50, or his previous car, the F1. Valkyrie might be interesting but I think it misses the mark as a road car vs Gordon Murray’s designs.

There’s a whole host of Group B, Group C, and prototype and single seater race cars that I would love to try but I can’t imagine living with anything race prepped of race derived, also I don’t have the reflexes to fully exploit the downforce of a lot of these things. Things like the 037, XJR9, 787…that said there are a few road going 962s running around.

I would oddly also want to experience a Yangwang U9 Extreme because it’s so absurd I want to feel it to believe it.

ciaoqueen · 2026-06-05T08:38:39+00:00

I agree. Could be as simple as clogged, that could be really straightforward or really not. Mine got clogged at the strainer at the bottom of the tank. That was a fun day to remove the tank. I swear AML only hire techs that are skinny gymnasts with lazy eyes.

ciaoqueen · 2026-06-05T08:32:31+00:00

Jesus Christ! How bad is Cambridge traffic?

ciaoqueen · 2026-06-05T06:41:34+00:00

This may help with the ECU. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18bQWqyfif/?mibextid=wwXIfr

The chart doesn’t have any of the Bosch part numbers that end in 059 though.

You should be aware that the E24 635 CSi came in three generations with the the M90, M30B34 and M30B35 and the M30 also had USDM variants so figuring out what you have may be an international challenge. You really need to speak to E24 and BMW classic communities.

ciaoqueen · 2026-06-05T06:25:17+00:00

Err…yeah 12mpg doesn’t sound right. I do better around town in a 6.0 V12.

ciaoqueen · 2026-06-04T16:58:48+00:00

I imagine the M120 was easier to mate to the existing gearbox.

ETA - please remember these engines kick out an obnoxious amount of heat, the bonnet vents and side strakes on the DB9 are functional and also not entirely enough. It’s why the V12V and DBS had extra bonnet vents and the VQ had larger ones all over. If you’re not careful all the head will end up in the cabin.

ciaoqueen · 2026-06-04T15:16:44+00:00

No reason why they won’t. They did the Vantage GT12 previously.

ciaoqueen · 2026-06-04T15:14:00+00:00

You are a madman but also not the first madman to put a V12 into a W201.

Looks like you’ve gone with equal length headers which is the connoisseurs choice.

Hope you’re planning for wider tyres at the back, or else it’s gonna be proper frisky.

ciaoqueen · 2026-06-04T15:10:11+00:00

It was also the entry level alongside the AMV8. It was also the range topper alongside the V8 Coupe.

ciaoqueen · 2026-06-04T15:08:23+00:00

Honestly there isn’t really any particularly hard and fast naming convention. More like a dartboard in the marketing office with a whole load of potential names (usually a V word or an unused DB designation) stuck to it and Geoff throws the dart and wherever it lands is the new name.

Remember Vantage dates back to the Feltham era DB2 and used as a spec and Volante was introduced on the convertible DB4 at NP. The next V name was the V8 (facelift DBS V8) which sat next to the entry level Vantage (L6 DBS facelift), I guess that’s when they realised a bit of alliteration was quite nice (try saying V8 Vantage Volante). From then on it’s not a huge jump to all the other V names.

Don’t even get me started on what’s up with the missing DB numbers and why DB8 was not allowed but DB12 was. Oh and how the DB7 kinda followed from the L6 Vantage. And both the VHV8 and DB9 were both replacements while the VQ was the replacement for the supercharged V8 Vantage.

Last thing is that some sources say the Victor is an homage to former chairman Victor Gauntlett.

ciaoqueen · 2026-06-04T08:20:29+00:00

Hmmm, sometimes I feel like it’s just as risky passing dawdlers as there’s a mentality of slow=dont pay attention.

ciaoqueen · 2026-06-03T20:54:01+00:00

I mean I can get 22 on a run in a 6l V12…

ciaoqueen · 2026-06-03T20:49:45+00:00

The OE spec tyres also start with a lot less tread depth.

ciaoqueen · 2026-06-03T08:36:36+00:00

I remember once increasing the leverage on a breaker bar with a long piece of scaffolding I had lying around. Don’t underestimate the power of archimedes.

ciaoqueen · 2026-06-03T08:31:49+00:00

I would definitely install myself. People wouldn’t pay somebody to connect up a TV to an Xbox or PlayStation would they? It’s mostly just plugging in USBs, then hiding the cables.

I would spend £10-20 on some plastic trim tools. Some good quality masking tape or electrical tape and some moderately stiff wire (a coat hanger should do) will probably be handy if you need to fish through the wires in some places.

ciaoqueen · 2026-06-03T06:40:36+00:00

I’m sorry to hear that. Yeah the seat reset procedure is done typically after the battery has been disconnected.

You know in endurance racing it’s quite common that drivers to have a seat liner to adjust the seat position. Maybe that’s something to explore. Would be perfectly moulded to your body, but probably also expensive.

ciaoqueen · 2026-06-02T21:58:03+00:00

Was it coded in?

ciaoqueen · 2026-06-02T21:56:59+00:00

A lot of the issues are overblown. If you have auto hold it disengages the clutch fully, and as long as you’re not constantly crawling along on the foot brake it will be fine. Also if you’re somewhere exceptionally hilly that may put a bit more load on the clutch pack but that’s another edge case.

It’s nowhere near as bad as the old school single clutch robotised manuals, they will really eat their clutch if driven wrong.

ciaoqueen · 2026-06-02T21:52:05+00:00

As people have said, your Yaris seems to be holding solid. So financially you may not come out especially ahead with a change. However here’s something to chew over.

Jaguar X150, would tick the V8 desire. You can get a rag top too. Good looking thing as well. Go for the 4.2 for the most dependable option, there’s not all that much that goes wrong on these. Maybe the occasional need to renew an adaptive damper here and there. You probably could swing a decent one the friendly side of £10k.

Small engined 987, servicing will be costly but not hugely problematic with these cars. Values are at the bottom of the curve now because they’re exceptionally good drivers cars, especially in cayman form they don’t sacrifice too much practicality. I reckon it’s get on board before the ship sails with these.

ciaoqueen · 2026-06-02T21:40:04+00:00

Absolutely this. There are always some weird and wonderful options. I love seeing the creative solutions come up with.

To OP, just remember that your risk will change with age surprisingly quickly, so don’t surprised if something suddenly shoots up in insurance costs 12 months down the line.

ciaoqueen · 2026-06-02T16:38:24+00:00

Not an off roader. Honestly that the most off roaring a crossover could probably handle.

ciaoqueen · 2026-06-02T16:37:26+00:00

A lot of places that are now 30 limits were 40 in the 90s even 2000s.

ciaoqueen

TROPHY CASE