| Author | Message | ||
     David Towers New User Username: xtriple Post Number: 2 Registered: 6-2010 |
After too many years of drooling and looking at cars, I have finally purchased my dream car - a 1991 Bentley Turbo R. Balmoral green which is not my favourite colour but hey, compromise is sometimes needed! I have looked at quite a few cars over the years and always been disappointed with them so I had almost stopped looking, certainly stopped travelling any distance to view. Found this one just 16 miles away for sale at the local specialists for RR and Bentley and has been looked after by them for a few years. Much recent expenditure: rack, spheres, accumulators brake pump, DIM, full service with plugs, filters etc and transmission service (oil and filters) and new pads. It also has just been fitted with new, correct Avon tyres. It is having a new rear engine mount and more new pads (!) as well as a 'C' service before delivery on Wednesday. It drives beautifully. It feels VERY different to all the others I have driven as it is taught and precise where others have felt far from that... The interior is lovely: slight wear on the drivers seat but otherwise perfect and has all its lambswool rugs etc. All the windows work quickly and smoothly and even the seats work! In fact, everything does which is rather pleasant. Only downside to the car is it's a bit of a 'two footer' as there are various chips and scratches about the body, but NO RUST! All four wheel arches are perfect and the underside is spot-on. Quite how the old girl will take to being parked outside for the foreseeable future (struggling to get a garage) and the fact she will have two rear seat passengers of the four legged and furry kind, I do not know! I am seriously contemplating using it as my 'everyday' car. I don't do many miles a year and the climate is usually mild down here in the winter (Devon) so no salt on the roads, don't know. For the time being I am keeping my modern car - a Honda Insight hybrid, couldn't really be any more different could it? | ||
| Robert Noel Reddington Grand Master Username: bob_uk Post Number: 506 Registered: 5-2015 |
I think a garage to keep the car in is a must. I believe my 41 year old Shadow is good because every night I give it a stroke and a cuddle and cover the car up and lock the garage doors. Because you have minor paint defects the car will be fine as a daily driver. A touch up paint stick is usefull. Call it patina. Daily use will keep the car good. I live in Bournemouth Dorset, next county east. ( for those unfamiliar with south England) Unfortunately we use salt. But on those days the car stays in the garage asleep under a cover. I stay in doors asleep under a duvet. | ||
| David Towers New User Username: xtriple Post Number: 3 Registered: 6-2010 |
I'm sure I've posted more than twice in the last five years! Oh hum... Trying everywhere to get a garage but Torquay is not a good place for them, and if you do get one, it's too small for a Bentley! Where can you get a touch up stick? | ||
| Robert Noel Reddington Grand Master Username: bob_uk Post Number: 507 Registered: 5-2015 |
My car is black so touch ups colour wise is easy. Black is black. Well not quite but close enough. Its a daily driver so worring about stone chips is pointless. If the car is used then the paint gets chipped and thats that. A Jaguar service officially includes paint chips. Balmoral green is very similiar to other makers greens. So go to a good car shop and look through the sticks. Or go to Rolls Royce agent and ask. Or go to paint supplier and ask. They will mix 1/2 litre up. Plus thiners and some artist brushes. The petrol flap can be removed and used for comparision. Only use daylight for comparison not shop lighting. When touching up use a stick to support your hand. If you make a mistake quickly remove paint with soft tissue paper. Not thinners because the defect will get bigger. I just blob the paint over the chip and leave it. If you play with the paint the defect will get worse. Do not expect the touch up to be perfect. But a chip covered with a spot of paint is better than no paint. From 20ft the chips disappear. Aerosols. Spray paint into the cap allow a few seconds for some of the solvent to evaporate then use artist brush. Do not attempt to spray the chip. It will look really bad. I haven't been Torquay for 20 years nice place to live. My brotherives in Devon. I am fortunate my garage is 7m by 7m and big enough to fit 3 Shadows in. An option may be a tent like contraption which I have seen advertised. Iggy Pop brought a Corniche. His garage was too small so he left 4ft of the car outside. Air brushing is the best way but it takes skill. Best to practice on the wifes car first or the fridge or washing machine. Note that some cars are delivered new with a touch up paint stick. Honda used to do that with the Honda 50 Cub. A very generous 100ml can with built in brush in the lid. | ||
| Mark Aldridge Prolific User Username: mark_aldridge Post Number: 254 Registered: 10-2008 |
David, I have had Crewe cars as my daily driver for 17 years (presently a 1983 Mulsanne). I use them all year round regardless of weather and do not garage them. Regular polishing, a coat of Waxoil annually underneath and around the sills, wheelarch lips etc in winter and regular hosing underneath to keep the salt down.I am in the UK Midlands. Mark | ||
| michael vass Experienced User Username: mikebentleyturbo2 Post Number: 31 Registered: 7-2015 |
Hi Mark I'm also in the midlands, I used to have a 1983 mulanne turbo. Now a turbo r Small world eh? | ||
| David Towers New User Username: xtriple Post Number: 4 Registered: 6-2010 |
Thank you one and all. I am still in two minds as to keeping my current modern car and garaging (if I can find one) the Bentley or use the BTR as my every day car. It's good to hear that some people do successfully. I shall get some Bilt Hamber stuff as poeple on other forums swear by it and do all the bits on the car and polish and waxing is high on my priorities! | ||
| Robert Noel Reddington Grand Master Username: bob_uk Post Number: 510 Registered: 5-2015 |
Also engine oil new or used sprayed underneath helps. Waxoil is better though. The chassis on SY cars has grommets here and there. These just pop out give access to the inside of box sections. The jacking point doors if opened also gives access. If the door threshold plates are removed and holes drilled in the step underneath then this gives more access. 1/2 inch hole. The front inner wing plastic shield remove rust proof behind. Both waxoil and engine oil soften underseal which makes the underseal tend to repair itself. The correct name for waxoil is body cavity wax and comes in 1 litre cans that fit an underseal air gun. 2 colours amber and black. Both do the same job. | ||
| Mark Aldridge Prolific User Username: mark_aldridge Post Number: 255 Registered: 10-2008 |
Bob I always thin the waxoil with approx. 20% white spirit and stand the can in a bucket of hot water prior to application( with the top loose).Buy one 1 litre can for the Schultz gun and a 5 litre can to refill it - cheaper !. David, I would keep your current daily driver for a period until the Bentley has had a chance to prove itself and any niggles have been fettled. I have not yet bought a car that I have not had a settling down period with and a backup car during this time is useful.During the first few months with my Shadow, I found my Austin 7 very useful , if a touch slow for commuting ! Mark | ||
| Robert Noel Reddington Grand Master Username: bob_uk Post Number: 511 Registered: 5-2015 |
Depends how much one is paying for the 1 litre cans that screw on to a schultz gun. I buy a case of 12. £36. I don't bother with white spirit. Also motor cycle chain grease that goes liquid when heated. This is also good in sealed for life brgs. This stuff is expensive though. I important thing is with any car regular cleaning and servicing and protection. I see cars that are over 50 years old and only look 15 years old and some that look even better. Not restored cars. Carpets for instance the grit and stuff wears the carpet out. So weekly vacuuming is a good idea. I have a little rechargeable cleaner thats quite good. I have just eaten a Frys turkish delight. Lovely. There again I have seen cars that are absolute sheds at 15 years old or less. | ||
| David Towers New User Username: xtriple Post Number: 5 Registered: 6-2010 |
I couldn't sleep at all last night - was still awake at gone 7:00 this morning! Obviously I then fell asleep and didn't wake until 10:00 so I was totally disorganised! Meant to get blankets and stuff to protect the back seats and CDs and all sorts and forgot the lot! Mark turned up on time the bastard and wanted to get on so it was a rush... It cost me for the trip up, a costa coffee! He wouldn't let me pay for fuel or anything... the coffee was nice though! It really has been looked after very well. Just had the 'C' service (yesterday) and it is running fully synthetic 5/40 oil. I thought these needed old fashioned thick stuff but what the hell do I know!  Paying for it was a complete non-event! Just stuck my card in the reader, pushed buttons and all done. My bloody bank could at least have queried it I was really nervous of it. I haven't bought anything this old in years and I was fully expecting dramas and tantrums (mine) cos anything over five years old is rubbish! It doesn't feel old in the slightest! It does feel very different to the Honda though! Everything on the Insight is light and instant whereas the Bentley has... gravitas! The brakes are lovely but actually require you to press the pedal rather than just rest your foot and the same with the steering, though not with your foot! The controls are lovely: so fluid and quality to touch/use and precise. They feel like they would last a million years. In the boot behind the flap is a complete and unused toolkit, jack and a ratchet, emergency triangle thing and various other buts and pieces and when you remove the lower flap, there's the CD autochanger and alarm gubbins and two new bottles of mineral oil. On the way home, coming over Shaldon bridge was another Bentley (Arnage I think) and he waved at me! That really made me smile ;cos that hasn't happened in years. The handling really is a revelation. The last one I drove, with the benefit of hindsight, I'm sure was NOT a Turbo R! It looked like one and had all the badges but it handled like a barge and didn't have any 'go'. Also, I know that there wasn't a f****** great turbo the size of a bucket mounted at the front of the engine bay and I was so naive that I fully believed it was mounted low down as on other cars. This thing corners absolutely flat. Zero roll and it doesn't pitch or lurch on the throttle or the brakes. But the best thing is, the get up and go! It absolutely flies! It also sounds quite aggressive when you boot it and I'm sure I heard the turbo spool up... but that could just be imagination! Yes, I'm anoyed at myself for missing the dent in the door but I will get that repaired and all the other little dents at the same time and I might have the passenger side re-sprayed as well to get rid of the poor paint prep on the doors. It is a lovely car and I am well pleased and it deserves love and attention to get the bodywork as good as the mechanicals. Oh yes. When I got home there was a parking space right in front of my Honda... but it looked tight. I thought I'd give it a go as I'd only hit my own car. Now, I'm totally used to my parking sensors and stuff and I cannot see the back of the car but it went in fine. It dwarves the Honda and the Saxo in front looks like a bit has fallen off! http://i535.photobucket.com/albums/ee351/xtriple_2008/20150916_124321_zpsydgisidu.jpg http://i535.photobucket.com/albums/ee351/xtriple_2008/20150916_122354_zpsnxs5jfe9.jpg Moderator's Advice - have edited an expression we prefer not to be used on this forum. Our software does not allow images stored on image hosting sites to appear in posts only appropriate sized [640 x 480 pixels or 480 x 640 pixels depending on orientation] images directly uploaded to the Forum using the \image command. The Photobucket links work and the images will appear. | ||
| Robert Noel Reddington Grand Master Username: bob_uk Post Number: 512 Registered: 5-2015 |
Its nice to put a face to the posting. Turbo chargers have a very precise bearing in the middle between the exhaust turbine and the inlet turbine. The exhaust turbine gets mega hot this heat travels down the shaft to the bearing. The engine oil pump pumps oil to this bearing. The oil has to withstand the heat. If incorrect oil is used it can burn up and turn to carbon blocking up the oil feed. After driving fast its best to run engine at less power for 5 mins before turning engine off. When the engine is turned off the pump stops pumping. By running at less power the oil has time to cool the bearing. So that oil in the bearing when stationary doesn't get cooked. Synthetic oil such as Mobil 1 is recommended for all makes of turbo petrol engines. 10w/40 and 20w/50 when hot are actually very close in viscosity to each other the gap narrows when hot sort of. The dtivers handbook should have the recommended oils and lubs. Follow that and one can't go wrong. I favour Castrol. Simply because I have a Castrol rep. All the recommendations are as good as one another. Nice dogs. Nice car. Shame about your jumper  still I have been known to drive around in shorts and tee shirt. When ever where ever you stop people will look and the look on some faces when they see my 6" full white beard. | ||
| Lluís Gimeno-Fabra Grand Master Username: lluís Post Number: 403 Registered: 8-2007 |
Hi, This is maybe pedantic, but the T04B Garret does not have a bearing, but a bush. Hence the mess the intake becomes... the shaft is revolving on a film of oil. Ciao, Lluís | ||
| Robert Noel Reddington Grand Master Username: bob_uk Post Number: 519 Registered: 5-2015 |
Lluis technically in some engineering disciplines you are correct. However in motor car world bushes mean so many different things that us grease monkeys call them plain bearings. However we do use the term oilite bush. Which is a sintered bronze plain bearing. As far as I know all turbo chargers have plain bearings. Plain bearings are quieter and will take very much more load than ball or roller bearings at high speed. Races can skid at high revs. The advice I gave about allowing engine to run slowly to cool the turbo before stoping the engine is normally automatic unless one is going to drive all the way home to the door at 100mph. Driven within the law including having due regard to other road users, the turbo most of the time is not doing much work. When accelerating the turbo starts to work but 70 mph is going to come up in about 8 seconds and then its time to cruise and the turbo has a rest. Where this car shows up as very fast is from not stationary but at say 20 mph, hold the box in 2nd and floor it and the car reels in the horizon. I wish the new owner has good luck with the car and enjoys it. My best maintenance tip is too use the car and do an under bonnet check every day for a week and if everythings Ok then relax a bit. Also study the climate control system because this system is about the best ther is car wise and to get the best from it one needs to understand the controls. My Shadow has aircon or manual climate control. In combination with a powerful heater. I have fitted voice control in the form of my wife. My Jeep is 1993 about the same year as the Turbo R. The aircon (jeep) is a half way house to proper climate control and is merely ok. Not a patch on the Turbo R. | ||
| David Towers New User Username: xtriple Post Number: 6 Registered: 6-2010 |
Unfortunately, this car has had to go back. It appears that at some point, this engine has been 'cooked'! When Specialist Cars stripped it to find why it was smoking one of the valve guides was loose with no explanation as to why. But, on searching, there is a youtube video of this very car on a 'trackday' last year. Specialist Cars were fantasticL they refunded the money and included the money I'd spent on having the sidew resprayed (fantastic job as well) and a couple of other bits and pieces I'd spent on it. I was so sad to see this go, it looked fabulous and drove beautifully, but smoked constantly in the end. However, not all doom and gloom as I have bought another! This one I haven't even seen but I've paid for it and it's being delivered on Friday. Bentley Brooklands 'R' swb. 98 final edition. It looks (in pictures) gorgeous. It has a lovely spec, nice wheels (17") chrome rad grille (though I prefer painted), low miles, 3 previous owners and a good history. Of course, it was more money, but I really like Brooklands. I actually wanted one before but the turbo ones are rare and very hard to find. Apparently, it is one of only 12 to this spec and short wheelbase (which I also prefer). As Specialist cars were so good to me (after initially I didn't like them!) I have booked it in for a service and thorough check over on Wednesday next. I expect this will be an eye opening and eye watering experience! | ||
| David Towers New User Username: xtriple Post Number: 7 Registered: 6-2010 |
The car was delivered this morning. It had more body issues than I was expecting (rust in the offside front wing behind the wheel, scrape on the rear bumper a few marks and dinks here and there. But, the interior is glorious and it drives beautifully. The engine sounds and feels totally different to the turbo R, it's smoother and far more eager to rev and sounds great. It also feels pretty much as fast, but more eager, the slightest touch on the throttle and she leaps away. The engine really sounds nice, quiet mechanically (silent really) with a lovely exhaust note. The gearbox is far nicer, smoother in the changes and more willing to change down again. The brakes are frighteningly effective compared to the Turbo R and on first press, I sent both dogs off the back seat! It also sits much lower, and also level. The TR always sat high at the front whereas this sits flat and level and is definitely an inch or two lower, couple that with the big bumpers and short grille and it looks almost menacing from the front. Oh, and the wheels look fabulous - I never did like the 15 inch wheels on the TR. Faults: rear drivers side door doesn't work on the central locking and there's also a rattle in that door when driving. I'm wondering if these two things are related? I feel that it pulls to the left fractionally when the brakes are first applied, like a lazy caliper on the right hand side. I also feel that the thermostat is not working as the engine runs very cool at all times. The needle is barely climbing into the white zone at all. On the plus side, the car needed a new front tyre for the MOT as the old one had a cut on the inside edge so all the tyres are new Avon CR27s, it's also recently had a new rack and new spheres at the rear. It hasn't been as pampered as my Turbo R. I feel it has had a harder life where it has been used (whisper it!) as a car! I had booked two very good lads to work on my sons car this weekend, the same lads that sprayed my last Bentley and did such a fantastic job on it. I have persuaded them (with the promise of much money!) to attend to my car as well! So, my car after less than seven hours in my care has gone off to be sprayed. The rust is being cut out and new metal let in in the front arch and the same again in the rear if needed (three tiny bubbles). There are also loads of little chips and blemishes that need attending to and the car needs a good machine polish and wax. They are also fitting parking sensors and colour coding them. I will take my sons Skyline up when he arrives about 7:30 and I'll stop on the way and buy them some food - must feed the troops! These two lads are exceptional workers, do a fantastic job and are not expensive. It's worth getting them food and a few munchies to keep them going as they will (if past experience is anything to go by) be there until the early hours of tomorrow! | ||
| Robert Noel Reddington Grand Master Username: bob_uk Post Number: 593 Registered: 5-2015 |
The rattle in the door could be the door locking motor fallen off. Check that the car has a thermostat. The engine should run at 90c. This car shouldn't be run without a stat because the bypass wil be open. The Front brake pull. Retract all 8 pistons. Its not necessary to remove the pads. I use water pump pliers and clamp across caliper and pad. If pads are tight in the caliper take them out and file the edges of the steel bit down a wee bit. And reassemble with copper slip. Normally when pistons are retracted the bleed nipples are closed. This sends the fluid in the caliper back to the reservoir. But this means fluid is going through the brake valves and ABS system. Its now thought best to open the nipples and squirt the fluid out into a jam jar. This has 2 other advantages. 1 any air in the caliper gets blow out into jam jar. 2 the system gets a shot of new LHM. But like most things the disadvantage is that when fluid is pushed back to the reservoir it shows that the hose is clear. Apply brakes with engine running and the pads and pistons will come back out. The amount of movement can clear a sticky piston. Then top up reservoir. LHM LHM. The green stuff. Well done to the dealer of the first car for refunding your money. I am always cautious about buying cars from private vendors. Paying a bit extra to an honest dealer is money saved long term. Seen so many private sale cars that are rubbish and worst the vendor doesn't even know that. The worst combination is such a vendor and a buyer who doesn't check properly. I hope this car is a good one. The first car I suspect has been cooked causing the valve guide to fret in the head. | ||
| David Towers New User Username: xtriple Post Number: 8 Registered: 6-2010 |
Thank you for all the above, it mirrors my thoughts exactly. I so wish the first car had been okay as it was a really beautiful example and we all did our 'due diligence' properly. Just shows, even the most thorough checks can miss things. The Brooklands however, does drive very well indeed and the slight pull on the brakes is so slight I 'could' be mistaken but I'm usually pretty good at feeling things in cars. So, it and the thermostat will be checked when it goes to the original vendor for a service and check over. Yes, I rate Specialist Cars South West so highly now (after my initial distrust.dislike of them) that I am setting them free with my bank account! The Brooklands is currently being re-painted (I can't stand tatty cars or even sub-standard paintwork and mechanical faults drive me insane!) so after just seven hours of ownership, it was away. I miss it... The Brooklands R is a car I have lusted after for years and occasionally I have wanted one more than the Turbo R, I have no idea why. I know they perform more or less the same as the earlier TRs but I really like the big bumpers/short grille look and the big wheels always appeal. I fear that this car is not as good as 'my' TR bodily and certainly not service history wise, and I did precisely zero checks before purchasing it - stupid? Possibly, but I had the opportunity to reject the car on delivery (with a cost charge to me)if it had been worse than described. The slight rust behind the front drivers side wheel was described as: 'a couple of tiny bubble - not worth bothering about' and was actually rust that had broken through for about three inches. I was not told about the scrape on the bumper and these two things did irritate me. But, the car was very cheap for its year/model and ten thousand pounds difference can pay for a lot of improvements. Fortunately, the interior is very nice indeed and the car drives exceptionally well. The engine sounds totally different to the TRL willing and smooth, keen to rev and very quiet indeed. The gearbox is lovely and the brakes (notwithstanding the slight pull) are vastly better - sharp and powerful. I like it and will like it even more when it returns from the bodyshop! Incidentally, the rust was cut out and a beautifully accurate patch was welded in with pictures to show me, this pleased me lots. | ||
| David Towers New User Username: xtriple Post Number: 10 Registered: 6-2010 |
So, a LARGE update. The car eventually returned from the bodyshop 20 days later - the paint was wrong, didn't match and the colour code made no sense to anyone RR or B related. Correct format (9531108) but doesn't relate to a paint colour. Ho hum... Eventually, the colour was traced to be 'Brewster green' the paint was mixed and finally, the car looked superb... apart from the lack of pinstripes on the drivers side wingm which of course you cannot buy as they are painted on. Oh hum... So the very next day, the car went to Specialist cars South West for a service and check over. The news was not good. The estimate when it was received two days later was for over eight thousand pounds of repairs.... Ho hum! I pondered for the weekend what to do with the car. I could sell it as is, do part of the needed work, have various items modified to save lots of money, or bite the bullet and have it all done. Guess which course of action I chose? Yes, I authorised repairs! So it had: new front active ride struts, new springs, new shrouds, spring pans, compliance bushes, steering rack (yes, the 'new one' was leaking badly!) all new engine mounts, new engine to subframe dampers, new thermostat and all new sensors, new disc pads, new accumulators, pump, full flush and bleed and the offside brakes overhauled. New rear spring pan (slightly rusted) new rear spheres, new boot hinge, seat ecu, new horn, alarm sorted, central locking sorted, full engine service, gearbox service... the list just went on and on! Ho hum... Oh yes, I also had all the jacking points straightened, the underside of the car rubbed down and re-rustproofed, all the brake/fuel/suspension pipes were cleaned and treated... The final bill was £10690.13. And that was after a sizeable discount! I have had it back for two weeks tomorrow and I am using it every day to 'shake her down' as it were. I have also had loads of fun trying to get a stereo head unit that will fit the car, work in conjunction with the CD autochanger and match Bentley wiring. This last, seems to be utterly impossible! So I resorted (after wasting quite a bit of money on a new Alpine stereo that I was assured would work with the car - of course it didn't!) to having the old head unit restored/rebuilt. Gosh, what fun that was and so cheap... er, not! But it now works properly so cost will be forgotten in time. I hope! Also had the car on a Hunter four wheel alignment thing where they set the car up, that does feel better and was cheap. A first! I am really enjoying the car now, it drives beautifully and is taught and precise, the brakes are superb and the steering lovely. I have washed it about ten times and polished it twice, some doing when you consider it has rained constantly for the last 6 weeks! I now use the rain to rinse the wash/wax off! All has been great until today when a couple of spurious and very fleeting messages appeared on the DIM - AIRBAG and then later- CHECK GEARBOX. Both of these flashed up and were gone in a second and happened at very low speeds/engine speeds (500 rpm ish) the lights were on ans so was the air con and wipers. Hopefully nothing, but worrying non the less. If anyone can set my mind at rest about thislast, I would be eternally grateful... So, my 'cheap' Brooklands Turbo R which cost me sub £12K has now cost me just over £25K! Ouch. Oh, I also had a flying 'B' put on and that looks great All in all, I have been really enjoying my ownership of the car and I don't begrudge it a penny of the money it has cost. I could have saved loads by having the Bilstein kit for the front suspension (£1000 all in instead of £4.5K) or having my struts refurbished. But I wanted it 'right' so opted for all new. It is now a beautiful and very sorted car and the dogs love it! I was getting to the point where I was trusting her, but todays messages have set me back a little in the trust department - I have spent so much on the car, I really need to sell my modern car to get some funds back in the bank, but until I trust her more, it will have to stay. Thanks for reading, all the best, Dave. | ||
| David Gore Moderator Username: david_gore Post Number: 1854 Registered: 4-2003 |
Dave, I suspect your "warning light" episodes are possibly the result of voltage drop in the vehicle's electrical system as the alternator is not rotating fast enough at 500 engine rpm to generate sufficient voltage to compensate for the voltage drop caused by the electrical load from the lights, A/C and wipers. If your usual driving conditions involve extensive periods of low speed engine revolutions, you may have to consider fitting a smaller diameter alternator pulley to increase the alternator rotation speed to a level where it can maintain 13.8 volts when the electrical system is under load. However, extreme high engine revolutions may have to be avoided to keep the alternator rotation speed within acceptable limits with this modification. | ||
| gordon le feuvre Frequent User Username: triumph Post Number: 96 Registered: 7-2012 |
Turbo R did suffer from alternator not turning fast enough in traffic situations. I seem to recall there was a bulletin regarding this (smaller pulley) but I can't remember what year. I has happened to me in heavy traffic, dark, lights on,acu flat out. The trouble is when the battery dies, no hazards, It's amazing how many motorists just think one would stop in the middle lane,in dark and heavy rain just for the hell of it!! | ||
| Patrick Lockyer. Grand Master Username: pat_lockyer Post Number: 961 Registered: 9-2004 |
At an engine 500rpm the car would just crawl along at less than 5mph if at all. Why would you need the wipers a/c lights?, even so the car has an alternator that would cope if all the systems are running correctly at 650rpm. Has been known to fit smaller pulleys for dynamo systems but not for a warning light issues. | ||
| David Towers Experienced User Username: xtriple Post Number: 11 Registered: 6-2010 |
Just spoken to the specialist and he mirrored the comments you guys made: very low revs and that gearbox warning pops up. So, good, no need to have a panic attack yet! The airbag warning may need looking into. Bum! There are still a few jobs I really want to get done on her: a good coat of wax on the paintwork for a start (polish looks good but I don't believe it offers any protection?) and I want to get her 'Waxoyled' in the arches and underneath. Unfortunately, the weather is not playing the game: it has rained daily now for 6 weeks, sometimes accompanied by howling gales - hardly conducive to crawling around trying to protect your car! It is raining quite hard as I type... I was a little 'down' yesterday; a post on a Bentley forum (Facebook group) about my gearbox warning really worried me (it's about to blow up!) and after all the expenditure on the car, I must admit to feeling a trifle 'poor' and not really in the mood for MORE expense! I trust this site as you guys are informed and passionate about our cars (feels good to be able to say that at last) and so came here for re-assurance, which you have provided me. I love this car already and I feel it is now as good to drive as my first one, but with a smoother engine and gearbox and nicer suspension, feels taught and eager and belays its weight with ease. Thanks for the comments chaps. | ||
| Robert Noel Reddington Grand Master Username: bob_uk Post Number: 803 Registered: 5-2015 |
Try setting engine idle rpm to 700. The only concern will be bump when selecting a gear from park or neutral. If the bump is unacceptable drop to 650 revs. My car likes a new battery every 4 years so do get your battery properly tested. For safety sake ALWAYS have a competent person in the driving seat with foot on brake pedal. Or take the rear wheels off. I have seen a car go through a car show room window with a mechanic trying to hold the car back. The easiest way to fit aftermarket radios is to first fit Std. Din wiring. Most radios come with a Din loom and a plug which plugs into the radio. With this there will be a discription as to what each colour does. Red is the feed and yellow is memory and black is earth. Blue are for electric aerial. The other wires will all have a black strip these are speaker earths. On some RR/Bentley cars the earth side of all the speakers is common and earthed to the car. Din system has the speaker earths common but not earthed to the car. The simple solution is to disconnect the speaker earths from the body earth. Check the speakers by listening and eyeballing the cones. If faulty replace with new. Speakers don't have to be expensive. Mine are 10watt RMS and cost 6 quid each and sound lovely. Because the speakers are low power they respond much better than subwoofers and other expensive stuff. 10 watts RMS is quite loud. Waxoil is quite good gear but does need redoing every 2 years or there abouts. By removing the carpets and underlay the chassis box members can be accessed by drilling 6mm holes in the floor above the member. The holes can be left open or plugged with grommets. Also used engine oil is useful. Wax oil sell a pump thingy for those without compressors. The front seat belts are fitted inside the chassis so by removing the belt mounting plate access to the chassis box member is gained. I hope the car is trouble free from here on. Good luck. | ||
| richard george yeaman Grand Master Username: richyrich Post Number: 417 Registered: 4-2012 |
David Bob said I hope the car is trouble free from here on. Good luck. I will second that. Richard. | ||
| David Towers Experienced User Username: xtriple Post Number: 12 Registered: 6-2010 |
I got the time and opportunity to get some Waxoyl on her today: wheelarches all done and under the bonnet. I also took all the trims out of the boot and did everywhere paying special attention to the inner rear wings where the wheel arches join. I feel MUCH happier with it done. No real need as SC re-rustproofed her properly while she was away on her holidays and rubbed it all down first and masked everywhere and did a 'proper' job. Also took her out for a bit of a drive and there was no re-occurrence of the warning messages on the DIM, so I guess we will carry on and hope... She does now drive extremely well (touching wood as I type!)and is a real pleasure to pilot around. Of course, people laugh at me/her/us all the time as they are not used to Bentleys being driven around with a dogs head hanging out of each rear window, drool smears along both back wings! As Waxoyl goes everywhere, she now requires another wash and polish before I can wax her, but I will get it done in the next week... if the weather Gods play ball! I would post some pictures of her, but I don't seem able to on this forum, what am I doing wrong? | ||
| David Towers Experienced User Username: xtriple Post Number: 13 Registered: 6-2010 |
Did I not mention that I had the original head unit re-built? It seemed to be the easiest and safest option after exhausting all after-market alternatives! It sounds really good now as well, nice tone but I think one speaker has a blown cone as if I turn the bass up then I get distortion on one speaker. Not the end of the world and not one I am going to worry about at the moment! | ||
| Geoff Wootton Grand Master Username: dounraey Post Number: 1046 Registered: 5-2012 |
Hi David You need to get some miles on the car now. Confidence will return. I had the same experience with my Silver Shadow when it was hit and miss as to whether it would start, until I changed the starter motor. A few hundred miles later and the joy of driving these cars has returned. To post pictures you need to resize them to 640/480 pixels. There is a resize option on most jpeg viewers. I use irfanview. If you are not familiar with these things, Brian has posted detailed instructions on how to resize pictures using MS-paint, which is available as standard on all windows operating systems. The link is here. http://au.rrforums.net/forum/messages/30/18341.html I hope you will do this - would be really interesting to see pics of your car. Geoff | ||
| Robert Noel Reddington Grand Master Username: bob_uk Post Number: 806 Registered: 5-2015 |
Blown speaker cone. A bit of gaffer tape works. The distortion is the edges of the blown bit flapping around. However speakers aren't necessarily expensive and 8 screws and 2 wires doesn't take long. Important that the ohms are correct. My speakers came from Maplin. They fitted exactly. The holes are slotted. The speaker is fitted to a square of hardboard which is screwed to the door frame. I should think the Turbo R is the same. A bit dog slobber on the leather won't hurt. | ||
| David Towers Experienced User Username: xtriple Post Number: 14 Registered: 6-2010 |
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| David Towers Experienced User Username: xtriple Post Number: 15 Registered: 6-2010 |
YAY!!! I managed to post pictures. Go me! | ||
| richard george yeaman Grand Master Username: richyrich Post Number: 421 Registered: 4-2012 |
Well done David and your car looks Fabulous a good home for any dog. (just watch that their wee claws don't mark your wooden door caps) Just saying. Richard. |
