Seat bases can be swapped if you remove the actual cushion from the rest of the metalwork. I recently fitted a passenger side cushion to the drivers seat on my white one as the original was in a similar state. It means taking the seat out and stripping it down but simple enough to do, I even managed to find out why my heated seats weren't working while it was in bits and now they do.

They are so disgusting I'm tempted to use my mod status and delete the post.

But then I would have to change my name to RRToadhall.......

Seems the original part number was AMR3376, which then superseded to AMR6406 which was also superseded to AMR6477 so there were obviously a few improvements made to the design so you'd be better off going for the later number. There's one here http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AMR6477-FUSE-BOX-RELAY-FUSEBOX-RANGE-ROVER-P38-2-5-DIESEL-/162570054632 which is the correct one, comes with all the fuses and relays and free postage. From the look of the fuses (and the later part number) it looks like it was a replacement fitted not that long ago.

Got the rotary coupler half out and then decided to check RAVE. Found that the cables don't plug into it but are part of it. Checked continuity between the plug on the SRS cable under the dash and the connector for the airbag itself. All OK so reconnected with a squirt of contact cleaner in both plugs. Turned on the ignition and the dash said Airbag Fault, checked the fault with the Nano, cleared it, Airbag Fault on the dash disappeared and the SRS light went out. Success! The only thing on the MoT failure sheet that I haven't checked (because I'd forgotten about it) is the rusty ferrules on the brake hoses but I have a sneaking suspicion they will be as rusty as the ball joint boots are split.

Now I'm on to the more cosmetic side of things. So, the seat has definitely seen better days

I've sorted one or two minor things that were annoying me and then thought I would turn my attention to the sunroof. Along with the other error messages I was getting was one that every so often would pop up and tell me that the sunroof wasn't set. Poking the button did nothing so, having watched Marty do it on Smiler's car at Summer Camp, armed with my big screwdriver, I pulled out the interior light ready to start twiddling the manual adjuster. My theory was, judging by the mildew around it, that it hadn't been used for some time and the motor had just got stuck. First thing I noticed when I pulled the light out was a dangling socket so I figured it had been disconnected for some reason so had a look for something to plug it into. I think I have found the reason why the sunroof doesn't work......

The motor appears to have gone the same way as the viscous coupling and fan.

So it doesn't keep nagging me to set the sunroof I've gone into the BeCM settings and told it there isn't one, that should shut it up for the time being.

Edited to add that imgur does indeed work. Time to download all my pictures from Photobucket and close my account.

I've got a couple of domain names through easily but didn't go for their web hosting as I hadn't a need for it. I do have a couple of old computers and a broadband connection with a fixed IP address though so I'm sure it would be possible to host them myself if I can work out how to do it. Currently waiting for imgur to register me but it's taking a very long time. I suspect their servers are about to go into overload with all the new, ex-Photobucket, users registering.

I'd avoid one that doesn't quote a part number. That one is a completely unknown quantity when he says it's from an HSE 4.6 diesel.

Having spent some time out on it this evening, it gets better by the minute, seriously. It appears that the MoT place it was taken to could see a nice little earner. The one thing I wasn't looking forward to having to deal with was split boots on the bottom ball joints but having been under there, there is absolutely nothing wrong with them. In fact, it looks like the ball joints were replaced in the past so everything there is good too. Rutland Rover called round while I was out there to pick up a spare rear axle oil seal I had. While idly looking under the bonnet, I noticed an awful lot of slack on the tube to the washers. So much that when the bonnet was shut it was being trapped under the bonnet. Re-routed the pipe and the washers now work perfectly too. Just in the process of removing the rotary coupler to test it and if that sorts the SRS fault, then it's ready for an MoT.

Got pictures of the dodgy seat too, just got to find a decent alternative to Photobucket. Tried uploading to Google Drive but for some reason I can't link directly to them.

Mine had a crack too, can't remember exactly where but it's out in the garage so can have a look and see if it's the same place. I replaced it and found another advantage, a new one is more transparent so you can see how much coolant you have without taking the cap off and peering down the hole.

Later ones had the coil around the ignition switch so will turn off the alarm as soon as the key is inserted by telling the fob to transmit. No good if the receiver isn't working, the signal is being blocked by something stronger or the antenna has been disconnected so the fob is too far away for the signal to be received though. EKA is actually a good system as it does allow you to start the car even if the fob or receiver aren't working for whatever reason but it still means that if someone has a key blade that will fit the locks they still can't steal the car. If the BMW system relies on the ignition being switched on, and not on an induction coil to detect the key, then any old key that can be jiggled in the locks will allow it to be started.

Yes, if it will unlock all doors with the fob but only the drivers door with the key, the key switch in the drivers door latch is faulty. You are physically unlocking the door by turning the key but if the switch isn't making contact it won't tell the BeCM to trigger the central locking and unlock the others.

If you lock with the key you can unlock with either the key or the fob, if you lock with the fob then you must unlock with it too or the door will open but the car will remain immobilised.

Ouch, now that is steep and I thought that the way we are charged VAT on stuff from the US was taking the piss. We pay import duty at 10% of the purchase price (or at least the price that is shown on the bill of sale, wink, wink), shipping costs, insurance and then VAT on the total of these so we are paying VAT on the import duty, a tax on a tax. If the car originated in Europe it isn't considered as being imported, it is being repatriated so there's no import duty at all if over 30 years old and a nominal £50 if under that.

You could get round 6 by getting whoever ships it for you to fit a fuse in position 11 so the transfer case is in neutral and post the keys to you separately and allow the infamous P38 security to do the rest.

As long as you have somewhere to keep it, wouldn't it be worthwhile buying one here and shipping it over? We get charged around £900 for a car in a container from US to UK so I would have thought it would be much the same. Or would you have to pay some extortionate amount in import duty?

The shell was still sticky but as you are going to stick more material to it, it doesn't matter as long as all the bits of old foam are removed. Dina was doing that with a wire brush and it comes off easily enough. The sticky lumps of foam stuck to the soles of her shoes, which then picked up gravel so she could generate sparks when she walked.

I couldn't find any mention of an Ascot edition either. I was going to buy the P38 bible but Amazon want £60 for it! Paint is Altai Silver (code 567) but it has a blueish tinge to it and it looks more blue under a blue sky but much less so on a cloudy day. V5 says colour silver too.

Only if it comes at the same sort of price. No, this is going to be a sort out the problems, get it looking tidy and flip it (in fact, I've already got one potential buyer). That seat looks slightly worse than the passenger seat but a lot better than the drivers, I'll get a picture of it in daylight tomorrow (only just got in from work), it's bad, really bad. I wouldn't need any of the electrics, they all work fine (even the memories with both keys), just the actual seat base. That just bolts onto the framework with a bolt in each corner. A replacement seat cushion and a bit of leather clean and feed stuff should be enough. It's also got a droopy headlining though but Dina looked at it with glee, I think she enjoyed herself far too much last weekend.

Anyone got any info on the Ascot variant? It says it's an HSE on the V5 but it does seem to have every option going except for extra wood inside. It's even got a sunroof but I must admit I haven't even tried it yet as I've never had one with a sunroof before although the AC works too.

Someone has obviously been in the BeCM. Firmware version is 33 as it's quite an early car but passive immobilisation has been disabled but so has EKA, not sure what effect that has. In with the huge wad of papers that came with it there's a service booklet with 3 numbers written in it. There's a long number which I assume is the key barcode and the other two are 4 digit numbers so one will be the EKA and the other the radio code but I've no idea which is which. As the radio doesn't seem to work (there's a red LED with CODE next to it but that doesn't come on so I've no idea how that does whatever it should do) I can't see which is the radio code by trying them both and with EKA disabled in the BeCM, I don't fancy deliberately immobilising it just to see if I can make the EKA work. As the BeCM is locked the Nano won't tell me what the EKA is either.

Couple of months? I expect to have it done by next week. For the mot it was tested on petrol and it runs fine on that, it's just ridiculously rich on gas. The only thing I was able to find was the disconnected fuel pressure vacuum pipe so no idea why it had failed on emissions.

Picked it up from Battersea last night in the pouring rain. I can confirm that the wiper blades were indeed split, the passenger and rear screen ones just had the rubber backing, the actual blade had fallen off long ago. As there was an advisory for a coolant leak, I topped it up before setting off with my daughter following me in mine. Got as far as the Edgeware Road and the temperature gauge shot up to the red. Stopped, let an awful lot of pressure out, refilled it, grabbed a few bits out of the boot of mine and told my daughter she may as well go home, I could always call the AA to pick me up if I can't get it back myself. With the Nano plugged in so I could see the temperature, carried on but as it was getting up to 110 degrees there was a filling station so pulled in there. Put some petrol in it as it didn't run well on gas (even though the gauge showed 3/4 full). Let more pressure out and refilled it again but as I was on a filling station forecourt rather than clogging up a main road through London, took a bit more time about it to make sure I got rid of all the air. For some reason I looked at the viscous fan and noticed the reason why it was running hot, there wasn't one! Fan and viscous coupling were missing. Figured that as long as I could get out of the traffic, once I got to the A1 I should be OK with the airflow through the radiator. So, with one more stop when it started to get hot I soon got clear of the traffic and the temperature came down, and down, and down until at 60 mph on the A1, the Nano was reporting a coolant temperature of 71 degrees! Methinks the thermostat has been gutted. When I stopped it gave me a chance to read the other faults. It has an SRS fault which is reported as driver airbag open circuit, it had an ABS fault which went away once I'd cleared it and is now working as it should, the HEVAC has the chequebook showing due to a duff passenger blend motor and the engine had no stored faults whatsoever.

So, what about the huge list of MoT failure points then? Well, as I'm working a late start, late finish today, I've had a couple of hours to play with it. £3.99 each has sorted the wipers, despite it failing on brake efficiency, there doesn't appear to be anything wrong with the brakes, it stops fine, the parking brake was obviously tested a wheel at a time on a roller as that is working perfectly too, the insecure drivers seat is caused by one front bolt being not there, no idea why it failed on emissions as it runs fine, the lambda sensor are both working and switching as they should but the vacuum pipe to the fuel pressure regulator was off at the inlet manifold, so that may have had something to do with it and I haven't been underneath to have a look at the ball joint rubbers or rusty brake hose ferrules yet but £25 from Avenger 4x4 has got it a viscous coupling and fan, EAS is also working perfectly and has a pump dated 2014. The gas system is a single point Leonardo with a separate 0-1V lambda sensor to drive it and that has obviously died as it runs stupidly rich on gas. The cruise control doesn't work, but the pipe to the brake switch had split and fallen off but even with that back on it still doesn't work. That may point to a problem with the rotary coupler which would also explain the SRS fault. Can't test the radio buttons as the original radio display lights up but doesn't show CODE, or anything else for that matter, so doesn't do anything. Oh yes, and the drivers door doesn't lock or operate the central locking but the other doors all lock and unlock on the fob so a bit of door latch rebuilding is called for.

Overall, it seems very tidy except for the drivers seat base which is split on the side and not much better on the top. From the stored memory settings on the drivers seats, I suspect it's been owned by a fat b*stard which would explain that. So I'm on the lookout for a light blue/grey leather drivers seat if anyone has one and doesn't mind splitting a set.

Yup no problem. I'll be working late tonight but Thursday or Friday I'll be here.

blueplasticsoulman wrote:

gave me the alignment printout which was correct according to the RAVE values. Still didn't drive right.

The problem is that there are two lots of adjustment that are quite separate. There is the tracking, which ensures that the wheels al point in the right direction but that doesn't necessarily mean that the steering wheel will be straight. As Marty said, check that when the wheels are straight ahead that the marks on the steering box show that to be centralised too. If it isn't, you need to adjust the drag link until it is. If the steering box is centralised, then it's the column between the steering wheel and steering box that need changing. Rather than taking the steering wheel off, it's easier to move the wheel by moving the splines on the centre column and there's less chance of damaging the rotary coupler too.

Marty, a word of advice on doing the sunroof blind trim. Make sure you wrap the material at the front right round so it actually goes up on to the top and don't get glue on the strips down each side that it slides on. Probably worth putting some masking tape on to keep the glue off it or you'll need to clean it all off again as Morat and Smiler had to on his.

Thanks for hosting a great weekend, we enjoyed it but as you say, with a 2.5 hour drive to get home had to leave when we did. Dina had one complaint though. With 6 or 7 headlining shells to strip the old trim, foam and glue off she kept herself busy doing that all day Saturday but was complaining she was getting bore on Sunday because there was nothing she could do. Although she is fully experienced at the old up, down, up, down routine when it comes to brake bleeding, I suspect she wouldn't have been too happy to wait until the early hours to help with doing it.