I think that I may have struck lucky. I have come across a US website who say that they have some used ones in stock, the correct ones for the sat nav centre console upper surround. I am waiting for an answer from them to confirm this, which looks like I may be in luck. At least, I can then buy one of the fairly numerous sat nav upper surrounds that are for sale on various P38 breakers ebay sites in the UK.

Again, thanks for the information that you gave me, Richard.

Pierre3.

Hi Richard, thanks a lot for posting this information. It gives me a decent bit of info to follow. I didn't know the correct description for the parts ! Now, at least I can do a trawl through the internet and see what I can find.

Two years ago I actually found a brand new, old stock, window switch pack front. It was a bit pricey but it was very good nick.

Pierre3.

Hi there, thanks for your reply. I have been told that the clock surround is moulded into the whole surround, and therefore it won't come, but that in itself wouldn't be an issue, because I want to keep the clock. The bit that I can't figure out is the small panel that is fluted under the clock. That piece appears to be clipped into the storage box [for want of a better description] section. i am guessing that this must pull off.

If the lower, fluted piece is removed does that leave the bits and bobs box just clipped into the surround ? When I look at the upper surround that had sat nav fitted the clock section seems to be one piece, moulded into the panel. The hole under the fluting is apparent in both panels but, on the one that has sat nav the flutes seem to be moulded in, whereas in the black one the long panel sits over the hole, and the panel seems to be removeable.

I can't see how you could take off the longer panel and fit it to the one that had sat nav. I suspect that with the sat nav surround there is a different type of bits and bobs storage box, but I can't find one on the internet if it is indeed a different item than the one in the black surround.

Any ideas would be appreciated, as usual.

Pierre3.

Hi, I wonder whether anybody can tell me if I can remove the bits and pieces storage box, or tray thingy, from the centre console upper surround, where the clock is located.

Here is the piece that I am thinking of buying:

As one can see there was a sat nav unit fitted, and now removed. The surround would be perfect for my car, but can I remove the remaining bit of the black panel and fit the complete black panel from my existing surround ?

I am hoping that it is possible to remove the section with in the red box in my existing upper console surround, and just fit it back into the walnut surround.

My question is - can I do this ? Does the clock surround and the bits and bobs storage box just unclip ?

Pierre3.

Thanks, Karl. I got your PM.

Pierre3.

Hi Karlos, my p38 is a 2001 2.5 DHSE.

Pierre3.

Hi, I wonder whether someone might know where to find the correct wood finish fitted to their P38 ?

I know that the trim reference is on the build plate under the bonnet, but where would I find out the type of wood panels fitted ? I am assuming that my car has Walnut but I remember from having a couple of old Mercedes that making assumptions on the wood type and style was a big mistake as they made different colours of Walnut depending on the year.

Maybe someone has some ideas ?

Pierre3.

Thanks for a very detailed description, Richard. I am interested in the fact that if the car is locked with the fob then it has to be unlocked with the fob. It was something that I always wondered about.

I will have to remember to not rush the pressing of the "Unlock" button if the car doesn't open immediately, in future. Perhaps patience is the "key" !!

Pierre3.

Donmacn, I find the key and key fob synchronizing operation a pain in the danglies. Even though I have new handles, with new barrels, and a new drivers' side door latch I am still never quite sure whether the key has returned to the central position when synching. I tend to be very particular when doing this, but I always find that there is a tiny bit of play in the barrel, and I often wonder whether the twist of the key has been correctly registered.

As you are looking at the EKA operation don't forget to do the door lock barrel synch, as well. Insert key blade - press "Lock" button and with button still pressed twist key to "Lock" position, and return to centre while releasing "Lock" button. The car should now be locked. Next [and immediately] press the "Unlock" button and with button pressed twist key to "Unlock" position, and immediately return the key to the centre position while keeping the button pressed. The car should now be unlocked [ or at least the drivers' side door].

I usually find that you also need to press the "unlock" button while inserting the key into the ignition switch and turning on the ignition.

Maybe this may be of some help, if you haven't already tried it.

Pierre3.

Richard, sorry to suggest that I thought that I had seen something by yourself, referring to using the 315mhz fobs. I have read lots of different messages on different forums, about the subject, and I got this one wrong. I did think that the NAS keyfobs would be, really, a non-starter, otherwise it would be a fairly common change. One thing that I find interesting, and I have suspected to be correct despite someone on another forum stating the opposite, is that strong wi-fi signals will disrupt the keyfob data. I have parked my P38 close to a local McDonalds, while shopping, and both times the keyfob couldn't lock or unlock the car, or if it unlocked the car I couldn't start it without going through the different key synching operations.

Thanks very much for the very full explanations, detailing the differences when using immobilisation, and using keys. When you mention the fact that having a new door latch should ensure trouble free locking and unlocking it did occur to me that perhaps the reason that I couldn't rely on the key, without seeing problems, was because the original door latch was running faulty.

I would agree with Aragorn, in that it seems using a combination of key and fob gives errors. I have a dislike of mixing different systems of operation to achieve a result, as invariably there will be a problem. In my work days I used to install ID card reading systems, which, funnily enough, also, often, had secondary systems using keys to access buildings, and I was always wary of using the two systems together, despite what the software programmers would tell me.

I think that I will program out the immobiliser, just to have one less thing to worry about when using the key. I am not sure that any local car thieves would be especially interested in a twenty year old P38, in the local B&Q carpark, when there are plenty of BMW's and newer RR's in the same area.

So thanks for the different opinions from our members, and hopefully I will achieve some sort of happiness while keeping the car reasonably safe.

Pierre3.

Harv, I thought I had seen something by Richard [Gilbertd] which suggested that the NAS fobs could be used in a UK P38, but it is complicated. I would imagine it would entail reprogramming the BeCM as well as changing the RF filter thingy. And if you change out the BeCM I suppose that you open a whole new can of worms. So, I think that, for me, it is not an option.

The first thing I would like to check is what happens if I [or can I] program out the the immobiliser option with Nanocom ? I guess that, at least, I could prevent the engine being immobilised if the key operation fails for any reason.

That leaves the issue of whether there is any way of by-passing the EKA ? I am guessing not, or else the security would be too badly compromised.

I still don't feel that comfortable using only the key to lock and unlock the car on a long term basis.

Pierre3.

I am interested to know whether there are many alternatives, if any, to lock the car without using the key fob and just using the key.

The reason I ask is that quite a lot of times that I leave my P38 the key fob won't lock the car, and I don't particularly like using the key because I get the impression that the key will throw up errors, such as engine immobilised, or press buttons whille key is in the ignition. If the car doesn't lock with the fob I tend to leave it unlocked, which is not the best option.

I have one of Marty's RF filter fitted, and the car locks and unlocks every single time that it is parked outside my house, but go near somewhere where there may be loads of RF signals and I just can't use te fob. I have new handles and door latches fitted, but sometimes the car will lock with the fob, but not unlock, I have to use the key. Then, quite often, when I go to start the car the first turn of the key does nothing so I have to take the key out of the ignition and go again, at which point the car usually starts.

I would like to find a means that might be 100% reliable. I know that I saw something about using the US key fobs, using the US frequencies, but from the brief bit that I read there is quite a lot to changing the key fobs to US spec. A more simple answer would be preferred.

Maybe I can program out the immobilisor with Nanocom ? I suppose that would help, but ideally the possibility of by-passing the EKA software would be the best choice.

I would be interested to see what other members views are.

Pierre3.

Tanis8472, thanks for your information. I will have a look at the brake switch this weekend, weather permitting.

Pierre3.

OK, thanks for the replies, guys. I think that I will leave things as they are because the brake light switch works the brake lights perfectly. I don't want to screw up something that is working in the hope of fixing something that I don't really need.

The CC on the diesel seems to be a bit of an unknown beast, so I will leave well alone !!

Pierre3.

Ah-ha, I see. I have an automatic so the clutch pedal doesn't come into the equation, fortunately. But, I would then ask the question, if the clutch pedal has a switch for the CC does that mean that manual P38's use a different brake light switch, with presumably no CC switch built into the brake light switch, than automatic P38's, which use only a brake pedal ?

Or do manual P38's have a CC switch in the brake light switch and a seperate one under the clutch pedal ?

Pierre3.

I can't remember whether I asked specifically about this subject, so I will risk asking again !!

I read, on the RR P38 facebook forum thingy, that both the diesel and petrol P38's use the brake light switch to help control the cruise control. I wonder if someone can confirm this ? My CC isn't working although the switch lights up. And I know that the diesel doesn't use the vacuum tubes, like the petrol vehicle. But, perhaps the brake light switch could be the problem ?

Pierre3.

Sloth, just wondering whether you had to do the front and rear bumpers, and if so did you use the neat Black Raptor paint on them as well ?

Pierre3.

Again, thanks to Richard for a fairly detailed explanation. I suppose that to understand the whole issue would, as KCR says, mean getting all the model wiring diagrams and following each and every thread, to see if each fuse line does the same on all fuseboards.

I would agree with Richard that pictures of the fuseboards will indeed only show the location of the relays and fuses, and it should be fairly obvious, on reflection, that without studying the connections through the loom then using different boards just wouldn't work.

So I suppose the answer is - make sure a replacement fuseboard is the same part number as the one on the label in the fusebox lid ! I won't be the one to test the viability of swapping different boards !

Pierre3.

KCR - it does appear that new fuseboards/boxes are still available. I do suspect that the later fuseboards, - Petrol - YQE 103410; Diesel - YQE 000010 - may be used in place of the earlier boards - Petrol YQE103410; Diesel - YQE103420, if Richards view is correct. If the solder tracks on the board are lighter on the old board and the tracks on the new boards are heavier then surely they will fit.

I can understand why you wouldn't want to replace a later fuseboard with an early board, but I bet that there is no problem going from old to later boards.

Incidentally, here is a picture of the fusebox and board part numbers:

The details are written along the very bottom of the diagram.

Pierre3.

Richard, very many thanks for your information. One thing that interests me is that the fusebox that my contact has is the one that you list as YQE 103420, and I notice that on the lid of my own fusebox LR printed that the actual box and lid assembly is YQH 101060, and the two fuseboards are as follows:
Petrol - YQE 103410; Diesel - YQE 000010.

Therfore your information makes sense, the 2001 diesel is using YQE 000010.

Many thanks for helping me solve this one.

Pierre3.