Thanks very much Gd. It does sound as if it shouldn't be too difficult then - famous last words.

I know what you mean about the leather vs cloth thing. Our 'sensible' car - maybe until I trust the P38 as much as you do! - is a Skoda Yeti. Black leather seats, but they are heated and the car has A/C - though we don't get the sun so much away up here!!

So this is definitely 'frivolous' as I'm sure the existing seats are functional enough. I suppose I just feel some nice, soft leather seats are just a RR is all about!

If I go for it, I think the seats would come with looms etc, but I'd make sure to ask.

Thanks again.

I don't know about the Bosch reader I'm afraid. The 'Bosch'/Thor cars weren't till later than 1996 - but the code reader might work.

How did you reconnect the airbag? Did you use the original plug, or replace it with something else? It would be a shame to have a working code reader, but find the fault is still there.

Evening all,

As I now have a new MOT I'm indulging in a little more seat speculation!

Having read up some more, and digested what's in the replies above I think I'm more informed.

The label on my BECM has gone completely blank - only the LR logo remains - but as I have a sunroof; a mid-range speaker install; and an electric height adjustable driver's seat, I believe I have a Highline version.

I now know that the loom for the driver's seat (height motor only) has a green plug, and plugs into the BECM on the side next to the transmission tunnel. I have no idea if there is any 'default' wiring for the passenger seat under the carpets.

So I have three (!) questions at this stage:
1) I've read about seat 'outstations' or ECUs, and seen one on ebay. But it was a 1995 part. My car is 2000, maybe even a 2001 build judging by the VIN number. Do I need to get seat ECUs/outstations?

2)Just confirming what Marty said above - if I have a Highline BECM, the driver's seat is just a simple plug and play?

3) passenger's seat - if there's no pre-installed wiring, and I get the loom with the replacement seat - how does that work? Marty's reply suggests it's not a BECM thing, but a relay-based installation. Will there be a plug to connect to somewhere, or does the wiring for this run under the carpet to the BECM?

As always all advice really appreciated.

Ta

How old is the car? As I understand it, newer ones (after 1999?) self clear the fault if it's fixed. Older ones need to be cleared via diagnostics.

If it's a newer one, and the light is staying on, then there's still a fault.

Thanks Clive. My wife has just asked me: "Does this mean you can stop swearing at the car for two weeks?" I think she knows it's a little unlikely.....!

There was nothing wrong with the brakes as such, just a tester not familiar with the car - though I do think there must be some air in the system still, as the ABS pump seems to run a little more often. Maybe some swearing will help......

On the brake pipes, now that I don't have to start work on the rear axle immediately, I think I'll do just what you say and enjoy the car for a bit ( we're off work for the next fortnight ) and then start planning that job in a more leisurely fashion. I have a roll of Kunifer, tools and fittings, but I still lean to the braided option just because it seems as near a 'fit and forget' option as I'm likely to get.

You've mentioned an 'anti-vibration curve' - I think I've seen that taken to an extreme on the Defender, a whole circle in the pipe. All I could see there was a perfect 'bubble trap'. It's since been cut out and replaced.

Ha ha! Yep, we went there too. "How did you do the brake test?" - "On a deccelerometer." - "Did the lights go out?" - "Yes, but they didn't when I drove slowly into the workshop, and I have to test by the sequence on the wall chart" ... Nonsense!

My usual place up here is booked out a whole month in advance right now. I think it's the wave of folk who had 6 month 'Covid MOt extensions' testing their cars again, so I had to go somewhere different. Maybe there's a reason one place is booked a month in advance, and another has a space at 2 days notice.

Well! That was ..... interesting!

Phoned the MOT station and was told the car had failed. Oh dear, says I, not entirely surprised. What was the fail, and can I still drive it home? I was told it was a 'major fail: ABS light indicates a fault'...

Hmmmm, says I. Had a wee google and printed off a couple of things that show the car needs to be driven above 5mph for the light to go off, and presented them to the tester. He girned a bit, and took me over to their wall chart which showed..... the vehicle needs to be driven above 5mph.

I left them to change the paperwork, and drove off with a clean MOT pass, and no advisories (which is another big surprise!)

It occurs to me that it's a kind of 'milestone' on my P38 journey. First MOT in my ownership, and from an MOT perspective, the car will never be so bad again as long as I have it, so I feel that this free's me up to start thinking in the longer term.... I do quite fancy some leather seats, but maybe dry carpets should come first.

I know I'll hate it again, and swear at it (lots) when I tackle the back axle, but the only way is up!

Took it for a celebratory spin after the test, and just enjoyed the 'dark' dash - without the SRS/airbag fault lights shining at me.

Hi Marty,

Yup - my opinions exactly - very weedy looking pins. On my first expedition under the seat I gave it a blast of cleaner, replugged it and used a tie wrap around its length! Afraid it didn't work for me though. OK that evening, but next morning it was back again.

I was happy that I got into the car about an hour ago, turned on, and.... no airbag warning! The "24'hour gremlins" must be having a night off. Knowing my luck they'll turn up again just as I turn into the Test station!

Thanks for the reminder Harv - I'd also seen that done, but had forgotten about it. I imagine you could leave those loops in place, but tuck them away under the bonnet when not needed. I'll have a look for suitable bolts along the wing tops.

Don't know why I said I use a stern line - a brain fart! - I don't actually use one of those at all. I do exactly what you've described - two cambelts on each bar, and a bow line to the A bar on the Def.

Meanwhile I'll not be going anywhere if it doesn't pass its MOT tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

Absolutely Dave, it's an 'Aurora' - 16ft - and I've driven it all over the place over the last few years. On the Defender, because the roof bars are so far apart I think it would be possible to do without fore and aft ropes, but I still use them anyway.

On the RR the towball is obviously a great tie off point at the back. Not sure yet what I'll do at the front. If it's at bumper level, then the rope running over the front of the bonnet would chafe and damage the paintwork, so I might use the towing eye and 'sleeve' the rope somehow. Even a basic 'tube' sewn up from an old 'fleece' jacket would do I think.

Well, just in case anyone else finds themselves in this little corner of the internet, I just took the plunge and cut the yellow plugs off (carefully!) and crimped on an econoseal connector. Tied it all up, replaced the seat and.... all is good. I'll confess I put a pair of ear defenders on before turning the ignition key, but nothing exploded, and more importantly the SRS and airbag fault lights stayed off.

Not so sure about a respray - but I might give it a polish - see if it will go faster!

I actually gave the car a wash not long after I took the pic. It had been covered in 'garage dust'... aka the fine rust particles that came off the axle!

^^^^ Well, it wasn't that easy. In fact it wasn't even the front passenger seat - it was the driver's seat. "Caveat emptor" and all that - should have been more careful. On the other hand, if I had been, I probably wouldn't have a P38 languishing in the garage.

When it was out of the garage, even briefly, I got the roof bars fitted and then popped the canoe on just for fun. Before anyone mentions it, I know it's not tied on!

As my wife pointed out, they even match vaguely.

Still trying to get to grips with my airbag fault warning. Maybe this evening. MOT booked for 2 days time.

Hi folks,

Just because it's airbags, and I'm a tad nervous, I'll try and bump this up again.

I've been googling, and I found this response from Marty (though on "the other side"):

_"Regarding the airbags themselves.......... the detonator in them requires an electronic pulse to actually fire the airbag, and due to this all of the airbag connectors in the system are a special type with shorting links in them, so that when they are disconnected, the shorting links close over and short the circuit to the detonator. This means that even if an electrical pulse was given to is somehow, the short circuit would stop the bag from actually firing.

Unless you are doing something stupid and trying to poke wires into the connector with a battery attached, and have somehow bypassed the shorting link, then they are very safe to handle."_

So, they are special connectors, with 'short circuit' links. I actually wonder if perhaps one of those short circuit links might have stopped working, or be intermittent - keeping the circuit closed even when the plug is connected. I've also read (though the caveat applies about the risks of believing all the stuff you find on the internet) that there is a resistor in there somewhere.

Given all that, and allowing that I'm going to be careful when connecting and disconnecting, and using a proper 2-way male/female connector, properly crimped with the correct tools, is there any reason not to do this? I'm thinking of using econoseal connectors here, just because the waterproof nature of them means there will be better isolation for the wiring.

Thanks

Thanks Brian. I've had this fault since I bought the car (about 10 months ago).

Hadn't really bothered much about it, but now it's MOT time, it has to be fixed.

It could be a battery thing I suppose, but for the last fortnight or so while I was finshing off some work on the front axle, the battery was out of the car and on a charger / trickle charger.

I'm pretty confident it's just the underseat plug, as spearating cleaning and reseating it made the problem go.... for 2 days! Easy to eliminate too I think, just by replacing the connector..... unless there's a problem with that cunning plan.

Well, it looks like I was a little premature... :-(

Although the car hasn't gone anywhere, the fault is back.In a burst of confidence I've booked it for an MOT this coming Wednesday, so it better be fixed by then.

On the nanocom it's going from permanent to intermittent. It'll clear for just a few seconds, before coming back.

I have a selection of multiplugs and pins so I think I'll just cut off the original ones and put something else in its place - unless anyone can tell me why this is a bad idea. I'll also see if I can highlight or identify it somehow, to make it obvious it's the airbag circuit.

Just when I was getting used to the dark, empty space on the pixel display...

I ordered up new panhard bolts, expecting the 12 point ones to match the locker plate (which itself seems to be NLA).

I was quite underwhelmed when 6 point bolts arrived, so while I used one of those with a new nut on the chassis end, I chose to re-use the better of the two original 12 points again on the axle end, with my original locking plate de-rusted and painted.

So, if you order new bolts via one of the suppliers, you probably won't get a 12 point.

When I got my car cruise control wasn't working. I read up on the system and had a look.

Simple it was. Two small lengths of hose had perished just by the vacuum actuator thingy by the LH wing. Got a length of silicone vaccum hose delivered, fitted two new bits, and it worked straight away.

Because I'd no idea how long it hadn't worked, I wasn't really expecting it to be such a simple fix - but that was all that was needed- two tiny bits of new pipe.

I believe there is one, not insignificant, downside to braided lines - that you're not supposed to clamp them shut for maintenance purposes as this can damage the ptfe liner. I wonder if this could be behind some failures? Folk being unfamiliar with this aspect of them, perhaps especially when they started to become more widely available and used?

Thanks GD - I was just about to come on and say "stand down". 5 mins work to get access to the plug under the seat; a squirt of contact cleaner in both sides; and the lights have gone! As someone else has said - if only they were all this easy.

I have to say, the pins in those plugs are really tiny and fragile looking, so it's not a lot of surprise that they cause issues. At least I know where to look the next time the lights appear - and it seems likely they will.

But thanks for the reply.

Now I can book it in for an MOT and see how that goes.