Mintex 1144

[Peter Truman]

in the early 70's dad had a new Merc300SEL with the works, 2years old and the front brakes weren't up to stopping the 6.3lt weight and power so put it in for a check up whilst he was away, Merc don't re-piston and replace caliper disc seals, only fit new calipers, cost 750quid more than the cost of a new Mini! at the time, this put me off Merc's for life, similarly the air suspension front to rear proportioning valve which is nothing much and no electronics ie a long cylinder with several pneumatic inputs & shuttle piston it can only be replaced, 450 quid! without it the car settles at the front or rear when stationary down onto the air bellows but pumps up and levels out when moving. 

A neighbour here put his 3yr old Merc 500 in for service which includes a full brake overhaul plus other major service items service cost near $5k, they did lend him a new Merc Sports as the service took 2 days, what was it you said about OVERPRICED, and the depreciation brings water to your eyes.  

I'll stick to Jags and Triumphs mind you the latest Jags scare you there so complicated, with niggling electrical problems!

[Anglefire]

Friend of mine has recently bought himself a 1989 560SEC and that is well built last of the good ones I understand. Though he does have relatively new S Class which is very nice (Made 160mph on the Autobahn a year or two ago.) 

[Anglefire]

7 hours ago, Peter Truman said:

.....mind you the latest Jags scare you there so complicated, with niggling electrical problems!

Almost every modern car has those, its the way of the world with the electronics controlling everything to keep the emissions as low as possible, so there is just so much that can go wrong at any particular time.

[NonMember]

1 hour ago, Anglefire said:

its the way of the world with the electronics controlling everything to keep the emissions as low as possible

The vast majority of the absurd amount of electronics on a modern car has absolutely nothing to do with emissions. That's the relatively small (and usually very well designed) box that's been there for thirty years. The other 90% is "driver aids" and "comfort". Oh, and some smarts to protect the battery from the sheer amount of electrical junk that's been fitted.

[Pete Lewis]

and while youre finger poking the many control touch l screens you need to remember to look where youre going 

i fing them all very distractive 

the old twidde push pull controls can be done without looking or changing your concentration

far safer   

the main thing is the screens and servos are much cheaper to make these days than mechanical controls       so its a cost driven development

Pete

[avivalasvegas]

13 hours ago, Peter Truman said:

in the early 70's dad had a new Merc300SEL with the works, 2years old and the front brakes weren't up to stopping the 6.3lt weight and power so put it in for a check up whilst he was away, Merc don't re-piston and replace caliper disc seals, only fit new calipers, cost 750quid more than the cost of a new Mini! at the time, this put me off Merc's for life, similarly the air suspension front to rear proportioning valve which is nothing much and no electronics ie a long cylinder with several pneumatic inputs & shuttle piston it can only be replaced, 450 quid! without it the car settles at the front or rear when stationary down onto the air bellows but pumps up and levels out when moving. 

A neighbour here put his 3yr old Merc 500 in for service which includes a full brake overhaul plus other major service items service cost near $5k, they did lend him a new Merc Sports as the service took 2 days, what was it you said about OVERPRICED, and the depreciation brings water to your eyes.  

I'll stick to Jags and Triumphs mind you the latest Jags scare you there so complicated, with niggling electrical problems!

The 300SEL was hardly the brand's finest moment. Air suspension in any car is a bad, bad idea. Just look at the newer Tesla recall rates with them! 

Atleast with the W109 (300SEL's model), you knew that once every 7-10 years, a rebuild was needed and then you'd never have to worry about it again. That said, I would purchase its cousin, a W108 with steel spring every day of the year. The cars I own both (w115, W123) both needed sorting when I acquired them. But in the years since their mechanical rebuilds, al with dealer supplied parts, all I have done is garage them and change fluids. Boring perhaps, but a "forever car" nonetheless. 

 

 

[Colin Lindsay]

21 minutes ago, avivalasvegas said:

Air suspension in any car is a bad, bad idea. Just look at the newer Tesla recall rates with them! 

TD5 Discovery.... I got fed up with replacing air bags, then it burned out two compressors with no warnings... so converted to coil springs. Which my Insurance Company claimed were a modification and upped my premium.

[Pete Lewis]

on warranty returned truck air suspn bags  they wanted to test them in a cage

my trusty hoppo Bill sat in the cage with me on the outside with the bag 

this idea didnt work well 

Pete

[PeteH]

Yes, My wife`s latest Nissan, does everything but make breakfast!. Electronically!!. I am heartily glad I only have to send it to the Garage once a year!. (Apart from when I bent it a little bit😇)

 

EDIT: And the most annoying bit(s), the Lane Departure (switched off), the "Stop at traffic lights feature" (Also switched off) but which comes back on every time you start up again!!/ (there is a way to permanently disable it involving a switch on the bonnet. But I am forbidden from "molesting" it!!.

Pete

[Pete Lewis]

if its camera based a bit of gaffer tape should blind it 

its all useless tech  think its trying to  just remove responsivity from the driver 

Pete

[NonMember]

13 hours ago, Pete Lewis said:

its all useless tech  think its trying to  just remove responsivity from the driver 

Much as I agree with you, I know many intelligent people who believe it's necessary, and for rational reasons.

You and I learned to drive at a time when it was... perhaps not a privilege but certainly a benefit and a responsibility. Most people these days regard independent mobility - meaning being allowed to drive their own car and not have to share public transport or even walk more than fifty yards - as a human right. They demand it, and refuse to put any effort in to learning how to do it safely. Add to that the many older people who never quite got to grips with the nuances of watching the advance warning signs and are now in decline to the point where they can't react in time to what they are watching. None of these people are safe in a traditional, driver-reliant car. None of them are going to learn to be safe. And none of them are going to stop driving.

The only fix for that situation is the widespread introduction of fully-autonomous, self-driving cars. Unfortunately the technology isn't ready for that, yet, and unless we allow manufacturers to sell their higher-end models on the basis of their step-along-the-way gadgets, it never will be (or will take way too long).

[Gully]

16 hours ago, PeteH said:

Yes, My wife`s latest Nissan, does everything but make breakfast!. Electronically!!. I am heartily glad I only have to send it to the Garage once a year!. (Apart from when I bent it a little bit😇)

 

EDIT: And the most annoying bit(s), the Lane Departure (switched off), the "Stop at traffic lights feature" (Also switched off) but which comes back on every time you start up again!!/ (there is a way to permanently disable it involving a switch on the bonnet. But I am forbidden from "molesting" it!!.

Pete

I detest lane assist. I'm into the routine now of starting the car, then immediately switching it off. Can't abide the system tugging at the steering as I avoid pot holes or its momentary panics when the camera picks up old / changed white lining marks.

Gully  

[Pete Lewis]

luckily on my Cactus  ( no idea what pads are fitted) you can turn  lane change   off for good  doesnt have tyre psi  valves but knows when youve blow them up ...dont ask how 

but it has a camera to recognise speed limit signs but you cant add a sd card to use as a dash cam guess thats held back as a new model year upgrade 

it has blind spot monitoring which is large enough to be ignored and a main screen warning 'you are too close 'if you catch someone up too close

but the little 1200 3cyl put put has 130 horses and a flat torque curve that makes up the loss of any fun fighting the screen messages 

it has no worry gauges and the rev limiter lets you know as it all goes ...quiet 

then getting in the triumph you remember theres other things to worry about 

Pete

 

 

 

[Anglefire]

On 08/12/2020 at 13:04, avivalasvegas said:

he 300SEL was hardly the brand's finest moment. Air suspension in any car is a bad, bad idea. Just look at the newer Tesla recall rates with them

My discovery 3 (2006) had (has it’s still going) air suspension.  
It was very reliable (especially given what I did in it!). The air bags I changed at 160000miles as a precaution.   There was actually nothing wrong with them. Replacements have been going since and its now on about 260k. 

Compressors are a bit more fragile. I had to replace it twice.  Once was a 2nd hand one so wasn’t the best when it went on. But it lasted about a year before it totally died. 
 

So no I don’t agree that air suspension is a bad idea.  It just has to be maintained properly.  
 

[Colin Lindsay]

6 hours ago, NonMember said:

Much as I agree with you, I know many intelligent people who believe it's necessary, and for rational reasons.

You cannot argue with the myth of public safety.

I'm involved with a multi-million pound road upgrade which will take years and involves replacing every single crossing on a dual carriageway with a flyover. Why? Because someone was killed in 2015. No-one will stand up and say: but had he stopped at the white line, and waited before driving out, he would be alive. The road is 'dangerous', it's an 'accident waiting to happen' and as a result we're all scrambling for road upgrades in the name of safety.

Someone was on the radio recently demanding that car radios be treated the same as phones - you cannot drive safely with your mind on a radio programme. How do you argue against that, as everytime someone is distracted and an accident occurs, it fuels the argument? Once a device is claimed to 'save lives' anyone opposing it is on the losing side.

 

[Pete Lewis]

the trouble  with touch screen ICE is you cant do anything without looking at the screen    

go back to a radio with a tuning dial  and 5 push button pre set and you dont need to look to wind it up a bit  back a bit to find a station 

most touch screens are heat operated  you poke a preset , cold finger.... nothing happen  3 or 4 attempts can cause disaster, yes some access via the stg. wheel controls but they 

dont always cover what you want    you still need to look away from the windscreen   ..................is  this really  progress ????

the answer is to pull up and change settings whilst  parked up     Yeh  that wont happen 

Pete

[avivalasvegas]

56 minutes ago, Anglefire said:

My discovery 3 (2006) had (has it’s still going) air suspension.  
It was very reliable (especially given what I did in it!). The air bags I changed at 160000miles as a precaution.   There was actually nothing wrong with them. Replacements have been going since and its now on about 260k. 

Compressors are a bit more fragile. I had to replace it twice.  Once was a 2nd hand one so wasn’t the best when it went on. But it lasted about a year before it totally died. 
 

So no I don’t agree that air suspension is a bad idea.  It just has to be maintained properly.  
 

 

There is a long, long line of German car owners who would love to share their experiences with you

[Anglefire]

Ah you designed and implemented by the British.  Which is best.  (Well sometimes)

Bmw pinched the terrain response system from land rover to use in the x5.  Was a disaster and was removed. I think they Have (and others) got something similar working - but the Land Rover one is simply the best.  
it’s a shame a lot of the other tech in land rovers is crap.  

[PeteH]

5 hours ago, Pete Lewis said:

doesnt have tyre psi  valves but knows when youve blow them up ...dont ask how 

As I understand it the sensors are Attached to the Wheel inside the tyre. the Nissan is similar but if you want to know what tyre pressure is you have you have the "interrogate" the "computer"!!. I found it by accident looking to change the clock time when they went back the first Autumn!. What intriges me, is that what happens if the batteries run out, or is there a tiny charging unit running on certrifugal force? We should be told!.

HaHa!. The truth is out there!. :-" most manufacturers use a sensor mounted inside the tire. This is where the expense for the consumer comes in. Each sensor has a battery with a life of about a decade. On most, the battery is not serviceable, and the entire sensor must be changed." The "horseshoe" shaped light on the dash is the warning aparently?.

[Anglefire]

My BMW used sensors in the wheel - gave live temperature and pressure - worked well enough - though when I had a 4" gash in the inside of the tyre due to long term underinflation I guess - it was a bit late. Still given they were run flats it got me to the garage 20miles away without any drama!

The skoda just uses the ABS sensors to work out difference in rotation speed of the wheel across the axles. It works. Just about, but too late in my view to be actually useful.

[PeteH]

I have "Tyrepal" units fitted to the Motorhome, They are just little sensors on the valve, battery changes about annually (so far). Gives "live" Temp/Pressure readout to a unit on the top of the dash which is charged by a tiny solar panel.

They are quite sensitive, I have noticed that on the rare occasion I have had a full/ near full waste tank the rears run slightly warmer, assume due to the extra weight on the axle.

[Chris A]

36 minutes ago, Anglefire said:

The skoda just uses the ABS sensors to work out difference in rotation speed of the wheel across the axles. It works. Just about, but too late in my view to be actually useful.

My previous Skoda had this system it came on twice. First time was a puncture and gave me time to pull over. The second time was just after having the tyres changed and one must have slipped slightly under acceleration due to there being a bit to much lubricant on the rim. My current one has a detector I don't know if it is the system

[Anglefire]

30 minutes ago, PeteH said:

I have "Tyrepal" units fitted to the Motorhome, They are just little sensors on the valve, battery changes about annually (so far). Gives "live" Temp/Pressure readout to a unit on the top of the dash which is charged by a tiny solar panel.

They are quite sensitive, I have noticed that on the rare occasion I have had a full/ near full waste tank the rears run slightly warmer, assume due to the extra weight on the axle.

I had tyre pal on the caravan and Land Rover.  They worked great and as you say temp and pressure.   For some odd reason whenever I went to the Pyrenees off-roading the right rear would go mental after a few days and read 70psi or off the scale.  But after a clean it went back to normal. 

[Paul H]

The Mintex 1144 brake pads arrived today . Will I be breaking the law 😱😱

 

Paul 

 

 

[Pete Lewis]

thats only the box  there nowt on the pads to suggest that   Hmmm  !!

 

its down to the nice mix of the composites thats outside the rules of todays products , but then  who would ever know 

many of us use these to great effectiveness   

just think everything you like is either illegal , immoral or fattening and youre   in for the first time you find they work ignore the instructions 

Pete