I figured I might as well do a bulk update on this...!
19/2/17
So... 7 Months old today. I wouldn't normally post an update but a couple of minor things. Up to 20,600 miles now. She went for her first service a couple of weeks ago now for the moderate cost of £113inc Vat at a local garage. Checked with the lease company and as long as they are Vat registered and use a Nissan Filter there is no problem. Wear on tyre and brakes are negligible so plenty of life left at this stage after 20k. Other than that, not much to report. Dash economy has dropped to 37.2mpg... real world around 35mpg as normal.
Now onto the rest of the fleet... for the first time in many years I am BMW less. The 650i has gone to a new owner tonight, quite a shock after a few months for sale I dropped the price a moderate amount and I've had to fight people of with a stick. Anyway, I've a pile of brass to now buy a supercharged L322 so guess what I'll be doing as soon as I can!
As for the P38 well shes still here, although I've got a promise on her having taken a 330ci (not BMW less for long...) and some cash for her. The buyer is due to collect in the next week or so to close the deal. The idea being that the 330ci can be squessed down the drive and brought out for the occasional track day. I have two booked this year, and as yet no bloody car to do them. I would have done them in the 6 had it still been here but I'm glad shes gone really. (Actually gutted and very sad but needs must, rip the plaster and all that!)
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5/3/17
Another little update...
NP300 just shy of 22k miles, SatNav did one or two odd things last week, twice it forgot my route when stopping to go and grab a coffee. On returning to the vehicle it had forgotten we were mid navigation - no massive issue but a bit strange. Will monitor. Dash economy still 37.2mpg from new. However the item of most concern recently is the apparent wear on the arm rest! It's looking pretty tired already after just over 7 months! Will monitor and have to see how it fairs and what Nissan would do about it.
Now onto more exciting news, last Tuesday after a VERY long day by anyones standards I arrived home with my Range Rover L322 4.2 Supercharged. What a thing... What a thing. I am well impressed apart from one or two minor niggles (mainly regarding tyre noise but it could do with a set anyway). If anyone is interested it managed 23mpg on the way home and has settled around the 21mpg mark after a few days of running about and a 300 mile trip this weekend. Loads of space, looks amazing, goes quite well and has rear seat entertainment which my little boy loves already (18 months)
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19/7/17
So its been a few months. Today deserves a special update, my NP300 is a year old today.
12 months, 33,500 miles, 37.8mpg on the trip from new (average speed of 42mph). She is leased at 35k a year so I have 1500 miles spare which I'm sure I will use in the next 2 years.
Its been a very long day today, infact by a quirk of fate the most I've ever driven it in one day. A total of 571 miles today. Another record broken today was the furthest distance traveled on a tank of diesel, 550 miles on 67.4l which is just shy of 37mpg. I normally chicken out much earlier or fill up at a local cheap petrol station.
Costs: its had a service, £113 and that's it. Still on the original brakes, tyres etc with no huge wear. Although it appears to have worn the outer edge of the fronts more than the rear so I will swap them from front to back when I get a few minutes. Of course its been through a fair amount of diesel!
Mods: SJS Hardtop, the locks look a mess, they have rusted. I did intend to get it done on the warranty but time has run away. To be fair they work OK and that's all that's really important!. The load liner, works as a load liner! The powerlock on the tailgate, whilst fitted I've still not connected to the central locking and probably never will at this rate! Last mod is the Prodiesel chip. I am still in the undecided camp, I think its improved power a bit, it has certainly confused the OBC into reading silly numbers although this has improved, it appears to have self learned? Its still being very generous with the individual trips. However most tanks of fuel come out around 36mpg these days, with the odd 37 now and again. Before the tuning box they were normally 35mpg or so. It appears to have provided a small increase in economy.
Wear and tear: The armrest in the middle of the vehicle and on the door card have begun to wear both the padding and the covered material. Other than that she doesnt look so bad, the drivers seat has obviously been used but seems to be holding up OK. The rest of the interior is not bad, although some silver paint has rubbed of the rear left door card.
Faults: None, really, it has given a 4wd warning once but resolved its self. FEB goes into fault occasionally in bad weather (seems normal). No apparently oil leaks, or problems with coolant pipes rubbing etc, no key problems either.
Annoyances: Lack of, temp sensor, lack of nav/phone integration to the steering wheel controls, inability to program navigation when using bluetooth as a phone, still miles of the claimed 44mpg economy. Issues in winter with inability to clear windscreen.
As for the rest of the fleet, 330ci track car has ended up like triggers broom, Battery, Head lights, tail light, top mounts, coil overs, front brakes, front caliper, rear brakes, low ration rear diff, front arms, ARB bushes, brake lines, spare alloys with track day semi slicks (595 rsr). Its done about 1000 miles this year, including 350 going to wales (I decided to give her a run out). It managed 36.6mpg not bad for a 3.0 petrol!
Supercharged rangie, shes actually been good as gold, thought I'd treat it to a full service and a gearbox service, it now leaks gearbox oil all over the drive. Wish I hadn't bothered now. More investigation as to why its leaking gear oil. Joys of preventative maintenance.
116i still with us, my OH fancies a change but doesnt know what she wants.
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25/8/17
A little update:
Second service today for the Navara, at 37,600 miles or so. I called the local dealer and my usual garage for a price only to be very surprised that the local dealer was CHEAPER than the independent. Normal garage said the cost of filters as astronomical and they could only get genuine rather than pattern parts at this time.
Major service consists of:
Oil+Filter
Pollen filter
Air filter
Fuel Filter
Brake fluid change
Which was £284.52 including VAT
I was surprised at the brake fluid requiring changing after just 12 months but they said it was necessary. Also interesting to note that you now get 12 months RAC cover included with a main dealer service, that may be something else designed to entice an owner back into the dealer network. They even chucked a bucket of water over it so it came back looking a dam site cleaner than when it went in!
I asked them to front to back the wheels as well, its doing quite well with the fronts reading 6.5mm after 37k and the rears reading 4.5mm. I now have the 4.5mm's on the front and would like to think I'll make it to 60k on the tyres - point being I'll replace them once and then they will still be good by the time the lease ends at 105k.
Rest of fleet,
116i Still here, required a tyre last month as loosing air, it had split on the inside difficult to see but dangerous!
Supercharged, still has a gearbox weep its been back once I just need to find the time to take it back again. Went to Halifax yesterday, 21mpg in perfect climate controlled comfort. I just wish I could use it everyday!
330ci Track car going well, its had all the new bits fitted and did a day at Anglesey last Friday. Car performed brilliantly although the shorter final drive has damaged economy on the drive there to the tune of almost 20%... but then its a 20% lower ratio so its to be expected! A video here from the day if people are interested!
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28/9/17
Big day a couple of weeks ago, 19th September to be exact the NP300 cruised through the 40,000 mile mark. Luckily I had a friend with me to record the momentous occasion!
Now on 40,720 or so. Last fill up calculated at 35.5mpg. Not much to report apart from the rear left door card has become quite badly scratched, I'm not quite sure what is befitting of wear and tear on a 100k vehicle when it goes back so I might have to do something about it.
Range Rover still needs some attention to the gearbox sump, however the "specialist" thats supposed to be dealing with it is now not returning any calls and looks like he's ignoring the situation so I'll now have to find another garage to fix the problems he has caused - so much for preventative maintenance!
330Ci was out on track again last Friday at Blyton Park - very surprised at how much fun the track was actually. Certainly the facilities/paddock are not brilliant and the briefing was just a joke. An hour to tell everyone the meaning of 3 colours of flags (despite the entire track day having done a track day before!) and that everyone was going to crash on every corner. However the track was entertaining and the 330ci was going well. However I've destroyed the front tyres - which is annoying.
For some reason I can't seem to find a way of adding the images into this, now photobucket is hopeless. Possibly as I'm not a subbed member anymore I can't upload images?