Steviewevie

Just a thought, so feel free to shoot me down in flames ! I feel that this particular forum is a bit over-endowed in terms of sticky threads. There are loads of them and I'm not sure some of them are really needed, and make the forum a bit cluttered (and make it sooner that threads fall down onto the second page). Some examples : - The exhaust sticky thread looks a bit out of date to me, several of these exhausts are no longer available (I think) and it doesn't include others that get discussed a lot, e.g. the Blueflame ? Perhaps just un-sticky this ? - The spec sheet threads - there are three of these (200/300/Sportcross) - why not just have one spec sheet thread with the three models' spec sheets in one posting ? - Part numbers for lamps and styling options - I think these threads are still useful, but again perhaps they could be consolidated into a single "useful part numbers" thread, perhaps with different responses for the different subject areas ? - Club Meet Section - is this really needed ? Surely everyone knows know there is a separate forum for Meetings, and even if they didn't, are they really going to notice this thread ? - Timing Belt Replacement - great thread, but shouldn't it be in the Workshop forum ? I do wonder if it might be easier to find information, particular for newcomers, if there wasn't such an overwhelming number of sticky threads ? What do others think ?

990,041

Cool, thanks. I'm just eager to hear how it's going. Bet that doesn't compare with how eager you are to get your car back though ! :D

Looks great. Love your wheels !

I think that it's pretty straightforward to replace the head unit with an aftermarket one. There are various guides and walkthroughs that can help you out with this. I can send you DJ Wozza's guide to removing the head unit if you PM me your email address. You will need a fascia adapter as has been said, and there's a guide on how to modify that to make it blend in with the OEM fascia better here. There are lots of threads about aftermarket head units over on the audio/video forum. It all depends on how much you want to spend and what sort of features you want. I posted up this thread myself asking for suggestions, when I was after a unit with Bluetooth, but I wasn't bothered about playing DVDs. I ended up getting a Pioneer FH-B80BT, which I'm very pleased with, which I paid £230 for. It's generally recommended that you stay well away from the all-singing, all-dancing, non-branded units on eBay, since the audio quality is apparently terrible.

59K. Pretty low for a 1999 model !

TG Holdcroft sell new mats for around £75 inc delivery. I personally can't see the sense in paying around half that for some used ones, especially how worn/dirty mats can get. Maybe that's just me though.

£35 for some used mats ? :duh:

So did you get to see the car ? Any progress to report ?

Thanks. Yeah if it was up to me, I wouldbe using Winamp, I hate iTunes ! Much prefer Winamp. But it's not my laptop ! Using the latest already, whatever that is. Actually there's not a huge amount of music on the iPod(s) involved, so maybe it doesn't notice enough on there ? Just it will perhaps be more hassle to hunt around for the original CDs etc to rip them again.

I've got a friend who I am trying to help out with an iPod (shuffle). It has previously been sync'd from another computer. When it is now connected to a new computer, iTunes complains about the fact it was sync'd on another computer and gives only the choice to delete the stuff on it and sync, or just to leave it as is. I don't think iTunes can do an iPod to PC transfer. I think that my only option is to use another utility. I was thinking of WinAmp, since I've used that before, and using that to copy the music from the iPod to the new PC, then getting iTunes to see that music and then iTunes should be able to sync the music from the new PC. I could obviously start again from scratch and just rip the CDs to the new computer and sync from there. But I think the above should be quicker. Is that about right ? Or am I missing something simple to solve this ?

Another possibility is the immobiliser. If the car isn't recognising the transponder in the key fob then the immobiliser will still be active at the car will turn over but not start. Does the Security light on the dash go out when you put the key in or is it still on or blinking ? Have you tried with other keys ?

So how does Mercedes get away with fitting it as OEM equipment ? I think that EC law on this actually overrides UK law, i.e. I think it's probably allowed under EC type approvals which means it's ok to use in the UK too.

Remember that the a/c unit (complete with clock) needs to come out and be disconnected at the same time that the head unit is replaced. So it may be that there's a problem with the way that the a/c controls have been reconnected (loose connector ?) - as well as the head unit wiring being a possibilty. I'd say the a/c controls being more likely to be the culprit.

Those aren't the centre caps for the 11-spoke 17" wheels though, he's after these ones, which are harder to come by :

Sorry, I don't have enough experience to say. But hopefully someone else will come along soon and be able to recommend what you should do. There are details on how to remove the injectors here.

Do you not want the walkthrough ? There are no videos, but lots of pics in there. I haven't had a PM from you, but if you PM me your email address I will send it to you (it's a Word document).

Well said. What exactly have you paid £461 for if the problem is still there just as before ? Sounds like you should have paid nothing so far.

ok so it's not the coil packs if the problem is staying with cylinder 2. Fuel pressure or the fuel injector on cylinder 2 do sound like good candidates for the problem. Perhaps some dirt has got into cylinder 2 and the injector there ? As you say it's not like one whole bank of 3 cylinders has gone, only 1 is showing a problem.

Fuel problem/blockage ? Sorry if this sounds silly, but there is fuel in it, right ?

It would be worth you buying an OBDII reader to read the codes yourself, they cost less than £30 on eBay (e.g. like this one for a standalone reader), or even less if you've got a laptop. If you post the codes up then folks here can help you try and figure out what the problem is. If replacing those coil packs hasn't sorted the problem, then he shouldn't be charging you for those parts, since you don't need them (and he can put the old ones back in).

Aztecbandit has made himself a custom engine cover, it sounds like that's the way to go, particularly with induction kits where the type can vary anyway so a cover for one type of induction kit might be no good for another. You can make up a template out of carboard to work out the size/shape. Then you could always try and find a metal fabricators that will knock something up for you.

Flashing brake lights are fitting as OEM equipment on a few cars, e.g. Mercedes, I don't think there's anything illegal about it.

What codes are you getting from it ?

My keys are all the embedded logo/Denso type. Not had a problem yet, but then again, without this thread I would never have thought this could happen !