Help an amateur in Essex?

David Taylor

David Taylor

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 13, 2017
Points
5
Hi all,

Despite my post title sounding like a dodgy ad... I'm after some pointers.

My little z, my first car, has a few odd things that I want a pro to look at. And not a mechanic.

Couple of examples:

1) heated seats - not working. Looks like cut cables under seat. But unsure

2) passenger window drops reeeeeeal slow

3) Engine management light permanently on (I don't have OBD reader)

4) Horn started honking whilst turning. I've pulled the fuse. Rattling now from steering wheel.

I expect these are all super simple and something I can youtube, but I learn from doing.

So anyone in Romford or near, can lend me a few hours one weekend? I want them heated seats! Winter is coming!

Happy to chuck a few £ or some beers. But I ain't rolling in it!

Sorry to be such a novice. Here to learn.
 
:welcome:to the forum from West Cumbria. Sorry, can't be of help as I'm miles away but I'm sure others will be along in due course. Good luck.
 
Welcome from Ireland! Hopefully someone near you will respond shortly.
 
You need to do 2 things for starters.

Get a code reader. No one on here can help diagnose EML lights without specific codes.

Google and search for stuff. The window issue for example is common and well documented. It needs 2 £2 sliders and/or cleaning and lubeing. Much less likely a regulator or if you’re really unlikely the door mounts have fractured. There are How Tos out there. There’s a good one by an American guy in YouTube. No one wants to repeat a detailed procedure here.

I think you’re being a bit cheeky to be honest joining up and then asking for someone to spend a chunk of their weekend working on your car!

You need to be prepared to learn how to do this stuff yourself. From reading up and then asking questions for the stuff you don’t understand.
 
mrscalex said:
I think you’re being a bit cheeky to be honest joining up and then asking for someone to spend a chunk of their weekend working on your car!
Click to expand...
That’s coming across as harsh, we all started somewhere and where better to ask for help and support to get going. It’s worked many times before where people have asked for help and received it, although doesn’t always happen. No one should get slapped down asking for help, goes against what this site stands for.
 
mrscalex said:
You need to be prepared to learn how to do this stuff yourself.
Click to expand...

Yep, with Gaz on this, not everyone knows how to wield a spanner and no harm in the guy asking, as has been done on here many times before, with results.
 
@GazHyde & @hard top

We'll have to agree to disagree. I stand by what I said.

If he took 10 minutes to find and try and understand a video like the one in the link below and then said I'm getting stuck between points D and E I'd be the first to offer help. You both know I spend many hours a week trying to help people on this forum both in direct replies and sharing how tos. But when someone can't be ars*d to at least try and google stuff and give it a go I draw the line.

He's more likely to get an hour of someone's time to help him through specific steps he's stuck on than asking for what might require a whole weekend to resolve the 4 points he's listed start to finish. Or just ask for help with one thing at a time rather than give a full shopping list. There's potentially hours and hours of work there.

Personally I'd have started with just the EML (as it's potentially the urgent one) and asked if someone could possibly come round with a code reader to help diagnose and determine next steps.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNsWGuwnbn0
 
Welcome to the fold David, Do you have access to some basic tools?

Quite a few of these issues can be looked at if we steer you in the right direction.

I'm sure someone local would be more than happy to run a code reader on your car.
 
I am not good with the spanners but I do like to have a go where possible.
There are some guys on here that go the extra mile to help those not so good themselves. I Have done stuff at home on my own with @t-tony or @Lee at the end of the phone should I get stuck. The 2 previously mentioned are so generous with their time and I for one am very grateful for the time they have given me. I recently bought a roof from @spurs fan in a coupe and he spent the day with me fitting It, again this comes down to the generosity of people on this site.
I love the fact that people help with what they can be it paint work advice, mechanical or with me I try to help with parts getting moved around the country if I can as I am no painter or mecanic.
Everyone deserves a fair shout and to be fair telling the guy on his first post was rather harsh, he's probably done with us before he got chance to know anybody.
 
Hi and welcome. First don't be put off by the comments earlier. It's appreciated that if your new to cars never mind Zeds in particular, it can be difficult to know how to phrase queries in Google if you don't really know what you're asking for. Ask away.

Sometimes comments can be read in an entirely different way than intended. Don't be put off. The last thing we want is someone to be put off their car because they're afraid to ask for help.

The comments about a code reader though are very valid. They can be immensely helpful devices in pointing you in the right direction, and, because there is significant technolgy and complexity behind those lights, it's all but impossible to give advice on the warning lights alone. As said, am sure someone locally may be able to help and read your codes.

Heated seats are useful but, Zeds have fabulous heaters too. I don't have heated seats in mine (Z4) and can cope without them. Check the fuses first. Might have been pulled because of a fault. Quite common for someone to kneel on the seat and damage the heating elements. If the fuse is ok will need to check with a volt meter that power is getting to the connectors. Don't know how easy the connectors are to access on a Z3 though. Can replace heater pads yourself or get a specialist to remove the leather/cover and change them. Could be a broken cable too.

Horn sounds like a short but would need the column shroud off to do an inspection. Not heard of that fault before though. Maybe someone has though.

Sounds like useful information already given on the windows.

Enjoy your car and the forum.
 
Hi and welcome David :welcome: Ask away, there's always someone on here who will offer advice and help where possible, its what we do (isn't it Rob??) I'm 2 years, and several cars into Zed ownership and thank goodness for all the hands on help and advice I have received. :thumbsup:
 
mrscalex said:
You need to do 2 things for starters.


I think you’re being a bit cheeky to be honest joining up and then asking for someone to spend a chunk of their weekend working on your car!

You need to be prepared to learn how to do this stuff yourself. From reading up and then asking questions for the stuff you don’t understand.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I get that and thanks for the honesty. I'm here in order to learn, hence why I've asked for help and mentioned: "I learn best from doing". Youtube's just don't work for me. I've tried so many.

Thanks for the advice though
 
Hello and welcome. As you have read above, we all have started from some background or another. The help you can get on here is amazing and should help you go in the right direction. Depending on what part of Essex, there is a large group of zeds not far called the EAC. They are a friendly bunch.

What I would suggest is you make a full list of your faults and start to work on one at a time. The easy one being the window through to the electrics. The seats might be down to a corroded plug of fuse. Normally it is rare for both to stop working which would lead me to think a fuse as stated above. If the carpets are damp you will need to dry them out a bit too. Do not turn on the ignition if you have disconnected a seat as it will throw an error code for the airbag. You will then need a reset tool.

I have a good code reader from eBay a C110 with the round 20pin adaptor. I would recommend you get one as it can read and reset codes. Well worth the money.

Look forward to seeing you and your zed at a run sometime soon. Look up the forthcoming events.

Happy zed ‘Ing
 
I'm not going to keep digging here if my advice isn't being understood. But I'd rather try and help someone to help themselves than encourage them to be dependant on others. If no one steps forward to give up their weekend like David is effectively asking then where does that leave him? My approach might look more practical then.

Here's a suggestion. Perhaps @Lee could explain what the Zed Shed does. Perhaps David could come over and spend time learning from helping on other people's cars. Then David's car could get some attention too. I know David's a couple of hours a way and isn't loaded but the petrol money would be well spent as there can't be anywhere on the planet where he's likely to learn more.
 
I've just noticed how many people have decided to disagree/dislike my posts and agree/like posts 4/5. Not very nice really is it when I try and contribute everything else I do to this forum. And what's the point in all the generous comments if it leaves David with no help at the end of the day? I gave as much technical advice as anyone's given in posts 4 & 7 and 2 of you have decided to disagree/dislike suggesting to David that the technical advice might be wrong.

But I have a little rule. If I find myself disagreeing with people over what is supposed to be a fun thing then it's time to re-evaluate. I'll contribute no more to this thread and I'll take a break from posting to the forum so as to cause no more offence. No offence was intended. I'm just a big believer in Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.
 
mrscalex said:
I've just noticed how many people have decided to disagree/dislike my posts and agree/like posts 4/5. Not very nice really is it when I try and contribute everything else I do to this forum. And what's the point in all the generous comments if it leaves David with no help at the end of the day? I gave as much technical advice as anyone's given in posts 4 & 7 and 2 of you have decided to disagree/dislike suggesting to David that the technical advice might be wrong.

But I have a little rule. If I find myself disagreeing with people over what is supposed to be a fun thing then it's time to re-evaluate. I'll contribute no more to this thread and I'll take a break from posting to the forum so as to cause no more offence. No offence was intended. I'm just a big believer in Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.
Click to expand...

You've spun the whole thread on it's head. This is not a witch hunt on you. If I'm reading right I think everyone's disagreeing with one statement in your original post. The advice is sound I doubt anyone would argue that.

He's not being cheeky at all he's asking for help weather it be hands on or advice, isn't that the point of this forum?
 
As those 'Scousers' on the TV show used to say, "Calm down,calm down." First Post perhaps a little naively written, response a bit blunt, but I think generally all comments well intended. Come on, I'm sure basically we would all help other members wherever and whenever we could.:)
 
Lee said:
You've spun the whole thread on it's head. This is not a witch hunt on you. If I'm reading right I think everyone's disagreeing with one statement in your original post. The advice is sound I doubt anyone would argue that.

He's not being cheeky at all he's asking for help weather it be hands on or advice, isn't that the point of this forum?
Click to expand...
Like you say Lee, this post is about giving David help. I have no wish to turn it into a sideshow about me which is why I'm better off not contributing to it any further.

It's also a good wake-up call to me that I've become way too intense about the whole Z3 thing. Quitting the forum for a while will probably do me a favour and free up time for other stuff. I've had a huge amount of personal issues over the last 12 months and they've shaped my judgement, unfairly it seems in this case.

The Z3s and this forum in particular were my escape and saved my sanity during a period where I lost 2 very dear friends and saw 3 very close family members in hospital, 2 of them critically ill. But touch wood we're through that now. If I step back now it will be a good indication for me that I'm through that period. I'll be back as the forum means a lot to me but I don't know when.

As someone else said, I could have scared David off. So at last if I red card myself it might make him more likely to hang around.

Anyhow, I've only been tinkering with the Z3s for a couple or so years which is nothing compared to many on here. There's plenty of good/better advice available from others so I'm sure David will get the help he needs.

No one likes aggravation with something they are supposed to enjoy. So I apologise to all for the side show. Enjoy your Zeds and I'll catch you all again in the future. Have a good Christmas and end to the year in case it's next year before I return.
 
Would be nice to think a bit of camaraderie existed in helping others with a common interest after all isn't car clubs and forums like this what it's all about.
If I could help a fellow enthusiast in some way I would but being a girl mechanical things are out of my league.
I know advice is freely given here which is fantastic but not always any good if your physically not capable of mechanics.
Which is why he may have ask for help if someone is willing to give up a bit of time I don't see a problem if it's what a person enjoys doing especially if reimbursement of any cost is footed.
Just my observation.
Where in Essex ?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top