New boy about to take a leap of faith

Spartacus

Spartacus

Member
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3,186
Replacing the bushes on that car is not easy . It usually requires new suspension arms . They are £900 each, and there are 8 of them . They are also prone to cracking so make sure you get them checked . The front lowers are the most likley to crack. I've had 2 cracked ones before
 
Zep

Zep

Moderator
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9,285
Not easy by any stretch but doable with the right tools and determination. The bushes themselves aren't cheap, but it made a huge difference to my old GS.
 
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TimR

Member
Messages
2,731
You could easily crack them pressing the bushes out and new ones in again as there isnt much "meat" around them...N
Not something I'd to undertake on a whim personally...! ;)
 
J

Jonjeffryes

Junior Member
Messages
34
allandwf said:
Welcome. Nice looking car, hope all goes well. Happy days ahead :)
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Thank you. I realise it is a risk. There will be a few surprises along the way I am sure (one has popped up on my research today, I will post to the group in a moment!
 
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Jonjeffryes

Junior Member
Messages
34
Vampyrebat said:
Welcome Jonjeffryes..............Nice looking 42 you have there. It sounds like you have your head screwed on with the purchase. There is a lot of knowledge in this forum so feel free to ask for any information. maybe some more pics when you get it home.
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Thanks, no my headis not screwed on...or I would not be buying a 17 year old Maserati powered by a V8 , but **** there’s plenty of time to be sensible if I ever reach retirement.....you can apply the same to any of my current stable of Porsche Cayenne turbo, Jaguar xJR V8, Bentley Brooklands turbo - there’s a definate V8 obsession here.

I will post pics when I get the beastie home. It will need some bodywork activity to make it perfect and no doubt lots of mechanical love to keep it that way...I cannot wait
 
J

Jonjeffryes

Junior Member
Messages
34
MrPea said:
Well your biggest leap of faith is in allowing your sanity and liver near this lot! As for the car, you seem to be very well informed and looking at ensuring a nice car stays on the road for many years yet.
Welcome!
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Thank you. I have read as much as I can and this list has been really useful. No doubt I will have bought a money pit, after all it is an exclusive V8 powered Italian. All sign of common sense evaporates as soon as you see those curves or hear the engine
 
J

Jonjeffryes

Junior Member
Messages
34
midlifecrisis said:
Welcome, and I hope you have many happy miles on motoring perfection. Will you be at the Ace café next week?
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Thank you, I hope so too. Unfortunately I will be away in Eastern Europe on business next week, so will not collect the car (assuming I get a positive answer to the question I post below)

Once I have the wheels, I will attend Ace Cafe, one of my favorite places along with Brooklands
 
J

Jonjeffryes

Junior Member
Messages
34
Saigon said:
Welcome, all the advice so far is valid and looks like a fine 4200, you are going to love it. There are many things that can go wrong, but that’s the same with any car, so be positive and enjoy it. I must say if anything should go wrong there is no better support than on this forum, so many experienced and helpful members, always ready to assist.
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Thank you. I have had a wonderful welcome from this group. I am expecting trouble but that goes with the territory I guess. If it makes anyone feel any better, I bought my latest 1997 Bentley Brooklands 4 months ago, it is a complete history from new, cherished car with money lavished on it and a full Bentley history. Out of the last 4 months, I have had it for 5 weeks, the supplying dealer has had it for the rest of the time correcting problems from failed nonworking screen washers to the current complete overhaul of the hydraulic suspension (that alone will cost £000’s). So far the repairs have outstripped the purchase cost of the car. Thank goodness for warranties!

So, I am pretty well prepared, I am just hoping I get to drive it morethan the Bentley
 
J

Jonjeffryes

Junior Member
Messages
34
TimR said:
You could easily crack them pressing the bushes out and new ones in again as there isnt much "meat" around them...N
Not something I'd to undertake on a whim personally...! ;)
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Thank you. Yes, like on the Jaguar, I will find a specialist to do the actual work on this job. Better safe than sorry
 
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Zep

Zep

Moderator
Messages
9,285
TimR said:
You could easily crack them pressing the bushes out and new ones in again as there isnt much "meat" around them...N
Not something I'd to undertake on a whim personally...! ;)
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There is more than it looks like from the outside. When I did it I crack checked them all afterwards and there were no issues. The pressing in was much easier than getting them out, that’s for sure!
 
J

Jonjeffryes

Junior Member
Messages
34
Thank you for the warm welcome. I have one question. The car was put in for MOT by the dealer a couple of days ago but failed on wipers not clearing the screen (wipers replaced now) but more worryingly, MIL not illuminating. The battery has now been replaced and thecar passed the test today (it has not left the mot test station during the past 2 days based on the mileage recorded). I do not remember the MIL notilluminating when I tested it. Would fitting a new battery solve the issue?
 
J

Jonjeffryes

Junior Member
Messages
34
Zep said:
There is more than it looks like from the outside. When I did it I crack checked them all afterwards and there were no issues. The pressing in was much easier than getting them out, that’s for sure!
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OK Zep, thank you for the information. Once I have tha car home and start the maintenance regime, I will check with the specialist I chose that they do crack check as appropriate when they do the work.

This is where a forum like this is so valuable. Thank you
 
Saigon

Saigon

Member
Messages
778
Jonjeffryes said:
Thank you for the warm welcome. I have one question. The car was put in for MOT by the dealer a couple of days ago but failed on wipers not clearing the screen (wipers replaced now) but more worryingly, MIL not illuminating. The battery has now been replaced and thecar passed the test today (it has not left the mot test station during the past 2 days based on the mileage recorded). I do not remember the MIL notilluminating when I tested it. Would fitting a new battery solve the issue?
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You say the car passed the test today, do you mean it passed the MOT or that the MIL is now lighting up during the lamp test when you turn on the ignition. Does your MIL now illuminate and then go off again ? Replacing the battery would not rectify a non illuminating MIL bulb.
 
Oneball

Oneball

Member
Messages
11,129
If the MIL is intermittent at start up it could be a loose connection, if it’s the same as a 3200 it’s fed by it’s own wire to the instrument cluster and just plugs into the bulb holder.
 
Zep

Zep

Moderator
Messages
9,285
As above, it might well just have been the bulb, time consuming to change as it is the dash top out I understand.

Just be sure that it does light up now and that there are no fault codes with a code reader after a drive. There are ways of spoofing a CEL if you were unscrupulous.
 
Saigon

Saigon

Member
Messages
778
Zep said:
As above, it might well just have been the bulb, time consuming to change as it is the dash top out I understand.

Just be sure that it does light up now and that there are no fault codes with a code reader after a drive. There are ways of spoofing a CEL if you were unscrupulous.
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It’s just that jonjeffryes asked would fitting a new battery solve the problem, and I believe the answer is no. If the garage replaced the bulb no problem, but if they did not an intermittent problem will come back, he needs to find the root cause.
 
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