Tonight is Cowfold BMW Curry meet night. I also have to drive to London to collect some stuff – so the M3 is the chosen chariot. It manages the London traffic well, the S14 getting less grumpy than the S50s with the clutch pumping action.

In Cowfold we have our curry, and afterwards retire to the car park to inspect our fleet. Ian produces a head torch from his pocket and investigates the screen wash situation. Then a multimeter is produced, and some screwdrivers. This is getting a bit much, the man is a walking tool kit. Eventually he announces something I already knew: that the wiring down there is a complete mess. We do however agree to spend a day sorting it in the future. He then whips the bonnet noise shield off and looks into the passenger side spray pod not working. He points to a junction valve and says “I bet that’s failed. You’ll need to get it out of the bonnet and replace it… with this” pulling a replacement part from another pocket. He’d had that part with him all evening! Not only is he a walking tool kit, he’s also a walking parts bin!

Ian notes that the coolant cap needs replacing as it is wheezing a bit with the engine off, and then aligns the lights a bit better as the remote adjustment has failed, as is apparently inevitable. I’m also told it can’t really be repaired, so I don’t need to add that to the mental list.

Finally we go for a bit of a drive in an attempt to diagnose the rumbling from the rear. Ian agrees that it could well be the wheel bearing, but we still can’t say for sure. Ian does recommend replacing the ECU’s coolant temperature sensor in an attempt to cure the starting problem.