gjm

Nothing. I have spent a lot of time getting tools out of the garage, and putting them away again. Bloody weather!

OK... Sorta sorted the fuel hose connections. Not just the oetiker clamps, but also two sizes of jubilee clips, and some one-way screwdriver clips that may have an oval-shaped head. Hard to tell. They're all the bloody same now, though. So much ridiculous faffing around for two things connected by a short piece of hose.

Got the WoF...

F1 - Chinese GP "Sebastian Vettel has questioned the timing of the Formula 1 safety car period that compromised his race in China." Is this the same guy who had no hope of winning in Melbourne until a very lucky safety car period allowed him to pit and leap-frog Hamilton into the lead? Live by the sword. Die by the sword. Suck it up, buttercup.

OCD may not be the *last* word in everything car prep related, but they're very good, and their affiliate company - United Car Care - sells much of what they use. There *are* other products out there but the ones OCD use have been proven to work.

This is on the fuel filter. Metal fittings. I suspect that with the right tools and a bit of practice, the clips are actually easier to use. Without the correct (expensive? Don't know) tool, it's a completely different matter.

I was going to just use jubilee clips?

Thanks Glenn. Unfortunately the angle of access to this is wrong for side-cutters - I can't actually get the blades around the head. I may end up removing more than I want or even need to just to get the job done.

Hmm... Maybe a Dremel. Never get an angle grinder in to where these ones are.

Anyone got any useful tips on how to remove these little blighters? I assume there is a special tool that only BMW dealers and specialists have, but in the absence of that...?

Not this time. My tracking showed UK departure, NZ arrival, and H e l d f o r c u s t o m s... . . . . . . For 8 days.

Most of the trauma has come at the hands of an inept and slow customs "service" who sat on my parcel for 8 days, yet did absolutely nothing with it! YouShop hardly covered themselves in glory, but using MyUS for stuff bought in the UK would have presented its own challenges! (I know - don't shop in Europe...)

Yesterday it was the c-clips used to secure bundles of wires. One every 6 inches or so it seems... Great fun when they're on the firewall: slot head screw on the inside of the vehicle in the top of the footwell of the bulkhead, and a nut in the engine bay!

Tried - several times - to change the mid-fuel-pump and fuel filter on the 320d. Rain stopped play on several occasions, and left the work area awash more than once. Thought I'd be smart and remove the pump and filter as a single unit (with connecting fuel hose) and refit the same way. Finally got the cover off only to find the power connector for the fuel pump has some sort of fancy lock-it-together clip that you just cannot see the working of unless you are above it, which is where the floor of the car is. Eventually got that off, but more weather means that is as far as I've got. Other than swearing about BMWs ridiculous one-use-only crimp-type fittings they use on pipes on cars...

Much humour. I've been working on a Land Rover the last couple of days. Whose idea was it to use a slot-head screw on one side, and a nut on the other, necessitating 2m long arms so you can actually get to both sides? Haven't these people heard of captive nuts?

Do they consolidate multiple items from different vendors?

So... The courier tried to deliver... At 06.36 this morning, an hour before business opens. I've got the box here. Not sure I dare open it... (It wasn't opened for inspection by customs, so just wtf were they doing with it for 8 days?) Harrumph. (And other polite noises.)

This is the (hopefully) back-end of a saga of using NZ Post's YouShop service which has the benefit of being able to consolidate multiple packages from different sources before shipping on to NZ. It's probably fine if you're in no hurry, but they will always use national carriers. (NZ Post = Royal Mail = USPS, etc) Our local delivery driver does sign for stuff, provided it fits in the box at the end of the drive. She's not too keen on leaving her van, though.