A good few years have passed since I last updated this thread.
Since the last update, this car has remained in our family with my wife now driving it daily after having sold her F20 120d a couple of years ago. She has grown just as fond of this car as I have become over the past 8+ years of owning it.
The mileage has now crept up to 150 000km and the following has been done since the last update:
- Turbo picked up a whining sound. This was rebuilt by Fastec with a billet wheel installed. It has done approximately 45000km since then and has been rock solid.
- Gearbox service done.
- All fluids changed as required periodically.
- Engine mounts replaced with OEM mounts.
- Some minor cosmetic repairs - most notably the front bumper due to stone chips and parking lot dings.
- Tyres replaced twice with some non-RFT Goodyears. These have been amazing.
- Interior handles all replaced.
- Normal wear and tear items replaced as required.
The next items to be done will be new shocks, mounts, suspension bushes and then the infamous crank dampner pulley - this has been inspected by Ross Duncan at each service and is still holding up very well. In terms of replacement parts, I am likely to fit Sachs/Bilstein shocks and OEM bushes and also an OEM crank pulley as this one has served me well.
The car has become a mommy's van and although I have a good idea of what the replacement vehicle will be, we are yet to agree on a timeline for this. My wife is dead set on keeping this car until the wheels come off and she still thoroughly enjoys the vehicle, as do I when I drive it from time to time. It has been such a dependable, enjoyable vehicle over the years and it continues to serve our family's needs perfectly alongside a double cab bakkie for longer trips and when more space is required.
Below are some recent pics of the car. Nothing new or exciting to look at, but in the interest of updating this thread, I suppose they will do..