M3HQ » Grant

1st Le Mans test Video

Grant — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 12:39:33 +0000

Just a rough version- I am playing with new video software so learning.

Video: M3 lapping with Monaro following.

Grant — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:02:52 +0000

At Le Mans last year we had great fun, and here is a video of my M3 being followed by Tony in his Monaro. Once again we had cameras in both cars so you get two views. It always looks so much slower in the videos!

Dot 5.1 brake fluid returns!

Grant — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:56:32 +0000

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In a previous post I mentioned that the dealer did not have dot 5.1 fluid and I could not get some down to them, so they put in regular brake fluid at the inspection II service. With the track day around the corner, it was time to get some dot 5.1 fluid back in.

Thanks to Dave who did most of the work, while I pumped the brake pedal and Shane filled up the reservoir. Dave jacked up the back and we turned the front wheels for access and the wheels did not even come off. There are some pics in the gallery.

Video: M3 following Tony’s Monaro at Le Mans

Grant — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 20:29:14 +0000

This clip is from the Le Mans trip in 2007. We used two cameras- one in the Monaro looking back and one in the M3 looking forward. We have plans for this year to get more organised and Shane has all sorts of plans to get more footage this year. Camera brackets and all sorts are being planned, but back to the video…

Lap from second trip to Bugatti Circuit Le Mans

Grant — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 23:42:49 +0000

The fourth track day I did was at Le Mans and it felt fantastic driving in the gates into the famous circuit once again. Had a fantastic time and here is a lap later on in the afternoon when the track was quiet. The next track day at Le Mans is on the second of August so cannot wait. Keep checking the track days section as there are more videos to be uploaded and they will be online soon.

M3 Laps Le Mans 2006 from M3HQ on Vimeo.

A misfire followed by a different sound on the highway in France.

Grant — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 21:40:35 +0000

I left the office one sunny afternoon to shoot home for lunch, but when I started the car all did not bode well. It felt like the car was firing on 3 cylinders and it would not rev over 2000rpm. The obligatory pop of the bonnet ensued, but what was I expecting to find under there! A couple of phone calls later and the flat bed was booked. I then went to have another look and the car started fine and seemed normal. Took the car home and canceled the flat bed. Needless to say when I jumped in to go back to the office the gremlins had returned.

Helen took me to work and when I got home later the car started fine and I had no problems getting it to the dealer. Of course it was not booked in so it was a couple of days before they had time to look at it. I asked them to do an inspection II service while they had. I got the call to say that one of the injectors was shot so that was ordered. I had mentioned that it had dot 5.1 brake fluid in so please not to change. But the car had an ABS sensor that had intermittently been throwing up a fault so I got a call in the afternoon when I was due to pick it up, saying that they do not stock dot 5.1 fluid and did I want them to use regular fluid or could I get some down to them. Needless to say I was slightly stranded so I will now need to get the fluid changed to dot 5.1 before the track day on the 2nd of August.

Got the car back and pottering around the island the car just did not feel right. I could not put my finger on it . The car was also quite rough when cold and it almost felt like before I had it remapped. Once it was warm it seemed ok but I was wondering if the dealer had put the map back to standard or something. That concludes the misfire part of the story.

It was then time for our annual trip to France with all of Helen’s family and after leaving St Malo I once again had that niggling feeling that things where not all as they should be. The car just felt flat and when accelerating out of the toll gates it felt slightly slower. Once at speed when accelerating in 6th gear to over take it even sounded a bit different.

When we got down to the South of France the next day, I popped the bonnet and was greeted by a bit of the orange air filter element sticking out of the side of the airbox. The two clips on the one side where not seated properly and the air filter was wedged between the 2 halves of the air box preventing it sealing. Once Tony and I got the air box sealed back properly and I took it for a drive all was well again. Goes to show it always pays to have a check under the bonnet!

Blast at Le Mans

Grant — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 14:45:00 +0000

August does not come around quickly enough. The reason is that the annual trip down to Le Mans with Delta Racing takes place in August. This year the M3 had no work done on it so it was just a case of swopping tyres to the Toyo R888s, some new fluids and a ferry trip to St Malo.