Years ago I was on a flying banana where the hydraulic pressure alarms kept going off constantly. The pilot kept resetting them and complaining about the stupid monitoring system.
I asked him how he knew it was a false alarm and not an actual hydraulic problem, and he pointed to some hydraulic fittings on the side of the fuselage. "See how that's dripping.... there's plenty of hydraulic pressure. When that stops leaking then there's a hydraulic pressure loss."
--scott
That's right up there with, "the leaking engine isn't a problem, the problem is when the engine stops leaking."
Here in the UK there is a threshold below which small businesses do not have to register for VAT. It's currently defined thus:
If your turnover of VAT taxable goods and services supplied within the UK for the previous 12 months is more than the current registration threshold of £70,000, you need to register.
Chris
Chris Whelan gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:
...or one quarter of that threshold in any three month period...
It's also worth pointing out to the OP that collection is trivial, assuming you use some kind of vaguely sensible accounting software, and being registered for VAT allows you to reclaim the VAT on any goods or services you buy for the business.
Yes, it might decrease your sales - but, since all your competitors will also have the same decision to make (absorb or pass on), it's not likely unless you're supplying discretionary-purchase products.
Oh, you must live out in the boondocks. 8)
The 15 year old BMW 328SE Auto is in the local servicing garage now, awaiting their verdict and quote.
So, although it's now academic, I'd like to pursue this DIY discussion a bit further please, from my perspective as a driver not a technician or regular DIYer. I'm fairly adept with mechanics and electronics, but despite all the helpful advice here there's absolutely no way I'd tackle this myself!
Even if, despite my sore throat and worsening cough, I was prepared to change into old clothing and venture outside where it's cold and raining, even if my drive wasn't steeply sloping (making jacking risky), even if I could somehow find the many hours to clear my garage and get the car into it, or find a flat spot on the narrow road where I wouldn't block other users, even if I successfully jacked up the first wheel without barking my knuckles or other incident ... then I know I'd face various practical issues within minutes:
What oil and dirt-encrusted sensor am I looking for? Where will I find it. Apart from the link Duncan gave for the ABS Sensor:
Oh dear.
Just got the verdict: "the scanner reports the code indicating that the actual ABS Control Unit chip is faulty..." parts alone would be £895 + VAT = about £1074 ($1670), then fitting (unquoted), then "programming, which would have to be done at a BMW Dealer".
Obviously I'll now have to live with it. At the latest until next September when my MOT is due. Better start looking around ;-(
[...]
You posted this into a maintenance NG, so most regulars might assume that you were prepared to "have a go"; perhaps it might have saved some time and effort if you had been clearer from the outset that you didn't intend to get your hands dirty?
These days, most DIYers will either own a suitable DMM, or would be able to borrow one from a friend. You can't even begin to carry out the most basic electrical fault-finding without one. A suitable one would cost perhaps 40UKP
ABS sensors for your car are around 30UKP,
If all the sensors appeared OK, and you didn't feel able to investigate further, you would have lost 40UKP, but gained some skills, and a test instrument that might last the rest of your life.
If you genuinely have even basic technical competencies, you could have completed the tests on all four wheels in an hour; it would also give you the chance to check for brake pad and disc wear, split rubbers on suspension and steering joints, condition of brake hoses ect. Then, the next time you service your car, you could elect not to carry out those checks if you felt all was well.
WRT your question about what to look for, image-Googling will give you some relevant hits.
There is also masses of information about testing sensors; eg:
Chris
Sorry to hijack your post - but - could you recommend a DMM? I have a £3 one that I use for continuity/voltage, but it'd be nice to have one that's reasonably versatile should the need arise.
Thanks, Rob
As suggested a few postings ago give this bunch a call and see what they have to offer. Worth just a call surely?..
We used them for our Volvo ABS unit an it was off and back within two days!..
And those figures above where in the same order that we were quoted for the Volvo .. in the end we paid sub 200 quid:-)..
Well, perhaps I should have been clearer as you say. But my assumption was that this was also a group for non-DIYers to seek advice. And I think I
*was* fairly clear in my opening post that my options were local garage or BMW dealer, not DIY.I have 5 DMMs, an analog 'scope and a PC-based digital 'scope.
Even in dry conditions on a flat surface, with all the questions that I posed answered in advance, I think that's highly optimistic considering my skill level!
Yes, but the car passed its MOT a month or so ago, when all those were done. You still seem to think I have skills that to you are obviously basic but alien to me!
And after the checks, I'd still have need to take it to the garage, as you see from my latest post!
Thanks, that's a good reference. If I ever came to do it though, I'd still be a bit confused by Method 1: "Jack up the car and take off the road wheel. The ABS road speed sensor cable should be visible within the wheel arch. Locate the connector (usually 2-pin) and disconnect it. Behind the wheel hub should be the road speed sensor, which is bolted on and near the crown wheel.
With your DMM set to ohms, connect the probes to the connector, road speed sensor side (so it measures the sensor and not the ABS system)."
That's a bit ambiguous IMO. *Which* connector is not immediately obvious, the ABS or the RSS? Closer examination makes it clear that it must be the ABS, but that's the sort of thing I mean about difficulties for non mechanics like me that you experts take in your stride.
Badly - you obviously didn't see my later post!
How much do you want to spend, what is your level of expertise, and what will be its primary use?
(I'm probably not the best person to answer this; I'm lucky enough to never had to pay for a meter in my life, but I like Fluke!)
Chris
Thanks Tony. I 'phoned them in Nottingham but apparently now need to get hold of the part number before they can advise and quote.
I imagine you dismantled (and re-fitted) the part yourself? In my case I'd get the garage to do it. But, assuming ECU Testing can do it at a reasonable cost, what about this 'programming' step? Did you have to get a Volvo dealer to do that? As you probably saw, my garage says that would be outside their scope.
FWIW I run a small business (in the UK) and voluntarily registered for VAT as I was below the theshold of taxable income (income for services rendered outside the EU is outside the scope of VAT).
Aside from the discipline it imposes by the quarterly return it takes me very little time to do and gives me a great return on the time spent reclaiming VAT. At the outset my accountant gave me a spreadsheet template that automatically does the calculation and I since refined it to spit out the VAT return numbers automatically as well. Admittedly my affairs are simple but the tax isn't always such a hassle as people unfamiliar with it think.
In the UK the tax is not actually applied in the spirit in which it should be, namely on everything but at a low rate. Here we have a lot of exemptions and so the rate is quite high (but still not as high as in many other EU states, even at the new rate of 20%). It is the boundary between liability and exemption that is the cause of of many admin complications.
The tax has a certain logic, in that the tax is applied at every stage of commercial transaction, but it is only the final buyer of the finished good who pays the tax.
It is not meant as a replacement for income tax but could be implemented that way if the economic and/or political economic environment allowed. It is just another (indirect) tax.
DAS
Are you able to jack up your car to change a wheel? If so, and you understand how to use all your test equipment, it really would be child's play.
Ah, OK. Some folk are best advised not to even try!
You have *much* more faith than me in the motor trade; bear in mind also that an MOT is the absolute minimum standard, and only applies at the time of test.
[...]If you have no success with the link that has been posted for a repair, try here:
Where about in the country are you?
Chris
Well you've made a start;)..
I removed it and re-fitted it myself. Nothing other then a Torx driver needed .. total time to remove 5 mins refit 10 mins :)..
No other programming needed. Ask them for their advice there is a very knowledgeable bloke there. In fact I could have done this myself if I'd been so minded after all they are printed circuit boards and they suffer from a lot of "dry joints" i.e. where the soldered joint has fractured.. They are however set in a sealant which is quite hard so I didn't want the damage it any further and as the overall cost wasn't that much let them get on with it:)..
Even the cheapest DMM has the basic ranges of Ohms, DC and AC Voltage, DC Current and (almost always) a Continuity Tester. I've used my various cheap to mid-range units over many years on my cars. (Mainly when adding gadgets and alarms on early models, before all such desirables came built in!)
Apart from recommending you ensure it has a high DC current range (at least 10 Amps), I can't immediately think of any other must-haves. But I'm not a car DIYer, so maybe for diagnostics etc others here can suggest additional advanced features.
Meanwhile, here are a few, ranging across the price spectrum:
DT830D £2.81 (£3.37)
See my sig!
Thanks, that's a coincidence! I just called my local garage again after phoning that outfit in Nottingham that Tony suggested, and the garage mentioned 'BBA'. I googled them and phoned their Rochester office a few minutes ago.
They too needed a part number but gave me a quote range from £120 to £200 including VAT. And, contrary to my garage, reassured me that it would
*not* need re-programming, as its memory would be preserved (providing the car batter was first removed - a common fatal mistake apparently).The garage reckon another £100 or so to remove and refit it. So I'm looking at £400, possibly less (*if* they can do it at all - otherwise £35 for the trouble.)One other significant factor I now need to consider is that, capitalising on the fact the garage had the car, I asked them to look at my heating.
Hmm, before I go on, maybe I'd better start a new thread, as this is now way OT.
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