Rebody 250 California build thread for dummies

[Pond]

I just put it in a plastic bag with a window to read the odometer and the servicing module lights. It would be a good idea to chuck in some of those dampness-absorbing sachets .

Soldering to the back of the bulb connectors should work. Just try to make sure that you use similar wattage bulbs, or you can do what I did for some of mine, and use a 5v LED with a 470 ohm in-series resistor.

I will probably wrap the PCB with my old seat foam!
I have tiny 12v LED lamps which are around 0.1 watt, so don't think there will be an issue. The BMW warning bulbs are all 1.2 Watts from what I have seen.

 

[Pond]

After many days of deliberation, studying endless wiring diagrams (which I don't fully understand TBH) and talking to several people, I have decided to keep my BMW instrument cluster PCB.
It is sooooo complicated that I fear bypassing it will remove something that is important (like the DSC).

So I have just soldered extension cabling to the four warning bulbs I require on he dash. These are front and rear fogs, DSC and the ABS warning lights.
The other lamps required are dealt with by the new gauges, so I am happy to cut those from the loom and join them to the new locations.

 

[Pingu]

After many days of deliberation, studying endless wiring diagrams (which I don't fully understand TBH) and talking to several people, I have decided to keep my BMW instrument cluster PCB.
It is sooooo complicated that I fear bypassing it will remove something that is important (like the DSC).

So I have just soldered extension cabling to the four warning bulbs I require on he dash. These are front and rear fogs, DSC and the ABS warning lights.
The other lamps required are dealt with by the new gauges, so I am happy to cut those from the loom and join them to the new locations.
View attachment 334419

I wish I'd done this, but my original intention was to eliminate the cluster completely. I used brighter bulbs than standard, so I'd have used the wires shown as signal wires, and used transistors to illuminate the bulbs. I doubt if you will have any problems, but my dash bulbs are 2W compared to 0.5W in the cluster - I know that you are using 0.5W bulbs .

 

[Pond]

I wish I'd done this, but my original intention was to eliminate the cluster completely. I used brighter bulbs than standard, so I'd have used the wires shown as signal wires, and used transistors to illuminate the bulbs. I doubt if you will have any problems, but my dash bulbs are 2W compared to 0.5W in the cluster - I know that you are using 0.5W bulbs .

All the black dash bulbs seem to be 1.2 watt with the two odometer ones being 1.5 watt.
All the bulbs I am 'extending' to are tiny (6mm) LEDs that I don't know the wattage of, but they are something like 0.1 watt.
I have removed all the original bulbs that I don't need (which is most of them TBH), as I am a little concerned about heat build up when I 'insulate' the PCB.

I splashed out on a labeller today, as I need to make sure all the wiring is properly labelled. I have been using masking tape and a permanent marker up until now! It works, but doesn't look very professional.

 

[Pond]

Colour chosen today. Rosso Barchetta (2C). A very deep solid red.
.

 

[Jezza]

Colour chosen today. Rosso Barchetta (2C). A very deep solid red.
.View attachment 334963View attachment 334965

I like that.

 

[Jam03]

Colour chosen today. Rosso Barchetta (2C). A very deep solid red.
.View attachment 334963View attachment 334965

Which one is it?

 

[Pond]

Which one is it?

I know, colours are a pig to photograph. They look different every time.
I put the other colour swatch on my wife's (metallic red) Focus and it looked 'plain red'.
I then put it on my (white) Audrey and it looked almost burgundy.

The camera lies, as do the eyes!

The two pictures are: top is on a white piece of paper (indoors). The bottom one is on the bonnet of my white Audi (outdoors). They were both taken with a decent digital SLR camera!

 

[Pingu]

Top tip. Get your painter to give you the EXACT colour match combination he used (not the one he tried to use), as well as any paint codes (and whose codes). Most importantly, also ask for a small pot of touch-up paint. Colour matching a named colour that is not from the factory is a nightmare - I have two cars that have this problem, and neither use the touch-up paint colour you would think.

Ferrari Rosso Rubino is now Hyundai Rorty Red according to the spectrum analyser

Ford Performance Blue is now a completely original blue that isn't on any list .

I strongly supect the problem lies in the lack of metrology standards in the paintshop. The paint is weighed, and the tolerance in the weight of a drop of paint is too large. When cars are being sprayed at the factory, kilos of paint are being used, and a 0.1g error in each mix colour is insignificant. A 0.1g error in a mix colour for a single car can be the difference between Rosso Rubino and Rorty Red .

 

[Pond]

Top tip. Get your painter to give you the EXACT colour match combination he used (not the one he tried to use), as well as any paint codes (and whose codes). Most importantly, also ask for a small pot of touch-up paint. Colour matching a named colour that is not from the factory is a nightmare - I have two cars that have this problem, and neither use the touch-up paint colour you would think.

Ferrari Rosso Rubino is now Hyundai Rorty Red according to the spectrum analyser

Ford Performance Blue is now a completely original blue that isn't on any list .

I strongly supect the problem lies in the lack of metrology standards in the paintshop. The paint is weighed, and the tolerance in the weight of a drop of paint is too large. When cars are being sprayed at the factory, kilos of paint are being used, and a 0.1g error in each mix colour is insignificant. A 0.1g error in a mix colour for a single car can be the difference between Rosso Rubino and Rorty Red .

They are supplying me with as many rattle cans (and touch up pots) as I want.