rider

That entails a buying a flaring tool, bending tool, olives and nuts and an unknown length of copper piping. I was hoping there would be options available to simply buy pre fabricated pipes and hoses as a kit or individually.

My car is pushing 20 years old and all original in the brake line and hose stakes so I'm thinking come next service/MOT time to get all the lines and hoses replaced as slight corrosion is the only advisory and one that pops up every year on the brake pipes. I can't find anywhere that has a schematic on the Mk4 brake plumbing so I'm hoping someone has a link that'll give all the part numbers for a comprehensive line and hose replacement. Also any recommendations on coated or copper or whatever seeing its not going to be a cheap upgrade I may as well give my pampered Supra a top line set to see it easily through the next 20 years. Not bothered about going for race hoses that are less spongy as I've never had any issues with the standard gear running for extended periods at 160mph and braking hard for Polish trucks on the German Autobahn.

700g is the full recommended charge weight. Have a look at the condition of the condenser, if that is original the fins may have disintegrated to a powder which will give poor cooling efficiency.

So the recommendation appears to be don't try to clean your dash with oven cleaner. Why would anyone want to remove the dash coating anyway?

It does come down to the ambient temperature but on a normal day you should get down to 7C. 11C is too warm or run on a very hot day. Check your suction pressure and make sure its around 70psi static and 17psi running (again ambient variable). If the suction pressure falls to 10psi or below then your system is undercharged. You can get gauges and snap on valves for the suction port from any good a/c wholesaler or via auction sites. You can even get big R134a cylinders to do your own top up as hoses are porous so any system should be checked and topped up if needed every 2 years. Its easy to do, just be aware you are working with refrigerant that can cause serious chill burns. I have 5 a/c vehicles which is why I do my own a/c maintenance and have the basic equipment.

Go stick it on a rolling road. One mans slow is another mans fast but bhp doesn't lie. That'll tell you all you need to know about the engine and ancillaries condition.

It always takes 6l to fill up from an oil change which is annoyingly more than a 5l bottle.

The PS fluid should be a nice and clean. I had a noticeable notchiness in my power steering and the oil smelt a bit off so a change and all was well. Draw a bit of oil out and check it looks and smells good as a change out would be the cheapest solution to any problem.

Here is a thread that will give you some pointers. May just be a sensor error. http://www.supraforums.com/forum/showthread.php?502037-A-C-button-light-blinking For anyone ever having problems with their a/c not working the first thing to check is the system pressure. On a normal cool day the standing pressure in the system should be around 70psi. If it is below that then its either a very cold day or the system is low on gas. If it gets too low then the low pressure cut off will prevent the compressor from engaging to prevent the suction side pulling a vacuum. A running compressor should maintain a positive pressure feed when the system is properly charged (around 20psi on a normal day). A/C pressure gauges and port valves are easily purchased via eBay or specific online suppliers.

Just to throw another thing into the mixer. How about checking/cleaning the IAC (Idle Air Control valve) which can lead to surging idle speeds.

If you need to re-gas each year are you doing it properly, by pressure or weight? By sight glass filling? Or just till it starts to blow cold again? If the latter then you will probably be starting from a low charge as the Low Pressure cut off is generally around 10psi for the a/c clutch to activate which will be way below the normal LP suction pressure and specified charge weight. Assuming you are charging to the correct weight of refrigerant then a small leak can be cured with leak sealant though I'd look for it first around the valves which are usual culprits and easy to change. Though you should remember that a normal system would do with a recharge every few years anyway as all hoses are porous before any leaks hit the system. Here is a video link worth a look for anyone thinking of tinkering with their a/c. I charge mine on the LP port until it reaches 20psi on the suction (with compressor running) on a cool day and that works fine with a top up needed every 3 to 5 years. There is one thing the guy does on the video that I was told is a no no. Inverting the gas cylinder to feed in liquid is by far the fastest way to charge a system but I was told by a refrigeration engineer that is bad practice as you could liquid slug the compressor, effectively hydraulicing it. So I always gas charge. Slower but apparently safer.

Had my Supra out and about seeing its been sunny and the roads are dry which being a cossetted member of a 6 car household happens to be the right setting for an outing. I have to say since buying in in 1998 it doesn't feel any different to what I remember it was like 17 years ago. Still whistles, growls and dump valve snorts in all the right places. Had it all polished up with expensive wax before taking it out and got tooted at the first set of lights I hit. Lovely young lady wound down her window which was encouraging but unusual as the Supra is definitely a boys, of all ages, car. She had her boyfriend beside her and it was him who wanted to say I was driving his dream car. After a conversation that lasted the 5 lights situation coming back to green off to fill up with Petrol. At the forecourt a guy came bouncing over, a fellow Supra driver. Just bought himself one and asking what my experience was like. I said simple, I've had it 17 years so it must be a good car and its still number one in my garage even though it only comes out for 1,000 miles a year now. Its unusual to have two people grabbing you in one short trip out, though the original brilliant white does still dazzle in the sunlight. I was left thinking me and the car, we've both grown old together why don't I still dazzle in the sunlight. I'm just an old bod now with a nice car having fun.

If the car isn't on SORN there has to be a good chance there is a shell sitting somewhere and its been stripped for parts or its changed hands and someone is driving around untaxed and uninsured.

Rhubarb and custard is a traditional combination.

I believe the TRD 320kmph gauge was an option on the Series 2 Supra so its an old clock for sure with this one having the 'k' black painted over.

The spedo picture says 28k km which is around 17k miles. You have it advertised at 28k miles. Also, is it right the car missed out on 9 MOT's, only having two tests in the last 11 years? That does give a pretty big history gap but if genuine, a 17k miler is indeed rare.

I used mine today, it was lovely. I do find it more useful in the cooler months though as an invaluable aid to maintain clear glass.

A lower resale value so you get to give someone a cheaper car.

Its near certain its the fluid level indicator flashing at you.

I'd much rather have original 20 year old paint still sticking to the car and looking OK than a shiny new respray hiding god only knows. Just a personal choice I guess.

You can dash mount your mobile phone and use free recording and GPS location/speed apps. I've used AutoGuard. Works well on Samsung phones. For the price of a £3 phone screen holder and £3 for a in car charger its worth looking at.

Lots of us sell things online these days through eBay, Preloved etc but when it comes to receiving payments on delivered goods it usually comes down to PayPal which has tremendous issues. Firstly, if everything goes well, its expensive. Very expensive. Secondly, there is no consumer protection offered because its a cash rather than credit transaction. Thirdly they have no customer service to sort things out as any problems just end up in a online driven FAQ loop or e-mail correspondence with multiple CS reps that again has for me turned into another never ending loop. There are lots of companies that offer to handle credit card transactions for sellers but very few that don't operate on a subscription basis which for the occasional seller is just not appropriate. The dreaded PayPal can handle credit card payments though as said previously their charges are horrendous. I have used SumUp for the last two years who offer a PAYG service on credit card transactions. Payment can be made there and then with a phone app and card reader fitted to your phone jack. The card reader costs £50 so I conduct transactions via the same app that sends a SMS payment request to the customers phone. They simply enter their card details online using the SMS link provided and you get a text message as soon as payment is made. Its secure, can be done there or remotely, its fast and the money is transferred into your bank account monthly. For anyone conducting regular but not everyday selling who wants to avoid rip off charges without having to pay subscriptions and have credit protection in force for the customers then I can't recommend SumUp enough.

First up, Pay Pal sucks. it sucks because they freeze your account at any opportunity, be that because of a customer complaint or because they feel like it because you may be laundering money. I'll repeat it, PayPal suck. The second reason they suck is the fees are ridiculous. Repeating again so hopefully people get the message, PayPal sucks. Onto the problem any goods that are sold do need to be fit for purpose and as described. So if the gearbox is shagged it is down to you and they could sue you for the cost of the gearbox, labour and expenditure in gaining recompense if it ends up in court. You hopefully took down the serial number and some pictures of the box as shipped to ensure they haven't just swapped their old knackered box and claiming it is the one you sent. Also, if you did sell it a sold as seen without any guarantee, basically for spares or repair, then they wouldn't have a leg to stand on. It is a common ploy for car dealers on eBay now to say the car should be purchased on the understanding it is for spares or repair so if it runs, its a bonus. Purely to cover all eventualities. PayPal will close ranks on this and at best will freeze your account and at worst simply refund the buyer. Actually freezing the account can be worse as you see write ups from eBay power sellers who have had their PayPal accounts frozen for months with no one to take to, because its all menu FAQ and email to a different service representative each time loop. I'll repeat again - PayPal sucks. My advice to anyone retailing anything via eBay beyond what you are more than happy to wave bye bye to that payment has to be Cash on Collection, or BACS pre payment or credit card. Credit cards is by far the best approach for anyone buying and a million times better than PayPal sucks. For anyone not set up to take Credit Card payments there is a good outfit SumUp (they are German) who do a pay as you go transaction charge that is much lower than PayPal sucks. With credit card payments you are covered, the customer is covered and PayPal sucks is not in the loop.

Can someone move this to the technical section?

I've looked at buying in Blitz components from Japanese suppliers in the past but always found the freight frightening as they don't seem to bother with cheaper surface options and air freight is expensive. Consequently I've tended to buy from Continental Europe or USA suppliers when they are significantly cheaper than UK retailers, sufficient to justify a few days to a couple of weeks transit time on the parts. For anyone considering buying outside of the EU don't just get sucked in with the headline price as VAT and duty will be added once the parts enter the UK. This is a good site that'll work out for you what a delivered duty paid price will be from any source. http://www.dutycalculator.com/