So you’re one of those people who service and tune up your car yourself, right? But what about all the electronic little messages that come up periodically and want to remind you to look after your car? Of course, YOU wouldn’t need that because YOU keep track of your car’s maintenance history, right? Well guess what, you still need to tell you car when you changed the oil. My RCZ‘s onboard computer wants me to service my car every 30’000 km. It shows so buy putting up a little wrench next to the odometer, as well as in the central display between the rpm gauge and the speedometer.
Lucky you, you drive a Peugeot and hence don’t need any diagnostic computer to reset the service warning message!
Okay, once you are done with the oil change, what the next thing to look after while servicing your RCZ? The spark plugs, of course! They have to be replaced every 30’000 km. I replaced the original NGK with the equivalent from Bosch (Ref.: 0 242 135 518). Not that I wasn’t satisfied with NGK or that I hoped that the Bosch ones would miraculously increase the engine’s performance, I just wanted to try something else from a well known brand – as long as it was compatible, of course. 🙂
Anyway, (1) pop the hood, (2) release the ignition coil, (2) pull it out, (3) unbold and remove the old spark plug, (4) insert a new one and proceed in the opposite order for the rest. Now repeat this for the remaining three spark plugs.
NOTICE: If you need an extension for your 14 mm spark plug socket, make sure all of the elements of the wrench are taped together, as the spark plugs might be a bit stuck even when unbolt. Fishing out the socket can be quite tedious, trust me…! 😉 It’s a simple solution to a really annoying problem.
Doing an oil change on an internal combustion engine is probably the most commonly known and most frequently conducted service element in all car maintenance history. So guess what, even my RCZ needs it every 30’000 km or every two years. The procedure is quite simple: (1) Open up the oil cap on top of the engine block, (2) unscrew the drain plug and let the old oil flow out into an appropriate catch pan. (3) Put a new crush washer on the drain plug and screw it back on. (4) Now replace the oil filter before (5) filling in 4.25l of fresh synthetic SAE 5W30 engine oil.
NOTICE: Safety first, environment second! Make sure the car is safely positioned on a car lift or on ramps when you are working underneath a car, especially when your are applying force to unbolt / bolt parts! The engine, exhaust and the oil might be hot if you warmed the car up just before, hence protect your hands, skin in general and your eyes accordingly. Always dispose of used oil properly – bring it to your local waste disposal service station.
Changing an ai cabin filter doesn’t seem to be a big deal at first glance. After all, the filter itself is basically just a dry piece of foam. Getting to the air cabin filter compartment is a different story. On my 2012 Peugeot RCZ it’s basically a three-step process: (1) Remove the plastic admission tube that is connected to the cabin air filter housing, (2) unclip and pull out the insulating mat just behind the admission tube and finally, (3) open up the cover and pull out the used air cabin filter. Now simply replace it with a new filter and proceed in the reverse order.
NOTICE: As always with car plastics, be patient and careful not to handle them roughly as they can easily crack. I like to quote Amesie from Amesie’s Automotive Corner, “those plastic parts are as supple as uncooked pasta”. 🙂
Let’s give this car some clean air
Now that the cabin has clean air, let’s turn our attention to the engine. This filter is located behind the engine. You can directly access it by unbolting the cover, the air intake hose, as well as unclip the electronic sensor that is connected to it.
NOTICE: As always when you take any bolts out in and around the engine block, make sur to store them safely and not let them fall into the engine bay. You never know whether they will be stuck or lost somewhere in there. 😉
This time it’s time to change the tires of my RCZ. The summer tires are 19″ Continental Sport Contact 3 tires, which I am replacing with Continental Sport Contact 5. The old tires have lasted for about 60’000 km, which is pretty good, considering that they are sports tires and thus supposed to not only last but also be super sticky. 🙂
Used tireNew tire
Anyway, when you look at the tread of the tires, you’ll see that they have almost come down to the tread wear indicators. These are at 1.6 mm, the legal minimum in Switzerland and many other countries as well. So, time go to the tire shop and have them all replaced with some new rubber! Yes, all four of them are down!!
If you can’t spot a tread wear indicator, one good tool to measure it is a one euro coin. The outer gold ring is exactly 1.6 mm. If you compare the old and the new tire you will instantly realize that the change was due!
This week I happened to walk past the BMW dealership in Blackrock, Co. Dublin in Ireland. I looked at all the new and used cars they parked outside and first thought: Wow that’s a lot of high performance cars. Many of them have M packages (M for Motorsport, of course), meaning that they have the front and rear bumpers of the M variant of the respective model. M badges on the sides, the wheels and on the steering wheels.
BMW 420d convertible, Frank Keane BMW, Blackrock
Upon closer inspection I quickly realized that most of them are actually pretty reasonably powered cars and that most of the aggressive looking cars are much lower powered diesel cars. For example, instead of the X5 M comes with a 4.4l V8 engine, delivering 575 hp. The white x5 here is actually a sDrive25d M Sport diesel delivering 231 hp. Same story for the 420d convertible and the 5 Series Touring; They are literally sheep in wolf’s clothing.
BMW M135i 5 door, Frank Keane BMW, Blackrock
However, rest assured that there are also some properly powerful and fun to drive cars available. Check out the video below and discover for yourself:
As I walked past the Joe Duffy Porsche Centre Dublin I saw two 991 Carrera S parked next to each other. A first generation in dark blue a second generation in white. Isn’t that the perfect occasion to compare the two?!
Porsche 991 Carrera S Cabriolet, 1st generationPorsche 991 Carrera S Coupé, 2nd generation
The Porsche 991 generation was introduced in late 2011 replacing the hugely successful 997 generation. This particular dark blue metallic Carrera S has a traditional naturally aspirated 3.8l flat 6 engine, producing 400 hp. The facelifted 991 Carrera S, officially called 2nd generation 991, was introduced in late 2015 and brought a major revolution to the Carrera family: turbocharger. Yes, indeed, this Carrera S is carrying a turbo charged 3l Flat 6 engine, producing 420 hp.
The external differences
The front bumper and air intakes have been re-designed. The LED daytime running lights are much slimmer on the second generation. Even though the headlight units are identical from the exterior, they have also been revised and are now featuring four-point daytime running lights. In the back, we can spot four major changes compared to the previous version:
The general shape of the rear bumper
The shape and centered position of the exhaust pipes
The three dimensional shape of the taillights
And the engine cover grill or vent which now shows 24 vertical lines instead of the previous three horizontal blades
When it comes to the wheels and chassis, the Sport version with the red brake calipers is almost identical. Only the back tires are half an inch larger on the newer model.
Front wheel, Porsche 991 Carrera S Cabriolet, 1st generationFront wheel, Porsche 991 Carrera S Coupé, 2nd generation
A zest of 918 in the cabin
Inside, only changes have been made where it really mattered: the steering wheel has been replaced with a 918-inspired wheel, eliminating once and for all the counter-intuitive gear changing buttons on the standard wheel. Moreover, the infotainment system has also been upgraded.
Check out the video for a better illustration of the comparison:
Another day, another tutorial! This time we’re removing a taillight of the RCZ. If you want to order it before you read or watch through the process, here are the part numbers. Peugeot part number: YM40701280, Automotive Lighting part number: 2623 0102. Always make sure you’re ordering the correct side, since the left and the right units are symmetric, hence not identical.
Left taillight cover, 2012 Peugeot RCZ
In a nutshell, the entire process is quite simple. It can however be confusing when you’ve never done it before. Open up the cover on the side of the trunk and disconnect the cable. There is only one cable coming from the taillight. After that there are two big white nuts to unscrew. The first time I tried to loosen them they were so tightened up that I needed pliers.
Left taillight, 2012 Peugeot RCZ
Push the taillight out from the inside and twist the entire unit counter clockwise until the burl in the front of the light snaps out of its position. I sounds like something just broke but don’t worry, it’s really just the burl. You may want to cover the left edge of the taillight with some sort of cloth so you don’t scratch it while removing it. However, it’s not necessary if you’re careful.
No just press and pull the rubber plug, pull the cable out and the entire taillight is free. Check out the video for a more comprehensive demonstration:
Enough is enough, it’s time to modify, to pimp, to give my Peugeot RCZ that little touch that makes it unique. Let’s start by changing the stock leather imitation gear knob with an aluminum item. Truth be told, I already did this a year ago, but I have a couple of more modifications in the pipeline I want to show you on YouTube so let’s start with the beginning.
Original gear knob, 2012 Peugeot RCZ
The original gear knob is okay, it’s actually pretty good quality. Okay just doesn’t cut it anymmore when you have a car that looks this good. Given that the RCZ GT-Line, R and many different Peugeot models also have the new aluminum gear knob as standard, I just had to had it!!
I got the new one at my official Peugeot dealer. The part number is 96 738 472 vv and was available within 24 hours. Boy, was I positively surprise. It’s heaver than the original one and fits even better to the gear lever, hence there is no play at all while shifting!
Aluminum gear knob, 2012 Peugeot RCZ
Switching the knobs is actually very straighforward. Just hold the lever with one hand and pull the knob off the level. You must pull strongly until it’s released, so my advice is to put engage 6th gear first, so your hand doesn’t hit the parking brake lever as the knob comes off. Then, just insert the new knob onto the t-shaped lever and push it down until you here a distinct click. This tells you that the gear knob is now safely connected to the lever.
So guess what…? The Fast and The Furious will be back on the big screen on June 22 in a couple of movie theaters across the US. Noo, not Fast 8…that one we’re expecting to come in April 2017. This here is the first movie that started the globally successful franchise.
Volkswagen Jetta, Jesse, The Fast and The Furious
I can’t believe it’s been 15 years already. I was just about to get 16 when it came out. This means I’m almost 32 years old by now…scary. 😉 I suppose lots of guys who were in there late teens, early twenties were hooked back than to some extend ‘grew up’ with the Fast and Furious sage. It’s incredible how far the “Fast” saga has gone. They have already made 7 and there is an entire trilogy in the pipeline to finalize it all. Although each following iteration has so far been packed with more action and unrealistic stuff than the one it just followed, I quite liked how they made everybody come together from the fourth to the sixth and ending it as a reunited family *Iain’tgotfriendsIgotfamily* at the Toretto house. By the way, this is way I would have liked the saga to stop at six.
Dodge Charger R/T, Dominic Toretto, The Fast and The Furious
However, it is what it is and at the end of the day it’s business. Universal Studios is well aware of that and they are milking the cow. It’s a little too much, but I don’t blame them. They’re doing it because there’s a demand. Hence, it the end it’s down to the consumers to decide whether it’s worth it or not…and apparently it is!
ENJOY the trailer!
“I live my life a quarter mile at a time. Nothing else matters, not the mortgage, not the store, not my team and all that bullshit. For those ten seconds or less, I’m free.” – Dominic Toretto, 2001
