would you mind posting a photo of how that looks from behind the car? (tow bar doesn’t need to be attached)

How much of the rear bumper was cut away to make room for it?

TIMC – is that on a M Sport or on a ES/SE?

Thanks I will let you know how I get on. I know what you mean about rougue traders, in the case of my roof it could well be the fault of just one employee (although should have been picked up on inspection) but I’m more than willing to give the builder the chance to inspect and hopefully agree to make good.

If its an 06 it will have the same fitment as mine – you may well be able to get a Thule foot pack for your existing bars, and hopefully it will use the BMW fix points.

There weren’t many used bars around when I got my car so I bought them directly from BMW, the parts guy knocked 10 or 15% off and IIRC I paid around £110 or £120. They come with adhesive plastic stips that protect the metal work underneath the flap from being scratched (over kill really!)

If you buy used from someone who has used them on a 1 series you will need to adjust the width of the feet on the bar (couple of allen key bolts)

I don’t have children so don’t know how much stuff you have to transport but personally I think the boot is big, its very deep but obviously not as big as your are used to.

PJM84 – great thanks. Noted on the other side of the roof, I’ve already had a quick inspection of it and can’t move the felt on that side and there was no sign of it leaking but I like you I suspect it hasn’t been constructed correctly.

I will ensure the other side is inspected and quote accordingly – as I think you or Wrightson previous stated it shouldn’t be hard to get the work above £1200 if the builder won’t fund the corrective work.

I will also check the ceilings of every room where the water has been dripping onto to ensure the paint / finish has not been damaged.

I haven’t had the pleasure yet but I’m getting very close just eeking out every last mile (wet roundabouts are interesting at the moment when hitting the accelerator :lol: )

My front pads are nearing replacement time too, I’ve been quoted £227 for pads & fitting at BMW and £125 at an Indy… no prizes for guessing where I will be going!

Even with screwing them on it takes no more than 5 minutes to fit the bars & cycle carriers once you’ve set them up the first time.

Oh and whilst I remember… if you get BMW bars the T groove is slightly wider that the Thule T groove so you need to get an additional bolt pack from Thule for the 591s (the bolts have a larger square plate) – it’ll cost you £10 per rack.

And as a side comment if like me you have 18″ run flats look forward to paying £250+ per rear tyre. 8O

But don’t let that detract from getting your new car, like I’ve already said I absolutely love mine and have no desire to drive anything else.

What is the model year of the car you are getting? Mine is a 2006 56 plate and has the flaps on the roof, below these are screw holes where the BM bars mount directly into. I think the facelift E90 has a different mounting arangement (2010 onwards).

I guess it could be a different footpack, the other option is to get a set of BM bars on eBAY (they are the same for the 1 and 3 series (E90). One point to note if getting the BM bars – the plastic surrounding the feet actually sits a few MM higher than the car and this is by design (i.e. the plastic trim does not sit flush on the car roof)

The 3 series are quite low so its not a struggle to get them on the roof.

330i – Nice! Is it an M-Sport?

Also the house was built in 2008 do the NHBC standards change on a yearly basis?

Wrightyson, PJM84,

Thanks for the information. I’ve had a resposne from the MD of the building company and they will be sending one of their seniors out to investigate (The cynical part of me suspects that the roof will be fine from their perspective but I may well be suprised).

So in summary (and I appreciate its hard to 100% accurate without actually seeing the roof) what needs to be done to correct the configuration? Is it a combination of modifying the roof to accept a secret gutter and installing the flashing in a different configuration or something else?

Thanks again!

I can’t comment on the family bit but can comment on the bike bit – I’ve had my 320d for almost a year now and love it – it would be even better if the seats folder like they did in my E46.

Its fine for bike duty – I use the BMW roof bars and two Thule 591s, I reckon with careful arrangement you could get four bikes on the roof. Other option is a detachable / hidden tow bar but I haven’t gone this route as I didn’t want to cut the rear bumper valance.

The boot is deep with plenty of storage space, mine has run flats so rather than a sparewheel there is an additional storage area underneath the boot floor.

Aside from transporting the bike & family they are fantastic to drive. Which one have you gone for?

Just a thought but there are some stonking deals on the 2011 Spesh Stumpjumper FSR Comp (I’ve seen them for £1200 to £1300) at the moment; he could sell the GT and put a little extra down and then use it as his regular ride when he returns to the UK.

The ridge tiles certainly don’t appear to be vented – to ask a stupid question how can I work out which one I have?

I’ll be happy to say which builder it is once they’ve had a chance to put things right – its one of the big players though.

If you are able to tap him for advice that would be great – sadly in my case it isn’t just a garage its my house roof but I did see that the HNBC warranty makes reference to the garage being treated differently.

I’m in Gloucsestershire and currently completing an online enquiry form for NHBC as they aren’t open on Saturdays.

I am also going to be sending the builder an email containing the photos and information as I understand it currently to offer them the opportunity to put it right or re-imburse me if they are happy for me to use a builder of my choice (obviously this will be followed up with an email on Monday)

The initial CAD drawings were posted by PJM further up to help me identify the configuration I had.

Thank you for the replies so far it’s helping me to understand what is missing etc.

Re. just getting it fixed and not pursuing the building – I absolutely intend to pay myself in the first instance however I will have a damn good go at getting the money back from the builder as I don’t see why I should be £500+ out of pocket for something that should have been done properly in the first place.

No offence taken on the comment of its a cheap looking roof – I’m not surprised

I’m not too hot on terminology – but if the apron is the lead you see from the outside of the roof, there is no soaker nor anything else except felt below the tiles and definitely no lead tucked in underneath the tiles and it is therefore definitely the underside of the apron I can see when folding back the felt.

I will get additional quotes and the thought had crossed my mind that some may well exceed the NHBC threshold.

There isn’t an edge batten trapping the felt against the wall but when I pull it back you can see the tiles (which don’t go right up to the wall) and the under side of the lead. Incidentally there is a noticable draft when I put my fingers up there so guess if the air can get it water can get in too.

Its leaking in various places – but from what I remember equally spread out so it could well tie in with the sections of flashing.

Just getting photos uploaded.

The other point is that the range on the mobile cameras is pretty frightening, I hit the brakes as soon as I got a glimpse of something white in the layby but I was photographed way before I saw it.

I used to drive 160 miles a day, and regularly exceeded the speed limit (my theory was I was better when speeding as I paid more attention, dumb eh?!) – eventually I got caught by a camera van doing 91 on a dual carriageway; after crapping myself for several weeks thinking that I was going to receive a court summons I was over the moon to receive a fixed penalty notice and since then have consciously stuck to limits.

Whilst I feel the speed limits on many of the roads are unnecessarily low I can’t afford to lose my license, waste money on speeding fines & extra for insurance all to save a few minutes off my journey time when invariably I get stuck at a red light or behind someone more cautious / slower than me.

PJM84 – I’ve looked through the options, I think the closest match is “6F – Abutment Step/Flashing/Secret Gutter”

I’ve uploaded a little photo if helps identify what I have…

The CAD diagrams suggests there should be a secret gutter but bearing in mind I have zero knowledge of construction I’m not sure where this gutter is hidden. From the inside of the roof you can pull back the hanging down roof felt and see what looks like the underside of the lead flashing.

A very timely thread as I’m heading out to Morzine in August. I rode the Mega course in Alpe d’Heuz a few years ago on a Specialized Pitch and just about survived. I now have a Stumpjumper FSR and am planning to take it – pleased to see 140mm is sufficient as was weighing up the options of acquiring a used DH bike rather than abusing my Stumpjumper

the 170 has a dpf – is it the dpf light that is on? The Italian method or a good thrashing on a regular basis would keep that at bay.

Take a look on Seat Cupra dot Net – there are some really knowledgeable enthusiast on there and as the engine is shared across the VAG range you are sure to find the cause.

Erm – without naming the brand are you able to point me at the thread? (I’m searching away but not finding it)

Yes – the builders warranty covers the first 2 years and for the remaining 8 years the NHBC covers major construction faults; however there is a minimum claim limit of £1200 therefore NHBC won’t get involved unless the repair bill exceeds £1200.

Having viewed various forums for smaller value claims the NHBC warranty isn’t worth the paper its written on and has been feaatured on Watchdog etc in the past.

Having suffered many problems myself in the past I bit the bullet and bought a 6 litre air compressor, not had a problem since and have done various tyres.

If the tyre is too tight try a little less rim tape, if its too loose build the middle up with more tape and use plenty of soapy water.

Yes – absolutely sure the Maxx D seemed brighter and wider, clearly our test wasn’t scientific with measuring equipment etc instead it just involved a country lane and some telegraph poles in the dark.

I don’t doubt the quality of the photos and level of care taken to ensure fairness / accuracy but there is no subsititute for seeing the actual performance with your own eyes ( I know that is stating the obvious)

It is the R4, personally I think both are great lights however as I previously said the lack of left / right adjustment on the bars would deter me from recommending the R4 as I tend to point my light slightly into the verge to avoid blinding on coming traffic (even on the lowest beam setting it dazzles drivers)

I’ve gone for the Maxx D MK4, buddy I ride with has the hope R4, my thoughts below:

– Side by side the Maxx D has a wider brighter beam than the R4, fuel gauge is nice as is the all in one design. Very long charge time could be a problem however 3 hour burn time on max may compensate for this.
– the hope unit is tiny and can be head mounted, numerous brightness settings are overkill, no side to side angle adjustment will cause issue for oncoming traffic. Bang for buck probably better value for money

Both are great lights, I paid £260 for my Maxx D Mk4 and would buy again over the R4, although I’m sure my mate would buy the R4 over the Maxx D

You have to go into your bank to perform the IBAN transfer, my bank (netwest) charged me £10 last summer.