Transit Key Blade Only Replacement

This is an appreciation post more than anything and hopefully points someone in the right direction. I recently needed to source a key blade for Transit. Easy you think. Think again. No ones interested in supplying a key blade only. Ford will only supply a key fob and blade. Then program it, quoted £240. Local…

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What Oil Should I Put In My W212 E-Class

Introduction When it comes to oil, its a bit of slippery slope if you just put anything in. By not using the correct oil the most probable future problem is carbon build up, probably in the exhaust/DPF, maybe in the EGR system or in the inlet manifold. Using the right oil (at the right intervals)…

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W212 ECO Stop/Start & Additional Battery

Introduction I’ve heard & read a lot about how people think the ECO Stop / Start & additional battery works and it’s time to set the record straight. I think that the most common misconception around this is, that it is this battery restarts the engine once its stopped. It doesn’t. Glad I’ve cleared that…

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W212 OM651 E220 Coolant Leak – Fuel Filter Housing – Common Problem

Introduction Whilst this problem is not just limited to the E Class, it is certainly a common problem on the OM651 engine. Many a time we come across the customer complaint of coolant light coming on, but no obvious leak. There are a few usual suspects, namely the coolant pump or thermostat housing, but one…

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Stolen 20.04.23 – Our Ford Fiesta Titanuim Mk7.5 2015 -Keyless – How To Prevent

Background PS, – I don’t have a photo of the car in question, Picture is courtesy of Mike B – Photography (pexels.com) This is really just something that I thought would not happen to us. Even though its a common topic amongst people in our area every now and then, I thought, “who wants to…

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HIKVision IP Camera Stuck On Black / White (Night Mode) – Fixed

This camera in question (HIKVision DS-2CD2T42WD-I5) had been listed as a spares repairs camera – only works in black and white. My first thought was that probably an issue with the light sensor so put an eBay offer in on the listing and it was accepted. This post will give an insight to how i…

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OM651 (W212) Intake / EGR Diagram & Part Numbers

Pretty much as requested for member of the W212 Owners Club on Facebook, gasket part numbers and prices. I have included affiliate links to eBay searches for each part number – please support me if you can! Sometimes parts pictured are not nessacerrily fitted to the vehicle. Prices are correct at 01/03/2022. (all plus vat)…

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Rechargeable LED Inspection Lights, Under a Tenner

Most of us in the motor trade have probably lost an inspection light once, twice or probably more times than we can remember. And we’ve probably found one or two in an engine bay or underneath a vehicle, amongst the sockets and lever bars. Many lights now claim COB LED units – brighter and more…

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W212 Facelift Headlamp Lens Replacement

A light knock on the headlamp can result in a cracked lens – this is not good with modern headlamps as the electronics inside will get wet and eventually lead to failure of the control units and / or the actual lamp itself. As an example, in the case of the W212 facelift with option…

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‘Noise from engine’. E Class W213 – OM654

More specifically, a ‘ dull plopping noise from the intake manifold – when the air filter is removed’. In our case, all the time – the customer had complained for a little while that the engine was noisy. It sounded a bit odd but there wasn’t anything specific that we could say at that point. Until it got worse and it was at the point that it needed

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KIA C-Apostrophe-D (C’eed) Daytime Running Light Fault

Kia C’eeds from 2012 – 2018 suffer with a daytime running light fault, reportedly due to a inherent issue with the circuit board within the headlamp that provides power for the LED strip in question – it overheats and fails. There is no manufacture fix for this other than to replace the headlamp, however options have come up within the aftermarket – replace the circuit board. Much better option than new lamps at small fortune.

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Traktor Pro 3 Beta 3.4.0.186 – Smart Playlists

Hurray. Hurrah. Long awaited in the world of Traktor is ‘Smart playlists’.
Every DJs music collection is unique. In folders or playlists, by year or by genre, source or inspiration or some other way that makes sense to them only. We don’t judge… so anyway heres some great Traktor Pro ‘Smart Playlists’ / Ideas that i know i will use:

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W212 E-Class & Apple CarPlay / Android Auto

Most of you have probably come from the Facebook W212 Owners Club group interested in getting Apple Car-Play / Android-Auto working on your W212 E-Class, especially that i noted that i got it all working for free, which is true, however probably won’t be for most people. Although with the help of this info I’m pretty sure that ANY independent Mercedes specialist (with the right diagnostics equipment) or dealer for that fact will be able to get it working on the vehicles that have the right hardware already installed in the car. (And hopefully i can guide you to a solution if it can’t be done on the hardware you have).

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CDJs DJM Flight Cased, 2 Tips

Keeping CDJ2000s & a DJM900 in a flight / coffin case keeps them protected and connected up all them time. Well most of the time. They have and will spend most of their time in there, however recently I did have a little dilemma as i give use of them to another DJ (DJ FUNKO) at my residency – Funko uses his own cables to connect up. Our dilemma was this; left pic, broken USB port (plastic bit in middle broken off), right pic (how it should be)

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Running A 2016 W212 M651 E-Class Up to 300,000 Miles / 4 Years Old – What’s It Like

This particular car is one I’ve recently purchased, its now on 310,000 miles, I’ve had it since around 308,000. I purchased from a chauffeur, my work has done every single service & defect repair. Its a 2016, W212 Facelift, SE Premium, Standard Suspension, Obsidian Black, M651 Engine. Its worth noting that there are many different options.

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Crypto Currency, Some For Nothing?

If you’ve not heard of ‘cryptocurrency’, well where have you been for the last couple of years! Some examples of it are Bitcoin, Litecoin, Dogecoin (dogecoin started as a joke to do with a dog), DASH, Zcash, Ethereum and many more.

So, can i get some for nothing?

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Our freshly painted workshop floor, 2 pack epoxy paint.

Painting Your Workshop Floor

Our workshop floor was tired, almost paintless, had ground in dirt, oil (Cue Barry Scott) and a generally not much going for it. The whole floor had varying levels of paint left on it, some bits had been filled and left smooth in its time, some bits not so smooth. Having never painted a workshop floor, here be a show of how it went and what we did! This is by no means definitive, but its how it went…

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Motor Trade Gold {episode 1}

Gold
(Gold)
Always believe in your soul… well thats how the song goes.
I think this is more of stress reliever to me, to show the world that we have to deal with people that just dont understand cars sometimes and even manufactures struggle to get things right. Screenshotted for your leisurely viewing.

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Food Delivered, In A Box?

When my better, cleverer half said that we are getting a ‘Gousto’ box, quite frankly I had no idea what she was talking about. Heres a Gousto review.

Fast forward a little and I was fully aware that we was getting food, in a box, delivered to our house. Set meals, ready to cook. My initial thought was…

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BMW Online Digital Service Book & iDrive Service History – Why, How, What

What is BMW digital service book? What is BMW iDrive service history? How does it work? How do i update BMW digital service book? Digital service history for cars has superseded traditional books, although there are a few manufactures hanging on, I cannot see it being long before all are digital. Due to block exemption…

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Project Cars, What To Consider Before Starting

Having had various ‘project’ cars through the years, I cannot think of a time that I can remember of one that I have ‘finished’ (below included as ‘its in progress’). The Fiesta Duratec Turbo is one that i would consider 60% finished, it has been a gruelling 6 years from buying it, starting its life…

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How To Map reverse on CDJs To Traktor Pro 3

CDJ’s have long had the feature of reverse play, however it is only possible (until now) to use it when playing with the unit standalone, not through 3rd party software such as Traktor. Native-Instruments released Traktor Pro 3 in October 2018 and now Traktor has the ability to ‘reverse play’. When using CDJ900 / CDJ2000…

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