Leon got some TLC today

[cordobabrendy]

bought some halfords 5/50 fully synthetic oil, flush, filter and a set of bosch super 4's.
Got the plugs in in 10 mins, silly pain that the last coil pack is covered by the vac chamber bolted on! anyway, came to changing the oil and experience told me to make sure i could get the sump plug loose first before continuing, got it loose then tried to loosen the filter??? who the fcuk puts them on? Jezza beadles small hand wouldnt have enough room to get a good grip and twist of it, i tried above and below, fcuker wouldnt budge. ended up draining oil and filling without using engine flush. I even have one of the filter grips and it still wouldnt shift!
A thanks goes out to another soon-to-be-ball-and-chained fella, andyg_don for supplying me with a cupra r splitter a while back, i eventually got round to fitting it tonight also..pics tomorrow, as per usual ill probably have to adjust it slightly as I finished the job just after 10pm so itll more than likely be on upside down!!

 

[cordobabrendy]

Took a pic of the sparkplugs that have been on at least since my 20k service (now on 42k, should they be so badly worn?

 

[storeyd]

This has happened to me before on previous cars.

I got them off by penetrating the filter with a long screw driver and then using it to lever the filter off. I don't know if I would risk that these days as the impact caused by piercing the filter could cause damage to the threads.

 

[cordobabrendy]

I think that if i had access to a lift and could get well under it a screwdriver through the side could work but Id be worried about damage that my hamfistedness would undoubtedly cause as a side effect!

 

[iannez]

big pair of pipe pliers never fails m8

 

[mrcoyote]

If your cack handedness is TLC, I'd hate to see what your abuse is.

 

[cordobabrendy]

did you never see the pic of my thumb aftyer the rear brake pad change?
basically split it the whole way across and the "bits" were squashed outwards after trapping it between spanner and calliper bolt.
edit: btw the discolouration isnt pad dust etc, thats the colour it actually turned.

 

[mrcoyote]

Nice!

 

[storeyd]

The safest option of course is a strap / chain spanner. That if there is room down there. I am changing my oil this afternoon so I will find out.

How many 1000 miles do LCR owners change their oil?

 

[cordobabrendy]

yea i tried using a chain spanner but theres just not enough room to get the handle in, the only other method i can see is using a rubber cup to grip it and get both hands onto it.

 

[Saul]

brendy u use the chain or the grips?

 

[cordobabrendy]

tried chain im almost sure i have a new set of grips somewhere in a halfords bag. Saul I think ive managed to sort the lambda error, the fcuking dealers had simply taped up a wet connector without actually drying it out and cleaning it first, ive yet to clear the error to see if it comes back but the car a lot smoother now in first gear i drained the old oil and put new halfords 5/50 motorsport oil and new bosch super4's so that may have been overdue too, going to get the laptop onto it on monday, any chance you could throw that sps3 my way some time next week? ta mate.
Before

After

 

[chris_m]

Looks lovely! Any chance of one or two more angles of the R splitter mate? Same car as me and almost convinced to do it! (tired of catching my bumper as it is!!)

 

[storeyd]

Ive just done an oil change this afternoon. The filter proved a b**ch to get off. I used a chain spanner. Once the paint has worn off you get more friction and eventually it will go.

Why not try roughing the paint off with some sandpaper first? I have even used sandpaper as a grip for my hand before because is don't slip.

good luck

 

[cordobabrendy]

storey i couldnt get enough room for my hands to actually turn the filter, the only decent grip i could get was as if you could imagine screwing a light bulb in, filter and flush can wait a couple of months for the next oil change.
chris, ill do a couple of pics later just for you!

 

[Saul]

tried chain im almost sure i have a new set of grips somewhere in a halfords bag. Saul I think ive managed to sort the lambda error, the fcuking dealers had simply taped up a wet connector without actually drying it out and cleaning it first, ive yet to clear the error to see if it comes back but the car a lot smoother now in first gear i drained the old oil and put new halfords 5/50 motorsport oil and new bosch super4's so that may have been overdue too, going to get the laptop onto it on monday, any chance you could throw that sps3 my way some time next week? ta mate.
Before

ive used the grip before and it came off quite well, ill bung the sps3 this week mate