Journal
Explained from the workshop
Each post answers a question that gets asked on the phone anyway. From the workshop, not from an agency.
Timing chain · Latest post · 14 August 2026BMW N47: rattling on a cold start — and what ignoring it costsOne or two seconds of metallic rattle after a cold start is the cheapest warning this engine gives you. What it costs to act on it, and what it costs not to.Read the article
Flat-sixSwarf in the oil filter: the five minutes that decide the engineWhat debris on the magnetic drain plug tells you, and why driving on is the most expensive decision.Coming up
GearboxCrunching into gear: synchro ring, bearing, or the clutch after all?Three noises, three causes — and how to tell them apart before the gearbox is opened.Coming up
Flat-sixWhat a measurement sheet actually saysBearing clearance, bore roundness, flatness. What we write down, and what each figure rules in or out.Coming up
ServicingOil to manufacturer approval, not to whatever is on the shelfWhy the approval on the can matters more than the viscosity on the front of it.Coming up
BusinessExchange engine or rebuild: how the numbers actually compareThe exchange unit is quicker. Whether it is cheaper depends on what the old engine would have needed.Coming up
Fault reported, cause to be found
Describe the fault.
We will tell you what to do.
Rattling on a cold start, swarf in the filter, a crunch going into gear — the more precise the description, the more useful the first assessment.