More rain
![Sad :(](./images/smilies/icon_sad.gif)
So raked round for some inside jobs to do again
First up was seeing if I could fix one of my spare bonnet cables. The theory was if the grommet (locked in position normally) got moved along the length of cable and/or it was not locked properly it was what was causing the slack. I certainly disturbed it getting the donor cable off the breaker. Using the brand new OEM cable as my guide I wanted to get the grommet in the right position and locked properly.
First of all you have to push the locking ring back. It's crimped into that position so it's a pain to move.
Even then a firm grip is required to shuffle the grommet along the cable. But finally it got to the same position as the new one.
Then the locking ring had to be persuaded back into its locked position. The whole exercise stretched the grommet a bit so it was the rebate where it sits in the bulkhead which I figured was the important bit to align. The old one is the one at the top and the new one the one at the bottom.
If it ever stops raining I'll try it out. Any more agro and the new one will be used and I'll give up (for now...).
Next up was putting the cover on the front bumper bar. This is secured with a number of plastic 'rivets'. I tried some copy ones off ebay but a) they were a bad fit and b) the BMW ones are just as cheap. You put the plug in first and then hammer the pin in. The pin is a tight fit and you need to give it quite a whack. There are a number of problem positions where there is no clearance to swing the hammer.
In the grill area:
In the fog lamp area:
I couldn't figure out how to do the fog lamp one but I could see if I took the grill off I'd get enough on the ones there. The grill needed to come off at some stage anyway as I have the proper Sport grill for it. I just wasn't going to put it on yet as I could see it's a fiddly job because of the star-loc washers used on flimsy plastic pins built into the bumper.
Time for the Dremmel as I couldn't see another way.
Two problems here. A little over-cut is inevitable into the grill that is coming off (only slight - you can see what I mean on the lower pin in the picture above) and the heat starts to melt the plastic pin on the bumper. But I got there in the end.
While I was doing that I realised I could get the fog lamp area rivet in with a g-clamp arrangement. Socket required to sit over the end of the rivet pushing through the other side of the bumper.
And yes, it works
All the way home now.
We're currently doing some final cleaning and treating of the arch liners. They've been pressure washed. We've used Autoglym Interior Shampoo on them tonight
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
And we've found some great heavy duty back to black type dye to give them back a good as new look
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)