SERVICE RESUMED FLYING SPUR PROJECT PART 5

We renew the brakes and treat the Flying Spur to a full service as the MOT test looms.

Last month’s ‘quick job’ of replacing a failed ignition coil may have turned into a marathon involving removal of the entire inlet manifold, but with the mighty W12 engine back on a dozen cylinders and the bonus of a complete set of new spark plugs, the car was running nicely.

This seemed like an ideal time to address some of the other issues picked up during our initial assessment at Rolls/bentley specialist Nigel Sandell, one of which was the front brakes coming up for replacement.

Brakes

With the wheels off for the inspection, technician Jonny O’neill had noticed that the front discs were worn and although they still looked pretty hefty to me, this is one of those things where specialist Continental knowledge comes in handy. As Jonny pointed out, Bentley permits only some 2mm wear on the discs and when we looked closely we could tell that a slight lip had developed on the outer edge. Measurement suggested the discs were 50% worn and the pads 75%, which meant replacement was due soon if not urgently. The pads would in fact last a little longer if Bentley hadn’t designed them so that the wear sensor is triggered when there is still a fair bit of friction material left.

A call to project sponsor Introcar resulted in the nextday delivery of discs and pads, the courier visibly wilting under the weight of the boxes. It’s reckoned that at launch the Bentley Continental boasted the biggest brakes of any production car and each of the 405mm front discs weighs in at a hefty 10kg, making a simple disc and pad change surprisingly hard work. Despite the weight of the componentry though, it’s actually a straightforward task to perform and given a sufficiently beefy jack and axle stands to deal with the car’s 2.5 tonne weight, it’s perfectly possible for a keen DIYER to do it at home.

The calipers themselves are massive, but are essentially simply a bigger two-piston version of the same sliding design you’d find on the front of a Golf. Amusingly, the Bentley legend visible through the wheels is in fact a clip-on cover rather than being cast into the caliper. A brake service involves the usual procedure of unbolting the caliper and then removing the carrier from the hub to allow the disc to be removed. The front brakes were dealt with efficiently with the car on the lift, but when we came to tackle the rears we were gratified to find that the discs and pads hadn’t worn significantly beyond the 2030% identified in the initial assessment, so we chose to leave them – in fact Jonny reckoned the discs would probably last a further pad change.

Service

Knowing we’d have the car in the workshop for the brake job and with the service history being slightly vague – a series of handwritten entries in the back cover of the service book – I’d also booked the car in for a service and

had ordered the necessary parts from Introcar. Usefully, Introcar supplies all the parts (except the oil) for the minor and major services as a bundle with a corresponding cost saving and I’d gone for the major (40,000 mile) service kit which included everything from air and oil filters to wiper blades. In fact this last item I fitted as soon as the parcel arrived, since the incorrect wiper blades that came on the car have always irritated me. Not only were they pretty smeary, but they were also the wrong length, meaning they hit the windscreen trim and didn’t park properly.

Fitting wiper blades is generally something of a mission for such a minor part, requiring you to figure out which clips you need to use and how they’re released, but on the Continental it’s a simple press-and-slide clip fixing. At least, that is if you know how to set the wiper arms into the upright service position so you can avoid damaging the paint on the trailing edge of the bonnet.

First I tried the usual VW Group method of turning the ignition off and then pressing the indicator stalk down to the single-sweep position which does the job on a Golf. No joy though, while the handbook wasn’t much help either – Bentley doesn’t really envisage owners getting their hands dirty it seems. Eventually the internet came to the rescue and I realised that it could be done via the control screen, after which it was a fiveminute job.

As for the rest of the service, it’s surprisingly straightforward. The pollen filters are housed in the underside of the bonnet, which is double-skinned

to act as a kind of giant air duct, while the air filters are accessed by unscrewing the black plastic covers either side of the engine bay.

The oil change is a little more involved, since the filter element is housed horizontally on the underside of the sump area, meaning the workshop oil drainer comes in handy to avoid a mess. The filter element itself was decidedly past its best and we suspect it hadn’t been changed for far too long, something reinforced when a piece of it came apart as Jonny extracted it from the housing.

It was quickly replaced however, and with the new sump plug (included in the kit) fitted, the big motor could be refilled with 0W40. Like everything else on these cars the sump is bigger than average, swallowing a total of 12.5 litres which makes the oil itself a significant part of the service cost – £238 in this case! The 40k service kit did in fact include a complete set of spark plugs, but we’d had a new set fitted just a few weeks ago, so we returned them and the manifold

gasket, ending up effectively buying the 10,000 mile kit for £146. All of which means that the Continental’s service history is now back on track, with a proper receipt from a recognised specialist, which should surely increase its value to a prospective buyer.

Windscreen

There is however the slightly thorny issue of the MOT due imminently, and for that we’re going to need to call on the services of Autoglass courtesy of our company insurance policy. In the January cold snap, I noticed a small crack at the base of the screen which, during the course of a trip to Northampton, gradually lengthened and has since stretched to a few inches long. Examination revealed it to be on the inside of the glass, and in any case cracks like this can’t be repaired like stone chips, so it’s going to need a new screen.

The cost of buying a new windscreen outright is an alarming £2300 or more, which makes the £150 excess for glass damage on our fleet policy look like a lifesaver. I was expecting all manner of problems sourcing the screen, but at the time of writing an appointment is booked for the job to be done on my driveway and I can then book the car in for an MOT. At least I’ll now be able to show the fitter how to remove the wiper blades.

Paul took the car to Rolls/bentley specialist Nigel Sandell in Isleworth for the servicing work.

The front pads were also due for replacement, although the position of the wear sensor doesn’t leave much room to be lazy with the service schedule.

Discs and pads were supplied next day by project sponsor Introcar – a full kit front and back costs a chunky £1200.

Bentley permits only 2mm wear on the big front discs and ours were showing a visible lip around the edge.

Close inspection revealed our rear brakes have plenty of life left.

The 10kg weight of the front discs makes them hard work to handle for delivery drivers, and even harder in the workshop.

The Bentley logo – which looks as if it’s cast into the caliper – is in fact a plate that simply unclips.

It takes some time for 12.5 litres of oil to drain – nothing about a car of this type comes in what we might call ‘normal’ sizes.

Pollen filters are mounted in the double-skinned bonnet which acts as a giant air duct.

Air filters are an easy swap, only requiring the plastic airbox lids to be unscrewed.

The oil filter element was very clearly overdue for a change, a very poor oversight on such a complex and expensive unit.

Windscreen crack appeared on a freezing morning recently. It’s actually on the inside, but is gradually extending.

For a proper job, we even vacuumed out the leaves from the scuttle area.

Oil was refilled, then checked again for level after the engine had been run to circulate it.