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The 55's went to the shag following us around.... The 550's in the smoker at the moment... Fresh bread.. Smoked fish and a few beers. Can't be better than this

I'm not laughing to hard.. Promise...rofl. That Winkle paint looks great. Will have to get some for the 740. And that engine looks clean Not bad for a car of that mileage.

Had a good result with painting the rims. The last clear coat I used gave the paint a greenish tint to it. This time I used Rust-Oleum crystal clear enamel and it's come out much brighter.

Was this the Manukau branch? I have the same 'discount' card and took my wagon in to get a 'brake inspection and adjustment with written report'. After they finished I asked about the brake fluid, and they had forgotten to check it (!!!!!!!!!!) so they rushed into the carpark and checked it and said the level was ok. I asked what condition the fluid was in and whether it needed replacing and they just shrugged and said "um, it should be fine". Getting concerned I had to politely explain to them what a brake fluid tester was and that it checked the water content in the fluid to which they responded "oh, we don't have fancy tools like that". FFS those 'fancy' tools are only $200. And after several promises of their "written report" turns out there was no such thing. I had to get it checked elsewhere and it turned out the fluid was due for replacement. They shouldn't be advertising stuff they cant do properly, especially when it concerns safety. Rant over.

Am I the only one who sees 'bagged' on an ad for a car - any car - and just moves on? WTF is the fascination with this? It's seriously spoiling my ability to pretend to spend money I don't have.

Lifters are typically noisy, though the vid sounds worse than it actually is. And not surprising for an engine with almost 360K kms on it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms1uaTPWHV8 And clean as a whistle inside... Degreased, primed, and wrinkled... I'll let the wrinkle paint cure overnight then tackle the valve timing tomorrow and see if I can do something about the ticking, refit the valve cover with new seals and give the bay a good clean.

Bought a discount card through work for mag and turbo, $100 for a bunch of stuff with free labour, few services, wheel alignments, puncture repairs etc. Thought cant really go wrong. Took the 130i in a few months ago, asked for .5 degrees more camber on the front, the rest as spec. Got it back from the tech, who looked to be 15 years old, who told me the camber isnt adjustable. Told him the strut towers are slotted, replied with "oh". Gave up and drove off, shaking head at the wobbly ass wheel alignment figures, some not in spec, and the 2nd wheel alignment sticker stuck next to the old one. Wrote it off as - "well, ya get what ya pay for" Wifes VW golf service indicator popped up last week, 72k, thought screw it will give M&T another go. Booked the car in for 1pm, she took our 2 month old down and was told come back at 3-3.30. She came back with son in the pram after strolling around the shops and the VW was only just going up on the hoist. By 5pm they had changed the oil and airfilter... Went to go drive it today, they havent even reset the fecken service indicator warning. I still have a bunch of stuff to check off my "discount card of free labour" but Id honestly rather just pay the money and take to someone who knows what they are doing. Pay peanuts, get Monkeys. /endrant

Will came over today and cast an eye over the brace of coupes, and we're agreed - the black one is the better bet (for me). The white is easily sorted, certainly for track, but the black one presents a better option for a road car. So... More stripping of the black shell to be done. I'll confess - this is getting more involved than I had originally planned, but hopefully it'll not all be bad and I can get down to enjoying doing something constructive! This won't be any sort of attempt at creating a concours car. It'll be tidy, solid, and safe. It should be fun to drive, and easy to maintain. I hope!

I guess it was inevitable that a near-30 year-old car with more than 350K kms has become a project. Aiming to keep it a maintenance project and doing my best not to allow too much mission creep. Anyway, got stuck in today literally... Starting with replacing a cracked left hand tail light that was glued in with a couple of kilos of sikaflex: Used replacement cost $80 and brand new OE gasket $25 (E31 equivalent would have been $100 just for the gasket!!!).

Yup Manukau branch, I doubt they even have a obd2 doofa or they wouldve reset the service light on the golf, you can even do it through the gauge cluster by holding a few buttons.... Agreed, they shouldnt be advertising the can do stuff when they dont have the gear or knowledge to do it. Stick to doing HP chromies.... I left a message on their facebook page with a 1 star review... they will be in contact haha

Bought a second to start the new project =) yay

Awesome stuff Graham.

^ my friend was telling me about this 'great deal' i told him dont bother. guess i gave him the right advice

BUMP !!! summers here

Watch this place: .http://botanymotorworx.co.nz/ Preview: .http://botanymotorworx.co.nz/

Don't forget to budget an extra $1500 for the bubble wrap and FIA helmet. Jesus you must be fun at parties, Ron.

The chrome on the 750i is stuffed. One of the reasons I bought the green 735i is the chrome on that was mint so I have a good set to go on after I've finished all the panel swaps.Cant wait to get the door changed. That little dent is a real eyesore.

Feels like a different car with the 18's on it. I'm enjoying driving it a bit more now. Might have a go at replacing the right rear door. I have a week off from Monday so Things will start to progress again. The 740i's had a bit of luv lately so time for the 750i to get a bit of attention.