jimbo01

Car crushing will be coming - unfortunately genuine car enthusiasts with modified cars are going to get caught up in what i predict will be a pretty big reaction (over -reaction?) Heres an idea - let them do it again, block the road and repsond in force, bring a tank, and squah every one of the little turd prides and joys, then throw the creeps in jail and make them all do community service.

I finally managed to buy a reasonable V6 Honda Odyssey today - $10,000. 2001 model, 95,000km, full leather, 5 speed auto, 150kw V6, 4WD, 7 seater, nice alloys. This will complment my 740 and the SLK nicely. Flying up to Auckland tomorrow at 10am. Signing whatever papers I need to sign and driving back in time for dinner. By the way the 1999-2003 Odyssey beats the Mitsubishi Outlander hands down (I hasd one as a company car and cashed it in on the 12 of January). My expereince of the outlander is that it is over-rated. Mine consumed 12 litres of fuel per 100kph average over 75,000km, Mitsubishi claimed 8.6 litres (in their dreams). In 2WD mode it was a un understeering nightmare through any corners. It is a car that absolutely needs vehicle stability control - it is twitchy, over responsding at speed the the slightest sterring input. The difference in the air of quality between the Honda and the Mitsubishi is like comparing an older Civic to a BMW. About the only thing it has that beats the Odyssey is side curtain and side airbags. I will now be looking for a set of Odyssey roof rails, a tow bar, and a 2din DVD player with iPOD cable. It already has tints, including the front windscreen (why?) which I'll be removing. When the tyres need replacing I'll put some 18's on it. This will be our commutting, shopping cart, and ski mobile. We want to just do quality driving in the SLK and 740.

Hi Positive police stories. (1) 2 years ago Doing 126kph as I left Wiaouru heading north. Stoped by policeman going south (heading home for dinner) Police man (proably mid 40's) appoligies for ruining my evening and siad if it had been under 120 he would have ignored it but 126 was too fast. I agreed, said it was my fault, and that he didn't need to applogies. Thanked me for my attitude - wrote speed down as 116kph. (2) Stopped in Mt Mauganui by police woman about 30ish. I was doing 70kph in a 50kph zone (the beach side road heading for Papomoa) in May. Explained I haddn't seen a speed sign for a while I thought 70kph seemed reasonable in conditions. Agreed - asked me to pay more attendtion to the signs and let me off. (3) Fantastic response at 2am in the morning when my car window was smashed recently. I try to keep to under 110kph, and try to not to exceed 120kph when passing these days. I consider myself vastly reformed compared to how i used to drive. Had to sell my CBR1100 last years as I could control my speed in the car, but it was much harder on the bike. I couldn't trust myself on the bike so sold it. Thankfully i didn't need a policeman point out the error of my ways and learn by loosing my licence, or perhaps worse. Seeing my kids grow up is worth more to me than some silly thrill speeding.

As a nation we have put welfare ahead of investment in infrastructure (metaphorically feeding a man instead of teaching him to fish). We have a resource management act which allows any idiot to stop major infrastructure projects. We are too politically correct and stop contruction while Taniwhas are asked nicely to move along. We spend vast amounts of money appeasing the decendants of people who got ripped off 150 years ago. We had a government that had to appease the greens to stay in power. Towns don't want their precious main streets and businesses bypassed.

Took it back yesterday - Smith & Smith are going to replace the window and do the trim properly this time. I think the guy who did the job is goning to be in to poo - that window can't be cheap. Manager told me the job was completely unacceptable and thanked me for brinbging it too his attention. Sweet!

Thanks; Older style bettle, reasonably loud, appeared dark, had 4 guys in it. Got the car back today and not impressed, glass has deep scratches (you can feel them) on outside, I'm guessing there is some broken glass rubbing inside the door somewhere. Metal trim inside door not fitted correctly either Will drop by Smith & Smith tomorrow and see if they really do put things right like in the TV add!

Hey thanks for that - I'll book it for a visit to Jeff Grey next week.

Cops were brilliant and non judgemental about obvious radar detecter bracket on the windscreen lol. Nothing taken - I think they were surprised by the alarm. They did open the glove box but all it had was the manual. By the way the NZ new 740i has the double glazed windows like the 750 - they are stronger than usual but not bullet proof - god knows what they hit it with. Smith and Smith glass said very unusal for those windows to break completely (both layers).

Thanks Yep on the insurrance, AMI arranged with Smith & Smith glass, should get back Tomorrow.

Thanks - I'll cehck them out when the car comes back from getting the passenger window replaced.

My wife had the car keys for the other car, and ran to the intersection to try and see the plate, by the time I got the keys and took off it has dissapeared down one of the many side streets off Fergusson Drive. I'm maybe lucky i didn't find them - I was damn angry at the time.

After a trip to Wellington Star for a service i noticed my drivers door morror glass is now loose, and shakes when i drive over bumps etc. I't very very distracting. Is their any simple fix or is this a trip to Jeff Grey?

Hi Any recommeneded place to get LEGAL tints applied to my 740i Thanks

My 10 cents worth. Owned a Valentine One, and currently own an Escort 9500. Are they worth the money anymore?. The cops leave their radar equipment off and zap you as they see you - if you are speeding they have you, and you know it as your Radar detector goes off - not sure how that level of detection justifies the expense of a radar detector. In a way if people assume they can speed with impunity coz they have a detector - given how the cops are using their laser and rader - this would mean they are probably more likely to get caught so Cops being against them is a bit strange. In car navigator with speed camera locations is probably more reliable - you know the speed limit for the bit of road you on on, and where the speed cameras are. Used our TomTom One in Europe and was warned many many times. In 3000km in France and Spain didn't see one Patrol car sitting by the road, all cameras, and painted grey with yellow and black stripes, and ofter with warning signs. It was great driving 130kph on the toll roads in France, getting past by Mercs and BMW's , who in turn got passed by Audi's (I think Audis are the Subaru Turbos of Europe). It seemd fast the 1st day then you just got used to it, what is insane is coming back to NZ, and finding you are having to drive 80-90kph on the open road in mnay cases as some morons are choosing to drive this speed. All i can say is thank god for V8 power and accelleration! The Escort 9500 is a GPS device so it gives you a read out of speed, which as it is mounted on the windscreen in line of sight helps keep to a speed that doesn't get you a ticket (like 109kph), however a Navigator does this and advises the speed. As I dscovered on holiday up north last year - doing 70kph past a speed camera van that your radar detector has alerted you to doesn't do you any good if the limit is 50kph (but where the sign?). The reality is the only relaible way to avoid tickets is to not speed - perhap we need more track days?

I'm 1/16th native ethnic minority, but not from Gissy. How this going to work? Can I go on the beach, but only for 1/16th of the time I'd normally take? or is it that just 1/16th of me can be on the beach? Is it just the local moari, and if so does this how will they know? - On the beach bood tests to determine which tribe you may or may not belong to? - Carry an Iwi card? (yes I have one - Napui) - Disply a Moku? (tip: felt tip Moku's wash off - you may get to the surf, but won't be allowed to cross the beach to get out afterwards) - Talk like BillyT? - Skin colour;? hey lets copy South Africa, they knew a thing or two about making this work. I guess with sh*t like this thats where Kebabb shop onwers in the deep south get the idea it's OK to ban Jews. This racial crap is unacceptable. We are kiwi's, multiculteral. Get used to it.

My wifes car is an SLK230 and we usually drive with the top down so have formed a subjective opinion of noisy cars. The noisiest POS on the road have to Harley Davidson motorcycles, Buells, and uninspired jap immitations of harleys. How the f*** can they be legal. These things sound like the onset of armagedon and they are just puttering along at about 100kph. We encounter modified cars with loud exhausts - they have nothing on a HD. Of course some hoon during burn outs in a residential street when people are sleeping is going to make some noise and piss off the locals no end. I guess if the so called boy racers continue to attract unwanted attention due to the moronic behavior of some then they will reap the consequences.

Some scum sucking teenage arseholes smashed the window to my 740i in the early hours of monday morning - glass everywhere. We heard the thump as the window broke but didn't connect what was going on till we heard an alerm, looked out the window and saw the hazzard lights going, as a car reved and drove off. Cops arrived within 5 minutes, and a dog and handler 20 minutes later. We were standing by the car just after the cops left and a car full of tenage / youths turned across the instersection 50 meters from where we live, with windows down, and yelled out "haha". Thing is - if they didn't do it, how did they know there was something to say "ha ha' about. So if anyone knows of some sad shits with a Volkswagon Bettle in Upper Hutt I'd like to know.

Given the price of petrol - I drive sedately and enjoy the laid back ride of the 740, with Pink Floyd / Faithless or similar playing loud. Then I think bugger it, put it in 1st, floor it at the lights and watch everything dissapear out the back window - then I drive nice and sedately again. If I want a sporty drive I take my wifes SLK up the Rimutaka Hill in D2/D3 with the top down - thats fun! It also a lot of fun to take the 740 up the Rimutaka Hill, surprising how fast it is, and all without breaking the speed limit so therefore all very legal, and if you beleive all the adverets, therefore totally safe (I just love the Rimutaka Hill road!).

just got to love the morons responsible for that bit of advertising

Then why did she get a ticket?

Sort of thing that is very very aggravating - it's like running down a pedestian because they didn't use a crossing. I feel for you. However if the cops issuesd her a ticket they must think she was in the wrong, so you must be in the right. They can't have it both ways can they? (unless there were some ticket targets to meet).

The iPhone is the sh*t. Period. No debate. Certainly hoping our comany will be able to sell these when our new W-CDMA network goes live later this year. Apple have introduced a device that changes the market - i.e. the device is more important to the user than the network, and the popularity is such that Apple can insist on things like revenue share, and special plans. The gottcha with this and other phones that make heavy use of the 3G mobile data network (Telecom or Voda) is that the charges for the data are extremely high. Data over mobile devices using mobile networks is likely to remain high, compared to wired / fibre based broadband. While the hype from mobile companies is that mobile data is the future; be careful. While it is technically possible to achieve very high data rates using mobile technologies these speeds are in fact not common, as every other user in the area competes for the same bandwidth (which can be addressed by more cello sites, and more tightly controlled antenas - and we all know how easy it is to get a new cell tower put in). When a company have something that is valuable to people who have money (business customers), there is a way of controlling demand - price!

Unfortunately in this situation you should have given way so I doubt you will have any luck. However if the cops thought she had a green or orange why did the cops ticket her. The cops shouldn't give her a ticket unless she jumped a red. Also you can get ticket for entering an intersection without room to proceed. This should be policed a lot more often - you often get some idiot sees an orage so pulls out so they don't have to wait for the next cycle, and blocks everyone esle. Sheer selfishness.

What are you talking about? You mean ensuring dealers don't bring in really old cars, or cars that don't meet emissions standards? The cost of bringing a good Japanese car to NZ didn't go up in as much as the cheap stuff at the bottom of the market can no longer come in. This is a bad thing how exactly?

I thought you had gone overseas? Is there a key sequence trick for a facelift 99 E38 (NZ New)?