Allanw

SA would move down the list for me. They aren't built quite the same. I'd take a german made one, every time. Like how SA E30's rusted in the weirdest places.

I'm far ( Far, FAR) from an expert... just thinking out loud: but I'd have thought a bit of starter fluid would mean it would at least make a few more bangs... if the mechanicals were doing their things, at the right times??? Maybe? The white smoke like that is normally from uncombusted diesel... isn't it? not enough compression to pop it? (I know on a running diesel with a bad misfire, or a leaky injector letting fuel in at the wrong times etc, it can do white/grey smoke). If you have the injectors unplugged, does the cranking sound even? Was the motor from a reliable source? You've had the head off and done the valves, right? No obvious damage then? Maybe double check the timing process, or better yet - have a new pair of eyes look over it? Sorry 😬

Well it's got a strong starter motor 😄 It sounds like a couple of cylinders are trying! Have you thought about trying a tiny puff of easy start? Do these bleed air out of the injector feed themselves, or do they need help?

They wanted something more troublesome than a BMW??? I'd have rather got a trailer... at least it's easier to push than the Ranger... 😁

🤣 That hardly ever happens!

https://www.repco.co.nz/oils-fluids/engine-oils-fluids/engine-oil/penrite-hpr-5-5w-40-engine-oil-5l-hpr05005/p/A1030655 Repco got HPR 5 5W-40 for $48 for 5 litres... ... so I've got 30 litres coming to go with the other 60 or so in the garage 😆

Oh... and not oil related, but in the Repco "clearance" section, I got a few parts for the Land Rover: a set of V8 "OEX" HT leads, 6 sets fo front "TRW" brake pads and 4 sets of "Silverline" cheaparse brake pads for NZ$33-10 plus $8.50 delivery 🤣 If you add a vehicle to you garage, "shop all parts" for it, then expand the search on the left side and select the "clearance" category, it shows all the cheap parts for you car. Mine was pretty flukey, but worth a try occasionally to see what crap you can buy 😁

I buy the HPR 5 5w-40 every time it's on sale... I think I have about 90 litres in the garage 😄 Hahaha! At the Supercheap price, it even goes in the V8 Land Rover too 😁

Needs to be white, then it could have been Rosco P. Coltranes!

I went from BMW to VW (as an OLD school VW fan) for our family cars... Mrs has a 2006 VW Touran 2.0 FSI and I have a 2006 Touran that *was* a 2.0 FSI, but is now a 3.2 VR6 R32, manual, 4WD... from an R32 Golf... VAG cars are sh*t of similar vintage... compared to BMW (at least E30, E34, E39 vintage) and the parts prices are WAY more, sometimes several TIMES more... SCARY more from the dealers! I used to get BMW parts from the dealer at reasonable prices SOME of the time... but VW prices are mostly HORRENDOUS, so I tend to order them in from Spareto, Trodo or sometimes FCP. Generally, BMW parts were decent quality. It's surprising how often genuine VAG group parts are crap and aftermarket is better. Both are often cheaper than Toyota parts though!

Pffft. No commitment! You should buy a Land Rover to repower with the M57...

But you drive like a nana, right??? 🤣🤣🤣

Our E39 525i manual had Triangles on the rear when we got it. I certainly got my moneys worth out of the traction control system 🤣 RE003's with traction control OFF, certainly resulted in MORE acceleration in the wet, than the Triangles with the traction on! The Triangles didn't last long... about 1/2 worn, and I dumped them 😎

But it "started" at a roundabout? That could be telling... Any chance that at the approach, the first driver practically stopped, even though NOBODY is on the roundabout??? My 75 year old father gets pissed at people doing that: "Oh dear, a roundabout with nobody on it, I'll practically stop, and give way, in case there is an invisible car I should give way to..." and he doesn't even drive a ute 🤣 Most people on the road are UNAWARE of what is going on around them.

I did a group buy for E39 Halogens, brand new from Hella NZ in 2012 - NZ$640 inc gst. I ended up selling my set on, a while later and importing a brand new boxed set of genuine Xenons, with a "retrofit" self levelling kit for about NZ$900 after shipping and GST etc. To be honest though - the halogens are TERRIBLE on an E39, I'd hate to have to use them while driving a bus!

What Cement has said above is 100% relevent. I've got a Prusa MK3S+, which is nowhere near the size you require, though. They do an XL now (with a long wait list!), but I think it's probably $4K with shipping! The main reason I went with a Prusa though, is that they just work. Mines only a baby: since October 2021 it's done 47 days of print time and 3.1kms of filament, but it's had no issues or adjustments. I have done a print that was approsching 30 hours once too. I just give it a wipe occasionally and vacuum out the enclosure (I built a "lack table" type of enclosure for it). It's also capable of printing just about any filament out of the box, but it can be upgraded too. I've only tried nylon once, and it was a pain in the arse, but it was a complex bracket, so I don't know how good my printer really is at it. I'd be more inclined to buy a better quality printer with a smaller print bed and print in multiple parts. "It's not how big it is, it's what you do with it" 🤣 It appears some people give up on 3D printing when the printer doesn't meet their expectations or is too difficult. Some of the big printers are really expensive and I wonder if the lower end big units are worth it? I've not spcifically looked into big dimension units though. The actual printing part is the EASY part - 3D modelling is much harder to master, and I struggle with a lot of things - I should really do a course, or at least do more than just the first episode of the Youtube tutorials 🤣 Also - filament dryer: get one. SOOOO many proglems or quality issues are solved by drying filament. I got the round Sunlu Dryer on a Briscoes-like special. They seem to run a special deal every second day. You can use an oven or dehumidifier, but the Sunlu work well, holds a 1kg spool and is automatic. I pop it open now and then to change the humid air and spin the roll a bit. Damp filament makes crap prints.

Can almost gaurantee it's auto and probably a 4 cylinder. Maybe a little 6. If it was a better car, they'd have liked driving it more 🤣

Holy sh*t, Check out the front arch gap! It's got more space in there than my Land Rover 🤔 I should be considering and interesting body swap...

I did a trip alone in our old E39 525i (manual) and it got to 7l/100 km, with some very "sensible" driving, Whangarei to Warkworth... wich is not really flay, straight or economical. On a trip up north from Whangarei to Kawakawa with the family of 5 on board (also, not really optimal for economy), it was on about 8.5L/100 km but once we were there, I realised I was getting a(nother) kidney stone... the urgent trip home (some of which was following an E46 M3, passing everything in front of me!) managed to get the average up to 12L/100km and it took MUCH less time than the trip up 🤣🤣🤫I dumped the family at home and drove to the hospital, so I could get loaded on morphine😁.

If I had a big shed (and money!), I'd have one too... I have 2 VW's and a Land Rover, so who am I to take the piss, anyway??? 😁

7 hours. How much of that was spent towing the Alfa? 🤣

Imagine having to be in an LS400 for 1,000,000 miles... I'd need a lobotomy.

Ummm.. You should probably think about blocking me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! https://www.manheim.co.nz/damaged-vehicles/000000000006615523/2003-volkswagen-passat-sedan It's registered...

I've got about 75 litres of home made, old-fashioned, all-molasses, cask strength Rum aging here... so my little Whisk(e)y collection sits soooo much longer in my 110 year old safe... because those guys give me too many silly ideas 🤣.

I was going to ask the purchase price, but thought it might be rude! 😁 I guess there is a very limited market for a poked W8 passat though. For that kind of money, it'worth it just for a spare trans, and it wouldn't surprise me if someone would pay that for the ECU alone (internationally!). Manual mk5 R32 ECU's seem to sell for about NZ$800, and a manual W8 one has to be orders of magnatudes more rare!!! If I was single, I'd have probably bought it myself... or if I bought it, I'd be single now... same, same. 🤣