kiwipetrolhead

Yip, that sounds like the stuff 'Silver Fox'. P

Yip, excellent, that's the one. Thanks heaps. P

There's a really good product you can get at Mitre 10 for this. It comes in a yellow box (if I recall correctly) and has some paste stuff and a special cleaning pad and instructions in the box. There is also a separate 'protector' product made by the same company that you use to prevent water marks reappearing. I use both products and they do work, but the watermark removal product does take a bit of effort. I have not found any other product that works nearly as well though. Sorry, I don't have the name of the stuff handy. But Mitre 10 staff should be able to help you to if you go in and ask. Failing that, keep reminding me and when I'm at home I'll check out the packaging and fill you in. BTW, it's good stuff for the missus to use on glass shower doors too! Cheers Paul

Hi there, A while back someone posted a link in this forum to an overseas site that showed virtually every part on every BMW. I found this very useful and printed off some stuff for my e21, and I thought I'd bookmarked the site but appears not. Now I want to look up suspension parts for my wife's parents '88 525ee. Anyone able to tell be the link? Thanks Paul

Pity you're in Whangarei - along way to come up from Palmy. But I could be convinced if you try hard enough. How bad is the paint? And what's the best top speed you've done in it? P

Watch the video to the end... http://www.engadget.com/2007/02/22/top-gea...ce-shuttle-car/

I have email addresses for David Turner (TVNZ motorsports producer) and John Hudson (TVNZ journalist - "Sunday" programme fame) if you want to see if TVNZ are interested in this. In fact , John Hudson has interviewed me for TVNZ before - a nice guy. P

My wife got off a speeding ticket by writing in. It was a few years back now so my memory of the details are rather sketchy, but basically it was a camera ticket (not a fixed camera) and she was in a line of cars all doing the same speed. A couple of years earlier she was a student and in the holidays they had students helping the cops out with road blocks to check WOF and rego. She took part. She learned a lot from that experience (like cops are 'boy racers' too - down some quiet back roads when there's no one around and other mischievous things) and she referred to things from it in her letter, and as a result she got a letter back to say they were not proceeding with the infringement. I might be able to get a copy of the letter she wrote if you want to see it. BTW, the last time I got a speeding ticket I wrote a letter too, but I did not get off mine. Still, that was not the point of my letter in that case, so I wasn't surprised I didn't get off it. Mine was more of a complaint. Also, a cop lives next door to me and he got a speeding ticket recently (while off duty). So yip, even off duty cops get caught and have to pay up. P

Yip, I produce this list and post it on KPH every Wednesday. I don't always know about every event though, so if there's something on that is not that well publicised then let me know a good week or more beforehand and I'll make sure it's included. P

Here's my weekly KPH motorsport post (from http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/kiwipetrolhead)... Sponsor - www.mclarenmotorsport.co.nz Motorsport on this week... Friday, 23 February ----------------------------------------- * Speedway - NZ TQ Midget Car Champs (night 1/2), Powerbuilt Speedway, Ruapuna. * Speedway - Club Night, Paradise Valley Raceway, Rotorua. Saturday, 24 February ----------------------------------------- * B Rally CotC, Motorsport NZ, Christchurch. * KartSport - Twilight Series, Invercargill. * Competition Drag Race Meeting, Nelson. * Speedway - NZ TQ Midget Car Champs (night 2/2), Powerbuilt Speedway, Ruapuna. * Speedway - NZ Sidecar GP, Meeanee Speedway, Napier, Hawkes Bay. * Speedway - Modified Stock Car Grand Prix, Huntly. * Speedway - Stockcars, Ministocks, Midgets, Streetstocks, Vintage Midget demo, Stratford Speedway. * Speedway - NZ Modified Grand Prix / Waikato Ministocks Champs, Waikato Stock & Saloon Car Club, Huntly Speedway. * Speedway - NZ Sprint Car Grand Prix, Baypark Speedway, Mount Maunganui. * Speedway - Wellington Super Stocks and Super Saloons Champs, Wellington Speedway, Upper Hutt. * Speedway - Saloons Invitation & Streetcar 50 lapper, Gisborne Speedway. * Speedway - Super Saloon Canterbury Championship & Superstock Teams, Woodford Glen Speedway, Kaiapoi. * NZ Offshore Powerboating Champs Rnd 3, Gulf Harbour, Whangaparoa Peninsula. * Crusty Demons Kiwi Carnage Tour, North Harbour Stadium, Auckland. * Motocross, Southland Motorcycle Club, Southland Track, Sandy Point. * Training - Junior, Mosgiel Motorcycle Club, Fuehrer's Property, North Taieri. * Speedway - Long Track, Central Otago Motorcycle Club, Omakau Race Course, Omakau. Saturday, 24 February - Sunday, 25 February ----------------------------------------- * Dunedin Street Race, Southern Festival of Speed Inc, Dunedin. * KartSport - Formula 125S and ICC Series Rnd 1, Bay of Plenty. * KartSport - Clubs Champs plus 2 Annual Points Rounds, Christchurch. * Speedway - North Island Superstock Championship (+ Ministock Stampede on Sunday only), McDonald's Kihkihi Speedway, King Country. * Powerboat - SI U/U,F1,FV,PS, S3000 Regatta, Rotoiti Club, Lake Rotoiti. * Cross Country, Huntly Motorcycle Club, J McGovern’s Property, Matahuru Valley, Ohinewai. * Motorcycle Road Race Meeting - Sound Of Thunder, B.E.A.R.S. Motorcycle Club, Powerbuilt Raceway, Ruapuna. * Ssangyong NZ Superbike Championships Rnd 4, Manfeild Promotions, Manfeild Autocourse, Feilding. Sunday, 25 February ----------------------------------------- * Clubmans Race Meeting, Auckland Car Club Inc, Pukekohe Park. * B Rally CotC, Motorsport NZ, Taupo. * Sealed Hill Climb, Otorohanga. * Gravel Hill Climb, Taihape. * Hill Climb, Tipirangi, Taranaki. * Rally Sprint, Wairarapa Car Club, Eketahuna. * Fun Autocross (non championship), Hawkes Bay Car Club, Jack Young Motorsport Park, Bridge Pa. * Gravel Hill Climb, Northland Car Club, Hartnell Road, Waiotira. * KartSport - Club Champs, Taranaki, * KartSport - Club Day Points Series Rnd 1, Bay of Plenty. * KartSport - Club Day Rnd 1 Summer Series, Hawkes Bay. * Speedway - North Island Solo Champs, Rosebank Speedway, Avondale. * Jet Boat Sprints - 2007 New Zealand Championships Rnd 3, Meremere. * Cross Country, Tauranga Motorcycle Club, Maddix Park, Rowe Rd, Ohauiti. * Cross Country, Wellington Trail Riders Club, Judd’s Property, Haywards, Wellington. * Miniature TT, Christchurch Road Motorcycle Club, Allan Winters Property, 10 The Road, Tram Rd, Kaiapoi. * Motocross, Gold Coast Motocross Club, Motoiti Rd, Foxton. * Motocross, Marlborough Motorcycle Club, Mike Price's Property, Lamastown. * Motocross, Wanganui Motorcycle Club, Cam Smith's Property, Tutaenui Rd, Marton. * Motocross, Whangarei Motorcycle Club, Brown's Property, Marua. * Trail Ride, Waitemata Motorcycle Club, Matariki Riverhead Forest. * Trial, Hamilton Motorcycle Club, E Allen's Property, O'Shea Rd, Pirongia. International ----------------------------------------- * A1GP Rnd 8, Durban, South Africa. * NASCAR, Auto Club 500, California Speedway. * World SuperBike Championship Rnd 1, Losail International Circuit, Doha, Qatar. * MotoGP Official test, Jerez. (2007 series kicks off 10th March, Losail International Circuit, Doha, Qatar.) AUS... * Dutton Rally Queensland Rnd 1, Queensland. * Victorian Hillclimb Championship Rnd 1 Rob Roy Hillclimb, Christmas Hills, VIC. * Qld Motor Racing Championships Rnd 1, Morgan Park Raceway, QLD. * Victorian Motorkhana Championship Rnd 1, Werribee, VIC. * Clipsal 500 Adelaide Rally, Adelaide, SA. Coming Next Week ----------------------------------------- * Mike Pero Motorsport Series - Tier 1 Rnd 5 (NZV8, TRS, GT3, etc), Motorsport NZ, Levels Raceway Timaru. * National Series Race, NZIGP/ACC/NSCC, Pukekohe. * KartSport - Raket and NZ Rotax Max Challenge Rnd 2 Night Meeting, Tokoroa. * AutoX 2007, Hawke's Bay A & P Showgrounds, Karamu Road, Hastings. * V8 Supercars Rnd 1, Clipsal 500, Adelaide Parklands Street Circuit, SA. * Powerboat - NI Regatta GP, Moult Gold Cup, Manukau-Auckland Club, Mangere Bridge. * World SuperBike Championship Rnd 2, Phillip Island, Australia. Coming Soon (2 - 4 weeks) ----------------------------------------- * Mike Pero Motorsport Series - Tier 1 Rnd 6 (NZV8 etc), Motorsport NZ, Teretonga. * KartSport - Top Half Series Rnd 1 Night Meeting, Tokoroa. * NZ Offshore Powerboating Champs Rnd 4, Wellington. * WRC, Corona Rally México. * F1 Grand Prix Rnd 1, Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia. (Mar 15-18) * A1GP Rnd 9, Brazil. (Mar 15-18) * WTCC Rnd 1 & 2, Curitiba, Brazil. * F5000 Revival Series, Phillip Island, Vic, Australia. * IRL Rnd 1, Homestead, Florida. Sponsor - www.mclarenmotorsport.co.nz Also supported by www.nzmotorsport.co.nz _________ Compiled by KPH. All care taken, no responsibility accepted for errors or omissions. http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/kiwipetrolhead

On KPH (http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/kiwipetrolhead) "mikepero" wrote: For all you Kiwipetrolheads that have never been to Invercargill here's your chance to be there with a real V8 purpose. JetEx are running a Motorsport Charter (Boeing 737) from AKL to Invercargill direct. Departs AKL Saturday 10 March 7am, back Sunday 7pm to AKL - 2 hours each way at only $495 plus gst more details and book online (limited seats) www.jetex.co.nz Or you can reply direct back to Mike at http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/kiwipetrolhead

Did Gus use the money I gave him for my 'new' e21 head to buy his hammer? Well, he did say he needed the money in a hurry to buy some "tools"! P

Yip, I find Jeff Gray really good to deal with so things should improve in WN. Well, the lady in the PN parts department, Sue Nielsen, is really good. The one gripe I have had with them though was when I took my old e21 in to have them replace ALL the water hoses about 7 years ago. They replaced most of them, but the next day (a Saturday) we headed off to Hawkes Bay, but we only made it to Dannevirke when I noticed the temp gauge in the red. It turned out that a small diameter hose was leaking badly. When I took it off the end crumbled away - it was no new hose that's for sure, and it was one that was easy to get to too. When on the cell phone to the Service Manager of the time all he said was, "What's the big issue, it's only a small hose!" Yes and it was also the probably cause for the cracked head. Anyway, someone stopped to help us and he had a knife so I cut the hose back and put it back on, but the cut-back end was still really bad so we carefully limped back home and got the other car out to start our trip over again. All this put us back over 3 hours. Other than that though, I've found Jeff Gray very good. Someone at work said to me, "I thought if you can afford to own a BMW then you can afford to own a brand new one." In other words, he, like so many others, think that BMWs are expensive to run. I'm not rich yet I can afford to run two of them no problem. Much cheaper than Subaru and some others, that's for sure. BTW, I understand that Jeff Gray himself (he lives in HB) has an immaculate 2002, a yellow one I think. P

I always prefer to replace in pairs too (if not a whole set). Still, treating customers like that is not good business practice! P

Oh, yip - they'll last forever!

Lucky Sod! I'd like to have a 635. As for your question, I don't actually know sorry, but I would assume there'd be some sort of alignment with the pads, so I'd have thought it would be easy to work out. Have you actually taken a pad out to look at it yet? P

I once got quoted about $70 retail for a FRAM oil filter for my 540i from SuperCheap. So my mate in the trade got it for me from Repco - at trade price it cost about $20 when they had a sale on. The time before that, he got one for me at trade price from Repco for about $40 (if I recall correctly). The other day I was in BMW and I mentioned the high price of oil filters for my 540i. They were rather puzzled and said a BMW one would cost me $19.95 (normal retail price I presume). They went on to say that they are generally lots cheaper for all servicing type parts, including brake pads. They also said if I get a price elsewhere, they will better it anyway. Goes to show, genuine parts might be the best, but sometimes they are also the cheapest. I will test their claims as time goes on, but would like to hear if others have found the same thing. BTW, this is from Jeff Gray (Palmerston North). They are also the BMW dealers in Hawkes Bay and now Wellington as well (previously Shelly BMW down there). Anyway, be aware that SuperCheap are not always Super Cheap! (Although they were cheaper than Repco for a car Radio/MP3 player I bought recently). P

Yip, tinkering is fine so long as you're not putting your life, or the lives of others, at risk. So he should be shown by someone who knows, and learn that way, or pay a garage to do the job. I agree with someone else here as well - an independant garage is generally lots cheaper than the BMW dealers. However, not always true. So it's worth getting quotes for straightforward jobs like this. P

See.. I told you that "vehicle testing station" type places are generally a bunch of Hitlers. I never have this sort of nonsense in small garages. P

> But some inspectors are f**kin full of sh*t and have no common sense. I agree. I used to be a mechanic myself so I know what's safe and what's not. But whenever I go somewhere new I never let on to begin with. Then if they try any sh*t on, I have a good argument with them and I always win. And I don't go back there again. My e21's pad wires are stuffed so the warning light will never come on. Yet one mechanic used to check all the pads in my cars (that's fine with me) and for three WOF checks in a row (over an 18-month period) he told me the rear pads needed replacing. But he still gave me my WOF each time despite that. He knew I was an ex mechanic though. Yip, the rear pads lasted for ages, even though they were quite low the first time he mentioned it. So, yip - "some inspectors are f**kin full of sh*t and have no common sense"! I find the VTNZ type places are the worst. Generally most have a pack of Hitlers that can't make it as real mechanics, so they get jobs doing WOFs and nothing else. How totally boring would that be! P

What sort of tyres were they? P

I think I have some more pics of it tucked away somehere on my PC. Can post here if you wanna see more. And yip, it's certainly one of the nicest examples I've seen - pristine for sure. I have the big original files too - since I took them - so I can do some nice photo prints if anyone wants some. P

eeks, hehe... P

Yip, cool!

I spoke to a guy in a tyre shop last week who has a Jap import 318. He said he only buys used Jap imported cars because they are better serviced than NZ-new cars. I said nothing to that one, but I was surprised to hear someone say such a thing - especially when he works in the motor trade and has mates working in garages. In my own experience they are not serviced well at all - they are treated as discard-able items by the Japs... so why bother servicing them! (Fair enough.) So I agree with your comment there 'hotwire'. Personally, I'd never buy any used import. I also agree that lack of regular servicing can have an impact on compressions, for sure. Dirty oil will leave deposits around the rings and make them stick in the grooves in time. I've seen some supposedly low-mileage (yeah right) used imports with very grubby engine internals. In addition to my last post in this thread, a good flush and then new, good quality oil in the engine will also help equalise compressions if that is what the cause of the problem is (in addition to some upper cylinder lube treatment and a good thrash). If it's a used Jap, then most likely that is the problem too! P