elmarco

I like it. Don't have $50k to spend on one but I'm still allowed to look and drool! I'm pretty sure my mrs would understand if you were desperate and needed $12 grand sharpish (might get all cold and frosty for a week or so at casa del marco though)! Funnily enough, I like Porsche's as well....

Antsylvania.... This is why I can never manage to get rid of the little bastards.

Not the battery cables or starter solenoid overheating is it? Seen that kind of thing before on other vehicles (fine when cold, don't like turning over when hot - admitedly it was in California in summer so it was reasonably hot).

Driving lights are your answer. Just like these

It has enough LCD screens to make Xibit jealous...

Haha - precisely the question I was asking myself in December! Yep - I paid around $250 for mine (mine are Proxes CT01 - not the Proxes T1R), and was quoted around $700 for the Michelins (guy asked me if I was sitting down first!). No brainer in my book and I think it was OK value for money (not a super sharp deal, but not gouged either). I have found them (and Toyos on a previous Golf) to be pretty good tyres really and these ones are as quiet as I need (no obvious road noise increase over the Michelins they replaced). Certainly no negative comments from me for any of the Toyos I have owned. From memory, one of the reasons Ross recommended them was that they (CT01 not the T1R) are non-directional and can be swapped on the wheel (I'm told the E46 runs a slight camber on the rear as standard which tends to chew the inside edge of rear tyres first). Basically means you can rotate them properly and get longer life than some of the directional tyres. Haven't had any problems with grip but then again I don't drive it hard. I'm sure Johno can elaborate on this. I think someone on here was getting Bridestone Potenza's (also very good tyres for everyday use) for around the same sort of money as well and Johno has offered you a sharp deal on some Nexens (presumably less than $250). Good luck! Be interested in your feedback once you have it sorted.

Yeah I was wondering about that term as well. Not sure I want my radiator rodded....

Absolutely not! HID draws high power at power up (30A plus for the 12V supply to the ballast for a couple of seconds) to get the spark going - so by flicking high beam on and off too often you will overload the electrics! Not to mention, the HID burner being at the wrong focal point so you will possibly see a hell of a lot less than with halogens and HID not achieving full brightness for a few seconds (not what you want for a high beam).... Factory bi-xenon HID systems (high and low beam combined) use a single burner with a fail safe shutter system so that when you hit the high beam a small electric actuator lifts it up as long as HB is used. It falls back into low beam position by gravity - so isn't reliant on power to be safe for other drivers. Guess this doesn't work when upside down in a ditch, but then again this is probably the least of your worries....

Well put - if you can afford to buy it, you can afford to fuel & insure it. And from what I have heard (absolutely zero personal experience with either - sorry!) they are both designed for deep pockets maintenance wise. Not sure any normal human is going to notice the difference between 5.2 and 5.3 seconds to 100 km/h to be fair.... Especially when there is really no place in NZ where you could explore the full potential of either car safely. So if you ignore the absolute performance (both are supercars compared to their sister vehicles and well outside most vehicles on the road), it comes down to aesthetics, practicality (2 vs 4 doors if this makes any difference to you), the colour / condition of the examples you can locate (neither are new so are likely to have individual positives and negatives - how close the interior is to the wifes favourite handbag etc) and of course which vendor is prepared to cut the best deal for you. And you are really the only one that can make that call. I personally prefer the E46 - but then I have to say that (otherwise I would own an E39).... Good luck - I guess either one will be a kickass wagen!

Subjecting LED's to over voltage (and with a linear circuit this means over current) will burn them out in very short order as they are current and heat sensitive devices (I've done it before - oops!). My suggestion would be to leave the fog lamps as they are or replace the bulbs with cool blue or equivalent (they are a legally regulated function after all) and install LED daytime running lamps like this. Don't be fooled - getting enough light from LED lamps reliably is a time consuming (and very expensive) business. And a car on NZ roads is one of the harshest operating environments around. I know because I did it for 5 years. And you do need automotive type approval markings to legally put them on the vehicle or you can fail a WoF. You are correct in that LED lamps are a lot more efficient than a standard bulb (in lumens/watt) - they just don't have as many lumens (and therefore less watts power consumption).

Yep - I can attest to precisely that. Hella spent literally millions and millions of dollars developing their HID systems (not to mention the others like Bosch, Osram etc). HID is more than just a couple of quick mods to do it legally. Just because the local WoF agent doesn't pick up any irregularities doesn't mean it is right (or safe). If you use the wrong ballast, you can disable other systems (like radios) through interference. Don't laugh - I have seen it happen. Some HID systems start up at around 20kV - so you better make sure you have used the correct connectors and cabling and have everything nice and waterproof.... US specs for HID are actually different to the European (and Australia / NZ) versions. They don't require washer systems under SAE rules, and if my memory serves correctly (could be wrong on this), they allow different light intensities. This is the reason they can sell a motorcycle with HID in the US, but nowhere else in the world (motorcycles dont have washers).... I'm with you Graham - lighting is safety critical. Don't mess with it. My 2c.

But the Police don't know if the vehicle has been modified since the cert.... They have to call it as they see it on the side of the street. Believe it or not, some people are not the upstanding members of society they should be. Don't forget that they will be crucified by the media and the politicians if they allow a dodgy vehicle to carry on and ends up killing someone in an accident later. If my career was on the line and I wasn't 100% sure about something, I'd refer it on to an expert as well. In this case, it means a sticker and trip to the certifier. Give the Police a break - they have a tough job and are damned if they do, and damned if they don't.

That's not quite correct Jochen. The EU directives still allow for lead to be used in solder for automotive (and other transport like trucks, trains, marine and aerospace) applications (as it is normally recycled not landfilled like toasters and TV sets etc). I'm not sure if BMW were using lead free solder 10 years back or not... You are 100% right about lead free solder being problematic though - it is still a major headache to those in the electronics industry. And some of the early lead free solders were just as bad environmentally....

Yup - Made in Japan according to the sidewall. I was recommended them by Ross at BM Workshop in East Tamaki - and so far he was dead on the money.

I put a couple of Toyo Proxes on the front of my 330ci and are very happy with them - quiet and smooth thus far. Once the rears are done, I'll replace them with Toyos as well. I think they were around $250 each at Tyrepower.

3M VHB tape - sticks like sh*t to a blanket. Hardware stores should sell it in small sections (horrifically expensive to buy a complete roll).

Fook - I thought you were taking the piss! The lion needs those old school goggles...

I have heard (from panelbeaters) that State are very cheap to deal with - as in they don't use new panels where possible (second hand or repaired) and generally don't pay as well as some of the others. This obviously impacts the quality of the finished job and customer satisfaction. Not so much of an issue if you are driving a beaten up Ford Escort, but not who I would insure my Ferrari with. Remember - you ALWAYS get what you pay for (including insurance). There are no free lunches. If you can live with a cheaper job or product, then great. But if you expect a premium service or product, you will end up paying for it one way or another. State did one cheap job on my old Golf and I changed to AMI (who have done a good job the only time I have claimed).

I was under the impression that a speed camera ticket attracts no demerit points. However, if you get snapped at 50km/h over the limit (this was a while back and may have reduced now) the Police may decide to prosecute you for dangerous driving (which means a loss of licence in most situations and is a whole other kettle of fish).

Yeah it's an easy and cheap way of getting a stylish headlamp with good performance for a coach builer. It is relatively common on low volume vehicles.

Eeek! That'll leave a mark.... Dear say he will never do another Barry White impression.

Yeah - I don't know how a crusty old geezer like Hef can pull the chicks like he does. Must be his stunning personality.....

LMAO

Seal House?

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