bravo

The bend around the steering linkage isn't the prettiest, otherwise looking fab! That remus is freak'n' massive! How low is this going to be again?

After reading this thread I want it - you should copy/paste the discussion onto the TM ad!

I'm a Telecom CDMA customer as Vodafone made a f**king huge balls-up with my ph accounts a few years ago. They had a go at fixing the problem but it was a half-arsed attempt so I left. I've been a happy Telecom customer since, but have been putting off the move to XT - thank god.

Welcome - yes, love to see some pics!

I'm going through the same process right now Clinton, but mine includes a new TV and a PS3 (for blueray) in the mix. My preliminary costings have me at around $5k with a margin for over-run, $6k would get me what I want, but as with you it's getting up there for home theatre. I'm looking at speakers at around $1,500-2k and an AV receiver/amp for around $800-$1k. The remaining $2+k is for TV and PS3 and cables. So if you looked at similar stuff to me, then you could slip insode your $2k budget with a basic set of wharfdales (or similar) and a decent specced, entry level AVR from a good brand like Yamaha or Denon or similar. Should be more than you need, will be a similar setup to the Sony one posted above, but hopefully by buying from a discount Hi-fi store, putting the package together yourself, and not gettting a trashy cabinet with it you should get better bang for buck. Here's a thread I started over at nzicemag.co.nz forums that is full of good advice over speaker and AVR selection from the members there.

Nice explanation Nick. Was reading through to see if there was anything to add, but for a n00b guide it pretty much covers it. Stickied.

Got a chip there Heath? Nice rant BTW

I wish this was the case in many other service industries. With mosts service-oriented businesses, people all expect to be billed and pay the following. It's a bit hard to hold onto someone's house, or remove all the wire and pipes if they don't pay (although I know of tradesmen who have gone and taken some of the easy to remove and valuable fittings off when they haven't been paid).

Sweet, lol. I have quite a bit of Halfpast stuff but haven't bought any lately. rediscovered Kuta Lines which I used to really like when I was a teen, and so recently bought some shirts etc. Also as fourfontaine is owned by an old school friend of mine and based in Kerikeri (check out where the star is on the NZ map on their nzmap tee-shirts and early logos), I have alot of that. I would hazard a guess that fourfontaine was probably one of the early success stories in NZ streetwear that kickstarted alot of the stuff you see nowadays. There's heaps of competition out there and it's a hard market to break into. Talk to Apex about his business (he's in the clothing business, but different market so may not be a conflict of interest). He may be able to source you some base product and arrange some of the printing/embroidery. Good Luck - if you're serious you're in for some hard work!

Micro switches for the control are located in both front doors and in the boot. Why not trace/tap into the wires from the driver's door?

CDMA is supposed to be phased out next year or 2012 depending on what you read. In the meantime it certainly the smarter choice if you live in affected areas of the XT f**k up. They'll fix it eventually - they have to really. Vodafone bosses must be uncorking the champagne at the moment hoping for as many outages as possible. Corporate clients will put up with teething problems for awhile, but not forever.

Engineering and planning specifications, contracts and reports mainly Like this enthralling piece: Hence my comments that I am hardly qualified to critique your work. Edit: Probably should get back on topic, huh?

I have it. You need to PM me with why you need it first (Privacy Act). Cheers. PS or give me yours and I will pass it to him.

Well my uneducated opinion is: From a blog perspective it's great - especially the intro. Possible a little edgy in terms of style (not content) for magazines, but nice and fresh. I think that whilst the simile was entertaining and you made a good point about other reviewers saying 4 out 5 etc, perhaps it was a little too left field. Oh and the article was too short - you say you discussed the cars history etc - well...???? What mods etc, more details. The car looks great and obviously goes great too, but how about some more info on what's under the skin, other aspects (build quality, clever tricks, nice design features), and if it's been involved in any motorsport, etc. But I'm probably the last person you should listen to - all of my writing is of a technical nature and very boring to read.

I meant in terms of personality not ability. I quite liked what I read. Especially the simile comparing the handling to being stabbed!

Gangsta! Worst case scenario is a secondhand rack (say $150 plus installation and fluid), or a secondhand pump (slightly cheaper), or new hoses reservoir - prob cost you a few bucks if you get secondhand. Unlikely to be all three.

Drove an auto BT-50 this morning (mates boss's truck). Man does it suck until the trans warms up! Once the auto is warm it's OK - "O/D off" is mandatory for anything except cruising - gives it more throttle response and faster pickup, but makes it a bit fidgetey at cruise. Plus you lose a cup holder and extra storage bin from the centre console. Glad I went for the manual.

Looking for a new job Matt? I can't really see you as a motoring journo...

Stunning!

It's going to be a serious work-horse and it's company money, so went for a 4wd double cab DX 3.0td. Only things missing from the SDX are alloys, single CD rather than 6cd stacker, and manual not electric windows. Everything else same as SDX. Got alot of gear to put in the back and have racks to go in, so no deckliner needed, but added a colour-coded canopy with trademan's doors ($3k), 3000kg towpack, mud mats, mud tyres all for $38k +GST on road, so you got a good price. They have gone up though - that is 20% off normal retail. They've given me a brand new 2010 Ford Ranger XLT with all the extras in Champagne gold to use until mine arrives. When I picked it up on Friday it had 139kms on the clock (not 139,000 - 139kms, full stop.) It now has 350kms - I love it. Don't want to give it back when mine arrives... I've gotten quite attached... Power is not a problem - has plenty for the type of vehicle it is. Heaps down low, so I don't really need to get it over 3500rpm before changing up and the speedo needle just scoots its way around the dial. Will be interesting to see how that changes with a load in the back (I have a bit of gear). My mates love it too - impressed with the grunt, and can fit 4 girls across the back seat The girls love it too - think its awesome in that colour. Had to do a beach trip yesterday in it just because I can.

Clean manual 325i with 'pinna reps? I don't think your price is all that silly.

Bloody soft roaders. It should be able to deal to that crossing no sweat. Was doing the molesworth with my old man in his Landcruiser and decided to go through the river instead of over the bridge. Water almost up to the window sills. Needed to winch to get all the way across (f**k it was cold!), but truck didn't miss a beat. Slightly wet carpet from water leaking in up through the drain holes. Was dry before we got home.

^^^^Much better!

Your steering linkage has been installed incorrectly. Universals are out of phase. Someone has replaced the OEM bush with two home-job ones and so the linkage has been put 90 degrees out. Otherwise she's coming along fine.

I kind of forgot about them as I couldn't find editing software that had a codec that would let me edit them. I can play them fine in VLC, but when it comes to editing them, even Sony Vegas Pro couldn't open the video part of the file (audio is sweet). SO one day when I'm round at a mates who knows more about it than me I'll have another go. Prob should take some more too. Sorry for thread hijack, but we're done here aren't we? PS. Buy my K&N dubman.