darkwolf

Are you able to help with through this business or was it simply a google search? The purpose of the post was simply to deal with a member of the community is all and if that's the case then I'll get in contact.

Hi guys, It's been a while since I've been on the forums since I made my move to 2 wheels instead of four. As it happens, a friend of mine has snapped the cambelt on their 1998 1.8L Passat and being an interference engine the valves have bent. She is looking for a new head for the engine has been suggested that this might be a cheaper way of getting the engine running again. Seeing she's a close friend, like a sister to me, I'm trying to help her out as much as possible and I'm wondering if there are any members who would be able to help me help her with getting a discount on a replacement head for a 1.8L VW Passat engine. I guess it might help to know that I'm in Christchurch, and the car's in Hanmer but I guess a head can be freighted from anywhere. Appreciate any help in advance. Cheers, Colin Cowgill

Hi All, Due to selling my car and buying a bike, the wife has decided we need a bigger car than the Celica - especially since we have a dog to worry about. TRADEME LINK Great example of the Celica. With the reliable 3S-GE engine. Economic around town with plenty of power for the open road and overtaking plus sporty handling means amazing driving. 2 rear 6x9 speakers in parcel tray, infinity components in front and 3 way speakers in rear arm rests. Some fading on exterior above rear windscreen and around headlights Rego and WOF due this month, Car will be sold with new 6 month rego and new WOF. Interior in good condition, normal wear and tear. Always had seat covers to protect the seats from wear. PM me for more details or to arrange viewing etc. Few pics: Wife formerly worked for MOJ so Carjam might not give you any details.

BUY IT: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=413535339

Jordy: PM Sent.

Yeah I wanted to get more for it but this car is in Morrinsville because the parents wanted it. I'm in Christchurch driving a 2.0L 3 speed plus overdrive auto that is sucking out the marrow from my soul. I need something that engages me to when I drive it. After owning this car I can't find anything to suit. I have my eye on something but I need to sell her to do it. Therefore, I had to lower my price to something ridiculous to save my soul. IN SHORT: SOMEONE BUY NOW!

PRICE REDUCED - $6,500 Reserve or BUY NOW $7,500

Now on Trademe.

BUMP Will be placed on Trademe at the end of the week

Alright. Someone needs to buy. Wife has decided that she can handle me buying a motorbike. Buy Now People. Before the wife changes her mind

If it helps, I'm guessing you are in CHCH here, avoid Scobies like a plague. I'm also assuming Scobies is the new trading name of Ian Scobies Tyres (on Wairakei Road). I had a puncture repaired by them, they charged me for the puncture, I drove home, realised the tyre had gone flat again and realised the puncture wasn't in the tyre it was a cracked rim. I took it too them to get advice on having the rim repaired so the puncture could be fixed. I then purchased a set of 17" rims to replace the 19"s. The person I bought them off had arranged for the centre bore to be machined. Three of the rims were not machined correctly, so Scobies offered to send them to a machine shop they use. The rims came back, they mounted the tyres and put the rims on the car. Driving home the car felt like the wheels hadn't been balanced correctly. Got the car home, and looked at the wheels. One rim had not been properly machined. The wheel had been mounted on an angle. I could put a finger between the wheel and the hub on oneside of the hub. I then went to get the 19" cracked rim repaired. Found that the tyre was unable to be remounted to the rim because it had been driven while the tyre was flat. Went back to Ian Scobies. Advised them of both problems. Their response was to deny any liability in relation to either the "puncture repair" or the incorrect mounting of the rim. They might give you a good price on the tyres but I wouldn't trust them to work on anything going on my car again.

It's cliche but it's all about how you drive it. I can and regularly do get around 12.5l/100KM around town. It's not great but then it never was going to be. If you drive aggressively you can keep it above 20L/100KM. A good drive up to Hamilton averaged 11.2L/100KM and in the 45,000KM I drove it the car averaged 14.2L/100KM. This is largely due to the fact that I do a lot of short 80/100 KM/H roads. You manage to reach 80/100 and cruise at that speed for 15s or so.

BUMP - BACK UP FOR SALE! Parent's have changed mind. I'm not annoyed about the drive up to Hamilton to deliver the car to them, but I am annoyed about having to drive back in a PoS 1.5L Auto Nissan Pulsar that couldn't keep up with trucks on hills. Anyway, bitterness aside. Car is for sale again.

Currently driving the wife's Celica. Having a thorough think through of the options for the next car.

Righto - no longer for sale. Parents have decided they could do with a better car - and are a bit annoyed I didn't offer it to them first. So that means I'll be able to take it for a spin over xmas. Plus gave me an excuse to drive all the way up to Hamilton Old Taupo Road. Just a suggestion for anyone else taking the trip.

NOW ON TRADEME Built December 1997 first registered in 1998. 125,000KM. Purchased at 79,500KM. Ex Japan I understand. I am the first NZ owner. S-EDC - Electronic Damper Control, makes it great for cornering while remaining fantastic for long trips. DSC - Dynamic Stability Control Sunroof Heated Seats Auto Dim rear view mirror 6 Disc CD Changer Climate Control New Water pum-p (metal prop) at 115,000KM Auxilary and Main Belt done at the same time Link to Photo Album: https://picasaweb.google.com/DarkWolf9008/540i Recent (2 weeks ago) Exterior (recent) - new wheels Interior (2008) Engine Bay (2008) PM for further details. Selling as saving for house (Should read: got married). Reserve is $6,500, Buy now of $7,500

This is just another example of what I like to call "because you can doesn't mean you should".

The other issue with this sort of thing is that there are times when you are only travelling the speed you are because the person in front of you is driving that speed (particularly in Auckland). For example, you are travelling at 105, you pull into right lane to overtake the cars in front, so does the car in front of you. Car in left lane travels at 99, car in front travels at 101, therefore you travel at 101. Munter in a scoobaru attaches to your tow bar because he wants to over take you. You FINALLY get past and pull to the left because Scoobaru wants to rocket past. You pull in behind and they sit at 103 or less. That is the most frustrating part of other people being on the road.

V8 has steel instead of alloy subframe and heft of 2 extra cylinders hence heavier front end. But... having owned a 540i that's not as much of an issue as I thought it would be. August last year, I had a drive for a whole day back and forth in Arthurs Pass area and it was the best day of my life. It still puts a smile on my face 10 months on. They are a dream to drive but an ass to own. Having said that, issues I was warned about are: the Infamous Shimmy Slight wobble at various speeds. The cars are VERY sensitive to wheel balance/alignment/wear on suspension components (joints, bushes etc). Fuel economy. I average 14.6L in the 2.5 years I have owned mine, mostly 100KM <5KM roads (cost fuel economy stats are useless unless you know how they are driven). Water pump Various years released with plastic impeller wheel. This wears over time and creates movement/overheating issues. Check that this has been replaced with a metal impeller wheel or at least in the last 60,000 KM. Oil/Powersteering/Transmission Leaks Nuff said. Oil can leak from the oil filter (remote mounted) due to a pinched O-ring. Looks terminal, simply fixed (new o-ring). Check the radiator top tank and hoses. Prone to failure Window actuators They use a plastic pulley in the load bearing part of a metal system. Pulley breaks windows work(ish). $250 a pop for parts. A**holes to install. I've had all of the above issues with mine over 2.5 years. And each time I've decided to sell it. BUT, then I fix it and I couldn't dream of selling it. In summary. I want to discourage you from buying one, but I don't want you to miss out. Do it but keep money aside "just in case". If you are going to lower it. For the love of god DON'T!!! Just buy one with S-EDC and PROFIT. Change the profile of the tyre if you are going to do anything. The absolute best part of this car is it's Jekyll and Hyde personality. Switch to S on transmission, S-EDC and DSC off and you'll have the most fun you can have with your pants on.

Can't say I'm a fan, haven't been since the E60. The E39 was the last of the good ones. My opinion, but I think what made the original M5 up to the E39 was that to the untrained eye there was no indication it was anything more than a 5 series (except that it could spin the world backwards). But the E60 and more so the F10 are clearly the more aggressive breed, like a ram pumped with testosterone. What happened to the wolf in sheep's clothing? I also think the turbo is a bit naff. Cool idea and I know they had to do it because of emissions regulations etc but ///M shouldn't be messed with. If it can't provide knife edge throttle response I would be bitterly disappointed. Still hungering for an E39 M5, my 540i is just pretend

Might not be the same but could be worth considering. I had a similar issue with a 1989 Toyota Celica. It ran fine but if you put the engine under load it would hesitate and/or misfire. Over 15,000KMs it got worse and worse. The plugs had fouled, it would misfire, I don't remember the idle being an issue though. I had the fuel system checked (pump, lines, filters, injectors), ignition system checked (plugs, leads, coil, dizzy) and checked all the sensors I could find. I eventually sold it because I couldn't find the problem and I needed a car I could rely on (travelling 200KM round trip to work each day). The new owner replaced the leads - just cos. Problem solved. I spoke to the auto electrician who did the computer/ignition system check. He said that the only thing he could think of was that when he did the continuity test he didn't find any issues but it may have been an issue that was only apparent when the leads got warmer or had more load transferred through. In his defence I took it to him when it was barely noticeable. The leads cost ~$100 and if I had known it would have saved me a lot of hassle. If you haven't already had the leads checked/replaced it could be worth looking into.

I will confirm tomorrow but I believe these are on the boss' Lexus. If that's true, try your local Lexus dealer, they must have a supply from somewhere.

Tried to find my f***ing wobble at 80KPH: Wheels hubcentric CHECK Tyres in Good Condition CHECK Suspension CHECK Bushes CHECK Wheels Balanced... QUESTIONABLE!

E36 - McLeans Island Road round back of the airport, driver pulled over to water the fence. I tooted to provide some stage fright - anyone on here wanna own up to driving the E36?

Clay bars are fantastic. I highly recommend Mothers for EVERYTHING I did a full Mothers clay bar and three stage system a couple of months ago and paint now looks like this (photo from cell phone, no special HDR tricks etc):