gjm

Aye. Forged rims are metallurgically a little different to cast ones. I took 6mm off the inside face of some AMG 18x8 et31 rims to make them and et37. The et31s rubbed on the front of my W124 but 6mm is all that's needed for free running under all conditions.

Me too! You can machine some rims a little to increase offset, for instance if clearance is an issue, but I'd not be considering taking 15mm off! In all seriousness, can you share the details of your conversation?

Sadly the diameters are a bit odd and don't match the normal 14", 15" and 16" sizes. Some people have been able to machine a rim down to a more widely recognised size. Coker were recently still making TRX tyres.

Can I claim for damage to my car (windscreen, paint damage, dents in bonnet) and motorbike (looks like I need a new oil cooler now), and a new visor for my motorbike helmet, given that damage was a direct result of poorly performed road repairs?

I can only think someone made a 'mistake' and resurfaced the wrong bit of road. On the way back this evening, I could see where whole sections are starting to peel clear of whatever is underneath. (Probably last year's 'new' surface.)

SH1 northbound between HD and Meremere. Again. The annual migration of the lesser-spotted working roadworker (working ones do exist, just haven't seen many lately) has reached Dragway Road. Part of the road southbound from there towards Meremere has been lightly scraped, had some black goo squirted on it, and a couple of lorries full of chippings have dropped their loads while driving around. Effect: disrupt traffic to change the road surface. (More on that in a moment.) A friend has lost another windscreen as a result, our 320d has another chip out of the windscreen and less paint on the bonnet. I need a new visor for my motorcycle helmet after being peppered with chippings, and the bike's headlight lens has been chipped... This happened the day after the road re-opened completely, and along the piece of untouched road immediately after the "roadworks" where loose chippings had spread from the working area to road surface that escaped being 'repaired.' Change the road surface? Yup. They've 'repaired' the bit that didn't actually need repairing - the northbound carriageway north of Dragway Road heading towards Meremere. The northbound carriageway approaching Dragway Road from Hampton Downs is an absolute disaster area, and has been for some time. It is badly rutted in places with large areas of surface completely missing. There are potholes, and there are areas where the road surface has lifted away and now moves when you drive over it. Add to that the crap being sprayed around by cars and lorries driving over it, and it's like hell week on the highways for a motorcyclist. Road bike? Enduro is more like it. It's so reassuring that they'll be back to do it all again next year. And the year after. And the year after that...

The 320d has a WoF. I had A.N.Other person replace the front wheel bearings for me, but have also replaced both lower control arms (one needed doing - do both) and both lower control arm rear mounts (may as well, although they weren't too bad). Also replaced the brake sensor cable as fitted to the right rear caliper. Last time I did it I obviously left a little too much slack and it wore completely through when (probably) touching the rim. That won't happen again. Next up - steering rack gaiter(s). One scraped through the WoF, but it will be replaced ASAP.

This is Arild Martinsen's 4x4 M3 from 1988 in action. Well, it started life as an M3, and then received an X-trac transplant - hence the 4-bolt rims. The engine is M10-derived... Whether that means it is the original S14 or even an M12, I don't know. It does have a heffin' great turbocharger bolted to it, helping make 700bhp. It's safe to say it goes a bit. https://youtu.be/5g8eoT0M2sI

Today I'm not ding anything to the 320d. I've taken it to a Very Nice Man to have the front wheel bearings replaced. It's a job I'm sure I could do, but it's also one of those (or so I'm told) jobs that either go well, or are an absolute... 'devil' to sort. I really didn't want to get a hub mostly to pieces and find I couldn't quite get the last bits sorted, leaving a car in bits and off the road.

E46 Touring towbars are a little like rocking horse droppings - I have a receipt for one which was fitted to our car, but it's not there now! If you can wait (and wait) you may find one but the quick route is to go to Bestbars or a similar outfit. You can buy one through BMW NZ, but even those are made locally.

I like them. Simple, reliable, good fun. And there are zillions around, so parts are easy. Not so much fun when the roof leaks, it steams up when it's damp, and the heater stops working.

A red Baur 2002 in the Westpac/Kreem carpark in Penrose around 11.30 today. I would have taken a pic but it was persisting down!

Apologies - I was speed reading through. I saw 'dipsticks gone', moved to next post and responded to what you'd said. Of course, if I'd read through the whole of your first post... Oh well. It's been a sh*t week, and a sh*t start to the year. To give you an idea, our cat didn't die when it was run over. That's about the high point so far.

O...K... I'm happy to be corrected, but please don't leave me hanging!

When doing our car, I check for gearbox capacity and initially half fill (or thereabouts). Replace the fill plug, start the engine, cycle the gearshift a few times (you may see the gearbox warning light), then switch off the engine. Add fluid to ~75% capacity and repeat. Then add fluid 'til it starts to overflow. You'll have used less than quoted capacity as there will likely have been fluid in the lines and cooler. Take it for a drive and check.

Yes it is, and yes it is. If overfilled, at best it'll overflow. Does your car have a auto trans dipstick?

It always does, and you always do. At least, that's my experience. I do know people who sail through stuff like this on their own, though. Looks as though you've really gone to town. Good stuff.

I've only used OEM on our car, and they've only been changed once in (very nearly) 500000km.The only bush I'd seriously considered replacing with a poly(urethane)bush is the rear mount for the front lower control arms. These are known to wear quickly. I've used polybushes on many other cars, road and track. Only ever had problems when they were the wrong size or not greased correctly. I've never used Polyflex - I assume you're referring to the brand/manufacturer? I'd not heard of them failing, but anything is possible.

Mercedes did an S65 (V12, twin-turbo) 10 years ago. It'd blow the doors off the contemporary 911 turbo, and pretty much everything else around at the time.

I genuinely mistook where this engine was going and read it as being destined for an E30...

For street use I'd advise against solid bushes. Great for the track, but that's about it. Uprated bushes will transmit more road vibration into the car... Perhaps not enough to matter but that's a personal taste thing. Poly bushes - yes, but perhaps stay with stock or marginally increased hardness. Poly bushes won't wear as quickly as stock rubber.

More right hand lane hogs. I'll confess to having been in a bit of a (very calm) hurry today, but FFS - 85 in the right hand lane with nothing on the inside ought to be a punishable offence. I flashed my lights at one car and got the finger from the passenger... He had one bare foot hanging out of the window, and the other on the dash while his female driver looked scared. And if you pass on the inside, you're obviously a raving looney speed freak who shouldn't have a license. Couldn't I see the lorry in the inside lane up ahead? Actually, no I couldn't. It had already gone round the corner 800m up the road!

Thanks. I have his phone number here... May have used his services for a repair at some point. And then completely forgotten what he does! Thanks for the reminder.

Have you seen the news? Obviously the Top Gear production team have been reading my posts here as the confirmed (until another change) line-up is: Chris Evans - commander in chief. He's ginger. He has to be in charge. In no particular order, other presenters are: Sabine, Chris, Eddie, Matt, Stig, and... Rory Reid. Rory Reid? Similar background to Chris Harris. Not typically seen on mainstream TV, but has a reasonable presence on the internet in a number of web-presented car-related programs.

Maybe we'll stick with our old 320d. That's about 6.1.