gjm

In small doses, I suspect... How long before the impracticality wears thin? Still... Fun!

Mike Hoskins had a fairly scathing diatribe describing Kiwi drivers just now... Essentially, he's in favour of the UK law.

I wouldn't be surprised if you could use your phone to arrange for an onboard coffee machine to have a long black ready for you when you go out to the car on a cold morning! I drove an older S-class Mercedes (one or another of them) for years in the UK. Great cars. A little uneconomical for my current commute, though. The diesel F01s would be much cheaper.

Someone here must have driven one... Whassitlike, mister? One of the parents at our daughter's school has one - looks very nice. No idea which engine. And it more than likely cost several buckets of unaffordium so I'll have to dream for a while, but I'm keen to hear of driving impressions. I think the F01 would be enough compensation. The extra 5.5" isn't really needed.

The stupid woman in the outside lane of SH1 this afternoon, clutching the top of the steering wheel with both hands and leaning so far forward she could have bitten her nails at the same time, travelling at 85km/h - max - would have been better dealt with by a rocket launcher. Queues of traffic, lorries with blaring horns - nothing made the slightest difference. What excuse do these people have? "You can always overtake on the left", while it may be legally correct, is absolutely no defense. Grrr... $2000 is nowhere near enough.

I saw an F01 this morning. Lovely looking car. Thought I'd just have a quick carjam to see the runing costs, which surprised me by not being too ludicrous. Presumably that assumes no major mechanical catastrophes! While there, I checked the same for our 320d. The carjam quoted economy is actually slightly worse than we generally get, but only slightly.

A UK motorist has been fined a total of nearly £1000 for remaining in the centre lane of a motorway when the nearside lane was empty - reported in the Telegraph yesterday. This is colloquially known as lane-hogging, and has been a road traffic offence in the UK for a couple of years. Perhaps it could be introduced here? The NZ authorities would probably get (even) more revenue from that than they do from the camera vans!!

From Tuning LV? They are fine. It's the carriers / couriers that cause the problems.

Spent some money on some bouncy bits. Now to try to find time to fit them...

How embarrassing! Sorry!

Mine is the same. Possibly a tired motor? It's a good exercise in patience... At least, until it stops working completely!

Thanks Allan. I had a moment of confusion before I recalled the 328i stopped in 2000... Useful site for cross reference.

Can I fit the suspension from a 320 / 325 / 330 to our 320d? I have found several conflicting sources, some saying convertible and Touring suspension is interchangeable (H&R Cup kit) and some saying sedan and Touring kits are the same (Bilstein shocks). Then are those who overlook the existence of diesels completely! However, I did find suggestion that 6-cyl kit would be suitable for a 4-pot diesel. (What you do for a 6-pot diesel I have no idea!) Any thoughts?

On SH1 this morning heading south, between Hampton Downs and Te Kauwhata, a very yellow 3-series sporting a natty bodykit. Good morning Hans!

Looks great and I really like the idea, but as Connor said possibly more useful for keys and the like. The little hole suggests that could be a target market... The GPS idea also sounds good but a 2 week battery life isn't ideal. People go on holiday for longer than that (apparently).

She's a good driver, too. Significantly quicker than any of the (previous) TG team and about 10th fastest ever 'Star in a Reasonably Priced Car'. Remember the lap? JC told her she was 0.3s faster than Jay Kay... Pissed Jay Kay off no end - he asked for another go but was turned down. And she drives a Maserati. Which makes her all right in my book.

Thanks.

Do you have a part number for the bearing? Ta.

I've been looking for suspension for my Merc. I can buy a set of Koni Str.T shocks and H&R springs, shipped from Germany, tax paid, for less than a local supplier can buy them in. The issue is economy of scale. Dealers here will buy from wholesalers in Germany or the US. If we want something even slightly unusual, it'll be a special order, possibly part of a $10k order placed every 2 or 3 months. There are wholesalers in Europe and the US buying up to $100k of parts per week... The discounts go to the big buyers, not to us in NZ. I'm very seriously considering this. KW shocks, Vogtland springs. Good kit but not something I'd considered (being bred on a diet of Koni, Bilstein, Leda and so on). Price is agreeable and being supplied locally, any issues are dealt with locally.

Thanks Olaf.

The plans for a car for Miss M continue to be developed. Her latest idea? A Porsche 924. Handles well and in 2.0 guise, doesn't have too much power for a new driver. She's planning ahead, y'see - in 30 years time she wants to be able to say she learned to drive in a Porsche, and never drove anything else.

How much? Bear in mind that good new tyres may not be all that much more.

Pale Ales aren't bad over here. Good George IPA is nice, but perhaps a little strong. Ben Middlemiss 'Hodgson' is decent. But the range of 'real' ale isn't here, yet, imo. There's a superb depth of knowledge that hasn't yet translated to excellent brews.

We're only going for two weeks, but yeah... That seems to be the plan! Full English breakfast, sir?

Just adding things to my list for when we head over there... And real beer. NZ does have some nice beer, but it is different to the British stuff.