gjm

All original at the moment, except the front downpipe which no longer has a cat in it. EGR bypassed with a golf tee (I have an Allard delete kit), and I plan a turbo swap at which point I'll also fit a 'proper' front downpipe. Records show that at some point in the past the inlet manifold was removed and 'one' swirl flap was found to be missing. Or not found. If you see what I mean. (Massive, extensive service history.) No idea if proper blanking plugs have been fitted, and it doesn't much matter - remove the swirl flaps and don't blank, and you can see a slight drop in bottom end. Given most of the driving we do is highway at 90+, bottom end isn't much of an issue. Might help clear some gunge build up, too, but that is another planned investigation. Gearbox is original too. Fluid was changed less than 12 months ago but that means it needs doing again - I have everything (now) to do this, including a borrowed pump from a Very Nice Man. Just need a couple of hours to get under there and sort it. Fluid was changed by a company in Hamilton (known for transmission work) but I was unimpressed by their work. The car reeked of burning ATF (probably from the exhaust) for two weeks after they did the work, and I had to tighten the sump bolts to fix a weep. They also used (imo) poorer quality fluid than I had asked for. The good news was that while the fluid that came out was horribly overdue for replacement, there was no particulate matter.

At one point I was doing a near 250 miles (not km) round trip for work. Add in any client visits and running around after a teenage girl at weekends, and 1500-1600 miles a week was sometimes underestimating things. (We topped 2100 miles one week. ) Nothing compared to a lorry driver, or even some sales reps, but enough. Things have settled now... We fill up (probably) three times in a fortnight, so about 800-850 miles a week. Hoping that'll drop further fairly soon, perhaps to 500-600 miles a week. Yay! I can look forward to oil and filter changes every 2-3 months! Most of the driving is up and down highways, rather than sitting in traffic for hours on end, so I don't mind stretching the interval a little. Never more than 6000 miles, though.

Preferring to lose count isn't an issue - I've lost count! I could work it out based on regularity of fill-ups, number of miles to a tank, and number of miles between oil and filter changes... Let's just say there is never more than 2 months between changes, and typically less. That's much more economical than at one point where it was barely a fortnight between changes...

444444km. Seriously. (276165 miles.)

Bottle of buckie, mate... Remember them?

Just seen a picture from the UK posted on Facebook about the Anti-Austerity protest in Leeds. Thousands of people, many drinking beer. On a Wednesday morning. Did no-one see the irony in this? Indulging in luxuries while others are working? Do these people have jobs? Or are they just concerned because any austerity measures might cut into their 168 hours a week leisure time?

I was looking for somewhere to ask a question about steering wheel refurbishment and noticed there doesn't seem to really be anywhere that deals specifically with interiors. Self-dipping rear view mirror retrofit, seat swaps and what is required (what fits and what doesn't), interior restoration (including steering wheels!), that sort of thing. I appreciate it's not really technical, and it may well be that there's likely to be insufficient interest to warrant it's own sub-forum, but... Maybe 'Appearance' is expected to cover this? Just a suggestion.

A rule of thumb seems to be that if you replace something non-adjustable with something adjustable, then you need a cert.

I work maybe 10 minutes from where the auction will be held. Except on June 2nd, when I'll be in Wellington. I know it's a simulcast but I'd be prepared to bet I'll be in a meeting at the time! I hope they've wound the windows up otherwise it's going to have a small pool inside by now.

On Sunday I saw an (the?) i8, arriving at Hampton Downs (under it's own power, not on a trailer). Looked as though there was going to be a BMW event at HD yesterday - as I was leaving a team of people were wiping dust off a small fleet of new BMWs parked near the pavilion.

I've not had any problems editing (fortunately!) but a little breathing space after posting when an edit could be made without incurring the orange banner would be nice. I don't know about IP.Board, but some forum software has a configurable option for this. Edit: There is, or can be, something in IP.Board called 'Edit grace period.' Not knowing the commercial model of IP.Board, I don't know if this is a (part of a) module, or part of the base implementation. Regardless, it is a 'nice to have' and certainly not a major functional issue!

I would like agents, being paid to sell a property, to put a price on it. As a potential buyer it is enormously frustrating but I can see some reason behind it... They want to achieve the best sale price possible and in a volatile (although upwards moving) market that could be difficult to quantify. (There is self-interest on the part of the agent here too as they'll make more commission from a higher sale price.) But to be unable to offer a seller (see Jon's post above) a valuation... Staggering. Curious that they would ask for the RV as we've so often been told the council valuations have no bearing on the market value of a property. We were told this before the revaluations ("new council values will be much higher and we're marketing the property accordingly") and since revaluation, that's been maintained ("the property was undervalued by the council"). When a value has been indicated at all, of course. Not all agents make a lot of money. And not all agents are as bad as perhaps I painted them earlier: we have met some good ones, including a few who have refused to represent a sale as the owner was unrealistic. My frustrations at property prices and selling/buying are my (our) own, and based on our circumstances. Sometimes I let those issues get to me: in particular, having owned a house for 20 years, being told I now need to buy a 'nice little starter home' doesn't sit well. In other bad news for buyers, Auckland average asking price rose to a new high of $789,581 in April. The wider New Zealand property market saw average prices rise to $521,729, an increase of 1.4% on the previous month and just over 9x the average NZ wage. (I suspect NZ-wide prices are slewed by prices and increases in Auckland.)

Real estate agents have become much worse recently. PBN, Tender, Auction are now the preferred method of pricing, with the motto 'let the market decide' being trotted out every time anyone asks why. The truth is, they either don't know, or can't be bothered. A less professional group of people I have rarely met - well-presented, but often incapable. The money they can make is quite frightening too.

The police (or at least the infringement bureau) have access to software that can probably clean that picture up and reveal the number plate. (They managed to read the plate on the 320d from an acute angle in fog when I couldn't make out any letters in the picture!)

Ta.

There's a house I pass on my way to drop Miss M at school - sold about two years ago for $2.2m. On the market again now, for $4.2m. Fantastic profit... If you had $2.2m to start with. (Land value increased in the last valuation from $1.475m to $3.575m. )

The first one appears to be from a 3-series E46 2.0 diesel.

It's something that has contributed to Mrs M considering the idea of driving a Skoda...

Any idea if they can swap? I've never had to look.

E30 PFL vs FL front lip What's the difference? Given they are specifically referred to, I guess either there is no interchangeability, or perhaps one model didn't have a front lip at all?

Highway 2 up the side of the harbour was closed yesterday afternoon - friends living in Upper Hutt (who would normally take the train - not running) stood on a bus for 4 hours during a scenic tour of Porirua, Paramata and the beauty of H58.

I think there was some lithium/air battery tech involved, too?

The Turkish-built Verso 1.6 D4-D has had a BMW engine for a couple of years, the same engine as used in the Mini Cooper. The rumours of a 4-cylinder diesel in the HIlux started in late 2013, but there have been plenty of others including a tie-up with Cummins.

If we're serious about this, it'd be nice if it can be done locally, especially if there are savings to be had too.

Don't think it is, but that may have changed. Last I saw it wasn't M5x compatible, or even 16v. It was originally designed for M20s but plans were to expand on that.