Olaf

hey Francois, how's it coming along? Are you going to make Beach Hop with this awesome project? I trust it's all coming together for you. cheers Olaf

I've had two sets of KYB. The first in a VW GTi A2 16v. They lasted less than two years. Although they were stiffer and worked better than the flogged-out originals (115k miles), they just couldn't hack the pace. Standard springs, wheels, tyres. They died. Replacing them with Boge Turbo was a revelation. The second was on a NIssan Maxima. Replaced the original Nissan oil shocks with KYB gas shocks. Sharpened up the handling, made for a more sporty ride. Good value for money. They lasted fine over five years on the car, and were working fine when I sold it. For your e28, I think your focus of getting it going and on the road is an excellent one. When it's time for shocks, you might consider Sachs, Bilstein, or perhaps Meyle (at the budget end)? HTH

if it helps, back when I ran an e30 325i it had two 'interesting' issues. mileage was around 130k miles. I'd already replaced dizzy cap, fuel filter, leads, plugs, oil and air filters. 1. Hot start frequently wouldn't start. Cranked over fine, but wouldn't catch. 2. Sometimes it would have a massive miss/hiccup (like a sneeze)... different gears, different speeds, roughly similar engine speeds. (like a 2nd to 3rd gear change when letting the clutch out, or at 80mph cruising in 5th... I had a couple of RAC callouts, they couldn't figure it. Solved by replacing fuel pump relay, and the DME relay. At that point the car was 13 years old. I think these two items are often overlooked; the contacts in the relays oxidise over time. You could crack em open and burnish them, though given the price of new ones, just replacing makes sense. HTH

I think Aotea is the same, Paul. It's kinda sad we don't seem to have those coin-operated 'wash-it-yerself' places down here like they do in Auckland. Or is there something I'm missing, and Vellingtonians can 'show me the way'? Top Tip: The 'green' way to get a half-decent job at a carwash is to use the Caltex touchless carwashes, no brushes, all spray, and they recycle the water too. cheers

"wrong"? That's a very strong opinion! Simply, insurance is business. The client pays some money to cover risk of loss. The company accepts fees as 'premiums', accepting the risk. They have super statistics known as actuarial tables to help them assess the risk. They're not in the business of judgement as to whether or not the car is maintained above and beyond WoF standard. They don't view folks operating their cars dispassionately as 'bad people'. It's simply a numbers game. Re N54 & N55, of course the e92's electric water pump is not an 'extra' item; it's just another added-complexity maintenance item that one needs to get ahead of. If you were planning on running an e92 on break-fix rather than planned/preventative maintenance, I predict there will be tears before bedtime. cheers Olaf

nothing wrong with ludicrous, mate. but what's the intended use (of your e30 project); road fun? track weapon? crossover?

PS - isn't it odd, using a water blaster will usually produce less runoff, and use less water, than washing with a conventional hose!

according to chemical guys, of their snow foam soaps: "All Chemical Guys products are biodegradable and VOC compliant. They contain no volatile chemicals, and they dilute and break down when mixed with water." I can imagine the neighbours though... the FIGJAM assumption that I'd not have done my homework before dumping my nasty car chemicals into the stormwater drains, which of course in turn runs to the sea. They're probably driving a Prius and burning tanalised fenceposts in their woodturners. #; ) Are you in a suburb that drains to the basin in Porirua, Neal? Genuine concerns there, understandably.

point already made. I agree with Ron's argument about 'tech' - though all the tech in the world isn't worth much if the way it's wrapped together is not the equal - in practice - to a simpler solution. I'll wait and see how well these new updated tractors are #; ) You won't see me bagging the LS, that's for sure. Meanwhile if I win Lotto this evening it's an e46 M3 and a 997 for me, thanks. And probably an X5 too. And probably some ohlins suspension for my wagon too!

come on mate, share! which product are you using?

looks beaut. might help for you to indicate where you are in the country!

the M10 was based on a formula 1 engine of the time, yeah? or was it the other way around. Anyway, don't let anyone tell you that selecting and building an engine based on the viability of trick rockers is a *bad idea*. #8 ) It sounds super, Graham! Are you building it as a fast road weapon, or a track day missile, or a racer?

it just looks like too much fun, eh! #8 )

A snow foam gun in action, yesterday

some keen folks use a SNOW FOAM gun on their water blaster, applying foam to loosen the dirt, leaving it for 5 mins or so, then hosing or blasting off with clear water, before washing by hand. I've been meaning to get a snowfoam gun for my blaster for some time... though as I have no garage, and live well above the road (Wellington Life eh), it's not been a big priority... can't generally be arsed setting up electricity, carrying down my water blaster, in addition to getting the hose down there and all the other paraphernalia. I have changed over to using a 'noodle' wash mitt and the two-bucket method. Though I bought a fancy Chemical Brothers mitt (I think), rather than a cheap $2 shop one. The wash noodle seems to be fairly gentle. HTH

I just tell them it's a very well-maintained example, and insure it at the top-end of their range. Going beyond that requires valuations.... and if you put your car as it is now on TradeMe, would it fetch top-market PLUS more for the good parts? Probably not; file under "sunk cost" and enjoy driving your well-maintained vehicle. HTH PS - you'd still have to do the same to an e92! as well as electrical water pump, right?

wow. they're purrrrdy. props!

so it needs trim and an airbag. Gotta be worth $125? So: are you selling this, or conducting a dutch auction?!

I think Ron's reasoning is sound. the 10% premium for low-use. The discussion could be bruising to your friendship. He could simply put it on trademe on a no-reserve auction from $15k and see where it goes, you can bid to win. That way he's got the lowest price the market is prepared to pay, and you've not 'put one over on him' with a low-ball offer. If he's brave, he could try $1 reserve... Ultimately it's only worth what someone's prepared to pay. If he's sure it's worth $30k, let him try. EDIT: If I had the dough sitting around, it'd probably be worth $17,500 of my money. My logic is that with 120k use (about 3-4 years of touring the country on top of the existing 37k) it'll be worth about $4-8k in the future market. I'd not want to lose much more than $10k in deprecation in addition to maintenance during my ownership, on this particular vehicle.

congratulations! yeah, tell us more, and start a project thread!

keep it up Francois, looking good.

a quick bit of googling revealed he had a November special "$115.00 incl gst LEAK TEST/REGAS and minor leaks repaired/compressor oil topped up**Work carried out at your home or work." so around the 120-150 mark maybe, without parts (if required)? Give him a call. What have you got to lose... besides those foggy windows and your sweaty brow? HTH

Hi Elijah, 225/45/17 was the size scored, there was a grab one promo at Principal Tyres in Kenepuru. They may be worth a shot when its time to score your black doughnuts. cheers

you can get Tony's Tyres trying to undersell a fly on the wall #8 )

I've driven vehicles without the clutch too #8 )