Olaf

pics or it didn't happen! Are you still on Style 68's, or "something different"?

I used to go to New Plymouth for work, a bit. I really like NPL, the people are friendly, the weather's pretty good. It's a small provincial NZ town, with the attendant features. Took my family there last year for a long weekend; we liked it so much we're going back this year. there are some reasonable restaurants there. Car culture is big, though largely centred around rods, muscle cars, street machines, Americana, and Oz iron. Mike's Organic Brewery (past Waitara) is worth a visit, the beer is pretty darned good. Gowett Brewster Gallery - though small - is outstanding. One of NZ's best record stores - The Vinyl Countdown - is in New Plymouth. it's a bit pricey to fly in and out of, and a little too far from Wellington for a quick hoon. You've got twisty roads to drive in the country, fishing, surfing, and fresh air. brilliant! what industry takes you to New Plymouth? Energy? Dairy? Sheep? Transport? cheers Olaf

Pete, if you've not experienced them, consider http://europeanleathercare.co.nz in Petone. You can have them do the work on your leather, or buy their kit and do it yourself. with a few hours elbow grease, I had my volvo black leather seats looking nealy new. the Elephant leather preservative is amazing. HTH. They do different kits to match the colour of your leather. Firmly recommended.

NZ New, 2 owners, V8 Sportpac, 100kms.... $17k. http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-1046650527.htm looks tidy, sounds well looked after. Not an M-Sport, and higher K's.... still, 100 kms for 14 years old, it qualifies as low k's. It'd be $13-15k all day long, given the number on the market, and the comparative age and unattractiveness of V8s for most punters. I rest my case.

indeed, good result. what they really meant was "we're not going to try and extract monies from you.... becuase we haven't a leg to stand on, our client is irrational, and you're a consistent and articulate witness.". They (try to) make it sound as though they're a court. "hold you liable" ha! Pull the other one... 500 times. ahhhh, that's better. cheers Olaf

sounds like a top idea, just pitch in and organise one mate. welcome aboard to both! The good thing about a saturday local meet is it can be less of an impact to the family routine...

jeez if it's for looks surely they shoud be 'good looks'. ? these folks are tomorrow's Darwin awards winners, pure and simple. Just because you "can haz stance" doesn't mean you should.

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?!