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Kees

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Posts posted by Kees

  2. Posted · Edited by Kees · Report reply

    Since I got my Manual W8 Passat, the rooted wheels have really annoyed me. Went to wheel-fix it to see how much it would be to give them a refurb. The polished lips were oxidised and decently curbed, and the painted centres were bubbling. To have the wheels properly sorted they would need to be chemically stripped and painted which would cost around $3K.... 

    Plus I was still on the hunt for new tyres. 

     

    Came across an NZ New, Auto W8 Passat, with much tidier wheels, wrapped in RE003s, and in the same colour as the manual! So I made the unique decision to buy it just for the wheels. 

    Is actually quite a well kept car with a service book which is completely full. Was dealer serviced until around 2015 and judging by the RE003s (which are now on the manual one), it had been pampered more than most W8s. 

    Got quite a few looks on the drive home. Not sure how many times in human history, two silver W8s have been cruising together! 

    Driving the pair back to back is very interesting. The auto is nice enough on the motorway but feels pretty sluggish around town. Manual transmission really transforms the car in my opinion. Also, driving them both home from Hamilton, the 6-speed manual got 9.1L/100km whereas the 5-speed Auto said it got 10.4L/100km. 

     

    But anyway, having owned it approximately 24 hours and having swapped the wheels, the auto is up for sale!

    Would make a great tow car, long distance cruiser or winter beater.

    Has the rare leather and alcantara Recaro bucket seats which are electric and heated. Also has a factory VW tow bar and probably is one of the tidiest W8s left. 

    Have no use for the car so its now on trademe if anyone wants it. Can do a decent deal for Bimmersporters, although I doubt anyone would want it 🤣

    Depending on how long it takes to sell I will probably get bored and start taking more bits off it to swap with the manual one. 

    https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/volkswagen/listing/3556110221?bof=6Myl2HdR

     

     

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    • Like 4

  3. Posted · Edited by Kees · Report reply

    4 hours ago, Sammo said:

    Yeah worth a go maybe - I know there were some recent(?) changes with them to stop stalkers / thieves to use the for tracking people unknowingly but could be hidden easily and battery lasts a year or so?

    I think I’m going to get a couple air tags for my cars since they are fairly inexpensive. Look like they work decently well and it would be nice to have the system integrate seamlessly with my phone and computer.
     

    However, have heard they can notify unfamiliar Apple devices that they are being tracked. My mate left his airtag he has with his keys in a mate’s car and his mate got a notification saying a foreign airtag unfamiliar to his phone could be tracking him.

    Could be problematic if the thieves have an Apple product (which lets be honest is quite likely seeing how popular iPhones are) as after a while they will know they are being tracked. 

     

    • Like 2

  5. Posted · Edited by Kees · Report reply

    17 hours ago, topnotchrally said:

    From CarJam... what's up with this? Why so many dealers?

    Ownership History

    8 owners in New Zealand (3 owners excluding dealers)

    Is a bit strange its been to 5 dealers, but I guess spread over 3 private owners its not too bad. Could have gone for example: BMW dealer, first owner, dealer who does a dealer trade with another dealer, second owner, dealer, third owner. 

    May also be a carjam error. 

     

    From memory I think that one was sold from Tradein Post in Greenlane at some point. 

    Was a thread on this car in the past too:

    (wonder if it was with its original owner until 2016 as the car looks to be in a fairly prestigious driveway indicative of someone who bought it new) 

     

    Photos showing car was from Tradein Post:

     

  8. Posted · Report reply

    2 minutes ago, topnotchrally said:

    Let's analyze this some. He (presumably) couldn't sell if for 40k two years ago, so what now? He won't sell it for $55k?  What has been gained? Ok, the value of the car has definitely risen, and it can definitely be sold for $40k-$45k today but I think he's still a bit 'ahead of the market', price wise.

    Honestly I think he will get 50K+ for it. Higher ks than the first two blue ones which were snapped up for presumably $40K and $50-55K respectively, however it looks to be in better cosmetic condition and is an arguably more desirable spec. 

    I guess the only issue is how many people are realistically looking for an E39 M5, considering there have been 4 total for sale in just over a month? If someone really wanted one they probably snapped up either of the first two. 

    That said, if I could afford it, I would buy it. Love the spec, and it has original plates!!! 

    In my personal opinion, this may be controversial but I think E39 M5s will be 100K+ in the next 5 years. Rare in NZ, NA V8, 400hp, RWD, with a manual. Can't beat it! 

    • Like 1

  9. Posted · Edited by Kees · Report reply

    14 minutes ago, HachiDog said:

    I am considering this M6 and was wondering if anyone on here knows its NZ history. The sales guy doesn’t really know anything apart from its a UK import a few years ago.. I think its had a remap as its way louder than a M5 comp I was in and the backfires are terrifying families and all animals.. Bonnet is out of alignment a little as well …. Great colour though.

     

    https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/m6/listing/3508274585

     

     

    Was for sale in 2019. Such an incredible spec. 

    The colour is an Individual Colour of BMW Laguna Seca Blue, meaning the colour was a special order and not a standard M6 colour. Is really highly spec'd. Best M6 on the market in my opinion. 

    Here are the details from that listing:

     

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  10. Posted · Report reply

    5 minutes ago, jon dee said:

    https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/audi/a8/listing/3540075340?bof=7KAtLON5 

    Seems like it should sell for at least $6-7k.... anyone know how you get to Milton ? :D 

    Cheers...

    Bargain!

    Body is all aluminium so the scrap value is close to 2K just for the body. 

    Air suspension components also worth a decent penny if in good condition. 

    Whoever got it can enjoy a luxury limo and then make more than they paid for it if something goes wrong. 

  11. Posted · Edited by Kees · Report reply

    2 hours ago, leonf said:

    Current ad on TM says the vendor has owned it for 5 years ------------- but the $40k ad above says it was for sale in Sept 2020.  It's now April 2022.  Something does not add up correctly.  (not that it really matters..........just sayin').

    Just checked my screen recording, is the same Trademe account, so must be the same owner. 

    Bet the seller is glad they didn't sell it for sub 40K! 

  13. Posted · Report reply

    3 minutes ago, balancerider said:

    We should really have the same rules as the UK in that regard @Kees - fine to change registration plate, but it returns to the plate it had on first registration once personalised plate is removed...

    Completely agree! Don't understand why a whole new plate has to be issued for the same car. 

    Only way to get around it in NZ is to make the original combination a euro plate prior to putting the Personalised Plate on as then you own the rights to the original combination, but obviously no one ever does this. 

     

  14. Posted · Report reply

    24 minutes ago, balancerider said:

    WInds me up that he put his 💩 personalised plate on for 3 months, previously on original 2 letter / 4 number plate.

    Saw that on the carjam and that really pissed me off. 

    I'm quite OCD with original plate combos on NZ New cars since its something you cannot get back once you put a dumb personalised plate on it. Makes me even more mad when the plate has been on there for years like with that M5. 

    Keeping the original combination really completes the car in my opinion. 

    My W8, e34 540i and 207 GTI all are on there original plates. I'm so OCD I actively look for cars with original plates and would pay a premium for it too. 

    • Like 2

  16. Posted · Report reply

    19 minutes ago, topnotchrally said:

    Price seems a bit optimistic on this one.. about $10k at least.  The other sold in days... I doubt this one will... 

    The others were bargains for their apparent condition, this one definitely looks to be a little rougher around the edges than the others. Also has the highest ks out of the 3. Also has the startup rattle that was noted by the second one for sale. 

    However, I reckon the seller will probably get more than the second one which was listed for 55K, simply because he can adjust his price if required. Someone will definitely want it. Still a tidy car overall. 

    Also, have the front seats been swapped for standard e39 seats? I thought all M5s had sports seats. Have never seen one with standard seats. 

    Standard seats an option?:

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    Under-tray seen better days

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    No floor mats 

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  19. Posted · Report reply

    3 hours ago, M3AN said:

    I'd recommend against that unless you're a solicitor. As Kyu suggested above, say the minimum you can whilst remaining polite, any extra commentary just provides another vector for discussion or dispute that can obfuscate the fact that you are not responsible.

    The absolute most I would offer is to waive your right to privacy with respect to the most recent inspection by Continental Audi (that you paid for). This would allow the new owner to discuss that service directly with them and dispute the quality of their work if he wanted to dig in. But that has nothing to do with you, you just need to get out of the way.

    Hopefully the buyer sees reason though and accepts the reality of the situation he's in, tough as that might be.

    I tried to write a polite response which I emailed to him. It consisted of two sections as I'm hoping it can act as a way to conclude contact.

    I first gave some advice on what I would do in regards to diagnosing the severity of the leak. I made sure to explicitly state it was my personal opinion and I am not a mechanic, and to seek proper advice and opinion from Audi. 

    I then reminded him of the service and inspection done the day before the deal was finalised. I stated I had no knowledge of the leak which is a fact he knows, I pointed to the fact Audi had inspected the car with no such leak noted, and concluded I do not accept responsibility for fixing the leak. 

    I tried to phrase things as professionally as possible. I'm currently a third year law student so I tried to be as careful as possible in how I explained everything. 

    Hoping the email I sent him can conclude contact, or at least allow for me to conclude it myself. I provided advice as to what he could hypothetically do in terms of sorting the car to a standard he is happy with, and confirmed where I feel my position stands on the matter. 

    Have not had a reply yet. 

    • Like 4

  20. Posted · Report reply

    14 minutes ago, aja540i said:

    Did you provide the purchaser with a written guarantee when you sold him the car?

    Nope, I don't think I would ever personally guarantee a vehicle I'm selling. 

    17 minutes ago, aja540i said:

    suggest he researches his rights under the consumer guarantees act

    Have written him an email explaining I claim no responsibility for repairing the oil leak, if he comes back aggressively, I might send him the relevant provisions of the CGA. 

    • Like 1

  22. Posted · Report reply

    9 minutes ago, qube said:

    and got it serviced (at your cost I assume).

    Yup, that was over $930 alone! 

    13 minutes ago, qube said:

    It is always buyers responsibility to do his own checks and not take your word or the audi's service report as the final word. If he decided to base his decision to buy on the information you provided him, that is his choice and also his consequence to face any potential issues down the line (1.5 months down the line).

    Yeah very true, I guess there's always risk when buying a used car, especially an older high spec European one, so the buyer has to mitigate their own risk how they see fit. 

    Any ideas on how I handle things when I speak to him next?

    Do I just explain it doesn't really seem fair for me considering I did everything he asked, and was transparent about the car so I shouldn't be held responsible for how the car is now. 

    • Like 1

  23. Posted · Report reply

    12 minutes ago, E28E30 said:

    that it feels “off” to be in your situation.

    Good point! Not really fair and does seem off to ring me demanding money for something I had no knowledge of existing. I'll try get him to understand my perspective:

    I had no knowledge of the leak. The car was serviced and inspected the day before sale and collection. The service information is in the 30 pages of info in the clear file. I told you about what was noted on Audi's inspection report. I got the car a WOF and a year rego as you requested prior to sale and it was inspected by Audi. I did everything you asked and was transparent through the whole process.  

    • Like 1

  24. Posted · Report reply

    10 minutes ago, M3AN said:

    Not an ideal situation but unless you're prepared to throw money at something you don't own, what are your options?

    Buying anything used comes with a degree of risk the buyer accepts, had the car blown up the day after you sold it it might be a different story (and you'd probably be having a chat to Continental Audi).

    I think you did everything you could before the sale, you have no obligation after the sale as long as you've been honest and it seems you have. Continental Audi effectively gave it a clean bill of health except for some minor items which a) you disclosed, b) the buyer accepted, and c) are reasonable for the age of the vehicle.

    As tough as it might seem this is a matter of caveat emptor, and in the ~45 days of ownership the buyer had ample opportunity to get a mechanical warranty and apparently chose not to.

    Yeah I think you summarised it perfectly. I genuinely feel I was very transparent with the car. The clear file I gave him was over 30 pages of information, receipts, etc on the car, including the receipt and report from Audi themselves, it was literally everything related to that car. And the thing is he knows I was very transparent with the car, because on the phone he was getting quite frustrated with me but when I reminded him that the car was inspected by Audi in the service the day before we did the deal he seemed to calm down. 

    He also mentioned the first place he took the car (I'm guessing yesterday) diagnosed the leak as somewhere else so in itself its not confidence inspiring that Audi have now diagnosed the crankshaft seals and probably given him a sizeable quote to rectify it. 

     

    How do you think I should progress, as he wants to hear back from me soon? I was thinking I should suggest to him getting the under-tray back on the car nice and clean, and then monitoring how much oil leaks onto it to gauge the severity of the leak. I'm hoping the leak is not very severe (which I'm guessing it isn't as you would smell burnt oil if its constantly dripping on the exhaust manifold), so that it shows him its not worth dropping the engine and gearbox for an oil leak like that. It may just be that the under-tray had 20,000+ km of oil leaking on it. 

    Like I feel bad he is unhappy but I was not hiding the oil leak from him as I didn't even know about it! And as you said, it's not my car anymore so it's not really fair I contribute to fix something like that.  

  25. Posted · Edited by Kees · Report reply

    So I just got the call I didn't want. 

    About a month ago I sold my NZ New 2006 Audi S8 with 119,000km. I think I was as transparent as possible with the car. It came with a clear file filled with all the work that was done to the car and why the work was done. 

    The day before money was transferred and the buyer took the car, I had the car serviced at Continental Audi so that it would be fresh and ready to go for the new owner.  

    Continental Audi also did their typical dealer inspection.

    They noted: 

    - Split CV boot 

    - Minor oil leak near alternator

    - Abnormal sound when opening the sunroof (just needed some lubrication)

    - Some damage to the engine under-tray cover (as expected with a car of this age)

     

    I was actually pretty impressed with the car as I thought that if the dealer was OCD enough to note the sunroof squeak, surely the car must be in decent order.  The buyer agreed and bought the car. 

    I felt good about the deal because I genuinely thought the car was a great car (which I still think), and I had been extremely transparent with the whole thing. 

    Fast forward about a month and a half to today, the buyer rings me saying over the weekend he was driving the car and the under-tray blew out on the motorway. He pulled over to put it in the boot and found it had oil on it. 

     

    He took the car to Hamilton Audi who have diagnosed the rear crank seals are leaking oil onto the exhaust manifold and eventually down to the under-tray. This is an engine and gearbox out to fix. Apparently there's a decent amount of dried oil on the under-tray and it drips onto the exhaust manifold. 

    However, this was never picked up on when it was serviced, it obviously never dropped a drip of oil when I owned the car, but most importantly; the car never smelt of burnt oil after driving it (which it would if its dripping heaps of oil on the exhaust manifold). If it is leaking badly onto the exhaust manifold he would have smelt it on the test drive, let alone the 1.5 months he's had the car. 

    My guess is its actually not too bad and theres just some built up grudge on the engine cover. 

    So what do you guys think I should do? I know that as a private seller I have no obligation to do anything but I do feel bad he is not happy with the car. 

    But on the same vein, I literally had the car serviced and inspected the day before collection, and it came with a clear file of literally every single thing I had done to the car and the reason for it. The car was also NZ New with a full Audi service history, with the lowest ks of any PFL D3 S8 on the market at the time, and I sold it for under $20K which I think was pretty fair. It also had near new dealer fitted Pirelli Pzeros, the front pads and rotors were like 2000km old, like everything was done.  

    Like at the end of the day its a 16 year old ultra-high spec European Limousine, I don't think its unreasonable it might have an oil leak. I'm sure most of us wouldn't be too unhappy that an old European car has an oil leak so long as its not pissing out oil, but the guy was really pissed off. 

    And for under $20K, I think its unreasonable to be furious at a 16 year old car leaking some oil. 

     

    Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

     

     

    • Like 2
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