Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

Do you ever just think, F this and go to buy another bike?

It would appear, from some Googling, that you can't expect a Porsche to keep charge in it's battery for longer than a week. For actual real.

Two weeks, whilst on holiday - no chance.

The M5 was fun, I just need to get the owner to sell it to me for a price that works, and of course sell the Volvo, all before Christmas, and get the Porsche to the garage to fit this:

Excellent, what diameter is it?

not a million miles different to mine just less dish I guess

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I'll try and remember tomorrow :)

Cheers!

996 should manage better than a week!

My exhaust woes continue. After stripping threads in the head for the manifold stud, I got 8 out of 9 studs re-fitted (good enough), the sweet 4-2-1 FGK exhaust manifold fitted, and then went to join it to the new (to me) 2.25" bore aftermarket exhaust and the width between the bolts on the decat pipe are further apart than on the manifold.

For fuck's sake.

Anyone got any exhaust shop reccos in London? Otherwise I'm off to Flowtech in Chadwell Heath.

I had my Porsche on a solar battery topper-upper most of the time. It needed it.

The DB9 gets a proper plug-in job.

Bit silly when you spent that much isn't it?

To me? I think batteries can let anyone down tbh, I'll charge and potentially change this one, see where that gets me.

Potentially I could get a solar trickle charger, if those genuinely work.

Now- new cars, or rather old ones that are new to me:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201711231508795?model=5%20SERIES&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=New&make=BMW&minimum-badge-engine-size=4.0&radius=1500&postcode=se233un&advertising-location=at_cars&sort=sponsored&page=3

Am I correct in thinking that someone genuinely chose the SMG over the standard auto on this car?

Maybe I've been lucky. Our 2nd car is a shit heap Renault that get driven for a few miles every 2-3 weeks. Should be dead long ago but it just keeps on going

It's in for a mot tomorrow. Bet I jinxed it now

Subaru engine removal started in earnest tonight. Lots of gubins removed. Nothing broken so far.

Why?

I can see no reason that there would be an issue with a battery holding charge. Not as if there is a proximity sensor keeping the car powered up.

That's what it sounds like. Looks like a hell of a lot of car for 11 grand. What could possibly go wrong?
(Do SMG break catastrophically?)

I'm trying to sort out the massive amount of horrible noises my Micra makes starting with replacing belts, waterpump and CV joints. The waterpump is in the post, but the internet suggests that it will arrive sans gasket. Am I setting myself up for constant leaks if I reuse the old one? Apparently Nissan doesn't sell the gasket seperately...

don't use the old gasket - that is madness.

Yeah, a bit of extra Googling tells me it's just a paper gasket. I'll get the scissors out and go belts and braces with fresh paper and liquid gasket.

Yes they do, and very expensively (hydraulic pump), but they evolved over the years and may have sorted all this by 2007?

Has anybody installed a wifi reversing camera that transmits to iphone? Seems like a sensible solution as I have phone there for nav, but I want it to operate smoothly, pick up automatically when I select reverse, and not have to faff around connecting the phone every time. Might be better with a wired system?

Cool. Post some pics? Same goes for you @JesperXT !

Ah, similar to Audi dsg mechatronik failure? Either way, spendy.

You should write an app for that.

Must have been done, SHIRLEY?

That's what it sounds like. Looks like a hell of a lot of car for 11 grand. What could possibly go wrong?

(Do SMG break catastrophically?)

The pump thing has in general been fixed by now, what's left is the ~50,000 mile life of the clutch, which is £3,500 to replace.

The 550i was available with a proper automatic, which just works - if the M5 Touring had had such an option in the UK (it did in the US) then it would have a much better rep.

I'll accept the SMG in an M5, in a car that had another option - not so much.