Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

Who said I'd bought it new?

And if I didn't need it this weekend, I sure as heck would have just bought it from Del City. :p

Unfortunately, my transmission choices for the car are a Toyota manual (which isn't going to happen because the Aussies that make the conversion kit are twats and can't be bothered to ship the proper parts or answer emails or phone calls), a GM manual (already did that, didn't work out very well), or a GM automatic. Or going back with a rebuilt Borg-Warner Model 66, which is a fail-level copy of the Ford FMX transmission, in and of itself made of fail; a rebuilt M66 usually lasts about 20-50,000 miles and then you have to go find another one as then they are unrebuildable. And there are no more "new" or factory remanufactured ones left.

The capitalist choice is the get the best alternative for the best price, which unfortunately means the 700R4.
 
The capitalist choice is the get the best alternative for the best price, which unfortunately means the 700R4.

You have the option of getting a custom bellhousing (adapter) made and fitting a richmond 6 speed or one of those high quality Mercedes automatics :lol:
 
Yeah... one of those Mercedes automatics that costs a buttload in the first place and has reliability issues? No.

Besides which, they're computer controlled and adapting a computer to do that would cost more than four times what the car is worth.

And Richmond 6 speeds? No, there's not enough room on the console.
 
Yeah... one of those Mercedes automatics that costs a buttload in the first place and has reliability issues?

reliability issues? :p that's putting it a bit mildly... when the Mercedes ain't rusting away, they come with gaerboxes so horrible, i'm surprised it ain't been on the news yet, having murdered pedestrians.

the worst one i encountered was in a CLK, when i put it in drive, i had 2 seconds to press the throttle, or it went back into neutral, the owner had been to a Mercedes delearship with it, they claimed it was supposed to be like that.

Now, imagine you have an electric gate, which is located uphill, as you turn off, there is a sidewalk behind you, you drive in with your shiney new CLK, stop infront of the gate and wait for it to open, so you put your foot on the brake, look in the mirror as a sexy woman walks behind your car, the gate is open, so yo decide to be manly! and hit full throttle to show off as you drive in!
Only Mercedes thought that a gearbox going into neutral by itself was awesome, so as you take your foot of the brake and give full throttle, all that happens is that you revv your car while you go backwards and hit the poor pedestrian.

Good job Mercedes! not only do your brand new cars rust like hell, your gearboxes are also a potential danger!

</rant>

i work at a paintshop, so we get in a "few" mercedeses, all newer than 2000, and rusty.
 
I used fog lights for the first time ever, today.

Partly because the fog was unbelievably thick (which is rare, here), and partly because the fog lights have a really obscure ritual to turning them on (involving 3 hidden switches, a gesture and sacrificing your first-born). I even had to look up the manual to find them.
 
^ And did you find them useful?

We get pretty thick fog here sometimes, and they are near useless. In fact, the more light the worse it is. I tend to turn off the HIDs and just use my low beam.
 
^ And did you find them useful?

We get pretty thick fog here sometimes, and they are near useless. In fact, the more light the worse it is. I tend to turn off the HIDs and just use my low beam.

I find them pretty useless too. They are more for looks than practical use.
 
Whenever we get fog here, everyone uses hazards, so it's like one second, you see everyone and then blank, and then everyone and then blank, it's like blinking slowly while driving and it's bloody off nerving.

I never found fog lights useful anyway, they don't clear fog and my regular beams reflect off what needs to be reflected off.
 
I don't know why, but my friends p.o.s toyota pisses me off immensely. It's fun but its an eyesore...

I'm tired of my yard looking like a herd of buffalo tromped through it. <_<

this little half-a-vehicle THING they call a project is too much trouble.

Do you think I could get away with dismantling the engine (cos it has no hood) overnight and setting the seats on fire? :p
 
^ And did you find them useful?

We get pretty thick fog here sometimes, and they are near useless. In fact, the more light the worse it is. I tend to turn off the HIDs and just use my low beam.

I didn't find them a huge improvement, but it was much easier to notice cars coming in the opposite direction.

On the last stretch of my drive home I had the high beams on, and those did help (there weren't any oncoming cars). Probably a bit naughty of me though.
 
I didn't find them a huge improvement, but it was much easier to notice cars coming in the opposite direction.

On the last stretch of my drive home I had the high beams on, and those did help (there weren't any oncoming cars). Probably a bit naughty of me though.

I guess the fog wasn't that thick then... in really thick fog high beams just make it look like there's a white wall in front of you.

I think yellow fog lamps are probably more useful, but most cars including mine have clears.


Out of curiosity, do you guys have daytime running lights in Europe? DRLs are required in United Provinces of Canada.
 
I guess the fog wasn't that thick then... in really thick fog high beams just make it look like there's a white wall in front of you.

I think yellow fog lamps are probably more useful, but most cars including mine have clears.


Out of curiosity, do you guys have daytime running lights in Europe? DRLs are required in United Provinces of Canada.

Austria mandated front lights on at all times for a little while, and liked to fine Germans driving through for muchos dineros, but they got rid of it after a while again.
 
Out of curiosity, do you guys have daytime running lights in Europe? DRLs are required in United Provinces of Canada.

They exist - the old family Volvo had them because (I believe) it's obligatory in Sweden - but it's not the case in the UK.
 
Here, the lights are compulsory at all times too. It's up to you whether you have DRLs or use the low beams. I like it, I've always been using the lights ever since I got my licence, even before it was compulsory. It makes it easier to determine the distance and speed of the oncoming traffic and all. The Germans are terrible when it comes to their attitude to using any kind of lights. Lots of them turn the low beams on only when they can already see shit and flash the high beams at you when you don't turn the fog lights off immediately as the fog gets a bit less dense.
 
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