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Kiwi Kar Konundrums - Parky2 adventures so far


Parky

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Right, Mitsi done.  Oil filter put up a fight this time but just as I was swearing about which monkey tightened this up I realised it was me.  Oops.  Otherwise normal straightforward Pela change.

Must check the Pelas measurements though.  What appeared to be a whisker over three litres in the Pela was only two and a half litres in the Castrol bottle.  As a result I overfilled it a tad but not by much, not enough to worry about.  One done anyway with 173301 kms on the clock.  Be interesting to see if the 10/30 remains in the engine or makes its way past rings or seals.  If it stays where it is it would suggest the motor is in good fettle.  It didn’t seem to use any of the Ultraclean I put in 8000 kilometres ago.  I have a litre of the Nulon and the Ultraclean sitting about for top ups.  Next time I might just buy a litre of the Nulon and use the odds and sods for the change.

Started on the button and runs smoother and quieter.  Maybe a placebo effect but it does feel a little sprightlier.  We will keep an eye on it and get ready to do the Zuke tomorrow.

Next project is to fix the three rear window elements that don’t work- pretty important when it’s minus something outside and I have patients to attend to.  Conductive paint doesn’t seem to be a thing here but I have got some graphite which I can mix with a bit of glue to make my own dark grey conductive potion.  Gotta be more subtle than a silver blob on the window!

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Turns out that mixing graphite powder with acrylic paint works.  These are both things I possess!

If it works as well as I hope it does it means I will be able to write rude messages in my rear screen which I can make magically appear on frosty days.  Or just paint the entire window so it becomes one enormous heated rear window pad but that might kinda restrict rear vision and therefore defeat the object of the exercise....

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Zuke done.  Apart from catastrophic spillage of half a litre of filthy oil on the garage floor it was basically the same as last time.  

Cleaned up with newspaper, scrubbed with acetone, then sprinkled with washing powder and scrubbed it again with a brush to lather it up.  Hosed it out and hopefully once it’s dried it won’t be too noticeable.

Tell you what, kudos to the folk who have to clean up massive scale oil spills.  A pint was enough of a pain in the arse, just where would you start with thousands of barrels spread across a coastline?  Bloody nightmare

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Do androids dream of electric sheep?  This very question was posed by Philip K.Dick, a literary genius who never got taken seriously on account of his name.  I mean Philip, come on.....

I on the other hand dreamed of electric paint.  We started with some graphite powder and some acrylic paint.  As the rear window heater bars are grey in colour I thought I would try to get a near match.  So I made a grey acrylic mix rammed full of graphite powder.  Next up it was time to mask up the heated rear window and slap my patented electric paint on.  A brief dry and off with the masking tape.  And the result?

Disaster.  It didn’t stick!  I think it was too dry so I might have another go but this time try a “reasonable” amount of graphite powder as opposed to the “insane” amount I tried this time.  There could also have been contaminants on the glass, or maybe heated rear window elements just don’t like being painted?  It does work though, I saw a guy on the web make electric paint and acrylic/graphite is the way to go.  

Also nice to relive “Chernobyl” by spilling a bit and trying to convince your wife that she didn’t see graphite on the ground

 

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I don’t need them but a trawl around Repco revealed these

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Note use of the words “This product fits your vehicle”.  At the equivalent of 50p each I wasn’t saying no.  So as I was going to Rangiora I thought I would take $4 in coins and visit the nice man at Repco.  And he was nice.  Nice enough to tell me they only had one in stock but Northlands had three on the shelves and so he is arranging for the other branch to ship them over to Rangiora for Tuesday morning.  

Of course I don’t have a plug spanner anywhere so I will probably have to make him feel better by getting one at the same time.  Or at least a plug socket.

They also have rear wheel cylinders for $5.  Silverline branded so Budget options and I would have done except again I don’t need them and there are two types for my car and i don’t know which I need.  In all honesty for something like that I prefer an actual brake part maker so should I actually need them in future i think I would rather go with TRW or similar.  

Experience so far suggests that Supercheap is like Halfords In that the prices and range are good.  Repco is a little more expensive but the staff there tend to be car people.  I would never expect to have a chat about ATF Brands with a 19 year old girl in Thurrock Halfords

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3 hours ago, Parky said:

Experience so far suggests that Supercheap is like Halfords In that the prices and range are good.  Repco is a little more expensive but the staff there tend to be car people.  I would never expect to have a chat about ATF Brands with a 19 year old girl in Thurrock Halford

I would concur, Repco is definitely more oriented towards people who actually know what they are doing under the bonnet.

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Washed it and applied some strategic polish (I.e couldn’t be arsed to do all of it) And pulled a little of the oil out.  Still over a bit.  Might have another try Friday.

One thing I have noted is the squealy fan belt when cold with ancillaries switched on.  Today I realised this might be because the belt is split in two lengthways and it’s right at the end of its adjustment.  It was obviously on its way out before I bought it and the seller whacked it up as tight as they could and wanted some silicon on it or something.  Seriously I half expected Howard Carter to emerge from behind the crank pulley it’s so crusty.

Easy enough job - Repco list a Dayco part at $48 (!!!!) whereas Supercheap have a no name brand at $14.  Interestingly two different lengths apparently fit mine - 865 or 870mm.  I went with the longer one.  Sometimes buying bits is like choosing which holy grail to drink from.  I half expect a wizened man to emerge from behind the Wheeltrims to say “He chose........poorly”

Should do the power steering belt as well but two options for that are 940mm or 1070mm.  Pretty sure it’s the shorter option but it’s in OK shape and I can change it separately later if it looks shonky.

Also enjoyed the haunted tyre again.  Didn’t mention it but one day I fitted trims and half an hour later had a flat.  Pumped the tyre up and it never happened again.  Today the same tyre was 6psi higher than it was last week.  I wonder if it’s something to do with the old man who owns the deserted amusement arcade???

 

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Anyhoo, this thread is nothing without pics so here is Mitzi Kaput as she sits today.  I have attached a vid too, not because I want to do a walk around but because there was an excellent bird singing and I liked it, that’s all.

Passenger door badly let’s it down.  Some DIY paintless dent removal YouTubing is called for

 

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Saw one of these today in Rangiora, a Mirage Modarc.  It’s like a Japan market Clio Baccara or Mirage Vanden Plas if you will.  Needless to say I want it.  Or at least a second hand Rover 25 grille, some nails, wood effect vinyl wrap and a gallon of BRG tractor paint.

Bizarrely the girl in this looks exactly like my ex and that Cat looks very much like my current cat.  The kid at the end looks like my son.  It’s like 30 seconds of Kanji based Parky Parallel Universe and is in no way related to having finished work at midnight while off my noggin on Prednisone.  What’s the Cat doing in some out of town designer village?  Picking up some cheap Jeans or something?  Normally he shops online.  Why is my son smiling at my ex nicking our cat?  And what is that awful music?

 

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Genuine wheels are unobtanium but Mini R50 wheels are a perfect fit!  Just need to get some minilight lookalike ones of the bay, some 50mm Mitsubishi wheel stickers and a can of silver paint and we can set off on our quest to Modarc.  

“Yeah alright Dad.....no, fine.....no all good......anyway I know you are shit with computers but can you just set up an ebay account, buy these wheels yeah, have them delivered to you, make up a crate, arrange for a shipping agent to collect and sort out all the duties and shit.  Actually you might as well chuck in some discs, pads, oil filters, a passenger door in Iris Blue.....oh and some green tractor paint.  Come on, chop chop, Modarcs to replicate. Yeah see ya, cheers”

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There were activities....

Number One.  I couldn’t resist it.  I like a bargain and when presented by Repco clearing out old stock, the prospect of new brake cylinders for five bucks was irresistible.  I don’t need them of course,  There were also two slightly differing types for my car so rather than run the risk of getting the wrong type I bought both.  

Number Two.  The fan belt was also replaced at last.  All week I have been enduring steadily worsening belt slippage and it was a mere matter of time before it went pop.  Generally straightforward enough apart from the inevitable inaccessible bolt which became much more accessible once the correct tool was found.  Just in time too, bits of it were fraying off and with it split in two it’s days were numbered and short.  A nice new Mitsuboshi one went on.  It was cheap, rubbery, and one piece.  Choice bro.  Sounds much quieter and I look forward to using my heated rear window without waking the whole street.
 

 

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Bloody belt screaming it’s tits off tonight in the Covid car park. Bad enough having the most embarrassing car yet alone he one that also draws attention to itself.  It’s obviously just stretched a little as it settled in so a couple of turns on the adjuster tomorrow methinks.

The Director there asked me to apply for the site manager role running the place day to day.  Might give it a shot.  Tonight we immunised another 1200 folk with Soros juice and I get jab number two tomorrow making me about as protected as I can be.  I seem to be quite good at reassuring people and dealing with twunts.  Just the right degree of empathy with an undercurrent of confirming I have their residential address should I or my friend Danny need to discuss this further.....

Latest Repco bargains -

73c rotor arm

$3.50 oil filter

$11 air filter

$22 rocker cover gasket

$24 CV joint

The filters and rotor are unobtanium but I reckon they will be back.  Those cheap sparks I got for 93c have just reappeared for 64c.  Gah, I got ripped off!!!  I paid 45p for a Champion plug when I could have paid 32p.  Bloody rip off...

All I want now is new discs, pads, rear shoes, dizzy cap, rotor arm, rear shocks, 14” wheels with brand new rubber and upgraded speakers on clearance for $33 all in. Or less if possible
 

Will review Supercheap too in case they have owt worth buying.  

 

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I AM DOUBLED JABBED.  JUST CALL ME THE PFIZER CHIEF

Bit of a bonus working at the Covid shop.  We get free samples.  No headache, body aches or anything and my vaccinator was fit Rachael.  Good day today, very smooth from start to finish and 1200 more Kiwis now enjoy a little more protection now.  I also got asked to interview for the site manager job there and then with no prep or job spec and it was alright.  About as alright as it could have been for no notice.  Shame it’s only a six month gig, I really like it there.  I was on departures tonight which involves shouting out lots of names to get them out.  Quite good fun getting around Korean, Samoan, Maori, Sri Lankan and Balkan names in the same breath.  I got the Samoan bang on but my Maori needs work....

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OMG.  Dunno what the second jab hangover was like for the AstraZeneca but the Pfizer ain’t much fun.   

Today we jabbed 1199 people with batch FF4222.  I have written that number at least 300 times today on peoples vaccine cards.  I don’t know why it stuck but I think it looks like the Product code for a Ferguson four wheel drive unit for a Jensen Interceptor.  Two collapses, both pre jab from people who are scared of needles.  That is far more common than negative reactions.  

Car wise I bump started a nurses Yaris which had a flat in the car park.  Why does nobody know how to do a bump start any more?  Can’t be a bad idea to add it to the driving test?  The Mitsi also had its belt nipped up a tad and the squeal is gone which is nice.  

Ran it’s first full tank of fuel through it and managed 633 kilometres.  Light wasn’t on but imminent so maybe we can say 660 kms maximum range on.  Oddly the web suggests the tank is 47 litres but mine seems to be 35l.  Maybe different for Japan?  Or smaller for the 1300?  Seems odd.  Anyway, it did 410 miles on 7.7 gallons making 53mpg.  That seems uncommonly good.  If it has got a 47l tank, that means 10.1 gallons of fuel lasted 410 miles giving a whisker over 40 mpg.  Low traffic and a maximum speed of 62mpg undoubtedly helping there but still perfectly acceptable figures for a 23 year old car.
 

 

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Brimmed it again tonight.  I wasn’t far off empty and it took 35l.  It’s definitely not 47l because there is no way the final mark on the gauge still has 12 litres in the tank.  So I reset the trip and we’ll see how far we get before we hit the final mark.  It won’t be scientifically accurate but it should be accurate to a couple of mpg.

Luckily most of my driving is 100kph steady cruising so optimal for economy.  I am going to run through this current tank of 91 octane (standard here) and then repeat with a tank of 95 to see if it makes any difference to performance and economy.  The engine doesn’t appear to have a sophisticated engine management system so I don’t know if any knock sensors will make allowances for better quality juice.

Going to have to start cataloguing some of the mad shite we have here.  Incredibly I saw a near concours Renault 11 this afternoon - Christ knows how the owner is keeping that running, parts aren’t exactly common!  Platz’s are common (Yaris saloon) and I saw a Honda Fit Shuttle - the Fit is a Japan market Jazz and the shuttle is a stretched version.  If you think it sounds like a poor looker, be grateful you didn’t see it.  My eyes still itch.

All manner of boxy Nissans, Suzuki’s I have never heard of, a vast array of Toyotas that must have been short run specials for Japan and some really, really dull boxy cars that look like background furniture in a mid nineties PlayStation game.

Might also do a Lacquer Peel special.  As folk here aren’t too bothered by cars as status symbols they tend not to worry about repairing every dent or flaw.  When the lacquer goes, it’s just one of those things and hundreds of dollars on resprays is not part of their thinking.  Leads to some pretty fucked looking cars!

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Well was in town for an interview (two hours!) and planned to do some snapping but it was pissing down and I was pretty headfucked after.  So no J-Tin for you yet.  

Popping to the Supermarket in a bit so will see if there is any shite worth reporting on.  Bound to be

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All the clearance parts pretty much sold out.  Not that I need any although some cheap oil filters, a rocker gasket  and a dizzy cap wouldn’t go to waste

https://www.repco.co.nz/en/search/vehicles?q=vehicleid%3Aprice_COUNTRY-TIER_2-asc&page=0

Anyway more shite advertising.  Note the happy folk ticking the little boxes, well I do that too.    Bear in mind they are Australian and therefore physically perfect which is where any similarity ends.  

My box says “Still an uncomfortable old shitebox?” and the next one says “starts on the button and sounds silky smooth?” and I get to tick both.  A third one says “Oooh, is that Josie by Steely Dan?” and I don’t get to tick that one because for some reason the car always blasts out Pickney Girl first thing...

 

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On 7/17/2021 at 9:34 AM, Parky said:

Do androids dream of electric sheep?  This very question was posed by Philip K.Dick, a literary genius who never got taken seriously on account of his name.  I mean Philip, come on.....

I on the other hand dreamed of electric paint.  We started with some graphite powder and some acrylic paint.  As the rear window heater bars are grey in colour I thought I would try to get a near match.  So I made a grey acrylic mix rammed full of graphite powder.  Next up it was time to mask up the heated rear window and slap my patented electric paint on.  A brief dry and off with the masking tape.  And the result?

Disaster.  It didn’t stick!  I think it was too dry so I might have another go but this time try a “reasonable” amount of graphite powder as opposed to the “insane” amount I tried this time.  There could also have been contaminants on the glass, or maybe heated rear window elements just don’t like being painted?  It does work though, I saw a guy on the web make electric paint and acrylic/graphite is the way to go.  

Also nice to relive “Chernobyl” by spilling a bit and trying to convince your wife that she didn’t see graphite on the ground

 

57B87218-317F-4D59-AC7C-7AB2B99F2531.jpeg
 

86CF6A7A-4352-4B06-BA43-53C9E2E3D635.jpeg

Only seeing this now but you can actually buy stuff for exactly this purpose. I did but havent used it yet, it better be working!

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Just had a thought.  You know I mentioned the wheels are too small and the speedo is over reading?

That will mean the tachometer is also over reading so it is recording more mileage than it is actually travelling.  So if I drive at a true 100kmh for an hour and the speedo is showing 110kmh, the tacho will record 110kms travelled. This means my fuel economy test is wrong, possibly 10% optimistic.  So let’s assume we are probably averaging closer to 47mpg for the moment.

Got to get bigger wheels or higher profile tyres.  It seems the 165/80/13 options are mainly van or trailer tyres and not really ideal for cars.  In the U.K. I can get some decent options in that size but there are few here.  Not sure I want to spend $106 on Firemax tyres.  I can get Goodyear Duraplus for $100 after discount but they have terrible reviews.

The car was originally supplied with 155/80/13’s.  I gain the correct rolling radius but lose tyre width and potentially some grip.  Plus they aren’t that cheap really.  That said I can get Marshal (basically Kumho Solus tyres from ten years ago) for around $80.

Anton from the local tyre place reckons 175/70/13 might be a decent trade off as that gains me more width and surprisingly a bit more diameter.  A couple of Dunlop options are currently on special - SP Sport at $72 and SP Touring at $57 which are both tempting.  Still light on diameter though.

current tyre circumference - 1763 mm

original size tyres - 1817 mm

175/70 tyres - 1807 mm

So Anton may be correct.  I will still have a little less circumference but 10 mm is going to matter less than 54 mm.  Plus they will fill the arches a little better, be wider, gain a little ride height and are cheaper so it’s basically a decent compromise.  Speedo should be a little bit more honest too.  

Of course Anton doesn’t supply these, he only does Laufenn and HiFly and is more expensive than Hyperdrive.  Might just have to ask him nicely if we will fit some I supply myself.  He’s a grumpy bastard so might ask someone else!

Anyway in more exciting news the local Cinema (think small barn) is showing The Italian Job on Saturday so off to buy tickets.  Not sure how busy it will be but can guarantee I will be the only one mouthing all the words.

Pretty Car!!!

 

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No, they were all generally that bad from the smaller manufacturers.  Mitsi and similar just didn’t have the budget of the major players, especially here in NZ where the importer wasn’t necessarily a major conglomerate with a mega budget.  Can you imagine Ford UK making something this bad?  They could afford Brian May!  No way the guy shipping in Mirages here would be able to afford either off the Finn Brothers (there aren’t any other musicians here).

Tomorrow I have to make a big decision.  As the two finance jobs I went for haven’t come back to me yet I now face having to turn down a full time management Covid job and risk not getting either of the financial roles.  No idea what to do as I know I could end up with nothing - if I turn Covid down you can bet I won’t be given any more shifts as a casual, and if the two finance ones say no after all I am back at square one.  Again.....

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On 8/9/2021 at 11:05 AM, GrumpiusMaximus said:

Were all 90s TV adverts as bad as those ones or was that just an NZ thing?

With that said, I've just remembered a 90s advert for a local Hyundai dealer that was on regional cable.  Can't find it on YouTube but it made those Mirage adverts look like Oscar-winners.

Both are  AUSTRALIAN  ads  MATE 

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