AudiOn19s

might get lucky with the ground cable but starter is usually the weak link. Smokey just got done doing the starter in his E36...for that matter it must be starter season cause I just had to put one in the A4 last week too.

Honestly all you need is the diagnostic software for whatever vehicle you're going to get. You can get most of them for pretty reasonable money these days...esp VAG-COM if you get an Audi / VW product. STAR for the benz is the most spendy of them all though there are cheaper alternatives In my 13 years of owning ONLY european cars and maintaining my own stuff I've come across the need for a specialty tool twice.

I have a jaded view on alot of these charities, but Pelotonia is one I'll glady contribute to every single year.

My opinion...C Class Benz is built with budget in mind and quality suffers ALOT to hit a price point. This was worse in the early years of the c class but it's still not much better. Their E class and above models are still troublesome but better quality. Go A4 or 3 series if you want a small, luxury / sports sedan for a daily duties. My best friend has a C300...I told him not to buy it, that he'd hate it and within 2 months of buying the thing he was done with it. EVerything from a horribly creaky drivers seat, to fried wiring harness (multiple times) for the tail lights, etc. He is constantly having issues with the car. No car is without faults but I'd stay away from the small benz. **edit**...the flip side of the used euro sedan argument is that they are an absolute BARGAIN if you snag out outside of warranty and can do your own mechanical work. You can really buy a TON of car for the money. Source your parts through places like RockAuto instead of the dealer and parts aren't that expensive and if you do your own labor they aren't bad to maintain at all. Just do this with an A4 or 3 series not the C.

Kale, threw a little your way to help you out, sorry it wasn't more but we're supporting several people this year and have to spread around the love a little. Best of luck on the ride. Andy

Subframe was as much or more of a problem in E36 cars. It's a simple but labor intensive fix to reinforce that area. The bearing issue was for pre- 2003.5 cars and was addressed by a recall and bearing replacement. The replacement bearing had larger clearances that required 10w-60 oil. I've not followed them as closely over the last couple years but I don't remember any bearing related horror stories as of late. The lifters aren't an issue...they are a mainance item. I adjusted mine myself at 45k miles and only 4 were out of spec and only just E36 and e46 both have vanos units that will eventually make noise...when that happens rebuild the unit. E36 is a great platform, wonderful balance and feel but really underpowered by today's standards and the interior of the e46 is leaps and bounds better...dare I say the best BMW interior ever. I'm not a huge fan of what they have done with the newer interiors.

Yes but he then changed his mind and decided to keep it I believe.

True story: E46 M3 is the best car ever made. Reading this reminds me of how much I miss mine and how stupid I was to sell it in the first place.

We'll discuss more tonight. There's no harm in topping Z2 with a wax...however if you go back in the short term and try to put more Z2 on it won't bond. Generally speaking the car's appearance will take the look of whatever the top most layer is. Some of the natural products that use the term "Cleaner" in them have solvents in them that could remove the lower level of protection. Lots of people will put a sealant down as a base, wait a day or two and then top with a wax and continue to wax on a frequent basis. Best of both worlds that way I guess, protection of a sealant with the look of a wax. I moved away from Zaino stuff for awhile in my constant quest to not leave well enough alone. I've found some sealants that come really close to the look of a wax (Blackfire wet diamond) but they lack durability for a sealant. Zaino is spendy...but considering it's durability and life it's not horribly priced.

4 "caravan's" in 2 minutes of random traffic...what's with that?

I mean to post here the other day and got distractied. So....if you're happy with Zaino and it's current looks no reason to switch. It's one of the more durable products on the market and is an all around outstanding product. People's main complaint about the Zaino line (both Z2 and Z5) is that they tend to be very highly reflective and give up some of the depth that natural caranuba based products offer. Also...despite the fact I love their products I cannot stand their mis-use of the term "polish"...polish should be a product containing an abrasive yet Z2 and Z5 are both sealants and have no abrasive qualities to them. So...for the sake of this argument we'll call them sealants. So back to sealats vs. waxes. Sealants all tend to be a little more reflective, less deep but will have great durability. Natural caranuba based products contain more oils and tend to have a deeper , darker look than their synthetic counterparts. Downside to the natural products, esp on a black car that sits in the sun, is that their durability leaves ALOT to be dsired....we're talking a life of 6-8 weeks max in the summer. My favorite "show" wax that I always carry with me is a product called Pinnacle Souveran. It's hands down the deepest, darkest wax I've ever used. I pretty much guarantee you it lasts MAYBE 2-3 weeks in the summer on a black car. It's a beauty product, amazing for a quick coat before a show or meet or what not but it's not stellar at protection. So....if you want it to look it's absolute best...and don't mind re-applying a natural caranuba based product every 2, 4, maybe 8 weeks tops then give one a go. If you're happy with the looks of Zaino and who wouldn't be happy with it's protection and durability then stick with what you know.

Also Check out Royal American golf club up in Galena. We didn't get married in Ohio but had a second reception here for local family and friends and Royal american was a great venue and it didn't break the bank. Make wise choices surrounding alcohol (do a keg or two of beer as well as some simple wine selections) and you should be able to come in under your budget.

This...gear spacing is important. need to consider cost / benefit of how far past peak power you shift in comparison to where the next gear lands in both the power and torque curve.

no, it's because I'm smart

bed sold pending payment.

This...XS is $100 a tire but it's the cheapest "Sticky" tire out there. ...though my other suggestions would be Bridgestone RE-11's at $113 a tire or BFG Rival @ $114 a tire. The BFG Rival is the fastest sticky street tire out there right now. RE-11 will be the best if you have to drive in the wet. XS will be cheap and almost as good as the other two.

$35

Life size cardboard cutout http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q192/ZainoDetail/BF0B8D75-B9D1-43D4-9EE5-EC75A9A1A032-1459-000001B205C8C25E_zps8311dbce.jpg 4 Kellogg's corn flakes boxes. 2 six time champ boxes, 2 7 time champ boxes. One of the 6 time boxes is open with no cereal, the other 3 are unopened. http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q192/ZainoDetail/BE799624-EA52-4ACA-8877-49242D8CBABB-1459-000001B23F7B25AC_zps76f8d356.jpg http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q192/ZainoDetail/D9A8A963-1949-41DD-8360-0626A6A0BBFD-1459-000001B25F33173C_zps18eadd29.jpg Pocket knife in metal tin. No picture I need to dig it out $75 for all of it. I'll throw in a few NASCAR coffee table picture books for another $10

Philips 27" tube TV. Fully functional with remote. $50 http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q192/ZainoDetail/5F0EA33C-E2D8-4AC0-AEAE-1D20DE427F59-1459-000001B1F12D6928_zpsfc4a8dba.jpg http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q192/ZainoDetail/6041B69D-4D90-463C-971C-5FE80385B553-1459-000001B1FAB9E526_zps96793408.jpg **edit...bed sold** **edit...dog fountain gone** Shoe rack $10 http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q192/ZainoDetail/8199211C-25B1-4F34-BB24-94F08258FB73-1459-000001B21D842FCB_zpsee1fe24a.jpg UPDATE: Craftsman lawn mower: $50. 4.5hp basic unit. push yourself, only feature is it turns on and turns off. Don't have a bag for it. Blade hasn't been sharpened in a few years, new plug last season. Thing starts and runs every single time though and is dependable. Andy

I've added him to my short list of people to speak with. Thank you for the info.

does that mean he won't build smaller homes? My wife and I are in the process of building our next house right now so this is a timely thread. I'm lead to believe you can build a really nice home for ~$125 sq/ ft (on your own lot ) but I worry that many of these builders won't give me the time of day because I"m only looking to build a 2200-2500 sq ft. home. Despite my age we're basically looking to build an empty nester house...no kids, don't care about school district, we just need enough room for us and the toys.

No, thank you. Appreciate the kind words. Enjoy!

Who can I talk to about participating as an instructor? Just sign up and list my credentials?

yup

Car back together yet? How's the new clutch?