AudiOn19s

Car is looking good. ...missing door trim piece drives me nuts though. +1 for bricks in the trunk.

335xi vs. S5 is a tough one. Can't really go wrong with either. I think the interior is better on the S5 AND think the normally aspirated V8 would be a more solid choice for reliability than the TT inline 6. The 335's have all proven there's issues with fuel pumps, not a matter of if, just when it decides to go out and despite the fact that they make a solid product the reliability of the turbo setup on the BMW is uncharted territory since they haven't done a turbo gas car in quite some time. However. if I were comparing the S5 to anything it'd be the M3 not the 335. M3 isn't AWD though but out performs the S5 in nearly every aspect and would be my personal choice over both the 335 and S5. Then there's the E class benz. Our E55 has actually been suprisingly reliable. One air shock and a heater control valve have been the only issues in 2 years of ownership (car has just over 40k miles now). Some have had nightmares with the E55's reliability though. Plus they only made our supercharged version until '06 so finding a nice one is much more difficult. ''06 + The E63 is n/a and lacks the torque but makes up with more top end pull and no headaches from the supercharger. Still the same little gremlins and nightmare repair costs if something goes wrong. I think MB is the most expensive car to maintain on the market. The worst part about the E class is despite it's great power and luxury accomodations they just drive like crap. Feels like you're driving the fastest land barge in the world. Great if you want to sit back and relax and just go for a ride, horrible if you actually wanted to enjoy the driving aspect of being behind the wheel. But for 20+ miles per year maybe that's what you'd want. You hinted at it back a few posts...but what about a 997 C4S? AWD, coupe, entertaining to drive, suprising reliability, etc. The worst issues for the 911 is the potential for a leaky rear main seal. It's been a porsche issue since the inception of the M96 block in 1998. Some leak, some don't. Most leak a touch and never get repaired. Car runs off of timing chains and gears so internally they're basically maintenance free. Oil and filter changes and plugs at 60k miles and that's about it. There's even a suprising amount of cargo space in the front trunk area. You're not gonna load a flat screen in there or anything but we could get a full load of groceries in ours no problems. If you find a factory aero kit car they are dead sexy too!!! regular http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k43/rijowysock/Cars/Storage3.jpg aero kit http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4056/5147786472_8d9afd4a35_b.jpg

I have no clue how Rutlage Wood got seleted for this show. All I can think about is Speed NASCAR pre-race coverage when I see him...and he's not even funny in a NASCAR environment, not to mention this one. Tanner is a talent behind the wheel and they needed someone photogenic that at least has a clue what they're talking about for the show, but I agree he lacks personality. What ever happened to Adam Carola? He would have been the perfect fit. A comedian who is an true car enthusiast. Bummer he didn't make it.

Biggie. I recognize that 2Pac was very talented but I really never cared for his stuff.

Free bump. I've got the f/1.8 version of this lense and it's soo sharp, can do some really cool things when messing around with depth of field and is outstanding in low light.

Tinman

Looking for an Electric Leaf Blower. Prefer ~12 amp and rated at >200mph. No vacuum feature necessary. Let me know. Andy

haha...perfect excuse for a tune. Our car got 21mpg with Renntech 168mm pulley and Stage I tune on the drive here from Atlanta at >80mph. It gets aroung 8-10mpg in mixed driving.

E55 is hot. I'm not crazy about black wheels but they set the car off nicely. We were after a Tectite car when I stumbled across the silver one that we ended up with. I think you got the best color they ever made the car in plus they only made that color for a couple of years so they're fairly rare. My only advise is not to go crazy on mods. E55's are pretty much bullet proof and still fast as hell as long as you stick with proven mods (pulley, tune, heat exchanger, exhaust)....oh and be prepared for an airmatic shock failure. They will happen. My car had one fail at 35k miles but it was covered under our extended warranty. I did find a place that sells re-bult ones for ~$400ish though which is about 1/3 of what the dealer wants for them when the next one goes Enjoy. Andy

Chase has a huge presence here. I'd put them on your list.

I need to ask Chip about the back warehouse they have but I don't think he has control over that building anymore...pretty sure it belongs to PAP parts and TrueChoice now.

nope. Will be German though

Anyone know of a reputable, secure place or have extra space for winter car storage? Wasn't looking to pick anything up until Feb - March but came across a car that I might not be able to pass up. I promised my wife her car wouldn't have to sit outside this winter as a result so I'm looking for options for keeping a car somewhere for the winter months. North side of town preferred. Thanks, Andy

It's already been summed up by most but I'll make a couple statements again. Don't buy used coilovers unless A) you KNOW they have very low mileage (5000k or less) or B) get them cheap enough that you can justify going in having them rebuilt prior to putting them on the car. Most companies will rebuild for $100-150 a shock. On lower end shocks usually the math doesn't work on buying used and planning on rebuild vs. just buying new. Any coilovers with 15k miles should be pretty well done and just assume you need a rebuild. If you're on a budget a good spring / shock combo (new) might be the best logical step. You'll get improvement over the worn products on the car and while you won't be able to corner weight or mess with valving at least you know you'll have products on the car that are matched to each other and fresh so that they're doing what they're supposed to do.

You've pretty much got it. The cusomization value is stated by you and is basically somewhat of an agreed upon value situation. You end up paying for the risk of that addtional value on top of how the car would otherwise be rated. Obviously in your case you also have to pay for comp and collision coverage as it's not offered by anyone I know without full coverage first on the vehicle. It is still "agreed" upon though...so some companyies will want recipts, others will take your word for it. I'd call your carrier directly and discuss terms surrouding your customized amount and claims process to proove your loss in the event of an accident. Some companies also have a cap on cusomization that's proportional to the value of the car. Check for limitations there too. Andy

Not generally at retailers though walmart does have some regular microfiber towels in a larger size they sell as drying towels, not waffle weave construction though. Shameless plug: http://www.andyschoice.com

only if you like not having any wax on your car.

Ryan has already summed up what needs to be said. Ditch that absorber. It's the only thing that stands out in your routein as a problem that I see. Leaf blowers are pretty cheap and amazingly effective at getting a good chunk of the water off of the car before you start wiping it with anything. Waffle weave microfiber is the way to go for final drying. (PM me if you want to buy a couple ) Also for your final rinse it helps to take the nozel off of the hose and just let water run over the car instead of spraying it with pressure. Sheets water away insead of leaving beads all over the place. Clay will smooth out the rough texture you feel on the horizontal surfaces. It's nearly impossible to clay without inducing some sort of additional marring though. I won't clay a car unless i'm prepared to polish it afterwords. Foam guns are nice too. I highly recommend them for your regular wash regimine. The last thing to look at would be your mits. Generally wash mits are mostly safe. I've been a huge fan of sponges that last year or so simply because it does a better job of pulling in contaminants and keeping it away from he paint as you clean. Something is Def. off though if you're creating scratches you can feel in the washing process as the ones you can feel are pretty f'ing deep.

Sad to see it go, great car.

NTB downtown did an excellent job on my E55. Got to get it back there to change out the camber bolts to try to get a little less negative camber in the front since I'm lowered. It's really annoying that there's NO camber adjustment built into the cars at all....like basicall none. Have to get optional camber bolts from the dealer to make adjustments. Matter of fact it might be a good idea before you go down to just plan getting the bolts and having Derek and the boys install the bolts for you. I'll grab the part numbers off of mine if you want later tonight. Andy **edit** They've done an excellent job on ALLof my cars. All excessively lowered, none of which go on the rack easily at all, and not once have I had an issue with damage or a out of alignment car. The M3 and 996 used to get multiple alignemtns per year for track use.

See if your fingernail catches on the scratch. If it does you need paint work. If not PM me and I'll gladly take a look to see what I can do. Andy

Sometimes, not by hand though.

I actually like The Vinegar better. Use it just as you would any other cleaning agent, but be careful not to spash it all around on the trim or the paint. But really when windows are horrible it's just try one or the other and see what works. If one doesn't try the other. Razor blade really should only be spot used for getting stuff off of the glass like paint, sap or what not.

Distilled white vinegar. Isoproply Alcohol clay bar razor blade (carefully though not recklessly) #0000 (4 zero's not the standard stuff) steel wool. Any of the above individually or combination of the above if necessary should work. There's also glass specific polish on the market to be used with a polisher. I've never had great results with it though, just as good just using an agressive compound designed for paint. Mainly this is for hard water spots though more than anything.

just stopping in to point out that my daily driver B5 is about to pass 190k miles, stock turbo, chipped since 52k miles, starts, runs drives just fine every single day. Raraely gives me issues. Every car has their faults but really other than standard wear items and a couple of coil packs (it is an early 99 when the design wasn't great) it's been an outstanding car. ...and did anyone notice that the OP bought a 300zx. Nice car, enjoy it.