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* Motors chat - round 12 *

[Deleted User]

This thread is for motoring topics which you feel are not worthy of starting a new thread for, banter from a meet or general motoring related chit chat.

Keep it clean, be nice and helpful.

Motors charter applies.

Round 11 is HERE

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Voodoomelon

Raging with a "respected" member on Bimmerforums, he's in Japan and I ordered a set of his ignition leads for the 8 series. His post reads like they are a very high quality cable, the best choice, shows the spec etc. In my opinion, it read like these are quality Japanese cables, even though it doesn't say as much. €180 shipped.

I pay, but turns out he couldn't ship to Ireland due to COVID, that's fine, so he got his son who lives in Munich to post me a set, problem solved.
Box arrives today, I open it up to a mess of standard Janmor Polish-made cables.

I get on to him, say I received a box of Janmor cables, what's going on? Turns out that's all he's been selling all these years, ordering in Germany, shipping them to Japan, paying taxes and duties and then sending them where they need to go.

I could have bought the same damn cables for €80. What a pointless transaction. :mad:

[Deleted User]

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Raging with a "respected" member on Bimmerforums, he's in Japan and I ordered a set of his ignition leads for the 8 series. His post reads like they are a very high quality cable, the best choice, shows the spec etc. In my opinion, it read like these are quality Japanese cables, even though it doesn't say as much. €180 shipped.

I pay, but turns out he couldn't ship to Ireland due to COVID, that's fine, so he got his son who lives in Munich to post me a set, problem solved.
Box arrives today, I open it up to a mess of standard Janmor Polish-made cables.

I get on to him, say I received a box of Janmor cables, what's going on? Turns out that's all he's been selling all these years, ordering in Germany, shipping them to Japan, paying taxes and duties and then sending them where they need to go.

I could have bought the same damn cables for €80. What a pointless transaction. :mad:

I hope you got your money back.

[Deleted User]

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Raging with a "respected" member on Bimmerforums, he's in Japan and I ordered a set of his ignition leads for the 8 series. His post reads like they are a very high quality cable, the best choice, shows the spec etc. In my opinion, it read like these are quality Japanese cables, even though it doesn't say as much. €180 shipped.

I pay, but turns out he couldn't ship to Ireland due to COVID, that's fine, so he got his son who lives in Munich to post me a set, problem solved.
Box arrives today, I open it up to a mess of standard Janmor Polish-made cables.

I get on to him, say I received a box of Janmor cables, what's going on? Turns out that's all he's been selling all these years, ordering in Germany, shipping them to Japan, paying taxes and duties and then sending them where they need to go.

I could have bought the same damn cables for €80. What a pointless transaction. :mad:

Are Janmor cables of the spec he described?

Truckermal

https://twitter.com/Northants_RPU/status/1266068789889773568?s=19

tossy

Unmarked HGV is a great idea , i remember they had one on one of those UK cop shows years ago catching other HGV drivers on their phones - the look of shock on the faces of the drivers was priceless.

colm_mcm

I had to double take there. I thought Gardai were encouraging lane discipline for a second.

Manic Moran

I find the debate over whether Audis are premium cars on a level equivalent to BMW or Mercedes to be surprising. I find it impossible to think that anyone can drive a good A6 or A8, then compare with the equivalent 5/7 series or E/S class and think that they are not to the same class. I say this as someone who has one mid/higher range car from each of the three companies in my garage. If 'premium' is defined by luxury and driving characteristics, Audi are normally considered to be the field leader in the category of interior finish, Merc normally in technology, and BMW in driving, but it's a balance depending on what's important to you. I've found the quality of service/support at the dealer/service level from all three to be more or less equivalent (and noticeably better than the VW or Chevy I've owned)

It may be that Audi have the lowest 'quality' finish available in their lineup. The base entry diesel FWD A1 (or whatever you have in Europe, Audi doesn't go that small here) may well be a matter of people buying the car for the badge, and Audi may be willing to risk their badge reputation more than BMW in the 1-series or Merc in their A class in the interests of more sales. I'm not sure, I've never compared an A3 to a, say, Golf. Something like an A8 may well be merely a halo car for the the vast majority of car-buyers who are buying their lesser vehicles with the A8 in the background of the shop, but that doesn't make the A8 any less quality (or expensive).

Premium buyers don't care about what's in the lower-end of the scale. They may not even walk to that part of the show floor. I was personally astonished by how much less quality of a car the base A4 was that the dealership loaned me when my S4 was in service. I didn't even know Audi interiors could be so underwhelming until I was in it. However, I didn't go to the Audi dealer with my money for a non-premium experience car. I went specifically looking at a higher end, and I got it.

I submit that when looking at a company and determining if it's premium, one needs to start looking at vehicles which are beyond the price range of a lower "tier" competitor for an equivalent car. For example, the VW equivalent to an A6 is basically the Passat. I've owned both. Right now, the top trim Passat is $32,000, the SEL. The base model A6 around these parts starts at $55,000. Not only is it a lot more expensive, it is better in basically every single way. More technology, more power, better ride, better quality interior... The fact that the base A3 starts at $33,000 does not mean that its level of quality should be compared with the equivalently priced Passat. If you're in the market for a large family saloon, the A3's price and quality, even if both are identical to the Passat, is irrelevant.

RyanMGF wrote: »

yes, as a sweeping statement an Audi will feel better than an equivalent VW, which will in turn feel better than a Seat or Skoda, but honestly - who cares, the cars are all of a similar quality and will all likely last just as long as each other. An A3 isn’t better to the degree of its price difference between a Golf, for example.

I submit we have an example here of the subjective difference between how people look at cars. An Audi and VW and Skoda may all be built to the same build quality and all last as long as each other, but premium buyers are not just looking for a reliable way of getting from A to B. If so, we'd all be buying Hondas and the like. Consider an airplane flight, San Francisco to London. 12 hours, everyone gets there at the same time, it some will pay thousands and some merely hundreds. Why? Quality is far more than just how the car works in its driving function, a premium car is supposed to provide a subjective feeling to its owner which a non-premium car does not (As well as some objective benefits such as improved technolgies). If you do not believe that the premium experience, varying from the process of dropping your car off for service through just a contentedness of sitting in a just damned nice cabin is worth money, then absolutely, your last line above is perfectly valid. However, other people disagree. I bought the Passat to replace an A6. Objectively and subjectively both, I consider the Audi to have been the better car. Do I think it is better to the degree of the $20,000 price difference to a Passat? You may disagree, but I'm going to the Audi dealer, not the VW dealer for the next one. It was the fact that I couldn't afford a $50,000 car at the time which brought me to VW, not the fact that I thought it presented better value for money.

[Deleted User]

Manic Moran wrote: »

....... I was personally astonished by how much less quality of a car the base A4 was that the dealership loaned me when my S4 was in service. I didn't even know Audi interiors could be so underwhelming until I was in it. ......... money.

Surely a base A4 is 40% ish of the S4 price.

Voodoomelon

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

I hope you got your money back.

We agreed to him refunding me $50. I laid it out that his listing is misleading and its dishonest to be selling European customers a local product for over twice the price, just because it went around the world a few times. He didn't argue it or deny it and just sent the money back, saying he was "well into the red on this transaction".

"You and me alike".

corks finest

Voodoomelon wrote: »

We agreed to him refunding me $50. I laid it out that his listing is misleading and its dishonest to be selling European customers a local product for over twice the price, just because it went around the world a few times. He didn't argue it or deny it and just sent the money back, saying he was "well into the red on this transaction".

"You and me alike".

Must do your homework before purchasing anything online and even then it can be a mine field

corks finest

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Raging with a "respected" member on Bimmerforums, he's in Japan and I ordered a set of his ignition leads for the 8 series. His post reads like they are a very high quality cable, the best choice, shows the spec etc. In my opinion, it read like these are quality Japanese cables, even though it doesn't say as much. €180 shipped.

I pay, but turns out he couldn't ship to Ireland due to COVID, that's fine, so he got his son who lives in Munich to post me a set, problem solved.
Box arrives today, I open it up to a mess of standard Janmor Polish-made cables.

I get on to him, say I received a box of Janmor cables, what's going on? Turns out that's all he's been selling all these years, ordering in Germany, shipping them to Japan, paying taxes and duties and then sending them where they need to go.

I could have bought the same damn cables for €80. What a pointless transaction. :mad:

Have you a link to reviews on items purchased?
I presume you checked it out thoroughly before purchasing?
If misleading in description you have a case , should be reported and reimbursement should follow his PayPal
(You did use PayPal?)

FDave

Voodoomelon wrote: »

We agreed to him refunding me $50. I laid it out that his listing is misleading and its dishonest to be selling European customers a local product for over twice the price, just because it went around the world a few times. He didn't argue it or deny it and just sent the money back, saying he was "well into the red on this transaction".

"You and me alike".

If he is implying polish made leads that are being sent from Germany cost more than importing them to japan paying tax and shipping them back to europe, he is clearly a bull****er. How did he sell so many without mentioning what brand they are?

CIP4

Went through a Garda checkpoint on the way home from work. They were only checking tax, insurance and NCT weren’t actually asking anyone where they were going which I thought was odd.

[Deleted User]

CIP4 wrote: »

Went through a Garda checkpoint on the way home from work. They were only checking tax, insurance and NCT weren’t actually asking anyone where they were going which I thought was odd.

It's all about social distancing now ....

I'm driving 300kms to look at a job tomorrow, I'll have the paperwork with me but I'm not expecting to be asked to show it TBH

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/garda-to-scale-down-covid-19-enforcement-for-june-bank-holiday-1.4265621%3fmode=amp

Sexual Chocolate

CIP4 wrote: »

Went through a Garda checkpoint on the way home from work. They were only checking tax, insurance and NCT weren’t actually asking anyone where they were going which I thought was odd.

Yea because garda senior management want guards to get back to doing real police work, these checkpoints are taking up a lot of resources but Holohan and government insist otherwise.

I approached a checkpoint yesterday but was waved through due to the built up of cars in front and behind me. Not the first time either lately.

punisher5112

Some serious amount of speed traps today, all in prime spots on roads that are 60 or 50km/h speed limits.

Sandyford past the beacon heading towards Goatstown road.
Black i40 regular there now, he was catching cars coming towards him and was using the new binoculars type.

Another was at the roadworks at kilmac before the bray exit off N11.... It's an 80km/h road but due to works it at 60km/h he got a ton of cars there and wasn't going after them either. Seen a megane coupe caught as he caught the front but went at him at the rear too.

I'd say these have paid for themselves already.

Manic Moran

Augeo wrote: »

Surely a base A4 is 40% ish of the S4 price.

A4 starts here at $37,400, an S4 starts at $49,900.

Murt102

Thinking about buying an Estate, really looking at;
2013~ BMW 320D M-sport
2015~ VW Passat GT 20TDI 190bhp

Anyone have any recommendations or their opinion of the mentioned cars? Ideally i am looking for something that is high spec, 2ltr diesel and around 190bhp. Only looking to spend €14k max.

punisher5112

Murt102 wrote: »

Thinking about buying an Estate, really looking at;
2013~ BMW 320D M-sport
2015~ VW Passat GT 20TDI 190bhp

Anyone have any recommendations or their opinion of the mentioned cars? Ideally i am looking for something that is high spec, 2ltr diesel and around 190bhp. Only looking to spend €14k max.

I'd be worried about timing chain issue on bm

colm_mcm

Murt102 wrote: »

Thinking about buying an Estate, really looking at;
2013~ BMW 320D M-sport
2015~ VW Passat GT 20TDI 190bhp

Anyone have any recommendations or their opinion of the mentioned cars? Ideally i am looking for something that is high spec, 2ltr diesel and around 190bhp. Only looking to spend €14k max.

You might get an Octavia VRS or Seat Leon FR184 for that. 2015 at a push.

[Deleted User]

If the timing chain isint affected or it's ok I'd go with the BMW

Much prefer over the VW stuff

CIP4

Is there much market for selling used alloy wheels these days. I found one down the back of the shed today that I forgot I had. There are a few marks on it which maybe that makes it worthless unless someone is willing to put it on their car as is and not refurb it. Its an 18 inch Alloy of an Audi A4 B9 S-Line.

Sexual Chocolate

Throw it up on Done deal or adverts, you might get some interest in it.

[Deleted User]

Manic Moran wrote: »

A4 starts here at $37,400, an S4 starts at $49,900.

Wow..... We're 42k v 76k & I'm surprised the s4 is not more over here TBH :pac:

Manic Moran

Augeo wrote: »

Wow..... We're 42k v 76k & I'm surprised the s4 is not more over here TBH :pac:

Is it anything to do with the tax/registration in Ireland due to the twin-turbo V6?

Either that, or your base A4 is lower than our base A4. Compared to other small family sedans, I don't see any reason the S4 should be any higher. The C43 AMG starts at $55.9 for a similar engine. It's still a small car, and the engine isn't exactly a monster.

colm_mcm

What is a base A4 in the US, engine/transmission wise?

sunnysoutheast

Manic Moran wrote: »

Is it anything to do with the tax/registration in Ireland due to the twin-turbo V6?

Either that, or your base A4 is lower than our base A4. Compared to other small family sedans, I don't see any reason the S4 should be any higher. The C43 AMG starts at $55.9 for a similar engine. It's still a small car, and the engine isn't exactly a monster.

European S4s are now diesel :-(. S5 still petrol afaik.

Surprised at the small gap between "base" and "S" in the US, I presume the base is still a decent engine rather than a 1.4! Bit of a no-brainer to get the S4 really.

Murt102

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime wrote: »

If the timing chain isint affected or it's ok I'd go with the BMW

Much prefer over the VW stuff

Probably been mentioned a million times here already but are most of that generation BMW (2012-2015) have an issue with the timing chain? Guessing my only way knowing the car is okay if it has history of work being done to it?

[Deleted User]

Murt102 wrote: »

Probably been mentioned a million times here already but are most of that generation BMW (2012-2015) have an issue with the timing chain? Guessing my only way knowing the car is okay if it has history of work being done to it?

Had one before myself. I rang BMW before buying it and asked was it one of the affected ones and they said not

I did over 100k kilometers on it withing 2 years and all I ever had to do to it was services it and change the brakes.

Bizzarely the most reliable car I've ever owned.

The only time it ever gave trouble was that time I accidentally got a tonnes of snow into the boot and it melted into the PDC module which made the speedo go a bit crazy, but a second hand PDC module and as good as new. But that was my fault, not the cars

[Deleted User]

Augeo wrote: »

It's all about social distancing now ....

I'm driving 300kms to look at a job tomorrow, I'll have the paperwork with me but I'm not expecting to be asked to show it TBH
.....]

700kms over today & yesterday, spanned 3 provinces..... A few speed cameras & one hair dryer spotted.... No checkpoints.