Best smoker barges 1-5 large [vol11]

[anonymous-user]

0a said:

ess said:

Given up on the XJ already, 3 months of ownership ?
I thought you were enjoying using it.

S

I enjoyed it - now I want to move onto V12 jags and mercs, so I have to go down to two cars and start building up in cylinders.

Ropey old Jag with a difficult to resolve problem for sale you say?

Good choice going V12, it's a much more hilarious engine and in an X300 is absolutely sublime.

[gobuddygo]

2007 Phaeton anybody? I know its an oil burner and high mileage but could be cheap.

Phaeton

[Motorrad]

A little help required chaps, I've just become part owner of a 1992 jap import R129 500sl. I previously owned a UK H reg SL.
Something is puzzling me, the new car has no economy or sport switch on the gearbox. Does this mean it has the later 5 speed box? It feels as dull witted as my old car so maybe not.
The car was amazing value for a 70k mile import, straight and rust free for a little over thread budget.

[octane83]

carinaman said:

I'm not an Audi beard, but I looked at an eBay ad for a £6K B6 S4 that had had the camchain replaced.

I googled to see what the better camchain solutions were, as there would seem no point in replacing a crappy, plastic camchain tensioner with a new one of the same design and materials. While looking I came across a US Co. that said that the the metal used for the variable valve actuator was of variable quality and the same V8 could have one worn one and one that's not worn on the same engine. I wasn't aware of that issue, only the camchain issues.


Thanks to those that flagged up the S8 caveat from the vendor of that red leather S8. I stopped reading at the bit about the transmission having been mended.

Edited by carinaman on Sunday 25th June 22:58

The tensioner issues were a problem on the old 4.2 engines, the newer 4.2 FSI units are far more reliable.

From the research I've done the C6s are generally considered bulletproof. The common issues to look out for on C6 are the adjustable suspension (if fitted), moisture ingress into third brake light leading to MOT failure (around £100 to replace). The only other issue was a leaking rear washer pipe which then caused the electrics to short out, this was fixed with an official Audi recall.

Higher mileage cars may benefit from a gearbox oil change (around £250 all in) but the jury seems to be out on the impact of this.

Hope that helps.

[Usget]

octane83 said:

carinaman said:

I'm not an Audi beard, but I looked at an eBay ad for a £6K B6 S4 that had had the camchain replaced.

I googled to see what the better camchain solutions were, as there would seem no point in replacing a crappy, plastic camchain tensioner with a new one of the same design and materials. While looking I came across a US Co. that said that the the metal used for the variable valve actuator was of variable quality and the same V8 could have one worn one and one that's not worn on the same engine. I wasn't aware of that issue, only the camchain issues.


Thanks to those that flagged up the S8 caveat from the vendor of that red leather S8. I stopped reading at the bit about the transmission having been mended.

Edited by carinaman on Sunday 25th June 22:58

The tensioner issues were a problem on the old 4.2 engines, the newer 4.2 FSI units are far more reliable.

From the research I've done the C6s are generally considered bulletproof. The common issues to look out for on C6 are the adjustable suspension (if fitted), moisture ingress into third brake light leading to MOT failure (around £100 to replace). The only other issue was a leaking rear washer pipe which then caused the electrics to short out, this was fixed with an official Audi recall.

Higher mileage cars may benefit from a gearbox oil change (around £250 all in) but the jury seems to be out on the impact of this.

Hope that helps.

Thanks both. The one in question does have the newer FSI engine. Useful info, thanks.

[tobinen]

cornershop said:

Those Alpina wheels look like they should on something a period older ?

Have we had this cheap C140 coupe:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

Front and rear wheels are different! I wonder if he's noticed?

[Krikkit]

Usget said:

Thanks both. The one in question does have the newer FSI engine. Useful info, thanks.

In which case it's worth asking about inlet carbon build-up - make sure you take it right up to the rev limit and that it pulls cleanly all the way. The S4/RS4 is particularly bad for it, but all FSI engines are susceptible.

[carinaman]

Thanks to the two corrections to my post on the 4.2 Audi V8. I'm now better informed.

[MorganP104]

carinaman said:

Thanks to the two corrections to my post on the 4.2 Audi V8. I'm now better informed.

You've not got the hang of this, have you? This is PH, you're supposed to get into a war of words with the other posters on this thread, make a dick of yourself, and flounce off, never to be seen again.

Come on pal, don't let it happen again.

[olly755]

JZZ30 said:

olly755 said:

Chaps, looking at buying one of those portable power banks that will jump start a car. Does anybody own one or recommend what or what not to buy?

I was initially cynical about them until I saw one around the size of a smartphone kick start our dead fork lift truck into life. I was so impressed I forgot to ask the guy where it was from.

I have this from amazon, (was £69 when I got it). Great bit of kit. Charged a couple of phones all weekend on a camping trip then started the V8 and still showed a full '4 bars' of power.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/20000mAh-Emergency-Ultra-...

Just to follow up, I bought one of these last week. Purposely let the battery on the LS400 run down until it was as flat as a pancake and gave it a go, which subsequently kicked it into life first time. Impressive.

I was so enamoured I absent-mindedly left the new gadget on the wall next to the driveway and toddled off into the nearest town a few miles away to pick up the usual Friday night takeaway ruby and some groceries, without considering until I parked up that the alternator would probably not sufficiently charge the battery and restart the car. So leaving the car ticking over quietly in the car park whilst I went shopping probably wasn't the most sensible thing to do, but at least gives another good reason for owning an old and worthless car.

[carinaman]

MorganP104 said:

You've not got the hang of this, have you? This is PH, you're supposed to get into a war of words with the other posters on this thread, make a dick of yourself, and flounce off, never to be seen again.

Come on pal, don't let it happen again.

I was being slightly contrite and meek as my verbage about variable valve timing reads a bit suspect.

https://jhmotorsports.com/shop/catalog/jhm-timing-...

The second paragraph mentions timing changes for optimisation of airflow for combustion, that sounded a bit like variable valve timing to me.

The list of models covered at the bottom includes the A6 C6 until May 2011?

I wonder if the American market kept using the pre-FSi V8 to save themselves some heavy duty litigation and a class action? Is it FSi or TFSI? TFSi are the turbo ones?

I quite like 80s and early 90s Audis. I am saddened they made engines with such poor materials in them.

Edited by carinaman on Monday 26th June 16:01

[Krikkit]

Every brand has at least one bogey engine in terms of some component - Jaguar had Nikasil and tensioners, BMW had the coolant issue in the N62, Mercedes the dodgy head bolts on the M156, and that's just to name the ones that spring to mind!

[MorganP104]

carinaman said:

I quite like 80s and early 90s Audis. I am saddened they made engines with such poor materials in them.

Thing is, it's not just Audi. Think of all the different manufacturers who've made engines with some kind of built-in bork factor.

BMW with their Nikasil linings. Honda with their oil-sensitive V6s. Mazda with their rotary curiosities. Rover with their chocolate head gaskets.

Etc.

It's probably a greater challenge to find a car manufacturer who DOESN'T have known problems with any of its engines. I suspect the closest would be Lexus, though I am fully expecting a Lexus beard to jump on the thread to list 99 common faults with various Lexus lumps.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Not an Audi fanboi, but wanted to point out that they're not the only offenders.

[0a]

MorganP104 said:

You've not got the hang of this, have you? This is PH, you're supposed to get into a war of words with the other posters on this thread, make a dick of yourself, and flounce off, never to be seen again.

Come on pal, don't let it happen again.

We're the civilised corner of PH.

[Stegel]

Motorrad said:

A little help required chaps, I've just become part owner of a 1992 jap import R129 500sl. I previously owned a UK H reg SL.
Something is puzzling me, the new car has no economy or sport switch on the gearbox. Does this mean it has the later 5 speed box? It feels as dull witted as my old car so maybe not.
The car was amazing value for a 70k mile import, straight and rust free for a little over thread budget.

It sounds like it will have the 4 speed box - the 722.5 5 speed box (which I think was optional on early 129s) has the E/S switch, and the later 722.6 (which I think came some years after your car was made) has the S/W switch (well, at least in my experience).

[Usget]

MorganP104 said:

though I am fully expecting a Lexus beard to jump on the thread to list 99 common faults with various Lexus lumps.

99 problems but the clutch ain't one?

Yes I know they're all autos.

[r129sl]

Stegel said:

Motorrad said:

A little help required chaps, I've just become part owner of a 1992 jap import R129 500sl. I previously owned a UK H reg SL.
Something is puzzling me, the new car has no economy or sport switch on the gearbox. Does this mean it has the later 5 speed box? It feels as dull witted as my old car so maybe not.
The car was amazing value for a 70k mile import, straight and rust free for a little over thread budget.

It sounds like it will have the 4 speed box - the 722.5 5 speed box (which I think was optional on early 129s) has the E/S switch, and the later 722.6 (which I think came some years after your car was made) has the S/W switch (well, at least in my experience).

A 1992 car will have a four-speed box. It should not, however, be slow or dull-witted.

I don't know whether it "should" have a standard/economy switch ("S" or "E": the "S" is not for sport); or whether its absence is a quirk of the Japanese market. Stegel is right: the standard/winter switch only came along much later with the 722.6 box (about 1997). The 722.5 five speed box was never available on the 500.

[Zonergem]

Bonus Marginally-Relevant Japanese Import R129 Trivia: they have a different shape and placement for the aerial antennae and grommets in the N/S rear panel - slightly higher and more rounded.

Carry on.

[Zonergem]

Here's an ex-Japan 1994 SL500 that's barely turned a wheel and is for sale at £POA with a prominent dealer.

http://edward-hall.co.uk/showroom/1994-mercedes-be...

It has no E/S switch.

[BlueHave]

gobuddygo said:

2007 Phaeton anybody? I know its an oil burner and high mileage but could be cheap.

Phaeton

The speedo going up to 200mph must be some attempt at humour by it's German maker.