The Thread of Randomness. . .

General conversations about BMW E28s and the people who own them.
oldskool
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Re: The Thread of Randomness. . .

Post by oldskool »

When I woke up today, I read the random notes I left for myself last night. I found something about "William" owing me a great deal of money and to watch a movie called "Pencil". Now, I don't know who "William" is , but I'm seriously interested in this "Pencil" movie.
41magfan
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Re: The Thread of Randomness. . .

Post by 41magfan »

polishing RS wheels is a pain...especially when one has waited years since the last really good cleaning
Karl Grau
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Re: The Thread of Randomness. . .

Post by Karl Grau »

I wasn't planing on doing any car work today but ya gotta love the Amazon Prime free Sunday shipping. :)


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BDKawey
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Re: The Thread of Randomness. . .

Post by BDKawey »

Holy shit i just picked so much shit out of iphone's lighting port. maybe now it will consistently charge
Adam W in MN
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Re: The Thread of Randomness. . .

Post by Adam W in MN »

Drove my mother in law's 2015 Subaru Outback to the store and opened the sunroof, probably for the first time in the car's life. Couldn't believe how small it is, I don't think an adult could put their head through it. Is this just a function of cars with stiffer structures and crash protection zones such as the thicker A pillars? The E12 sunroof is probably three times the size of the modern Subaru's.
waynet1
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Re: The Thread of Randomness. . .

Post by waynet1 »

Sunroofs/moonroofs suck :evil:
Jeremy
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Re: The Thread of Randomness. . .

Post by Jeremy »

Adam W in MN wrote:Is this just a function of cars with stiffer structures and crash protection zones such as the thicker A pillars?
Doubtful. MINI R56 has those giant panoramic moonroofs as an option, and it has one of the stiffer body structures around.
86GT635
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Re: The Thread of Randomness. . .

Post by 86GT635 »

Super moon this weekend/monday. The moon will be closer to earth than it has been for the past 69 years. time to turn on "that's amore", or just revel in the fact the earth we live on and consume our selves over trivial subjects like dinosaurs being extinct, hillary being secretary of state- having more leverage than the celebrity president, or global warming- we are traveling through a dark empty space at mach 50 and we have had sustained a changing eco system on this living rock for billions of years with who knows how many chapters.
Mike W.
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Re: The Thread of Randomness. . .

Post by Mike W. »

86GT635 wrote:Super moon this weekend/monday. The moon will be closer to earth than it has been for the past 69 years. time to turn on "that's amore", or just revel in the fact the earth we live on and consume our selves over trivial subjects like dinosaurs being extinct, hillary being secretary of state- having more leverage than the celebrity president, or global warming- we are traveling through a dark empty space at mach 50 and we have had sustained a changing eco system on this living rock for billions of years with who knows how many chapters.
Hmmm... might be time to break out the camera and tripod. I haven't gotten any very good moon shots yet, craters, but only the biggest ones. I've got a heavier tripod than the one I usually use, maybe that's the one I should use for a 1/4 million mile close up. :laugh:
John in VA
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Re: The Thread of Randomness. . .

Post by John in VA »

Seems like we never heard the term "supermoon" until a few years ago. Now every other full one is "super."
davintosh
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Re: The Thread of Randomness. . .

Post by davintosh »

John in VA wrote:Seems like we never heard the term "supermoon" until a few years ago. Now every other full one is "super."
I was thinking the same. "closer to earth than it has been for the past 69 years" is a pretty relative term. How much closer? November 14 it'll be 221,524 miles (or 356,509 km) away from the earth, whereas two weeks ago it was at apogee, and was 252,688 miles (406,662 km) away. 30,000 miles or 50,000 km. Sounds like a lot, but whether it makes it a "supermoon" is debatable. Would we know it was closer if someone didn't tell us beforehand?

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oldskool
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Re: The Thread of Randomness. . .

Post by oldskool »

Have you ever excused yourself from a long and boring after hours meeting, go to the bathroom just to look at eBay, maybe mix a drink? Ever worry that your piss stream is a strange, leaky spray because you've just pissed through your untucked shirt? - me either.
86GT635
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Re: The Thread of Randomness. . .

Post by 86GT635 »

davintosh wrote:
John in VA wrote:Seems like we never heard the term "supermoon" until a few years ago. Now every other full one is "super."
I was thinking the same. "closer to earth than it has been for the past 69 years" is a pretty relative term. How much closer? November 14 it'll be 221,524 miles (or 356,509 km) away from the earth, whereas two weeks ago it was at apogee, and was 252,688 miles (406,662 km) away. 30,000 miles or 50,000 km. Sounds like a lot, but whether it makes it a "supermoon" is debatable. Would we know it was closer if someone didn't tell us beforehand?

Image

Well, they were talking about it would appear 16% larger than normal. Almost 20%, I couldn't tell. And the picture above doesn't really show it either.
I think it was 4 years ago the moon was brighter and looked bigger than these past few full moons. At the time I lived in a remote area and I actually turned off my headlights and drove by moonlight for about a mile on my way to work at 4:30am, it was that bright. A memorable experience. "That's amore" was in my head. I was hoping to relive that moment. I did see a very orange moon on Monday when it was cresting and it appeared larger than normal, but not the effect that I remembered almost half a decade ago.
Mike W.
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Re: The Thread of Randomness. . .

Post by Mike W. »

86GT635 wrote:
davintosh wrote:
John in VA wrote:Seems like we never heard the term "supermoon" until a few years ago. Now every other full one is "super."
I was thinking the same. "closer to earth than it has been for the past 69 years" is a pretty relative term. How much closer? November 14 it'll be 221,524 miles (or 356,509 km) away from the earth, whereas two weeks ago it was at apogee, and was 252,688 miles (406,662 km) away. 30,000 miles or 50,000 km. Sounds like a lot, but whether it makes it a "supermoon" is debatable. Would we know it was closer if someone didn't tell us beforehand?

Image

Well, they were talking about it would appear 16% larger than normal. Almost 20%, I couldn't tell. And the picture above doesn't really show it either.
I think it was 4 years ago the moon was brighter and looked bigger than these past few full moons. At the time I lived in a remote area and I actually turned off my headlights and drove by moonlight for about a mile on my way to work at 4:30am, it was that bright. A memorable experience. "That's amore" was in my head. I was hoping to relive that moment. I did see a very orange moon on Monday when it was cresting and it appeared larger than normal, but not the effect that I remembered almost half a decade ago.
I didn't notice it being any bigger than usual, but wow was it bright. :shock:
Karl Grau
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Re: The Thread of Randomness. . .

Post by Karl Grau »

It was too foggy to see the super Moon at my house so I put a tortilla on the window instead.

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Adam W in MN
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Re: The Thread of Randomness. . .

Post by Adam W in MN »

Karl Grau wrote:It was too foggy to see the super Moon at my house so I put a tortilla on the window instead.
I laughed (snorted). Nicely done.
davintosh
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Re: The Thread of Randomness. . .

Post by davintosh »

I saw this along the road on my drive in the mountains yesterday.
I have no idea what it was used for, but I think I want one in my backyard.

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waynet1
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Re: The Thread of Randomness. . .

Post by waynet1 »

Jeremy
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Re: The Thread of Randomness. . .

Post by Jeremy »

davintosh wrote:I saw this along the road on my drive in the mountains yesterday.
I have no idea what it was used for, but I think I want one in my backyard.
Looks a bit like a stand for a billboard of some kind, but it's tough to be certain. Unless you want to advertise from your backyard, I don't think you'd want one. ;)
davintosh
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Re: The Thread of Randomness. . .

Post by davintosh »

Jeremy wrote:
davintosh wrote:I saw this along the road on my drive in the mountains yesterday.
I have no idea what it was used for, but I think I want one in my backyard.
Looks a bit like a stand for a billboard of some kind, but it's tough to be certain. Unless you want to advertise from your backyard, I don't think you'd want one. ;)
No, no, no, no... You're missing the winch and chains hanging from the horizontal arm, and that it pivots on that center post. Yeah, now that I look at it again, I guess it's not so obvious in the photo, but that's what made me turn around and go back past it again to take a photo (while blocking traffic.) That it was located in the mountains of the Black Forest in a tiny village called Holzinhaus (roughly translated, "wood house") suggests that it was used for picking up large logs in the yard between the house (just out of the frame on the left) and the woodshed on the right. Also not in the frame were some huge slabs of wood that were leaning against the side of the woodshed that were probably a meter wide, 12-15 meters long, and several inches thick. Just the kind of thing you'd need a crane like that to lift.
a
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Re: The Thread of Randomness. . .

Post by a »

So the big green thing is a hoist? Better than my set up using pipe staging. :laugh:
Mike W.
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Re: The Thread of Randomness. . .

Post by Mike W. »

davintosh wrote:I saw this along the road on my drive in the mountains yesterday.
I have no idea what it was used for, but I think I want one in my backyard.
Yep, I saw the winch part right away. M30s are a bit heavy, but it think it might be a little overkill. :D I do know what you mean about just wanting it (even if you don't need it), like the Land Rover (heavily modified) from South Africa I saw a few years back. Dipli.

http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=36254
86GT635
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Re: The Thread of Randomness. . .

Post by 86GT635 »

A local fellow who owns a e28 535is for the past few years called my shop yesterday saying it broke down and he wants to sell it. My manager and friend received the call- laid the guilt trip of "either you go and buy this car or I will and my son won't have a dirtbike for Christmas".

I got a brief run down. The guy was enamored with the e28 a few years ago. He did the right thing and sourced one in California that was rust free. He flew out, bought the car. Had $1500 of work done, and drove it home. It was used a little bit over a couple years. He had some brake work done at my shop last year. Drove the car very seldom. He took it out a few weeks ago to wash it, on the way back it wouldn't stay running. Parked it at a country club.

Went to look at it last night. Couldn't jump start it, he thought that was weird, saying it would jump and run good but would die randomly. I called him this morning and told him the battery cables were the number 1 issue. I would change those, and charge him for the parts and a hour labor if it fixed the car and he could have it back. The guy told me he was done with the car and just wanted to sell it for $500. I obliged because it's a seemingly good deal. The car has had a boombox stereo hooked and it possibly has electrical issues past the cables. I can figure it out, and he doesn't have the time or want to mess with it.

I had it towed to the shop. Then I hooked it up to a good battery jump box. It just cranked, wouldn't fire and start. Pulled and cleaned the battery cable terminals that are autozone grade connections. I put it back together and it started. Ran it down the block and it died after a mile. First step is new battery cables, relays and fuses. We'll see. I just bought a california 535is for $500, needing a little tlc of course. Wish me luck, this is my first e28 after all these years.
davintosh
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Re: The Thread of Randomness. . .

Post by davintosh »

86GT635 wrote:A local fellow who owns a e28 535is for the past few years called my shop yesterday saying it broke down and he wants to sell it. My manager and friend received the call- laid the guilt trip of "either you go and buy this car or I will and my son won't have a dirtbike for Christmas".

I got a brief run down. The guy was enamored with the e28 a few years ago. He did the right thing and sourced one in California that was rust free. He flew out, bought the car. Had $1500 of work done, and drove it home. It was used a little bit over a couple years. He had some brake work done at my shop last year. Drove the car very seldom. He took it out a few weeks ago to wash it, on the way back it wouldn't stay running. Parked it at a country club.

Went to look at it last night. Couldn't jump start it, he thought that was weird, saying it would jump and run good but would die randomly. I called him this morning and told him the battery cables were the number 1 issue. I would change those, and charge him for the parts and a hour labor if it fixed the car and he could have it back. The guy told me he was done with the car and just wanted to sell it for $500. I obliged because it's a seemingly good deal. The car has had a boombox stereo hooked and it possibly has electrical issues past the cables. I can figure it out, and he doesn't have the time or want to mess with it.

I had it towed to the shop. Then I hooked it up to a good battery jump box. It just cranked, wouldn't fire and start. Pulled and cleaned the battery cable terminals that are autozone grade connections. I put it back together and it started. Ran it down the block and it died after a mile. First step is new battery cables, relays and fuses. We'll see. I just bought a california 535is for $500, needing a little tlc of course. Wish me luck, this is my first e28 after all these years.
Score!

You wouldn't happen to work in a shop in Winchester, KY, would you?
86GT635
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Re: The Thread of Randomness. . .

Post by 86GT635 »

No, it's in Indiana.

So far the car doesn't seem too bad. It's been repainted in the royal blue metallic and it shines and shows pretty well. The sport seats have been replaced with comforts that look and feel just about pristine, they may be 40k mile seats. The front bumper had a suicide run to collapse the shocks for that euro bumper mod errybody* is mad about.

I'm hoping that the problem will be as simple as a bad battery (its a exide from last year- rural king low quality), one of the cells may have failed. When I got it back to the shop I checked to see that the battery was charging. The alternator is pushing a steady current of 13.6-13.8. I let it idle for about 30 minutes while I inspected the bottom of the car. The bottom of the car is really clean with no rust even on the rear bumper shocks, but the car was driven through a winter and all of the previously cadmium plated parts (brake calipers, bolts/nuts are rusty now. It actually needs a nut and bolt restoration :rofl:. I'll take some pictures soon. It's a good looking car. Runs fine when it runs.

I haven't pulled the build sheet on it, but I'm thinking I have the other 1of1 blue guts interior 535is. That's gotta add value. Where's the "wicked" or "bitchin" emoji?
86GT635
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Re: The Thread of Randomness. . .

Post by 86GT635 »

Davintosh, hows your e28 doing over there? Take any pictures of it lately? I don't think I've seen the car yet.
davintosh
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Re: The Thread of Randomness. . .

Post by davintosh »

86GT635 wrote:Davintosh, hows your e28 doing over there? Take any pictures of it lately? I don't think I've seen the car yet.
Doing well, thanks. Getting it out for some exercise lately. Took some photos last week and posted them here -- http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=141840 -- and will be adding photos of it in that thread as time goes on.
86GT635 wrote:No, it's in Indiana.
Ah; we had some trouble with our e53 X5 a few years back and ended up having it worked on at a shop in Winchester; thought there might be an offhand chance that you were the guy working there at the time driving an e28. I owe that guy a beer.
--
Dave
Mike W.
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Re: The Thread of Randomness. . .

Post by Mike W. »

Mye28 is so good, even their emoticons are better. I find myself manually writing out the [img] tags and posting locations on places like Bimmerforums just because I like the graphics better. Nobody's said anything yet, or banned me, but I'm waiting... :laugh: And try finding this :dunno: there.
Brian in TN
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Re: The Thread of Randomness. . .

Post by Brian in TN »

Its safe. Dial it now. 1-706-529-9050
1st 5er
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Re: The Thread of Randomness. . .

Post by 1st 5er »

I ain't skeered.
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