Given that the mobile phone of today vastly supercedes the car phone of 2002, I just disconnected the aerial and popped on a silver painted dummy shark fin that cost around 8 'pinds' on the Bay. My car is silver and it looks really quite good. Amazing how much better about the car we feel now as a result. I suppose it is so visible, and every time you walk up to it your eye Always goes straight to the fin.
Did the headlights again too today. 1 hour very well spent. Try the Turtle Wax kit people. They came up like new. Seriously. The trick is the little foam pads and the UV sealer. I did my own job a fair while back, (see SS forum) and it lasted pretty well for a few years, but oxidised again. Not that I ever expected it to be 100% 3 years later but I never used a sealer then. Given that they issue a glove to put it on with, I figure that it must be rather toxic and worth the money! It came up very nicely. No fine scratches visible at all.
Spent the better part of a whole day driving about Melbourne chasing up kitchen renovation things.
Update on the Gas Struts. Wow! How strong they are! Just stand back and hold on to the door as it takes off. Dropping it down requires a fair pull and by the time it latches shut there is virtually no load on the door at all. You then get the true feeling that the engineers lined up the leverage points in the roof for exactly that reason.
Interestingly, the BMW E39 Wagon also has the same hidden strut system. Must have copied the 9-5 for sure. Hate to think how much that would cost to replace too on the Propeller Car. All up the 9-5 struts cost me $180, for the German Lip (QH) variety and I am very happy with the result. Wondered why the two of us had sore shoulders and now we know!
The Linear Sport Estate has now covered 180,000km and is coming up to 12 years old. What is fantastic down this end of the planet is that brilliant blend of practicality and space in the cabin, and 200HP that blows the doors off most cars when one needs to do so. Don't underestimate the great design and engineering that went into the 9-5 wagon. I have been looking at other offerings (just to see) but nothing really fits the bill and the 9-5 keeps ticking all the boxes for so many reasons. Not least of all that the doors shut like a bank vault and it actually is a decent looking thing. She who drives it day to day really loves it too.
