Oil Change has done wonders

[nine-fiver]

Hi All,
The '02 Linear Sport Estate, 180'Km, was getting difficult and a mite cantankerous this last month.
Gave her a decent amount of TLC yesterday. Gapped the plugs, 1.0mm down from 1.2. Drained the oil(hot) for an hour, put in Castrol Edge FS 5W30. New filter. Topped up fluids, degreased underneath. Carby cleaned the TB and inlet manifold. All good. Very good, actually.
Now starts perfectly, smooth throttle control, boosting more progressively. More economy and more power.
Very happy.

[Geoff1951]

What's the price of fuel down there these days? Does it still vary between weekend and weekday (routine over in WA, as I recall from past trips)

[nine-fiver]

Geoff,
It has been around $1.38 at its cheapest until Thursday lunch time in metro Melbourne, and then can rise to $1.54 over the weekend. But our dollar has been helping out a lot in recent months, and now with it dropping 14% petrol pricing will rise for sure.

[Geoff1951]

Hi nine-fiver, so it looks as if you're paying around dollar a litre less than we are up here. I know incomes and prices over in WA have generally reached similar levels to ours and guess the same is true round your way, so you're the winner. Leaves more cash for beer.
Seems your politicians aren't taxing you as much as ours are!



(This subject was also over on steventon95's post about buying a HOT Aero.)

[Audax]

I know incomes and prices over in WA have generally reached similar levels to ours

How much are cars out there now? I know that my uncle was shocked several years ago as when I scrapped my old Saab 9000 as it was worth nothing, he'd just bought himself a year older 9000 with no turbo, no leather and paid somewhere around the equivalent of £2k for it!

Also, when I flew back from Singapore earlier this year I was chatting with Aussies on the plane and was told tales of how a pint of beer is around £6! (although, in many places in Singapore it's about that price) and that since the mining boom many goods which were already expensive in Australia are significantly more than in Europe.

[Geoff1951]

Hi Audax, while we're waiting for nine-fiver to wake up and give us first hand news, my own direct experience of WA prices is several years old, though our Aussie rellies come over here every year and we catch up then.

Generally there is (or was) a lot of old "classic" 80s European (especially early BMW 3s and 5s) and British (Triumph, Rover) stuff, the absence of salt on the roads keeping cars fairly rot free. Prices were low, although new euro imports (Saab, Volvo and the Germans) had a very high list price, a combination of protectionist tariffs and supply and demand - the local stuff being primarily Japanese wearing a variety of badges. Much of it made from CKDs, I was told. The home grown motors - big Holdens and Fords - were loved and loathed in equal measure, build quality rightly or wrongly given as one reason to avoid. I was out there half a dozen times over the turn of the century and only met one person driving an Aussie-built Holden - as opposed to lots who had Japanese cars with Holden badges. Mazda was highly thought of, and Mitsubishis were very common. Suzukis too.

But that's all history, and it might be a completely different story over in the eastern states.

[Audax]

Looking at completed listings on ebay Australia shows that 9-5's are worth quite a bit more there than here! (although, it is an admittedly small sample size) but of the completed listings for pre-2000 saloon cars they all went for £1200+ 

[nine-fiver]

OK. Sorry for the delay. Awake down here. But it IS 'tomorrow' and I have been staying up rather late, watching way too much sport. Le Tour, Wimbledon, Moto GP, F1, Lions, America's Cup, oh, and of course....the cricket....moving on....
In Melbourne, 3600km and far removed from WA (pleasant as it is) you can pick up a decent 9-5 Aero in immaculate condition for around $10,000.
Insurance paid out $12K for my 2002 wreck just 9 months ago. The cars here are like new, with nearly no body issues or mechanicals. Low Ks too.
Mind you, the 9-5 Aero was 88,000$ back in 2003. Seriously. It was pitched up against the M5 and E Class. The Oz govt get 50% in what they call luxury car tax in that price bracket. Not that it stops anyone from buying them on a lease through a company. Then second hand sales after leasing drops them quickly down to 25% residual value in 5 years.
So...petrol is killing us now at a rapidly climbing $1.57 per liter. Bugger! it is not the amount rather the change in the pricing.
My 9-3 Aero Hirsch is still worth a lot more than that too it seems. The 9-3 Aero is considered a real weapon and looks so different from the local and Jap offerings that it has a certain cachet to it.

[Audax]

Insurance paid out $12K for my 2002 wreck just 9 months ago.

That's over 7 grand! 

[nine-fiver]

Had to put the plug gaps out to 1.1mm today, as the boss said it was pinging on hills. The plugs were powdered grey to white on inspection. For a motor at has done 185 thousand km it is running better than ever. No chain slap and buckets of power. Very smooth. No turbo smoke either.
Today, fully loaded on a round trip to the beach, 150km on freeways saw it do 6.3litres per 100km. Fantastic thing. Better than the handbook value and after 11 years.
So the two sump drops have preserved the engine and the oil evap update has done its job well (5 years ago) to this point. It eats a bit of oil but keeping it topped up is no drama. Just got to remember to pop the bonnet.
But, it threw a CEL on the way home, still drove perfectly with full boost. Yes I actually pulled over and checked things out. Nothing visible.
Reset the ECU and all seems well. Maybe it was a loose filler cap from this morning.
Good motoring, overall.

[nine-fiver]

Popped in another CPS as the poor thing was getting difficult on hot restarts lately. Tricky thing to change but well worth it. Just don't do it on a warm motor! I wouldn't be told would I...
At 185,000km and 12 years on the original one, it was starting to go out of range when hot. All good now and I recommend changing it as a matter of course at that sort of mileage. Drives much more smoothly and it is easier right through the range, where it was getting weird in the last few months.