[uucdigest] Monday, October 13 2003 Volume 03 : Number 6810
_________________________________________________________________ | | Search the ARCHIVES: | http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] | | Visit Richard Nott's Ultimate BMW Database: | http://www.bmwdatabase.com | | For all available Digest commands including unsubscribe/subscribe, | visit the BMW UUC Digest page: http://www.uucdigest.com | | Send SUBMISSIONS to [EMAIL PROTECTED] | Complaints? Send 'em to [EMAIL PROTECTED] if you must. | Technical Problems? Send 'em to [EMAIL PROTECTED] |__________________________________________________________________ In this BMW UUC Digest: Re: [uuc] Gel Batteries [uuc] E36 Headlight Comparison RE: [uuc] INTERIOR RECONDITIONING IN LOS ANGELES Re: [uuc] Gel Batteries Re: [uuc] Gel Batteries [uuc] FS: 1998 M3 Convertible - $26000! RE: [uuc] No eject from CD changer. Magazine now out [uuc] <FS> E30 M3 radiator RE: [uuc] Re: Sad BMW-related Story [uuc] =?iso-8859-1?Q?=22Seinfeld's_Dumb_Porsche-Haus=22_-_NY_Observer_article?= ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2003 15:39:12 -0400 From: "Eurowerks" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [uuc] Gel Batteries Are you thinking of using an OPTIMA gel cell? If so, I don't think there is any weight savings at all over a standard battery. I am pretty sure that the OPTIMA may even be a little heavier. I use these in my off-road applications as well as marine use. Otherwise, if weight is not a factor in the equation, the gel cell's work great in all applications, just nearly twice as much $$$! I always use the really good ones though (blue top), and don't know about the red or yellow tops. Kirk A. Gilchrist EURO-WERKS / Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volvo Service and Repair 8 South Highland St. / Winchester, KY 40391 / 859-745-0125 [EMAIL PROTECTED] / 888-522-0271 toll free ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2003 12:39:30 -0700 From: Roger Baker <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] E36 Headlight Comparison Any people nearby the Los Angeles area who would be interested in getting together for a little headlight comparo? I would like to get at least 1 car with each of the various E36 headlights (ZKW, Bosch, InPro, Hella, factory US) both with halogen bulbs and HID upgrades installed. If anyone is interested in participating, drop me an email. - -- Roger ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2003 12:59:52 -0700 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: [uuc] INTERIOR RECONDITIONING IN LOS ANGELES Chris, >From the appearance of the stitching I'd say he used either a colorant such as Leatherique or possibly just an laquer job. If the latter it won't last long. The repair of the original crazing is well done. - -Kevin ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2003 15:05:15 -0500 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [uuc] Gel Batteries Eurowerks <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Are you thinking of using an OPTIMA gel cell? If so, I don't think > there is any weight savings at all over a standard battery. I am > pretty sure that the OPTIMA may even be a little heavier. Optima (orange tops in my case) are lighter than OE Douglas battery. Granted, Optima is not feather light, but it's not the OE boat anchor either. > I use these in my off-road applications as well as marine use. > Otherwise, if weight is not a factor in the equation, the gel cell's > work great in all applications, just nearly twice as much $$$! FWIW, I paid ~$120 for the Optimas while OE Douglas and the like can sometimes be found for $90-100 from battery resellers. A local dealer once quoted me $225 for an OEM Douglas + 1 hour of labor to install it. 'nuff said. > I always use the really good ones though (blue top), and don't know about > the red or yellow tops. Ahhh, that may explain the discrepancy. Sound like the blue tops are way heavier than yellow tops! alex f ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2003 16:43:39 -0400 (GMT-04:00) From: Brian Daley <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [uuc] Gel Batteries Kirk, It's kind of a nit pick, but Optimas aren't gel cells, they're AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat). Regarding blue being "really good" as far as I'm aware the blue tops are no different from the red/yellow tops except for the extra set of threaded terminals. Red tops are starter batteries, yellows are deep cycle, and the blues are marine, available in both starter and deep cycle versions. The deep cycle have a slightly different chemical composition to handle repeated discharge/recharge cycles. Optima makes several different group size batteries. Within a group size there isn't much difference in weight. The group 34 red top is 37.9 lb, the group 34 blue top is 38.4 lb, and the group 34 blue top deep cycle is 43.5 lb. The specs page for the group 34 yellows is hosed, but I'd guess 43 lb same .5 lb difference as between the red and blue starter batteries. As far as price the red tops are about the same as the stock E36 battery from the dealer ~$120. Brian '94 325ic with new stock battery '94 Cobra with Optima red top - -----Original Message----- From: Eurowerks <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Oct 13, 2003 3:39 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [uuc] Gel Batteries Are you thinking of using an OPTIMA gel cell? If so, I don't think there is any weight savings at all over a standard battery. I am pretty sure that the OPTIMA may even be a little heavier. I use these in my off-road applications as well as marine use. Otherwise, if weight is not a factor in the equation, the gel cell's work great in all applications, just nearly twice as much $$$! I always use the really good ones though (blue top), and don't know about the red or yellow tops. Kirk A. Gilchrist EURO-WERKS / Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volvo Service and Repair 8 South Highland St. / Winchester, KY 40391 / 859-745-0125 [EMAIL PROTECTED] / 888-522-0271 toll free ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2003 13:12:20 -0700 From: "Ahmad S. Hamzawi" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] FS: 1998 M3 Convertible - $26000! Beautiful 1998 BMW M3 Convertible for sale. Join the many that have enjoyed the BMW M-series, which has won numerous awards and accolades throughout the years! http://hamzawi.homeip.net/pics/m3/m3.JPG Here are the details: o Low 50K miles, mostly freeway o 5 speed, black on black o 8 Speaker Premium Harmon Kardon Stereo System with BMW 6 CD changer o BMW M3 5 spoke M-Contour rims o BMW Keyless entry with alarm and 2 remotes o Factory Perma-Plate paint protector (bought when new) o All BMW Factory options which include - Power Convertible Top/Seats/Windows, Dual heated power seats, cruise control, On-Board computer (OBC), Rear Defroster, Power Locks, Dual Zone Climate Control Air Conditioning, Power Mirrors, o Dynamic Stability Control o Rollover package o Dual front and side airbags o New front and rear Michelin tires o ITG Performance (reusable) air filter o Recently replaced rear convertible window o Dealer serviced, all records o Always hand washed and waxed o Jim Conforti Performance Chip (average 22 miles per gallon city and 26 freeway) o Smogged on 5/18, and paid registration which is good for 1 yr! Price TO SELL below market at $26000 You can call me at 408 592 6932 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2003 21:49:53 -0400 From: "Jerome & Chinthika Welte" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: RE: [uuc] No eject from CD changer. Magazine now out Thanks for everyone's advice, especially John Hovell. With his advice I was able to slide a thin piece of cardboard under the magazine that tripped a release lever and out popped the magazine. Looks like a damper on the changer is causing the problem. Regards, Jerome ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2003 20:01:26 -0700 (PDT) From: Carlos Lopez <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] <FS> E30 M3 radiator I installed a new radiator along with a new water pump and all new hoses. My old radiator was working fine, I took a closer look and it looks like it's in really good condition. I don't have much storage space so it's gotta go. $100 + shipping from the Detroit area. BTW my car has the aux fan switch on the thermostat housing and therefore the radiator for sale has blanks on the bottom left corner (no provisions for coolant temp sensors). Carlos Motor City Chapter 91 M3 88 iS __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search http://shopping.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2003 23:06:14 -0400 From: "Robinson, Lee" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: RE: [uuc] Re: Sad BMW-related Story > the money. Even if I had the time and the money, I > would still be risking breaking something and being 5 > hours away from school. Aww, c'mon. I drove an E30M3 with a broken wheel bearing 8 hours back from Sebring to Atlanta (& proceeded to put a few hundred miles on afterwards) in the middle of the night. Dunna worry, she'll hold together. You could always rent a car. A few weeks ago when I did the Panoz skool at Road A, there was a guy there in a brand new XJ8--a Hertz rental. Used to be that Alamo rented S2000's, but I think they've stopped, maybe even for this reason. I can see the return guy now, "damn, this is the 4th weekend in a row this thing has come back with bald tires & a melted clutch." > > I agree that my driving skills leave a little (or a > lot, maybe?) to be desired, but being the 352nd person > to bring this to my attention will not resolve the > situation. It's alright Brad, not everybody's priorities are the same. A lot of guys would rather be watching football all weekend then being at the track, & that's ok. Most people will go their entire life without any track time. FWIW, I think you'd learn about 100% more at a proper car control course than a single DE. Being out of control is where you learn & that's generally discouraged at DE's, especially for beginners. > > Brad Couvillon <-- speaking somewhat tongue-in-cheek Lee 88 M3->passed said 290hp XJ8 pretty easily--not bad considering how Road A rewards sheer hp ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2003 23:44:47 -0400 From: "Dennis Liu" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] =?iso-8859-1?Q?=22Seinfeld's_Dumb_Porsche-Haus=22_-_NY_Observer_article?= Enjoy. The rantings of a liberal Manhattanite.... vty, - --Dennis _____________ http://www.observer.com/pages/frontpage3.asp Seinfeld�s Dumb Porsche-Haus by Ron Rosenbaum Jerry�s Garage. Jerry�s Porsche-haus. I didn�t believe it until I saw it with my own eyes. I�d read about it here in The Observer a year or so ago and immediately went into a state of denial. No. Jerry Seinfeld can�t be just handing me material like this. It must be a joke. Jerry Seinfeld is a "comedian," isn�t he? I mean, that�s how he�s identified in the media. Just because I don�t find him funny; just because I think he may be the worst stand-up comedian in recorded history, one who�s generated a devil-spawn of unfunny "observational" comedians who make interminable "cutting-edge" jokes about, you know, Starbucks calling its smallest size "tall"�stuff like that. (Roll over, Sam Kinison!) But hey, some people find the guy funny. Live and let live. So the whole Porsche-haus thing could have been Jerry�s attempt at a joke. And then I saw it. After years in the planning, construction is going forward, even though (we�ll get to this later) the city�s Department of Buildings says the applications have not been fully approved. But I�ve been there. I�ve been to the site! It�s almost like being able to say I was there when they put the capstone on the Great Pyramid of Cheops. I was there when they were building Jerry�s Garage, Jerry�s Porsche-haus, the entire building he�s constructing on an Upper West Side street to house a very special few of Jerry�s Very Special Collection of Porsches, the one he�s building three blocks away from his $4.35 million duplex in the Beresford, so he could be close enough to say nighty-night and beddy-bye to his beloved German sports cars whenever he wants to. I was there when it was close to completion. It�s just too good to be true. Nearly a million and a half dollars to provide housing for homeless � Porsches! Poor Jerry. I�m sure he�s very deep. But it suggets that he is just as superficial and self-absorbed as the character he played on his sitcom. More so! Even "Jerry" would have ridiculed Jerry for this tribute to childish grandiosity, this monumental folly: Porsche-haus. The Great Pyramid of Dumbness. Before we go any further, I want to say I�ve demonstrated great forbearance when it comes to Jerry recently. It�s true I spent most of the late 90�s ridiculing the ineffable smugness of his sitcom persona in these pages. (It� s not the sitcom so much as "Jerry" I can�t stand.) It�s true I founded a half-serious "Can�t Stand Seinfeld Society" in these pages, and hundreds of people clipped out the handy membership coupon and sent it in. It�s true that I can never really respect anyone who explains to me that Jerry�s humor is really "about nothing." That�s like sooo profound and all, no question, but it�s almost too heavy an insight for me to handle. But, really, I�ve tried to be good. I�ve tried to lay off Jerry lately. After all, he hasn�t bothered us recently, unless you count that amazingly hostile and self-aggrandizing Seinfeld "film" called Comedian (I�ll get to that incredibly self-revealing fiasco in a moment). After all, Seinfeld the show has been off the air for several years, and it� s possible, if you�re careful, to avoid the reruns. Jerry�s been spending his time lavishing huge sums on the extremely important task of renovating his expensive apartment. I bet he even worked with the decorator, a real hands-on deal for this important task. Look, it�s kept him out of our face. So it�s been years now since I�ve had occasion to make fun of the Prince of Massapequa. But then I saw it: Porsche-haus, as I�m sure it will come to be called. And I discovered the Mystery of the Missing 13 Porsches�the Little Kittens Who Lost Their Mittens of the German-sports-car-collector world. I�d been having lunch with a friend of mine at Barney Greengrass on Amsterdam and 86th, and he told me about a friend of his who takes classes at the yoga studio on West 83rd Street next-door to Porsche-haus. And how the serenity and composure of the classes had been disrupted recently by the resumption of the construction racket at Porsche-haus. It was then that it all came back to me: the story�first reported in The Observer by Tom McGeveran in March 2002�that, after having spent a fortune at the Beresford with his money-wasting vanity renovations that gutted his apartment at one of New York�s most revered residential buildings, Jerry was now spending close to one and a half million dollars to tear down a small structure on West 83rd Street and erect an entire building that would be devoted to housing 20 of his Very Very Special German sports cars: Porsche-haus! But not just any garage. A Very Very Special Garage, a Kozy Clubhouse (or Klub-haus) for Jerry to commune with his Porsches. A garage with a dramatic steel-and-glass staircase and a cozy little "kitchenette" where Jer can kick back and have milk and cookies while gazing over his three floors of Porsches, deciding which one he will grace with his butt next. Of course, there were the usual complications with getting building permits, and neighbors having their lives disrupted with noise and sidewalk obstruction. But Jerry very considerately had seismograph wires drilled into neighboring buildings in order to keep track of the vibrations the Porsche-haus construction caused. He paid the yoga studio when it had to close down during the construction because the ground was shaking beneath the downward-facing dogs. That was a year and a half ago. So here�s Part I of the mystery: The Observer story, and follow-ups in other papers, reported that construction was supposed to be completed in June 2002. What happened? Couldn�t Jerry get just the right kind of Sub-Zero fridge up to the kitchenette? I reached spokesperson Ilyse Fink at the city�s Department of Buildings, who told me a check of the permit situation showed that the plan applications had been turned down twice since January 2000, most recently in October 2002. It�s possible that zoning limitations on garage-building below 96th Street are involved. Of course, there is the city�s housing shortage. Even though the site is narrow�only 16 feet across�the importance to the city of giving space up to a garage for one wealthy individual is debatable, if you ask me. Some might see it as insensitive to the tens of thousands of people desperate for decent housing in the city. Maybe though, if you take Jerry�s point of view, it�s much ado "about nothing." Anyway, when my friend and I got to the site, workers were working away, hammers were banging, hand trucks of cement were going in, the frontage was boarded up with wood, and the sidewalk was heavily trafficked with workers. The Department of Buildings spokesperson said that it often happens that construction projects go forward without their final permits, in the hope or assumption that they will eventually be granted. This is called "building at risk"�it�s not illegal, it�s just that if the permits are not ultimately granted, the builder can be prohibited from using it for its intended purpose. Gee, I sure hope that Jerry doesn�t have to put the Porsches out on the street if the final permits don�t come through! The city would then lose what will soon come to be a fabulous tourist attraction on the order of the old Times Square Ripley�s Believe it or Not freak show. One that asks the single question: Is Jerry aware of how incredibly dumb this makes him look? Or is it his statement? Is it his in-your-face way of proclaiming: "Say it loud: I�m dumb and I�m proud!" After all, there are monuments to all sorts of achievers in America, but do Really Superficial Rich People have a place to call their own? Soon they will. But the visit to the Porsche-haus construction site raised another mystery: let�s call it The Clue of the Thirteen Porsches. In the original stories about Porsche-haus, its capacity was always referred to as 20: room for 20 Porsches to nest together and long for Papa Jerry�s visits. The Speedster and the Boxster and the Carrera get lonely. Twenty Porsches! In an Upper West Side neighborhood. So The Observer reported, and in a subsequent conversation with the Observer reporter, a Seinfeld spokesperson didn�t dispute any of the facts. By the way, do you think he has names for his Porsches? Does he call the Boxster "Gunther," and the blue Speedster "Hermann"? Inquiring minds want to know. And the guy who designed the brand, Ferdinand Porsche�did Jerry name one after him, for his great contribution to the German automotive industry in the 30�s and 40�s, among other things? But I digress. Here�s where the mystery enters in. I asked one of the workmen at the site (on West 83rd Street, between Amsterdam and Columbus) just how many cars the great edifice was designed to hold, and he said seven! Seven! I thought it was supposed to be 20. The buildings department said the only request they have that specifies a number of vehicles calls for "accessory parking" for four cars with a 240-square-foot addition. So that could add up to seven. I guess it�s just an oversight that seven cars aren�t mentioned in the permit application. (An e-mail to the office of Mr. Seinfeld�s P.R. rep, sent on the Friday before The Observer�s publication date, asking for clarification, has so far gone unanswered.) Sure, it�s unofficial, the workman�s estimate of seven cars; maybe he was misinformed, but suddenly it made me think of a terrible scenario. Maybe because of negotiations with some zoning authority, Jerry had to downsize the original grand 20-car plan for Porsche-haus! Which would have meant Jerry having to choose. Which of the 20 Porsches would get to stay close to their Porsche-meister? And which would be banished to�horrors�commercial garages, where they�d be subject to gawking and ridicule by Other Cars and Jerry wouldn�t be able to say good night to them and make it all better? How would he break the news to Gunther or the particularly sensitive Hermann? Would it be a one-on-one, or would he make it a Paradise Hotel kind of thing, where he�d make the cars compete in displays of affection for him to avoid being kicked off the island? Wouldn�t that give Gunther the crafty Boxster an unfair advantage? I hear he �s been known to spread slanders about Hermann behind his back! I feel somehow we need to do something for the Little Lost Porsches. The lonely 13 German machines. Homeless sports cars need love and companionship, too, right? Maybe Jerry could talk some of his neighbors at the Beresford into moving out to make room for Hermann and Gunther�or at least into letting them stay in the guest bedrooms. I�m sure with a few knocked-out walls, ramps (and kitchenettes), the neighbors would find it in their hearts to take them in. Am I being mean to Jerry? I won�t say, in my defense, look how mean he�s being to Hermann and Gunther. No, I will cite in my defense the fact that Jerry consented to appear in one of the most petty, mean-spirited documentaries I�ve ever seen. The one called, misleadingly, Comedian. I never saw it when it came out, never rented it until my visit to Porsche-haus. And I have to admit I found it shocking. It�s ostensibly about Jerry going through what we�re constantly being told is the super arduous, incredibly courageous preparation for what he�s interminably telling us is the real deal in comedy: stand-up. Oh, what a religion he makes of stand-up, particularly�or maybe because�he�s such a pathetic practitioner. The premise of the documentary is to follow Jerry after he�s taken the bold and courageous decision to "retire" his old stand-up stuff (someone alert the Swedish Academy!) and develop "all-new" material. But we only get snatches of the "all-new" material, which is shocking in itself. Not shocking because it�s outrageous or funny. Shocking because if you�ve seen any of Jerry�s stand-up before, you would not think it remotely possible that he could find anything more pallid, insipid and pathetic to attempt to extort laughs from. But he�s done it! He�s out done himself: lip-liner! He makes fun of women who wear lip-liner. ("We know where the lips are." Funny!) Other subjects he tells us he�s going to make jokes about: "Coffee, Starbucks[!], lips, men�s attention, construction sites[!], beauty contests, equator, DNA, blind men, nose hair." Cutting-edge! But the really offensive thing about the movie is that it makes a cruel spectacle of a poor young comedian named Orny Adams. A guy we�re meant to see as the young Jerry or something, when Jerry was on the make, before Jerry developed his legendary successful sitcom savoir-faire, I guess. But it�s really a portrayal that seems to express Jerry�s deep hostility to the entire stand-up comic business that he�s transcended. In the film, Orny seems to be about on the same superficial level as Jerry is, but that could be the editing. Still, one senses that Orny has signed on to the film because he thinks that it�s his big break, that it will make him a star. (Anybody hear of him since?) Instead, he�s humiliated by the filmmakers, who show him listening to one comic say of the manager Orny and Jerry share, "First he represented Jerry Seinfeld, now he�s representing Orny Adams. What�s next, the parrot from Baretta?" That�s funny. But it�s also really cruel, and the documentary zooms in on poor Orny�s face as he listens to the joke ridiculing him. Did Jerry sanction this cruelty? Jerry wouldn�t do that to Gunther or Hermann, would he? Really, the way Orny is treated in Jerry�s film, it makes you fear for the future of Gunther and Hermann if they ever stall. Porsche-haus has a harsh meister. I�m open to suggestions from readers about what we should do to console and house the 13 little kittens who lost their mittens�I mean the 13 little Porsches who lost their places in the meister�s haus. Won�t someone volunteer to take them in and tuck them in at night? back to top This column ran on page 1 in the 10/13/2003 edition of The New York Observer. ------------------------------ End of [uucdigest] V3 #6810 *************************** | | In memory of Michel Potheau - friend, enthusiast, founder of the BMW CCA. |________________________________________ | Please visit these UUC-approved BMW parts vendors/service providers: | (listed alphabetically) | | Autoscope-Motorsports - http://www.autoscope-motorsports.com | |==================================================== | | Koala MotorSport . BMW technical information, special tool sales/rental | http://www.koalamotorsport.com | |==================================================== | | Taylor BMW - http://www.taylorbmw.com - Doc Bimmer! | |==================================================== | Turner Motorsport Inc . The Ultra-High Performance BMW Specialist | 207 Elm Street, Amesbury, MA 01950 | 978-388-7769 / fax 978-388-4202 | http://www.turnermotorsport.com | |==================================================== | | UUC Motorwerks - BMW Performance Fine-tuning | and home of the Ultimate Short Shifter - accept no substitutes! | 908-874-9092 . http://www.uucmotorwerks.com |__________________________________________________________
