Below you will find pages that utilize the taxonomy term “Car”
Car Math
April 29, 2011
Now that the road trip has come to an end completely I want to see how much travelling with a car cost me in total. It got way more expensive than expected because of the low price I got for the car. The latter probably being caused by a bad market (for sellers) and a QLD registration that is more difficult and expensive to transfer than those from other states.
Back on the Road
December 29, 2010
On Tuesday morning I went to talk to the mechanic about the broken alternator. The shop is specialised in car electrics and car audio and the show room looked accordingly. Unfortunately they had no mechanics on service because of another public holiday. Getting one would have cost a $80 call out fee so we decided to wait another day. The place where the tow truck dropped the car off was ok to stay, we had a gas station with toilets and even showers around the corner and a nearby park to spend the day.
Again?
December 27, 2010
I wanted to write a bit about Christmas in the Blue Mountains, Christmas Eve around the log fire and late night BBQ but that has to wait for a while.
We left Katoomba yesterday without a real plan on where to go and what to do. All we knew was that after two weeks of partying around the log fire we needed to get our asses up.
Today we wanted to spent the night at a camp site in the mountains.
A new Fuel Pump
December 15, 2010
On Monday I gave the wreckers in Lawson a call to ask if they’d have time to fit in the fuel pump. Unfortunately they forgot about it and asked me to call them back on Wednesday. I guess if you’re more laid back than an Aussie you’re gonna fall over.
As I wasn’t too sure if they’d do it on Wednesday I asked the mechanic next door for a quote for fitting in the part from the wrecker.
Stuck in Katoomba
December 10, 2010
Yesterday I stopped by a mechanic next door to the hostel. The car recently made some noises that made me suspicious about some damage on the wheel bearings. They asked me to come around Saturday morning and they’d have a look at it.
This morning I got in the car to drive it over to their place. It started a bit rough but I never started it at temperatures this low (12° night time) before.
Roadworthy!
October 29, 2010
It wasn’t easy but today I finally got the roadworthy certificate (RWC) for my car. A RWC is necessary to register a car and can be issued by certified mechanics. Unlike the German TÜV there are no specialised inspection stations. The Italian couple that sold me the car had it checked by a mechanic in the city and because it failed in some points didn’t get the RWC.
In such cases the car has to be repaired and presented again to the mechanic that did the initial roadworthy check. He’ll check it again free of charge and either issue a RWC if everything has been fixed or point out the damages that are still in need of repair.
This is the story of my cars RWC:
Thursday 21st: I bought the car knowing that the RWC will cost me around $600. After buying the car I talked to Fred from the car rental to get a recommendation for a mechanic that works for cash. He named the one that also services their cars. In the afternoon I went to see him, showed him the paper that lists the necessary repairs for the RWC and he quoted me $500 to $550 for the repairs. “How much if I pay cash?” I asked. “$450” he answered. I agreed and he told me to bring the car around on Monday.
Monday 25th: In the morning I drop of the car at the mechanic and in the afternoon I pick it up and drive straight to the mechanic that did the roadworthy check. He was too busy that day and asked me to bring the car around the next day.
Tuesday 26th: I drop the car of in the morning and come back in the afternoon to pick it up. “We have a bit of a problem here.” I was told. “Your mechanic repaired the wrong part of the car.”. “WTF” I think and say. Apparently the radius arms on the front wheels were repaired but those on the rear wheels needed to be repaired.
A little more Reef and other News
October 26, 2010
Here are some more of the 140 pictures we took under water (makes about 2 pictures per minute).
My new car is doing well so far. Yesterday morning I had it to the mechanic who did the necessary repairs for the roadworthy. Cost $450 and today I’ll try to get that RWC. I did some test drives with the car as well. It’s 2.6l 4-cylinder engine is rather small for Aussie standards but the 130hp handle the car well enough.
My new car
October 21, 2010
Since of earlier today I’m the owner of a 1996 Mitsubishi Magna station wagon. It’s done 285.000km and the engine has been reconditioned at 200.000km.
This menace to public road safety cost me $500 and I’ll have to invest about $600 to get it fixed for a roadworthy certificate (RWC). It was a bit of a risky buy but if everything goes well I’ll have paid $1100 for a car that usually goes for $2000.
The hunt is on!
September 26, 2010
That is the hunt for a used car. Over the last weeks I thought a lot about the advantages and disadvantages of buying a car. On the pro side is the increased flexibility when it comes to travel as well as the possibility to save money by being able to avoid planes and buses but also by carrying a tent and thus cheaper accommodation. The big con is the cost of the investment as well as maintenance and possibly repairs.