Sharky's Musterious Isuzu! May have broken it again :(

[GDII]

I like front AUX in. I plug my phone into it all the time. I use my iPod a lot too but it hasn't got iPod control so not the easiest to use with the iPod touch. Perfectly fine with the 4th Gen nano.

If I was getting a new head unit for my car I'd get one with 3.5mm auxiliary front with USB and iPod control. My mate has one with the ability to have Bluetooth auxiliary but that's a separate additional unit that has to be bought and plugged in the back.

 

[Sharky.]

On that note, I just got back from a trip to Norman Ross and I got them to stick an Alpine CDe-121e on layby for two weeks - they were having a sale for this weekend only and the unit was on sale for $180 vs its regular price of $300. Front aux in, iPod control via USB, mp3/wma/aac USB & CD support, ID3 tag support, all that good stuff. It lacks RDS, but as I'll almost exclusively be using my iPod with it that's not too big a problem. Uses a rotary knob which is a bonus in my book, makes adjusting volume/station/track much faster than having to use buttons

Going to pick it up after this coming pay day (Thursday), then the fun task of pulling out my current one (VDO Dayton CD2703 fyi) and installing the Alpine unit begins!

What I currently have:

What I'm getting:

👍 Thinking of setting up the 2703 as a radio/CD player for my bedroom, no point in it sitting in a box somewhere gathering dust!

After that it's a trip to a mechanic to get the cause of my water leak properly determined. My money's on water pump gasket like originally suspected.

 

[Mike Rotch]

Nice pickup on the stereo. I have the same issue - old head unit with no MP3 connectivity. My unit is a 7" one (fnarr) so picking up a replacement is more then I'd like to spend ($400) so at the moment I just listen to one of 3 radio stations .

I was thinking about getting a FM transmitter, but I dont hear many good things about them....

 

[Sharky.]

Yeah, FM transmitters are pretty junk imho. Ironically the transmitter in my now-useless CDMA mobile phone worked great for audio through my home stereo, yet the $60 Merkury transmitter I bought three weeks back was about as effective as using a colander for a bailer. I managed to get it to provide almost-clear reception for about five minutes on a 4WD road during my weekend down south in Twizel and that required the transmitter jammed in the ashtray and my iPod dangling down, suspended by the 3.5mm lead.

Then I moved the transmitter slightly and that was the end of iPod over radio

Kinda thinking of going back to Norman Ross tomorrow and picking up the Alpine unit there and then, was planning on getting it after pay day next week to help ensure I'd have enough money over the holiday period for diesel, road user charges and getting my engine sorted but at $180 it's a lot cheaper than I expected...

 

[Murcie_LP640]

The Belkin FM Transmitter I have in my WRX does a decent job on the music side, but Wednesday and the stereo install can't come quick enough...if I go around a corner with any form of vigor it flips down and unhooks itself. And since I have an iPod Touch 5 I had to do a bit of DIY with an iPod Video case and a rubber band.

Tl;dr, it is pretty useless and I can't wait to get this chucked in:

 

[Sharky.]

Went back to Norman Ross en route to stopping by a friend's place to pick up LA Noire and collected the unit.

Took a bit of Kiwi ingenuity to remove the VDO as I didn't have the required tool for the job, but jamming four Allen keys in the release slots and prying the whole thing out with a couple of screwdrivers did the trick. After that I was faced with another issue, the colours of the wires in the car's loom weren't standard and didn't match any of the colours in the looms for both receivers. Some logical thinking and trial and error later (which was all trial and zero error, amazingly) and the Alpine was sitting in my dash, cranking out Gangnam Style


My commute to work just got a lot more enjoyable!

 

[Legendary]

I find FM transmitters to be utterly terrible. My mum has had one and a mate has had one, certain frequencies of the audio (extreme lows or highs) can sound distorted and there isn't really a fine line to fix it.

I bought an Alpine just recently as a new law came in which states we are not even allowed to touch our phones for any reason at all. If you do you face a $330 fine and 3 points. The Alpine I bought has bluetooth so I can change songs playing from my phone wirelessly and from the headunit which is great. And Alpine has amazing sound quality and options.

 

[Punknoodle]

Looks like there is a few of us in the Alpine club.

I haven't got Bluetooth though, I have rear entry USB and iPod, just ran the lead through to my centre console and it charges my iPhone at the same time and I control my music from the head unit.

 

[Sharky.]

I don't have Bluetooth, while it would've been nice to have I couldn't justify (nor afford!) spending another $50-$100!

 

[Legendary]

I don't have Bluetooth, while it would've been nice to have I couldn't justify (nor afford!) spending another $50-$100!

It was on special at the time here for $230 I think. I haven't taken a picture of it in the car yet but its this one:

 

[Murcie_LP640]

Parrot Bluetooth system in my head unit, but my Alpine kicks come from the sub, not the head unit

 

[Sharky.]

Loving my new head unit. iPod connectivity is amazing and I love it. Naturally it was christened by way of Taylor Swift

Got my engine looked at by a retired (but very experienced) mechanic my mother gets her car serviced by, his conclusion was inconclusive. Could be water pump gasket, could be head gasket. He's going to give it a full coolant flush this coming Thursday (which it desperately needs, the water is rust-coloured. No rust flakes though, thankfully) and refill the system with fresh water and some form of leak sealant that should plug up any holes in whichever gasket is leaking. A few days after that it'll get a nice refreshing treatment of antifreeze and hopefully it'll be sorted.

Otherwise if it actually is a head gasket it's a job worth at least a thousand paper

 

[David]

Maybe you could get an artist to airbrush a big picture of Taylor Swift on the hood for you. I think it needs some Sharky personalization anyway.

Hope your potential gasket issue works itself out the cheap way.

 

[Sharky.]

Dropped it off at the mechanics' on the way home from work tonight, which means I have to use, woe is me, public transport (*gasp*) to get to/from work tomorrow

Friday night will be time for a pre-Christmas fillup, economy hasn't been as flash on this tank - solely a commute to and from work - compared to what I managed on the open road during my "Twizel with mates" weekend - 10.7 per 100 then, around 12.7 now. Still better than I expected, so I can't complain; comes out to $20 in diesel per 100km and factoring in road user charges ($48 per 1000km) it's a fairly respectable $250/1000km.

I also keep accidentally spinning my inside rear tyre when pulling a u-turn, no slippy diff + giving the accelerator too much of a prod = bye bye money 31x10.5s aren't cheap, so it's a good thing my tyres were basically new when I bought the vehicle!

 

[Sharky.]

Head itself, apparently.

Quoted $3000-$4000 to fix.

fml.

 

[oopssorryy]

You willing to get your hands dirty and work on the car? It's a crappy time of year to due so but it would be a lot cheaper to do it yourself.

 

[Rotary Junkie]

Head itself, apparently.

Quoted $3000-$4000 to fix.

fml.

wat.

Used replacement motor time.

 

[GDII]

Maybe this is a dud too. Same guy selling it, same photo location too.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/isuzu/auction-544622771.htm

 

[Mike Rotch]

Head itself, apparently.

Quoted $3000-$4000 to fix.

fml.

Ouch - sorry to hear that. Might be worth getting a 2nd opinion if you have any doubts about this mechanics verdict, as that is a lot of money to be spending fixing something.

 

[a6m5]

I'm sorry to hear that as well. Sorry Sharky, such a cool truck.

Where I live, a lot of active backyard mechanics due to poor economy. Might be worth your while to look into that option? If you do, you will need to stay on top of them. Lots of capable one just doing it on the side, but also lot of idiots who say a lot, but you shouldn't trust with your vehicle.

Of course, like Mike noted, you should also check with other shops, get at least handful of quotes. In my area, tires shops & oil change shops often do a lot of work for cheap. I'd avoid those, too many horror stories.

Good luck!

 

[Sharky.]

Yeah, a mate of mine is going to get me a quote from a couple of diesel places he's dealt with. Apparently the 3-4000 estimate was only really an upper limit, it could cost less than that but it could equally cost that much... at $3000 it would definitely be new motor time (like RJ suggested, and I'd probably dump a 3.1 in instead of another 2.8), given that I purchased the truck for $4000 to begin with!

Still, while it's less than ideal it's not the end of the world. Everything runs great otherwise. Mostly. Think my air con system doesn't work with the fan on 1 or 2, the a/c button has what appears to be a light in it that doesn't actually light up and if I'm not imagining things, my fogs gave up the ghost. Could be worse though!

 

[David]

Still, while it's less than ideal it's not the end of the world. Everything runs great otherwise. Mostly. Think my air con system doesn't work with the fan on 1 or 2, the a/c button has what appears to be a light in it that doesn't actually light up and if I'm not imagining things, my fogs gave up the ghost. Could be worse though!

I admire your optimism given the circumstances . I hope you're able to find a better deal on the repair work because that price is just crazy! Shame it turned out like that considering how nice the rest of the vehicle looks.

 

[Sharky.]

It's my way of distracting myself from the fact I'm now going to be broke for much longer than originally planned. Registration comes up in February plus I have about 300 RUC kms left before I need to buy more, and I want to buy a large amount at once (5000 or so, costs $48/1000km).

All it means is that I have to keep my compulsive spending tendencies in check... no buying another GTX 670 for my computer until this is sorted, for example!

 

[David]

...no buying another GTX 670 for my computer until this is sorted, for example!

But... But...

Also that whole RUC thing you all have going on over there is silly! Does your fuel price not have a bunch of tax on it for roads already?

 

[Sharky.]

Petrol does, diesel doesn't. It's how diesel is 50c/L cheaper ($1.52/L vs $2.09/L for 91 octane) - petrol vehicles get hit with tax at the pump, diesel ones get hit with tax separately.

 

[David]

Ah okay, that makes more sense but its still silly

 

[homeforsummer]

How on earth is the head that expensive, even with labour costs? Surely you could find one in a scrap dealer for about a tenth of that?

If it's unavoidable I'd even be tempted to cut your losses, buy another identical car and sell your current one as parts to recoup some of the costs.

 

[Tornado]

You could probably buy a Honda Passport, have it imported to your country and take the engine out of that for the cost of that head. That's silly.

 

[Sharky.]

How on earth is the head that expensive, even with labour costs?

Think that was the upper limit of how much it would cost, but yes, it does seem a bit excessively expensive. Being diesel does bump up the labour cost a bit with pressure testing and whatnot, but even then I would expect it to not be more than a grand.

Surely you could find one in a scrap dealer for about a tenth of that?

I don't even know where I'd find a wreckers that would even deal with Isuzu!

If it's unavoidable I'd even be tempted to cut your losses, buy another identical car and sell your current one as parts to recoup some of the costs.

Buuuuuut I like this exact car.

 

[Sharky.]

Trip to the fuel pump today, 514km on that tank and it took 65 litres for a purely work commute 12.7L/100km. Not too shabby for a two-decade-old 2.8 diesel 4WD with a bung head

I'm also 99.9% sure my fogs and park lights have randomly stopped working, and that's a WOF failable offence... no idea why they've stopped working, they were fine when I bought the vehicle :s