Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Found my unicorn! DJI Mavic Pro!!!

I've been looking for one since I heard about it a few months ago. Since I've upgraded my phone to the LG V20 for better video footage I decided to expand to a drone for aerial. I keep on buying more gear that takes up more space and weight so after seeing so many positive reviews about this tiny but potent drone, I decided to go on my search.

I had a preorder with Verydrone.com which they "guaranteed" to be shipped out by Thanksgiving. Well it's almost Christmas and still NOTHING.

I got lucky just a few days ago to find out BestBuy.com had some available! I rushed and made my order just minutes before selling out!

Anyhow it's in my hands and I'm trying to get used to it as I'm a noob pilot. It's got some great features so I'm looking forward to it and hopefully no crashes nor losing it!

Video of my excitement!




tiny drone next to my chunky but still tiny 2 month old daughter
used my old camera bag for the mavic and accessories! Great diaper bag too that doesn't look like one.


Saturday, November 26, 2016

Finally in the new decade with a new TV!!! 4K baby!

I had a 10 year old 42 inch LCD tv that was just getting so hot it would heat up my bedroom. It was good in the winter but in the summer that sucker was killing me.

I decided it's finally time to buy a new TV and Black Friday is usually one of the best times for Door Busters. I got a LeEco 43 inch TV.  I paid $349 plus tax and free shipping. I actually placed the order about 2am on Black Friday and got it delivered today (Saturday). Amazing speed I have to say.



So far I'm impressed with the picture quality using my Spectrum Cable (formerly Time Warner) HD box. "Wowzers!" would be my feedback! Sound isn't great but better than my old tv.

Check out my YouTube video for more details about this tv.




Wednesday, November 23, 2016

check yo headphone jack on LG V20!!!

I noticed that with some cheap headphones/earbuds that the sound quality wasn't too great and thought it was just the pos stuff. After getting the free B&O $150 value headphones, music still sounded muffled and had static.

Turns out when twisting the plug it made some difference. It wiggles a lot too which I didn't care for. I called T-mobile for warranty and they sent me another one where I had to exchange at the store.

Now it's better sound but it's still loose not to my liking. Check my video for more info.


Monday, November 14, 2016

WARNING! Dangerous issue for 2016 Acura MDX , Honda Pilots and TLX

My wife's MDX unexpectedly went into neutral when driving. I took it to the dealer to get it looked at. I found out it's more prevalent than known. It should be a recall but it's not. Get your car to the dealer and get the software updated. It makes a huge difference in power and response. I'm hoping this doesn't happen again!

The Technical Service Bulletin is TSB 15-034. click here:

Open TSB PDF ... thanks www.mdxers.org !!!

My video explains it a little more detail...rant.


2017 Acura NSX!!!!

I had to drop off my wife's MDX for service this morning and saw the new Acura NSX. It's a beauty with tons of oem carbon fiber. I'm talking wing, dash, err thang!

Anyways the MSRP was $200k with all the mods.



There was a dealer mark up sticker that said "see management."

I found out that a buyer actually bought it yesterday paying $218k plus tax and license.

It proves that the USA is moving on with no fear about Donald Trump. lol

check out my video for a walk around and close up of the sticker!







Sunday, November 6, 2016

Great day to work on the Bimmer! It was just like summer.

It was mid 70s here in SoCal today and it felt like a summer day. But wait...it's November!!!

My goal today on the E90 was to do a drain and fill of transmission fluid and the rear end. Why did BMW use only 1 opening? I really hate the smell of gear oil. Even fresh oil stinks.

Transmission fluid wasn't as bad but still stinks. Look how awful the fluid color is. Glad I changed it.



I am not fond of raising car but I gotta do what I gotta do. Ended up doing it twice because I had to drive it around to be sure it the fluids go through the system then check the fluid levels. Geez I would die for a car lift. lol





Friday, November 4, 2016

New phone for my Blog and YouTube channel...LG V20 !!!!

Many of my pics and videos I've done for this blog was using my OnePlus2 cell phone. It's a decent phone but technology always advances forward (well for the most part).

Since the Note7 is basically a dead duck and Iphone 7 Plus and Google Pixel are just too pricey, I decided to try out the new LG V20.

Some of the nice features are 5.7 inch screen, dual camera, hi fi audio recording.

I've had the phone for 4 days and it's going to be a keeper. There were some caveats about the phone. I've added it to my videos for easier explanation.

If you have any questions please post on the blog or the youtube comments.

Thanks!!!

UNBOXING


SPARIN CASE REVIEW



AUDIO VIDEO TEST WITH MY BOYS





REVIEW AFTER 2 WEEKS OF USE LIKES/DISLIKES




Sometimes manual mode can just make things worse! LG V20

So last night my buddy Daniel dropped by to say high. He just changed up his exhaust on his fully modded Fiesta ST to something louder. I thought since our last video was just talking about the car that we do some driving instead.

It was getting dark so I thought I would record videos but crank up the ISO to get better light. Well it came out so grainy that it was just disappointing. Sound wise it was great and represents what I heard in person. Three microphones are just really dandy I have to say.

One other thing I noticed is when I hold the phone my hand shakes it too much and it doesn't stabilize too well vs if I'm panning. That you can see smooths out nicely.

Anyway here's the video. Enjoy the noise and our discussion about the mods.


Saturday, October 29, 2016

LG V20 video test... drone / GoPro style!!! Bmw love..E30 E90

Cleaned up my E90 today and decided to try a drone style / go pro wide angle video.

The stabilization on the LG V20 is pretty decent. You can even see the smoothness when recording it live.

Here's some phone pics and my youtube vids....






Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Save yourself a dumb ticket and put on a front plate! Gotta make is semi decent though...

In California it is the law to have a front license plate. Lots of people still drive without one but this is just an opportunity for law enforcement to pull you over for probable cause while in disguise it's more of a 'fishing expedition' on you. Also areas like in Los Angeles have the meter maids who will just ticket you while parked. That's $20-60 gone from your pocket.

I like anybody else wants their car to look clean and modern as possible but I refuse to pay a frivolous expense.

This is the tow hook relocator  from ebay: ebay auction

it seems to be a copy of this one: original model?



Check out my video about this install.



You can see my old blogpost about the Cravenspeed model which is nicely built but not adjustable: Cravenspeed plate relocator on Golf R

I really like the option of height and angle to conform to the bumper. It just eases the pain.





Thursday, October 6, 2016

Trunk slamming hard? You NEED new lift supports!!!

So my recently purchased BMW 335i needs new trunk shocks. They are officially known as lift supports but who uses that terminology? I call them trunk shocks. Others may call them dampers, struts..whatever. The point is your trunk or hood is slamming hard and could take out something you cherish.

I bought mine from eBay for $17. OEM shocks are double that so I decided since I don't open my trunk on a daily basis that I can live with a cheaper unit. They definitely made a difference.

Check out my YouTube video with my sons helping me on it. The only tool you need is a flat head screwdriver.


Wednesday, October 5, 2016

335i front bumper is going for a makeover

The white Bimmer I picked up a couple weeks ago had only 1 flaw. The front bumper was rashed up. It's a really good fitting M3 replica bumper too but the repercussions of highway driving took a toll on it.

I pulled it off tonight and will drop it off for it's makeover tomorrow. I should have it back by next week. In the meanwhile I'm going to change some fluids. The rear end and tranny needs to be done.

Stay tuned for a photoshoot.


Saturday, October 1, 2016

2017 Nissan Titan XD Cummins diesel obstacle course test drive!!!!

I went with my buddy Fred today to check out the new Nissan Titans. I wanted to see how the Cummins model was. I liked it.

I'm not sure how it compares to the Big Three but it's improved many times over versus my 2004 Titan I used to own. I'm sure the price tag does reflect it as well.

If you're looking for a truck, you should check it out.

Below is a video of the drive.







Friday, September 30, 2016

2014 Ford Fiesta ST - 300whp+ on E30!!!!

Met up with my buddy who has a FiST as they call it. These cars have been coined to be the 21st century E30, Integra Type R, etc...

Stock the horsepower isn't much but yikes he's putting in twice the power stock now!!!

Did a photoshoot and video...check it out!














Saturday, September 24, 2016

Another toy..BMW 335i I have an addiction

As you may noticed, I like performance cars.

I picked up a AMG C32 that was supercharged but it just didn't feel right. I think it was due to a lack of style. Great sleeper though.

I can't resist when I see a decent deal so I pulled the trigger on this alpine white E90.

It's dropped on KW V3 suspension sitting on 19 inch real deal BBS LM wheels.

front hood and bumper as well as rear bumper and BMW Performance carbon fiber rear spoiler.

The thing I really did is that it's an auto but has an upgraded M3 steering wheel so the shift paddles are the correct PLUS/MINUS paddles versus the both sides up and down controls.

Check out my video


Friday, August 5, 2016

Light Sensor Visit Workshop!!!!! What is this???

As you know I just picked up a 02 AMG C32.

The previous owner pointed out a few issues for transparency. Well he couldn't lie as it pops out at "faults" and "malfunctions" right on the dash display. haha.

Anyways one of the issues was "Light Sensor Visit Workshop."  I spent a few hours on the web trying to see what others had to say. It was consistent that logically you would assume it was an actually bad sensor but comments were that an old battery couldn't hold the same voltage so the light sensor was the first device that could sense it. This is a prime example why overengineering isn't always a good thing.

I checked the age of the current battery and it was just over a year old. Voltage test from my multimeter showed 12.5 volts which is lowish. The previous owner drove the car only 6000 on average per year. It was mostly garaged and sitting at home as the weekend toy. I slapped on the charger and got it up to 12.9 volts.

It didn't fix a thing.

So last night I'm about to order a replacement sensor but saw there were a few different part numbers. I decided to look at the part that I have. Well I opened up the cover to find it was disconnected!!!

I noticed there was no slack at all so somehow the wiring got too short and popped off. I'm guessing the windshield was replaced and that happened. Anyhow I had to pull off overhead console and rear view mirror. I loosened a bracket that holds the mirror in place. Yanked the wires for more slack and voila! No more light sensor issue!!!

Here's some pics below. It was midnight so pics didn't come out too clear.

Clearly disconnected!!!!







What a mess of wires!!!!

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

New toy to play with...AMG C32

Today I picked up a 2002 AMG C32. I wanted a C55 because of the NA V8 but I got a good deal on the this C32 and the C55 that I saw was clean but overpriced.

For some who don't know AMG is Mercedes tuner sector. It's like the M group for Bimmers. This car has 349 horsepower to the flywheel and a 5 speed auto transmission.

Overall it's a pretty clean car and the PO (Previous Owner) took care of it well while keeping receipts. It has a few issues which I'll be blogging here or talking about on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/robdaman

Camera phone pics for now. The hood is open because I decided to charge the battery. PO only drives 6000 miles annually.

I'll be giving my opinions about handling, braking, etc compared to my other cars soon.









Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Beds can fit in a E30!

I went to IKEA the other day to pick up a twin mattress for one of my sons. I figured to try to see if I can get it in the trunk otherwise I would squeeze it in the cabin somehow.

Well it fit! Obviously it was rolled up but the width of the roll fit perfectly into the trunk with tons of room left.

I've owned many sedans and coupes. The only trunk I've experienced being bigger is the 96 Impala SS I owned but that was a full-size cop car.

An S2000 has a tiny trunk. Evo X was dismal in which my 135i convertible trunk was in fact bigger than that!

Overall I'm still liking this car. It's a great bang for the buck ride. I wished I got one years ago. I may have had the bug sooner and bought a E30 M3. No way I'd pay what they're going for nowadays.



Still tons of space left!!!!









Sunday, July 10, 2016

Battery dead in 4 days in my E30

So the E30 has a 2 year old Kirkland battery. I had to fly out a week ago and thought to take my car and let it sit. Well fortunately I hadn't driven my car for a few days and decided to check the battery. Well it was dead. So dead I couldn't even get dash lights.

I ran a 6 amp charger on it and I was able to start but it was dead the next morning. I had to take that flight so when I returned I saw that the battery only measured 5volts. Charged it again and went to Oreilly's to get it checked out. Starter and alternator tested good. Battery tested "marginally good" so i'm sure there's a weak cell. I guess it's time for a new one. I'm going to see if Costco will return what I have even though I'm not the original owner.

Saturday, May 28, 2016

Quick photoshoot of the OG E30

After washing up the hooptie, I finished up polishing the roof to match the rest of the work I did last few weeks. Car really pops right now for an old worn paint!

It's not visible in the pics but the windows have some really  difficult to remove hard water stains. That's my next goal to fix.






If you've seen my past work I have a favorite spot for shooting my car at night. It's rare someone is there and it's not far away for me. Best combo!






Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Front end makeover on the E30. Made the box sexy

I had a good friend repaint the flaking rear spoiler and the chipped up valance. The valance was worn out over the years and also ghetto sprayed painted. I couldn't have that.

Red isn't a forgiving color over the years but I cleaned it up best I could. I'll call the worn areas "patina". lol.

I made my own DIY splitter while at it since I had some material left. I think it came out nice.

I'll have some of my pro shots soon at my favorite spot.

used valance as my template to cut the lip
friend dropped it off after repaint. so nice!




not bad after so many years




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My DIY splitter / lip for the R. Cheap mod!

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