Someone Stole All My Tools

[UR25IO]

fuck Alex, im sorry to hear about you missed fortune.. Thieving bastards!!
that sucks how you can trust anyone in your apartmant block.

Alex if you need to use a jack(i have the same jack, they are fantastic) or a mechine buffer let me know. always keen to help a mate out!

[froop]

Thanks everyone again for your thoughts and offers for help. I'll probably end up just slowly buying everything again as I need it but if I need something urgently I'll be sure to let you know.

Unfortunately there's no options for a powered camera or anything of the type in the carpark as it's communal and I think it would require strata approval to start drilling in cameras etc etc. Maybe I'll think about getting an in car camera which is activated by movement but then again these thefts keep happening when I'm not really at home...

[UR25IO]

Originally Posted by froop

Thanks everyone again for your thoughts and offers for help. I'll probably end up just slowly buying everything again as I need it but if I need something urgently I'll be sure to let you know.

Unfortunately there's no options for a powered camera or anything of the type in the carpark as it's communal and I think it would require strata approval to start drilling in cameras etc etc. Maybe I'll think about getting an in car camera which is activated by movement but then again these thefts keep happening when I'm not really at home...

Alex go get yourself some bear traps and some tarps.. chain the open bear trap in your storage area and put a tarp over the top gently. I would love to see the out come of them thieves!

If they get away you at lease see blood trails hahaha

[froop]

*sigh* I just remembered that I was running low on meth today and then realised that they also took my 20L tank of meth. I hope it poisons them all...

[froop]

Does anyone have an N54 or compatible 86mm 16flute oil filter cap remover tool I'd be able to borrow this weekend? Mine was inside the tool box that was stolen and I've ordered a new one from eBay but I don't think that it will arrive in time.

[froop]

Originally Posted by Gemballa1980

Slightly off topic:

What did you think of the Arcan Trolley Jack? Would you replace it with the same? Does it go low enough etc..

I'm in the market for a new one and heard you could get these for $160 at Costco!

I just went to Costco in Sydney on Sunday and I couldn't find it . Looking online they definitely used to sell them for like ~$140-150 or something but they didn't have any when I went. They did however have some "NOS" branded 1500kg jack stands but they were flimsy as hell. No way would I get under the car with those things holding it up...

Might just get a new jack from eBay and some new jack stands from repco or SCA. Both having some sales this week/weekend.

[Gemballa1980]

Originally Posted by froop

I just went to Costco in Sydney on Sunday and I couldn't find it . Looking online they definitely used to sell them for like ~$140-150 or something but they didn't have any when I went. They did however have some "NOS" branded 1500kg jack stands but they were flimsy as hell. No way would I get under the car with those things holding it up...

Might just get a new jack from eBay and some new jack stands from repco or SCA. Both having some sales this week/weekend.

Not that it helps you, but Costco in Canberra has about 50 left on a pallet. They were however slightly more @ $169 - I got one.

As for jack stands, do you use a bmw adaptor for the plastic jack guide, or just use the stands as is?

[froop]

Originally Posted by Gemballa1980

Not that it helps you, but Costco in Canberra has about 50 left on a pallet. They were however slightly more @ $169 - I got one.

As for jack stands, do you use a bmw adaptor for the plastic jack guide, or just use the stands as is?

Damn haha. I'll check costco again in the coming weeks but maybe I'll just end up getting it to $200 delivered on eBay.

For the jack I used an Aluminium adapter from BMS (stolen) but for the jack stands I just used pieces of wood (also stolen lol) that were just a bit larger than the jack points. The reason for this is I had one incident where the Aluminium adapter slipped off. Very scary.

If you use a jack stand directly on the jack points it'll ruin it, but with some pieces of wood there it spreads the weight evenly around the plastic jack point due to deformation in the wood and they don't get damaged. You could in theory cut a piece of wood or metal that fits inside the jack point but I'm pretty happy with my current method.

Drjekl actually welded blocks of steel onto the jack stands that fit into the jack points but that means you can't use the stands for other cars and I have never welded anything in my life.

[flinchy]

Originally Posted by froop

Does anyone have an N54 or compatible 86mm 16flute oil filter cap remover tool I'd be able to borrow this weekend? Mine was inside the tool box that was stolen and I've ordered a new one from eBay but I don't think that it will arrive in time.

too tight to do it by hand?

[yawn]

I think it will be - it's pretty firmly screwed into place!

[froop]

Originally Posted by flinchy

too tight to do it by hand?

Originally Posted by sharkatron

I think it will be - it's pretty firmly screwed into place!

Yeah they're on pretty damn tight. There's the green paint marker which lets you know the correct level to torque it too but at that level its much more than hand tight.

They do have universal oil filter cap wrenches (stolen) but they don't work all of the time and are quite hard to do due to the engine block and oil cooler lines being in the way. Because it's a metal ring trying to grip onto a plastic lid it just doesn't work. I've used one on the N54 before by putting a rubber glove over the cap for grip but when I tried another time on a different vehicle it was too tight. A proper oil filter cap tool makes it significantly easier.

[flinchy]

Originally Posted by froop

Yeah they're on pretty damn tight. There's the green paint marker which lets you know the correct level to torque it too but at that level its much more than hand tight.

They do have universal oil filter cap wrenches (stolen) but they don't work all of the time and are quite hard to do due to the engine block and oil cooler lines being in the way. Because it's a metal ring trying to grip onto a plastic lid it just doesn't work. I've used one on the N54 before by putting a rubber glove over the cap for grip but when I tried another time on a different vehicle it was too tight. A proper oil filter cap tool makes it significantly easier.

damn, fair enough - i could JUUUUST get mine off.. may have gotten lucky with not torqued enough... i'd just get the tool for the laziness in me haha

[froop]

Originally Posted by flinchy

damn, fair enough - i could JUUUUST get mine off.. may have gotten lucky with not torqued enough... i'd just get the tool for the laziness in me haha

Definitely get it. Any tool which is 86mm with 16 flutes will work.

This is the one I bought. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/170863297...84.m1423.l2649

$14 shipped.

ECS stock a few with a Schwaben one being $17 and a genuine BMW one being like $27. Neither include shipping though.

[skidz]

Originally Posted by froop

Does anyone have an N54 or compatible 86mm 16flute oil filter cap remover tool I'd be able to borrow this weekend? Mine was inside the tool box that was stolen and I've ordered a new one from eBay but I don't think that it will arrive in time.

yep got one at home buddy, do you cross the roseville bridge on the way to/from work?

[froop]

Originally Posted by skidz

yep got one at home buddy, do you cross the roseville bridge on the way to/from work?

Thanks for the offer! Unfortunately I don't live that way anymore haha. I might need to pop by my parents place in Newport over the weekend to water some plants though so maybe I can pop by if you're home and I haven't figured out how to remove the cap without a tool.

Originally Posted by Ian///M

Can use a leather belt or rope to loosen. To tighten only up until the 2 green marks line up.

Filter pliers are like $10 at SCA though

Thanks Ian, I might try the leather belt trick.

[yawn]

Sorry a bit more OT here, and this is probably nit picking, but the torque (cant remember gotta look it up) to apply for the oil filter cap and the green markers don't seem to match up. At least it doesn't on mine. Seems like guys are just lining up the green lines.

[froop]

Originally Posted by sharkatron

Sorry a bit more OT here, and this is probably nit picking, but the torque (cant remember gotta look it up) to apply for the oil filter cap and the green markers don't seem to match up. At least it doesn't on mine. Seems like guys are just lining up the green lines.

I don't think you need to worry about that too much. As long as it's close it shouldn't leak. Because there's a rubber o-ring with lubricant involved the torque and rotation amount will probably differ slightly each time.

The green mark most likely would have been placed from the factory. Someone would have torqued it to spec and someone just made a green mark with a pen.

[RadiuM]

Originally Posted by froop

Does anyone have an N54 or compatible 86mm 16flute oil filter cap remover tool I'd be able to borrow this weekend? Mine was inside the tool box that was stolen and I've ordered a new one from eBay but I don't think that it will arrive in time.

I just use one of these, it does the trick. Leverage and rubber/foam insides for extra grip!

http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/onl...d=291470#Cross

[flinchy]

Originally Posted by RadiuM

I just use one of these, it does the trick. Leverage and rubber/foam insides for extra grip!

http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/onl...d=291470#Cross

even though it says 82mm, it fits fine on 86mm?>

[mcmn]

damn... my sh!t including the under tray of my car is outside my cage... might need to go down and tuck it away.

FWIW - I have the same jack, snapon tools, the issue the these cages is that its easy to figure out which is of value to break the lock on.... I might go oldschool and put a fake camera on the roof, with wires going into the cable tray for the apartment building and a note on my cage....

[froop]

Originally Posted by mcmn

damn... my sh!t including the under tray of my car is outside my cage... might need to go down and tuck it away.

FWIW - I have the same jack, snapon tools, the issue the these cages is that its easy to figure out which is of value to break the lock on.... I might go oldschool and put a fake camera on the roof, with wires going into the cable tray for the apartment building and a note on my cage....

Yeah maybe I'll get one of those fake cameras too.

Are you allowed to put a tarp around the inside of the cage to block the view from the outside?

I built my shed now but I might not put anything valuable in there for a few weeks to see if they decide to come back and pop the lock...

[RadiuM]

Originally Posted by flinchy

even though it says 82mm, it fits fine on 86mm?>

Get the bigger one then