AlanzEyes

Fordfreak, your car looks great! I'll be keeping an eye on your updates. *Beep*, the concern I have about big tyres is that I do a lot of driving around the countryside, with occasional trips across the country from Canberra to Adelaide and back again. And I'm planning on actually driving around the country on holiday. How are 19" tyres for long-distance journeys across the great Aussie highways, with all their potholes and corrugations? I don't want a rough, uncomfortable ride.

Thanks guys! It looks like I won't be getting the GT front bar then, since there's unanimous disapproval. Which dual exhaust system is recommended, and what rims?

I've had my BFII XR6T for more than 2 years now and haven't done anything at all to it. It was my intention for a while to do it up and customise it, but I felt hamstrung by the lease I have on it, and the Ford warranties all over it. Then I got a little sidetracked and felt like upgrading the entire car to a new car when I reached the 3 year mark. I was considering a HSV GTS, but test driving it made me realise I love the Ford ZF transmission, so I came back to the Fords again. (I beg forgiveness for my sins of considering a Holden...) I've been thinking about how to make the car look different, so it stands out a bit more. I wanted it to be not just an ordinary XR6 Turbo. Well, the first thing that came to mind was stripes. I know, there are people on these forums that consider defacing an XR6T to be an act worthy of being cast into Hell. But I figure I'm probably going to Hell anyway, so what does it matter? So I did some research into stripes and found First Stripes. I got them put on this week and I thought I'd throw up some photos and use this thread as a place to document any customising and modifying I do to the car. The photos here are from my hotel's underground car park, and I'll put some better ones up on the weekend when I get back home and take some decent shots. Some of the things I'm considering in future are: replace boot wing with a boot lip upgrade to 18" tyres with black rims dual exhaust system GT-style front bar I'm open to advice about the best solutions to achieve my list.

I got the description wrong. When the rear door is opened it presses against the front passenger door, so that the edge of the front door is causing damage to the rear. I just got home from taking it to the local Ford dealer, who had a look at it. It's obvious that the car is damaging itself, but the guy there said 'it COULD be from someone opening their door into yours...' I pointed out the dent and the repeated marks on one spot that were in perfect alignment with the door edge. He shrugged, and continued saying, 'it COULD be someone else's door repeatedly hitting it.' I looked at him in surprise. 'You're not even interested, are you.' He shrugged again, and I walked away before I lost it. Unbelievable.

I'm just curious if anyone else has had this particular problem... Some months ago I noticed a mark in the front passenger door of my BFII XR6T, underneath the handle. I thought it was from someone having opened their door in a carpark and hit my car. I cursed carparks, and the fact that buffing couldn't get rid of it. On the weekend just gone, I noticed that the same mark seemed more pronounced, but I didn't really think about it until I noticed my friend opening the rear door (on the left of the car) and as it opened the edge pressed against the front passenger door - right on the spot that I thought was carpark damage. Whoah! I thought! I got my friend to stop, and I checked the door. Sure enough, every time the rear passenger door opens all the way out, it presses against the front passenger door. It's only happened on the left because that's always the side that one of my friends gets in. Now this seems like a structural fault causing damage to the car. Does anyone else have this problem? Is it a warranty issue? Can anything actually be done to prevent it? I intend taking it to Ford and seeing what they say, especially about repairing the damage, but I wanted to know what everyone here thinks about it. Please tell me if you've experienced the same, or what you think Ford can do about it. Thanks

Thanks for the tips guys, they're all good. I've also finished reading bdennis's road trip report. Looks like he had a good time, except for the wheel incident... Some of the comments on there gave me some ideas.... Is there anyone here who has a friend who knows a friend who might be interested in me writing for them while on my trip and including photos? Sponsorship deals gladly accepted! LOL

My planning has so far included an average of 6 hours a day driving, with careful note of petrol stops every 200-500km. After an average of 5 days driving in this fashion, I'm planning on resting for 2-3 days. I'll be going on a few tours here and there through national parks in WA and NT, and sailing around the Whitsundays in QLD. I'm hoping for some decent R&R in between all the driving. And definitely lots of photos. Based on my averages from past holidays, I should have about 4,000 photos by the time it's all over. My initial thoughts for things to take with me are: petrol jerrycan, 2 x spare tyres, lots of duct tape, CB radio, 2 x 4 litre water bottles (or thereabouts). Where possible (most places), I'm staying at backpackers. I've had some good experiences with the quality of them in NZ, so I'll do that here too. It looks like I can do accommodation at an average of $40 a night, which is cool. But petrol's probably going to be over $2,000... that'll be fun... I'll definitely add a car bra to the list. And being an 'ordinary sedan', I won't be doing any off-roading, and will always stick to the sealed roads and highways. Any other suggestions?

I have a plan to travel around Australia later this year. The plan involves traveling to the coast from Canberra, follow it to Melbourne, still following it across to Adelaide, then Perth, north to Broome, Darwin, south to Alice Springs and Ayers Rock, across to Cairns, south to Whitsunday Islands, Brisbane, then back home along the coast to Canberra. Over 18,000 km in 40 days. I'll be doing it in my BF II XR6 Turbo. Telling you about it isn't why I'm writing this post though. I'm writing this to ask for the advice of you guys. You, who have done a similar trip, or know the country, or know the hazards and things I need to look out for, or the things I'll need to take with me to make sure I stay safe and enjoy myself. I have my own ideas, doing my own research, organising my own plans... But I'd appreciate any input from any of you who would like to help me in the preparation. Thanks!

I'm keen on a local cruise. I saw the NSW/ACT cruise in another thread, but I won't be making that. Who's up for something local, followed by lunch or dinner somewhere?

My first car was a 1979 Sigma station wagon in 1993. After that I had a Cortina, then another Sigma sedan, then a Corolla, then a Subaru Leone with a digital dash in 1996, which I had until I went to NZ in 2000. There I bought a 1992 BMW 525i which I had until 2007 when I moved back to Australia. Then I bought a BFII XR6 Turbo. It's definitely the best car I've ever had! It's been a nice progression of cars, from the crap in the past up to the niceness today.