For repair professionals and automotive enthusiasts

I once did an interview with one of the men credited with designing and building the engine that rocketed a certain Australian driver to international fame and local ‘icony’. No prizes for guessing who the driver was or the name of the power unit. The point of mentioning the interview is that somehow or other I got round to telling this person that I was a BMW driver.

When he’d stopped laughing and making derogatory remarks about my beloved 3Series and what it said about those who drove them, he went on to say that if BMW ever managed to build a decent engine they’d be dynamite…you can say things like that when you’re old and famous!

“They’ve got more engine models than my library’s got books and none of them are up to much,” he said.  (Adding: If you want a real ‘production’ engine get a Honda).

Along with thousands of other ‘posers’ around the world, I still have a BM powered by a ‘donkey’ and live in hope that the next new ‘book’ will be the one. Perhaps the new triple-turbo diesel with enhancements in the latest M Performance range, although I’m not holding my breath.

The M Performance line-up launched with the M550d xDrive in Sedan and Touring wagon, the X5 M50d and a ‘makeover’ X6 M50d.

The new triple-turbo common-rail diesel is a 3.0 litre six-cylinder mill that produces 280kW and 740Nm of torque, with the latter coming online at 2000rpm.

Matched with an eight-speed automatic sports transmission and BMW’s xDrive all-wheel-drive system, the engine gives the M550d a 0-100km/h time of 4.7 seconds for the sedan, and 4.9 seconds for the wagon…hee haw!

Fuel consumption for the M550d sedan is listed at 6.3 l/100km, and the Touring wagon is only slightly short at 6.4 l/100km.

The same transmission and xDrive package shunts the X5 M50d to 100km/h in 5.4 seconds and the X6 M50d in 5.3 seconds, with the X5 listing 7.5 l/100km and the X6 listing 7.7 l/100km.

While all of the M Performance diesel models fall short of their petrol M car counterparts in the acceleration stakes, the much lower fuel consumption should prove appealing to buyers looking to strike a balance between guts on the road and pain at the bowser.

The M Performance range also brings a number of enhancements beyond the huge power boost, including M-tuned suspension, springs and dampers along with modified mounting for the body shell, engine and transmission.

On the styling front, the M550d gains 19-inch light alloy wheels, and the two X SUVs ride on 20-inch hoops. A new styling and aero package has been added to each model, drawing inspiration from the familiar petrol-powered M cars.

In the cabin, all four cars get sports seats trimmed in black or dark grey, with a contrasting stitch and M logos everywhere. There’s also an M steering wheel, paddle shifters, an Anthracite-coloured roof liner, and aluminium highlights.

Lastly, a new audio package has been developed to transmit the engine’s noises into the cabin, sent through the car’s speakers.

The M Performance range will hit European in April, and be in Australian libraries…sorry showrooms…later this year.

A much-loved farm bulldozer has been given a new lease on life thanks to a range of services carried out by one of Komatsu’s rebuild and service facilities in Mackay, Queensland.

Outback farmers Bill and Esther Ferguson purchased the D65E-8 bulldozer in 1985, putting it to work on their sheep and cattle farm near the town of Longreach.

Equipped with a scrub-canopy and 20-foot stick-rake, the otherwise standard machine has provided more than 25 years of faithful service clearing fencing and water lines, digging water holes, removing farm scrub and clearing trees.

Komatsu Australia service manager Warren Armstrong said Bill Ferguson made the decision to refurbish rather than replace the trusted bulldozer after Esther sadly passed away two years ago.

“Esther was actually the one who purchased and used the machine so it has a lot of sentimental value as far as Bill’s concerned,” he said.

“Even though Esther was in her early seventies, she still managed to take good care of the dozer and for a 26-year old machine it’s in excellent condition having only worked 4000-odd hours.

“Rather than simply purchasing a new machine Bill’s chose to have Komatsu Mackay carry out major repairs and service work.”

Bill’s decision to refurbish was also influenced by the machine’s mechanical simplicity, lack of high-level electronic componentry and the fact that he is far more comfortable operating an older style of machine.

Depending on a customer’s preference, Komatsu Genuine rebuilds involve the replacement of all major and minor mechanical components with either new or re-manufactured Komatsu genuine parts and the repair of structural frame or bodywork.

Where applicable, repaired frame components on rebuilt machines are subject to Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) to ensure that they comply with factory standards of structural integrity.

The machine’s cabin glass and windows are all original, all the lever knobs are still attached and the factory air-conditioning is still operational.

James Gibson from Komatsu’s Mackay workshop said the work carried out on the machine included a complete engine rebuild and the replacement of two front track idlers.

“Refurbishing a Komatsu machine is a sound alternative to purchasing a new one, especially when they hold so much sentimental value.

“All mechanical work is conducted by fully certified Komatsu technicians to ensure the long-term reliability of your machine.

“All genuine parts and service are covered by Komatsu’s nationwide warranty, so you’re covered no matter where in Australia the machine ends up,” said James.

New types of power plants capable of running on all sorts of exotic fuels are appearing thick and fast on the horizon with the latest a new zero-emissions engine said to be more than capable of competing commercially with hydrogen fuel cells and battery electric systems.

The Dearman engine from the UK operates by injecting cryogenic (liquid) air into ambient heat inside the engine to produce high-pressure gas that drives the engine – the exhaust emits cold air. It’s said to be cheaper to build than battery electric or fuel cell technology, with excellent energy density, fast refuelling and no range anxiety.

The best way to think of the Dearman engine is as an internal combustion engine without a spark plug, with cryogenic liquid air injected instead of petroleum. There’s no combustion, but because the air is stored at cryogenic temperatures (sub-minus 160 degrees Celsius), ambient temperatures can superheat it and return it to gaseous form, causing a rapid expansion of gases.

When the piston is at the top of the cylinder, some heat exchange fluid is admitted to the engine cylinder. Immediately after this a small quantity of cryogenic liquid is sprayed into the cylinder; it comes into contact with the ambient (but in relative terms to the cryogenic temperatures, super hot) heat exchange fluid and boils very rapidly, building up pressure and pushing the piston down.

At the bottom of the stroke the exhaust valve opens and the returning piston pushes the heat exchange fluid and air out of the engine where the heat exchange fluid is recovered and the cold air exhausted. At the top of the stroke a new cycle begins.

According to gizmag, using cryogenic liquids as the energy carrier makes a lot of sense, most importantly because the energy density of liquid air compares favourably to the only two current technologies (nitrogen and batteries) in contention for powering the zero-emission engines that will be used in subsequent generation automobiles, ships, forklifts, motorcycles, buses, trucks, mining equipment, etc.

Very fast re-fuelling times is likely to be the other big selling point in comparison with the other zero emission technologies.

Air is superabundant and cryogenic liquids are already produced and distributed in huge volumes in all countries, making the necessary supporting infrastructure for Dearman engine introduction inexpensive.

Liquid air is a low-risk energy source as it is stored at low pressure and has no combustion risk and the insulated tank, used for is storage is said to be cheaper to produce than re-enforced high-pressure vessels. The marginal cost of additional energy storage is very low; just increase the tank size.

On top of all of that, there are a number of other technologies servicing different scales of applications that are being developed that could all use the same energy vector (cryogenic liquid) and share the infrastructure.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO

The scream of Formula One cars made such an impact on five-year-old Michael Terminello that he has devoted his adult life to a crusade to bring the Grand Prix back to Adelaide, writes Indaily’s Melissa Mack.

Dressed in Ferrari merchandise and with dreams of working as a team mechanic, Michael, now 21, is passionate about reclaiming the race once Melbourne’s F1 contract expires in 2015 and has set up an online petition and social media campaign to bring the grand prix back to SA, which includes the names of former F1 driver Alain Prost and SA Liberal MHR Christopher Pyne.

“Having both the Tour Down Under and the Formula One Grand Prix is what will bring SA back to the forefront of the tourism industry,” Michael told Indaily.

His father twice took him to the Adelaide event, at the ages of two and five, spurring a passion for Ferrari, McLaren driver Ayrton Senna and Formula One generally.

“Coming to the Adelaide Grand Prix was something really special and I think a lot of people in Adelaide would love to have it back here again.

“This petition and crusade I hope will also attract all politicians of Adelaide including Premier Jay Weatherill and also Formula One Teams Association, drivers and [F1] owner Bernie Ecclestone.”

The online petition, which he started in 2008, has gathered 247 signatures, including Pyne and Prost.

Indaily could not get in touch with Prost to verify his signature, but Pyne confirmed he had signed.

“I’m definitely in favour of bringing Formula One back to Adelaide,” he said.

“I wish it had never left and I think Adelaide is well suited to it.”

Aside from Pyne’s support, which Michael said was “truly great”; a highlight of the campaign has been his correspondence with Federation Internationale de l’Automobile [FIA] president Jean Todt.

In an email to Michael, Todt said many countries would like to stage a Formula One race but “there is simply no way to run enough races, twenty really is a maximum…”

“Of course there are many of us in F1 who would like to race again in Adelaide, Kyalami and Buenos Aires,” Todt said.

A FIA spokesperson verified the statement to Indaily, but said the group was not involved in commercial discussions when choosing Grand Prix venues.

“Thus President’s Todt’s opinion is just that, an opinion, which in this context carries no weight, and certainly does not mean the FIA wishes the Australian GP to be moved from Melbourne to Adelaide, or any other venue in Australia,” the spokesperson said.

Adelaide staged 11 Grand Prix races between 1985 and 1995.

However, the South Australian government is unlikely to bid to re-claim the event, which costs Victorian taxpayers $50 million each year with falling crowds.

Formula One owner Bernie Ecclestone last year said he “didn’t need an Australian F1 race”.

Even so, Michael said South Australia should take the risk and bid for it.

“If you look at the amount of money spent on the Adelaide Oval Project, it was $535 million, that is worth more than 20 years of Grand Prix hosting.

“I truly believe that the government does have the money to bid for it and bring it back to South Australia from 2016 onwards.”

He said that rather than lose an Australian Grand Prix, Adelaide and Melbourne could consider hosting the race in alternate years and sharing the cost.

“Adelaide is a Monaco away from Monaco, it was a track truly loved by the drivers, the entire Formula One paddock and fans around the world.

“It has more character than Melbourne and is also a more physically demanding track.”

Michael has been targeting high profile Adelaide identities on Twitter with 105 followers and almost 300 on Facebook.

Followers of the account include the Adelaide Crows, Channel 9 Adelaide and Future SA, which connects business with the state, and the federal Liberal Party.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE PETITION

Wheel alignment specialist Pro-Align has set a new world record, smashing the original one they set in 1999, by aligning an incredible twelve cars in just thirty minutes. The record was set in the UK using the new top of the range Hunter HawkEye Elite TD system, which the company claims is one of the fastest aligners on the market.

What’s even more impressive is that the challenge included the time taken to drive the vehicles on and off the ramp, raising the ramp to a working height and performing rolling compensation on each of the cars.

When the challenge timer reach zero, a thirteenth car was only seconds away from the alignment results, showing all 14 alignment angles measured, being printed.

“Speed and efficiency is of critical importance to workshops that utilise their alignment bays fully, so we set ourselves the challenge of measuring as many cars as possible in 30 minutes to demonstrate the true capabilities of our new Hunter Elite TD system,” said Paul Beaurain, managing director, Pro-Align.

Pro-Align last carried out the same challenge 12 years ago, when the Hunter imaging was first launched in the UK. Way back then, they managed to measure six cars.

On both occasions, Paul conducted the alignments to ensure consistency and an independent adjudicator was present to oversee that the challenge was conducted to the guidelines set.

Paul reckons that Pro-Align’s record feat can be attributed to the range of innovations to be found on the Hunter HawkEye TD Elite. “The system features a totally new design of integrated wheel clamp and targets that are fixed to the face of the wheel quickly and easily using the new QuickGrip adaptors.

“It also incorporates the new and unique QuickComp system, which allows users to perform rolling compensation, to take account of any rim runout or mounting error, with just one simple roll forward.”

Previous compensation requirements needed the technician to roll the vehicle back and forward. Pro-Align also used its Hunter RX alignment lift.

“While we appreciate that workshops won’t normally handle cars at this rapid rate, it does demonstrate the throughput ability of the system.

“It also proves that speculative alignment is achievable with little time cost to a workshop, but the business potential for subsequent additional adjustment work makes it revenue opportunity not to be overlooked.

“However, if no further work is needed then customers have the confidence and reassurance that their vehicle is leaving the workshop in the best possible condition and they have been offered the best standard of service and care,” said Paul.

CLICK HERE to see the alignment challenge video 

Hot on the heals of acquiring Taiwan’s Unipoint Group, Robert Bosch has forked out $US1.15b for SPX Service Solutions the equipment side of the SPX Corp.

In what is the largest deal yet for the world’s biggest auto parts supplier, the deal will add at least $US920m in sales and make Bosch one of the biggest suppliers of diagnostic equipment in the world.

It will also give the company a considerable base on which to expand in the North America and more access to vehicle data in the US.

SPX Service Solutions manufactures and sells tools, workshop equipment and software for auto repair shops. The division employs 2700 people in 17 countries, primarily in the US, Germany, France and China, who will boost the number of Bosch employees in the business to about 15,000.

SPX’s other products include power-plant cooling systems and pumps used by oil producers.

It’s going to be party time, big time at this year’s Historic Winton with some of the best know names in motoring celebrating a host of historical milestones. Australia’s largest and most popular all-historic motor race meeting, will be celebrating six big birthdays ranging from 110 years of Cadillac to 50 years of the Ford Cortina, when more than 400 historic vehicles descend on the Victorian town of Benalla on the weekend of 26-27 May.

Organised by the Austin 7 Club with assistance from the Historic Motorcycle Racing Association of Victoria, Historic Winton has grown into arguably the biggest event of its kind in Australia.

Highlights include the ever-expanding Shannons Classic Car Park featuring car and bike club displays, including pre-war sporting Rileys, spectator access to the competition paddock, where all the fabulous old racing machines are on open display and every owner of a classic or special-interest car or bike, is very welcome to join the spectator car park display on the Saturday or Sunday.

The action gets under way on Friday 25 May with an invitation to join in the Benalla and District classic car and motorbike tour, assembling 9am at the Benalla Art Gallery.  Red plate vehicles are welcome and the tour concludes with a ‘Shine & Show’ display outside the Benalla Civic Centre from 3-5pm.

Saturday is packed with track and rally action, drive-a-thons and displays, etc., and on the Sunday there’s an invitation to in a special display on historic commercial and military vehicles with free entry for vehicles over 50 years old.

There will also be a U Bute Aussie Ute gathering for pre-1975 vehicles with a give-away pack for the first 200 entrants and lots of great prizes.

For further information, please phone David Lidgerwood on 03 5764 4291 or email historicwinton@hotmail.com

Independent service station owners and motorists, in their thousands, have been signing a petition asking the NSW Parliament to indefinitely suspend the Biofuels Act 2007, which from 1 July 2012, will see all regular unleaded petrol (ULP) in NSW replaced with E10, an ethanol blended unleaded fuel.

General manager of the Australasian Convenience and Petroleum Marketers Association (Acapma) Nic Moulis, instigated the petition and believes that motorists needed to be made aware of the consequences the legislation will have on their choice of fuels and the cost to fill their tanks.

“The petition is the first time that consumers have been told of the consequences; namely that in NSW you will be forced to pay more for petrol,”

“A motorist’s choice of fuel will be restricted. If they cannot use or are unwilling to use E10, a motorist will be forced to use premium unleaded, which will cost over 10 cents per litre more.

“Now that the impacts are understood, motorists are supporting our position. To date the petition has over 5,000 signatures.”

Nic said that he was concerned that the biofuel legislation has been imposed upon the fuel industry without wide consultation or regard for the issues it will cause.

“There is only one ethanol producer in NSW. With increased demand, consistent supply is important to function as a fuel retail business and any interruption may cause wholesale prices and operating costs to rise.

“During 2011, the industry suffered from shortages of ethanol, which led to some retailers removing E10 from their sites.

“In the future, ethanol supply shortages will mean sites may only have the more expensive premium unleaded available.

“The government must also understand that the limited supply competition for ethanol adversely affects the price retailers will pay.

“The change requires substantial modifications to the whole supply chain, including the cleaning and in some cases the replacement of tanks, as well as the upgrading of other equipment.

“The government is not offering any financial assistance to alleviate the cost of compliance, which will take some small independent businesses years to pay off.

“Fuel businesses from interstate, as well as a small number of NSW fuel retailers may be able to avoid the Mandate and keep selling ULP. This penalises many businesses that operate within NSW, creating an unbalanced competitive environment,” he said.

Nic believes that by continuing with the implementation timetable, the NSW government has ignored these issues and the costs involved with compliance, expecting the industry to meet all expenses.

“Changing over to selling E10 is not a simple process and implementing the changes will cost industry up to $270 million. The NSW government expects industry to foot the bill.

“Some service station operators may not be able to afford the cost of making this change, while others may have to compete against businesses that can avoid the legislation altogether. Either way it makes operating as a fuel distribution and retail business in NSW very difficult.

“If the NSW government had consulted widely with the fuel industry, especially the independents, it would have understood the issues. This legislation will mar biofuel producers, harm the fuel industry and will ultimately disadvantage motorists.

“That is why Acapma initiated this petition, to articulate the genuine concern of industry and motorists,” he said.

Putting a water-based fuel additive such as ethanol into a vehicle engine is a recipe for disaster that will eventual lead to extensive corrosion.