Hey, let me know when you guys head up - hopefully I am not on leave by then!

My filter finally shipped so hopefully I'll have it within a week or two. Bah I can't wait. I'm going to try to buy a GoPro so I can get some good vids soon. A friend of mine let me borrow his camera and it just looks stunning!

HaHa. I bought the GoPro HD a little while back. Takes a little while to get use too but awesome camera.

Went yesterday to the ring did 3 laps because it was only a 2 hour opening but it was full maybe like a thousand cars driving lol

It's almost always very crowded there, but I've never had a problem with traffic.

Clean Wheels I saw your 8 when I drove to work today. Glad to see you finally got it fixed!

Bikes are the real problem while driving at the ring. It's not a problem driving over a fallen rider but wiping his interiors off of your car and getting a new bumper would be boring so you end up paying attention to them =)

I wish they staggered them like they do at Hockenheimring. It's not not having to worry about bikers when I drive there.

Rx8 Club Germany decals? =D

Meh.

I have been meaning to order another rx8club decal since mine got mostly rubbed off... But I'm sooooooo lazy :(

JUST SOMETHING TO LOOK AT WILL U WAIT FOR THAT SEPTEMBER DAY , WAS TAKEN LAST THURSDAY
Attachment 255930

I wonder how much money those photographers make from people who buy those images. I never would haha. That's why I have a wife and an SLR camera.

One of my friends up there does it and he makes pretty good money off of it. I usually get some of my pics from him for free but I do pay for others whenever I find them online. I got a whole wall in my apt. full of framed photos from the track.

I am kind of dreading taking my car to AAFES to fix ,but do any of you know a good mechanic who can work on rotaries and not charge a fortune. I have know clue what is going on with my car. I can not get it to start, it will turn. Just not catch. Completely lost. And do any of you know if the warranty on the engine is extended to Germany if bought from the US.

I would take it to a Mazda dealer. Your 100k warranty is still good in Germany.

dont count on it. i know of several cases MNAO has refused claims. I'm no lawyer and havent looked into it, but i'm pretty sure that legally MNAO has no obligation to support you if you are out of country(MNAO's range) and i certainly know that Mazda Europe isnt gonna just volunteer to put hours/money into your car when you have no warrantee with them... (there is some history of this topic somewhere in the forum, someone else had moved to germany, germans wouldnt touch his car, MNAO told him to sit and spin)

The dealership near where I live is pretty cool and they haven't given me any trouble so far.

thats good, post up what the dealer is, maybe a google map or something for others out here. :)

I contacted a vendor for the GoPro HD about getting a group buy going and I was told that if I can get 10 people to buy them he can lower the price to $249 shipped, as long as they go to the same place. I have 4 people so far just on my shift who are interested and I can probably get a few more people from other sections. If you want to get on the list just let me know.

I highly recommend buying. Great value for a great camera. I was a little skeptical at first about buying it but after I have seen it in action... unbelievable. I wound up paying full retail but worth every penny. Comes with more mounts than you can shake a stick at. Also the suction cup mount holds on amazing. Again great camera.

I had the Gopro HD but had some problems with it. Now I have the ContourHd and love it, its smaller and easier to hide.

Any other advice for the inspections? I'm not 'going' yet - but I have a good chance of getting stationed there. Scared about shipping my 8 thru Gov't channels. Gonna raise it and put stock wheels/tires back on before/if I ship it. What's this about aftermarket parts? I have a RB intake and catback...would those give me problems when licensing with Dept of Army over there?

Thanks!

Should not be a problem. Just be sure to take lots of pictures of your car before it ships and inspect it thoroughly when you pick it up. Also make your you have good tread on your vehicle. If you have just regular spares I would recommend putting M/S or winter tires on if your coming up during late fall and winter time frame.

Thanks for the info. I'll garage it in the winter. Might ship my subaru over - would be the family's transport...that or pick up a sedan once in country.

Takes awhile - could take 8 or 9 months, really...process is slow...but it's a fantastic opportunity for me and my family, and a promotion...so.. :) woot!

:)

Last time I was there (1992-1995) the guys at Vehicle inspection were...hrm...sticklers? is that putting it nicely? Crazy stuff they'd fail a car for...absolutely crazy. Thing is, as an E2 I didn't seem to matter when I complained about vehicle damage, wear, and "failed" areas. My new gig doesn't carry rank per se, but I'm more-able (due in part to being older) to pursue righting any wrongs.

I've heard nightmare stories, but they don't check for emissions or anything like that and they didn't seem to notice/care that I no longer had a cat when they looked under my car.

Thanks man - that's the thing w/ my legacy...I have no cats; didn't wanna go thru the pita of buying catted stuff...probably would, though, just in case. Anywho...still scary.

How long will all-y'all be in Germany? If I get there this winter, it'd be 3 years; can extend another 2 w/o too much trouble. Right now my best chances are Heidelberg or Stuttgart

I'm here until 2012. I know there is another member who is PCSing here at the end of this month.

im european out (ETS and staying in germany for a long time) . cant seem to separate for going to the nurburgring lol

Here until Feb 2011. I will miss Germany but ready to move on... hopefully I can come back in the future.

I'm in Stuttgart and my contract is up at the end of 2011. The Stuttgart inspection station on Panzer only seems to care about rusty fuel lines instead of cars that have no cats.

Hope I don't miss all y'all!

Excellent - if I can get this sorted, we'll hook up

Not sure I'll be there before...where you going next?

Aight then. What about window tint???

Thanks guys!

Excellent - if I can get this sorted, we'll hook

Aight then. What about window tint???

Thanks guys![/QUOTE]


DEFINETLY LET ME KNOW WHEN U GET HERE
WINDOW TINT IS NOT ALLOWED ON FRONT WINDSHIELD, DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE. REAR DOORS AND BACK IS OK

So I'd have to strip it before getting plated thru Dept Army/DoD? Very lame. :( :-/

(sigh).

Will definately keep you posted!

You don't get your registration via the army. You get it via Germany. Yes you will have to remove your tint unless the tint is in the glass itself, which is very rare.

I had to pull mine off, it was a pain in the ass. I still have some of that sticky crap on my windows.

A rag (better yet soft steel wool) with some petroleum\gas\oil will remove everything in seconds :)

wow - that's a change. No DoD-type inspections, etc - all from host-country. Hrm...

Here's one - How do the AAFES fuel coupons work; are they still based on cylinder count of the engine?

I bought some glue remover and I just spray it on and wipe off, but I'm pretty lazy so I haven't gotten every little speck off.

You get rationed I believe 200L/mo per vehicle you have. You get a little fuel card to keep track of it and it's good at all Esso stations in Germany.

Geesh - found a copy of AE Reg 190-1. After reading the inspection checklist i'm fairly convinced to bring NO vehicles to Germany...

Draconian inspection criteria...

It's not as bad as it seems.

Going to raise the car, swap on oem tires/wheels, remove tint, and pray and hope the inspector doesn't decide there exists "Excessive wear at lever pivot or in ratchet mechanism" of my parking/hand brake.


any tailpipe-sniffer tests?

You won't need to raise your car. Mine is very low and they didn't care at all. I have aftermarket wheels too. Hell I have a CEL from my midpipe and they didn't care. It really seems to depend on who you get as an inspector, because I've heard some people get rejected for weird things and then some people seem to get away with murder.

My car is fixed. Putting on the coilovers tomorrow at Barton Barracks auto shop... Any trips planned for Hockenheimring or Nurburgring anytime soon.

I'm still waiting for my filter to get here before I hit the ring again. I still have crappy days off next month so I can only go on Tuesday or Wednesday :(

Yeah, I am slowly getting there. Still waiting for my full exhaust to get in. Pretty much taking the slow boat here because of its size.

Thanks...

I'm going to raise it only to assist in shipping it. When I shipped my Acura - albeit 17 years ago - it was beat on decently. The more mundane I make the 8 look, the less chance it gets abused. Course, I was an e2. this'll be a gs13. Different sphere of influence on stuff. Sad truth.

gawd - all this "Ring" talk has me salivating. :D Patience!!

Rank doesn't matter when you ship a POV, civilians don't care what rank you are. Be prepared for shit to get messed up, because it will! Just hope it's small things like mine and not large things like my friend who shipped his FC.

Be there in a week!!!!!!! :D: My car might actually be there already. Is anyone in here actually gonna wanna meet up sometime? I already passed my driver's test :lol: I'm ready for some German fun!!!!

I'm down to meet up any time. Send me a PM once you get in country and I'll give you my phone number. I love close to Vogelweh so I can help you pick up your car if you need.

Just let me know when, I have to check my schedule but I am definitely wanting to go.

You do get DOD inspections on base, I'm in the same boat as you. They don't have fuel coupons anymore you get a fuel card and you buy up to 400 liters for one car a month and just go to Esso's to use them.

I didn't realize throwdown answered the fuel ration card thing. But I always buy 400 liters a month. I don't know if there is a difference between military personnel vs. military contractors on buying fuel.

I'm talking about recourse. When I went to try and get things fixed back then, I was blown off. Now I'm older and in a different position, which might help. I'm old enough to not take any shit! :D

Thanks for the info guys, really!