bdonkersgoed

Alright, I'm going to give it another try. Thanks steviej! Bryan

I think I am just going to spend the extra money on brokerage fees and stuff. I have ordered stuff from the States before and it has never been too bad. Even if I pay taxes and an additional 10%, it is still cheaper than I could get it anywhere else. I will let you know how it goes. Thanks for your input, Bryan

I just hope that the stupid brokerage fees don't go over $25CAN. . .

Haha SK :) You are so right! Yes, our Canadian government is EXTREMELY greedy when it comes to taxes! I have had a few things shipped here from the US, only nothing of this size. Usually they are small things, and he brokerage fee is like $5 max. I am aware that I will have to pay the 15% tax for both GST and PST, so I guess I know what I am in for. The price that listed if I were to buy locally did not include taxes either, so either way, the stupid Canadian governement is going to get their 15% in some form or another. Here is the price breakdown in two scenarios: buying on ebay, and buying local BUYING ON EBAY: $345CAN items + $100CAN shipping + $066.75CAN taxes + $15.00 brokerage (estimated) = $526.75CAN total BUYING LOCALLY: $750CAN items + $000CAN shipping + $112.50CAN taxes + $00.00 brokerage (estimated) = $862.50CAN total Thus, by buying on Ebay, I save $335.75CAN, even with shipping and brokerage and everything considered . . . Now, this is all conditional on the brokerage of course. Hopefully it doesn't get too out of hand . . . Thanks for your input :) Bryan

They're going to do it as a curtesy?? Hmmm . . . sounds suspicious. Either they are going to pull a fast one, or you are a new client and they want to win your loyalty . . . Regards, Bryan

Thanks SK, I can get both the sub and amp for $445CAN ($325US), and this price includes shipping. Yes, shipping is very expensive (I think the shipping is about $135CAN for both items). Thus, I am paying $345CAN for the items and $100CAN for the shipping. Not too bad. I don't think I should get charged any duties because of the Free Trade Agreement and the fact that Alpine is an American company. Not sure about the brokerage fees though. Do you know how brokerage fees work? I think canada post charges like $5.00 or something. The package will be sent to me through the United States Postal Service . . . I am planning on paying for this sub and amp tonight. Thanks for your help! Bryan

Just trying out this Gallery picture posting technique . . . I can't get the IMG tag to work . . . my pic is in the Gallery, but I can't use it's URL to post the pic here. Any ideas? Thanks, Bryan

Whoa . . . I just took a look at the pics I posted and they turned out darkers than they originally were on my digital camera . . . weird. They are actually brighter than in the pictures, but still dim none-the-less. Regards, Bryan

Hmmm . . . that's weird. With the pics my digital camera takes (which are huge and usually 2.5MB or so), I just skew to 25% of it's original size and I have perfect pictures . . . Sorry it didn't work out for ya. Lokos like you're better off with SKs Gallery method. Good luck! Bryan

Hey Raymond, Here is an example of decoding a VIN (which is the best I can do) SAMPLE VIN: 3VWFL81H7TM094929 The first character indicates where the vehicle was built (called the World Manufacturer Index or WMI). In our example, the car was built in Mexico. 1 = USA 2 = Canada 3 = Mexico 4 = USA 5 = USA J = Japan K = South Korea S = United Kingdom W = Germany Z = Italy Characters 4-8 indicates a vehicle description unique for each make and model of vehicle. Character 9 is a Check Digit and must be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0, or X. It is calculated using a mathematical formula for determining the validity of the VIN. In our case, character 9 is 7, so the VIN is OK. Also, the letters I, O, and Q NEVER appear in a VIN. Character 10 is the Model Year Code: B = 1981 C = 1982 D = 1983 E = 1984 F = 1985 G = 1986 H = 1987 J = 1988 K = 1989 L = 1990 M = 1991 N = 1992 P = 1993 R = 1994 S = 1995 T = 1996 V = 1997 W = 1998 X = 1999 Y = 2000 1 = 2001 2 = 2002 3 = 2003 4 = 2004 5 = 2005 In our example, the car was made in 1996. Character 11 is the manufacturing plant code (can be a letter or number) Characters 12-17 is the sequential serial number and it MUST be numeric! I hope everyone has learned a little bit about VIN numbers now Have fun! Bryan

Yes, I already understood why you couldn' see the eyes in the daylight. The is why I explained that, if you were really serious, you would probably have to blacken the mirror part of the light assembly. That's funny about your dad :) My Dad thought it was OK, but my siblings and friends thought I was stupid to try it :P Regards, Bryan

Hey Ernie, To resize the photo, just open the file with Microsoft Paint. In the Image Menu, select "Resize/Skew" and shrink the picture in size. Save a copy and you can post this copy to the board if you shrunk it enough. I am sure there is a better/easier way, but this is how I do it :) Thanks for your help with this pump issue Bryan

Hmmm . . those brands sound interesting. I have read some reviews, and they sound like they are excellent subs. However, the companies seem to be small and their products are hard to find. I have jut always liked Alpine. I have an Alpine deck which I have been really pleased with, and my old Alpine amp was excellent for the time it served. It had a very low RMS rating, but still managed to pound the sub I had. Alpines are usually underrated. A friend of mine has the Type R sub and I think it sounds great. That is why I thought I would go with that sub. I don't want to spend too much money either. It's not a competition stereo I am after . . . What I was looking at getting now is the following: - Alpine MRD-M301 (Single Channel 350W RMS at 2ohms) - Alpine Dual Voice Coil SWR-1041D (4ohm + 4ohm) I was thinking I would hook up the Dual Voice Coil in parallel to the amp. The amp is a type D which is supposed to be good for this setup. All of the settings are digitally controlled to whih is kind of neat. I can get both the amp and the sub for $445CAN ($325US) including shipping. I looked in a competitivly-priced audio store and they want $750CAN ($577US) for the exact same setup. Assuming that I have a preference for Alpine, what do you guys think of this? Thanks! Bryan

How on earth could these leads get reversed in the first place?? Wires don't just rearrange themselves on their own . . . Regards, Bryan

Hello Everyone, My trusty little Alpine MRP-T406 amp is toast. I was using it to power a crappy 10" Sony Sub. I really want my bass back, but don't want to break the bank. There are two amps that I am looking at on Ebay right now: - Alpine MRV-T320 (110W x 2 RMS or 220W x 1 RMS) - Alpine MRP-M320 (220W x 1 RMS single channel amp) They are roughly the same price, although the second is a bit cheaper. Which amp do you think is better for powering a single sub? Also, I am thinking of replacing my crappy Sony Sub with a 10" Alpine Type R. Thanks for your input! Bryan

Yeah, I am pretty sure the Gen I GS300 has only one projector lens. That just means he has only about half the work to do :P It should still look pretty neat. I wonder if someone can get theirs to light up brighter than mine . . . . Regards, Bryan

Thanks Juan . . . it was a bit of work, however, nothing was terribly difficult. It was just a little time consuming. If I could have avoided wrecking my one light assembly, the job would have went a lot faster. It is too bad that you can't see them while driving. I really wish they were three times as bright as they are :P I wonder if I messed up somewhere, or if that is just as good as they are going to get without doing any expensive BMW-style modification? Regards, Bryan

That sucks Kyle :( You seemed pretty pumped to get this mod underway. Does your Dad not think it is such a safe project to do? I know my entire family laughed at me when I told them I was going to "bake" my headlights :) They laughed even more when I screwed up :P Oh well . . . we learn by mistakes :) The lesson: PREHEAT THE OVEN :P Regards, Bryan

When I did my riveting, I tried to put them about 2 millimeters apart, but I have no scientific reason to offer for this. It's just what I did. You really want to be sure that you stay as consistant as possible, or it will look kind of weird. And yes, I riveted my rods before I melted and molded them into the circular shape. It's just easier to do it on a straight stick than it is on a circular one. You could rivet after bending the rods into shape . . . it's your choice. Regards, Bryan

I did a little bit of experimenting in a dark room for this. It turns out that the ring is brightest if the riveted side is at the back (i.e. the riveted side is glued to the projector housing). It was contrary to my initial hypothesis, but it seems to work. I guess the light refracts in the rod a little bit, giving it a brighter look or something . . . but I'm not too sure why. It's been a long time since I have done Physics :P Regards, Bryan

Yes, it is the parking/signal light. It works, because I use it. The parking lights are ALWAYS on when you car is on. When in the Parking Light setting, only the parking lights come on. When in the Driviing light setting, the parking lights and low beams are on. When in the High Beam setting, the parking lights, low beams, and high beams are on. Do you understand? There is always some juice going to the parking/signal lights. It is 12 Volts. No worries man. If you want you angel eyes on ALL of the time, just hook into the wiring just before the signal/parking light wiring harness as I described earlier. And also, don't worry, 'cause the angel eyes will not blink with the signals either. They will always be in a constant glow . . . Regards, Bryan

Hey Kyle, Yeah, I did the same little experiment by hooking the LED straigh to the battery and got the same results. . . same brightness either way. I did destroy my one extra LED this way . . . hooking them up without a resistor is definitely not good for the LED bulbs. I'm just glad that I bought an extra one. I'm not even sure what resistors I used. I bought them at an electronic liquidator, and unfortunately the specs weren't available. They were just listed as ultra bright, and they are indeed very bright bulbs. I just messed up somewhere in the Angel Eye, or that is simply as good as they are going to get without getting into expensive BMW-style conversions . . . Regards, Bryan

I'm glad that you like it :) I just wish that they were brighter. Maybe you will have better luck resistors that aren't as strong as the ones that I used . . . it's too late for me though :( Good luck! Bryan

Yeah, I really love the little key too! It's so nice to not have to carry around a bulky remote. Regarding the laser cut key, I was surprised to see that my relatives new Honda CIVIC has a laser cut key! This is Honda's bottom of the line, and they are putting laser cut keys on them now?! I guess enough Civics get stolen by stupid teenage kids that it is worthwhile . . . Regards, Bryan

Hey StevieJ, Sell you house in Boston and buy 3 houses and a cottage up here in Canada! :P Boston real estate is outrageously expensive. A relative of mine just moved down there and bout a $1,000,000 home which is puny compared to the $350,000 home that he had here in Ontario. Canada is an awesome place to live! In my opinion, it is the best place in the world (but I am biased, and a lot of Americans will hate me for my opinionated comments). Now, I'm not saying the US is a bad place . . . it is awesome too. I just think Canada is better :P I myself don't ski, play hockey, or talk to Polar bears. I also do not like the Toronto BlueJays (or are they just called the Jays now?) I love what the Americans think of us folk north of the border. I swear some Americans believe that we all live in igloos :P The fact is, we are a very modern society as well, hardly distinguishable from the US. Toronto is one of the largest cities in the world, and even Donald Trump is building a luxury condo building downtown . . . Anyways, just a few of my thoughts :P Regards, Bryan