23,000 auto parts, what would you grab?

23 November, 2014

 

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Win one of ten Repco gift cards worth $50 by telling us what you’d use it for

If you want to feel totally immersed in automotive products and parts just head to Repco’s new auto centre over at 79 Wairau Road on Auckland’s North Shore. They’ve opened the doors to their new store — which happens to be the biggest Repco in the country — and you’ll have more than 23,000 parts available to you over the counter as well as access to approximately 450,000 automotive parts to be ordered in if need be.

Repco’s first Auto Centre was opened in Lower Hutt three months back, and it wasn’t long until the concept travelled up the country to Auckland. Everything related to automotive parts, tools and equipment can be found under its roof. And while you’re in the store you can check out the interactive touchscreens, which you’ll be able to use to search for tips on such things as changing wiper blades, performing body repairs, and information on filters.


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To celebrate the opening of Repco’s new auto centre, we have ten Repco gift cards worth $50 to give away — all you need to do to go in the draw is to scroll down to the bottom of this post to the ‘comments’ section and share a comment stating what you’d spend your gift card on.

Polishing to perfection

The secret to a show-stopping finish is colour sanding, no matter which paint system you use. Even a good painter, no matter how experienced or talented — like my mate Bruce Haye, CEO at Ace Panel and Paint in Whitianga — can’t shoot to a perfect mirror finish. To get that level of perfection, you need to colour sand.
It used to be called ‘rubbing out’ or ‘cutting’, and it was done with pastes that came in cans. They worked — sort of — but the compounds really just rounded off imperfections instead of eliminating them, and they removed a lot of paint in the process. But now your new finish can be made flawless, thanks to microfine sandpapers that come in 1000, 1500, 2000, and even 2500 grit ranges, and Farecla G3 polish — available from automotive paint suppliers.

NZ Classic Car magazine, March/April 2026 issue 404, on sale now

BMW’s flagship techno showcase
The supermodel 1995 BMW 840Ci is simply elegant and perfectly engineered.
BMW’s 840 Ci flagship Coupe provides superb comfort and equipment packaged in a stylish body, with grand-touring performance and surprisingly competent handling for its size.
It’s the kind of machine that stands apart from the start. When BMW first unveiled its flagship Grand Tourer at the 1989 Frankfurt Motor Show, the automotive world blinked twice. Sleek, low, and impossibly modern for its era, it combined drama with a sort of purposeful understatement. This silhouette still looks striking today, long after its peers have faded into obscurity.
Initially offered with a range of engines, the model you’re reading about is the V8 iteration, featuring a 4.0-litre eight-cylinder heart under its long bonnet and a smooth five-speed automatic at the back. It wasn’t about blistering sprint times so much as effortless velocity. There was power on tap, sure, but the way it delivered thrust felt unhurried and measured – the automotive equivalent of a deep exhale on a long drive.
Poster 1964 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, C2