My first XFi

[freebeard]

Well, I've been waiting until I have a picture:



Not having a working camera at the moment, I drove to a friend's house, and he took the picture and emailed it to me. That's why it's cropped from portrait view and the back is cut off.

Long story short, just like the Dasher was, this is a mechanic's loaner I drove ~10 years ago. When it came up for sale, I started making payments. As soon as I'd paid half down, I convinced him to let me park the Superbeetle where it had set.

First thing I noticed was none of my three roof racks will work. As soon as I washed it (first time in ??? years) I found the windshield is cracked from top to bottom on the passenger side. The good news is it can't propagate any further.

I took the dashcam I couldn't use in the Superbeetle out to it — no cigar lighter in this one either.

The only other thing I've planned other than driving it is black plastidip from the body crease down (maybe a Larry Watson panel), LED dome light, Quartz Halogen H-4s.

People might eventually bug me about why it doesn't have a Kammback or boat tail yet. One reason is I've seen this:



I've always liked bubble-top coupes.

I took it to a locksmith to get duplicate keys and while he was fishing a broken-off half key out of the rear hatch, he grumbled "Every time I looked for a Metro nobody was letting go of an XFi". There is still a half key broken off in the ignition, but the new key still works it just doesn't fall out on the floor while I'm driving like the old one.

Any suggestions? Glue stick? Vacuum?

I have a Dish antenna marked for cutting in halves for the eventual fender skirts.

[redneck]

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https://duckduckgo.com/?q=removing+a...deos&ia=videos

😉


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[freebeard]

Thanks, I watched the first one so far.

One locksmith failed on the ignition key. A different tech did the hatch lock. They used a flashlight and lock-picking tools.

I'm wondering about a magnetized rod inside a plastic sleeve.

OTOH, the horn works.

[Stubby79]

Maybe it can be pushed out from the other side, if the hole goes all the way through? I have a column on a bench, I suppose I could look for ya!

Not sure what you'll do with a magnet on a brass key, unless I'm missing the point...

Not sure how much Gen-2 stuff I have, but you're welcome to anything you need.

[me and my metro]

The ignition lock comes off the column and you can probably just smack it on the counter and get the piece out. There are two anti-theft shear bolts that hold the lock to the column. Take a hack saw and cut a slot in the part that is holding it together. The rest of the bolt will come out with a screw driver with a hex on the shank. Regular bolts will hold it all back together. The most important thing to remember with a Metro is to treat it like everything is made out of paper. Everything is extremely light weight and requires lube to work over time. Window regulators and wiper transmissions are easy to destroy.

[Piotrsko]

Does this mean the arcimoto is a dead deal now?

[MetroMPG]

He needs at least one car with a working heater! Arcimotos and aircooled VW's are similar that way.


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Congrats on obtaining what looks like an unmolested, original paint XFi! (That's an assumption, but who would replace the factory decal if they re-painted it?)


Stock 12 inchers too!


I have owned or driven many of my "bucket list" eco-cars, but since the XFi was never sold north of the 49th, I've never even seen one, much less driven one.


That said, I do own an XFi economy camshaft, which is employed in (swapped between) both my 2000 Metro and 1998 Firefly. I've dreamed of removing one of my piston compression rings to get my ring count down to XFi levels as well, but haven't gone to that extreme. Yet.

[freebeard]

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

Does this mean the arcimoto is a dead deal now?

Not really.

The Arcimoto lineup will expand and the lightweighting will happen over time. Since I likely would only get one, buyers remorse makes me hesitate. Well, that and the money.

The required deposit is down from $5K to $2.5K. Curiously, the selling price of the Dasher is set at $2500.

MetroMPG — I just checked. The odometer is at 35576. So x35,576. How do I distinguish a 100,000 miles car from a 200,000 mile car?

The similarities I've found: The Dasher — five speed and 45mpg. The Superbeetle — no cigar lighter and five-digit odometer.

[freebeard]

When I paint out the rocker panels, I need something to break it up. I'm thinking about the Koenigsegg Ghost Squadron logo, reversed out white on black.


https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cul...dges/?slide=20

Should it be slid to the front, rear, or centered?

[MetroMPG]

Why are you painting the rockers?