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Mate walk, no run away as fast as possible. There will always be another one.

Hey they finally improved the front end

https://www.diecastxchange.com/threads/bmw-m5-touring-custom.205113/

Gave mine a wash in the weekend, sitting at 297,000km... need to get that last 3000 before the new lump gets in. Been hunting endlessly for a Simota airbox, cant find anything, looks like no longer available... once the MILVs/Tune/Headers are in its about all thats left on the list (short of that BMWP wheel with the digital read out...) The GruppeM intakes are available, but from what Ive seen first hand not really worth the price 😕

Swapped pink top m52/s52 injectors in as I was having intermittent fueling issues, everything related to fueling has been replaced so this or the ECU was the last thing to do. Put in a new Fuel pressure regulator etc but nothing solved it. These injectors solved it. The car is smoother then ever and the power delivery is a lot better. I will be tuning this engine and running standalone engine management once my 2.8 bottom end goes in. I also redid the tail pieces on the exhaust and welded in these ones temporarily. I am off the UK on Saturday so I will be buying another Scorpion full stainless system to chuck on here and bring it back with me. I am going to miss my e30 so much. Took it down for a blast to Tauranga and back today to go pick up my DLSR camera from my mate. She went so smooth and I managed 464ks with over a quarter tank left so safe to say the fuel consumption has decreased.

Hi Team long time no post. Sorry been busy with business move, other side projects and abit lazy in the posting. So plans have changed a bit, The v10 will be saved for a nice oldschool bimmer, not sure which one yet. E46 M3 will be getting a N73 v12 motor from this beast. I will be on selling the m73 stuff to fund this swap. Also in the pipe line have this e46 330ci coupe. Looking at dropping my last 4.6 motor into it. Have an Elate supercharger adapter plate, water to air cooled. Modified AMG supercharger and 420g 6 speed box with my spare M3 rear end. Rear subframe plates and driveshaft hoops welded in. Stainless headers, engine mounts and gearbox x member. Just sorting out the oiling by modifying the x5 one. Cant wait to get this thing running. Thanks

Had a little Easter meet on Sunday. What a nice turnout. Some beautiful e30s and some other beautiful cars too. Here are some pics

Bought my first E46 325i touring a few weeks ago. Previous owner had been chasing what he suspected was a "vacuum leak", causing a slight miss at cold start but otherwise drove well. I got under yesterday to do the fuel filter and trans mounts. Took the cover off the fuel filter and sre enough the vacuum line is perished at the regulator. Take the filter off, replace the fuel lines and vacuum line while I'm there and finish up. Had the old fuel filter on my bench with black fuel and sediment coming out of it and that's when I realized the date on it was the build date of the e46. 22 years / 160000kms later.. yikes!

130i out playing with the big boys

Hit so hard one of the cylinders fell off! 😁 Cylinders: 5 cylinder

And here she is at the dealers. Collection will be sometime in the not too distant future after registration, pre-delivery checks and PPF application are done. I have a mate who is an amateur photographer, will get him to take some decent shots I'll upload as promised.

It mounts under the seat. One each side. Remove the seat, separate the carpet at the split and find it mounted to the floor. They usually die due to water leaks, so if the foam under the carpet is wet, then you can expect the new one to die over time.

I went and bought a new unit. It uses Linux instead of android. It still allows you to use android Auto or Apple Carplay. It allows a connection to the original BMW software so you can use this set the temp, playe the radio, check the oil etc. It hasn't arrived yet but I will do a review when it does.

Head for the hills. There are many more good looking fish in the ocean.

Hahahaha yes let's blame the car, definitely not the drivers fault.

E36 NZ NEW, LOG BOOK, PORSHE BRAKES, PURPLE RACK, MOMO STEERING WHEEL, STRENGTHENED CHASSIS, LIGHTENED, 18×10 ENKEIS. PICS FROM THE FIRST DAY I VIEWED.

Car is ready to collect, faulty oil level sensor / oil temp sensor. So it will get a solid ragging tomorrow and I hope that the displayed temp behaves as expected.

Dtm front bumper,Porsche brakes front rear,Purple rack,Momo steering wheel,Welded 3mm plates underneath mounting points,18×10 enkeis 265 35,Camber arms, bush rear subframe,thicker sideshats

Hi all, Longtime lurker and first time contributor. I'm an automotive enthusiast with deep interests across all areas and eras. I often research and embark on deep-dives into manufacturers, models and automotive history. My favourite BMW is the E60 M5. I truly believe it's the greatest super/sports saloon ever built, and the S85 one of the greatest engines of all-time along with the S70/2. In my opinion it's a historic high-water-mark and represents the pinnacle of BMW, saloons, q-cars and Germany's engineering & industrial-base. So around two-years ago I started the search for finding my perfect E60. Whenever I purchase, I try to find the best possible example with the intention to hold it forever (I've never sold a car and hopefully never will). As you all know it's incredibly difficult to find a good-condition, low-milage, well-maintained E60. After scouring all RHD markets for the perfect example, I finally found 'the one' in an October auction on Collecting Cars UK. One-owner, 52k-kms, high-spec, meticulous history/records, only dealer serviced, completely factory spec (unmodified), UK-new. No expenses spared and kept in a supercar storage facility for the past few years. 2006, Silverstone, Full-Indianapolis, Olive Carrara, clear glass, Silver 166s, active heated front & rear seats, Logic7, etc... Essentially every box ticked, except for blinds & cooled seats (thankfully). Full old-money geezer spec. Hopefully it comes across well in the photos. The car landed in January and is now compliant, registered, emissions approved (ffs...), and is out on the road. This is my first BMW. Loving every kilometer. I'm excited to have joined the club. Will likely meet a few of you at club meets/events. Cheers

Finally had a spare moment to fill the diff and refit the exhaust on the m3 last night. Also fitted my new intake. Now need to redo that hose to the booster round the back to make it look a bit nicer.

part numbers for 6cyl z3 msport type https://www.google.com/search?q=31316753262&rlz=1C1GIWA_enNZ599NZ599&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 https://www.google.com/search?q=31316753261&rlz=1C1GIWA_enNZ599NZ599&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 and older part numbers 31311094191 & 31311094192

z3 has much shorter struts and little lower springs so yes will fit but will lift the front up quite a bit

Id love the S54 engine and manual for my E28, but Im hopeful I wont need to pay for a whole car to get them.

It was 110 pounds for the pipe and similar price for the filter iirc. Shipping was expensive too and plus vat. Price was reasonable pre shipping/vat 😂

I also washed mine last weekend, needed it! Have you enquired with BDS about their filter/intake pipe combo? Quoted me 320 pounds, for about a 15hp gain over a K&N filter with stock pipe which is pretty decent for a bolt on.

That dealer sails very close to the wind with selling practice. I looked at an i3 from them and they wanted to charge $1500 ORC. the nz new one above looks a better bet

Slightly older, but Nz new and still under factory warranty for less money. https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/320i/listing/4622201110 and similar (alright, a bit smaller), newer and Nz new. https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/218i/listing/4508971344 If the dealer you’re dealing with is that sh*t at this point, imagine how good the experience will be when something goes wrong. Run away.

Totally agree, head for the hills. Don't make financial decisions with your heart, I don't know how to put it better than treone. Maybe put up a post asking for help in finding what you're after, the hive mind should be able to sort you out.

At last I got the final version of the top amp bracket sorted and Dad printed it and dropped it off yesterday. I fitted it today - all looking good! Next up is to clean up the bay properly and then bundle up the un-needed wiring on the loom and secure it. I also took the opportunity to re-familiarise myself with exactly how the structural foam has been done on the rear RACP mounts on my car as I start preparing for the installation of the 6 point brace when it arrives later in the year. I also checked the welds in the trunk to ensure that they're all still good - keep an eye on this just in case.

$15k currently… Plus all airbags, Laser headlight, various front corner parts, bumper, rear left suspension, body work, paint, chassis check, tyres, re-VIN check… Equals NOT cheap. Shame, would have been such a nice car pre-accident.

Has Mr Body Kits in Aussie not got anything for E46? Still have shipping issue but AU is a lot cheaper, and often others are buying from them and you can split the freight.

I had a guy come around the shop and take them away to do them. I think I still have his number but his prices are way way crazy high these days. Mind you this was 5 years ago bud

Yep, but struggling to find the right F31 320dX I'd need to replace it with... That or an M235i because sensible winter car.

That sounds absolutely mad. Please do it 😂

Loving this little weapon, it's a perfect partner to the E39. When I am in the mood for a wafty cruise the 5 series is perfect , when hoon mode is engaged the 130i such an engaging drive. Drives super tight not a rattle or creak to be had, my only negative so far is the change into second feels just a little clunky and louder and the headlights need a good refurb. Sounds glorious I am quite surprised how loud it is. Anyone have a short shift kit installed ?

Thanks Darren. That's a good question, I’m not sure yet.. I think I’m going to use the set that’s currently on my 15inch basketweaves for now (205/15/50). Ultimately, I’m leaning towards a set of road legal semi slicks but need to do some research and find a “good deal”.

As a finishing touch, I finally got all the boot trims repaired and reinstalled. The plastic tabs holding the trim bits in place are notorious for breaking upon removal, no matter how careful you approach the task. Mine were of course already busted and creatively held in place with double-sided tape and sticky goo courtesy of the previous owner/s. Fortuitously, a while ago I'd come across a clever solution by one ///Mark_D on the E46 Fanatics forum who came up with a set of replacement steel tabs that can be glued in place of the broken plastic ones. Naturally, I snapped up a bunch and finally put them to good use. Between the bits that came on the car, a set that @Hazzy dropped off on his way through town and a few various bits I'd collected off a few parts cars, I put together a tidy looking set and got onto fitting replacement tabs. I first marked out the exact footprint of the new tabs, cut off and filed down the remnants of the old ones, used a dremel to roughen up the mating surface for better adhesion and then glued the tabs in place using some high strength clear epoxy. Every trim bit needed at least one new tab with the total number coming out to 17. With most of the boot taken apart, I took up the chance to give everything a good clean treat the plastics with some Aerospace 303. Also swapped out a few remaining cracked and busted bits that I finally managed to find good replacements for. All the interior trims are now looking as good as they ever will, pretty happy with the state of it on a 20+ year old car. All the goo cleaned off and trim bits installed. Awesome seeing everything nicely buttoned up for the first time in 3+ years. Reverse camera fully functional. No adjustment possible but good enough angle to avoid backing into stuff. The headunit Android system still takes about 20 seconds to boot up but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the reverse camera functions straight away after startup without any wait time. Good stuff. The towball is also in full view when installed. One of the main missions I've been putting off is getting that all wired in. Will need to get my hands on a towing module (part #61356955253) that the E46 shares the the E53 X5 & E83 X3. If anyone has any leads on one, please do shout out. One funny thing I discovered when making my latest parts order is that the "aero" windshield wipers are RHD & LHD-specific. LHD Bosch ones are pretty cheap from Schmiedmann but of course nobody carries RHD ones. No surprise that my car came with LHD ones with the fin facing the wrong way... Not that it makes a massive, if any, noticeable difference but just another thing that triggered my OCD. They were due a replacement anyway so ordered a set of correct ones from Wipertech - seems to be all the rage lately. Love that new wiper feel.

Update: Vessel is now ~35nm east of Great Barrier Island on an ESE heading at 14 knots, due to dock in Auckland tomorrow evening.

FWIW, and as late as this is, I'm still happy 4.5 years into my Avin USA 10.25" dashtop unit ownership. It runs Android and automatically tethers to my phone so I don't need Android Auto, I have a full Android desktop and app store. I think mine is Android 10 or 11, not sure about upgrades so in 10 years or so I might be screwed. If you go this route get as much RAM as you can.

Hey folks, thought I'd just chime in with my experiences as well, though a few aren't particularly recent: Vogel Motors in the Hutt - had pretty good experiences with them when I used them, always helpful and after an owner change in about 2019 I think, they were still good to deal with (probably last time I used them was about 2020?). My parents are out in the Hutt though, and if they needed a mechanic I'd most probably send them there I'd say. Also they used to have a Gearbox Specialist called Ben - I think he ended up leaving, but awesome guy and did some awesome (non-gearbox) work on my car! Hutt City European - again reasonably good experiences with them. My car previously had an issue with not being able to plug a scanner into, and then conveniently developed an Airbag light which needed rectifying. First time round they did this pretty well and got the code and all was well, the next time (again about 2019/2020 perhaps?) they'd had some staff move on, and this time it was an ABS Light. The tech did manage to get the two codes from the unit, but couldn't figure out one of them (one was a wheel speed sensor, the other was the unit not turning on). I eventually solved all the issues myself (including the non-diagnosis ability), and the ABS unit turned out to be a faulty relay, where it made a click but didn't connect one of the two output poles, so it seems they didn't check the relay function, which didn't leave me super impressed given the time and money factor. Still, hear very good things about the shop and the owner and a couple of the higher up techs are definitely car-nerds, which is always a good sign. Plus, when I was there they were working on my car, a Saab, an Alfa, a Ferrari 355, a Maserati Granturismo, a Porsche Cayenne (Fuel Pump) and something else I can't remember, so they've got experience with a lot of brands (and quirks). Jon at Auto38 - Easily the best BMW Mechanic in the region (well used to be) - knowledgeable, friendly, helpful, and also was passionate about the cars, so knew all the random stuff you find by owning these cars and scouring the internet for the strange things they do. A shame he shut up shop (but understandable)! Wellington European - I went there for a warrant, and there were loads of nice older/newer cars, but I found they were quite rude and condescending to me - a very strong "Your kind isn't really welcome here" vibe as I've got an E36 (one of the cleaner examples on the road), and they seemed like the kind of shop that was about money/status/flaunting etc, rather than car-passionate. With that said, a wide mix of Euro vehicles when I was there, including an Isetta. Auto Tech Miramar - not a BMW Specialist (or even Euro Specialist), I just happened to go there for a warrant. The owner seemed pretty nice and to care about the quality of work, however I was charged both labour for the warrant and a warrant fee, so was close to a $180 Warrant (with no mechanical work required). Heard from others that they were happy with his work working on their non-euro cars. Sutherland Performance - Again only experience was a warrant, but seemed to be a pretty good shop full of car-passionate folks, and quite a mix of cars/things in there - when I was in, there was an E90 getting some subframe bushes done from memory, a Civic Type-R (current generation) getting an exhaust and a tune, a Saab getting Saab stuff done to it, as well as the usual Golf Suspension work etc. So clearly got some experience with Euros and with a variety of stuff, my only thought was the labour rate is $150/hr, so if any tasks blow past the estimate, that has the potential to stack up pretty quickly. Was thinking I would go there again for a warrant, but might check out All European Service looking further up the thread. Hopefully this is helpful to someone!

Thanks, the Apex wheels and Le Mans blue help it stand out a bit.

Started polishing the faces to my 3 piece wheels today. They are very rare wheels released under the brand Racing Direction from Japan and made by Duke Project. They will be 16x8.5 and 16x9.5 with ET 13 up the front and ET 10 at the rear. Going for a full polished wheel with gold bolts and a red custom centre cap to tie into the interior. Will probably be electroplating the inner face of the rims in gold to tie in with the bolts too but faces mirror polished. Stay tuned.

Today I chucked on my black and grey personalized plates which came on Monday, wish I had them for the British and European Classic car show. I also put in a Miller MAF V3 and War chip which I had laying around for like 4 years. Noticeable difference in acceleration and the fuel delivery seems a lot smoother. Highly recommend.

Got a new half exhaust system to go in over the weekend, cant wait to hear the new exhaust note 😁

Hey Team Another long break between post, so managed to sell the black 330ci to a nice gentlemen who drove all the way from te puke to pick it up. Short vid made by my friend and exhaust sound near the end. So have also managed to get the n62 oil pump stuff sorted for the m62tub46 motor. I had a few hiccups with the sump pan fitting correctly but we got there in the end. Also had to modify the cross member which the certifier was happy with. This was the 1st change to the n62 sump Shorten tubes and oil pump shaft Had to make 6 new 10mm spacers to raise the pump up and slot the oil pump bolt holes to accommodate taller spacers. The final Sump pan we ended up cutting the front off the n62 pan and reusing the X5 front 1/4 due to needing the power steering and air con pump tensioner brackets. All bolted in on the motor now i reused the m62tu oil pump chain and sprocket. Bolted the Flywheel and clutch it on Tested fitted into the engine bay due to me needing to find if the n62 dip stick cleared which it does but needs to be shortened by 120mm Plenty of clearance underneath too. Not long to go. Thanks Team

Found a wrecked msport and finally swapped over all the interior to spec, first and last type of job i think. The car was identical spec to @Autoglym one, born 3 days before even. It came with BMW individual interior that included extended leather option (leather door handles and center console) as well as the sliding arm rest and ski bag. Also got a spare msport bumper now and a bunch of spares which is always a good thing as these things are getting on now. Will be swapping back on my old wheel once i get some alloy trim to replace the wood, always preferred the thinner type and BMW changed the wiring setup so you cant plug in half the wheel controls with my car Certainly come along way from what it was

Why go turbo ? more goes wrong with turbo set ups. I'd go M52B28 + SC if it was me with no tuning issues...just a remap and spend more money on suspension, brakes & certification

Finally finished the interior last year Feb. 1st car show was last year's Euro show in Pakuranga last year. 4 weeks after the tune, 357kws 700nm at the engine, 1300kgs, and a beautiful someone ran a stop sign earlier on a Friday morning. 9 month battle with his insurance company. Had the car valuated at $55 000. Got paid out a fair amount, kept the car. Man was it tough!!! 4 year build, and boy was she running. Absolute weapon. Day and Night with the tune. Picked up torque and thrusted you in the seat as the revs climbed!!!!. Truly Power to weight at its finest!!! Anyway, moving forward after an +-8 month depression, aggrevation, isolated and busy az time poor life running Highspek......LsBm2 Build soon.