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Very Minor crack in the usual bottom skin left rear and front right mounting point. Secondary skin opened up to check welding on top which was fine. Reddish Motorsport plate installed plus GTR style triangulation bar for overkill repair and complete bullet proofing for the most powerful S54B32 700hp NA build ( : P ) lol

Been a while ... the car has been occupying a hoist space for almost too long, but it’s nearing the end of the rebuild with almost all new parts installed underneath ... some pictures of the progress just waiting for the cert man to return photos!

Agree that most decent tires are overkill for day-to-day driving. I tend to buy them for those scary moments on the road when you really need them, more so now that I've got a couple of kids. I've got the PS4's on the Honda now. They're surprisingly quiet and have a fairly soft ride given what they are. The sidewalls also look more forgiving than (although not as nice as) the RE003's which are very square and firm. Overall I think putting the PS4's on the Honda was a good idea. I was concerned about the firmness and road-noise which is why i was also considering the Primacy's. I don't think the PS4's are too firm or noisy for a larger less-sporty car (as I've experienced with the RE003's in the e46). Hope others find this useful.

Couldn't figure out why the brakes weren't right with a Compact I picked up not long ago.... Seriously though, to think someone was driving around with this, with a baby/young child in the car as well........ car was registered and warranted before it was impounded. Glad to say this is one less death trap on the road, it will not be driven ever again.

I guess we all have options like butt holes and prefer to see things how we want and take on board everything the manufacture said as gospel, bit like everyone believed the emissions thing with VW......yep. My S85 V10 thermostat factory is 79 deg, kills the theory some have. And we don't test older cars here for emissions and to complain about economy when you sit in traffic not moving for hours a day is counter productive.

Hi all As you may have guessed - I have just joined the group. I run a 2008 BMW 135i, N54 twin turbo with Stage 1 tune.I also own a Toyota MR2 Turbo for clubsport purposes, and am a member of the Harbour Capital Car Club. I previously owned a stock-standard 2002 BMW 330i for about 7 years. In between the two BMWs I suffered through an Audi S4 - until I came to my senses and saw that the repair bills were not going to stop. Before those three, I owned a WRX STi v3 - a fantastic car that I managed to dry-sump around an autocross track, with horrendous consequences! I have also owned - among others - two Toyota TownAces, a Commodore wagon, an Austin 1800 Land Crab (really), and a Mark 1 Escort - which was great fun. I'm now back again with a small RWD car that has enough grunt to keep me interested. My purpose in joining this group is to find out more about the forum and about my car, and hopefully to join with others on runs and non-competitive events around the Wellington area. I am also a member of some Facebook groups that focus on 135i/335i vehicles and N54 engines. I look forward to learning more about this forum over the coming months and years. Talk again soon. :-)

most definitely. my mates and I explored the limits of handling of his split-screen minor when we were in high school. great way to hone one's skills at speeds where you could barely get into trouble.

this.......

Good stuff. It's a pity that most drivers in NZ would find their skills fail well before their tyres came into the equation. Most people don't even use the steering wheel once they've hit the picks, ABS or not. Argh, panic, crash! CTRL-Z.

And therein lies the answer. Most E39's aren't adequately looked after, hence the problems my three keep giving me because nobody changed the gearbox oil, or the thermostat, of put f***ing aliexpress MAF and cam sensors in. I don't think they are all unreliable- I just think 99.5% of them are suffering from neglectful ignorant and/or cheapskate owners.

SOLD. Second 318ti still available. $1,700 ono 235,000km WOF and reg

I did much the same thing to my 540 (m62tu) and there was no perceptible difference in economy, but it ran far cooler. Theven system is only there for emissions, it drastically increases knock limitation under load until the engine temp cools back down. Tree hugging rubbish Good work Steve!

I've don't this many times, had no change in economy and warm up time hasn't changed either. Rather this than a cooked motor which they are well documented for doing. Each to their own.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/ooBJ2Z2sZvo

Sadly true for any "old" BMW. In this specific case 14 years old and I suspect only maintained for the first 4 years of its life.It sucks having to play catch up. In related news, I stopped by @hqstu's place on my way back home to visit my old 530i, some serious love lavished on that car by him- it is looking very sharp indeed.

Traded the Titansilver 530 touring on a 2011 Mazda 6. 3 E39s had me tearing my hair out, looking forward to not hearing from the wife what isn't working today. Wondering what all the new car reviewers were smoking back then. Seriously, it is a fridge on wheels.

Who are you trying to kidd?

Last week I sold the 316i project car, meaning after selling my compact in December I am officially BMWless. For the first time in 4 years. It won't last though, time to concentrate on finding the perfect start for an E30 project. Going to do it right, so it can be the last E30 I own ?

Holiday traffic, where the lesser spotted numpty driver leaves its natural habitat of the city and goes out onto the open road.

What is it with people who want "recommendations for quality coilies to go superlow but won't cost mucho $$$ and keep a good ride"? Ain't no such thing. A decent set of shocks and springs will cost that; a decent set of coilovers will cost more. (Nothing wrong with a good coilover setup, of course.) Just saw someone looking for exactly this, but doesn't want to spend more than $500! "Why are BC Golds so expensive, bro..." A decent set of springs is going to cost $300+. These people have no idea of the damage they're doing to their cars, or the safety issues they present to themselves and others.

Today the 520i spat out it's fan blades, taking with it both belts. This to go with the Topaz 530i having no WOF (airbag light) and the Titan 530i is missing a window (stone from lawnmower) Merry Christmas, I guess world peace is too much to hope for, can't even have 3 complete BMWs...

Slight overdue update! actually not much changed till recently until the clutch started playing up. Couple of correct re-adaptations and resets and it'd be better for a short while then it'd thump away. I knew something mechanical wasn't right with the clutch mechanism, suspected a broken plastic pivot pin. Low and behold it was and a seized flywheel which I didn't plan for!! Just wanted to show how good SMG is on the clutch. Sorry for the crap photo! But in person next to a new clutch plate it was almost as good as new except for the outer wear from uneven release due to the broken pivot pin. Original clutch 177,000km+ never changed! And people don't like smg : P Stupid plastic pivot pin got to love NZ new rust free cars!!