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So after selling the e91 and failing dismally at owning something sensible - common sense prevailed and we flicked the Mazda 6 getting something smaller/newer for Mrs SiW something that would also serve as our commuter car; and leave me a few grand to get something a bit more "me" that I can have a few fun and games with. Come on down a wee NZ new e46 compact that will give me the chance to do a little tinkering (but not a lot), whilst not being completely boring to drive over the hill to Martinborough every month or so. It isn't a minter - but is something I'm confident having a go with doing a few things to (namely some interior trim and stereo updates). I'll get some nicer wheels for it at some stage. But that aside - I'll be refreshing the cooling system and doing something about the (slightly) tired steering. I'll also be getting a dent dude (or dudette) to wave their wand over the roof where someone has been practising their tap dancing. It drives well (for a 200km car), and goes around corners pretty well - but it can of course be better ?

Manuel - common Spanish name, also common mis-spelling of manual, especially on TardMe.

And sure enough - a couple of corners later:

I'm in the market for a center aircon vent and upper instrument panel bracket, Part 2 https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=AN16-EUR-09-2001-E46-BMW-320i&diagId=51_3233 if anyone is wrecking....

Wondering if anyone has a spare - 1 X Front passenger - 1 X Rear floor mat I've got the driver one already and 1 for the back - God knows where the others went

Kyu, I'm sure your 8k oil change remains well less than the recommendation under condition-based servicing, and approximates a 5000mi change. You're well ahead of the pack. If it's black, it's suspending the sh*t, better than leaving it in the engine! ? Yes I'm sure others will question this 'logic'. ? I still believe that 5-6k km oil & filter is "cheap" insurance (radical Sxx motor oil requirements aside), if you're weilding the spanners yourself. OEM filters* & quality synthetic oil** purchased in 20 litre quantities sees me change oil/oil filter/air filter for well under $100 (8 litres for e60). * Hengst or Mann ** Penrite HPR5 (5W40) full synthetic BMW LL01

castrol edge 5w-30

I did mine at about 9pm under jack stands with a phone torch so cant remember if it was easy to see, remember that the hose didn't initially flow well through. I set the hose to jet and blasted it as best I could from both sides for probably 5 minutes on an off each side, that got most of it out. I did fill it with a citrus based all purpose cleaner and left for 10 mins before I blasted it again but not sure that did anything extra.

Thought I’d cooked a subwoofer. Turned out to a screw working loose on the badge causing a voice coil gone type rattle

spanish???

Like wise! This year!

Back on topic... The fun fun fun continues.. Look what Pelican sent me instead of the pump and thermostat. Some poor bugger with a Porsche 997, somewhere in the world, is missing a USD$3.50 petrol flap cable. It probably costs NZD$35 here.

So who's taking all the money then? Parts from BMW NZ cost 100% more (or even more) than parts from a Dutch or German official dealer and many American warehouses. Shipping and storage can't account for that and I refuse to accept that BMW AG charge BMW NZ much more than they charge a small Dutch dealer for parts. Somebody in NZ is creaming it off customers so a 10% discount on a 100% markup is no discount at all, it's an insult.

I guess it is just a junk yard motor, out of an automatic e39 with 160km on it, was driven into the yard from Tauranga to Hamilton by Kerry at Mosen Euro Parts. Its all stock, only maintenance was a couple of gaskets, O rings and the water pump.

Ok I couldnt wait for my parts so i went on a road trip to pick them up from the courier depot, I battled into the night doing a solid 8hrs but it was well worth it to hear her fire into life. I did a video of the first start but cant add videos to this forum? So now im just waiting on the new drive pulleys and shes done, it feels like its been way too long, cant wait to get her back out on the open road!

This is an important consideration. I have 18's on the M3 so couldn't even fit a spare in if I wanted to carry one and runflats are not a performance option I'd consider at this stage. If you're in such a situation then roadside assistance is an invaluable consideration. Whether it's part of your warranty, comes with insurance (I thought most insurers offered this free now anyway) or you pay for AA it's a very smart idea if you don't have or can't use a spare. I get a couple of free callouts and flatbacks per year with State for the 328 and the same or similar from Swann for the M3. Touch wood I've never had to use it. Last puncture I had was on a expensive rear tyre that had done less than 50 km's and was irreparable. In the US it's common for damage insurance to come free with new tyres, I wish that were the case here.

Also been thinking about and playing with the graphics and logos side of things in between sessions in the garage/sauna - damn Auckland and it's humidity. Mentioned before changing it from John Player Special (JPS) to Jon Tyler Special (JTS) as a little personal touch, so found a couple of logos and modified them up to look like these: Pretty happy with how they look on the screen - now to try and see what they look like in real life. I will be working with Dave Farmer from GT Designs in Tauranga on the signage as he has got some pretty good new gear for working on this stuff and is a fellow Bimmer lover!

Should be under 20%. If everything is ticked off with them first then there's no excuse to deny cover.

Have spoken to the insurer and removing the cats and a basic ECU stage 1+ tune is fine but they will need specific information (performance increase details). They seem good to deal with. This is for both standard insurance and mechanical.

The cost of using runflats is acrtually much greater to BMW, not a cost saving. The cost of a spare tyre is more than outweighed by the added development costs to have to design and manufacture a suspension system to handle both types of tyres, plus all cars with run-flats MUST have a pressure monitoring system otherwise you will not know you have a flat until the tyre disintegrates many miles later (as per previous post - how you know when you have a puncture). Another key factor is the weight reduction in not having to carry a spare and have somewhere to put it - this then helps with the fuel consumption and emissions reductions needed. I may have mentioned this before on another run-flat discussion - in my driving lifetime I have had two tyres get an instant loss of pressure due to a massive puncture on the motorwat - the first normal tyre, the second a run-flat. With the normal tyre the first I knew was when the rear end suddenly pulled massively to the left - I tired to correct / catch it, but ended up spinning into the concrete central divider at around 70mph. With the run-flat I got the warning light on the dashboard, followed by a slight pull to the left, no spin, no massive accident. When I got home and checked the tyre it had a three inch gash from hitting some sharp debris on the road - no wonder it went down so quick. I know which I prefer to drive myself and my family around on. As for not doing long drives on run-flats, I regularly do Auckland to Naper via Taupo and the Napier - Taupo road. On one Friday night trip I managed to hit a pot-hole in the road at speed, just past the cafe where it starts to get twisty. Massive bang and it felt like the strut had punched up through the tower! Slowed right down, and it still felt ok, sped back up to 80km/h for rest of journey. Checked damage in the morning and there was a massive bulge in the sidewall, and when I went to the tyre shop they found a massive buckle in the rim as well, fitted a replacement there and then no waiting. Pretty sure a non-run flat 40 profile tyre on a 19" rim would not have survived that impact and again would have been another blow-out situation.