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Hi all. I've been a Bimmersport member for a while but until now I've kept my head down learning a lot from the posts of knowledgeable forum members. I have an e46 330i and a 2005 X3, and now a 130i as I bought Baby Blue off Dave. Be assured Dave that she will continue to receive love and attention and only be fed 98! She drives better than she looks as she has a few blemishes but nevertheless I've given her a wash and polish this weekend to make her look her best.

Hi there, Picked up an E46 330i Touring a few months ago and have been fixing it up to be a reliable daily. So far I have done the following: - Full cooling system refresh (Including hard lines under the intake manifold) - Front pulleys and drive belts - Power steering reservoir and hoses - CCV Replaced - Intake boots - Oil level sensor - Oil filter housing gasket - Valve cover gasket - Vanos rebuild - New DISA valve - Engine & transmission mounts - Windshield cowl - Transmission filter & fluid - FCAB's - Front control arms - Tie rods - Wheel bearings - Stock sport springs from HellBM - Sport Sway bars from BM World - Koni Special Active shocks on all four corners - Set of Style 72 rims to replace the Style 79 rims that came with the car - Changed differential fluid - Other little minor things around the car What I have got left to do is to replace all the bushings in the rear (If anyone has an RTAB tool I could borrow...) and I am looking at getting some new tyres soon since the ones that came with the new rims are pretty average. Best money spent so far was on the shocks as the originals were completely shot. And having everything in the cooling system replaced is great for peace of mind. For the future it would be nice to swap in a manual, but for now the auto is pretty good for what it is. Only major issues I have had is a tire blowout in Wellington on state highway 1 near the terrace (I think I must of run over something on the motorway), and a fuel line disconnecting itself which left me stranded outside Kumeu (Car didn't catch fire which was good). Overall the experience has been pretty good though, the car's fun to drive and I have learnt a lot during the process.

Apart from washing it a fair bit to keep the pollen and bug poop at bay, a couple more things checked off the list... Replaced the front levelling sensor for the xenons and the lights have sprung into life, doing the dip/check on startup, cleared the fault code with INPA and all appears well in that department. Still grappling with some condensation issues though... Started the conversion to brushed aluminum trim and blue stitching on the door trims, more of that tomorrow. Also a wide screen monitor in as the PFL one is woodgrain... Also tried out some different wheels on the car, these ones seem to suit the e39 well?

Indicate first then shift, let everyone know your intentions before you act. Common sense no?

or paying 100's of $ for a slightly longer piece of alloy

Is it possible to have the indicator and wiper controls flipped to the proper sides? Any idea what sort of cost would be involved? Most euro imports are mounted in reverse & while its not an issue for me I won't be the only one driving the next car lol.Thanks for any info.

https://www.google.com/search?q=bmw+286s1&rlz=1C1CHZL_enNZ752NZ752&oq=bmw+286S1&aqs=chrome.0.0l3.16890j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Having played with a staggered and square setup on my 330ci I preferred the staggered setup. as to the tires the PS4s are a much better bet if you dont mid the extra cash.

thats because sports seats themselves are woth the price of admission

Having owned numerous R56's from the early 2007 upto the 2012 models, they do vary quite a bit depending on how its been looked after etc. The newer turbo ones are definitely nicer and more reliable engine but I wouldnt discount a well looked after pfl with the older engine. Its still a good car. The R56 is the "better" mini for sure, newer, better low end torque etc but the supercharged R53 is definitely fun and the noise is truly addictive. If I had to pick my order of preference it would be R56 JCW > R53 > R56 N18 > R56 N14

Ah the infamous 'old man' spec choices of BMW NZ. Now you're hard pressed to find anything NZ new that's not an M sport...

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/130i/listing/2770434829 Selling one of mine ?

Yep all 135i's came with the black tips unless the car had the m performance exhaust installed. Then it'll be stainless

I did mine with Autosol as well, worked well. You should find they pull-off. They do in the e60. Makes it easier to do. Then slide back on afterwards.

great stuff, you've brought it up to scratch with carefully thought out remedial maintenance. Next stop after your RTABs: VANOS seals and oil line. I've been running an M54325i touring for 8.5 years, still love it. Wish I had the 330 though!

Yep, came with the NZ spec where the non-sport has sport seats.

^^^ this! Back when I learned to drive, it was simple. "Signal, Brake, Clutch (gear)". Communicating your intention first priority!

I’m running Dunlop spot 300E 205 65 15 on my 560SEL. I was going to go Contis but he did me a decent price on them. Around $140 each off the top of my head. They are quiet but apart from that no comment on how they perform - the car had 18s before it with poor ride quality, and currently the rear SLS shocks are buggerEd so ride quality isn’t what it should be. I have a set of genuine 3 piece 18x8.5 monoblocks in need of a refurb if you may be interested. I think I have some spacers for the front to suit the 126. I don’t know how they’d look on a 126 sedan. I think they’d suit more the c126, 124 or the r129 chassis. My 560 came with replica 18” monoblocks and IMO it looked wrong for two reasons. It needed to be lowered as the profile of the tyre was dwarfed by the huge wheel arch gap. And the rim exposed the tiny rotors and calipers behind it. Edit - Ron, your post above reminds me of something I read from the 80s when these were new. F1 driver, it may have been Senna, was driving the 500 or 560 spec in Europe chasing a 911 and the Porsche couldn’t loose it. But yes, I’ve owned several of these cars including the under tyred 2200kg W140 (16 inch rim) and they can get a bit hairy at a decent pace.

Polish the tips with Auto-sol Metal Polish. Good for headlight lenses too

Looks great with the new rims. Sport interior? Think it would suit clear (Euro-style) indicators too.

Checked and re-torqued under load.. only to finally trace it to a loose exhaust bracket (next to the gearbox). Don’t recall loosening this myself so suspect the guys who welded the bungs in for the pre-cat O2 sensors ? Car is driving very well and warm-up is a lot smoother with little/no hesitation.

probably at least as much protection for auction buyers in NZ as there is for mom and pop investors on the NZX from deficient company directors.

I would love to see someone take that situation to court.

Date: 5 Sep 2020 Distance: 261649kms 1. Rear Brake bed-in Jon had done the brake pad bed-in on the Hawk HPS pads before I collected the car in August. [6-10 stops from 50-60kph, applying moderate pressure. Then an additional 2-3 HARD stops from 65-70. 15 mins for brake system to cool down.]. Since collecting the car, I'd ran a few errands around town, gentle driving only... though I’d not had opportunity to perform the Zimmermann rotor bed-in procedure. When approaching Zimmermann's 'orders', an early start is essential while the roads are clear and traffic volumes are low. You’ve got to hand it to the Germans, they’re very thorough and specific... yes, doing your initial 15 braking operations with three minutes between each, takes thought and planning for safety - clear lane behind, hazard lights, brake whilst counting to three and checking your speedo, re-accelerate and hazards off... note the time, wait three minutes, rinse and repeat. The second round - slowing 100-25, is a bit tougher. Not just on your braking system, but in your body! Clenching your abs Top-Gun style helps. After all of that - about 90 mins of driving, a bloke needs a pie to settle it all down. results: Stomach settled after a mighty Nada Bakery steak and cheese pie; Brake feel improved. More bite, more feel, improved modulation and retardation. 2. Bath time ... So I finished off with a quick wash and blow dry, and a minor smear of Auto Glym Tyre Dressing. "All dressed up and no place to go"

Lh indicator is the correct way IMO.

The leather has also had a bit of attention with the Colourcare system, looking a lot better now, also replaced the back seat base with a spare recently acquired...

Nabbed the stereo face plate from @Eagle 's E39. Still missing a few pixels but significantly better than what I had and cheaper (and 100x quicker) than a ribbon repair (i've already failed at this once). Before: After: A while I ago I also swapped the LED interior lights out and put the halogens back in. I thought the LED's were a little harsh for the interior. I left them in for the glovebox, boot and puddle lights as figured the brighter the better in those locations It's also been in at Hutt Automatics this week for a check up. I think my paranoia mistook a misfire @80km/h uphill for torque converter clutch pack failure. Pleased to say they couldn't find any faults with the transmission and I've replaced cyl 3 coil pack.