hotwire

Yep agree to all above. I did everything including thermostat housing in one hit on mine. Fit & forget. Radiator is the only part not replaced as yet.

You should scan it with live data to see what is happening. Internal module faults can cause all kinds of rogue fault codes. I would bet the module at fault.

No better than the C180 Benz at work at the minute. 117000km, totally clean well serviced engine & the timing chain has jumped the exhaust cam sprocket 1/4 turn. Teeth on both cam sprockets severely worn. To add salt to the wound, Benz want $4.5k for parts to repair!

Yes but they only assembled. The problem is the design santa - get a 6 cyl version - a much better car

Those ignition coils very rarely fail, even at age. Ironically they are usually the first thing to get blamed for poor running. But - the new one is shiny 😊

Yea and the 3 are up near retail to offset the 1 free offer. in this case - 1 at retail to offset the 1/2 price of the second. Marketing 101

Great progress Jon. So be ready for 21/22 season huh😉

^^^^ Yep!. Try buying a complete M-Tech II kit now

Rodents in cars. Have seen untold over the years & the little shits cause heaps of issues in eating through things. Often wiring is eaten inside inner guards etc - where it cannot be seen but suspicious electrical gremlins & signs of rodents is always a give away. Looks like a nice score by the way.

Yep, the lock should still turn regardless of battery voltage. I have picked the locks on several E9... series cars

Even yukker! Then again from A pillar back the two look much alike...

^^^^ This. Japan has humidity just like Singapore. I have seen, worked on plenty of ex Singapore BMW's that are no worse than from any other market. Certainly the same can;t be said for Mercs - with their wiring degradation along with all the external trim plastics.

Certainly going to be interesting on how it will work & be policed. That said, I don't have a problem on paying GST, what has really pissed me is (unless flying under the radar) $399 has cost just that. $401 (if picked) has cost about $520 ish - with the other associated costs added. So it will now cost $461 - as it should.

I would suggest fixing yours or putting a new unit on. A pain to change it only to have it fail in six- 12 months.

Actually had a similar fault on a VW Tourag at work a few months back, Front right brake intermittently grabbing. Turned out a faulty ABS sensor. Not open circuit or shorted but about twice the resistance of spec & obviously confusing the ABS module.

Yep that all make sense - Market share of every variant to be viable. Understand that, That said, doesn't mean they need to come up with an ugly ducking of every model. They are becoming downright ugly, the grill on this takes the cake! Obviously i am not the only one that thinks they have gone astray with this. The Audi above is much more scaled, as are most of their vehicles. Guess BMW are not bothered what i care since i am not in the market for one of their new cars. Can't say i would be either even if given the chance.

Tech 2 just plain wrong on a pre shell, even more so a replica AND no door pods to create the flow. Inside does look nice but that price......

Saw this on facebook a couple of months back. Thought the guy had done it as a keeper. Nice car but...

Don't need OEM (Varta) although they are the best battery out there. Just one the same size - DIN 63/66/92 - whatever it has. AA or Hella Endurent batteries are probably the next best to OEM. You still need to diagnose that the starter is infact faulty though. Does sound like it though - I have been there with these at work before. Plenum needs removing to access the starter.

12.8v at rest is fully charged. 13.7 is either surface charge (if not running) or charging voltage, although that will climb over 14v Even if fully charged, the battery still requires testing to confirm good or bad.

Ironically I just watched this about an hour ago - just seen this thread now.

Note they differ. B20 is 2.5 bar, B25 is 3 bar. Look like:

I reckon the front is plain ugly, disproportionate as it seems with most new models.

I'm not overly an E36 fan but having seen that car in the recent past - it is absolutely stunning in both condition & spec & with relatively low milage. I would suspect it is probably the best example in the country. No disrespect to yours though Dave. $30k is what a retailer is asking, probably on the high side, but find a better one! That one is the ducks nuts! Good E36's are bouncing back now in value, proportionally up through the models. Agree with your other sentiments, can't see collectablity beyond the E46. Cars are becoming more of a commodity it seems.

Was the AA guy a battery guy? AA roadside do use the battery vans for breakdown service in the cities, His testing sounds strange from your description. 12.65 is about 3/4 charged, 12.2 about 1/3 & should be enough to get some reaction from the car, if not a start - assuming the battery is good. 12.2 does not necessarily denote a faulty battery, it could be just down on charge, although it can be tested at that voltage with an electronic tester to confirm good or bad. Did he test it as faulty or simply suggest that 12.2v denoted a faulty battery? If so - that is wrong! You may well have had a weak battery & a faulty starter, (i would hope so from what you have been told) BUT starter solenoid clean - doubt it! Almost EVERY (can't think of one that hasn't) starter nowadays has a sealed solenoid - non serviceable. It could be solenoid contacts at fault BUT much more likely is worn brushes. I also doubt on the "fitting a reconned starter" - this is a thing of the past nowadays with the gazillion different starters & alternators out there. 30 years ago it was common to have reconned units on the shelf & ready to go. So, starter needs removing & evaluating as to cost to repair or replace. No comfort to you though in the price that has been suggested - that is probably about par.