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Olaf

My new SS Commodore... in a sharp german suit

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the rear underside of my e60 545i, yesterday.  

"if you see this, please put me back on my wheels"

seriously though, so much Aluminium used in the construction of this car.

Edited by Olaf
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Just the thing for a damp-ish Wellington morning...

 

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Job's a good 'un

 

 

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I took it for a strop to Auckland with #1 son, filled a few days of the school holidays in.  And settle in the new shocks and tyres.  Photos shortly.  It's a great distance car.  On smooth seal, you can turn up and enjoy the hifi without road noise intrusion.  luxury.  It's confortable, minimises time in the opposite lane while overtaking, stops and handles pretty well.  And for the first time I had the fuel economy readout in the 11l/100km range. Pretty good given I was enjoying the kickdown bark while overtaking. :ph34r:

Oh, and while in Auckland I went and had a look at the drift series at Pukekohe.  My first time seeing it live, and I wasn't impressed.  A separate post on that.

I also fitted some genuine BMW wiper blades while in the north.  I was having a little trouble fitting the new Valeos.  Then I had trouble with the BMW blades... Auckland City BMW service advisor kindly helped me out.  I guess I wasn't savage enough with them! :wacko:

Today a package arrived, and I'm enjoying reading my way through the north american e60 sales brochure (bout 70 pages), luxuriating in that BMW marketing speak. 

 

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all rights reserved. hosted here on Bimmersport.

My panzerwagen on SH4 - the Paraparas.

Edited by Olaf
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Paraparas is always a nice drive in a god car.

Did Sport mode come into play at all?;)

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2 hours ago, kulgan said:

Paraparas is always a nice drive in a god car.

Did Sport mode come into play at all?;)

you had to ask? :lol:

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Just realised I've had this car 2 months already.  I've clocked up 4,500km during this time, and am certainly enjoying them.

At home I have a set of new coils ready to install, as well as new trans oil pan/filter etc ready for a trans service.  Just need to suss out which fluid meets the 6HP26 trans specs.  Also due an oil change soon.

I must get around to installing those door seals I got from Brent last month.

Happy days.

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Mate I am glad you got this car, the E60 really is a nice drive and with the mods you have done it will be very rewarding.

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40 minutes ago, Herbmiester said:

Mate I am glad you got this car, the E60 really is a nice drive and with the mods you have done it will be very rewarding.

I'm McLovin' it. B)  it makes the commute easier/more comfortable/more enjoyable/safer.  and being "my first V8" it's just such an experience.  

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today, at 157283kms, this happened.

 

 

 

I had a new set of coils installed.  One had been replaced under @TermiPeteNZ's stewardship, I elected to change the lot given the age of the car, and their likelihood of failing.  As I rely on this as daily transport to earn my crust, and public transport is 2 hrs each way, the car is very important to me.  It was a job I'd intended doing myself, but have been time poor and mileage rich lately, having done 5000kms since purchasing the car.  Page European were efficient, and visiting also provided the opportunity to discuss and agree the approach for my auto servicing next month.

I've only had opportunity to drive it a couple of kms, seems more torquey.   Happy days.

I'll photograph and bung the used coils up for sale if anyone needs some spares to be able to swap out for a working (though used) one.

IMG_4505.jpg

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3 hours ago, Olaf said:

today, at 157283kms, this happened.

 

 

 

I had a new set of coils installed.  One had been replaced under @TermiPeteNZ's stewardship, I elected to change the lot given the age of the car, and their likelihood of failing.  As I rely on this as daily transport to earn my crust, and public transport is 2 hrs each way, the car is very important to me.  It was a job I'd intended doing myself, but have been time poor and mileage rich lately, having done 5000kms since purchasing the car.  Page European were efficient, and visiting also provided the opportunity to discuss and agree the approach for my auto servicing next month.

I've only had opportunity to drive it a couple of kms, seems more torquey.   Happy days.

I'll photograph and bung the used coils up for sale if anyone needs some spares to be able to swap out for a working (though used) one.

IMG_4505.jpg

Your old coils will fit my M54 (whilst your old M54 ones won't), so I'd be interested in using them for diagnosing my intermittent misfire code. :) 

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so this week I got the tank fairly empty (23kms range remaining, according to the 'puter), and being it was "10c day" at Caltex (AA Smartfuel), I duly took the panzerwagen to the pumps and she immediately skolled $120 worth of 95 without pausing for breath or burping.

By the time I got to the motorway, I discovered that the minor differences I observed with my other cars between 95 and BP's 'Ultimate 98', are very pronounced with this 545i.  

It was like taking my chef's knife (a JA Henkels 8" kochmesser I've had for 30 years) after a session on the oilstone and steel, and then deliberately bluntening it. 

Right ho, a diet of nothing but 98 for this one, then.

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I only buy Mobil or Gull 98 now as BP price gouge with theirs.  Usually always 15c more at BP than Mobil/Gull.

I'm not sure if either sell 98 in Wellytown?

At the moment I pay $1.96 for Mobil 98.

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12 hours ago, GorGasm said:

I only buy Mobil or Gull 98 now as BP price gouge with theirs.  Usually always 15c more at BP than Mobil/Gull.

I'm not sure if either sell 98 in Wellytown?

At the moment I pay $1.96 for Mobil 98.

Mobil has ethanol in its 98 (yes it's available in Welly), BP does not.  You gets what you pays for.  

Yes, BP are price gouging.  Still, I get a 50 litres "free" every 6 or 7 weeks or so using AA Smartfuel, so it's swings and roundabouts eh?

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I can't see anything on Mobil's site about their 98 having ethanol in it.  Do you have a reference?

And my AA smart fuel only ever gets me 6 to 10c off a litre so maybe I don't use it right.  Still puts it at least 15c more a litre than Mobil as they give 6c off for $40 or more purchased.  The thing that got me was one day BP was $2.40 for 98.  I gave up on them at that point.

I still go to BP just for pies and coffee though haha.

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3 hours ago, GorGasm said:

I can't see anything on Mobil's site about their 98 having ethanol in it.  Do you have a reference?

http://www.aa.co.nz/membership/aa-directions/driver/fuel-duel-2/ 

"Most service stations in New Zealand sell mineral fuel, which is wholly derived from crude oil – or fossil fuel. But Gull has, for the past five years, pioneered the sale of ethanol-blended petrol at its 48 service stations throughout much of the North Island. Gull sells a 98-octane E10 blend at all of its service stations, and a 91 octane E10 blend at 15 locations, predominantly Auckland and Waikato. They also retail an E85 blend in Hamilton. (E10 means 10% of a litre of fuel contains ethanol, a renewable, or ‘bio’fuel.)

Further down the North Island, Mobil sells E3 91 octane and E10 98 octane ethanol blends at selected service stations in the greater Wellington region. "

I also observed warnings on the pumps at Mobil Gas stations that the fuel contained Ethanol. 

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Yeah, seems any station with ethanol blends state such on the pump labels.

You'd just hope such was accurate and up to date! 

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Good, that Mobil blend can stay in Wellington. You'd made me nervous as I'd filled a full tank from Mobil here in Auckland with their 98. 

On a related note I tried to fill up at the Z station in central Wellington over the summer and found that it did not sell anything other than 91....:huh:

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25 minutes ago, NZ BMW said:

Good, that Mobil blend can stay in Wellington. You'd made me nervous as I'd filled a full tank from Mobil here in Auckland with their 98. 

given the number of petroleum processing facilities in NZ (bugger-all), if Mobil's 8000 is Ethanol blend in Wellington, I think you'll find it's Ethanol blend in Auckland too.  /smugface B)

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1 hour ago, Olaf said:

given the number of petroleum processing facilities in NZ (bugger-all), if Mobil's 8000 is Ethanol blend in Wellington, I think you'll find it's Ethanol blend in Auckland too.  /smugface B)

:fingers in ears: I can't hear you!

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9 hours ago, NZ BMW said:

:fingers in ears: I can't hear you!

Of the 280 BP stations nationwide, 99 sell 98 octane, while 31 of Mobil’s 190 sites sell 98 octane mineral fuel (in the North Island only).

keep reading, I use 98 from Mobil New Plymouth and they state no Ethanol on the pump so it looks Wgtn only which may be due to fuel sharing with Gull ?? For the region, weird but highly possible

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24 minutes ago, Breaker said:

Of the 280 BP stations nationwide, 99 sell 98 octane, while 31 of Mobil’s 190 sites sell 98 octane mineral fuel (in the North Island only).

keep reading, I use 98 from Mobil New Plymouth and they state no Ethanol on the pump so it looks Wgtn only which may be due to fuel sharing with Gull ?? For the region, weird but highly possible

:wacko: because we don't have a vomit emoji.  Blahdy hell, that'd be sad if they're selling Gull at Mobil.  

Is Mobil 98 working well for you, Brent?  Do you run that across all three vehicles?

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