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I had a 2006 M540I M sport for 4 years and i have just traded it in for a smaller, newer BMW... https://youtu.be/d_6y3sIBFHY

Hi, we previously have had three one series Bimmers but currently have three E46's. 325ti, 325ci, and a 316ti. All are NZ new with either one or two previous owners. In another life we had a succession of Jap performance cars, WRX's, 300zx's and R32 GTR's which I enjoyed working on and doing the odd track day but current pricing of these is crazy so won't be getting anymore! I think BMW's of the era we have are absolute bargains given build quality and safety.

As a result of lock-down I finally found the time to do a decent detail and polish on my E34 540iA. I then applied three layers of wax to make the car nice and glossy. Thought this would be a good opportunity to make a post in the showroom to show it off! Car has done over 371,000km so was quite impressed with how nice the paint still looked. Need to get my replacement sunroof painted though.

N52s are arguably one of the most reliable engines BMW has ever made, not exactly toyota 4AFE reliable, but still reliable and shitloads more entertaining than a 90s economy toyota engine. Whereas the 4 pots are less reliable than a 4AFE, and less entertaining. There really isnt anything redeeming about them to justify the reliability issues, spending money and time on solving problems on something that doesnt bring smiles when working isnt particularly appealing.

The engine is definitely special but in terms of using the car every day I think most people would choose a twin turbo V8 that is more powerful, reliable and economical, especially when its paired with a DCT rather than an SMG and only a 10-15% price difference. V10 all day as a special weekend driver over the F10 though.

I have had one of these for my daily driver for 9 years. I also drove a near identical car for 10 years before this one (in another country), so I have been driving the M44 motor for nearly 20 years and 300,000+ kms. It's a bloody great motor and in the E36 chassis has stunning handling and balance, particular with the M-sport suspension and Bilstein dampers. Any idiot can drift a 328 or M3, it takes really skill to drift 318 as you actually have to BE on the limit, not just spinning the rear wheels.

We had one that died a good death. Didnt throw a rod but the oil got so hot it started to come out of the sump on fire. Ended up igniting the car and gutting it. That was awkward, when the fire department came to a rural dead end gravel road to put out a car fire with a bunch of guys there. Uh yes sir, we were just driving and it caught fire 😂 Garage54 is awesome. Dont be so serious. Every "dangerous" thing they do is probably safer than daily life in Russia.

Its missing the only option that matters 😛

Some valvetronics pics. Kinda cool how it actually staggers intake valves opening on same cylinder, I'm assuming to induce a swirl pattern. Teeny oil gallery's on the bottom of the supports. The other curious thing is that the followers are actually completely floating, the only thing stopping them flying off into scenery is the eccentric shaft and the springs. MILVs tomorrows, after cleaning the bits that are staying, big thanks to @Matt for lending me the spring tool, works legit.

Hey Team Long time no post. its been a while still the last post, almost a year. I can tell you all that the projects are still alive and kicking, I've just been busy toying with other cars, wheeling and dealing and just been a bit lazy with the posting but definitely still wrenching with the bimmers. So slight change of plans, I was originally going to use the n62 rear sump setup on the m62 but thought it needed too much work so have opted to modify the x5 oil pump and mount it to the rear of the block and get a custom oil pump shaft made to run the front where the sprocket goes. ( currently at the engineers) So in the mean time i picked up a 2000 manual 318i sedan and decide to throw the dry sump m60b44 with the 5 speed box into it and turn it into a drift car. Everything is all good to go other than the wiring which was meant to go to the auto sparky tomorrow but due to level 4 that wont be happening. Brand new single mass flywheel and clutch kit. got some new engine mounts made just to tidy up the look from the original ones. Also got aother Hamann set of wheels sandblasted and powder coated for the e46 4.6is sedan car. That's it for now but hopefully will start cracking into the 4.6 motor and give it a freshen up. Thanks Team

Few things have arrived this week from Weitz. Looking forward to what its hopefully all going to come together like Some badges were also in the lot, not new but alot better Also contained a tech kit ill get sprayed up to match and put on. Have some 18inch wheels coming down the country in October. Looking into the Eibach pro lowering kit and some new shocks. Should make for a good all round package all going well

For sure, Ive had 2 (manual and auto), both great though last one was too boganed out by PO. Id love a nice, clean 540i E34 Touring.

Shes a bit tight on the old hoist there 😄😄

+1 for do them up tight. Not RFT. No torque wrench needed. I ended up duct taping two extensions together to get enough length to get to the spark plugs. My plug socket was too grippy and it pulled the extension off on the first one I did lol.

@leichtbau those ES run outs are a nice spec, the blue stitching looks great.

Dreamt of doing the E87 retrofit trifecta. All done now. 140i S65 def. the most expensive but my favourite then the 135d and then the N54. Have a S65 manual trans kit sitting here to maybe use in the 140 though hard to go past DCT Daily commute would have to be the 135d aprox. 8 l/100km and only a handful when you give it some pedal.

Kind of an interesting event from an engineering perspective. A bit of google mapping shows that the van was likely parked in the shadow under the overbridge where there is a bit of extra width over and above the normal road shoulder. Judging by the location of the SUV and the fact that it was upside down, impulse and momentum being what they are, the SUV probably stopped dead on impact (no pun intended and no offence to any person involved). On the other hand the camera van would have been punted forward with a great deal of force, as can be seen by the relative positions of the two vehicles. If the unfortunate operator of the camera van was sitting in the drivers seat at the moment of impact, he/she would have experienced momentary but extreme G-force. Assuming seatbelt and airbag both worked the collision could be survivable as the operator would have been forced back into the seat. For the unfortunate occupant/s of the SUV the collision was not survivable. They would have continued to move forward at high speed for a few milliseconds after the moment of impact without the benefits of support from a seat, and then stopped abruptly. It is a sobering reminder of the damage caused in a high speed impact either between two vehicles or vehicle versus tree/pole. It also highlights the danger of stopping a vehicle on a motorway for any reason... even changing a wheel on the side of the road is a high risk activity. Safety first is always a good motto. Cheers...

Maybe if it was a NOS standard production shell, but not a “new” Gp.A. Shell like the one pictured. There’s a used one for sale In Auckland for twice that.

Love how focused this build is - no faff and bling, just quality bits to make the car better 😎

I certainly only consider my 328 memorable for all the wrong reasons. 😂 Doesn't mean I didn't love it for what it was. My 130 on the other hand is a hoot.

I have had regular servicing and have had many parts replaced. Probably the biggest was this lot. Unfortunately I ordered the wrong struts, ordering front when I needed back 😞 So if anybody wants a pair of front (new) for a good price let me know 🙂 https://www.bimmerworld.com/Suspension-Steering/BMW-Bilstein-Shocks-Struts/Bilstein-B4-OE-Replacement-Front-Strut-21-031199.html The other part I had replaced which was tricky was the Hydraulic Brake Booster/Servo. Could not find a part locally so I ended up going to this guy in the US who sells refurbished ones. https://bigcoupe.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=28245 and this page for my model https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNAMHXPczNFUw41FkEwn-Nbowp9BRanHNZwwsl4XES68QWOgM5Y94CIKBMgPW0Nlg?key=YW9ZWnZRVWY5eURHR2YzVld0dXNpZDRQVHlGal9n I then had my mechanic remove the servo, I mailed it to the guy and he cross-mailed me a refurbished unit and held a deposit until he had got mine. Then once he got it, he refunded me and my mechanic installed his refurbished unit and it's still going fine.

Easy peazy via Leon, 14k is reasonable. Insurance sorted.

Manual, interesting colour combo I've not see before, $12k... https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/130i/listing/3228775305

Finished painting a project i've been working on Picked this up before lockdown, was just going to do "a little bit of paint" But then lock down happened, so ended up you know ... sanding it right back everywhere Then the paint they mixed wasn't entirely the right hue even though it was the correct colour code (even with a fuel flap to match), so ended up basically doing a full respray anyway lol ------------------------------------

He also threatened posters and their families. He also threatened a terror attack on nz through his blog. Hes been banned from so many forums for the same behaviour that I really think his supercharger pursuits are less important than how he treats others.

M30 would have struggled with cambelt failure I think...

Do not work under a car supported by jacks, multiple blocks of wood or wheels laying on their sides!! You will probably not know that the car has fallen off as you'll be dead! The car needs to be supported by 4 (four) good quality jack stands. I use 3 ton 4WD jack stands. The car needs to be quiet high off the ground so you can get the transmission out. Measure the height of the transmission at the bellhousing to engine join. If the car is not have more than that measurement off the ground, then the transmission will not come out. You will want to clean inside the bell housing and maybe replace seals and pivot pins. Best done with the transmission out away from the car. The less time you spend under the car the less the risk of it falling on you. You need a good quality 2 ton floor/hydraulic jack, so you can support the transmission when you take it out by yourself and carefully lower it to the ground. You'll need the same jack to lift the transmission up to re-install it. A 2 ton jack has the lifting height to do the job. Make a cradle to hold the transmission on the jack. No jack and you are trying to lift a very heavy transmission while lying on your back. One slip and your are off to A&E due to the injuries' of dropping the transmission on yourself. Or if you actually manage to lift the transmission up to the engine, it will hang there supported by only the input shaft sitting in the piolet bearing. It's going to slip out, just when you have your head arm or body under the transmission as you try to fit some bolts. Not nice. Am I over dramatising this. No I am Not!! Been there, done the foolish silly things 30+ years ago and been to hospital to heal with lots of time to reflect on my mistakes. I replace clutches by my self these days, but I have the right gear, take it slow and spend a lot of time working out the heavy lifts to minimise hazards. Do not get nominated for the Darwin Awards.

Finally got around to implementing boost by gear... went with 8psi in 1st and 13psi in 2nd as a first approximation. That has eliminated the annoying hard hit in 1st that was immediately followed by DTC taking the power off when hooking out of a side street into a gap in a stream of traffic. Made me think I was driving like I should have an "L-plate" on the car Now it just hooks up and goes without any DTC intervention... self respect is restored So thanks for the heads up Herb. Cheers...

It also had chrome 18's and looked like it had been painted purple with housepaint haha

it's about 10k over what an equivalent nz new sedan goes for and would guess the touring market is pretty small

I did get the head to a shop… the day before lockdown! I’ve been doing what I can with all this time we have on our hands, but not having the head back has slowed things down. Boredom got the better of me and so I started removing some of the ancillaries to give the engine and bay a good scrub. I think I’ll replace the engine mounts while I’m at it. I hope everyone’s cracking on through lockdown and keeping well.

I have some 420G gearboxes on the way from the UK. Not sure on delivery dates as shipping is so erratic. PM if this is of interest.

Japan. Bimmer.work still works. Its REALLY well optioned. Comfort access, active steering, sunroof, cruise, pdc, heated seats, adaptive xenon

That's mine. Doesn't get out much unfortunately but the old man was keen for a ride 😅

Looked it up... Extracted from NZTA public information...

1/4 is very handy, for a home mechanic I've never needed anything bigger than 3/8, might be different if you're working on tractors. I'd say the gap between 1/4 and 1/2 is probably too wide, heaps of stuff you'll want to to will be somewhere between their capabilities whereas the 3/8 can get right up there. Mine a very middling Kincrome from Bunnings (or Mitre 10, can't remember) and they're fine for what I need, if I were to replace them I'd probably step up a grade to Teng to match the result of my tools... but I don't see needing t replace them in a hurry. Edit: I wrote mine before Graham posted and I wasn't directly refuting his comments on 1/4. Nevertheless, 1/4 is very handy for smaller stuff like VANOS and for getting into tight spaces.

Thanks @Michael., its one of those project phases that I'm ready to move on from but should look back and feel it was worth while Nice to hear you had success also with your project, fingers crossed I do also ! Some of the clearances are tight so I will be checking fit on the car as I tack things up. The 3D printing does take a while alright, not sure on total hours but it would be many hundreds for sure. Gone through nearly 4x 1kg rolls of filament to get to this point (includes prototypes, calibration, some scrap etc). On the larger prints I would do up to 9 segments and that might take say 20 hours or so. The collectors took 16 hours each from memory. I could print a bit faster but decided to maintain settings to ensure consistency of parts etc. The best thing will be now I can start prototyping other things like the transmission mounts, and making a custom steering column gauge pod. Is the single turbo for the Soarer ?

I remember doing this on my parents 330i too, pesky things haha

Looks like a 92+ spec air box, so let’s assume those are Deutsche Mark prices. The shell would cost you approximately $50k nzd today.

It appears as if the change was 09/2009 and the newer units are not a direct swap: https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/part?id=UD52-EUR-10-2010-E87N-BMW-130i&mg=51&sg=07&diagId=51_7667&q=51167282089 But that could just be a coding issue. Older mirrors are a dime-a-dozen so it probably wouldn't be an expensive exercise to try out. You can probably also get aftermarket replacement mirror caps for the new ones, as I have for the old ones.

I think you’re right @Sammo : If your daily needs are taken care of already by something okay, expressing yourself and interests in a second, older or fun car makes sense. I have a mint 16 year old GTI NZ new that has now done 107kms; to get into a new GTI is $60k and it will be a much better car but unsure I’d get $50k more enjoyment out of it (would really like adaptive cruise control 🤔). So with electric cars on the horizon am hanging onto the Golf for now as it is a great drive and practical. So instead of a newer car I bought an E30 for the other side of the garage. Still mulling that over tbh but it sounds feels and smells amazing and I have had four of them in the past but never a 325i. So a mix of all of your factors really come to play.

My apologies that was the Bosch part number. After finding the BMW part number it looks like I've answered my own question !

I quite like the colour of the paint and the interior. Definitely has that classic look. I feel like a Nardi wood grain steering wheel would pair nicely with this setup.

Good to know it’s not just me! Was a bit of a stuff around but not too much more work, just very messy with all the grease. Also fired up the ‘vert yesterday for first time in ages, battery was a bit flat but she started first time after a bit of a charge.

Good stuff Mike, looks amazing. I wish I had your patience!

Spent a bit of time in the workshop over the weekend. Exhaust manifold came off with a bit of pursuasion. Picked up the tools I didn't have and disassembled the head. All the internals looked in good order and have been set aside for when it's time to rebuild. Having trouble getting the studs out that the thermostat housing mounts to, but started cleaning the head up, no signs of excessive wear, will get it to an engine specialist when I have time and see what they say about the scratch. Hopefully it can be fixed and reused. What should I be asking for? Clean, crack test and resurface? In the meantime, I'm interested in learning how I can get the most out of this M20B20 before I rebuild it so I'd appreciate any suggestions people may have. Been good fun so far and quite rewarding.

The Interior is all back together, this would be the first time since I've had the car, It came apart in the first week of ownership. There are still a few minor things to do but most of it is cleaned up and looking considerably better, naturally feels nicer to sit on the leather now that it's clean and been rejuvenated somewhat Curiously these photos show the limitations of my digital camera, time to upgrade I think

give me a buzz, easy to recover. generally happens when the battery is old or draining corrupts frm. I have tools to reflash and recover.