Leaderboard

Hi, picked up this beast from Auckland last Thursday. 22 hours later we had it back in Invercargill without a single glitch to speak of. 117,000 km's and standard except from an Eisenmann exhaust and a retune. It's light years ahead of my previous cars in terms of feel and quality of finish. Need to get some decent photo's of it, hopefully this weekend is alright.

might get me some of these...

Snapped this up on the weekend, cheers Richard. Absolutely mint example of an e36. 1997 Msport coupe 125xxxkm JerkCo Auto BBS RX-204 17x8 all round M3 mirrors Few cool options ticked: Estoril blue (Individual option) M3 Evo Steering wheel Clear Indicators all round HI-FI audio (Still sounds excellent) Heated Leather seats Sunroof Heated mirrors and Door locks. Quick photo with Phone taken on Sunday. Will take more this weekend after I spend all Saturday cleaning/polishing both exterior and interior (leather is in need of a clean and the whole interior needs a good vacuum). Bought this to have as a fun daily car with the ability to be a weekend warrior or a nice road-trip car. Already have a manual conversion sorted out - will be purchasing conversion and building up a clutch within the next month or so then converting it with the help of Jayden (Ibboostn). To-do list, not in any particular order: -Clean thoroughly -LED angel eyes (on their way, ssshhh, I like them on e36's) -Color matched boot lip spoiler (Ordered, on it's way) -Replace Bonnet struts (on their way) -ZF Manual conversion - Full conversion + Clutch, pressure plate and Single mass flywheel have been purchased, picking up on 03/09 - Completed 20/09 -Respray BBS RX-204 in current color or Shadowchrome. May just plastidip them black with a graphite metallizer in the meantime, the rear rims are peeling. (Actually purchasing new BBS RG on 21/09) -Fix Sunroof -Replace RTA bushings - Cracking according to inspection, however still an extremely tight feeling rear end. (Purchased 20/09) -Replace Front Trailing arm bushings - same as above. -Replace all bulbs in instrument cluster, air con, 11 button OBC etc. Instrument cluster has quite a few blown. (Anyone have the part number for the bulbs i require for the instrument cluster or able to direct me to a link for said bulbs?) -Fix very funny issue - Radio goes completely static when rear window demister is turned on - I guess there's a broken circuit somewhere. -Lower slightly, not going to slam it but want it sitting a few mm lower. -s50 midpipes + backbox -m50 Intake manifold swap -K&N cold air intake kit -Fully inspect cooling system, from what I've checked so far there's indication that the general replacement of components has been completed, but wish to confirm this to see if I need to perform preventative maintenance. -Replace rear speakers. Fronts sound great, but the rears could do with being replaced with some nice pioneer units. -Replace thermostat and install alloy thermostat housing -Install 18 button OBC -Retrofit remote locking sensor to my auto-dimming mirror and install auto-dimming mirror into car Overall extremely happy with the car. All suspension components are nice and tight, handles much better than my previous cars (e46 manual 323ci), 300zx, integra type r, multiple subarus, Oettinger Golf V6 4motion etc) and the motor feels extremely strong. As smooth as the auto is I can't wait to manual convert it and have it as it was intended, a real drivers' car. Will keep this thread updated with progress on things, and will add more photos once I clean it. Thanks guys

^ Dude, ouch! Hope your pain is low and recovery is fast.

Next Coffee & Cars? Thanks mate. Glad I picked one up in this color.

Keen to see as I need this in my life

Leave all the above sh*t alone . Man up and get it done . It's hard...I know this... you just need to be strong...very strong or you won't succeed. I hope you do though

^ this

Definitely the latter is worse.

I don't want to start the whole a When is an M Sport an M Sport debate again but from your comments I think you need to do a lot more research on these cars. The only thing which will tell you 100% is the factory build sheet using the VIN

Hi I purchased a made-in-NZ Westfalia removable towbar for my E90. I am an Professional Engineer to I opted to fit it myself. I am glad I did. According to the website: "Every towbar is engineered to precisely fit the individual vehicles towbar mounting points. This results in an absolutely perfect fit and quick and easy installation. " Well not quite. These bars are significantly different to the Euro Westfalia bars. The NZ towbar is mounted on the centre line which means you have to cut away some of the plastic bodywork to make it fit. The Euro bars are mounted to the right, but the bar is angled so the ball is on the centre line. They fit perfectly. The NZ bracket for the connector can only be mounted on the left, which means most (if not all) of the plastic has to be cut away. All Euro bars have the connector mounted on the right where BMW left a gap in the body work. The NZ towbar is much shorter than the factory bumper bar is replaces. It removes crash protection from the left and right corners. The Euro bars are the same width as the factory bumper bar and preserve crash protection to the rear corners. The NZ towbar doesn't include the threaded socket for the towbar. The Euro bars include this. On the plus side: the quality of manufacture is good. the removable towball mechanism is well engineered and easy to use. with the towball removed, the installation is completely invisible. You can choose to fit an electrics kit that is specific to your make/model. Westfalia make electrical kits specifically for E90s, but I wasn't offered this. I was offered a generic electrics kit. I had to specifically order the kit for my car. It seems that this is unusual because I had to go through the catalogue to identify the kit for my car myself. They couldn't tell me which one I should select. They didn't have it in stock. It then took 3 months for them to import the electrics kit. I took the precaution of not paying and not taking delivery of the tow bar without the electrics kit. I could not legally tow my trailer without the electrics kit fitted to power the trailer lights. So what I ended up with was a genuine Westfalia towbar that is arguably inferior to Westfalia towbars made for other markets. It does include the ability to fit a safety chain(s) and it does comply with NZ regulations. I am willing to bet that if you had a Westfalia towbar fitted by BMW or an authorised installer to an E90/91/92, the "expert" spanner monkey would just remove and toss the centre plastic panel. The instructions do not say what to do with the panel. There is no cutting template. Nothing. I got very annoyed when I started to fit the towbar and realised that it wasn't a perfect fit as advertised and it wasn't easy to install to a professional standard. I didn't see why Westfalia should make and supply a product that was clearly inferior to towbars they make for other markets. I contacted Westfalia and complained. They would not explain why NZ gets an inferior product. They said I could return the towbar and get my money back. That wasn't a solution for me because I need a towbar. I decided to fit the towbar with modifications. Basically, I made a new connector bracket that fits on the right side of the towbar. Fitting this required only a small amount of plastic bodywork to be cut away, but not much. The new bracket allows the towbar to be installed almost as BMW intended. It is not hard to make an new bracket. I just used a scrap piece of 3mm zinc plated mild steel. Only basic tools were needed (hacksaw, files, hammer, vice). The bracket is longer than the factory version so I don't bust my knuckles against the connector when I release the towbar. The connector swings up so it is completely invisible. No cuts are required to the bumper skin. I have no idea why NZ Westfalia choose to mount the connector on the left side. It is just not meant to be there. The electrics kit is well made. I chose the Euro style 13 pin connector. There is also a 7 pin Euro option. If you don't have PDC installed, the wiring for the tow bar goes all the way to the dashboard so it is quite a job to install. It does fully integrate with the CAN bus and parking distance control system. No coding is required. The other problem I had with NZ Westfalia was missing bits. Specifically, they didn't supply the bag for the tow ball and two load rating stickers. They didn't tell me they were missing. The only way I knew they were missing is because they were helpfully listed on the instruction sheet. I had to ask for them to be supplied. The bag is a nice accessory but the load rating stickers are required by NZ regulations. I doubt I would get a WOF without them. Not including them in the kit is a serious omission. I don't like the way that Westfalia just didn't tell me things that I had paid for were not included. So if you buy a NZ Westfalia towbar, don't expect the same features seen on overseas versions. If you can, install the tow bar yourself. Make a bracket to mount the connector on the right side. Pay attention to the layout of the cable. If you order the electrics kit specific to your car, expect a long wait. I am still annoyed that the NZ version doesn't have the same features that Westfalia includes on towbars made for other markets.

Awesome work from MotorWorx. Highly recomended proffesional service and advice. Thank you Glenn, got my money back. Looking for another e39 530i Motorsport

Good on you Kyu. It's not an easy road, but definitely one worth traveling.

Listing on behalf so please contact via TradeMe only. I drove the car to take the pics and it seems sound mechanically (my mechanic has been servicing for the past 3-4 years). Bit rough around the edges cosmetically but bodywork is sound and it's a great colour! http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=939584304

Haha that doesn't exactly accomplish anything aside from having two bad ass coupe's! I have to agree that the E60 is certainly better bang for your buck, though I've never been a fan of the styling and those SMG gearboxes are horrendous! Mind you, a V10 for 30k is pretty hard to argue with.

Monster car. Come on tell us, how much did you pay...... for the fuel on the trip down? (l/100km?)

Discovered yesterday that thermostat is stuck open. New thermostat and alloy housing ordered (Paul at Milland was very helpful and was the only person to have both in stock ) and should hopefully be here tomorrow ready to install on the weekend. Also quickly applied a yellow tint to my fog lights (just a test, didn't take them out to do it properly yet) - I'm quite liking it, as it goes nicely with the Estoril. What are your thoughts? 5 minutes after I make this post the courier walks in the door with my thermostat and housing. Considering I ordered the parts from Paul at 4pm yesterday, I'm impressed.

BEAST. bet you made friends with a few petroleum dispensing technicians on the way down. Very nice colour as well.

^^ This It Hurts. Like really f***ing Hurts. But it does get better after a while. Never perfect, but manageable. Sweat / bleed / grow a pair. Life's better without them

colour on point !!

its drink time

Bugger.....least the 750i looks minty! I've broken ribs and it sure is ouchy. YouTube is your friend for a month!

Does your friend own a 518i ??

oh my gosh thats crazy! on a positive note, it could have been worse than 2 broken ribs.. jeez take care mate!

Ouch... hope you're good... pay more attention next time

Yeah I researched this a while ago but just wondering how you ran it haha assume you didn't have a chance to. Thanks anyways manSent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

When I read this I immediately thought get the V10 M5 LOL!!!!! Honestly, I have finally come around on this car now ... it is basically a F1 engine in a road car. And they are a bargain at around about $35K for one with under 100k km (compared to what you'd pay for an E39 M5 or even an E46 M3!!!) .... I have even been tempted to get one myself now that they are so cheap to buy!!

DaveO's old one was recently sold again, I think it went for 26k. Since you've already owned an M car I'm sure you're familiar with the M tax and servicing costs. The vanos hydraulic units seldom fail. It's usually the solenoid o-rings, or solder join failure which causes grief - It's not expensive or labor intensive to put right. manual transmissions can be a pain in traffic, but aside from that they're an epic all rounder.

Nick, e-cigs may cause more harm to your pets because of the concentrated nicotine and propylene glycol content. Kyu, you may want to take it easy on the chocolates, try some nuts or seaweed. Also, this weekend, try to get to a sauna and sweat it out for 4-5 hours.

Very nice car! And for a great price! Good luck with sale! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

That would be awesome. Thanks a lot.

went to download the quitnow! app and got the free version cuz im too cheap to spend $3.99 on an app... made me chuckle cuz already after 2 days ive saved over 20 bucks from not buying ciggys. ha ha ha

Don't take it the wrong way Tim. Most replies to this post have been positive & virtually all advice has been correct - types of diagnostics, live data etc, knowledge etc. There are a multitude of pitfalls to fall into with one having no or limited knowledge & equipment to diagnose with. Incorrect codes, out of parameter codes etc I have seen this so many times at work where someone has has replaced parts on a whim or a fault code, only to end up with the car at work to fix the real problem. Glad you have it sorted though & you will now have a better understanding of things & no doubt be pleased that you sorted it yourself

Might be keen on some rolls of the 9002 to refurb my Alcantara parcel shelf.

Installed some schnitzer chips in a mate's 850i. Tested it and parked up for some pics in the early evening sun next to mine.

Old people who start a conversation with "I'm not a racist, but...." and then say a bunch of racist stuff.

Spent the weekend polishing and waxing my baby =) first clean since the respray.

Gave it a wash.

Home from the paint shop with Work wheels now fitting. Fitted the modified OEM M3 mirrors. Gave the interior an individual look with brushed aluminium trim with leather arm rests.

Have been seeing an hart specialist for the last 12 years, 2and a half year ago one side was only working 56%, and he told me to stop smoking, I did not stop. a 30 packet every 2days. 6 Months ago it was down to 44%, if it go's down to 40% the LTSA will take my commercial licence away. I went cold turkey, stopped drinking no more sugar drinks no fatty foods, medication for the rest of my live and i lost 15kg. went back yesterday for check up and I am back up to 50%. The wife stop smoking today keep fingers cross.

a bit of a thread dig but i thought id just share my story. i started smoking when i was around 15 years old. curiosity led to habit and bad influences kept it going and now over 10 years of it i think ive finally had enough. kind of unrelated but i had a mini schnauzer 4 years ago and due to unfortunate circumstances i was unable to take care of him and gave him to my friend who has taken wonderful care of him. recently he and another lovely girl made beautiful little puppies and i finally made the decision to adopt one. i am so looking forward to it and being in a position to look after, care for and love a dog. i thought what better opportunity than to have my boy's little girl. anyway, this led me to think about my own life and smoking in particular. i know it sounds a bit silly but i know i dont want to be a smoker infront of the little pup and i knew i would always quit before i had my own child, and thought why not quit now. so i will be getting the dog home tomorrow (hopefully) and will start my long and painful journey of kicking the habit. im a 'pack every 2 days' smoker for the last how many years and i know it will be tough but its obviously worth it in the long run for my health, those around me and also on my wallet. I am planning to make a separate account to transfer the money i would otherwise spend on cigarettes and put it towards funding my dog's toys, vet costs, etc etc lol. anyways, i thought id post up here because i know there are a few people on this forum who have also previously been smokers and i would greatly appreciate any kind of input, good or bad. and also i wanted to make it relatively public so i also can give myself the reassurance that i do want to see this through. (no offence to smokers in any way whatsoever btw haha) my plan is cold turkey. no alternatives or anything in mind so far but any suggestions are welcome thanks again all kyu

Did headlights restoration on both E39's. Great result will make a separate post with a recommendation. Before After

Great job guys. I quit smoking about 6 years ago, after smoking for about 6 years at the time. I occasionally have a social shisha with friends if we go out, but have not touched a cigarette since 2009 and have no desire to again. :-)