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Replaced the clutch slave cylinder on my e36. Had to improvise a pressure bleeder from a coke bottle which worked a charm. Tight arse mod of the month is a adjustable clutch pedal stop, or an washing machine foot..... Fits up perfectly (OEM on the right) not that a proper one costs much https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-3807-uuc-clutch-stop/ but you cant beat near free mods for almost zero effort.

I know this has probably been covered before, but i am having trouble understanding the mentality of some NZ business owners! I needed a rebuild kit for the e21 carb, im a realist so i didnt expect to waltz in and buy one off the shelf, but after talking to a local supplier who quoted me $207, i said go ahead and order it, ring me when it gets here. 1 week later i havent heard anything so i call in to see if its arrived ? No, we cant get it, they dont make it anymore would you like to buy a new carb for $1000? No, i reply, i would like to rebuild the carb i have and get this car going so i can sell it. We could order one from italy but i only order once a month so it wont be until the end of the month, should be about $90. I will get back to you, i reply, and leave. I have just spent about 3 minutes on ebay, found the exact kit i need, from a reliable seller, for $102 NZ shipped, and it will arrive before the other guy places his stock order, but i bet he keeps moaning about how hard it is to compete with "the internet". If anyone can explain to me the logic behind this i would love to hear it, in the meantime i will support local businesses who make an effort to help me out.

Ditch the brick and give it a home

Here's a rant I posted on FB only 5 days ago... Here’s a message for the retailers of NZ… Stop f*****g bleating about not being able to compete with online shopping!!!!!!! As a consumer I’m completely over having to continually search for what I what to buy in "Godzown"… and then to be robbed by you for the privilege of buying whatever I’ve been searching for just compounds the insult... If you want me to buy things from you then stock them, don't just trot out the old line "I can order it in for you"! If you do deign to keep whatever in your inventory, please don't expect me to pay 5x the retail cost of overseas and claim it's the cost of shipping… my f******g arse it is!!!! I just can't be bothered dealing with the half arsed b*****t that I'm expected to put up with in NZ… you can go bankrupt as far as I’m concerned! I am completely over having to deal with lazy retailers... Whilst I understand that there is a finite limit to what can be reasonably stocked the last week has been a real education into how people here are being robbed blind in NZ... I'm going to be buying as much as I can from overseas from now on...

Only the owner of the land the car is parked on can legally get it removed...or the owner. You can't touch it or move it without creating an offence for yourself

Just a few new parts ex Germany... You know.. The usual. Paint job here and there

Updated price *** $24k and listed on Trademe Super low kms E61 550i. Just under 67000 kms. Averages on 10L per 100kms from the 360bhp 5L V8. Really a beast of a wagon that is subtly hiding in motorsport kit and suspension. Definite wolf in sheep's clothing. $24000, build date is 25/10/2006 just before LCI. VIN CR95647 Loaded with extras, rear window blinds, full length double sunroof, Xenon adaptive headlights turn with steering. LED upgrade for halos. Full Msport suspension and kit. Full comfort seats with about 20 way control for both sides in front and both sides have memory settings. Had full I drive upgrade for Sat Nav/ NZ RDS Radio. also included Bluetooth phone connection module which also gives full IPOD integration and control as well, this is total $2400 work. No run flats, all removed. Was no spare being a can of goo so invested in a factory space saver and associated kit for 100% perfect fit in boot space, $600 thanks BMWNZ.

OK as I write this a piece of me inside dies. but a new company car, relocating to Taranaki and garage space limited means it needs to move on to where it will be used. As most of you know I've put $3600 into sorting and reconditioning the air-con, otherwise mechanically the car is great with plenty of preventative work already done. Only thing I was going to do was tint it out. The exhaust is subtle yet very pleasant. Makes a great daily 155ks $8000, Listed on trademe 1048553148

Just thought I would let people know this was sold over the weekend. First person to come and view it paid and took delivery on the spot, obviously a great car! Was very sad to see her go but relieved at the same time I will be moving to London very shortly so let's see if I don't come back with something *cough* M3 *cough* in a few years time

I am happy to support local businesses, everyone has to eat etc, what bugs me is that it took the guy longer to fob me off with his excuses than it would have taken him to look on ebay, find the part, order it, and tell me what it would cost me! How do they expect to stay in business when they are actively driving customers to look for their competition?

I'll take the trims for $60 .... Where abouts on the Shore are you located?? I might need to find someone to grab these for me, PM me your bank account details.

Oh man. it's lovely. I must.... avert..... my eyes.

Needs more pics!!

I do not expect suppliers to hold something as particular as the tail light gaskets for an '87 e28 but they could offer the service of ordering them in. If they partner up with NZ Post and get bulk order discounts that might help. Although parts direct from BMW are more expensive, it can also be cost comparable to when I buy parts from the US and pay for postage. I suggest it is a good idea to check with them and because the difference in price may only be few dollars but they do have pretty good customer service. NB As a rule this generally only works for smaller parts. What I would really like to see is more companies provide an online price check/ order service.. that is what I am sure we all do with the US sites.

coming from a supplier/manufacturer, we don't stock too many parts because we are beholden to the accountants. NZ overheads are higher due to local costs, which translates to necessarily high margins. there is no way we can compete directly for identical products, By no means this is to defend anyone, the reality remains that the NZ market is NOT large enough to rely on quantity of sales, and would be better if we had an online presence too. Frankly, Internet sales is possibly the way these companies have to go.\, or suffer the consequences.

Love the dash!!

I did mine as preventative maintenance, these cars go mental when they start to fail. You could also grab your multi meter and wait 15 minutes after you turn it off so it goes into sleep mode then check the current drain at each fuse to narrow it down.

Any professional wheel repair should stand up to water blasting, and wheel cleaner should also be safe to use on any professionally painted wheel, i would be going back to wheel magician for a refund if it was those that have been damaged.

When a car has been in storage for 5 years it always has a project list. And when an E36 ages it always has a project list because normal maintenance only cover 50% of the things that go wrong. If this thing has original shocks, springs, VANOS, clutch, headliner, exterior trim, glovebox, air-con, the list goes on then it certainly has a project list. If they've all been done then sweet, but it was still a project, perhaps just a long term one.

Lots of E53s out there many gone to the great wreckers yard in the Sky, not so many E91s and most still alive and well. So big difference in supply of used parts. So many people take them out and leave then in garage then forget to put them back in... Might be able to find one, will have a rummage.

Can you elaborate Amber?

Someone at work might be interested - will check. She has an E60 530i currently... GLWS.

That is a beaut. Just can't justify a 3rd BMW!!! Next best thing after an E39 M5!!!

Cheers Barry Will organise a Saturday meet up for those of us with Sunday AM commitments...

Didnt you also put about $8000 worth of man hours into polishing it? GLWS.

I have friends living in Wanganui - they love it there. We've visited a couple of times and really enjoyed it. I know a lot of people have a contrary perception, and our feelings are based on good weather and suchlike. We liked Stratford and Plymouth too, Stratford particularly. Hopefully someone is intimately familiar with the area and can recommend places to live.

dead body in the trunk?

driver side trim, condition?

Sitting at about $12,500.... Might add a bit more on for new tyres you know. Get those wheels protected and coated while I'm at it!

She's off the road for 5-6 weeks.. So will spend that time contemplating what tyres to put on! But on another note, tested the X5's capability

Dark blue E60 (I think) 535i driving up Bombay Hills from the SH2 interchange, before getting off at Pukekohe. Three letters, two numbers rego. Don't know if the owner is on here, but if you are - mate, you need to check your driving. Your exhibition this morning was exactly what gets BMW drivers a bad name.

Were wagons (estate cars, Tourings) issued with these a standard equipment when new? Somewhere there is a huge stockpile of covers and roller blinds for our cars, For whatever reason, they just don't seem to get left with the car when it is sold.

Spent some time on the dyno yesterday fixing the fuel and trying to smooth out the power with Bredon and Josh. Some good gains over stock for what ended up being a pretty safe map. Doing a trackday on Friday to see what difference the gains make.

This one has been put to bed. Following my writing an extensive diatribe on what happened, accompanied by pictures and annotated diagrams, the insurance company have replied: "Thank you for sending through your statement and diagram along with the images. We will not be holding you liable for the damages to our clients vehicle," Given they'd already said that I doubt they'd have had much luck had they changed their mind.

OMG you have stretch. so yuck. by yuck i mean lets be friends.

How come? The e39 should have a better chassis, but is it because the e34 is more 'raw' and involved?

Note the corner splitters. Most IS MS's no longer have them.

You couldn't be more wrong Kelvin. Best you take a breath and reconsider your position before you dig a deeper hole. Kyu, you're also off the mark. The most relevant detail to a purchaser is the year of manufacture, not the year of first registration. That the two commonly occur within months of each other makes it convenient to use the first registration year to represent the age of the car. If the first registration date doesn't fairly reflect the age of the car then you can't use it to represent the age of the car. You're overlooking the basics here and since they're so obvious I'm confused as to why? Extrapolating it to the extreme proves the point quite clearly: Car manufactured in 1972 sits in a barn owned by a long passed dealer and is never registered. It's rediscovered in 2016 by anybody else and immediately registered as brand new. Now, is that a 1972 car or a 2016 car? Silly argument boys and girls. It's so simple it's hardly worth the time.

Getting back into e30 life.

Watching my nearly 3 year old son go absolutely bananas as an E36 M3 goes full sideways through a corner on the Maioro stage of the Targa Bambina yesterday. World class motorsport less than 4 minutes drive from my home. Sweet!

Hey Olaf, that's the plan. Today will be dedicated to getting the ABS module and Brake lines all hooked up and flushed, Hopefully with out any leaks haha Then the rest of the week will be finishing off the wiring and getting the E38 harness merged with the E28s, luckily its only for lighting so shouldn't be too difficult if the LCM plays nice. Next week I have a mate coming around to help with getting the air backs measured up and welded to the factory shock mounts, I can then get the lines run and Tank, Compressor and gauges installed. Im also dropping the 2 drive shafts off tomorrow to be merged into one. But will see, if I cant get it done before beach hop, im sure there will be another event soonish

UPDATES 05.03.2016: Righto! It's been a while since my last post, but I promise that's for a good reason, and the wait, has most certainly been worth it. If some of you follow me on my photography social media page, many of you will know that last night I received a very nice visit from the Work Wheels NZ man, bearing the gifts I have been waiting the last 6 months for ... The picture speaks for itself really. Although they were delayed several months due to manufacturing defects in Japan - David from Work Wheels NZ was outstanding in his service for the delivery of my wheels in the end. The wheels are Work Meister M1 3 piece, specs 18x10 et-2 on all corners. They are gunmetal grey face with polished lip finish, and gold plated accessory hardware. Needless to say, beautiful. The next morning I was off to Autostance to see Matt and Heino to organise my tyres and fitment for the new wheels. We got straight to test fitting and discussing what tyres would be best suited for the wheels. My friend Daniel willingly agreed to come by and help me out where possible today too, and take photos on my behalf when I was unable to After a few discussions, it was time to slap the tyres on! Heino with a pyrotechnics show in the middle of the day. The tyres fit just right for the fenders, so it was just a matter of time before we got each one fitted up... At the same time, I wanted to change the E36 lug bolt wheel set up to a stud and nut set up - I much prefer it this way as it is much easier to remove/change wheels, not risking the wheels while messing around trying to line up the darn wheels with the hub. The Meister center caps cover up the bland center holes which normally leave something to be desired. Decided to take a quick cheeky photo with all 4 wheels on the car ... At this stage, I was stoked to say the least. The car looked damn good with the Works - I have yet to see anyone else local running this wheel set up on a BMW in New Zealand, and I have no idea why nobody has done it sooner! After this, it was time to adjust and correct some of the crazy negative camber I had before, to make the fitment more flush and sensible Not too much of an issue adjusting the camber thanks to easy to use adjustable rear camber arms As a final bonus touch, Matt offered to give me some colour to my exhaust tips - unfortunately Roni's sticker was burnt, but of what *IS* burnt, looks like it might be permanent Great blowtorch skills Matt, 10/10 hahah. All that was left, was to take her outside ... At this point, just couldn't get over how damn good she looked. I'll really let the images do most of the talking. Many of you may have noticed I am no longer running the LTW wing in these images, don't worry, I will be putting something on the rear - something crazier hopefully It's been a huge wait for these wheels, but today has been an amazing day, finally putting this car together with the wheels I had in my mind from the start. The final product is every bit as perfect as I had imagined. I still stare at it now and can't believe it looks the way that it does, and that it's my car. It's come so far over the past few months. I have to give a huge shout out and thanks to Matt and Heino from Autostance today, who basically lent me their assistance and skills for the better part of the day to get it all sorted in one go! Also have to give a big thanks to David from Work Wheels NZ for helping me organise and bring these beautiful wheels to New Zealand! The build isn't 100% finished, but it's certainly getting there. I still have a few things in store for it, and then after the visual customisation is done, it'll be time to look at doing work under the hood ... For now, I'll leave you with this one last pic - see you on the next update! Peace. Jeff

My wish of GT3 taking over the world saloon car scene is becoming a reality. Nice to see the richards family involved in this. enjoy

Time for an update: I took my car in to get the vanos looked at and recon'd. The guy at the shop decided to take a shortcut and didn't fit the cam timing blocks prior to taking off the vanos - just marked them with a pen. Needless to say it didn't go too good once put back together - wouldn't idle and conked out a lot. There was a very bad noise as the vanos came in at about 2500 RPM - a very loud vibration coming from the top of the engine. This was about 1 week before Christmas and they said they didn't have time to look at it prior to Christmas. Obviously since it was their stuff-up I'd expected them to drop everything to fix the problem but no... Anyway I kinda had to accept it in the end but expected some form of compensation at the end of the job which was forthcoming... So, the car was off the road over Christmas. I decided it was also a good time to look at the clutch problems I've been having with the D1 racing kit as gear changes were like a game of roulete. In other threads I've posted about problems with the clutch engaging only 5mm off the floor and a lot of issues with grinding the gears due to the clutch not releasing properly. I got KBM involved in sorting out a solution and ended up replacing the clutch disk, pressure plate and release bearing with a standard M3 gear. I kept the D1 racing kit flywheel as it seems to be fine. The new clutch bit arrived from KBM during the week of the 11th Jan and the car was fixed on the 18th. Now my new clutch starts to engage with the pedal 25mm off the floor and never has any problems with gears crunching. It's a whole new car to drive and I can change gears freely with confidence and without gritting my teeth every time I want to make a gear change. I can relax again and just enjoy driving. Once the cams were re-timing properly the engine worked again fine too. There seems to been no valve contact so the guys at the shop got lucky and didn't have to supply new valves... Now I can concentrate on other tidy-ups on the car. I have some DS2's coming and looking at Bridgestone Adrenaline RE003 tyres 225/45/17 on the front and 245/40/17 on the back - thoughts... I'm currently running Toyo Nanoengery 3's, 205/60/15 - I let the guy at the tyre shop stupidly talk me into trying them. They're barely ok - fairly quiet. However they are very unpredictable and twitchy - never behaving the same way every time on the same corner. Have been too chicken to see what they're like in a light drift...Won't ever be buying these again! I guess my only concern with the Bridgestone's is whether I'm good enough to drive on them. I'm concerned the additional grip and then the let-go characteristic might be more than I can handle. Usually as the ultimate grip on a tire gets better, the let-go characteristic is far less forgiving and you have to be that much quicker at responding to keep it under control.

Or, txt her husband and ask if they swing?