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Bimmersport went down around 4am on Saturday because there was a powercut at Hampton Downs which is where it has been hosted for the last couple of years, the UPS kicked in but when it eventually died it seems a lot of things got a voltage spike. The routers became corrupt and I lost a lot of hard drives. I have spent the last day trying to recover what I can but I am pleased to say bimmersport is back from the dead, albeit running from my home internet for now. Please put up with it being a bit slow until I find a permanent place to host which will be this will be Monday/Tuesday.

Thought I'd post here before going to trademe. Looking for $6500. Full photos here - https://www.flickr.com/x/t/0090009/photos/143373174@N04/ First year of the classic shape E38. Equipped with an aluminum, chain driven 4.0L V8 producing 210kw and 400nm of torque. 156,100km WoF and Rego till August 2016. Presented in Ascotgruen Metallic, this car was equipped with the following from the factory. Auto dimming cabin lights Adaptive transmission (sports mode) PDC (parking sensors front + rear) ASC stability/traction control ABS Cruise control Comfort seats - 14 way adjustable + memory Rear electric sunblind Electric sunroof Electric mirrors Alarm system Dual automatic climate control Driver + passenger airbag Double glazed windows Some subtle upgrades have been done to modernise the car including: LED taillights, angel eye headlights and twin mufflers which gives the car a subtle V8 growl it should of had from the factory. Also equipped with a Blauphunkt 6CD stacker + headunit. The car is sitting on 19 inch BBS rims, lowered in the front (original springs available) with Falken FK452 tires all round. The pre facelift models of the E38 had the M60 engine which wasn't prone to timing chain snaps like the M62. It also the more robust 5HP30 transmission (can handle more torque than it's successor the 5HP24). Recent maintenance includes a service at Pit Stop (153,000 kms) including a new battery with a 3 year warranty. An extensive service was carried out at Euro Car Services at 144k including full fluid change (coolant, transmission, engine, brake), air con regassed, rocker cover gaskets replaced and some new suspension arms. Front shocks are Monroe units which have been replaced recently. Have also got the intake manifold gasket, idle control valve and fuel pressure regulator replaced by BM Workshop at 155k. The bonnet and front guards have also had a respray only 2 months ago. Being 22 years old, the car does have some quirks such as the rear sunblind making clacking noises as it retracts and drivers side glovebox doesn't like to close. Cosmetically there are some small defects as well (small scratches, cracks in plastics etc). Headlining and the instrument cluster display are in excellent condition which are common faults with this model. The car looks absolutely stunning in person and gets looks from young and old, the cabin atmosphere and the way it drives especially on the highway is quite special. Very regrettable sale but unfortunately I need something more practical for the daily commute and have no room to keep this as a weekend car.

Nooo, this hasn't been abandoned or forgotten :-) For the last 2-3 months its been as a fabricator / engineering shop having its under body rust fixed and chassis re structured. It has since been brought back to the warehouse where it is currently having the last bits of fabrication work done to complete the FULL conversion to Ute status - Eta is end of next month where it will also be send in for paint. Now, its just deciding what to do about the motor. Original plan was for a M62, but the motor is just too long gone. So will be either seeking a replacement M62, or fork out for a S62, or as some have previously suggested, go down the N44 route, so there will be some interesting decisions to be made... Ill get some pics up soon

This is the brush I used. Not a sales pitch, any soft-bristled brush should work just as well. I've actually bought a 'specialist' alcantara brush from Ebay today to try - watch this space..! https://unitedcarcare.co.nz/shop/brand/valet-pro/boars-hair-dash-brush/ Interior cleaner - once again any mild interior cleaner should do the trick - just don't use much & make sure it's not too strong or you risk damaging the alcantara. If in doubt, dilute. https://unitedcarcare.co.nz/shop/brand/valet-pro/classic-interior-cleaner-500ml/ Microfibres. I do 2-packs of these for $10 in-store. https://unitedcarcare.co.nz/shop/brand/united-car-care/high-quality-300gsm-seamless/ EDIT: try not to use those thick white terry cloths. I got impatient and tried one - it seems they're a bit harsh (started taking the dye out of the seat/turning black!!). Gotta be so bloody gentle.

Looks good, can you describe your process? I'm about to tackle a similar situation. Cheers.

selling my e90 323i motorsport $10,900 021 064 0673 140,000km Great condition and has been looked after very well. Regular services with record. Autosure mechanical warranty still good for another 1 year and 3 months. Comes with 24hr AA roadside assistance. Always ran on 95 premium. Genuine m-sport - suspension -body kit -multi-functional steering wheel More details: -sunroof -17" black alloys -black kidney grill -blackline tail light More pics here: http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-1040900935.htm

Unfortunately it has no rear speakers Hey man, I'm keeping the tail lights however the grill and gas pedal are yours. Send me a PM and we can talk.

Sure mate, it's not hard but I found it takes a lot of time and patience to get right - it took me just under 5hrs to do this seat, and it was mainly focused on the patches shown. The danger with alcantara is scrubbing too hard and removing the pile (making it worse) - so you need to be extra gentle agitating the seat. I found it most effective to work in small sections, about 6in x 6in square. I used a soft-bristled boar's hair brush, two clean 300gsm microfibres & a very small amount of all purpose interior cleaner (I stock all of these in my shop if you're after any). Spray APC onto brush bristles (a couple of sprays, don't want the alcantara to get too damp), work evenly into the alcantara for a minute with the brush, gently wipe off residue, repeat. It took me 15-20 goes on each section to get the result pictured. I'm not sure this is the best way (as It's painstakingly slow) but it was the most effective method for me as I couldn't afford to risk damaging the seat!

Oh goodness me, okay in my impetuosity I've over looked that detail. Just thought the M40 gear box would work no matter what. Thanks for setting me straight... Thanks heaps for the offer that's an awesome thing to do to get me out of the sh*t, However I think I will decline and find an e36 box that will fit then keep the M3 set up. Really appreciate the offer though. Cheers

Andy has a set listed on facebook atm.

I almost died not checking the forums !!

Holy wow burger. Massive improvement. Wish I had alcantara so I could just get you to clean it

Big thanks for your efforts. I was missing my daily dose of bimmerforums. Cheers.

The driver's seat was getting a bit shiny on the wear-areas (side bolster & centre seat). I spent a few hours detailing it the other day Before (the alcantara is matted in places & shiny in others, looking worn): 20160516_115454_HDR by Christian Taylor, on Flickr 20160516_115442_HDR by Christian Taylor, on Flickr 20160516_115448_HDR by Christian Taylor, on Flickr After (different camera, but no more shinyness or matting): IMG_5032 by Christian Taylor, on Flickr IMG_5049 by Christian Taylor, on Flickr IMG_5054 by Christian Taylor, on Flickr IMG_5040 by Christian Taylor, on Flickr And matching alcantara shoes, courtesy of my wife. These'll be staying in this car once I put the seats in..! AlcantaraOverload by Christian Taylor, on Flickr

Hey mate after some digging around it seems these seats were an option for the Evo 8 MR. Here's some that were up for sale a little while ago: http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-parts-accessories/mitsubishi/interior/auction-1078406135.htm You'll probably have more luck buying them in oz, I found a few listings over there, including this one where he said they're from an S2000. Worth looking into, but I can't find any pics of s2k's with these seats: http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/liverpool/other-parts-accessories/genuine-recaro-evo-8-mr/1113343030

some of you may recognise this , cheers Rowan.

if you are using an E30 gearbox you must use an E30 flywheel (the M20 shaved down to fit is the obvious choice. you could also use dual mass M40 etc.) if using E36 box you have the choice i believe, however since you have room the obvious choice is the M3 setup. I will be pulling the trigger on an M3 setup in the next few days, my dual mass is toast in the race car, so let me know one way or another if you want to recover your money on your setup, ill buy it. Let me know, i won't wait around for ever. Cheers

About 6 months ago, on the way up the reallyfarawyfromanybloodywhere side of the Lewis Pass, my E28's camshaft seized, then almost immediately snapped. Valves met pistons in a dishearteningly non-convivial setting. sh*t got bent. 'p-Ping!' it went. This is a 'hey all, thanks for the support' post sorted it review. The encouragement made a difference. After chats here, I grabbed my uncle, hired a trailer and went and collected it the next weekend (a 1300km round trip). It's a been a long time coming but I finally got everything in and running again. I replaced the engine in the end with a 105km plug and play replacement from a one owner 525ee auto - the low kms appealed and I figured I could just put it in and assuming it was as good as it said on the box, relax after that rather than grabbing something cheap but very probably worn to hell. It was a big job for me, with some experience but nothing quite on that scale but I learned a heap along the way and the garage got a bit of a make-over too. After some faffing about getting it started it cranked right up and purred like a kitten. For interest, while in there I replaced: - cam belt - tensioner - water pump - front seals - cam cover gasket - sump gasket - rear main seal - cutch slave cylinder - exedy clutch plate - exedy pressure plate and the dual-mass flywheel was thankfully in good nic (they're eye-wateringly expensive) so I left it well alone. So, it's back to it's silky smooth self. I've of course spent more than the car is probably worth (though, actually still less than 3k including recovery...) but I'm really glad I did it. It's going to get some more love in the next year so it looks as good as it drives. Thought I'd share the good feels.

Why so cagey?