Leaderboard

You're making me want to go and buy that m sport 735i again...

Being this is a public forum and your part of the admin on this site then its best we keep to the facts. I currently work in the JC BMW workshop and have done for the past 14yrs along with a number of other long term techs who are still very passionate and dedicated to the product. My colleages and I are some of the people who were doing pre delivery inspections on new E46 M3,s so its fare to say there is a lot of experienced guys in the shop more than capeable of working on these cars. Your comments about the dealership once being taken over by Sime Darby are simply not true with so many long term staff still onboard.

I'll start a project thread, but here's today: Replaced the rear (Jamex?) Superlows with Eibach ProKit springs. So much nicer - looks better (in our opinion!), rides better. Might get the fronts done tomorrow.

I usually steer clear of these sorts of threads as you're always going to get people on both sides of the argument (it's like the Manual/SMG discussion, you can't win) but I do feel I should weigh in here. I used JC when I owned my E46 318i and again now with my E46 M3. With both cars I felt well taken care of - although you do get made to feel extra special with an M car ;-) I am well aware that I'm paying a premium by going to a dealer for service, however having run the numbers it's not as much of a premium as you might think. I've had excellent service. The service manager has always gone the extra mile for me, and I've had alternatives presented to me when repairs have been needed. Yes I could have probably had things done cheaper elsewhere, but in the 10 odd years I've been going to JC I haven't once wished I opted for the cheaper alternative. That's just my opinion/preference. Not everyone will feel the same way. But for me the overall value has always been there. It does come down to what your approach is, maintaining service history, etc. which is why the perceived value will never be the same for everyone. Just wanted to give my perspective though, as dealers can often have a rough time on the forums :-) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I upgraded my old E39, a run-down 523i that I scored for very cheap, to a 2002 e39 540i msport. So much more car. Absolute joy to drive and own. Very clean. There's a small dent on rear passenger door, and a cracked wing mirror, apart from that, she's mint. Couldn't find a manual version in my price range, so this is the 5 speed tiptronic edition. Favourite new features: The V8 - way way way way faster Remote unlock Memory electronic sports seats Auto headlights The m-technic bumpers look much better than standard spec bumpers The brakes are brutally effective Parking distance control still works, so that's handy for preventing scrapes due to the lowness So, this'll do until I can afford an M5

Old BMW plastic. I've used the same method to remove the fan clutch from a 728i, 735i and a 740i. https://youtu.be/l5nfnXFwk-4?t=3m29s Not exactly kosher but it works a treat. Till today anyway. While the 728i, 735i and 740i all have metal fan belt pulleys it turns out that the top of the line V12 has plastic. WTF? So I broke it in half...lol

Finishing touches made and she's ready to be driven to work tomorrow!! Finished installing the stereo, minus front left speaker not working. Not fussed with that at this stage though. Sunroof trim installed though will be removed to be re upholstered in the coming month as well as the sunroof pilot guide being replaced. Gave her a decent wash and quick interior vacuum. Left low beam still keeps blowing but having a friend look at it on Wednesday night. I'm liking the current height in the rear though the front could come down a touch. Next on the agenda: Check out the tailgate area for signs of rust and fix. Can see some minor surface rust at the moment under the trim. Sunroof trim to be redone. Cambelt/waterpump service etc (probably around Christmas when I have two weeks off). LSD install. But in the interim the queen is out of her garage and her younger sister is now in ready for a spanner check, oil change and new brake pads for the upcoming season. Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

Probably about 50% of the time. The rest of the time its the precursor to hospital.

Washed em, love this view so much, had to share With some local help

Hello again, Thought I would write this up while I have a minute for anyone interested. I built myself a silvia race car with a nice RB30DET motor and got sick of looking at it and never being able to drive it (because racecar)... so one day a customer came into my shop with a busted 318i manual E46 and I picked it up for a song. Took me 5 minutes to pull the motor and measure up the engine bay for what I was thinking would be my new track car that i could drive everyday, something really fast and also nice enough my mum will jump in for breakfast out on the weekends. What do you know the RB30 fits perfectly in the engine bay, and the BIG RB25DET gbox I have fits in the tunnel near perfectly... even the shifter sits perfectly in the BMW shifter hole in the tunnel... On advice from a mate who is a BMW fan I brought a set of e46 330i front brakes and a rear diff and brakes. When I pulled the rear subframe out someone had done a crap repair on the rear suspension and the subframe mounts had pulled through and cracked the body, so I googled how to do the rear subframe strengthening and cut up some plates and welded them in... the rear end will now be solid. I have a few pictures in my phone I will put up now, and if anyone wants to see more I have about a thousand in my camera i will grab them out on the weekend. This is the new sump (half way through making it) so the motor will have lots of oil Another of the Sump half done Long nights in the workshop tend to bring out a weird sense of humor Test fitting the motor to see if it will fit in the car The motor all mounted and radiator fitted, just mounting the intercooler so I can hide it behind the bumper for street driving. I have had to get the exhaust manifold re shaped to mount the turbo forward a little as the strut tower in the bmw is on a better angle than the Silvia one The nissan big aluminium radiator sits under the front panel with a few cuts and some minor farication leaving good space for the fans etc The bonnet closes (on the sivia the RB30 was too tall and I had to get a fibreglass "hump" made so I could close the bonnet) so it all fits in neat and sleeperish... I imagine an RB25DET would be a wayyyyyy easier fit but I built this motor and it puts out good power so i have made it work. The oil hose lines are just sitting there waiting fot me to mount the cooler somewhere. Like I said i have loads of pics, including the rear subframe strengthening stuff, the car isnt finished, driveshaft, turbo refit, intercooler piping, its not too far away... I may make up some spare engine mounts if anyone is interested, the certifier has been in every week to look over progress so i will get it certed as soon as it drivable. cheers

Trial fit E9X M3 Style 260`s onto my S54 M Coupe Will work quite well will lower profile tyres

Hi All, First post, joined in 2012 with an 03 530 motorsport titansilber but now have just picked up TopasBlau 03 motorsport. Was looking for a v8 but couldn't go past this one at the price. A few new parts are streaming in from the US and Europe. Done the CCV and DISA, a damn good clean, painting wheels, got a waterpump and thermostat to do, the valve cover gasket needs doing and I may do the Vanos O-rings at the same time. Underbody spoiler shields are missing (Geez they're expensive..) and a fair bit of watermarking to deal with. Apart from that - he's perfect.... Look forward to learning a bit of stuff and sharing a bit of knowledge on here... I'm also on bimmerfest. Cheers Stuart.

Washed up flaperon from egyptair lol...

whats your joke? almost identical power to weight to a "GE8 Honda Fit RS", and an E36/E46 320i as well.. and i know which id rather be in all of these are not rocket ships (although the Jazz RS is probably most marketed as such....), but were never designed to be. they keep up with traffic just fine and more than able to pass when required of them.

eBay special, search e38 sticker, there's a few, thing they where about $5 landed or about

Only admitted he was wrong after me and another gave him some helpful advice on his Trademe listing though. The really sad part about this is sometimes it's a bloody dealer advertising a car as an M3. I have had more than a few emails telling me to mind my own business after pointing out their errors.

Nice looking E39. I really like that color. Welcome to the forum.

Looking good Brent. Where did you get that sticker? And making me wonder why exactly I want to sell one? Go on Eli. You know you want to...

In my efforts to replace the radiator hose I've made things worse..lol I've used the same method to remove the fan clutch from a 728i, 735i and a 740i. https://youtu.be/l5nfnXFwk-4?t=3m29s Not exactly kosher but it works a treat. Till today anyway. While the 728i, 735i and 740i all have metal fan belt pulleys it turns out that the top of the line V12 has plastic. WTF? So I broke it in half...lol

It's a start with the basics and go from there thing. 17mm AF Doesn't mean 17mm As F!@# - it's 17mm Across Flats.. She's enjoying it.

Opened but unused set of rear control arm camber adjust bushes for BMW. I brought these as I was planning on lowering the car more and wanted to dial out excessive negative camber. Whiteline part number W62384. Fits the following models: BMW 3 SERIES E36 - 316, 318, 320, 323, 325, 328, M3(4/1991-5/2001) BMW 3 SERIES E46 - 316, 318, 320, 323, 325, 328, 330, M3(10/2001-2005) Selling for $120 + postage to you.

Looking very nice and looks like you're doing all the good maintenance work! well done. You should try make a trip up to auckland for our coffee meet next month say hi

G'day. It has the standard seats. Not sure about lsd yet.....I need to get a few things like jack stands etc first. The thing that has saved this car, and is shown in the box of receipts, is that the same family owned it from 1990 until 2013 and boy did that guy spend ALOT of money on it. I need to do the cambelt now I know that it was last done in 2004, even though the car has only done about 7k since then. Still has the original bavaria tape deck

do it! you're a young mechanic arent ya?

Went to them as a full paying customer for years, spent a lot of money with them over that time .. after going back 4 times and paying for their mis-diagnosis of the 4 separate issues I gave up. Not really a beat up when I decided to learn about this stuff myself and easily found the causes of my problems and fixed them myself. I knew the managers well there and had very good relationships with them and the staff. When they all left I stayed on as a customer but left because of the issues the new crew and substandard level of workshop service. I dont really have an issue with voicing my concerns for repeated mistakes. As I said earlier, it was 5 years a go and im sure things have changed. Maybe not either. I know the prices havent. As I said, I know where the good people are for these less plastic engines and they're not at the dealerships. Indy mechanics are where everyone is ... because they're enthusiast themselves not just another spanner swinger.

rednecks in utes in provincial new zealand towns. picture, if you will, a rainy saturday in Napier. Weekend trip away. Saturday morning in-town to exercise one of the oldest tourism practices: retail tourism, allowing one's family to shop and jettison money into local economy... 30km/h zone in town, no parks to be found... pull to side of road (with indicator), put hazards on. Rural "gentleman" in silver japanese ute drives past, glaring and gesturing and honking his horn repeatedly. huh? what a welcoming presence. What, you don't get to safely pull to the side of the road in a small town, to deposit your passengers? Perhaps navigating his way around a stopped vehicle causes significant pain and discomfort, due to the chips on his shoulders. I'm sure the same guy would bitch and moan if there was a decline in tourism income in Hawkes Bay, too! Perhaps his job title is "director of first impressions". Thankfully these idiots do not get to carry sidearms in NZ. /rant

I know a mechanic at a BMW dealership who I went to school with, and I wouldn't trust them with my wheelbarrow.

728i move along just fine. remember its the top engine in the E36 except for the M3, and only 400kg or so heavier.

So I got some flares off an Audi all road including the side skirts which happen to be the same length as the originals next process will be making them fit to my donnor car that will be the mish for next weekend I'm hoping.

Dog food.

Nice car. I have a work-mate who has one for a daily driver who keeps his very well maintained. Problems he has had include replacing water cooled alternator and fuel tank transfer pump.

All day in the worlds three worst words put together Toyota Camry Hybrid Loosing my will to live, suddenly I can't wait for the Falcon to be fixed. Which tells how bad this is. These things are terrible. Choppy, trying to be sporty suspension that then floats like a boat, with no power and more Eco buttons then I care to count, and none of them seem to do anything. Headlights that are frankly dangerous they are so useless and short in their low beam I'm having the team send it back to Toyota, those headlights can't be right or adjusted correctly, or both

Looks like a nice clean example you picked up there, the motorsport is always a bonus. as for the style 95s there was a set of 6 for sale on the facebook BMW NZ buy and sell page for $1500

I'm not sure they thought you were stupid. Based on the photographic evidence provided I think they thought the tech's were doing it wrong. And to be fair a different photo, one of the actual checking, to accompany the text might have lead to a different conclusion. But sure, assumptions are...

Just looks like someone who can't be bothered entertaining online jibber jabber and would rather talk in person with serious prospective buyers. Exactly what I'm doing with my E92 M3 that's had the engine rebuilt.. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Repairs by Ray and the HellBM team are top class. Minter than factory. Plus people forget engineers have to come and assess every car that is to be put on road, then compliance.. and the list of hoops to jump through goes on.. and on. Better than a dodgy job edging on the limit of a write off and being done by back yard Joe to just get it on the road.. and I know PLENTY of these crawling around. Nice car Ray, GLWS P.S Ant/Stooka is a pretty funny link up! Thought it was Antony too.

Nice Colour Indeed!!

you maybe able too check the Lvvta site or ring a rep