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Starting helping the panelbeater with rubbing her down. What a sh*t job the person who painted her last did!! They primered over the factory paint which was still very shiny and just painted over that. So much so that we could scrape the layers of paint and primer off with a blade to reveal the original factory paint. Shocking. Oh well it's all going back to bare metal anyway. It just makes it that much more time consuming having to rub down shoddy resprays

Wrapped (mostly, ran out!) Painted again, baked and installed, car is quieter now due to 3 less leaks in the exhaust, but on hard left hand corners there is a very slight vibration in the steering, number 3 primary is just touching the steering shaft briefly as the motor moves. I will fix it properly one day, in the mean time I will only turn right

Thinking of selling my wagon 1995 NZ new E34 540i touring Which I fitted a later model low Millage 4.4L M62B44 engine with a 6speed manual gearbox 3.15 LSD Lots of new parts fitted Like new clutch and light weight Ali flywheel Lowering springs and shocks Sport leather seats Engine dyno tuned Factory lockable removalable slim roof racks 2 way double sunroof Nice blutooth usb stereo Factory premium audio setup With added hidden sub and amps Tow bar New rear main hatch and glass lid struts Air con and heater work fine On board computer Factory alarm and ews remote key etc Larger bore exhaust/mufflers etc Sounds really nice and not too loud Wof and reg Very quick and capable wagon Owned this for few years now Done lots of trips up and down the country etc 17" staggered Msport alloys 255/40 and 235/45 tyres $12000 021433600

My 550i has for a few months now been throwing active steering failed messages. When you go on these forums there is a lot written about these sorts of issues especially it would appear for the E60 and E61. I can't believe some of the suggested fixes and it has been a surprise that having posted dozens of cries for help someone did not follow up with what the root cause was and more important what the fix was. I am sure there is more than one issue and more than one fix but surely in this day and age we can do better. So not wanting to be like the rest I thought I would share my story and confirm so far my successful end outcome be it that it may still be too early to get overly excited about the fix. I won't bore you with a novel only point out the behaviour I experienced - It started after driving back from Taupo, the next day when driving to work. It self cleared within a KM down the road after I stopped and restarted the car. -It next appeared again after another longer drive home the next day when starting the car. Again reset a KM down the road following the same procedure. Around two months had passed since the first time this occurred and took me to around end March this year - Third appeared with a few weeks and this time I hadn't been driving any distances out of the ordinary. From this point forward I was getting the fault at least once a week. At this time I started to investigate on the WWW forums what this was about. -Basically over time the fault was becoming more regular but still corrected itself after driving stopping and restarting. I tried some of the myths on sties such as put the key in the car but don't start up. Turn the wheel all the way to the left, then to the right and then back to the centre. Start and drive forward. Turn off and wait a minute. Start up and the issue will be sorted. Some suggested the same procedure but wait up to 30 minutes. Some suggested doing the same but with the engine running. I tried them all and nothing worked. -When my car developed a new spin on the fault where I put the key in to start the car and saw my steering wheel start to turn itself to the left. I starte the car and got the same fault message but now the steering wheel was offset to go straight. At this point I suspected the root issue was my angle sensor. When it reset it self I notices a shuddering in the steering wheel as it re-centred itself while I was driving. At this point I sort help -Taking it to the local mechanic who has always been good at fixing any concerns I have had with other cars got the faults off the car being 6137 - Motor Position Sensor Failure. Then 614A - Motor Position angle not inialized and then OEA3 which I can't recall what it said but basically more of the same. My mechanic recommended replacing the Angle sensors. A cost of $1500. At this point I realised that I need an BMW authorised expert to give me there opion as I know a witch hunt when I see one. - I took my car in Wellington based on a mates advise who also happens to be member of this community to First European Cars. They took the codes and got different error codes and descriptions than my mechanic and it seems to be down to using actual BMW devices vs OBDII devices which are not necessarily giving us the best data. This lead the them to recall another customer who had the same issues and symptoms and the fix was a wheel re-alignment. That customer had recalled hitting a large pot hole and when the alignment was checked found the wheels off by more than .30 each side. When reset and the active steering reset/calibrated the issue was resolved. I cant recall hitting anything that would make my while alignment go out but it was worth a try. And what do you know. My alignment was out on the left by -0.28 and the right by -0.36. This procedure was then performed on my car and since yesterday I have not so far touch wood had the fault appear. So I will drive around for a week and let you know if this was truly the cause and fix to my issue. Got to say it is better to spend $80 for an alignment than $2000 for a replace of parts that may not be broken? It I have saved that money then I may just see what performance improvements I can make. Activating the true sports mode in my 550i will be the first act.

sold

Got another e36 on Friday and it's green. Biggest problems it's facing so far: Me being a rough c*nt It's going to be my daily driver Gearbox whines terribly. Will either fix, buy another or both interior is missing so many bits of trim, interior door handles fall off if pulled too hard terrible steering vibration windscreen washer jets aren't working Ac doesn't have a belt going to it Tyres are bald at the back Lacking performance Plan so far is to get a warrant, which only needs some minor things. Then sort out a standalone ecu and do some needed and preventative maintenance

New daily driver for the missus the 316ti is for sale ,low KS sweet running n42

New Whip, tricky to find run out E39 540i. Sold out of the 996 and I get a quad bike for the lifestyle block.

Ok so picked up a new toy on the weekend...... 1995 E36 328i coupe. Needs a couple of minor things for a wof (fog lights, rhf indicator, rh tail light), and reg is on hold. The good: 153,000k's, motor is stronger than my sedan (much stronger) Box is good as well Pass side is dead straight Interior is reasonable given it's age, just the usual problems Has a couple of oddball things I've never seen before The bad: Auto (well for the moment hehehe) Drivers side needs some minor repairs after a bull tried to mate with it (yes, that is actually what happened, the hoof marks on the bonnet are proof of it!) Hood lining sagging Did I mention auto? Tragic aftermarket "sports exhaust" mod that the previous owner paid decent money for Overall needs a good clean up Then again, for $800 you can't expect perfection hehehe. So the game plan is to rape the sedan of all the goodies (manual, M50 manifold and modified exhaust, suspension bushes etc) and build the coupe up into something a lot better. Debating if I'll keep it the original colour or repaint it something different.... but that can wait for now. First things first is to get it back on the roads. Oh and had to let the neighbourhood know I had a new toy...... I'll update as I go, think OCD is about to kick in and this may spend months in the garage while I go broke getting it back to perfection...........

Hi all, im looking to sell my 4:3 monitor and video module taken out from my e39 M5. It's been on trademe for a couple weeks, listed for $350. looking to see if anyone here is interested. I'm willing to sell it for less. Its all in good working condition. Only took because I've replaced it with 16:9 widescreen monitor. thanks

depends on condition etc $12-16k for one of those , probably the odd cheaper one comes up but will need much work

I had the same issue with my car, found out through lots of research when one goes, the other usually goes, so best to replace both cam and crank sensors at the same time. Car will run with just the crank sensor working but won't run without it. Interestingly enough, they also both throw the same fault codes in INPA, i.e. failed crank sensor can show as a failed cam sensor when checking fault codes.

Yeah don't get me wrong... manuals are a lot more fun just not in rubbish traffic. If you don't do that every day then I guess no excuse for manual. I disagree with the dumbed down comment. I have just bought a brand new one of those dumbed down cars and when you actually live with it day bin day out the small driving aides make lots of sense. This is from someone who is all about driving experience. I guess after having pretty much every type of vehicle over the years it's like how I use computers. A different one for each purpose. Music Studio computer is just that ... making music. Main stay computer does all the graphics stuff etc. Garage pc has all of my car hacking stuff on it. And a Inet laptop for carrying around the house browsing the internets and not much else.

Some people.... This guy, Rare, Top of the range 230E (lol), . Actually it's common as, bottom of the range and MB Tex (vinyl) not leather. Some one has put a Sportline steering wheel on it though, but no mention. http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/mercedesbenz/auction-1141232072.htm Take one C126 500sec and call it a "Terminator" 500SEC..... with extra badges "licensed by Mercedes-Benz". More like someone went badge shopping on eBay and tried to cover as much space as possible. Would be a nice car if all the extra badges and plate were removed. http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/mercedesbenz/auction-1141082704.htm I don't know why I let TM ad's annoy the sh*t out of me, but some people are just clueless.

Very much so. I guess you could call it snobbery, but I too believe it's more of an understanding/appreciation of the engineering and quality. At the end of the day a Chinese watch will tell you the time, but is it a Rolex? i don't see any problems with 4cyl BMW's/Mercedes etc, generally the package comes down to the region it was marketed for and the options ticked. Obviously your'e not getting the full experience that you would in the 6+ cyl car, but you still get the brands quality that most of the time cannot be found in Japanese 4cyls.

The time has come I think to buy some horsepower. My trusty E46 has served me well and I do love the chassis but I am hankering for a bit more grunt. My budget is $20k ish and looking around there are a few E90/91/92's in that range. I drove a NZ new coupe and I did like it but I saw a nice Motorsport Touring in white and I have to honest and say it looked lovely. The Coupe front end is much nicer in my opinion but I am thinking perhaps I should get something a bit more pratical.To be honest even the Sedan in Motorsport trim looks good especially when the chrome kidney grills are replaced with black ones. The real reason I want one of course is the engine. I am interested to hear anyone's N54 tuning stories; it seems to me that MHD is probably the way to go especially when supported with a few bolt on parts. Also curious to know more about a walnut intake port clean, oil catch can upgrade and general service issues. Oh any if anyone has done a Koni/Bilstein or other upgrade what did they find? I am partial to good suspension after having Ohlins on my E46. What bushes wear out and are poly bushes worthwhile? So many questions...

FYI, same size rotors 315x28 - 3.2's are floaters, that's the only material difference.

they wear out , insulation crumbles , pull back the boot on the plug and you will see . just replace it , they have a 10-15year life if you are lucky

yes as above just get a panel beater to do the job .

Talk to ray, he has one coming on the market in the next few weeks.

By the car, put a mechanical warranty on it and enjoy it. Speaking from experience, If you worry about all the issues you could possibly be faced with you'll never go near one but I guess that's the case with all high performance BMW's.....

It doesnt quite work like that, if you turn the steering wheel while off it will start the engine again also

Depends if the inner layers also are damaged. Best bet is to go to a repair shop and get some quotes.

^ This would drive me nuts - auto or manual!

Yes have to agree with Ron here, In the 80's I had 400HP albeit in a chassis with far far less capability to what we have now. Having looked at the wastegate issue when I buy a 335i I will likely just pull the turbos off and rebuild the wastegates myself with a rebuild kit, whole process is quite straightforward. That way I will have at least 50,000 KMs (probably more) without having to worry about boost leakage. I have factored into my purchase price and walnut clean of the cylinder head, a few bolt on parts (Charge pipe especially) a wastegate rebuild and a transmission service. This will add a couple of grand but will give me peace of mind that the car will be what I expect from the get go. The rattle as I now see it is one problem but the wear in the bushing is the real issue and it would seem that the two issues are often discussed as one thing and while connected they are two different issues.

yep, I fully understand the view that a 4cyl BMW is missing two cylinders! However, the balance of the 4cyl 3ers is sublime, and it becomes clear that the quality is in the package - chassis and engineering - not just the engine and drivetrain. The snobbery is clear here. For every Euro driver convinced their car is better (because it's European) added to the straw man argument, there's another who appreciates the quality engineering (of their Euro) that is not existent in mass-market Asian cars, and doesn't mind paying for it. I'll choose a 4CYL BMW if I can't afford a 6 or 8, in preference to driving a Corolla. Because it's well engineered, RWD, handles well, and is strong. I will not risk my family in a Corolla or other mass-market shoebox. I've seen too many of them (small Japanese or Korean hatchbacks) demolished on the side of the road as a result of a sunday afternoon RTA, meatwagon and Fire Service in attendance.

my sports seats in my e34(no lumbar adjustement) were the most comfortable seats i have ever had in a car ,easlily!

Please welcome the two new additions to the family... 2003 E39 530i Touring MSport 1996 E36 328i Coupe MSport

Due to building a house im looking at selling mine unfortunately. 2007 MS done 75K from JPN Mint condition inside and out, coded extras, running JB4, paddle shift, plugs, cabin filters, oil/filter just done. $26K. PM me if interested.

I've been having fun in Miss M's 318i. Not even an 'S'. For me, manuals are so much more fun. There's a sense of satisfaction in driving a manual well which leaves me feeling as much passenger as driver in a car with an auto 'box.

Ruined by the PC brigade, Did you notice the double yellow lines bridge to bridge ? Cops hiding in trees during summer. Pinging any biker that dares to overtake the car traveling at 30 kph with half a km of traffic held behind it.

Holy hell, what a nightmare.

Agree 400 hp is mental and putting all the power to the ground is difficult. I keep getting wheel spin. An LSD might be worth the investment. It is nice to have that much power for overtaking but isn't always necessary.

bought 2 new bmws in less than 24 hours. great weekend.

John, I bought a 335i touring M sport in Feb after having owned Audi's for most of my driving history. Fantastic car for the price range in terms of performance and interior fitout. Mine has had a number of performance upgrades to it like down pipes, pod filter upgrade, gearbox tune, cobb accessport tune the list goes on. Intercooler and catch can hasn't been done. And the reason I always buy wagons is for the space for loading all my kids stuff! It's very fast. The previous owner thought it might be 420hp at the crank but it was never put on the dyno to verify. Basically it was built to the same spec of one that ran 420hp. It had had the walnut blast done before I purchased it so I can't tell you much about that. If you would like to come and have a look at it, you're more than welcome. I could take you out for a run and you can see the performance for yourself. I'm in Newlands.

I'm in denial about the 335i John, I think you're absolutely on the money. I'm heading for a 330i myself. I'll be hanging on to the e46. Shame I can't justify three vehicles, I'd snap up your coupe in a heartbeat. Denial? Yes, I love the idea of the grunt and fun of the 335i, but my wallet says "be cautious young man, the next one's for two years only", and I arrive back at the 330i. That's more to do with my personal income risk, and is not a reason for others to avoid the 335i! I think the motorsport will be the way to go; non-msport you'll miss out on the seats and have to do all your suspension. The downside of Msport in the e90 series is that damned black headlining and pillar trim, does make it seem a bit grim inside. The windscreen seems smaller (pretty sure it is smaller) than the e46, so coupled with all that black it's a bit like peering out through the slot in a pillbox. There's some photos on a recent thread of the walnut intake clean, looks like a very good idea. One of those boost pipes (I forget which) is plastic and breaks - particularly with added tuning (boost), so normally replaced with an alloy item. They're a bit more complex under the hood than your NA unit, so you can expect a little more $$ in maintenance... but look at what you get in that package, eh? Do it. Oh, hang on, let's try that again:

Had the ABS trifecta on my e46. Ended up getting a full abs module + pump block from ebay (came from latvia) for 140 NZD landed (yes, including shipping). Read a how-to on resetting the VIN via flashing the module and presto! All fixed.

I know someone who had one. Lucky to get 200km out of a tank if that concerns you. Melted brakes and tyres like butter. Edit to be clear ^ E60 M5. I love E39 M5 and think they are a good buy, but I'm just an internet fanboy...

It's good you have taken it to First Class European, Sheldon sorted out fault codes on my E60 as well as rebuilding the vanos on my E46, I have been happy with the quality of his work.