Leaderboard

Hey Team Hope everyone had a nice long weekend, I made the most of it and made a start to the x5 4.6is manual swap. Manged to get both autos out of the blue and silver x5's and refitting the silver one with the good trans. Shes up and running now like a dream, while i wait for the flywheel and clutch kit to get back to start the rest of the manual swap for the blue x5. I will be pulling the motor out at some point to replaces the timing chain guides and any other seals that need replacing. Thanks Richard

Did they shave your whole leg? ?

sold

As some of you will know I bought a really tidy E36 328i recently and I have managed to clock up a few miles in it now and have thoroughly enjoyed going back a few generations. Firstly I have to say the car is one of the tidiest E36s I have seen for a long time but under the skin what really makes it special is the service history and attention to detail that previous owners have lavished on it. This is my 5th E36 and the only one where everything works and nothing needs attention, they are no squeaks, rattles or untoward noises and it comes as a bit of a revelation as all my others need work. The car does have a Jatco but the dreaded flaring and Jatco jerk are absent, perhaps because its a 98 and has the later TCU and again because it has been serviced. The steering is the first thing you notice, compared to my E92 its slow and slower again than my old E46 330ci. The feel however is pretty good and at highway speeds its far less noticeable and pretty accurate. The engine is a sweetie, with only 142kw its a long way behind the modded N54 in my E92 but the lack of turbo lag is pleasantly noticeable in comparison. Having spent a long time behind the wheel of a 330ci I can see why the M54 rotating assembly swaps are so popular and extra 30 odd kws and more torque would really make it come alive, I guess that's why the M3 was created. Chassis wise its all pretty stock M Sport on 16's so it can be steered with the throttle when the ASC is turned off as the rear does not have an abundance of traction. The brakes are another area where the difference is noticeable, stopping power is quite good but initial feel is very soft, but I suspect some different pads and a brake bleed might improve things. Interior wise I always liked the E36 and with everything working its actually a nice place to be even though at 196cm I only just fit. My daughters like it as they think these is a bit more leg room in the back that the e92. My decision going forward revolves around leaving it as it is or doing what I see are useful modifications. If this were a NZ new car with a ZF Auto this would be a more difficult decision, that said the car was imported ex Japan by BMW NZ so leaving it as is and enjoying it as it was made is certainly an option. Firstly I am keen to manually convert it, the Jatco is a good one but a nice ZF manual would transform it I'm sure. Secondly the 16 inch wheels, while nice to look at would be retired from some style 24's or 32's if a nice set came up. A purple tag steering rack would seem to be a good investment as well. Whether I would fit an M54 rotating assembly is the hard one, very much in two minds over this one.

Purple tags come in e46 compact so if you are willing to pull one, then check out pick a part. Plenty of them pop up there

https://www.trademe.co.nz/2521378458

Sounds like you picked up a real beaut. It's a shame more aren't like that. I might have enjoyed them. There was a purple tag rack in the For Sale section a few weeks back.

buy a 14mm bolt and two nuts to lock together= cheap 14 mm allen key

Silly old fools, who should know better, having accidents at the beach! Yes I was that fool, slipped and cut my foot open on a rock. After a bit of a panic due to the amount of blood coming out, made it to the medical centre and had six stitches put in the cut. No driving a manual for a few weeks..

Just the job, need a pair of these for the Mrs’ 1 Series. I’ll take ‘em please. If you’re in no rush I’ll pick em up first Sunday of March?

They were (are?) the only official/sanctioned BMW tuner in the US. They''re the ACS of North America so nothing to sneeze at.

Id say the spark plug tube seals are starting to leak, but not yet bad enough to be on the coils. Rocker cover gasket should sort them out. Those plugs looks super worn out with massive gaps too.

To be honest, I am sure Steve Dinan would have done some testing to ensure that S1 specifications would be beneficial to enhance performance - however only marginal from factory. It seems pretty quick to me - but that is based on driving only 3 different examples of differing ages and mileage. All the work was done at purchase and Dinan provided 4 year warranties. Incidentally, the Dinan badge could only be obtained by a certain minimum number of Dinan upgrades. I can tell you that the Dinan S2 mod's translated to a $35k additional outlay - which elevated output to approximately 470bhp and had a huge increase in torque - without any supercharging but had some fancy Dinan headers. As mentioned previously - the rock star is the 'S3' with 600 bhp - due to supercharging, etc. I have had a few of my BMW friends mock me about the Dinan badge - instructing me to remove it. When I first arrived I myself was a tad cynical about the Dinan brand - didnt thinking it had the cachet of legendary Euro tuners. However, it has chunks of kudos in the USA - but I didnt buy it because of the Dinan badge!

If this is your headspace why consider a BMW at all? I’m sure another brand of hybrid will be cheaper to run and service. The other thing to consider with hybrids is how the battery will age. Sometimes they do fail but at least (assuming the hybrid is like the i3) BMW do not have a totally integrated and sealed pack like some other makes and you can replace that. I believe some aftermarket warranties will cover that too.

Wrecking 2002 E46 m3 all parts available except diff and diff cradle (although we would sell the complete rear ended for the right offer) HK sound system smg getrag 420 with front half of driveshaft $1600 seats are in good condition apart from a tear on the drivers bolster steering wheel $300 Happy to cut the rear guards off wheels are sold, everything else available