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Howdy, After owning many makes and models over the years I’ve found myself in my second BMW - a 535i and am really enjoying it... Found it on FB marketplace and always had a soft spot for this chassis so I snapped it up and bonus that it’s a 535. Right now I’m needing to replace the front shocks-any recommendations for suppliers here? Im also toying with the idea of doing a manual conversion. Any leads on parts appreciated..cheers!

Whilst it is probably fair to say that the chnage in overall contribution to the global emissions by taking that cats off an E46, that is likely only driven a very few kms each year, is in effect zero it is technically a WoF failure for "changing or removing any emissions control equipment". I have heard the argument many times that "most WoF testers won't even notice", especially if you bung 'em a dozen piss at Christmas, but the rumblings from the NZTA is that they are going to get much stricter on emissions laws going forwards. It probably comes from having the Green Party as part of our coalition government driving this forwards. Including an actual exhaust gas test in the WoF check is being actively discussed. To he honest it is time that NZ got up to speed with this part of vehicle testing, the number of shitty Jap import light trucks and vans that I see with clouds of black soot pouring out the exhaust, even when they are empty, is beyond a joke. Ok, in terms of the world volumes still pretty much negligible, but for our local air quality - especially when following one of the bloody things in a traffic jam - it would make a difference.

Havent done much on the car as recent, even on lockdown the most attention it has had is a wash in the driveway. Wof is coming up to expire so either need to decide if i keep dailying it for another 6 months or hook into the swap, have a large portion of the swap sitting in the shed, -M52b28 -Manual pedal box -Brought some stuff of Weitz, quite knowledgeable and had what i was after ZF320 box c/w driveshaft half Lighter single mass flywheel and heavy duty clutch 5 stud rear end E36 M3 evo front knuckles- ill order new Lower control arms Had some revshift motor mounts Also have a LSD clutch center sitting in CHCH ready for when freight opens, 3.46 ratio and ill put into a medium e30 case Pretty boring update sorry, want to get most of the parts here before i stop so i dont run out of work as such, hopefully more exciting update in the coming couple of months, will paint up subframe and diff etc Looking for suspension next and the lower control arms, that should be 90% of what i need sorted!

! series are nice cars but get one with a bigger engine. The 116i was a lower spec car and with such a small engine just boring. The 125i is a lot more fun.

Wouldn't recommend running on 91, might as well buy the corolla if you're worried about the 91-95 price differential...

It's part and parcel of owning a car, its no different to your car failing on 4 shock absorbers cause they are leaking. It's gunna cost a stack to fix so I don't buy that as an excuse

We have had ours coming up to 4 years now. It's been a good car, it has enough power to do a South Island tour comfortably, economical (takes 95 though), no issue whatsoever, material is and does feel superior to a Corolla or Mazda. I was looking to get another one for my son but bought a 2015 Mazda2 at the end because I couldn't find an F20 that was reasonably priced (i.e. not from a dealer). While the Mazda is better equipped, being a Limited, the build quality is in line with where it is positioned in the market which is lower than BMW. The 1 series drives better too, still has that BMW feeling of a perfect balance between sportiness and control. Sure it takes about 9-10 seconds to go from 0 to 100 but who cares, I always manage to pass everyone going up the Rimutakas. Fun comes from being able to chuck it into a corner and knowing that you won't end up in the bushes. Cons: stupid BMW 24 months servicing schedule, run flat tyres, expensive servicing at BMW dealer.

paging @NZ_InFerno!

I have nothing but good things to say about the f20 116i. (Owned one for over a year and in retrospect should have kept it) Very nice all round car. Reliable, enough power, newish tech/features, safe and economical. Way better than a corolla or other japanese equivalent.

Gives a deeper note with improved performance. Post cat Oxy sensors coded out. Available $750 includes fitting and tune. Jig made for the production line.

Hi there Now we are in lock down I had some time to make a mould for a E30 IS splitter to go with the IS lip. so if any one is interested after the lock down lip $75.00 and splitter $50.00 Cheers Hans

Looking forward to seeing how a lower income family with their old petrol or diesel vehicle would manage to fix it up if they don't pass a new WOF emissions standards, repairing the exhaust system and installing a cat or DPF could bankrupt them, so they will probably just drive around with no WOF and take the risk. Upgrading to a better car is probably out of the question too for many. Let alone a super expensive electric car, could get a cheap one that needs the battery replaced soon though.

TBH if you want a manual one, spend the extra and get a manual one. 98% of the time buying a cheaper auto and converting it to manual isn't cost effective, and if you didnt want an auto in the first place, you're probably not going to be happy slushing around in one for long. Manuals do come up at good prices, but obviously the market is in a state of chaos with this whole Covid thing. Be patient and get the car you want.

Andrew St Pierre White.He is fairly opiniated but he shoots a good "adventure" video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdmU2B4GQ3c

There was an m30 (e34?) engine/gearbox on TM just recently that I should have jumped on. I’m wanting something fun to drive that after brakes etc have been gone through I can take on the track, so for me seems like a good option

Wonder if there is a prize for owning 3 ?

Auto box is good if you want an auto. Manual box is also good if you want a manual. So far I prefer the manual box, the 130i is a very engaging drive if you want to pedal it a bit and I like the manual when driving it. If my commute was different I'd probably prefer an auto, just depends what you're used to or like driving. My auto 130i has 220ks on it and still shifts nicely.

The 4 cylinder 118i/116 are all good and go better than you'd expect. They tend to leak coolant from the connector plate at the rear of the head and expansion tank, both cheap fixes, but otherwise good wee cars

Lots of old McDonald had a farm, 5 little ducks etc can't have the tv on with the 2 year old awake cause only his stuff is allowed to be on When he's asleep, Marcella was good on Netflix expect the final 2 episodes. Sunderland till I die, FIFAtv on youtube has been putting up classic world cup games. Craving football massively especially since our season was supposed to start last weekend and was finally fit for a change, now that's gone out the window.

I agree and that why I dont like diesels in general, plenty that shouldn't even pass a WOF even without testing. All these guys removing DPF from their utes etc maybe in for a shock at some stage when they gotta pay to put them back in to pass a wof. Maybe it will slow down sales to all these idiots that think they need a ute.

Grind the tube down 1mm.

There are many modules in the e36 that only work via ADS and even more than can only report shadow codes over ADS. You can insist what you like @polley but the rest of the world that have tried have all reached the same conclusion. The debate was finished over a decade ago.

Yeah I've seen yours already, sadly hes after a manual otherwise I would have passed him over to you. GL all the same.

Haha my kid neighbors showed this to me the other day. They play a lot of minecraft and know I listen to a lot of metal (Attempting to influence them into metal) Many bands are streaming live concerts btw. Been watching quite a few. Also been watching some of the V8 Supercars drivers stream iRacing comps. Indy eSeries was good. V8's start soon. Watched the Tiger King on netflix. Now that is some serious train crash tv. We have like 3 plex servers running. One is about 65tb. They are all automated and the extended family is just hammering them and loving it. Also playing Motorsport Manager whilst I work.

To keep spirits high I listen to cheerful pop songs, current favourite is Joy Division “Isolation” Jokes aside it is a great track!!

Yeah, my Penrite HRP5 is an essential oil, Karen.

For diagnostics INPA and a USB to ODB2 adaptor is fine. You can download Mikes Easy BMW tools, it comes with INPA. You'll most likely need the round port to ODB2 adaptor as well. However, really common for Crank and cam sensors on these to fail if they are original. The insulation on the wiring is complete sh*t. For the crank and cam sensor plugs, pull the boot back off the plug and inspect the insulation. If they are original sensors you will probably find it has completely fallen to bits.

Today finally tackled the ugly blue titanium tips on the end of my M3's backbox. The agency power boxes come with only one option for tips, that being a burnt titanium blue finish. Little bit too racer boy for me however one came up recently on trademe for cheap and it was a V1 version of the agency power muffler which is pretty rare. Couldn't pass it up, the downsides being a bent flange and the ugly tips. With all the extra time in the quarantine, today I decided to drill out the rivets, take the tips off and see what I could do about the blue. Set up with a wire brush wheel and it came out awesome! Also seems the agency power logo is etched into the titanium so even after taking the blue finish off, the logo remained. Bonus. Pop riveted them back on with slightly bigger aluminium rivets I had lying around. If I had known it would come out this good I would have taken a proper before and after. Tips are still a bit wonky as is expected with early AP section 3's but major improvement.

But the cLiMaTE cHAngE! Greta will be most upset by those additional oxides of nitrogen you are releasing! Definitely worth it though

Seriously, Amazon are amazing. My package arrived one day late which I consider pretty good under the circumstances so I thought nothing of it... then I received this email from Amazon.

It was cheaper than the other option (buy a manual 318 in NZ for 6-7k), all up including buying the car I’m at about half that! Plus it’s coming with a 318is harness and computer so win win. E30 stuff seems to be reasonably priced over there and I found a container with some free space coming from the next state over. I guess if you don’t mind waiting a month you can save some money

Try Bavarian motors, on the shore and the owner had / has one of these as a daily. Note, fixing the SLS will be expensive, most people end up swapping it for standard struts and springs.

It got sold with an m20b25 back in it. It was then in an accident where it hit a curb or something, and there was a bit of chassis damage from memory. I believe it's in Auckland somewhere, but I don't think it's in a drivable state currently.