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Update... The E46 has left home with my eldest lad who is of course now in the military! Our Mazda's leak was the repaired trans seal not being in place properly - Driscolls re-seated it and all good F30 was brilliant on the winter run to Castlepoint - just love the turbo 6!!! Finally got around to cleaning it today... Jon at Auto38 is making great progress on the M5 and I look forward to having it back soon... "it's an awesome engine to work on! Thoroughly enjoying it!" I've just ordered some extra bits from TurnerMotorsport - both accessory belt tensioner pulleys and belt, a new bonnet badge with grommets and a set of 10 NGK plugs. The old vanos line wasn't holding pressure - so the new one should make a decent difference new bearings are in and clearances are spot on (phew)

It's been like Christmas around here, with all my individually boxed RockAuto parts arriving for the Mini. The good thing about common cars like these, that were basically the same in all markets, is that parts can be had for cheap. RockAuto stocks heaps of R53 parts at really good prices, so I went to town ordering a bunch of things I knew the car needed. The obvious things I needed was a replacement hydraulic engine mount, as the old one had dumped its guts, a torque mount as I noticed it was a bit thumpy when I picked the car up, and a full ignition system refresh due to misfires. I started with the ignition system refresh first, as this was easy and should have a pretty noticeable difference. Started with a pretty OK looking system Don't be fooled though, there be horrors lurking beneath. Two cylinders had their leads wrapped in insulation tape (and rusty, despite being dry). The spark plugs were well worn too. These are weird ones with a tiny little center electrode that is basically flush with the ceramic. Well, should be flush... a couple of mine were recessed, but all were looking very end of life. The coil wasn't doing much better either. These are well known for the terminals corroding, and mine was no different. One of the first things I did when I got the car home was to clean the corrosion of the terminals, and I noticed a big reduction in misfires, but the terminals still didn't look good. I decided to go with NGK BKR6E plugs gapped to 0.8mm as they are easy to get, easy to get to, and are cheap, so replacement in 10,000km isn't too much of an issue. 27NM is the correct torque for the plugs. The new leads and coil were fitted, and a quick test start showed everything was working as it should A short test drive, in the rain, showed that I had oodles more torque than before, and the misfire/shuddering was gone. The engine was very punchy in the mid-range. Traction was now suddenly an issue. Next on the list was the thumpy old engine mounts. This is all pretty straight forward, with the only small catch being the need to support the engine when the RH engine mount is removed. The car was jacked up and supported on an axle stand. it still amuses me that these are so rigid and short that both wheels are off the ground on this side Off came the wheel, and the jack was repositioned under the engine, using a block of rubber to spread the load. There are a few bolts to undo up the top. Obviously the big main nut on the top, but there is also a little nut and bolt holding the ground strap to the mount (this is not a captive bolt, once the nut is off the bolt will fall out too). I didn't do anything with the black valve next to the ground strap bolt, this comes off once the mount bolt holding it on is removed. There are two bolts at the front of the head And two around the back The last one up top is holding the mount to the body Once they are all loose, the engine will no longer be supported, it will float around freely on the jack. Now, move into the front RH wheel well, and remove a couple of clips from the liner. You don't need to remove the whole thing, just free it up so you can get your arm behind it The bolt you need to access is behind the liner, on the underside of the chassis rail. It's an E12 E-Torx bolt, and located about here, going vertically up into the underside of the mount. I found cracking it with a bar and then using a cordless ratchet was the easiest, as its a very long bolt and quite tight. They can rust in place, and are torque to yield, so have a replacement ready. Be aware that if the mount is leaking, a bunch of smelly oil is going to decide it wants to pour out of the hole where the bolt is coming out of and all down you tools/arm. With all the bolts out, the top mount bracket can be removed, as can the mount, leaving a whole bunch of mess to clean up. Installing the new mount is basically the reverse of removal. Just leave everything finger tight until all the bolts are in place, and then torque them up together. The four bolts that hold the bracket to the head are 74 ft-lbs And the engine mount bracket to engine mount nut is 50 ft-lbs Next was the lower engine torque mount. Apparently you can get away with just undoing the two main bolts holding the mount in, but I couldn't seem to slip it out, so had to also remove the 4 smaller bolts holding the bracket to the sump. With it out it was easy to replace the mount, and bolt it all back together. A quick and easy job. The two large bolts are 74 ft-lbs, whilst the little ones are about 28 ft-lbs. It's clear to see why the old mount was due for replacement With the major work done, I carried on with a couple of smaller things. I wanted to check the air filter since I wasn't too confident on the rest of the servicing, and sure enough, it was absolutely packed with dirt. The good thing though, is its a reusable K&N filter, and I happen to have a cleaning kit, so that got a thorough clean and oil before refitting. Score. I also fit a boot light with LED, since for some reason that was completely missing, as well as the storage tray that should live in front of the cup holders in the center console. No photos, they aren't exciting, but are very useful. The last thing I tinkered with was the headlights. They were yellow and cloudy, which ruined the projector beam and made the terrible blue bulbs work even worse. Using a foam ball on my drill, and some PlastX polish, I went from this To this BIG difference. The other side got a polish too. They look almost new. A great result from this little guy After all this work I took the car for a good drive over some twisty roads. The thumping and banging is 90% gone, I suspect the only way to completely remove it is with poly bushes, but I'm not going down that track. The misfire is also completely gone, and the engine pulls smoothly, and strongly no matter the RPM. It's now a fight with DSC when driving hard, trying to keep the wheels from spinning. All in all, some good maintenance. I suspect it's been a while since it last had anything more than an oil and filter change.

Signing off for the day. Wanted to get some of it sealed off before I leave it over night.l. Looking pretty darn straight. It's the second half of the the panel that needs some work.

Order for Koni sport adjustable shocks placed (via Demon Tweeks). BMW performance bump stops, and Superpro radius arms complete with bushes etc. will be ordered tomorrow. Now we wait.

Tried to get a very annoying dent out since it doesn't look like you can get in from the inside and push it out. Only had one of those SCA suction cups. So the toilet plunger made a special appearance. Actually worked pretty good, until the suction cup broke, toilet plunger is staying strong ? Hot water, hair dryer was making It nice and maluable, don't have my heat gun yet, which might help bring it out more. From To It's going it need filler. But it would have been 8mm+ with out pulling it out a bit. Begun body work on the other side. Going to do just the obvious deep stuff before I seat it off with etch and 2k primer. But will probably have to do more Bondo over top. But it will be 1000% better than the chur bro repair it was before. Kept raining on and off so put it in the garage. Had the tail lights off so water started bucketing into the boot trays. Got about 1l out with the trusty Bissell.

Collected this today.. was advertised on here with a failing transmission. 2000 540i pre facelift motorsport, ex Japan. Drove it 25km home from Cambridge. Transmission gave me no trouble at all, although I was gently cruising... Generally a well looked after car with plenty of maintenance including chain guides and all the usual suspects. There are a few things going on with it however, and I'll document its progress here as we go...

I've got a few of these for sale. Degreased, checked and ready to go. $250 each Pick up Howick Auckland or $20 shipped to non-RD's anywhere in NZ. pm if interested

I see a lot of praise for Eurosurgeon on here, but I have to say I am having a nightmare dealing with Joe. I sent a CIC unit up to be coded in early May, I didn't hear anything from them so I phoned them a few times and left messages, no reply. In early June I got hold of Joe by phone and he said to email him so I did. No reply. I few days latter I got hold of him and I got told yes it's done, it just hadn't ben sent back, after waiting another 10 days it still didn't arrive, so several more phone calls and messages, still no reply, I finally get hold of Joe, the excuse was "I thought you would have had it by now' my reply was "No, what is the tracking number"? They finally sent it back the following day and when I opened the parcel the face plate with the buttons was missing, I made several more phone calls again left messages with no reply, finally I got hold of Joe and asked about the faceplate, he said he would look into it. A week went by no reply so a few more phone calls and I again get hold of Joe, this time I get told it was found on the bench and he would send it to me. Well that was two weeks ago and I'm still waiting on it, a few more phone calls with no answer and no returned message, I finally get hold of him and he hangs up on me then immediately txts me (from the same number) to say his phone is rebooting as it's playing up and he will return my call, well no surprise no returned call From this experience it doesn't seem like this business is very good at customer service, have any others experienced service like this from Eurosurgeon?

Billet aluminium rack spacers $25 Barina steering joint $160 (you supply E30 joint) Joints are supplied with E30 upper fitted, installation instructions. Turn around time 2 days from receipt of your universal joint Can also supply Purple Tag racks per my other listings.

They suck at replying and really obnoxious to deal with.

Pump fix guide posted in here.

As promised a while back here is my guide/shared experience with things E8x washer / sprayer related. Formatting needs a tidy up which I'll do if there content is useful/wanted or look at making a website/blog post or something as that might be easier. EDIT: It's also worth mentioning that if your washer pumps are not leaking but you suspect you're strainers are gummed up....shoving very long plastic tubing (something from a fish tank place or similar) down into the tank and blowing can cause the dirty water to back flow. I've also driven compressed air through the sprayer lines on the bonnet back into the tank. These approaches provided some short term fixes...but sooner or later you are going to have to get in there...) E8x and E9x Washer tank guide.pdf

Changed the video. The coils were from Bavarian Motorsport https://www.ecstuning.com/b-assembled-by-ecs-parts/ignition-service-kit/12137594937pkt/ The boxes clearly state Made in China with near no other info. Check this out. The air in the coilpack has nowhere to go when inserting a plug. So the plug gets forced out. The coil packs actually push themselves off the plug in the engine. Then one of them ballooned out. I never even plugged them in. As for the motor. I have no idea if it reset or not. I tried the Ignition on and 15 pumps of the gas but there was no response from the motor. Not sure if INPA can do it. Don't have ISTA on the device I have with me at the moment.

I think I'd rather have this knowing there's no DPF to crap out and sink 10k worth of drugs and hookers https://www.trademe.co.nz/2688327652

That's lovely. There's also a very nice 325is in the same colour that I think belongs to dealer principal at Coombes Johnston, seen it in there a few times

Got a set of Evo calipers that will need refurbishing.

Resolved another issue. The car has always had rough idle, and I've been hunting for vacuum leaks, but still hadn't managed to get a smooth idle. I just worked out that my catch can plumbing didn't include a PCV valve, and the engine was drawing too much air from the crankcase. Found an inline style PCV valve for a Corolla. Finally, the idle is buttery smooth.

Yeah, nothing like the nightmare you are having, but I enquired about upgrading the stereo in the M5 and adding a camera, took a couple of goes to actually get hold of them and the response I got made me decide not to use them at all. I had heard good things about their work but bad customer service is a massive red flag for me with any business.

only a year old when it came in so probably ok. agree its a bit pricey. @Gaz front PDC is the only thing i'd miss, has adaptive lights and high beam assist so not a terrible spec

@qube Me vs the guy she told me not to worry about ?

Ain't a pic, but exhaust note yes!

Yep! The TIG has already come in handy many times. It's such a useful tool. I used a Vibrant StreetPower muffler, and a Vibrant Ultra Quiet Resonator. I got them from Street Science. All the stainless pipe sections are from Autobend here in Christchurch. They have a pretty excellent selection of exhaust components,

Front bumper painted and fitted. Have got new govt issue replacement number plates on order to complete the refresh.

I put M stripes on it, I think that was an extra 5hp

fcp euro or schmeidmann

I'd get genuine ones, even if they're not strictly necessary. Either your local dealer or FCP Euro or Schmiedmann.

What are the chances? Parked around the corner from my office today... has black Vader interior now.

Everyone with a sporty e36 should get one, M3, 328, whatever.

BMW Motorsport works driver Alessandro ‘Alex’ Zanardi was involved in a serious road accident in his home country of Italy on Friday, 19 June 2020. He is currently in stable condition at a Siena hospital, but is in a medically-induced coma due to the severe head injuries he incurred. Since the accident, BMW has been in close contact with Alessandro’s family. We are shocked by this news and deeply concerned. Zanardi is a two-time CART champion and former Formula One driver. In 2001, he was involved in a racing accident that resulted in the loss of both his legs. Despite his handicap, he exhibited superhuman determination to recover, designing his own prosthetics and learning to walk again. From 2003 to 2009, Zanardi raced modified BMW race cars and successfully competed in the FIA European Touring Car Championship (FIA ETCC) and the FIA World Touring Car Championship (FIA WTCC) with BMW Motorsport. After a break of four years he returned to racing in 2014 as a BMW works driver and competed in the Blancpain Sprint Series in a BMW Z4 GT3 that was modified to suit his needs. He then competed in the gruelling 24 hours of Spa endurance race in 2015, sharing the cockpit with non-handicapped drivers for the first time. Zanardi’s story is one of fearless human spirit, inspiring us all to reach higher and go further. The thoughts of the global BMW family are with him, his wife and his son during this time.