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Interesting looking VW ,not my cup of tea. Launching into a small rant here so please indulge me. What has happened to way we buy cars? Surely if you have interest in such a car, pick up the phone, make contact, inspect, and make an informed decision. The Q & A section on these listings is just turning into a total waste of time for both the seller and the buyer. There are probably statistics that determine the success rate from inquiry and I'd imagine its something less than 5% on this trading site. So like night follows day inevitably the dopes come out of the woodwork doing their best to wind up the seller, and at the end of the listing we have a no sale occurring. I reckon the seller has displayed restraint, accordingly we give applause here, and wish him good luck with the auction. Concluding, in our 18 years trade me membership we have never made an online inquiry on any car, and have bought quite a few, probably fifteen or sixteen. See it, become interested, check it out, negotiate the price, drive it home. Simple. However, as some of have posters have said, this listing is a bit of a giggle. Better than TV😂

From my perspective there is organisational duplicity - saying one thing (several things), then recording something else. Or leaving out details. Hence legal advice. I'm absolutely reviewing 'me'. Is there something I've (not) done that can change, be better? Probably. But that's not reciprocated. I genuinely feel they are saying the right things, but as if they are reading a script. There's no substance behind it. That said, I think they've had some practice over the last 6 months. Meds aren't an immediate option but are part of a plan. I do need to sort me, but I must sort the situation too. Little benefit in my feeling better if I then dump myself back into a mess; that'll adversely affect me again.

Counselling and medication are two things that really helped me. I was very anti medication but once I gave it a go it changed my life.

First - thank you all. Really. So very much appreciated. No two ways about it - it's a shitty way to feel. I sincerely doubt I'm in danger of doing anything silly, but pressure, stress, anxiety are all present. I start feeling better, then have an unavoidable conversation with a GM at work and WHAM! Back to square 1. I have a request for an appointment with EAP Services (through work), and I have a video call with an employment specialist tomorrow morning. Sometimes just the act of doing something - anything - can help. Equally I'm aware that there is an underlying issue which must be addressed but I'll take that one small step at a time.

Feels waaaay better over dips and bumps. Definitely “tighter”

$17k for a 2006 manual with 126 kms and absolutely nothing special, might not even be in NZ yet. 😣 Seriously, they probably paid NZ$5k for it FFS. https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/listing/2909759058

Graham, talking to a counsellor; who knows what they're doing; just listens and asks questions that are relevant, with no agenda of their own: is a really amazing thing. If you have an Employee Assistance Program at work, or can access it somehow, DO IT! Privately, it costs $85 a session up here.

Thanks Dave. Had a go at the Camber pin mod this afternoon. Looks a bit rough but job done, can now utilise the slots (I know why I am not a mechanic) Will pass on your figures to the alignment shop, see what he can do, and of course will get a print out for reference. Will start another thread for all the jobs I have lined up over Xmas and New Year.

Doctor says - Go for a drive, find a nice road, windows down, stereo up. If still not feeling better, give a mate a buzz and shoot the sh*t.

And done! Didn’t do the steering linkages as they were ok but put a tear in one of the outer tierod balljoint boots 🤦‍♂️ Something to worry about next year. Hopefully get an alignment next week..

Xmas makeover Gate to Hellbm.

Hey so i thought I'd share my latest retrofit project. Couple of my mates have f8X m cars after seeing the seats i wondered if they fit the e92. I couldn't find any info or even pictures on google. After acquiring some from a damaged f80 i got to work trying to fit them. At first i was pleased to find they bolted directly in. I swapped the connectors from f80-e92. With only 5 wires(power,canbus,lighting). It was easy to swap. The car did not like the f80 seat module at all and quickly rejected it. Because of the can protocol between the chassis. And with the canbus connection removed the wake up signal was no longer being conveyed and after 10sec the seat shut down. Luckily the passenger seat was simply a high current switch. All worked as it should except the heated seats. Using the e92 seat module i use it to simply work the heated seats instead of all other seat functions it used too. After playing around it was looking as though it would not be possible aside from a can emulator that would relay the wake up signal. However this isn't easy. I was running out of ideas. I brought a very cheap pair of seats from a x1 at first for parts but then noticed it used the same style of connectors as the f80 but the car was only a 2010. Part of a total fluke i tested the module out and to my surprise it worked. It was enough to makes the seat stay awake however no heated seats because the x1 seats weren't heated. After that i was stoked and immediately sourced the heated version of the same module which worked perfectly. Only last remaining problem is because they were from a 4 door the seats do not release forward which is a problem in a 2 door so ill order the parts and try convert them?

Avoid it. It really messes you up. Having some BIG issues at the moment... Not sure if I'm being 'managed out' or if the senior bods really don't know/understand what they're doing, but I'm sort-of working from home (last week and next) in the run up to Christmas, having been certificated off work for the previous week. I'm not even in the office this coming week, it's Sunday afternoon, and I'm still experiencing anxiety! The biggest issue is the insidious nature of this. It creeps up on you. Suddenly you're aware you're not sleeping properly, there's a hollow feeling in your gut, you're not functioning effectively at work or at home, patience tends to be short... Take care everyone.

Too good not to share https://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=2897224674

A bypass on the E36 is a diode and 2 resistors. About 90c worth. Try googling...

Yes, much easier to tyre kick on Trade Me and be far more confrontational than one would in person. In this particular case, it the sellers first reaction will have incited a little more prodding. A few valid questions can be asked on Trade Me but in general, a serious buyer (even a millennial!) is likely to make more direct contact via phone or text.

Destined to sit on a caryard for awhile.. In saying that... remember when you could get a tidy E30 325 tech 2 coupe for under 10k and people said that was expensive for an old car

Drove it. One year and 2,500 kms of use, thought this was pretty cool...

Washed the 130i in the driveway for the first time since, well, Covid I suppose. Used the Bosch water blaster I got during the original lockdown for the first time ever, it's been sitting in the garage taunting me since May. It was 25% off for a week so I thought 'why not?'. Delighted with the pressure washer and the included 'snow cannon' seems to work just fine, no need for a $100 extra at this stage.

Sorry to hear this mate, sounds like you're taking smart steps. If specific individuals are triggering it, that's really important to acknowledge and address. Ask EAP for help to manage any such conflicts in the work environment, get them on the table real quick, it doesn't need to be a formal complaint or escalation. Best wishes. 👍

N54 swap.

Counseling is one part. Recommend you also get legal advice. That way you know where you stand and have a much better hand when dealing with the situation as/if it unfolds. Also shores up your confidence... My 2c...

Doug DeMuro said the E60 M5 is the best car you should never own. Your best friend should own one. I followed his advice, I bought my best friend (aka wife) the M5 Leisure Sunday drive today, still breaking in the rod bearings. The new clutch, etc is nice as well.

DID YOU JUST ASSUME THEIR GENDER??????? 🤣

A little more progress over the weekend, the under car welding is now complete !!! Just a little stitch welding behind the spring perches and on the RTA pockets. 2 Coats of epoxy primer on ... just seam sealer and underseal to go then can start the big clean ready for top coats.

Overthinking is the hardest part to manage for sure. The "issue" takes over and takes the shine off everything else that's good in life. I've only really experienced it over a longer period when I was dealing with a particularly sensitive situation/sh*t staff member and it really ruined my life for that few months. Alcohol intake went up and I was a shitty husband/father. If you feel like you're being managed out there could be an opportunity to get ahead of it. Ask if there is any voluntry redundancies coming up - how you approach that would depend on size of company of course. Chin up, Christmas is almost here so make plans with the family/friends and the rest will come out in the wash.

Taking the pup for a walk on the beach helps clear my head. That's a real issue - trying to stop thinking about, and probably over-thinking, the problem.

There are some minor adjustments you can make: Research the "camber pin mod" and do that before your alignment and then ask for as much front camber as can be achieved so that it's equal on both sides. Advise them that it can be adjusted at the top of the strut (because you've just removed the camber pins which allows for an extra half of a degree of camber). You should end up with about 1 degree of negative camber up front. If you ask for a small amount of toe out at the front you'll gain sharper turn-in and mid-corner traction at the expense of directional stability. Around -0.5mm (I run -0.6mm) will be fine. Needs to be even on both sides. That's not BMW spec which is toe in for pottering around town. Compensate for the (tiny) loss of directional stability up front by going a little toe in at the rear, again no more than about +0.5mm. BMW spec is quite timid here too, they're expecting nearly +1mm of rear toe which is unnecessary unless you want to drive with your hands off the wheel. Max rear camber, even on both sides. There's not a lot of adjustability here and you can't go too far. Castor is factor of all of the above and can't be adjusted independently. You want a resulting "thrust angle" of 0 degrees or as close to it as possible (mine is 0*01' - 1/60th of a degree - so effectively zero). Make sure you get the printout to take home.

I would buy a 540 touring. Swap all the good bits from yours into it.

Jesus haha owner is certainly a bit belligerent - car obviously has a wrap on it, not sure how he couldn't know?

A V8 manual swap could be worth it if you had donor and manual bits already but otherwise would be a huge expense of time and money (ZF's aint cheap anymore but 420g boxes are crazy $). You'd be better off buying a V8 then getting a respray and swapping the interior if you like your colour combo and want a V8. Personally id just stick with the B25 or B30 and manual convert it, much easier and cheaper and will feel like a different car. Ive a chunk of my E39 manual conversion bit left if wanted.

I wouldnt bother building something you can just buy, it'll be a spiral of sunk costs and headaches. The only time it would make sense would be if you had the donor already, and could do the work yourself.

It's been a while since I visited this site. It's almost 2 years since I posted this thread. So far we still have the car, and I think we will be keeping it after what has happened in 2020. We have replaced the rod bearings at 61k kms. Here is the laundry list of things that was done along with it. rod bearing set, and connecting rod bolts vanos pressure hose timing chain guide engine mounts lower control arms tie rods drive belt pulleys (idler and tensioner) tensioner (a/c and auto belt) drive belts coils and spark plugs air filters wheel alignment Clutch, pressure plate Dual mass flywheel Release bearing, release bearing guide Clutch fork pivot, clutch release arm spring Crankshaft bolt, Crankshaft rear seal SMG relay Driveshaft flex joint, Driveshaft center support bearing, Driveshaft end bushing Transmission mounts Exhaust pipe gaskets, hex nuts, torx bolts Gear box oil Jon of Auto38 has been great in serving the car, his craftsmanship is top notch. We are very happy with car, knock on wood that it doesn't blow up in 2021... otherwise we have to file for bankruptcy 🤣 . I wasn't planning to do these things in 2020, the plan was to do this over the next few years. It was only to check for a misfire in July, one thing led to another. I also have some bits and bobs that maybe some owners of E60 M5 would be interested on. 5 old coils, 1 new coil, new release bearing, clutch alignment tool, input shaft seal, old driveshaft flex joint, tire rod, etc. Just message me if you are interested on these parts. We are still breaking in the rod bearings, so far just 300+ kms only. Some of you probably have seen the car over the past few weeks, usually we go for a milk run at Te Horo and some vegetables and strawberries at Penray. So the things in internet about the E60 M5 is true and not true. Happy to share our ownership experience to anyone that is interested. I also would like to thank @Olaf and @TermiPeteNZ for help and advice.

Did the front fall off?

Hey guys. Had alot of people message me regarding this conversion so i thought id write up abit more about it. This will depend on your car and the options your car has fitted so i can't answer for all. **Any white E-Chassis seat module will work** The white seat modules have the same connectors as the F8X and are plug and play. The only thing you have to make sure if you have heated seats you get the module ending "861" so "860" means not heated. (I did have to code the seat occupancy sensor out as the F8x one is not compatible) After that its easy all you need to do is swap the connector from the e9x seats. Using the E9X seat buckle fit it to the F8X seat. Swap the airbag connector from f8x to e9x. The polarity may have to be swapped IIRC as the f8x airbag would cause a fault otherwise. Im not going into pin for pin wiring as its very simple but the f8x wire colours are as follows: Red= power for lumbar/bolster. (I looped this from the power positive as i didnt have this option before). Purple= seat light. (I run this off the gearknob lighting) Twisted pair= canbus (this will fit in the black power connector of the e92 plug) Red/brown= positive (also same as e92) Brown=ground (same as e92)  Attached is a pic of the e9x power connector with canbus and airbag connector. Good Luck