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It’s a rod bearing support group.

Last update of this year I'm picking. Not too much to report. The wheels have arrived back from painters looking good... they will go on in the new year, along with the new Dunlops. I've started work on the spare bumpers, gunna have a crack at painting those myself although expectations are not high... The dash is all good, even the single line of missing pixels seems to have sorted itself out. I had my spare parcel shelf retrimmed with suitable material. It now looks a lot better than the old fading and lifting one. Thought I had an issue with my spare electric blind, but it's all working good. And just today I took care of an annoying feature the Japan market has, I do not need to be told that I have selected reverse, one plug removed and the gong is gone. Merry Christmas All...

Pulled into BP Bombay in the M5 wagon and saw this rare beast.... 😉

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?

Well, what a year. I think I've only done about 3000kms in it during my ownership. If staying locked up at home during COVID won't kick me out onto the track in this, I doubt anything will. So she's up for sale. Would prefer to keep it in the Bimmersport family, so listing it here for $5.5k before I chuck it up on Facebook/Trademe in a couple of weeks. Located in Hamilton. 1996 BMW 328i 159918kms Reg until 16/7/21 WoF until: 27/2/21 Manual converted with a G220 box Mechanically it's great, but the exterior has it's fair share of wear and tear. Have a flick through the project threads to see all the work done: https://bimmersport.co.nz/topic/56912-another-e36-my-328-beauty-sold/ https://bimmersport.co.nz/topic/62999-the-bimmersport-family-e36-328i/ But a few highlights -Competition Clutch and light flywheel (7.5kg) with about 1000kms -Aluminium radiator -M3 Suspension -ACS Type 2's with Michelin Pilot Sports.

Ah yeah that would have been what the manufacturer guys at my work were talking about.

Put new wiper blades on the M5, the last set have been on there as long as I have owned the car so $155 for the pair is actually pretty good value IMO.

Looking great! Sorting out the parcel shelf is next on my list

Nice “de-bing- bing” mod lol. Might do that for mine. car is looking super good Stu. You heading to caffeine and gasoline Sunday?

There have been at least 2 meets this big... 😉

Your toe was way out. It must drive so much better now

Do you still own the Swift and the MX5? If so I think I have found a solution for you.

Followed (by chance going same way haha) this little beauty across AKL CBD this morning

I have done a bit more tidying on the BMW. Boot spoiler back on.. Next lil project is the front bumper tidy and refit fog lights. Oh I got it a WOF now so hopefully can participate in any local meets. (have painted the black bumper inserts since these pics!)

Received an 'interesting' reply from the GM in question. Seems evident that it is a collaborated message, with significant HR input. The tone has changed completely: there's still reference to increased pace, but much more 'softly softly' than I have seen before. My reply is going to be to agree with on detail, and reiterate that I'll consider everything else and reply more fully in the New Year. While this approach is one agreed with legal advice, it is an approach I have suggested. The absolute worst that can happen is that this is the end of this role at this organisation. I'm extremely aware that NZ is a small place, and that Hawke's Bay (we have no intention of moving) is a tiny part of NZ. People talk. So I'll not be antagonistic, I'll not be throwing blood into a shark pool, and I'll not be bad-mouthing anyone. I know where the 'drive' (which is what is adversely affecting me) is coming from and while I might not agree with parts of it, I'll not be critical. I've always found leaving an organisation a difficult thing to do. There's a reason why I joined - if I didn't like what I saw at the outset, I'd not have been there. Maybe it is time for a change. That might mean a significant winding back of the (let's face it) expensive hobbies but health and happiness are far, far more important than anything else. The comments re NZ management, especially in tech areas, are absolutely true. The only place you get decent senior IT-related management is in IT companies, and even then it's not always good. A great tech (or any other specialist) is not necessarily (not often?) a good manager or even role model. Again - huge thanks to everyone for their support. I've always loved Christmas - this year I'm looking forward to it even more than usual. 😊 🎅

I think you've made this rant before? It sounds familiar.. I'm pretty much the opposite. I prefer to ask questions and get a feel for the sellers attitude and honesty before physically viewing. Often i don't bother pursuing if the response is "phone me", etc. or sarcastic, dishonest, combative, etc. Sometimes i don't view until after I've bought depending on the circumstances (so questions can be quite important). I've bought and sold many on trademe and various forums over the years and find this approach works equally well for me. Different strokes for different folks.

run the plate through google translate 😂 One of the biggest spend E30's in the country.

Managed to conquer the rear axle today. Much like the lhs the shock and control arm balljoint were f’d. The lower swingarm balljoint was looser than the lhs one. Made a start on the front too. So far the lhs shock and control arm are f’d. The thrust arm balljoint and bush (x5 item swapped out 3 years ago) are fine, along with the drag link and tie rod ends still feel ok so may leave those and replace when actually needed. In the last pic I forgot to fit the strut mount bearing. Was a sign to finish up for the day. Hopefully wrapped up tomorrow.

FCP have good transit times. They use FedEx who have dedicated fleet of planes. 10 days is norm to our shores.

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.

Sorry for the potato quality but saw this 650i/105i/Carina/ICantQuiteReadTheBadgeOnTheTopLeft the other day. Very rare.