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Hey guys, just recently purchased an E53 4.6is in Estoril blue over black nappa leather with Titan shadow trim! Have been looking for something bigger to roam around in especially for trips in summer & the mountains in winter. 2nd car I’ve purchased so hopefully i’ve made the right choice but I’m loving it so far. Wanted something unique and somewhat special, after doing a bit of research it seems the 4.6is’ in Estoril blue & Imola Red are the ones to get. It’s NZ new, comes with most of the service history from previous owner as he owned it for the last 10 years. Has all the original booklets, owners manual, handbooks etc & 2 keys! Has done around 180,000km’s with 2 previous owners (so the previous owner says) Have yet to go in to get it checked up but will be doing so sometime next week along with a new WOF. From what I’ve seen in the service history most of the big jobs have been done including a full replacement of the cooling system, timing chains, gaskets etc. Nothing has been noted in regards to transmission besides the usual service but it changes gears smoothly (up & down) without any jerking. Overall body condition is decent for an almost 20 year old car. Minor spots of rust due to paint chips, few scuffs on both sides of the front bumper, headlights are a little foggy & the tailgate won’t close! It seems the spring inside the mechanism has come loose & won’t latch on so I’m constantly hit with the “bootlid open” code & the interior lights on in the boot. (Turns off after 10mins or so) will be getting it sorted ASAP cause I don’t want it to drain my battery. Will keep you all updated as I get this beast up to looking factory fresh again! Looking forward to hearing any advice from people who are in more knowledge than me (so basically everyone lol). Gonna put a to do list when I’ve figured out where the cars at mechanically! Thanks for reading, stay safe & well! - B

Could be worse i guess. Could be threatening cuckolding.

Oh no! Now look what you’ve gone and done, I’ve just got a PM threatening legal action if all the nasty things people have said aren’t removed. @Nobimmer I blame you personally for this.

Buy me

Hmmm rather not have to deal with people asking idiotic questions and stuff to be honest. As I get older my tolerance (or lack of it) for people that don’t bother to do research and expect a brand new car when buying something with 189k km has decreased significantly. I used to try and not offend with replies now I just prefer to offend so idiots will f**k off.

How can people not like Phoenix Yellow?

You were right Glenn..... We put the wrong spigot bearing in!! Changed the spigot and the gearbox slipped in like a glove So grateful for the tip.

11th Anniversary today Im now dealing with the consequences of smoking cigarettes. Got diagnosed with emphysema in April and on a daily inhaler with Physiotherapy coming up after an accident once we get to level 2

@m325i

brand new never fitted - only test fitted as a mock up. Appears to be pretty spot on fitment from what I can see. $250

CHF11S and coolant all the way from the land of freedom in 6 days via fedex (At level 4)

Great score! You definitely have a special wagon there.

That's a nice car! Congrats 🤙

I was with Swann insurance but went off them after a claims scrap. Broker recommended Star so I've gone with them. They had no issues with the modifications (engine swap, power steering retrofit, adjustable height suspension) and their premiums aren't too bad. Can't speak for their claims process. All agreed value, no valuation required.

Great car. These are only going to go up in value in the future. I had a silver one, and I love that alpina engine

Beautiful colour and great engine! Good buying too - sounds like the big ticket stuff has been tended to 😁

Hey micheal, great work on a very slick looking car. Stoked your back in a bmw haha. I also have m6x timing tools your welcome to borrow if you do timing chains.

They are not hearsay - thats the whole point. I have the screenshots to prove it, and he's been kicked off multiple forums. You seem like a nice guy, Keith. I wish you well.

Nice to see Hyde's super duper chargers scaling and new roles developing within the business. Commercially though, maybe a new PR manager might be a good move? hAtErS r gUnNa h8

Cool, thanks for staying and thanks for leaving. 🙂

I am going to do the centre console & sunglass container, yours looks great, very clean, was it expensive?? I am replacing both headlight gaskets, removed the cheap shitty Angel Eyes,replaced both taillights, & boot lights, will also replace the exterior window trims, badly sun faded!, so mine is a work in progress!!

Agreed, i'd be amazed if they honour the sale.

Interesting development today. I have been looking for a manual conversion since I bought the car. Long-term goal was to pair that with a B25, and long long-term goal was a stroker build once my knowledge and pocket allowed. Happened across this old girl a couple of weeks ago. NZ new, factory manual 325i. Needs some interior bits and minor rust patches, but starts and runs well. Expected it to be good for a donor, but after chucking it up on the hoist, she’s really not that bad. Justified the purchase by picking it up for what the engine and box would set me back in this market. Happy days. (Much needed after lockdown). Another one to save!

Can you get one side closer than the other? that might tell you where the jam is, ie, if one side goes in and the other comes out, it's probably in the center. For me, I had one side stuck and the other free, turned out I had pinched the gasket plate part into one of the dowel holes and it had bound up. It was around that point I decided it was a prick of a job and that next time I'd take the whole engine out... or at least get a hoist! Credit for taking on this as a lockdown project though!

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One jig complete ... bends for this side are ordered so can get into it proper once they turn up.

When I'm doing a clutch change by myself, I sometimes find the final man handling of the transmission back in to get alignment as bit hard. Have the transmission on a jack, but that last alignment hmm. What I do is have 2 bolts the same size as the bottom engine mount bolts, but with the heads cut off and a slot for a screw driver cut into the end. I use these as alignment rods. Once the transmission in in place with the top 2 bolts in loose, a screw driver winds out the alignment rods and you're into bolting that sucker in. Also note that the transmission to engine block bolts have a special coating to stop them galling. Check them. If the coating is gone, recommend that you use new bolts. Having a galled bolt that is half in is a world of pain. Tight access to cut the head off, drill out old bolt and fit a helicoil or time sert. Often results in the engine removal, so you can get access.

Just throwing an idea out here without understanding how a BMW manual is setup ... get it as close as you can then depress clutch pedal (if connected ?), if trans is pushed back then maybe the cover is not correct and its the release bearing thats prohibiting movement ? Spigot bearing sounds more likely however

I think Glenn might be on to it with spigot bearing being the wrong size.. Unless of course you checked it beforehand..

Did you replace the spigot bearing. If so did you check it on the gearbox spigot shaft ? Did you use a clutch alignment tool ?

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