Leaderboard

And i'm back i the BMW game...! She will be getting the love and attention she deserves

Bruce Herbert, I think...... Usually some pretty nice cars in Rose City. Top dollar, though. He wants first dibs on my BMW Touring......

Hi all, I have my E46 330i Touring up for sale. Brought from Turners Tauranga in September 2017, have completed 30,000km over the last four years. NZ new - 3 previous private owners M54B30 with ZF auto with steptronic - 179,990km Oriental blue with full grey leather electric memory sport seats and wood trim Style 96 - 17 x 8 with Firestone Firehawk Sport 01 (225/45/17) Almost completely original spec including rear parking sensors, multi function steering wheel and arm rest. I have driven a few M54B30's coupled with the automatic and this runs the best out of all of them. In my ownership the following things have been done: Valve cover gasket Water pump and thermostat Cooling hoses and expansion tank Intake boots Front control arm bushes Both front door window regulators Front seat panels repaired and re-dye Rear tail gate, rear passenger door and front guard replaced with matching color panels (previous owner had badly dented them) New Din65 battery (October 2021) Full set of new tyres (January 2021) Replacement front windscreen moulding Cupholders retrofitted Replacement front number plate trim panel Things that let it down: The body work is a little rough, to be truly mint it needs a full respray, no clear coat lifting, just dents and scratches Rear tailgate switch is a little sensitive Air conditioning does not work - has been diagnosed, requires a new condenser (quoted 1k to repair) The passenger front window regulator is still slightly clicking (even after being replaced) Looking for 5,500 ono, based in Upper Hutt, Wellington. Thanks, Nathan

Gee, looks are deceiving huh. If ya just saw this cruising down the road one might legitimately think - "that's a fine looking Euro" Without ever knowing there is true, unmitigated evil lurking beneath...........

@gjm If a sunroof sedan is in the mix surely a Baur can contend! If you’re going to let the sun in why not go all out without compromising rigidity?!

If this is still around when Auckland gets out of lockdown, in 12 months or so then I'll be in touch. Best of luck with the sale, it looks very nice.

@Olaf thank you, you’re a great resource for people here. I also would NEVER use Car Inspection Services,. Back in 2004 I bought a low mileage E30 LCI 316i for $4k (those were the days and that was a lot of money), they seemed to not pick up a power steering rack that spewed fluid out at almost the same rate you topped it up, and a blown/faulty idle control thingy. Sharks

x

Spotted this tasty M-Tech E30 Coupe on the shore today.

Having a black car is a pain at the best of times and I have had too many of them. But my current has the additional issue of road rash everywhere under the half way line as everything gets picked up and smashed all over the side of the car with parts of the car in the line of fire looking grey, it's that bad. It has annoyed me for quite some time as it looks nasty up close or in full daylight. So I thought I would give a black car polish a try and purchased Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Black Liquid Polish. I gave it a go today and damn, the results are fantastic. You can almost forget the rash is there anymore! Results speak for themselves but additional benefits over amazing rash coverage: Easy to moderate effort to apply and remove. Cheap. Cost me $20 as it was on special, and I got a voucher. Good slickness. Good shine and depth. Doesn't dust white or leave white residue like a lot of other polishes, which is super annoying on a black car. Can be used on black plastic trim, it restored my mirror arms to black from the grey they were. Will see how long it holds up and I might go over it with Meguiars ceramic wax one day, or I might just use this alone, or team it with the Turtle spray wax. There's probably better products for depth and slickness but for what it has achieved in my scenario it gets a solid A. I'd recommend to anyone with a black car.

Hi there I have recently purchased a BMW Z3 for my daughter and absolutely love it. I am definitely hooked on BMW now. Looking forward to meeting some of the members. Kind regards Williev

In the market for one. Leaning towards an N55 equipped model. Aside from usual maintenance and oil leaks are these generally pretty good?

Not fan of the kit myself but different and cool colour https://www.trademe.co.nz/3306003954

Yeah I actually think it looks kinda cool, but an Automatic 5 speed M52 (IRC) 2.5 litre with all that kit screams show-not-go. That lot on a 540i Manual would be a lot more beastly as they put it.

Had considered the 28i but hard to look past the 35i when pricing is pretty much the same.

Factory pads create a bit of build up. Always comes right with normal driving for me. Otherwise your lower control arms could be done.

Aprils does that on longer spirited drives but then comes right with normal driving. In my case I figured it was just pad buildup.

Some inspiration for you @Sammo

There has been a suggestion passed up the line (so to speak) - the potentially interested party needs reassuring that Baurs don't leak when it rains!

Faux carbon roundels too - pure class

Dreaming.

They just have! I'd be surprised if the plates included.

Nice, your pics show the effect a bit better. It doesn't fix everything but it does a damn good job of hiding it.

I love the attention to detail going on here. Can't wait to see the wiring all tied up!

yes old coolant sitting in those trans cooler and they will corrode , best to replace , cheap insururance

@hqstu has passed the torch onto me so i thought id just continue adding to this thread. Lots of time and money already gone into this so just taking it to next level mechanically whilst keeping it original as i can. Cosmetically it's pretty much already sorted for me apart from a few trim bits i need to install. Still looks tidy despite the age and k's, only really let down by the classic NZ stone chips on the grill and bonnet which require a proper respray to sort. Engine wise its same as above, again Stuart has done a good job here. Engine still pulls strong like most higher k's NZ new cars ive owned. Vanos seals will be done for a likely improvement. Very minor seepage from high pressure power steering hose and rear main seal, otherwise one of the cleanest well running M5X's ive seen. SSG transmission takes a bit of getting used to, it can be shifted quite smooth in lower gears\rpm around town once you adapt but its really at home under sprinted driving using 3-5th gear. Still prefer the manual overall but it's far more enjoyable than the 5 speed auto. Suspension is average BMW, it appears most parts are still original items as expected but beside front bump stops nothing has outright failed. This is the main focus for me and is always money well spent in my experience. Steering isn't as razor sharp as it should be. There slop in the linkage from rubber steering coupler which is past its used by date. This will be replaced with poly version of some sorts due to cost\availability of genuine RHD one. Doing that along with the front control arm bushings should vastly improve steering response. Tyres appear to be flat spotted somewhat which is likely the cause of minor shimmy at highway speeds (lesser degree once warmed up). Re-balance, alignment and new parts installed along with more driving should help that. Following parts have\will be ordered: Sachs front struts with mounts and bump stops Sachs rear shocks with Meyle HD mounts Meyle HD front control arm bushings Lemforder rear trailing arm bushings and ball joints with limiters TRW brake rotors front and rear to go with supplied Akebone ceramic pads Brake hoses front and rear Caliper guide bushings front and rear Vanos seals 2x coolant pipes under manifold with associated seals and CCV + hoses (for piece of mind) Hood struts Front and rear sway bar bushings (maybe poly, genuine ones seem overpriced) Future: O2 sensors (reading slow) Rest of rear control and subframe bushings (will re-evaluate once above suspension parts done) Inspect clutch\flywheel and driveshaft. Replace flex disc and hanger bearing\support same time.

I got excited for a split second when I saw that pop up. The other concerning thing is when people immediately comment 'that's cheap' - car is needs cert / panel and paint / god knows whats up with the engine and the interior is completely trashed.

Market has gone mad. Live rego, non-running, no WoF, 'small engine fire'. M20B20 auto swapped to M20B25 manual (cert status not quoted). Will require paint and wiring. Asking $10k. (Although will consider offers.)

I brought my vert sight unseen, just really wanted a facelift vert. Only issue it had was with the roof but there's been a few niggly things thats failed since but otherwise happy. Also brought a e30m50 off a bloke on here, also fine. Sometimes just luck of the draw

@Olaf Good advice - need to love it - i’m planning on holding the car for a good amount of time (Forever?!?) so shouldn’t rush 👍

I've bought three vehicles remotely, employing the services of Car Inspection Services, VTNZ, and a BMW Dealer, respectively. 1. I'd never use Car Inspection Services again, or VTNZ. Though I kept both vehicles long-term, there was plenty wrong with each purchase that should have been revealed by the test. In the case of the first, I wouldn't have bought it if the issues had been accurately reported. 2. In the case of the BMW Dealer, I got a much better report, though there were still a few items missed. I'm very pleased with the vehicle. If I was buying a classic by remote control, I'd have a large risk budget. That is, money I'd be prepared to lose if the car didn't meet my expectations. It would vary with age, cost, complexity of the vehicle. I reckon $5k-$7k5 would be about right as risk budget for an e30 - enough to put some rust right, or panel work, or a lot of remedial servicing. I'd want it genuinely inspected. I took e30 Andy with me to buy my e30 - he knows them well. Or I'd commission Jon from Auto 38 to travel and inspect it, I can be assured of an accurate appraisal. I've photographed vehicles for those buying remotely, it's quite different to good honest but 'catch my sexy angle please' sales shots. Up to 200 hi res files shot on a hoist with controlled lighting (often studio flash) to ensure the buyer really gets to see under the arches, all the leaks etc. A picture tells a thousand words. If you're buying a car you've got to love it. Just like a guitar, the right car will speak to you. You don't shop for your wife on spec, so why shop for a car remotely on spec. Best done in person, make the connection, fall in love with the real thing, not just an avatar.

I've used Classic Cover and they have been great to deal with, albeit I haven't had to make any claims. No issues with modified or "unusual" cars or agreed values.

Hey guys, Thought I would share a recent experience with Fibrenew when it comes to repairs. Basically as I have commented on a couple of other threads my M-Sport wheel was looking a bit worse for wear. I also have the standard light wear on the bolster of the drivers seat. Anyway, my wheel I think is a combination of sun, previous owner’s hand cream perhaps and my own love of sanitiser during lockdown which are away the finish. Emailed the local Fibrenew franchise after seeing some good videos on YouTube and reading their Google reviews. I’m sure this is the same/similar as the ColourLock system and others but I wanted someone to do the application. It was a total of $140 for both seat and bolster and I have to say I’m pretty happy with it. There are a couple of things which I’ll detail below. I guess it really depends if you are expecting the wheel to be “as new” or not and having priced a variety of options I think for the cost this is pretty good. I had this done yesterday and am interested to see how it wears, it’s a little shiny but I don’t know if that’s the finish itself or because it’s just been done. I am going to wait a week and give it a very light clean with Autoglym. That being said, my experience is after cleaning wheels are shiny again in about a week. The only other complaint is that the surface is a tiny bit rough. I have a feeling this might be just how it is but when you have a seat done the grain of the leather means you don’t notice and it’s not a high-contact area for your hands like a wheel is. I hope this will wear and smooth overtime but certainly superior to the feeling of the worn areas beforehand. Apologies for the crappy pics it was a bit dark in my carport with the overcast morning.

I also had great service from him on my 1996 Audi front seat which at 140km has more wear than usual on side bolster. A touch too grippy but look great. I haven't used the car in 6 months so can't comment on the resistance to wear and tear.

I think we are at 'Devil you know' territory now haha I knew its first proper service wasn't going to be cheap but the front ADS shocks were an unpleasant surprise indeed ($1200 each)