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I've had my E34 540i exactly one year. Thought I would put a few photos up showing the before and after on the car and how it's changed over the last 365 days. At some point I might make a proper thread for the car detailing everything I've done, I'm the iPad generation so Forums were a bit of foreign territory for me so I've got a messy collection of discussions instead of one big one. Anyway here is the before and after from the day I picked it up (17/11/20) to today (17/11/21), Before: After: Before: After:

Few pics from Kura of BMWs in the '80s

Since I got my car exactly a year ago, I thought I would give it a decent wash and then attempt to go take some half decent pictures of it with my DSLR. Here are some of the photos I got with the freshly cleaned car:

Some what poverty spec vehicle but looks good, probably needs a 2.8L in it though. Is first E39 ive seen in NZ with a single climate control setup, great bonus since rotary temperature knobs are superior. https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/listing/3346079202?fbclid=IwAR3x27njiLIWn_Q-rEpchrDof-5FXxNI-OIlEv7PVsSsHbgTWAkczIu2a9E&bof=fhjZSUFI

Awesome work! those wheels on an E34 is perfection

Hahhahah. Poor seller "So why did you ask to check on some phantom cracks if you are not interested in buying it."

$450 Selling a set of 4 style 96 wheels that came on my E46 330i. Specs are square set 8J x 17 offset of 47 http://www.bmwstylewheels.com/bmw/96 Wheels are in good condition. Tyres are also OK but on the lower end of life left (will pass WOF) 4 center caps, acouple have had the tabs broken so have been RTV'd on by previous owner. Pickup Wellington preferred but happy to work with pack and send or mainfreight depot drop off.

Yeah imagine everyone driving around second hand EVs with f**ked batterys that get less than 100km to a charge. Gotta top it up every night when you get home. Electricity network struggles on a cold winter night nevermind everyone plugging in their EVs.

YMMV obviously. I've done germanplates and even had Euro plates made at Blackbush Market in South London (sadly no longer) and was eventually pulled up by an English cop in Otaki, twice, in a week ! I saw a friend of mine a few weeks ago who had a plate made at least 15 years in the German font and it's still on the car so he can't have had too many problems.

Nice. I like it. It's an oddball.

Yeah fair enough with going for the THE325 combination, spending $999+ is a bit ridiculous when all the good plate combos are gone in general given the vast quantity of personalised plates that have been issued over the years. Oh right I should probably order some frame holders too when I get my euro plate. Not sure if it would bolt straight onto the E34, although seeing as its NZ New it has the wider license plate surround at the front so it might just go straight on which would be good. I might just "lose" my original government issue plates in the garage because it would be a shame to surrender them. They are so old that when I drive the car at night, according to my mates, the rear plate is incredibly challenging to see and read, which has its bonuses lol.

I think we share the same brain me too! In the end the “3 letters and 3 numbers” personalised plate option is cheaper by $250-300 than an “any combination” one, and all the good E30 ones are gone 😕 so I went for this fairly lame/tame one. Remaking is a good idea. I ordered two Euro frame holders: The back one wouldn’t line up with factory holes so just went with double sided automotive tape in vertical strips, it is stuck on. Will go with the car when it is sold. Front one uses the frame I bought.

@E28E30 Thanks for the info, I think I'll end up going for euro plates in the style of the one on your car just with the original "SO9785" combination. The other reason I can't get rid of the plate combination is that my car has a sister car with the plate "SO9857". Both are 540s and have a difference in VIN of 70 units so would have been close to side by side on the production line. Pretty insane coincidence. The owner has his combination on euro plates which looks good. The personalised euro plate on your car looks really nice btw! Much better than the MBP520 government issue plate! I have the combination "DOENUT" but it isn't on any car because I keep getting cars with original plates so would never put it on. I'm slightly obsessive about original plates, whenever someone has a car on original plates, especially one thats like 20+ years old and then they change it I cringe so hard. Unless a car I want wasn't offered new in NZ, I'll always try find one with original plates!

$169 to remake plates into standard, $299 to remake as European

Unsure about surrendering @Kees but I am just as OCD about plates too. I got lame personalised plates for my E30 as it was cheaper than having the original 1991 plates (PS2040) made into a personalised plate (the only way they’d “re-issue” an old plate), as it had had a few personalised plates over the years and lost its original ones. Hated having meaningless M-reg modern plates on it. When the personalised ones arrived last month I had to return the MBP520 ones for destruction, but that’s a different scenario.

Would lose the OG two letter plate then and end up with a gross modern plate. Only way to remake it and keep it is to get it changed to a personalised/euro plate. Car is looking amazing though.

It's come along way. Another saved from the scrapheap!

Thanks! Yeah the throwing stars make a huge difference. Car drives so much better than when it had the sofa wheels as you can get far more modern tyres on it. The 15 inch BBS look alright they are just way too small for such a big car imo.

Only issue if you are struggling financially. Wealthy people will just pay to play.

Great work! You should get a fresh plate - they are like $30 or something.

Looks awesome @Kees, good work!

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-bmw-parts/manual-transmission-shift-pin-kit-priced-each/23117525048/ https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-shifter-detent-pin-set-genuine-bmw-23117525048 https://www.bimmerworld.com/Driveline-Shifter/Shifters-Parts/Transmission-Shift-Pin-Kit-23-11-7-525-048.html Not sure where else you looked online, I didn't think these were badly priced.........

Another Instagram account worth a follow if you like the older cars.

Should have added- all 1989, 635 photo is at Herne Bay

Great North Rd, where Audi are now.

Hehe Was thinking any earlier the shorts would be Stubbies...! Cool photos nonetheless.

Yep, a shame the facebook marketplace behavior has shifted across.

Looks like an e12 M535i in the last pic ?

So it has been reported in various news channels that as part of the latest world summit thingy, COP26 (?), or whatever they called it, that NZ has signed up to a complete ban of all sales of new Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles by 2040. I haven't seen an official announcement of this from the Government PR people, but it has apparently come from a "Government Official" so could have some weight to it. I wonder how much longer after that there would be a complete ban on the use of ICE vehicles??

BMW no longer make these. They also have none in stock anywhere in the world including Germany and even in Malaysian warehouses for Asia. Huge pain to find!

@E28E30 That just reminded me - also had someone (in Wellington as well) contact me who has a very nice 4 door manual 325i SE in silver - same as @adro car but stock height / no front lip and cloth interior - garaged / full service history / AC etc. I didn't enquire as to price or anything as I'm not looking at 4 doors (well, not yet) .

Finally got round to sorting out the scrape on the bumper air-duct on my E34 540i. Gave it a quick sand with 150 grit paper, then 280 grit and then 400 grit. I then used some gloss black pasti-dip that I had lying around and it honestly came out way better than I expected. Here is a before and after. Before: During: After:

Yeah its been for sale semi recently as KWS stated. My old 320,000km E34 535is made 171rhwp on Torque performance dyno, 5-10hp more than a similar car on the same day with MAPECU fitted. So many people try to improve performance on cars with even making sure all the EFI components are in good order.