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I washed the E30 before I meet the new buyer at the airport tomorrow at dark o’clock, then he is driving back to Auckland. I too use the “good coats of polish and two bucket wash method” @Sammo

Hello there new to this forum have owned a few bmw (e30, e36) over the years but my latest and daily driver is e39 520i 2000 (slowly wanting to covert to motorsport spec)

First track day in the M3. Car was 'almost' flawless. Weather Couldn't have been better despite the days either side looking pretty miserable. Still can't believe how much attention this car garners even surrounded by some pretty cool cars. Some CSL airbox noises: 20220604_131453.mp4 20220604_122738.mp4 20220604_092642.mp4 We were just talking about how the car had been faultless before the second to last session and we must have jinxed it. I was getting a bit more comfortable in the later sessions and pedaling the car a bit harder. On the last lap of the second to last session I lost power steering mid corner and did the cool down lap with a plume of smoke coming out from underneath the car. When I came into the pits I could see it was power steering fluid that was on the undertray and assumed the high pressure rack lines had failed since mine were weeping a little bit already and I would call it a day. When I went to top the reservoir up to make the drive home I noticed it actually looked like the fluid had come out from underneath the cap and through the overflow hole. It was pretty clear the fluid had boiled. When I undid the cap to see what the level was at, the dipstick had completely melted off... The power steering did return once the fluid had cooled down but it was clear on the drive home that the pump was toasted. It was whining under any kind of load and has probably had molten plastic pulled through it. I'm not really sure of the sequence of events, whether the pump failed and the bearing over heated which cooked the oil and the cap, or whether the oil boiled and caused the pump to fail. I have never heard of an E46 boiling power steering fluid while using ATF, I wasn't going sideways that much. Either way, looks like I'm gonna need to start buying some replacement parts..

Make sure you drive it first. My guess is you will instantly miss the low and mid range torque of your 335d. The cost of a high speed 45 min run once a fortnight to keep the DPF in the 335d clear is the price you pay for the instant and substantial shove in the back each time you drive it around town. Even a well tuned 335i isn't going to give you that at low-mid rpms.

Was an enjoyable watch...

After a number of decades for the company, and over a single decade for me personally, today is the last day for BMW Group NZ operating out of the “BMW building” in Pacific Rise, Mount Wellington. From next week BMW NZ HQ will be out of smart new offices in the Mercury Building in Newmarket. Mixed feelings moving out of such an iconic building, synonymous with BMW, but onwards and upwards into the next phase.

Hello there I'm new to the 5 series always had 3 series, so I'm looking for a set of style 32s 17" but they are for a e36 so a major problem right there and the centre bore in a e39 is 74.1 and offset is 20 but the e36 centre bore is 72.5 and offset is 25, is there a way that a spacer or something that could correct the difference

Token bimmer at the Canterbury Rally. Ya little beauty.

Got a little Karcher K3 pressure washer for a few wee jobs around the house (well that was the official justification) and thought it would come in handy for washing the car, using snow foam and hopefully cleaning wheels without a brush. So after I cleaned the steps and fence, I gave the E30 its first snow foam wash. After being quite excited about it seemed like much ado about nothing - foam was thick and fantastic (Autoglym Polar Blast) but just seemed like such a pain in the arse with 3 'cords' instead of 1 when you have to touch wash it afterwards anyway. I guess it would be good for people who let their cars get dirty but mine is generally pretty clean. Also felt like it removed a little of my sealant. Will reserve it for when I've got more time / car is filthy, otherwise a quick rinse and 2 bucket wash is king.

I was just thinking that myself. I’ve the n55, albeit in a much heavier body, but I do miss the more sensitive low rev response of the Touareg’s 3.0l diesel lump.

@balancerider and @Sammo, a good question. A small phase of financial consolidation and trying to avoid “TradeMe + wine + winter boredom” flash purchases! Depends when the Minge sells too, may take a while. Have been winking flirtatiously at @adro’s E30 and it has been giving me the glad eye on the sly.

All good fella @adro

New joiner. Pics of the daily driver before we had kids, daily driver after we had kids. Both now in NZ (both kids and both cars) and we also have a Polo Cross. I don't have any pictures in of the Polo in front of Chateaus. Been a member of z3mcoupe UK forum for a while (since 2010 - a lifetime ago if you're 12). The z3m forum has been an excellent resource. There may be some overlap between z3mcoupe with bimmersport NZ too so 'g'day' to any fellow members. Cheers, Bruski

Might be one to follow if you're into such things. Anyone who has done stuff on the e46 has probably already watched a few of the shop life videos... Pretty good quality DIY content usually.

Hi There All, I'm a 14 years long time owner, enthusiast and aftermarket part producer of Z3M Coupe. Based on Istanbul-Turkiye and hope I can add my knowledge with those who needs. Have Fun, Cemal AKCAL

I have a reasonably above-average income. We have a 20% deposit for a below-average-price house. We cannot get a mortgage to cover the difference because my income is "insufficient to maintain the loan."