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163,217 kms. Long-time no post! I’m still loving the little E36. It has been so good to me and puts a smile on my face every time I thrash drive it. Living in Kelburn and working / studying in the CBD means that I rarely have a reason to take it out of the garage (except for the weekly grocery shop), but I often find myself driving it just for the sake of it. Updates since last time Replaced the original perished windscreen cowl / cracked windscreen / old wiper blades Before After Replaced broken fog light bracket (absolute pain to change!) and fog light bulbs Dent Magician removed a couple minor door dings (ding free now) Brake upgrade – installed E46 330i front brakes and 328i rear brakes / new brake pads / new rotors / rebuilt calipers / fresh brake fluid Basic maintenance (Oil changes, filters etc) Couple WOFs, including the obligatory “she’s pretty tidy” as the inspector hands back my keys Fixed squeaky seat and steering wheel Replaced rubber gaskets around both rear quarter windows. [Until I screwed up the driver's side when I was reinstalling the window – I over-tightened the b-pillar bolt and snapped it in half. Unfortunately, the window is designed so that the bolt is glued to the glass. I think the best step forward is to find a replacement rear quarter glass. Any ideas?] Regular cleaning, finishing with Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection Multiple road trips, from Waihau Bay over the summer break to a recent trip with the BMW Club to Castlepoint, without any issues. Surprisingly, it hasn’t used a single drop of oil in my ownership and doesn’t leave any puddles in my garage (in stark contrast to my previous E39 540i) Chocolate Fish with the BMW Club (photo credit to @TermiPeteNZ) (Photo credit to @adro) Castlepoint with the BMW Club Southward Car Musem Coffee and Cars Summer road trip to Waihau Bay Featured in the BMW Club Dixi magazine Me, an amateur model (photo credit to @Olaf) Been naughty To do (short – medium term) Fix small power steering leak Replace bonnet struts (I discovered this was an issue when replacing the windscreen cowl) Suspension refresh – I have a Vogtland suspension kit (front / rear springs and shocks) for the car, but I want to do a more comprehensive refresh at the same time. I would like some advice. I've been looking at the kits on FCP Euro (such as: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-control-arm-kit-8-piece-e36-e36cakit8l; https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-control-arm-bushing-kit-lemforder-33306852895kt; https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-sway-bar-bushing-kit-lemforder-33551138104kt). What are your thoughts? I'm happy to be educated. The aim is to freshen the suspension to OE spec, with a "do it once, do it right" attitude New front tyres Fix the slight squeak when cold – suspect belt needs replacement Replace the passenger door actuator so that it locks / unlocks on its own (and I don't have to, embarrassingly, lean over and open the door for my passenger, asking them to excuse it as "an old girl" ) – I have the new actuator but have been procrastinating To do (longer term) Manual swap Rebuild and install purple tag steering rack Repaint front bumper Replace scraped front spoiler Paint correction.

Topaz is now largely stripped down and now attacking the very old stone chips on roof that have rusted a bit, had to get severe with it, and a bit of filling to do...

Very detailed thanks for this Eagle, I definitely had a look at your post a good couple of times (I have been eyeing this and other forums for sometime before buying). Yes a full suspension over haul will be loading :). Also I appreciate you and Miles taking the time out to speak and help me. As requested pics now attached :). Not shown here but cup holders unbroken, but other parts like radio and climate control buttons (some) unsticking haha we have a love hate more love tho

What you should do is part it out and Auction all the parts to members of this particular forum thread only.

At it again those parasites. The absolute bloody guile of these people... Never even mind the convertible was in far better condition with a third of the mileage.

If you can get your hands on an M-sport body kit I would do it now. As Eagle said above, parts like this are getting expensive and they will only continue in one direction. A factory manual 528i E39 deserves some love for sure. Full suspension refresh would bring the thing back to life. Every BMW that I have owned that was approaching 20 years was passing WOFs but when the rubber hit the road they drove nothing like the factory car because the suspension was tired. Once refreshed they were like driving a different car and you also will have peace of mind knowing that some guy at VTNZ isn't going to ping you on a bush or mount (thought it will probably be something else with these things!). If you are a YouTube person and like long, nerdy, detailed videos I HIGHLEY suggest M539 Restorations for inspiration and DIY ideas for everything from interior tidy up to full engine rebuilds. Edit: post more photos of that beauty and maybe include the VIN!

Full suspension refresh - struts, rubber bushings, mounts and control arms would likely yield a good improvement in handling and stability - many of these cars are still rolling on mostly original tired parts. New shifter bushings along with E60 short shifter and ZHP knob would improve the shift and gets rid of the long throw. M-sport body kits for these are getting expensive and hard to find in good condition these days (esp the front bumpers $500+). Should be able find a set of angle eye headlights for around $300-$400 mark. Wouldn't bother with a strut brace myself for a car like this. Makes it annoying to work on engine also. I made a thread about my old 530i i converted to manual. Maybe of some interest if you havent seen it. Sold most of the parts now though but have 2x sets of near new OE engines mounts if you are after a pair for cheap

Diff back and installed. Never used a helical but you certainly notice the rear end pushing and wanting rotate more freely, even on low speed corners. Breaks traction nicely too and very easy to control. Probably re-program the DSC with M-track settings to optimize it. Bad news is there was some wear some on crown wheel and pinion which meant backlash couldn't be adjusted to spec without the gear pattern being off. Certainly the classic thump\vibration due to this when engaging first and shifting in the lower gears. Old diff was very tight and quiet compared to this one, so i hindsight i would of used that. Will have to live with it for the time being and maybe try some heavier oil after break in (Recommend Toreco oil is thin). Will keep my old unit to swap out incase i get sick of it. Got rid of the crappy cup holders too and made some usable space

$106,375 incl BP.

Yes NZ specced up the 'sport' 323i with dogleg and lsd and perhaps suspension and wheels before the m325i came. Ugly kit- without a google reminder I guess it's a Pfeba?

Saw it pop up on my trademe search and recognised it immediately, still such an epic car. Hoping you get all the money for it!

Love the progress! I know of a m20b28 stoker kit if you're in the market