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This is an on-behalf post. I'll answer questions as best I can, and refer to the owner for those that I can't. I recently posted here to try and identify with some certainty whether a given vehicle was a true M325i. On balance, it seems likely this one is. NZ new 1987 Diamant-Schwarz 325i with all relevant M325i attributes. Purchased from Shelley Motors in Wellington who (I think) were bought out by Jeff Gray. Absolute, categoric confirmation that this is a M325i is difficult but it fits the description, and that is what the first owner has said it was bought as. Of particular note are the following options: 0209 - Differential lock 25% 0339 - Shadow line 0481 - Sports seat 0704 - M Sports suspension 0708 - M Sports steering wheel leather And it has the black headlining. 3 owners from new; current owner is the son of the first owner and lives in Auckland. He is moving to Australia and selling the car here rather than taking it with him. Let's get the warts out of the way. The dash is cracked, the air conditioning is shot, there are some seal issues, and some floor pan rust is starting to creep in. The interior was changed at some point from the original houndstooth to full leather due to wear and tear - it's in good condition, but it's not original. Original 15" basket weaves had cracked and were disposed of some 10-12years ago instead of being repaired/reconditioned - it is currently fitted with after- market Bayern wheels. Paintwork is reasonable with some fairly minor wear and tear. There was a respray 6 or so years ago. At some point it was involved in a minor accident and required a new front skirt. The repairer couldn’t source an original part, so a later piece was fitted. No other major work has ever been required. WoF expired in September last year; rego expired in December 2022. I have advised the owner that he should at least put the rego on hold but that back-rego will be due when that is done. Pics attached. If there is anything in particular that anyone interested would like to see, please let me know. Pricing is tricky. Truly excellent examples of the facelift E30 M325i has listed at $50k or more, but prices have come back a bit since then. The PFL cars are rarer, but this one does need work to return it to excellent, original condition. The owner has had some quoting done and estimates $12k or so to get this car to where it should be. I'll pitch this at $30k but will discuss further with the owner.

Good old shopping cart blowout, happens every time I don't think the injector & distributor O-rings usually go bad, they're not exposed to direct oil or particularly high temperatures, but then again they're fairly cheap and you might as well I guess. I changed them on mine but that was part of an engine rebuild and not much was left untouched by the end of it. You could take the injectors to a machine shop and have them professionally cleaned & flow tested whilst they're out, usually costs about $15/each but that's an extra optional step. Another cheap item to replace is the oil dipstick seal/O-ring where it goes into the oil pan - common source of leaks and the dipstick gets in the way when removing the manifold and will need to come out anyway. Other stuff - give the throttle body and idle control valve a good clean whilst they're out. Lube up the ICV a bit before putting it back on - good writeup on how to do it at the bottom of the first post on here. The gaskets for those two might be worth replacing although they don't commonly fail - go for it if they're cheap enough. Check the condition of the DISA valve. The shaft can sometimes break off, there's also a metal pin at the tip of it that can fall down the intake into the combustion chamber and grenade the engine. Haven't seen that happen on any of the E46's I've had but the risk is there. There's rebuild kits out there but that's probably a separate mission (if you end up going that route eventually, be careful to get the right kit as they're different between 2.5L & 3.0L engines and some suppliers don't specify which one it's for). At minimum, replace the DISA O-ring - there is no factory replacement available, the original seal is molded into the body of it, you'll have to cut the old orange one out and get a generic O-ring as a replacement. I got mine from Seal Innovations but whatever O-ring supplier you've got locally should be able to help. Potentially replace the intake boots if they're showing signs of aging, another common source of vacuum leaks. And then give the MAF a clean with the special spray. But yeah, as you say it is a whole rabbit hole you can go down and it can snowball real easily. Just depends on how far you want to take it really. Edit: Can't say much on the 02 Pilot mod, sorry. My old M54B25 did start having oil consumption issues but I went down the engine swap & rebuild route instead.

I have dreamed about building a 330Ti for years as a more daily alternative to my E46 M3. Ever since I bought my first E46 I have always loved the compact and have quietly planned a project like this but most NZ compacts are shopping trolly spec and aren't worth building into something special. I have almost bought a few different compacts over the past year or two with this project in mind but the timing was never right and I really wanted a unique spec... When this 318Ti came up for sale in this spec I bought it within hours of it being listed and picked it up the next day, perfect base to become my dream 330Ti. No, the front end is not going to get changed, I love the bug eyes. Rare in alpine white, alcantara laser cloth interior, black m cube trim, no sunroof, factory xenons (rare on NZ compacts), all the msport kit, I put the style 216Ms on it but they'll get new tyres. It will get all of the 330 bits, brakes, diff, axles, along with the engine and a ZF 5 speed gearbox. Not sure how much of the process I will document since I'm looking forward to enjoying the build and having something to tinker on in the evenings again but I'll try take some photos along the way and post them up. The day after I bought the compact I got a fortune cookie with some dumplings and this was the note inside. Seems to be a good omen from the universe.

Some say it's never to late to start a project thread, so here I am after 5 years of ownership starting the story of the constant woes and joy my E46 has given me. Returned from overseas travel and needed a new daily that wasn't just a bog standard corolla for A to B. Previous flat mates had a few BMWs and sold me on how nice they were to drive and how easy they are to work on. Found this delicious M sport sedan on the trademe, gave it a once over and purchased it. The car had roughly 183k km when I bought it. Previous owner/s had a few receipts and the person I bought it off, had the car 'stolen' from their driveway whilst it was idling for a joy ride. So had a new wheel or two, new front bumper and some of the cooling system. Previous receipts I found in the glove box: Window regulator - 2012 Water pump - 2013 Thermostat - 2013 Idler pulley - 2013 Oil filter housing gasket - 2017 VANOS Oil line - 2017. After working on an old holden commodore with not the greatest online parts stores, I was shown FCP Euro and all of its delicious goodies. So I got straight into it with some standard servicing parts; Cabin air filter, Engine air filter, Spark plugs, Engine mounts, Power steering reservoir. Did some daily driving and enjoyed the awesome ride quality of a BMW and the M Sport suspension. Enjoyed the COVID lockdown living at my BMW friends house and got lost done. Went on another shopping spree; Fuel filter, front brake rotors and pads, VANOS rebuild kit, VANOS oil feed line, Trans filter and fluid, Water pump, Thermostat, Coolant hoses, Coolant expansion tank, Rocker cover gasket. Continued enjoying BMW ownership. Had a few little issues with a rough idle and the car stalling infrequently. Cleaned out the idle control valve and inspected the intake pipes. Found one with a crack so got a new one from pick a part. Issue seemed to be resolved. Continued to be a nice daily driver. Could feel the front left getting noisy and failed on a front ball joint. Sourced new front control arms and got to work replacing them. Tricky job but doable with right tools and a few swings on the mini sledge hammer. I only managed to get one done before I had to pack up my house and move to Blenheim / Picton. Oil level sensor had been on the fritz for a while and the F connector on the intake pipe snapped so I made a 3d printed one that did the job until my latest parts order could arrive; Air intake pipes and F connector, Fuel pump, Bosch Ignition coils, Spark plugs, Oil level sensor. I have been constantly chasing lean engine codes bank 1 and 2 on this car for years. Slowly trying to find all vacuum leaks as they seem the most likely culprit after reading lots of E46 forum posts. I noticed my DISA seal was very square, so measured it up and found an O-ring to fit. But now the car will not idle when cold. It dies after 1 second unless you give it throttle. And when it does start revving low and trying to stall it makes one or 2 loud clunks. If i hold some throttle on and manage to get out the driveway and on the move it will accelerate and cruise with no issue and when I reach work it will idle with a slight roughness. Have yet to find time to investigate but will check the idle control valve and have a hunt around the vacuum lines when I do. Next step I'm thinking all new CCV pipes etc and possibly intake manifold off, hidden coolant hoses and new intake manifold gaskets. Also add to the list a left rear wheel bearing which has suddenly become very noisy. I have ordered bearings and begun to create a list of tools required for the job.

I have TWO ( I know, I know ) F10 535D’s The first, FROG, is a 2010 with 245 kms ; we purchased this with 150km on it, we’ve had it about 4-5 years . It was remapped about 1 year into ownership. Pre re-map mileage was approx 6.4 l/100km on my regular commute ( 35 minutes, mostly open road); post map long term mileaage ( more than a year between re-sets ) is dependably 7.2 l/100km The second, GECKO, is a recent arrival – a 2011 that’s delivering 8 l /100ml and has NOT been remapped I am unsure why the base economy between the 2 cars, same model, 1 year apart, varies from FROG’s pre-remap of mid 6’s to GECKO’s not remapped 8. Almost exclusively the same driver ( me ) and same routes Any ideas ? Garry

Whilst it is quite un-BMW to change anything once it has been defined, I think that is the case here. I think both options 311 and 333 have been re-purposed over time. In this instance it is the option code 333 that is the most interesting. From looking at VIN decodes on older BMWs previously I think that code 333 used to be the “M Packet” or “M Sport Package” option which is key to the authenticity of a “genuine” M325i or M-Sport car. This has now been changed to code 337 for current M-Sport cars. The other point of interest is the anthracite headliner, which isn’t listed seperately (option code 775) and so has been included as part of a “packet” option that is a number of options grouped together.

https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-4177927327.htm @Jacko Car is in Mt. Eden

Gday all. I am looking to get back into a BMW and am interested on one For Sale in Auckland. Problem is I am based in the South Island. Are there any knowledgeable forum members who would take a look for me - for a fee of course! Keen to get an unbiased look over it. It’s an e87 130i. Cheers Dave

That kit wouldn't be the original it came with, being PreFL it would have Tech1 (like the skirts / spoiler). The rear bumper is either modified or a fiberglass rep to fit PreFL rear arches (Tech2 bumper is longer).

I've seen that on several M325i decodes. I suspect it is a case of mistransposition of details, or BMW having changed the use of an option code at some point.

Interesting car. To those ITK it looks kinda weird with the Tech II front and rear bumpers on a PFL. Most non-BMW rivet counters probably wouldn’t think anything of it though. Something weird going on with the VIN decode though - three sets of wheels on one car..??

FSH, very low running costs, always garaged, never seen a wet road...

Thanks for the advice. Sounds like I will have to find a quiet weekend and get the manifold off. I had a look on RealOEM at the diagram and ended up down a rabbit hole with a huge shopping cart of things. What parts would you recommend as a minimum? #6 & #8 coolant pipes, Intake manifold gasket. - Are things like fuel injector o-rings and o-rings for the air distribution manifold something I should also consider? Also does anyone have experience with the 02 Pilot mod or similar with M54s ?

Maybe this one is more suited to the budget perhaps cheapest E30 on trademe 🙂 https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace/toys-models/die-casts/corgi/listing/4287582913

A classic status would be good but the whole 6\12 month WOF was always a load of crap, aged very poorly too. They should of extended it or just kept it the same. 2000-2010 era cars are the worse for WOF failures in my experience, cheapish to buy and have 12 month WOF, people drive them no cares given to the next WOF and end up with big list. Pre '00 are better as they tend to be looked after more\still on the road and get the 6 month checks.

Did a smoke test with the home made setup. Worked well but might need a higher resistance wire or some more patience as I set the oil on fire. Found a lot of smoke coming from under the intake manifold so I have ordered a full CCV kit. Need to determine if I will take the intake manifold or do the reach around. Also the breather hose to the rocker cover so had to make do with a coolant line to keep it going. Also got sick of the loud rear left wheel bearing so tackled that job. Once you have all the tools its not a bad job, just a pain that it is the left one and you have to get the exhaust makes access tricky. But totally worth the effort to have a lot less road noise now. Still idles horribly at times so will investigate further when I tackle the CCV replacement.

Part 2

So I finally got a good finish on the roof, and learnt how to polish something properly finally it seems !! Never really had the hang of it before it seems. I'll likely leave it like it is and then get it re-cleared after summer perhaps so I can be sure there is a good thickness for UV protection. Only thing left to do is reinstall the weather strips now, these will be glued in with polyurethane. It's pretty hard to get a good picture of it in the garage ... will try and get something more fancy in the future.

General Bla I've been researching whats required to do a carbon roof on the E46 coupe and might document here in case others want to follow the same path including the required LVVTA certification etc. One or two might think this is over capitalising somewhat on the ex 318 so will also document my reasoning 🧐 Got sunroof, don't want sunroof Weight savings (mostly in the sunroof delete) Want black interior so would need to do a new head liner anyhoo ... yes, the tail wags the dog It's within the realm of the DIY'er Have the opportunity to help manufacture the roof itself via vacuum infusion Just looks cool !!! On Certification I'm always keen to do things properly so I got in touch with the LVVTA to see if there is any certification interest in replacing the skin. As there is no definitive information for this procedure they took it to their Technical Working Group (TWG) for consideration. After a bit of back and forth the below statement was arrived at which provides the framework for doing the job. "Based on the information provided, assuming that the procedure involves removing only the sunroof cassette and single layer of roof skin, that any spot-welded areas (particularly along the roof seams and apron areas) are either unaltered or restored to OEM specification using a compatible repair process, that the central roof bow is attached in a way that replicates the OE method of attachment, TWG are happy with the principle of this idea. However, the final approval must come from an LVV Certifier, and in addition to the above, they must be satisfied that the structure of the vehicle has not been altered by this modification beyond a safe tolerance of OE. They must also be satisfied that the bonding agents used to reattach the new roof skin are appropriate for the intended use." I've been in touch with my certifier and he has outlined the inspections he would need for this: After the steel skin has been removed and the hood bow fitted After the new roof goes on but before glass installed Once everything is completed The Process There are many videos on YouTube of people doing the procedure, some of the better ones are linked below. Showing the roof skin being a single layer coming off the structural members: https://youtu.be/GhTOA7Cl9fk?t=140 Showing a bit more of the overall process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmC-gooNM0M The official procedure from BMW for replacement of the M3 CSL roof can be found here, which will be the process of installation for me: https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e46-m3-csl-cou/repair-manuals/41-body/41-31-roof/4K9opCv What Next Need final confirmation the mold is indeed to suit the E46 coupe then I need to locate some spare cash. May take a little while until the next update but that's where things are at currently.

Got the seam sealer in and I await the certifier to come and take a look again before i can start to put things back together. Will be installing wiring before the head liner goes in for a dash cam also.

Love to see the DIY solutions !! Great concept you put together there @Karter16 👍 I got my creation complete today, just need to buy some dowel in case I need to get more travel out of mine after the gooping starts.

Got to confirm its for the right model car at last 😃 Hopefully the window moldings come up onto the roof slightly to hide the most noticeable pieces of deep resin, else might run a small strip of black vinyl perhaps ... will see when we get there but safe to say its going to look pretty sweet !! I can see why people might go with a plain 1x1 weave as the twill is fairly intense ... then again so is all the sh*t in the garage at the moment !! All back together with some light window tinting and it should look mean.

Still waiting for the roof bow (maybe another week) but some progress on the roof itself !! A little pictorial tour below ... The roof as it came out of the mold after rough trimming, 2.5kg 😍 There are a few imperfections (small air pockets on the corner ridges and resin build up where the fabric has not gotten right into the tight corner) but overall its pretty awesome !! Just a nice glamour shot during wet sanding, who doesn't like carbon !! Basic setup for spraying ready to go The setup at NZ Fibreglass in the booth. The item at the back is roof #1 from the mold; mine with the sanded finish ready to clear. 3 Coats of Upol clear coat on ... my first time spraying anything critical, and with a proper gun. Pretty happy with the result but an obvious orange peel going on. Will let it harden fully from here then sand it back flat and give it another two or three coats ... if we can't get it perfect off the gun (highly likely) we'll then safely have enough material to sand flat and buff to beauty.

Have not seen it in the flesh yet but its out of the mold and looking good

Went with the machinery house option as from experience with the basic riveting tool it can be tricky to apply force and have the rivet/nut stay properly seated.

Something like this? That's a good idea.

@lord_jagganath Their best tune IMO

I mean, Oasis -Supersonic, I need to be myself I can't be no-one else I'm feeling supersonic, give me gin and tonic You can have it all, but how much do you want it? You make me laugh Give me your autograph Can I ride with you in your BMW? You can sail with me in my yellow submarine [Pre-Chorus 1] You need to find out 'Cause no-one's gonna tell you what I'm on about You need to find a way for what you want to say But before tomorrow [Chorus] 'Cause my friend said he'd take you home He sits in a corner all alone He lives under a waterfall Nobody can see him Nobody can ever hear him call Nobody can ever hear him call [Verse 2] You need to be yourself You can't be no-one else I know a girl called Elsa, she's into Alka-Seltzer She sniffs it through a cane on a supersonic train And she makes me laugh I got her autograph She done it with a doctor on a helicopter She's sniffing in a tissue selling the Big Issue [Pre-Chorus 2] When she finds out No-one's gonna tell her what I'm on about You need to find a way for what you want to say But before tomorrow [Chorus] 'Cause my friend said he'd take you home He sits in a corner all alone He lives under a waterfall Nobody can see him Nobody can ever hear him call Nobody can ever hear him call

Haven’t been able to do too much lately but probably worth updating where I’m stuck on as I’m planning to strip it down soon as well. Main issue at the moment has been the overheating when idling too long. Got some help figuring out if the fan actually spun if it had power. It definitely works so will just need to make a manual switch temporarily until I get a bigger one as this fan is tiny! Unfortunately, I didn’t grab any materials before level 4 so stuck with nothing at the moment. Just like an animal that’s been rescued, this little beast needed a bit of cleaning. I made the mistake of not taking photos of how bad the state of the car had been. While photos from far away looks good. It looked like it literally hadn’t been cleaned in years. So just think mould/mildew/moss in every crevice and a lot of random (?) stains on the outside. Managed to coax the sister to help out with the reward of washing her car too. After a lot of scrubbing, blasting with a garden hose, and soap, we managed to get pretty much all of what we can reach. But wasn’t happy with the water stains and some mild oxidation of the paint so decided to give it a polish while we’re there. A lot of polish and elbow grease later and she’s brighter than most people’s future. Very satisfying.

Good luck with the smoke! Whats the wiring issue? Something swap related? What are these seats like, I remember it having some buckets? I think Dark green would look better as Tech 1.

I got mine from FCPEuro in the states. Super fast shipping with reasonable rates (them sending to me directly was cheaper than using NZPost Youshop). Parts arrived in 3 days. If you're doing the work yourself I strongly recommend that you get the magnetic spark plug socket from BMS. I did it with one I got off FCP Euro with my plugs and regret it - the rubber ring that the cheaper ones use to grip the plug is far too snug and the socket ends up stuck to the plug, meaning you can't pull it off via the extension. Ended up having to carefully pull the socket off each plug with a pair of really long pliers. I've just ordered the magnetic one myself (for the next time I need it) - having it sent to Youshop to forward to me as their rates are ridiculous. Every part (including wear items like plugs and coils) from them also comes with a lifetime warranty. @Tij I got a quote for a walnut blast too, but given my car is fairly low mileage they suggested that I just wait until I have 60-70,000km on it beforehand. If you're above that, from everything I've read on other forums it sounds like it would definitely be worthwhile. I'll let you know how I get on ?

Most say you shouldn't mix passion and hobby with business as you will soon get tired of the hobby and lose the passion - Ray is a true exception to this rule. Very rare to find true enthusiasts in the business who are out to look after other enthusiasts. I only wished he wasn't based so far away from where I am!!!