Leaderboard

While waiting for the M5 to come back from BMWorkshop I finally managed to finish a side project of mine (one of countless). About 12 months ago I bought a flood damaged set of NZ made Image 414 tower speakers, they were absolutely fubar'd and realistically I should have just left them with the seller and kept the money in my pocket but they were very cheap. I managed to dry out the cabinets, glue, clamp, get everything square again and remake part of the base plates - saving $750 on those alone. A lot of careful sanding so I didn't go through the veneer and a pile of water based polyurethane and more sanding later they started to come together. Unfortunately I couldn't get the water damage out of the front veneer to a point that I was happy with it hence the harlequin wrap that I applied, I'm sure there will be as many who like the finish as those who hate it. Two of the drivers needed to have the rubbers replaced, being odd size Israeli Morel drivers it took some time to get aftermarket replacements. All up they owe me about $400, Image Speakers still sell the 414.1 for close to 10x that price dependent on spec. I'm pretty happy with the result and now have a set of office speakers.

Bahaha ... I've got a Disco 3, an old VW and just bought an old 135i ... What could possibly go wrong!

So can confirm this is a fairly good system ... i have only gone over things once at this stage. When i actually got to starting it really looks like it's been sand blasted in the front and needs a repaint at some point. However ... it has transformed the general 'tidyness' from a few metres back for sure and the quality of the job will be directly related to the amount of time you put into it for multiple applications etc. For every big one you can see in the photo below there are about ten small ones !!

Been getting into cars last few years and have wanted a MK7 GTI for awhile, but all of a sudden I want the urge to get a 130i. I have never done maintenance on my own car (1.5 Subie), however have always been strict with services and cleaning. I’m wondering if I will be biting off more than I can chew buying an old bmw? I’ve owned slow cars all my life but after test driving a fast one it’s got me.

I have just purchased a pretty high km E90 M3. Pretty sure I'll be on here quite a bit getting advice on fixing it up. Rod bearings will be ordered soon, I'm going to diy the job at home.

Having a 130 and a Mk3 Octavia VRS (essentially the same as a Mk7 GTI), can categorically say the BMW is cheaper and easier to service. Parts are cheaper, less things break, and N52B30 is very very DIY documented. 130 is also much better built, and stock is significantly faster. The only real area that the VW product is substantially much better is if you were looking at an Auto 130, the VW DSG is WAY superior... if most of your driving is sitting in Auckland traffic a DSG golf is a good option to consider, otherwise 130. Dont worry about PreLCI or LCI (silver Vs black top N52s), the black top rocker covers are plastic and crack (and have integrated CCV), the silver top rocker covers are magnesium and corrode (and have external CCV). Both sh*t emselves in different ways and both will have oil leaks. Power outputs are identical, black tops are cheaper to make and hit the newer emission standards easier. Buy on manual Vs auto, service history (beyond the BMW minimums) and condition, then options, then k's (in that order)

Mr12volt make conversation boxes for E9x models, or you could try your luck with an Ali express box. I did that with my Audi A6 and it's ok, navigation is a bit of a pain without a touch screen and the sound quality is not amazing.

The good thing about the BimmerUtility app is when you add something to the FA, it will determine the FDL changes for that option. - so it won’t VO code a unit. This is great for custom coding as it won’t reset all the tweaks you’ve worked on or “non Standard” configurations.. as I’m a big believer in Murphys Law, I always make a FDL backup of the modules before coding, just in case it turns to custard! ( the app will tell you the modules that will be coded before you click yes or no). but, yes you will need the FSC for kafas2 either way.. have you priced an OEM code?

Masochist : a person who enjoys an activity that appears to be painful or tedious. "I've got a Disco 3, an old VW and just bought an old 135i"

I just did the speed limit emulator thing.. works a treat.. https://a.aliexpress.com/_mqwtEyY use BimmerUtility to add 8TH to the FA, and it will “smart FDL code” the kombi and hu

I don’t need it 😀 , but one of those, why doesn’t that work anymore problems to solve. It’s a bit like Speed Limit Information on the dash. I don’t have it so have become target fixated to code it.

I've seen these cheaper overseas. But this is the sort of item you are after. https://www.audiocity.co.nz/bmw-apple-carplay-android-auto-retrofit/bmw-3-series-apple-carplay-android-auto-upgrade-2012-2015.html

Ebay can be good for rare trim bits that are hard to get here.

Yes you need to pay a one off $50 for the 'HD Auto' membership. The induction is essentially taking a drive around the club circuit with one of the staff (4 of us in the ute plus staffer) then they observe you for two sessions to 'sign off' that you're not a complete liability. At that point you can book the national circuit for any subsequent dates. You only need all of the gear if you have a roll cage etc ... street car with diagonal belt is fireproof overalls, helmet and covered shoes only. Unsure on the international circuit tbh, i think it's relatively uncommon ... likely another level (cost) of staff / safety for them to put on and it would remove the ability to run the two independent circuit model so they'd be excluding a lot of people I guess 🤷‍♂️

+10 hsprs - thanks @E30 325i Rag-Top

I took a small, and carefully controlled amount of flame to the buttons on the front seat belt latches today. First up - please note that this process works to remove white oxidation and restore the red colour, but it will not work if the surface of the plastic has degraded too far. do not do this if you have any breakdown of the surface of the button. To begin with I carefully cleaned the surface of the button. If you're going to heat up the surface of the plastic you do NOT want any dirt, skin oils, grime, etc. to be on the button. To ensure that I cleaned this well I used a small piece of magic eraser (note that magic eraser is abrasive and wouldn't normally be recommended on car surfaces, however in this case because we're effectively resurfacing the button the slight abrasion doesn't matter and helps make sure that all the dirt is removed). For the cleaning step I used the magic eraser with warm water with dish soap in it and gave the button a good scrub (be careful to not let water get down into the latch), making sure I worked carefully around the raised "PRESS" letters. I then rinsed off the remaining soap with several rounds of clean water, before carefully drying the button with paper towel. I then left it a few minutes to ensure all moisture on the surface of the button had evaporated. Next step is to carefully use aluminium foil to shield the rest of the latch. I was very careful to make sure that the foil wasn't touching the button surface as we don't want to be accidentally bonding things to other things that they shouldn't be. I then used a towel to shield the wider area. This resulted in something that looked like this: The next step is to apply the fire. Firstly, ensure that you take all normal precautions around the use of fire. Secondly, make sure that your fire is clean burning. I used one of these because no matter how long I had a go at a piece of tin foil I could not get it to leave any carbon residue. If your preferred fire source leaves any carbon residue (black soot) at all, do not use it. I did not take photos of applying the fire. My advice is to go slow and carefully get closer with the flame jet until you see the surface change. I made sure to keep the jet moving the entire time and I took several breaks to ensure that I didn't get any part of the surface too hot. You do not want to end up applying too much heat in one place for too long and causing bubbling or smoking, you want just enough for as short a time as possible to get the surface to glass up. By being careful and going slow I was able to get a perfect result with no mistakes, it's a straightforward process so long as you carefully prepare and take your time. Hopefully it goes without saying to not touch the button or the foil for some minutes until the plastic has cooled. I'm very happy with the end result: And the passenger side: I don't need to do the rear seats as they already look perfect, so this job is done!

So Grey Thunder has been languishing in the garage for a couple of years... I've pulled it out infrequently to run it up to temp, give it a splash of sunshine, a gentle wipe-over with detailing mist when the dustcover comes off. It's dry and undercover, just waiting for it's time for the project to re-commence. I've been picking away at the parts list. Bits sourced and added to the stash: Brand new Mahle/Behr heater matrix to replace the used one we put in back in 2019. Luckily I took a pic of the part number at the time! Internal plastic weathershielding for behind the door panels. Sourced all the seals & bearings, (pinion and output), to rebuild the 4.10 small case diff for the M42 swap. I already have a diff housing gasket, drain and fill plugs, and a Coreteco diff mount (my last - they're no longer made - I think the only aftermarket one that's sold now that's similar to OEM is the Moog item). Sourced all cooling system hoses for the M42B18 (not just the big ones, all the ancilliaries too) Spare e30 window winder (can't believe they've nearly doubled in price since I last bought one) - now USD61.99 New DME and Fuel Pump relays Got a Barina/Corsa steering linkage - still needs to visit a driveshaft specialist. New e46 rack inners, to replace the used ones and go with the new e36 outers on the Purple Tag rack. Antother rack bellows kit to replace the ones I used on my e46. I finally put a BMW Car Club sticker on it. Next steps... it's time to get out the Right Hand Drive 318iS loom and clean it, perhaps replace the tessa tape. Certainly clean all of the contacts. And I'll clean off the 4.10 diff and take it up to Begley Motor Works for a rebuild in a month or so. Blue Thunder on Ori Bay - winter 2023?

Like many of you here, I have owned many BMW’s- mostly coupes because I have always loved BMW’s designs. However, the E31 got more attention than any other car I have owned. With the body-kit and right wheels- it’s a fantastic looking vehicle.