Leaderboard

Hi everyone!! Have just bought my first BMW.. it's a 2009 M3 which I'm loving! I've come from owning a Audi A3 and a Golf over the last few years and definitely loving the M3 more! Hope to learn more about the car and the community!

Money pit is a pretty subjective term. All old cars are money pits if you start to change old parts to refresh\restore them to a near new driving experience and condition. Doing the bare minimum for servicing and WOF requirements may or may not be depending on the condition of car, how its been used, service history and luck. No real information or photos so hard to say much. Japanese imports of this era arent as good as NZ new equivalent (possibly Jatco transmission(jerky gear change issues), IR remote instead of RF, maybe extra emissions gear, no euro trims, little to no service history etc M52 engines are fairly solid and cheapish to repair but usually lots of aged plastics and rubber that can fail. ZF's transmissions last if they have been serviced at some point. Tired suspension is big cost on these but you can things like random electrical failures like ABS modules which can get expensive to fix. Interiors are usually failing to varying degrees, A\C buttons, dash pixels, headlining, rubber seals, wear of seats etc. For a daily driver i dont see the point unless you want to carry passengers in comfort. Be better off with E46 6 cylinder, much cheaper to run\fix and generally less to go wrong. Even a E39 5 series which still has decent space but lighter and more examples to choose from. If you do end up locking something in then get a pre-purchase check by someone who is familiar with the model before you hand over money.

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.

Hey everyone I was told to come here from Reddit, I'm considering buying a 7 series BMW and would love some input from those who might have experience with this car or know more about it. Here are the details: Make and Model: BMW E38 728i Year: 2001 Mileage: 166,000ks Price: $6,500 Condition: Cant really tell from the photos but seller is a car guy so assuming he know whats he's doing Usage: Wanting to use it from daily driving and driving from Hamilton to Auckland occasionally I've done some research and found that the engine (M52B28) is known for being fairly reliable compared to the V8/V12s. However, I'm still on the fence as I'm not wanting to it to be a money pit. Would appreciate any firsthand experiences or advice. Plate is DGC277 if anyone wants to carjam it. I have linked to reddit thread if anyone want to see Are there any common issues I should be aware of? How's the reliability and maintenance cost? Is the price reasonable for the condition and mileage? Any alternatives you would recommend? Thanks in advance for your help!

Just been looking at your e61 M5 thread and realised that I took a couple of photos of this car back in Feb 2021 in Christchurch. Prior to your ownership, I think… Epic wagon! Great colour!

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)

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"

That's a mega improvement! Looks like I'm adding that to the August project pile.

https://www.bimmer-service.com/bmw-5-e60/bmw-e60-wiring-diagrams/ The PDF's are safe. The complete zip is about 2GB

https://bmwtechinfo.bmwgroup.com/tech_training_manual/ST505 E60 M5 Complete Vehicle.pdf Page 87 onwards

House looks like it's in the south of France and the neighbouring car looks like LHD ... are you our first AI forum member ? 🤣