Leaderboard

Hi All, I have recently purchased my first BMW, a 2000 BMW 318i with a 5 speed manual gearbox. I have come from owning a 2004 R50 Mini which was my first car, and I am loving my new (to me) BMW. I haven't done much to it yet, just basic servicing and maintenance. I also tidied up the exterior with a decent polish and some European sized plates. I can't wait to get stuck into my BMW and make it the most perfect factory base model E46 in existence, or at least that's the plan anyway. No doubt I will be on this forum a lot, so I cant wait to learn all I can about these BMWs.

There was another diamondschwartz import manual one the E34 facebook group recently which i think sold for 12k asking My valuation would be 20-25k in this market based on the info. A similar 540is to this sold for 18k pre-covid.

There's a wee coding mod you can do to make the temperature gauge more accurate. Removes the buffer and gives a way earlier indication in case of something going wrong. Happy to help with that, takes all of 5 minutes. That's assuming it's got an OBD2 port and not the old style round one under the hood?

Way more reliable engine than anything in a mini. Highly recommend replacing the 2x plastic coolant fittings for cheap overheating insurance if not done already - one at the back of head and one under the manifold. p\n 11531709232 & 11531708808. Usually do the PCV\water hose and pcv valve at the same time as its all connected - p\n 11157501567 & 11151743386. Water pump and coolant expansion tank bottle if not done are also good preventative measures, along with the thermostat which are usually bad (run cold) Temp gauge is buffered so you wont be able to tell from that, so you need a scan tool with live data or unlock the instrument cluster to display coolant temperature (google it) Thermostats are usually bad and run cool and DISA valve diaphragms are usually worn causing some power loss. You can get the diaphragms on ebay and its only usually the smaller one that goes bad. O2 sensor for good maintenance. Belt pulley tensioner bearings can get worn over time.

Nice one, looks a great purchase! Think I've seen it up for sale a wee while ago. Will make an awesome daily being manual and having the older, less problematic 4-cylinder. E46's are awesome to tinker on, should serve you well. I reckon it'd look great on some Style 68 wheels, make it a bit more sporty whilst still keeping it looking original and period correct. Keen to see what you do to it. Just please don't go sticking all sorts of Aliexpress M-stripe trash all over it hahah

There was an E34 M5 for sale recently for about the same price iirc. I do love the e34 540i, I'd like to own one at some point.

Been on the market for awhile now, started at ~35k iirc. Looks nice but probably still on mostly original parts. 3 or 4 E34 540i6's for sale atm

Very pretty! Not sure I could live with that interior... I'd be constantly checking for marks!

Finished the usb c mount . Cut up part of the trim that came with the adapter and made an insert out of it. Didnt like my chances of cutting a countersunk rectangle into the aux / usb trim. I did find that in that position the usb c plus HSB cable was hard up against the hand brake bracket. Swapped the positions of the adapters around as the old usb / aux doesnt need the same depth. Thinking I’ll stop with this combo and not install a hub for third USB port off idrive. Wiring wise need to sort a BMW HSD cable and will connect to the USB connection point feeding the snap in adapter. Need to make up a small loom for the fast charging connector on the usb c . Needs a 12volt Ve+ from terminal 30b , a ground connection and a interior light feed extended from the armrest bunker light.