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Just some bits and pieces i've done on the car over the last few months. Resprayed all the door / shadow line trim with SEM Trim black 39143, highly recommend this paint for anyone doing the same job, perfect finish for the OEM look. Took out the window regulator / motor and cleaned out the track and regressed and took apart the slightly seised motor, window now moving up and down much faster and smoother. Replaced both driver and passenger door interior and exterior window rubber while I was in there. Ran into an issue getting the door card back on as half the holes had disintegrated and didn't have a solid hole for the clip to sit in, so epoxied some large washers in the place of the original holes and it worked a treat. Very solid mounting point and door card sits firm and flush. Door was cleaned out and the vapor barrier that had mould and rips in it was replaced, I used thick carpet protector plastic that already had the adhesive backing... saw someone do it on some forum somewhere and thought it was a decent way to replicate what was there. Will see how it holds up, gotta be better than nothing. Was battling a pretty major steering issue when turning left, steering was binding very hard. Originally I regretfully put it cheap aftermarket control arms and tie rods when I had the subframe out when I first got the car. Thought this may have been the issue so replaced them with Lemforder as mentioned in a previous post but didn't fix anything. Next I bought a second purple tag rack and installed it thinking it was the rack that was the problem but the issue still persisted. Replaced the power steering pump thinking finally that must be the issue but to no avail. At this point I had replaced basically everything on the subframe so I taped my phone in the engine bay to see if I could see anything funny happening and it turned out to be the exhaust coming into contact with the linkage when the engine leaned over when turning left (yes I have brand new engine mounts in the car). Not sure if that section of my exhaust is aftermarket or not but I couldn't find anything about this happening with others with this fairly common swap (i'm using the slim Barina linkage) so i'm assuming it must be. Ended up heating the exhaust up and tapping in a section for clearance to fix the immediate steering problem. Absolute dream now, finally get to experience the quicker rack and all the other upgrades i've done. Not too fussed with the exhaust being dented in for the time being, will look into an exhaust set up next year sometime. Side note, still trying to pluck up the courage to take seats apart and do the reupholstery... maybe in the next week or two

Selling my genuine 2006 BRABUS Forfour. Yes, this car was done by the people responsible for the B63 S, 900 Rocket, and many other stupidly fast Mercedes products. Only 1284 made globally 4 in NZ (this is the only silver one) 177hp | 230nm Getrag 5 Speed Manual (not a semi auto like most Smarts) 1090kg Drivetrain is from the Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart Version R (and tuned further of course) so is very reliable. Being so light it is very quick and it handles superbly. As some of you may know I have a black one of these. I bought it on a whim and it's ended up being one of my favourite cars I have ever driven. So naturally, about a year ago I found this one at a Turners in Palmerston North and couldn't help myself. I have spent the last year getting it back to it's former glory as best as I can and probably went a little overboard (as enthusiasts tend to do). Recent work includes: New Cambelt & Waterpump New Brake Pads & Rotors New Rocker Cover Gasket Full Set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4 Tyres Refurbished Exhaust Manifold Replaced Boost Solenoid New Shifter Bushing Going through the NZTA open data spread sheet, I can see a total of 4 currently registered in NZ. 3 in "Jack Black" (like my other one) and just 1 in Starlight Silver... THIS ONE. This car gets absolutely no use so would be nice to sell it on to an enthusiast who will enjoy it. Obviously, being a niche car I am not expecting a queue of people wanting to buy it, but would be nice to see it go to someone who appreciates it. Japanese reliability and European refinement in one of the rarest post 2000 hatches... what's not to like? Price: $11K ONO P.S: here is a review Kiwi Car Life did on my black one: (Note: the rattles he talks about are specific to the black car as my boot trim always falls off)

Hi All: Newbie here, just got a 2013 F11 523D Japan Import car, today just use bimmercode to change to NZ radio, thanks for this forum to keep all useful message.

Never been happy with the way this car shifted gears but after perservering with different gearbox oils and knobs I am pleased to say I am now happy. Turns out the final piece to the puzzle was a gen ZHP weighted knob, I am sure I probably have worn bushings in there but it's much much better. Would not have thought a knob would make such a difference. Also if anyone is considering Wipertech blades I can report I am happy with mine.

Buy mine 😊

Find me a nice m325 or a base spec black plates coupe that I can keep original. Maybe I need to let the B3 go

What's the fuel economy, if you stay off the boost? Call it, motorway fuel economy.

Old BMW's are a tough proposition unless you're doing all the work yourself. Even a cheap part like an oil pan gasket will cost 10x of the part itself to replace because of the sheer amount of labor involved. Generally, people that have deep enough pockets to pay to have their BMW's worked on move up to newer models anyway, so as the cars age they either end up with enthusiasts or at wreckers. Honestly, unless you plan on getting on the DIY bandwagon, you're probably best to move it on. Upshot is, the E87 platform belonged to one of the last BMW eras that were generally easy to work on and have heaps of documentation online for any type of job you could ever think to take on, so would be a great platform to start on. But yeah, if you're not that way inclined it's unlikely to make economic sense.

My mechanic said there are two types of people that own European cars… Some continue to throw money at them and some go back to a Japanese after 2 or 3 years. In saying that I need the infamous sump gasket leak fixed at some point as well as some new front pads and rotors (will take recommendations). Thankfully, that’s all that was found for now and sounds like it’s in good condition otherwise. I’ve also heard that you need to go genuine if you don’t want to be fixing the same part again. There’s an eccentric shaft sensor that could be done while the head’s apart - apparently a common thing.

I need to get an E30 to do things like this! Now wheres that one with the Alpina 2.7...