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Slapped in a set of front pads. Nothing fancy but better than what was in there. Also got some 7.6Kg BBS RK001’s in 17x8 et35 flavour. Might be a touch too much tyre so will try 225/45/17.

Weird the original link doesn’t work but it’s still on there..? If only it wasn’t a cabrio, I’m seriously hankering after an E46 M3. I already have the wind in hair itch scratched. Any vehicle will start to corrode from the day it is born, even the electro-phorretic coating for BIW doesn’t get into every cavity, especially around spot welds. The bright zinc passivate finish on the fixing hardware under the vehicle doesn’t last too well in some UK conditions, but those are easy to replace if you are so inclined. Being a cab, with less than daily usage miles, this could well be in better than average condition if it’s been used mostly for sunny summer days, as they put salt on the roads in UK in winter. That’s why Land Rovers have a nice covering of oil on the underside. Looking at how generally clean the engine bay is, just wondering if the oxodisation around the oil filter, etc has come from the result of a “steam clean” with harsh additives to meet a MAF certificate requirement?

https://www.trademe.co.nz/5438639529 Still listed

Meaty rubber + big brakes + small wheels = win.

It had visible rust. It's an "extent" thing, it wouldn't get compliance if the current amount of rust compromises the vehicle, I'm sure. But rust grows and something that might be okay now won't necessarily be the same in 10 years, we all know that. I'm also not convinced that import compliance checks can actually see everything, for example you'd need to take the arch liners out of every car and I bet they don't do that. The visible deterioration of the M3 in question would be obvious to even a casual observer, that might be fine for some prospective M3 owners but most wouldn't accept that state, or future risk, and it will never, ever, be a "mint" car without a full (and likely uneconomic) restoration. It was priced to reflect that so kudos to the seller, they obviously see (literally) the problem. By way of comparison, my M3, which is 8 years older than this E46, has no visible signs of corrosion. At all. And it was a daily for 15 odd years. This is the standard I apply if anyone asks about the condition or perceptions of an M car, because I'm assuming they're enthusiasts with high standards. If other people have lower standards than that, fine, I don't care, but if they ask for my opinion that's what they'll get. I turned down a UK M2C because of exactly this, and it was way better than this M3. I'm glad I did because otherwise, every time I looked at the engine bay, I would see "compromise". These cars are not built of Cor-Ten, they're not meant to rust. This is an endemic problem with UK cars and UK car enthusiasts, or at least those without their heads in the sand, accept and acknowledge this every day across forums and socials. YMMV.

It won't get through compliance with rust, they're pretty bloody picky about that.

Yep, looks like it's gone. The fact that it's from the UK means you must consider rust. The fact that you could actually see corrosion and rust at the top of the engine bay confirms it has rust, just like most UK imports. The strut tower bolts were clearly rusty. Where there's smoke there's fire.

No, it MUST be rusty because it’s from the UK and the internet says so. 🙈 Don’t let the fact that it has just been complied (and compliance officers are very hot on corrosion at the moment) fool you! 🤔

Not going the S54 route anymore? Or did you loose your lotto ticket to afford the damn thing!

Interior back together, skanky to swanky conversion complete inside. Rear wiper is trashed, the usual issue, $40 on aliexpress for a new one Now the real sh*t starts, looking forward to sorting the headlights out will look way better when polished up. Yup, and the all belts and tensioner... things been leaking for so long everythings just soaked in oil

Interior carpets cleaned, made some f**ken disgusting coffee.... the good news is its starting to smell less skanky. Waterblasted all the interior mats and they changed colour. Got the headliner professionally redone, dirt cheap if I pulled it out and reinstalled it - Jimmy (aucklandautoupholstery at gmail.com) out at Ardmore is the absolute boss. Drivers door speaker was blown, 0 ohms, so easy fix there. Starting to go back together at least on the inside. Have all the parts to start doing the real work, short of set of B4 Bilstein's. Sump gasket kit Trans service kit Rocker gasket kit Engine mounts Power steering line mounts Headlight level sensor Oilcooler gaskets New plugs All the filters as they are all nasty. Also ordered an ACS replica spoiler and some ACS1 decals... will get some fresh tyres for the ACS Type IVs, because eurotrash Should be a nice 130 when done. Still have no idea where coolant was pissing out from, decided the best way is to pull the whole front end off (bumpers all skewed anyway) and pull the cooling system apart and put it back together will make for better access to everything else anyway. The radiator and all the lines are new, so best guess is something just isn't together correctly or an O ring is missing or something dumb like that.

Hey guys Recently picked up this 130i which I'm sure you will likely recognize. Seriously awesome car and I couldn't be happier with it, major props to Dave for it putting together! Am on the hunt for some cool genuine parts which I will make a post for at some point. Love all things Honda and BMW, I've attached some photos of my other cars. Excited for the future of this mighty 130i 😁

Yesterday I got the tires fitted to the ARC-8's and today I put them on the car and went for a test drive. It will surprise no one that this setup is a huge improvement over 19s with old RE050A's. The first few minutes of driving were weird, it felt like I'd lost a bunch of road sensation and it took a few minutes to realize it was just harshness and unhelpful noise that was missing. All the useful feel of the car and the road through the seat and wheel was still there, it was just a quieter smoother ride with much less of the unnecessary hum, buzz, fizz, whatever you want to call it. As soon as I realised I could still read the road as before I settled in and started comparing the difference. I can't talk to how the Potenza Sports compare to the PS4Ss, but compared to old RE050A's they are very significantly quieter, I first noticed this by noticing that the CSL intake sounded louder! 18inch wheels are clearly what this car was designed for and are better than 19s in every way when it comes to ride quality and feel. I'm very happy I opted for the firmer sidewall of the Potenza's over the, softer than PS4S, PS5's. The accuracy and immediacy of handling is still there, significantly improved upon with new sticky tires. I need to give a big shout out to Bry5on for his advice to put 9in wheels up front with the ET42 offset. I'd always been worried about putting anything too wide up front, afraid of ending up with heavy, dull steering, but with pretty much the correct offset and lighter wheels and tires all the precision and immediacy is still there, and when you get on to windy open road the feel of the car with a larger tread patch up front and closer to square setup overall is just superb. On the topic of weight. The combination of lighter wheels and lighter tires means I'm almost 4kg lighter per corner, which (including weight of the rotors) is close to a 14% reduction in rotating mass, and I can really notice the difference. I'm always skeptical of my butt-dyno because I'm always concerned it is excessively influenced by the "wallet factor". But in this case there is no doubt. Acceleration and braking both noticeably benefit, not to mention how much better the car ride and holds to the road with less unsprung mass. In summary, as you would expect, this is a fantastic upgrade in every way. I do want to thank everyone who took their time to give me advice and suggestions on this project. It wasn't one I was planning to do right now, and as a result I had not performed my usual excessive amount of research and preparation well in advance. I'm very grateful to everyone who shared their knowledge and experience to help me arrive at the ideal outcome. Thank you! Like heinzboehmer I've very much missed driving the car while it's been laid up, so like him when I got it back on the road a short test drive turned into a longer one. Only I ended up at a slightly less globally-famous landmark. The Mt Rex sand processing facility in Helensville 😂 Also, it's winter here, it was raining, and the sun was in the wrong place.