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So as the seller had put it "in the right place at the right time". So over the Easter weekend working out the deal. Picked up this barn yarn find for next to nothing. Amazed at the condition, was going to use as parts for my sedan e34 but now am going to keep this and fix her up. Owner had it parked up for 3years, NZ new 540i touring has had moisture inside so trying to dry it out. surface mold. 170,000ks on the clock from carjam as i haven't started it yet. But yeah very happy with the find.

Sold.

Not too many skills, need more. Watched some youtube, read the manual, did it. Im still working out how Im going to get the gearbox out without dropping it on myself... I have PTSD of dropping my old SC Levins gearbox on my groin.

I actually agree with Olaf - if you're attacking any part of a BMW cooling system it probably pays to do the whole lot whilst you're in there. I don't know if the N52B25 water pump is reliable or not but the older mechanical ones BMW used are guaranteed to fail at some point. An intermittently failing water pump could cause the same symptoms. But that pump is expensive and if it's failing it should be throwing codes. From BMW:

Thought I would chip in here. We got our 535i Touring last week and took it away for the weekend. We managed 800km to the tank and just over 8L/100km. From West Auckland to Huntly it averaged 6.9 These things are super frugal for what they are! Grunty enough but certainly not that quick. Handling with the active steering is great and the ride superb. On the whole it's a perfect family sport wagon.

It's back, I really hope someone restores this and doesn't part it out. https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-1589164500.htm

Not surprised, 2K was a flipping steal.

Skills include temperament to do this type of work lol..

Does it misfire when cold and hot? DISA valves can leak and act up Nothing beats a smoke machine for finding vac leaks

I got the whole shibang, peirburg oem pump, down to the ali bolts and bmw coolants for like $500 from ECS in a kit. Youd be crazy to just change the thermostat, its nearly the same amount of work as changing the pump as well.

Regardless of what it is you'd be stupid not to replace both at the same time on these motors (im assuming there is no record of work done)

Day 4. Bush is a four letter word. So many bushes, takes ages, way worse than subframe bushes. The trailing arm ones in the hub are a bastard, for some reason the ali external clamshell is really soft (brake heat?) And likes to swag its ass all over the place. Peening it all back in and swearing solves it. All the bushes done though. Its downhill from here. Time for a beer.

OK. By adding more things to my order, I was able to reduce the shipping cost. (My brain hurts trying to work that out.) So, all paid, package consolidated, shipped out of the UK, into Auckland airport and... That's it. 6 days (so far) 'Held for clearance'. Whatever you do when ordering something from overseas, don't make it time-sensitive, and don't pay extra for expedited delivery. NZ Customs will not be hurried.

As you have the N52B25 engine, it is most likely the electric water pump. You can certainly start with the thermostat... 12 years old, prime time for a cooling system overhaul. As Glenn indicates, it's unlikely to be cheap. Still, good luck with the thermostat..

I was gonna say pcv , but I see I have done it , there are vac hoses attached to the injectors , check those for splits, remove top half of the manifold to get to them. also the hose going to the PCV perish with oil going through them and split . try spraying some engine start or brake cleaner , wd40 around the the intake system see if the idle picks up. could be a bad MAF. can scan for you if you bring it around. bad engine mounts can cause vibrations on these. fuel economy sucks on automatic m44 m43 m42 engines as they use a 4speed GM box (like a holden trimatic with a overdrive) 5spd manuals will use far less fuel , more like 7-8l per 100km

Quite possibly if the NZ spec was to add all those options, the point I am trying to make is that the level of content in those cars is not linked to the "HD12" aspect, but the options added to get up to the NZ Spec levels. Still a big difference between an M5 and a 535i, even with the M-Sport kit and some fruit added.

Couple more detailed shots ready for the weekend. Plan is to replace all the big aero with standard bodywork after the rally, along with swapping the seats, wheels etc for winter. MTOY by Christian Taylor, on Flickr MTOY1 by Christian Taylor, on Flickr MTOY2 by Christian Taylor, on Flickr MTOY3 by Christian Taylor, on Flickr MTOY6 by Christian Taylor, on Flickr

How do you get the vouchers? Sign up for their newsletter? This makes me want to do my brakes sooner, rather than later! EDIT: Sorry, I don't mean to be rude. It happens without effort sometimes... Thank you so much for that link!

Alpinas are the GT versions of BMWs top models under harder M cars, generally as fast but usually auto and more refined ride. B5 and some brilliant B7s over the years, including a 6l E38. well worth a you tube trip. id probably take this B5 over an M5 but that edge in the M5 is hard to go past ... one of each then

Welcome, we just recently purchased a convertible E36 325, for my wife As Olaf said, if you need any advice on cleaning products, get hold of me Barry

welcome , and yes these are great little cars , got plenty of bits from these if you need anything just got this one recently too.

I used to keep a car covered under a cover outside and to be honest I wouldn’t recommend it. The trouble with car covers is anything that’s waterproof retains all the moisture under the cover and when it’s sunny it heats up the car like an oven. So you have a double whammy of extra heat and moisture within the around the car - results are never pretty under prolonged use. Another thing is any wind and the cover moves around acting like sandpaper with any dust particle wrecking havoc on your paint work. and there’s no such thing as one that doesn’t blow off, they are like a parachute in windy conditions, even if you tie it down onto the car have a brick on top. Personally just leave it in the elements and move it around and open the windows when the sun is out. Buy a cat to scare the birds away or use a scarecrow : )

Got this stuff today and it's done the job nicely. Comes with a spray bottle for application. Scrape off after about 10 minutes. I applied a second coat and used wire wool to get into the corners. Way better than the Tergo.

I've had pretty good success with Tergo paint stripper. Apply it with a brush and cover the wheel with some gladwrap to keep the fumes in (a trick the guy at the paint shop told me, supposed to make it have stronger affect), then water blast the stipper and paint off. Might have to do it more than once but it's the easiest way labour wise.