Leaderboard

To test out the faulty fuel sender unit theory, I did a couple of trips to the servo with a jerry can and poured some 20L of diesel into the tank. Having had the old battery on charge for a few days, I hooked it up and turned on the ignition, to which the car proceeded to have a full on seizure - cluster flashing on and off, relays clicking, alarm beeping etc. Not knowing how old the battery was and the little peep hole staying black even at full charge, I picked up a brand new Century DIN85LHX MF as a replacement. Before I could hook it up, I discovered the clamp on the negative cable had somehow seized so you couldn't tighten it properly. Took some vice grips and an impact wrench set to full blast to break the stubborn stud in half. Luckily I still had a few spare ones on hand. Battery hooked up, you could hear the fuel pump priming as you turned the ignition, although there seemed to be all sorts of modules coming back to life and there was all sorts of sounds coming from all directions all at the same time. Gave it a couple of 10-second cranks, on the third one she fired right up! Happy days. Fuel injection system error still lit up the cluster but seemed to idle fine. Took it for a quick lap around the block, didn't really give it beans but didn't feel like it was in any sort of limp mode. Hooked it up to the scanner, still had the old list as well as a few more errors this time around. It now takes a second or two of cranking but then fires up fine. Cleared all the codes, took it for another quick lap and none of the codes are yet to come back. Great success. Too soon to jump to conclusions but seeing it run and drive really made my day. Heaps of preventative maintenance to do before she goes into full on daily duties but the beginning looks well promising.

Drivers seat all done. Welded lower base as per previous post, welded one of the tabs that the backrest screws into and recovered the seat in brand new fabric. Still need to put in the new seat shocks but the seat feels fantastic. Hopefully the passengers seat doesn't involve too much welding!

Well look what arrived yesterday, less than 6 weeks after I ordered it! I saw a few months ago that Karbonius had made another mold for the CSL replica airbox to speed up production and certainly would seem to have helped! Can't really say anything about this piece that hasn't already been said. It's spectacularly good. The memory of the cost simply melts away when you hold it in your hand and look at it. I'm still waiting on the CSL dipstick tube plus a few minor pieces of hardware, but hopeful of having everything by the time the Christmas break rolls around! In the meantime all these parts continue to clutter up my spare room!

1952 Ferrari 212, only 5000miles on it

235,xxx km New Phillips D2S xenon bulbs. I replaced both so they hopefully colour match better. Also replaced the rear badge with an OEM I got with the last parts order. Out with the old. The fishing line trick really works wonders New one: Still checking the oil level since doing the 02 pilot mod and it might have burned a smidge it’s not low enough to warrant a top up so very happy. Scored some brand new Meyle HD sway bar links off FB marketplace. The front left boot on the links I pulled out had been damaged i found (maybe from when the garage replaced the leaking shock).

Yeah man. It sounds amazing. The only things in the exhaust that aren't stainless are the colby hotdog resonators. My old mans stroker is ready to go. 1.5 mm oversized valves, shrick 284 cam. Heavy duty rockers, titanium valve springs, new rocker arms the works. Oh and the ITBs haha. I am itching to finish mine

Great drivetrain but I can imagine the ‘dog taking a sh*t’ silhouette might limit the market somewhat.

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.

Amazing thread. Joined the forum just for this! The level of work and varied nature of the jobs is highly respectable. Hi from the UK 👍

You see plenty of people ignore the problem and drive around in a cloud of smoke for years on end. Common does not equal normal. There's really nothing normal about it, a well designed, properly operating engine will not be burning anywhere close to that much oil. Those manufacturers claiming it to be "normal" are just trying to cover their ass and not take responsibility for putting poorly designed products into circulation. All those faults are fixable but often not financially viable, hence them trying to normalize it. Not sure where you're getting the $5-9k figure from, might be the case for a V8 or V12 engine, no way it costs that much for a 4-cylinder. I asked the local BM Workshop for a quote for valve stem seals for an N42/N46 earlier this year, got told $1.5k + GST. As a DIY it'll be a weekend of work, $100-200 in parts depending on any extras you want to do at the same time (spark plugs, vacuum pump seals etc) and a few specialized tools (https://bimmerzen.com/store/product/3/BMW-N42N46-VSCT-Full-Kit).

Date: 21 Nov 2024 Distance: 215468 kms 1. Replaced side repeaters I noticed the amber side repeaters were significantly dulled. 22-odd years in the sunshine'll do that, particularly the UV down here. I noticed these aftermarket TYR units at a particularly reasonable circa 5 euros each during a parts order from Spareto, so dropped them into my order. They took about 12 mins all up to install. A quick wipe over with detailing mist, pop out, clean up, SRP, install.... figure out why they weren't working. Oh, bulb carrier included, though not the bulb! Uninstall, remove bulb holder, install bulb from original, re-attach, re-install, test okay. Fig 1: At the start... fig. 2: Job's a good one. Second time round, at least! Of course, after that the left-hand was swift. Not Suzuki. Quick! FIg. 3: Left Hand, dulled by years of sun Fig. 4: Removed, ready to retrieve bulb from bulb-holder FIg. 5: Left hand done, shining like a diamond in a goat's ass (as that feller from TX says). Hint: you don't need a screwdriver or spludger tool. Just push horizonally toward the rear of the car, then then gently lever out the front edge (against the clip - see Fig. 4 above). I did it without tools. To disconnect from the vehicle wiring, press the lever on the connector. To remove the bulb holder from the fitting, twist approx 30 degrees. Right then, on to the next one.

Finally sorted this out. Easy enough job but a bit of a pain in the ass without a garage/driveway. Got there in the end though and cleared the WOF so mission accomplished. Huge thanks to @Eagle for sending me that steering coupler, was a huge help.

Alright fella's, I popped my cherry and got my first BMW, probably hum drum to y'all but kind of exciting for me. Only other "performance" car I ever owned was a MK1 Golf GTI (1800), that I used to rag around London in, until I hit a tree and wrote it off, so this is quite a step up. But I recently got a e82 135i N55 DCT. No mods, just a tune from autopassion. Looking to do the chargepipe soon and the down pipe at some point, but what I would really like to do is accentuate the exhaust note, and if anyone has any advice of what can be done by way of exhaust mods that will really bring the exhaust note into its own I would love to hear about them. Glad to be here, nice to meet you all, and thanks in advance for any help.

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.

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.

Such a bugger, was wanting to come but got was roped into work. Hopefully next time!

Yes control units do go faulty. Replace all 6 glow plugs and the control unit

Have you driven one? There’s no way it’s passing anything on the straight unless it’s a bicycle.

Just sold the F30 335i to a fellow up North - has been a brilliant vehicle and I hope he enjoys it

Sounds freaking sweet mate! Eventually I'll stroke and cam mine, lots of other things first though...

NZ launch happening soon. Looking forward to seeing it soon. I guess the approach does help BMW with EU co2 reduction and main target audience gets a tax offset for lease due to it being a phev. I guess it’s just a finger in the air by BMW with green washing a petrol performance vehicle. 1000 nm isn’t going to notice the weight 😀.

Lovely! Timeless. If only it were manual. GLWS

*many* might be pushing it @elias. There’s hundreds of thousands of the N57 out there between 3-4-5-6-7 series and X3-4-5-6. The timing chain is a bit of a weakness on the n47 but less so on n57, just a pain if it does need doing as it’s on the back of the engine against the bulkhead. Bearing failure if it happens is usually fatal to the engine due to the aluminium block and the hardness of the bearings ruins the crankshaft. IMO the N57 is one of the most reliable BMW engines though.

Looking for 4 cyl e36 getrag 220 driveshaft, preferably Auckland. Thanks

Hi Sammo Thanks for the very nice pictures. I love the camping one and the old & new style one too How tall are you (do I fit in the 320, 189 cm tall?) and apart from this steering trouble, how do you find the power of your car. The weight power ratio (I'm an original motorcycle driver, where it is less than 1 kg for 1 HP, that is fast acceleration). The W/P ratio for your car is 8kg/HP. With my present car (530i) it is 6.4 kg/HP And I'm wondering with the 328i (there it is around 5.8) do you know how did they got another 74 HP out of the same engine volume and is that engine or it's accessories vulnerable to break down easily. Cheers Willem

I went for the Toolshed own branded 1/2" and will be getting the 1/4" this week. Not flashy but the selling points for me were: Nice Nm only scale Legible 0-9 units around the twist barrel Comes calibrated, with certificate https://www.thetoolshed.co.nz/product/15319-toolshed-torque-wrench-1-2in-dr-30-210-nm <--- Pretty sure i didn't pay $219, would have gotten on a special 👍

840 + 6-speed is the bees knees! but the 850csi is the holy grail of the e31!! I was told that there were six NZ new manual 840's (excl the converted one), one is de-reg and at least one is now in Oz. So having two of four remaining is pretty 'rare' in my book - if you find one, I would be keeping them, ah I mean it!! 😎

That looks superb @Tobias01

Talk to a local radiator repair shop. They can usually clean the inside of tanks out and treat the inside

Agreed the car has not been presented properly. Even the photos are a shambles versus the ones taken of the Lemans blue example in Christchurch. However, agreed, don’t think you can compare the selling price versus E60. Having owned a E39 M5 for 6 1/2 years, they are not that expensive to run versus an E60 M5 that comes unstuck. Lot less E39 M5’s too!

I guess that comes down to who before you, owned it longer than the required threshold and transferred the entitlement. if no one has, its probably still with the owner that got the plates 20 years ago. I bet there are a lot of cars out there with plates that arent owned by the owner of the car, since anything thats been made "euro" etc but still govt issue digits is technically now a personalised plate and cars get sold with those regularly.

Probably worth flying Sreten of M539 Restorations down for that one!

Date: 08 Nov 2024 Distance: 215,176 kms 1. WoF sailed through WoF this morning, with a few advisories relating to oil staining. It's a BMW, they're not known for keeping it on the inside!!

Very nice. Always thought Gold BBS LM's would look nice on a black E30 (5 stud though). I llike the pop of the red centre caps you have there and how they match the interior.

Regulator is Skoda talk for thermostat. Best to replace them together as they always leak all the time.

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)

Got one on the way now thanks to @Eagle

Looking for one of these bad boys after my car failed warrant so in need of an OEM coupler to replace my solid one. Part number is 32306761571.

yeah from memory I think I had to drill it out slightly, but aside from that was straight forward.

Yeah first time they picked up mine and it’s been there for a while. I’ve got a decent mechanic down here but most of the shops around here seem to just use VTNZ for warrants so not much choice on who to go to unfortunately. I reckon @modz one would be sweet unless they really know what they’re looking for. Worst case just keep your old one and chuck that back in if they decide to be assholes about it since that’s been certed? Leaning towards getting a used one and swapping it in and out since the other options are $400+ whilst not really changing anything.

Thanks mate! What were you driving? I got a lot of beeps on the way up! Haha it's going really good at the moment. I loved being able to drive with the top down the whole time. Thank you so much but. I will continue improving it and adding other things to it over time. A full repaint is on the cards in early December so I can't wait fot that!

Plenty of them on my way up to the coromandel on Friday. Had a cRaptor trying to prove he was faster than an old 1 series auto. Had to back right off as he was crossing the center line on blind corners. Turned off to Pauwanui (of course he did).

@Vass here’s a photo I took just before - unfortunately the camera captured the red quite saturated so not sure if it’s very helpful, but this is what they are currently like. Will try to remember to report back on this in another 6 months or so.

Yuuuuur love it, very jelly !!

Pulled this one from my M90 last week. Elring 1.72mm. Coolant passages partly covered.

3 series compound. Not a single sun roof, as god intended

Update: I love this car.

Quickjack doesnt take up that much space, you can even buy hangers to hang the frames standing up against a wall now. I have my pump and hoses coiled up on an old rolling seat that tucks away under my work bench when not in use. Ill use my jack and stands if i only need one end of the car lifted, IF the jacking points are easily accessible. Anything where i need the car clear off the ground, particularly if you need it level (like gearbox oil changes), or if the jacking points sucks to access (low car life usually) ill use my quickjacks. I've had all sorts on mine. Everything from my Classic Mini, to my Leaf on the weekend. I rate them highly for garages that dont have the space for a proper lift.

That big brake kit 🤩

Just over 12 months later, dumped all its coolant again.... Not sure if I can be bothered trying to argue warranty (parts) with Skoda NZ/Giltrap again, or I just take it to a indy VW specialist (its due DSG service), or I just do it myself.