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In Auckland, weaving through traffic, speeding, up someone’s arse, generally driving like a c@&t, “Oh, that’ll be a 320i then.” I always presume they’re rushing to the mechanic.

That's cool (would be cooler if it were a touring though) "trade in special" is disingenuous at best, first registered in NZ 28/5/25.

Just to add some extra thoughts for buying parts locally from the dealer vs overseas, with the assumption you're a personal (not trade) customer, when you buy from your local dealer the price includes GST, any import duties they have to pay etc, which the overseas store doesn't charge. Your local dealer also has to warranty the parts. When buying parts from overseas I feel like I'm accepting the warranty risk as it's highly unlikely I'm going to be able to return it at a reasonable cost. I once took the same weight and dimensions of a care package I received from an overseas parts store that shipped with FedEx for <$100 in freight costs , and the same package doing the reverse journey to the original sender was quoted by the FedEx NZ website at $1200 NZD. I know there is NZ Post but they also aren't necessarily economically sensible compared to the cost of the part being returned. I've tried aftermarket parts before, for example I purchased a "Rein" brand coolant hose because it was cheaper than a genuine one, but it didn't last long. I ended up going down to the local dealer and buying a genuine one and muttered to myself it would have been cheaper in the long run to just buy the genuine one to start with. I echo what @Eagle said, if there was a web site where I could see prices and stock, assuming the price was reasonable I would order from the local dealer more. They are always nice to me when I ring so this is about me not them, but I feel like ringing and taking someone's time up to find that information out when I'm not necessarily going to purchase from them is an inconvenience to them and I don't want to be an inconvenience so I avoid doing so and stick to web browsing.

Couple of updates: 1: The wheels arrived today 🎉 Mandatory photo, although we all already know what ARC8's look like 🙃 2: The male MAF sensor connectors arrived. I don't actually have need of these for myself, but I finally came across them and thought I'd order some to confirm they're a match and if so share the details with everyone as saves having to pay Turner money for their relocation harnesses. These things appear to be the exact same item Turner are using and they come with the pins and seals. I ordered 5 of these for the princely sum of $9.58USD total including shipping. per-unit price is $1.24USD. You can purchase your own (you can order singles) here: https://www.hdconnectorstore.com/productdetail/32496.html

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/other/listing/5391599987 @nath I know you're "trying" to thin the fleet, but also...

Hey Everyone, I'm looking to do a paddle shifter retrofit on my E90. i've had a look at my local pick-a-part and sadly nothing there. Does anyone have a steering wheel for sale? i think only the m-sport style wheels have the paddle-shifters for this car but happy to look at any good condition wheel with paddles that will work! Cheers

I ordered tires this evening. After much research I decided to go with the Bridgestone Potenza Sport. I had been planning to take the well-trod route of Michelin PS4S's, however they're not available in New Zealand (and importing tires was just going to be too expensive to make sense) in any of the sizes remotely close to what I need (I confirmed this with Michelin NZ directly), this was a surprise especially given I'd checked on their NZ website that those sizes were available here 👎 This meant I then needed to figure out alternative options. In Michelins that meant PSS's or PS5's (no Cup options available in NZ in the sizes I need). The PSS's are too old, and the PS5's while by all accounts very good had me a bit concerned about the softer tire wall than the PS4S. The RE050A's that I'm running currently, are fairly stiff in the sidewall department and while objectively terrible compared to modern options I am used to the stiffer sidewall. By moving to 18's I'm already introducing more compliance for a better ride and road stickability (that's the technical term 🙃), and I was a little concerned about also moving to an even softer sidewall as well. I then looked wider, and after a bunch of research, looking at what is available in NZ, settled on the Potenza Sport. The Potenza Race would be an even better option I think, but they're not available in 18in options. The RE71-RS's while the stickiness would have been giggle-worthy, don't give the same degree of feedback and would be impractical in wet conditions, so the Sport it is. TireReviews.com have a good review of it and on dry handling it's very close to the PS4S, slightly better in the wet, and ranks worse on comfort (due to the firmer sidewall), slightly worse on noise and worse on wear. The wear doesn't bother me as I won't do enough km's anyway, the firmer sidewall I'm okay with and the noise will still be a lot better than the RE050A's anyway. This is all splitting hairs of course, but might as well get the best option I can. Big shout out to @Palazzo for suggesting Costco. Bridgestone NZ direct have the best price out of the rest due to a special deal currently which comes to only $2376.32 NZD for all 4 tires fitted. Costco, for exactly the same thing, is $1379.94, plus in addition you get a $360 store credit as well. Given we regularly shop at Costco for essentials this means the end cost for the tires comes to $1020. Which is quite astonishing to me. That's significantly less than I paid for new performance tires for my 318i in 2007!

(1) No, I don't. Because restaurants don't allow it. Do a lot of workshops? Yes. I was simply asking if anyone knew of a BMW Indy that DOES allow it. Nothing more, nothing less. (2) I very rarely supply the wrong part. Why? Because it's called research, verify, enquire then purchase. Do the job right the first time, there is no second time. (3) I've had labour only at plenty of dealerships and Indy workshops fitting parts I supplied. Just never a BMW dealership or Indy. Hence my question. Please, don't overthink it.

Price seems realistic though - or maybe I have just been conditioned 😂

I’d assume that any buyer would need to really like a car to pay whatever is being asked? Same goes here. They often came with LSD, mine didn’t. Like most post-2000 cars, these just don’t have the X factor of cars past, for me. A little flaccid looking.

I think the only way with this one, went and saw it twice. cage is just too nice to cut and its fully resprayed inside. Front strut tower welds are also beast and would not be DIY job. I'm pretty sure it is an M52B28 as it has a dyno for 180whp.

e30 325 re-listed for $30k at Rose city. Sure this was for sale at $25k the other week.

No, degreased the block about 5 times with a brush to make sure there was no oils and then hit it with a blow torch briefly to burn off any left over. POR-15 didn't seem to say anything about primer so just went straight on with that. Meant to run the engine for 15 min to full cure.

Friends got tyres direct from importer last year. A set of 4 was about 20% more than 1 from a (cheap) retailer. So somewhere between the importers margin and the retailers margin is a healthy number.

I fix and install most parts on my BMW's myself. But as a parent my time is limited and sometimes it is easier to pay someone to do a job rather than put in the time myself. Recently I purchased a few parts off FCP to refresh my E36. All genuine or OE. I looked around for some indys nearby who could do the work (searched around BOP). Found one and listed the parts I ordered off FCP and asked if they could install them. Got a response saying they don't install customer supplied parts. I'll probably just find the time to install myself. Not a big deal. But it did make me wonder why. Has anyone else come across this? Why would it matter if I supply the parts? Can't be a quality assurance thing as I provided links to the items and they are all geunine BMW or OE. Is this something to do with the suply chain? Is there some kind of arrangement going on with parts suppliers at these workshops? Like I mentioned already. It's not a big deal. Just curious about why a workshop would turn down a days work just because a customer wants to supply parts.

OP Here lies within one reason why workshops reject owner supplied parts 1) insurance, If the workshop should make a claim for total loss on your car for failure due to a service provided .. it will be inevitably rejected on the premise of owner supplied parts

Meeee-reow 🤣

PS5’s came to $1775.94. The fronts (245/40R18) were cheaper than the Potenza Sports, but the rears (255/40R18) were significantly more for whatever reason.

I recently looked at those for my S55 as they were the only good in my sizes along with the PS5's (both around $1900 trade). Upon reading reviews they didnt have the characteristics i was after for the car so i went with the PS5's. That pricing is insane in this day and age though, buying power that good or tyre shops got big markup, maybe both. Would of been interesting to see what the PS5 cost in the same sizing. May have to drive to Auckland for future tires.

Turned out to be the relay! Thanks everyone for your help, not just with the relay but also for pointing out missing screws😅 I'll be back soon with more things broken in my lovely leaker

I'd call the site sponsors, @HELLBM, and have a chat with them. I'm not them so can't confirm their stance on you particular need but I'm sure they'll hear you out at the very least. Edit: @HowieD72

One for you. https://www.e30zone.net/e30wiki/index.php/Converting_to_Motronic_1.3

TunerPro have a bunch of xdf's (definition files for tunes) for the Motronics as well as binary reads of the tunes - might be worth poking in to: https://www.tunerpro.net/downloadBinDefs.htm#BMW

Suggest you follow the procedure to the letter and have an app to monitor the temp.

Yeah absolutely. I was going to reply to your thread when I got a chance. The key thing is to figure out what processor your ECU runs - I think you're Motronic 1.0 right which is some derivative of the Intel 8051 I believe. Ghidra has def files for the 8051 I believe so you might be in luck. The second thing which is really needed is some sort of definition file which describes the locations in memory of parameters, etc. so you've got something to start with. From there it's a case of loading in Ghidra, trying to find code blocks, data blocks, etc. In terms of other tools it's pretty much just been Excel, TextEdit, and the like. Do you have a read of the program ROM from your ECU?

It isn't reverse engineering, but another option would be to go plug and play standalone. https://speeduino.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=2667

you can always spot a 4 pot E9x in traffic. When it pulls away from a stop it'll leave a nice blue cloud of oil smoke. Avoid like the plague.

What a Beauty https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/listing/5374709387?utm_source=tmm-savedsearch&utm_medium=email&bof=XCofFioM Ray

Sure is. I went to the Wellington launch of these. I remember the presenter saying “and representing outstanding value, the 740il at $214,000.” or $224k. Had just paid $131k for a 3 bed, 2 bath townhouse in Hataitai. That car looks lovely.

Have you checked Costco? They can order in all sorts.

“Rip off” is a bit of a strong and emotional term, especially when you are not comparing all the facts (one example out of how many millions of part numbers?) nor comparing apples with apples. It all comes down to economies of scale, and how costs are spread across the supply chain. FCP Euro would probably have a bigger parts turnover than BMW NZ, let alone BMW North America who would be the equivalent point. As mentioned above NZ parts can be reasonable for fast moving volume medium cost items. If it’s a larger, low volume item that has to be ordered in especially then unfortunately the costs won’t be comparable with the US who is still probably buying exponentially more per year. This then gets into a “chicken and egg” situation as more people buy on line from the bigger vendors. The issue then is supporting the local businesses in terms of time scales, yes most things can be sent over-night, but this then gets tricky for larger parts like bumpers for crashed cars, wheels, Lithium batteries (dangerous goods), etc. If the significantly increased freight costs (post Covid) are then passed on insurance companies will soon up the premiums to recover and more cars will get written off. Would that it was possible for FCP to be a supplier. However, you might want to ask Toyota Aussie and Toyota NZ how they ended up with fake parts in their supply chain and the $$$s it cost to sort that mess. Is there room for improvement..? Always. Will systems evolve over time..? Most definitely. Will people still claim “dealers charge 100% mark up” .? We shall wait and see. *Purely my personal opinions as an innocent bystander, any resemblance to persons dead or alive are purely coincidental.

Thanks for that. My car is going in to Greg soon. Nice to know I've found someone I can trust with my BMW's.

Greg's our go-to mechanic as well. Top bloke. Does everything from the classics to modern stuff. Coombes Johnson BMW in Hamilton told me they send the cars they can't fix to Greg.

It’s the small details that make the difference..

I spy with my little eye, something that hemorrhages money:”scaffolding”

241,000km Had noticed an intermittent fuel smell after giving it some jandel over the last month. Had taken the beauty cover off to expose the fuel rail to keep and eye on the injectors to see if they were the culprit but there was nothing obvious. Then I had a misfire the other morning on cold start which went away pretty quickly but it was enough to motivate me to look abit harder. When it came time to wrestle the fuel rail off it just came right out, I didn’t even touch the quick release connector…thought that was a bit odd. Anyway while I was there I swapped the injectors out for some second hand ones I had blasted some carb cleaner though using an AliExpress ghetto setup and an old 12 Volt battery. I might get my original ones cleaned at some point and put them back in but will see how these other ones go for a while first. Pretty sure my issue was the fuel rail feed line somehow being loose, not the injectors. got a very audible click from the fuel line when I plugged it back in. I did have a rogue vac line that I couldn’t figure out where it had popped off from as it went from the vacuume resovoir into the manifold but the only uncapped port was the little top one and this hose was quite big. Can’t see anything at the back of the manifold so I ended up swapping a few of the hoses over that seemed to fit the hole diameters better, not sure if I’m wreaking havoc here but it all seems to be working ok. The O2 pilot mod is now taking vacuum from the top port and the bottom capped off port is now supplying vac to the resovoir which feeds to the exhaust flap. I didn’t realise but OBD fusion hooks up to the vepeak scanner giving me some live PIDs which is pretty cool. Be even cooler if they were within spec. I also got a bike rack this week which is an older legit BMW one. It’s the same as the Thule 591 models but has this little fin at the back. Had to drive to Eastbourne to pick it up but it was a good chance to do some motorway pulls and check for any fuel leaks, trigger any misfires etc. looking forward to getting out on the bike with the kids now I can take mine too. Might need to trim this tree, although might alert me that i have a bike on the roof and to not try drive into the garage.

I imagine shops get some demanding and unreasonable customers. But I also meticulously research parts and wouldn't expect warranty on my own mistakes. Agree it's a shops choice. I didn't get upset either. Decided to try one more place and then get to the work myself. Luckily I found somewhere that is willing to do the work. Obviously it's a leap of faith for them. It's a risk, they don't know me. But after this they'll gain a long term customer. That's also a smart business decision. But it comes with risk. Obviously they were willing to take that risk here. But no hard feelings against the other shop that turned me away. Agree. It is their choice and they get to decide what risk they want to take.

Yeah, accepted, these are important factors, and often critical to business continuity. I suppose my position is that I meticulously research parts and would never expect a warranty on installation of such, I didn't make that clear and many customers probably don't have those same expectations which makes it tough/impossible for shops to accept that risk. I do want to stress that my opinion is that it's a shop's choice, and no customer should be upset with that. It's just sad that the official parts network make this discussion even necessary, how about just not being obscenely greedy? It's a literal kick in the balls to their customers and supporters, and they smile whilst doing it.

Really interesting question and responses, most of which I agree with. Things have changed over the years! Bellars used to allow customer supplied parts (early/mid 2000's), I know because I did that a lot with the M3. It doesn't surprise me that many no longer support this. As above, if you have a good relationship with a not-too-big shop, they will often accept customer supplied parts... there are a few members here with shops that will. Main reasons for not supporting this are discussed above in this thread but, let's be honest, the bottom line is they make no margin off customer supplied parts and, for better or worse, that's their choice. I have had recent success requesting work at a shop and indicating (with links) what I could land the parts for and advising them, that if they could match that price, I'd get them to order the parts directly (basically from FCP or Spareto). The shop set up a trade account with the vendors, got the parts cheaper than I could and made a little margin, I had to wait a few weeks for the booking (for the parts to arrive - also a challenge with the NZ BMW network because they keep very little in country), but I paid the same as I would have buying the parts directly, the shop made a little margin and was happy with the (genuine or OEM) parts, and we all walked away happy with less money lining BMW NZ's greedy pockets. This problem wouldn't exist of course if dealers didn't want to put a 100% margin (or more), on parts. This is not a problem unique to NZ but BMW NZ really takes the piss.

This is pretty bloody good!

Greg was always good to us when we were in the area. E46, E36, F30 - all went through his workshop at one time or another. He was our go-to.

I think it's much easier to get across the line if you have a prior relationship with the mechanic, and are fully willing to take responsibility for your ordering snafu's if you get it wrong. It's probably also easier if they're "not" a specialist marque workshop and are willing to work on all sorts of cars - if you can supply parts / diagrams / torque specs its going to make their life a lot easier, as they might not have the same access to parts discounts when ordering from the dealer or OE supplier.

That makes sense. Lines up with what I'm thinking. Upside is I'm able to do the work myself. But would be nice to have a backup option. At least I'll be able to buy some more parts with the money I save 😁

Bellars Auckland North shore is the same - sign on the wall. I have a local mechanic that does my work and they will use parts I supply but when I first asked they weren't exactly keen 🙂 I've always imagined a profit margin in the parts dept right - they buy at a discount but charge customer full ticket so they would be missing that component perhaps.

For starters the 3rd photo shows a missing torx screw on the LHS, don't know where that is gone, are you sure there is nothing stuck on the in between the horn plate? Failing id re-seat all the connections and the ground, then there should be a connector under the lower steering wheel shroud the goes to the clock spring, if you disconnect that and it stops then its clock spring, wheel or wiring issue in the steering wheel area.

😍

240,200km Just returned from a school holiday trip down to Nelson. Ticked over 240k on the way and averaged around 10L/100km although it's not exactly a huge amount of km's from Wellington to Nelson but a nice open road drive with some hills and some twisties. Had terrible weather on the way down but lovely on the way home.

Stumbled across this today.. NZ new too..