hotwire

Faulty park switch in the motor

Looks a great car. Dubious milage history though. Lost 100k several several years ago according to Carjam - maybe before his time if he has had it 8 years.

On 26/02/2017 at 10:30 AM, Gabe79 said:

Seat fold down is an option from the factory. It's not by model for the sedans. 

The Jap market E39's all had a solid fixed seat back. In the monitor equipped car the radio & video modules were mounted to the seat back in the boot. Some have the ski hatch like ours but not all.

Euro spec cars mostly had fold down seats & the modules mounted in the L/H rear corner.

 

^^^^^^ 17111712641

There are only two versions on E30 - Pre or F/L

BTW Ryan - I probably have one PM me

Not a paint as such. More dye like in character. Apparently the same product as what the tanneries use. Sprayed on as is his recommendation.

The original colour is more paint like in characteristic too. Meths is used to strip the original colour & the leather is back to its raw state. I was surprised too as I thought the original colour was an actual dye. The colour ingresses  somewhat but basically sits on top.

2 hours ago, M3AN said:

Yeah. And it won't be dyed, it will be painted. 

 

I recently recoloured the grey leather in my son's E30. 

Researched the subject & came up with Paul Ford Leather down in Timaru. Spoke to him & soon realised he knew what he was talking about. He was originally from Auckland but "saw the light". Has been in the game for years & lives/breathes leather restoration. Sent a headrest for a sample, perfect match of product came back, including required preps/conditioners & instruction for cleaning/stripping the original colour back to raw leather then applying the recolour & sealers. They came up great. He recommends for an even more durable finish to spray a specially modified product on - i used a wipe on which fits the purpose. Thoroughly recommend him - is always ready to help. 

^^^^ An E30 is much much more simplistic than an E39 so no where near as many traps to fall into.

That said, as Jon alludes to - this car has been seriously dicked with & possibly/likely not well done - judged on it's condition.

I would add - I think it is severely over priced too. I recently got for my son a NZ new, near mint condition, totally original/un molested, high specced, 1990 325i at just over 5k & with a substantial service history. Admittedly auto (about to convert with a correct G 260 kit that i have) & no M tech 2 (bugger) but is a far superior car to this one.

Not sure what are meaning? RealOEM lists all relevant parts for the VIN entered

10 hours ago, Allanw said:

You know you'll end up buying a Gold 7 Series V8 now, right???

Just remember too: The prefacelift jap import "525i" was really a 523i, and some are registered as 2001's, just as some facelifts are registered as 2000's - like our 525i facelift. It was built November 2000 but is a 2001 "model year". You need to watch that overlap if you only want a proper faceliift (the lights and grilles can be changed on the prefacelifts too).

Our 99 Jap 525i IS a 2.5L M52TU (correctly badged) - same engine as the equivilent Euro spec badged 523i

Also it shows on RealOEM as a 523i. The 525i badge is just a Jap thing but incidentally correct

I have never actually kept a record on service history like I really ought to have. I recall filling out the first few in the book then forgetting about it. That said, the car is serviced anually & the service reset done accordingly. 

Bearings, about $100 ish for the pair from memory, then a bitch to change them! I bought in FAG bearings from overseas. As I do for most parts. Using either BMW boxed or OEM supplier brands to BMW - often a cheaper option.

You probably are after a unicorn by stipulating what you have.

I all honesty, I wouldn't discount the  "right" car on its colour. Ours is Titan Silver, not a colour i would particularly have chosen if there was a choice. It has proven though to be the  "right" car &  you can get used to a colour.

Definitely DO NOT buy on price, but the best you can get. As Allan alluded to - a badly maintained car can be a money pit. A car maintained with "proper" parts will serve you well. They are certainly higher maintanance than a comparable simplistic Jap car but would I swap - NUP!

I've also had to replace all rear control arm links, rear wheel bearings, front sway bar links in the last couple of years

We have a 525i Jap origin car that i imported from Japan back in 04 @ 24k milage. Now done about 170k.

Have in the last 12 months replaced, except for the radiator, all the plastic cooling system componentry as a maintainance precaution, along with  CCV unit & associated hoses. Maintainance with these cars is the key.

Admittedly no rocket ship but have never found it underwhelming in power, even with 4 in the car. The 530i is certainly more appealing but not the be all & end all. Depends what you are after. Can & have still got my self in trouble with the 525i

On 19/01/2017 at 10:55 AM, mossline said:

Ive fitted one from an x5 in an older 540i and looks ok. 

I've seen an X5 screen in an E39 & the pixel angle is all wrong. You need to look down from the ceiling level to be able view at the ideal (comparable to E39 screen)  "sweet spot" viewing angle. The display is very darkened from normal seated height.

Looking for a specific car - you may need to be prepared to widen your net.

Firstly, welcome to the forum.

I will start by saying - I totally disagree with the seat bypass. It is illegal to tamper with the system - regardless of the fact that the air bag should still operate. They were installed for a reason!

As far as the replacement module, i am pretty sure they cannot be reprogrammed  for a different application - the 7 would have had more bags installed no doubt. You will need one that is programmed the same as yours. Or a new module which does need programming to the car.

On 04/01/2017 at 9:43 PM, Michael. said:

It's safer in head on crashes on NZ roads since most crashes happen on the right side of the car. 

So it stands to reason the left side of the passenger area would be a safer place to be. 

Semi joking, but maybe? 

The offshoot to this of course is that a crash is more likely in the first place since a passing manouvre involves putting the R/H/S into oncoming traffic before a clear coast ahead can be confirmed.

Probably not a bad price @ 12k  but i reacon the guy is in la la land with his description & predictions.

The E36 cannot be compared to an E30 or 46. They were a relative bean counter car, pretty ordinary build quality & somewhat bland in styling. Bugger all styling definition between a 318i coupe & an M3. Unlike all other M3 variants where they are much more staunch.

Still a bang for buck car & prices may well recover on mint versions as they thin out - as E30's have but i doubt they will ever have the cult following of the the E30 M3's

Always have loved the 500 SEC. The AMG totally transforms it.

Ahh, Another LP12 operator - I admire!

Mine running through Plinius M12 pre & SA100 power into Kappa 7's. Rega CD. Superb sound from the LP12 on a good recording.

Strange huh that things have gone full circle & vynal is making a comeback. Funny that! My 16 year old audiofile son, although using modern mediums, is even sold on vynal as the best.

As is mentioned earlier in the thread - due to the constraints of acoustics in a vehicle, i have never got too serious with car audio. In saying that though, still like a clean sound.

Interested on what you come up with

10 hours ago, Gillzzbimer said:

Hi Glen , 

i had my bmw 320i 79k 2007 serviced 3 days ago , drove it to work and back was all good , next day started the car and it is showing half engine light with rpm going up and down and when i reverse it or shift to drive it shakes even with the brakes on , i am gonna bring the scanner and scan it  today , any possible fault you guess from your experience please?? 

Thanks 

This thread is nearly 8 years old. Either take it back to whoever serviced it or RING Glenn & organise an appointment. it is ridiculous to try & fault find over the net, particularly that engine!

Now we've got Ron quoting in old school measurements

Red/green - 12v live. Purple/white - acc

What a Fwit!! I would love to inspect it & see what i could fault. Apart from the plate lamp, I bet i could find others. 

Does look a nice car though.

Re reverse camera - retrofitting one is NOT a hack as such. There was actually an OEM option available too. That said - the aftermarket option is probably better being that its later technology. I am reliably informed this is the case in regards to the E70 OEM v aftermarket.

4 hours ago, BM WORLD said:

 

bmworld

021433600

 

Had seen those units. Looks like a good option. I like the integration aspect