hotwire

If the charge light (battery light) comes on & stays on then it is the alt or possibly associated wiring -NOT the battery, best get it seen to by an auto sparky if you are not familiar with the system otherwise you will be chasing your tail with it

As said, swap speakers to eliminate but sounds suspiciously like a channel in the headunit due to the "blast" as you alter the volume

I qualify too. AMI with every thing - house, contents, 2 cars, been with them forever. Happy? not really! Questioned them 2 years ago when I went to insure my 99 E39 for $32K - they wanted $520, I spewed & said they were charging for a label & considering I am in the trade & know the cost of BMW parts v Japanese - generally BMW comparabally cheaper - particually panels, so explanation to me of them being costlier to fix is bullshit. They even put my old E12 up to $370 & would not recognise a cheaper classic car cover for it. We are also on maxmum discount having never had a claim either. Tried around at the time with opposition - Tower not in the hunt, AA were considerably cheaper on cars ( & would recognise classic low milage cover for the E12) They were miles out in the house & contents though so really it all evened out overall. Checked with them again this round & their car prices had gone up to the same as AMI (E39 anyway) So, in summary - they are all a bunch of rogues after your last dollar

Turn around? - Quicker than my reply to you - sorry A couple of days or so - very efficient

Good on ya Em, as already said - MINT -that would have to be one of the best E30's in the country. Great to see what you can end up with when you have patience, good to hear you are going to keep it that way - maybe if anything some more attractive feet. Some cars (especially this age & condition) deserve to be left realitively unscathed. Enjoy it

Either or - I have had the same one returned after repair but I think he also does on exchange basis. I have sent them from work & not gone through TM but same deal either way.

Probably repairabe, I have used this guy through work to fix them sucessfully. This is after I have looked inside too without seeing any sign of failure.

Problem quite probably the control panel -common problem, can be fixed here: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/C...on-83779790.htm

From my experience a few years ago while owning an Audi Quattro coupe (which I did for a number of years)- 5 cyl 10 valve engine. On a hot day that car was almost undriveable with ANY of the main 4 fuels,- engine temp would go high & it would rattle like hell if not driven very carefully. Ran on avgas for a test - different car. Used to run it on Challenge -that was a local station thankfully, & it ran ok on that. Still wasn't what it should have been but was acceptable. This was before any of the main stations had 98. This was a bog standard car too so was not an engine/ timing issue. 10.5 -1 compression ratio At that time Challenge was aparently importing their own fuel with an obviously higher octane rating albeit still rated as 95 on the pump. Don't know what their source is now though? My old E12 520 (M20 engine) dosen't particually like it either but being auto dosen't protest too much - just becomes even more gutless. This car too runs like a gem on avgas! 98 obviously still the best option - thats what they are designed for but as said already- the later cars engine management will cope with the lower but at the cost of performance/ economy.

Sounds like you may have no acc supply to turn it on - did you short something when cutting wires & blow a fuse?, has the headunit got a fuse on the back? Also check for a reset button on headunit -somewhere on front behind face if fitted. If both power supplies & an earth are present & other suggestions are OK then must be a faulty headunit Otherwise as already stated - see an auto sparky - simple job for those who know

Mint looking motor car! Prob best Ive seen. Backdrop not bad either

Hi, E30? Can do PM me or 027 6146607 Cheers Grant

Ditto! ? 6x9 aint the be all & end all but installed correctly they work well. Admittedly a good 6 1/2 speaker will be as good though. The problem in most cars is being able to fit without the illegal hacking to the rear shelf, & they sound crap when fitted into mounting pods or boxes. As for no rear speakers at all - yes agreed it does change the sound stage but a car doesn't have ideal acoustics anyway - usually fronts are parked down by your feet or legs so having rear fill too I think is better.

Yea agreed Jochens the man! - he is who I would have pointed you to if you needed help re radio tuners or resetting them. He was the one to sort me out -is a bundle of knowledge on them. It was him & I also to sus the jap nav conversion in my car -probably the first car in the country to have been sucessfully converted I would imagine. - a heap of research done (mostly his part) & big a punt on mine that our theory would work. Certainly would not have happened without his input & vast knowledge.

Yea agreed Jochens the man! - he is who I would have pointed you to if you needed help re radio tuners or resetting them. He was the one to sort me out -is a bundle of knowledge on them. It was him & I also to sus the jap nav conversion in my car -probably the first car in the country to have been sucessfully converted I would imagine. - a heap of research done (mostly his part) & big a punt on mine that our theory would work. Certainly would not have happened without his input & vast knowledge.

It sounds like a switch problem if you can manipulate the switch & get them to work, particually if you aren't moving anything else at the same time. Drivers could well be something else if it wont go at all. While operating the switch up or down -watch carefully the idiot lights on the dash & look for slight dimming as you operate the switch. If you see dimming then it is not the switch or wiring but is a fault in the motor/regulator assy. Also confirm switches by substitution of going & not going units. Wont be a relay or supply problem if some windows work -they are all on the same supply.

Allan, No offense, only stirring, regards Martyyn "IMO" = in my opinion. Regards to tuner replacement - only required if pre 2000 & jap obviously. The radio tuner in these cars is mounted in the boot on L/H side of the back seat. Cost? Mine was a S/H unit out of Europe & purchased on Ebay, cost varies as to demand but typically around the $250 -300 mark, may even be lucky enough to find one in the wreckers here from a NZ new car if & when you require. Plug & play = simply remove jap unit & plug in Euro version. Can point you in the right direction if you find you need a replacement. Cheers Grant

Reset of radio to NZ frequency is just a matter of getting into set menu & altering from jap to euro or similar (cant remember off hand which) 2000 on were fitted with a worldwide tuner - pre were jap specific so either required a band expander or tuner replacement - plug & play Band expanders in these cars are CRAP - reception is hopeless - mine was until a euro tuner was fitted. Satillite Navigation is brilliant once working - covers complete country - throw away your maps! Similar to Navman but better as it totally integrates with vehicle electrics eg voice instruction thru sound system etc & bigger screen. Re Fuel 98 is best but they will run on all - engine management compensates for lower octane fuel as required, lower fuel grade is less efficient though so probably evens out in cost. Usually 96 for us Cheers Grant PS Toyota? - thats a swear word here!

Allan, Don't know of specfic info on the 530i or where to find one, I bought my 99 525 in myself from auction in Japan at 24k with a verified service history & service books to match the vehicle & milage. With imports a service history - particually with higher k vehicles is wise as the Japs are renowned for not servicing to schedules. Mine was one of the exceptions I guess. Jap origin vehicles often higher specced too - nav, TV, leather, etc. Nav if fitted can be converted to suit NZ - I can help there, 2000 > cars -the radios can be reset to suit NZ frequency. Probably just added to the confusion I guess - Goodluck! Cainchapman 540i Manual? - They would be as hard to find as rocking horse _ _ _ _ wouldn't they? Cheers Grant

Hi, Haven't actually done conversion myself but I undestand there is an adapter or mod required to convert these lamps to LED Different plugs I think. From memory I think there was someone also pedalling these on TM - supplied from Aussie - maybe worth a look

Hi, Welcome to the site. Hard to say, is the lock hard to turn from the key? (outside) Probably best to remove the actuator, leave wired & try the locking operation - confirm whether actuator works with no load. If so it will be something awol in the latch mechanism - particually if you still cant push the inside lock down with the actuator out. All you can do then is pull the latch assy out & check for fault. Good luck

Again welcome to the site. As already mentioned - E39's regarded as one of the best Beemers produced. Also as said - I wouldn't go for a 2.0 litre - big car for that engine to push. My jap 525 (badged 523 as NZ new variant but still 2.5L engine) I find is quite adequate on power delivery/ fuel economy -have had as low as 7l/100k (with a concerted effort for an exercise) but usual 8-9 with normal driving. Yes bigger engines always nice (540i car is brilliant) but economy certainly falls away overall. If I was replacing I might be tempted on a 530 but for no specfic reason but for slight power increase. Be aware also that the V8's are not generally regarded as being as sharp handling/ steering as the sixes due to the extra engine weight & the fact they use recirculating ball steering box rather than a rack as in the sixes. Hope I don't add confusion!

Mark As Will said - dist cap at front of engine in motronic, also look for the Black round Diagnostic plug top of engine L/H side towards front - L jetronic had the smaller D shaped plug with red cover in the same place. As also said - all F/L cars (plastic bumper) are motronic

The switching for locking/ unlocking of doors from the boot is controlled by a circuit in the boot lock motor itself so in that case it obviously has a motor fitted already. This fault would indicate a faulty actuator within the unit itself. As already said - they do fail. Can supply a replacement if required, PM or 027 6146607 Cheers

As Carl said - possibly injectors leaking & semi flooding, or faulty engine management temp sensor simulating cold engine & causing computer to overfuel the engine. Not starter if engine cranks normally Unlikely to be pump or the car would not start but do listen for the initial prime when you turn the key on. 320's dont have a cold start injector/thermo time switch. Unlikely to be HT leads but could possibly be tired plugs but they more likely would cause a cold start issue.