hotwire

I suspect possibe causes as Glenn has suggested & doubt it's plugs. Surely though - if you want to eliminate plugs then simply buying & fitting a new set is hardly an over the top cost to incur

Good for us south of Bombays though Oop's - Gotta get the car going first

Did the hi stop work correctly before - ie - has it just started doing that? Probably incorrectly wired - earth? Second fault certainly sounds like an earth issue. Was anything done to the car before these faults occured? Did they both occur at the same time?

Are you meaning the metal rib strips that support the rubber? These are part of the blade itself. -Have you got plastic back blades? You can get metal back blades instead to replace. A little dearer but much better blades as they flex to the screen shape better.

Nice car, good on you. Now to add your fanatical touch to it & it'll be a minter

Yes - as I stated earlier in the thread:-

Nice collection & great pics - well done! Love the E21

Bring it on - can't wait!

Yep, sorry to disagree Dan but 6 cyls quite ok (agree the 520i is gutless though) IMO - our 525i (523i NZ badging) is a great car. Obviously power wise 28 & 30's better & 40 better again. Each to their own though - "Gutless" is subjective:- I like the 8's but if getting another E39 I would probably opt for a 530i

Good on you. No offense to you but they can stick those flash electronic battery testers where the sun don't shine! Have had debates with battery reps over the years with those things - Warrenty battery - Them - "Nothing wrong with that battery according to this tester" Bulshit, wait while I get my carbon pile tester - sure enough - crook battery. They are usefull but can't diagnose all battery faults - e.g. -under proper load

Don't know - haven't looked but it is pretty self explanitory with the parts in your hand - just somewhat fiddly

Done one. Bit of dicking around but straight forward. Get the WHOLE electric mechanism inc relay & wiring. Earth connects to bolt up at motor, power wire runs down L/H pillar & connects to a pre wired plug behind glovebox

Would hardly call it problems, problems, never ending problems. Yes the car should be repaired to "as before" condition. It seems they overlooked the bent rim - but have fixed it now:- Broken seat: If replacement is required then you can expect one of equal condition to be fitted. You won't get a new one due to the age of the car. What is the problem with the replacement? If it is the covering then get them to have it swapped with your original- assuming a good replacement cannot be obtained.

Yes - M20's starters definitely interchange - early to late & vice versa. Same teeth etc, just that the late unit is a reduction drive & hense smaller housing. Also manual/auto - the same

Battery (Alt) light coming on with key & off with engine running? - Probably charging OK Check charging with a meter (around 14v) also check for current draw. If no meter to do so then take to an auto sparky - 5 min job. I would suspect though that the battery is probably naffed - again - a sparky to test

M20 starters all the same. The earlier model - bigger Bosch unit & later (facelift car) Bosch reduction drive (smaller unit) - both interchange either way. Neither will have adverse effects either way. I think from memory I supplied you with a starter quite a while ago via TM - hope this is not the one that has failed - if it was - I would be most surprised if it did. Sounds like you may have an alighnment issue of some sort

.15 is a little high but hardly over the top - is there an alarm in the equation? Usually "normal" anywhere between .02 & .06 How long are you checking for? Key illumination? if so are you allowing time for this to go off? .15 is only a tenth higher & with normal car use - this wouldn't be an issue. Doesn't point to a bulb on or alt issue as current draw would be higher

Could be a problem anywhere & not necessarily easily diagnosed on here. Best get it checked by an auto sparky. And, no sarcasim intended -this is why they have ratings on fuses - DONT overate them!

Got one of those off Ebay out of UK - about $70 from memory

Nice choice of car Andrew PM'ed you for TV/ipod

Nice car but for the Bastardised Yank look - bumpers/front indicators. Would have my E12 anyday

320i/325i will take either 240 or 260 boxes although 325 was specced with heavier 260 unit. 318i 240 box is different & WONT mate to 6 cyl cars You must have a mismatch of driveshafts

Non removable - part of the front chassis rail. CRC when you screw in the hook & it should be ok

As for requiring reverse lights for WOF: If a light (any light) is fitted - it MUST work. Possible for any fault you mentioned but more likely reverse light switch on gearbox (not inhibitor switch) Need a test light or meter to trace fault

sh*t, how many thermostats has this car got