lidistick

I'm all for crackdowns. What's the point of having a law and no enforcement. Ping them for all its worth and make the roads safer. I think if the fine cannot be paid in 6 months, then the car is repo'ed and sold off. I also think places that pass WOF's on cars which have shitty exhausts must be fined or have their license revoked. Big ups to the cops for the smackdown

Nothing wrong with 240Bhp from a 2L engine.

done

H&R springs and either Koni or Bilstein shocks. My H&R/Bilstein setup cost me $1650 + $200 to get the front shocks shortened. Then get some sticky and wider tires. change all worn suspension bushes. De-cat the car. find a windy road

Was reading the E39 guide posted by Martynn in the Maintenance section, apparently the Eibach springs lower the car without too much compromises in the ride department. Gives it a better stance. The 540i/535i that I drove had both recirc ball steering and although it wasn't as sharp as a rack and pinion ... it wasn't bad at all. What's the maintenance schedule for a diesel? I've a feeling the RUC will go in time. The diesel would be an ideal tow-car tho as I have a project brewing. U have to drive the Paraparas and all the way up to the 8th mile junction between SH 4 and SH3. Bugger all traffic except the occasional tractor and awesome twisty roads. From Wanganui to Raetehi, gotta watch out for roadworks and washouts.. but still awesome. I'd be happy to do a day trip ... after I pick up the BEL

Nice ride. Some Eibach springs and it should be mint. How does it handle? I've driven the 528i and I thought it was slightly underpowered for the size of the car. Today I test drove the 535i and the 540i. The V8's were stunning in terms of performance. The 3.5L was such an easy revver but the 4.4L was crazy quick. SOOOOO much torque and soooo sooo creamy smooth. I was thinking of the 530d (same amount of torque as the 4.4L V8 but with less of a petrol bill!) as tow car. Still in the hunt tho. I hope you took SH 3 and then SH4 towards Welly. Great drive through the Paraparas. Cheers.

I've got a 328i auto. 9~9.5L/100kms highway (depending on how lead-footed I am) and 13l/100kms city. Average about 10.5~11l/100kms. Get the bigger engine. Torque is amazing.

Nah.. not serious enough to be competitive.. but at least have a few more laps before my brakes fail. I have been looking for cheap 16's or 17's so I can fit some semi-slicks. Problem is most of the 16's or 17's are HEAVIER than the BBS RC's that I have.

Agreed changing rotors will not affect fade but as a whole, ie pads, rotors and fluid upgrade, I should get a few more laps before fading. Rotors are vented. I priced up some mintex 1166 and they were $250 a pad + GST! I've heard good things from people doing the targas and they have had no issues with Hawk pads. I believe that Alex from Carspot also uses Hawk pads in his E30 race car.

I suppose it was inevitable but my rotors have cracked. The left front has a nice linear crack about 4cm long and I've failed my WOF. I'm taking this opportunity to get upgraded rotors and stumbled upon........... $195+GST. Getting some Hawk HP+ pads ... should hold back the fade for the next outing.

I had to get my guards rolled to fit the 18" BBS RC to my E36 sedan. It was ok but touched a little over some shitty back-country roads. As stated earlier, get good tires. I run 225/40/18 and its the correct size according to the Miata calculator. I supposed you could run 235/35/18 for the back and 225/40/18 for the fronts. Expect some tramlining over our bad roads. Cheers.

CRIPES! USD$1400! I'll have to think hard about it first. That's quite a bit more than I expected to spend.

Yes the lights are aimed properly. Its hard coming from an Accord with HID to the Bosch lights. Driving from the Te Puke turn-off to Whakatane at night and I really notice the difference between a HID setup and the standard BMW one. If the Hella one is legal, that's probably where I'll spend the money. Hmm Hella NZ don't have it on their website.

Hmm new to me this one. Any links? I know Hella do a HID kit but I was under the assumption all HID kits were illegal. May have to check and price that one up.

I'm not sure if there is increased visibility as the packaging says it will deliver. There is definitely more light intensity up to the normal range but I'm not sure if it actually projects the beam further. Too bad HID retrofits are illegal. Any other methods of increasing the range?

Too many topics already so I thought I'll start one Decided against Angel Eyes as its only for looks and not for actual lighting performance. As I do about 400kms a week of long distance driving (usually after dark), I decided to pick up some Philips H1 50% increase brightness from Repco. Slight blue tint at the top of the bulb but otherwise still yellow-white in colour. Supposed to give me an extra 10~20m of extra light but tonight when I drive to work, I'll see if it was worth the $53 Cheers.

The E39 is probably one of the best 5 series IMO. Get a good big engine as the car is not a lightweight and you will tend to push it going uphill. I suppose petrol seems to be one of your considerations but I drive a 328i (similar motor) and I get about 9l/100kms long-distance and about 13l/100kms in the city. Your city driving might be slightly higher because the 5 series is heavier. Having the larger motor makes all the difference when overtaking slow traffic.

Document and photograph all the damage that you have incurred. Write a very polite letter expressing your disappointment with the way your car has been treated and copy it to the manager of the branch of Beaurepairs and another copy to the General Manager of Beaurepairs NZ and save a copy for Fair Go. In your letter, itemize the damage and get quotes to fix it (for the damaged rim) and a full interior groom. Do not threaten legal action or media publicity but just explain that you took your car there because it was supposed to be a professional outfit versus saving pennies and taking it to a backyard special. Be as polite as you can and offer them the opportunity to fix things for you. I've used this technique 4 times for various issues from clothes to cellphones and have had good responses. Never lose your temper. Good luck.

I have a 328i and the economy is not bad on a highway but terrible for city driving. I get 9L/100kms highway and 13.5L/100kms city. But overtaking cars is piss easy. push the sport button and floor it. its a slushy but it does the job and did quite well at Taupo. There are 328i's on Trademe for under $10K. you'd have to look hard tho and some may require work to bring it up to standard. My car is for sale but not for under $10K Cheers.

And at Taupo http://www.one2onephotography.co.nz/trackd...riginal_389.jpg http://www.one2onephotography.co.nz/trackd...riginal_423.jpg

Autoalign on Somerset St will do Bilsteins and Monroe I think. I got my springs for a great price at FBI performance on K Drive. Call Paul at 8479890 and tell him Marcus sent you there for some shocks. He's a good person to deal with and no hassles. Cheers.

My bad. it was 5.1 currently undecided about getting a dedicated track car vs daily/pt track car. If I can get a good price for the 328i then yes I'll try and get a cheap and reliable track car.. which will most probably mean a Type R. I think there is resistance tho from the significant other with regards to selling the BMW and buying a Honda. Oh well.

The track was track 4. Full length 3.5kms. The chicane is pretty cool. I like it. Tricky as hell to get right but once you nail it.. feels pretty awesome. Not worried about the pitwall. Motul RBF is acutally rated Dot4. Has a very high dry boiling point. I didn't get that this time and Greg @ Carsport told me he filled the car with Dot 5 fluid. I believe Dot5.1 is silicone based and slightly different. If I do make this car a track car, it will get a manual box and a proper brake set-up so I can keep at it and not limp home with soggy brakes. Cheers.

Change of direction. Happily trade it in but this is a nice car and would rather it be looked after by one of you than getting sold on trade me and pimped up on chromes. E36 328i - Montreal Blue 78K kms WOF: Jan 07 Rego: Jan 07 5 spd Auto Mods: Simota Carbon Fibre CAI - I have the stock airbox if you want that put back Decatted 18" BBS RC 18lbs each - one has very minor kerbing Bilstein shocks and H&R springs. - also have originals should you want to go back to stock. 225/40/18 Toyo Proxes CT01 with at least 6mm of tread left. Standard BMW headunit - can get sony headunit with 6CD stacker from other car if you prefer. Cheers.

Ipod shuffle?