M3AN

If it's for you 1989 530i then just get something suitable from Repco or Supercheap for half the price (or less).

5 years is a pretty good result. I think the determining factor is how long they'll guarantee the finish for. If they'll guarantee it for 5 years then it's probably worth it.

A radiator should last more than 2.5 years so the warranty period doesn't matter, you're covered by the CGA. If they don't respond file a small claims dispute for the value of the radiator, you should get a court order for a refund.

You could almost call it a bargain at US$70k considering what they were new and how much better this is than new! But you're right, that's baller money.

It is nice now but unfortunately it'll look like sh*t in a couple of years. It's painted (on the surface) and not dyed and the paint will crack off as the leather gets used. You can't dye leather without removing and submerging it all and that's just not practical. Fibrenew are also in NZ and they'll only guarantee their work on seats for 2 years (if you're lucky - they wouldn't give me any guarantee). To be honest there aren't many options and this is one of the best but it pays to know what you're getting because it's a short term product. They shouldn't call it "dyeing". Lovely car though!

Pulled the steering rack out the 328... boy that's a messy job!

And remember they're crush washers, you need 4 for rack side and 4 for the pump side, one for either side of the hose fitting. And BMW NZ charges over $3 each... ridiculous. Edit: may only need 2 crush washers for the pump side, depends how the feed line attaches.

Getting to 100km/h in second gear...

And to think I was going to sell it for 14-15k in '08 when I headed off to Europe...

Oh, sorry my bad. And I always use 9v to test 12v circuits since 'straight-from-battery' power is unregulated. Although most vehicle circuitry should support non-continuous 14v it's better to err on the safe side.

If the fan came on when you jumped the temp switch/sensor how was the module dead?

Yeah, unless you need the money I'd consider keeping it as a summer cruiser... but, since you asked... On price I think you're between a rock and a hard place, you're not going to be rewarded (in any significant fashion) for the low miles unless you're very lucky and find somebody that specifically wants the configuration you have. If it were a 3.2 coupe then the low miles would be worth more but I'm afraid not many M3 buyers are looking for a 3.0 vert. The colour is up there with the best and the wheels are ideal, assuming the leather condition is commensurate with the miles then that's also a bonus. Service history is important because some things have a lifespan regardless of the actual mileage... do you have service records? I'd be (pleasantly) surprised if a good condition 3.2 manual coupe sold for $28k and would work back from there (-vert, -5 speed, -3.0) and would agree with those above that $25k would be a good number but I'd expect it to hang around for a while. There aren't many public recent benchmarks out there as far as I'm aware - I've not seen a good condition original e36 M3 sell (publically) for quite some time now which makes the market difficult to assess. Mine's insured for $22k agreed... maybe I should reevaluate that...

Yeah, also interested in what happened, they're one of the few places I recommend.

I realise you've replaced the temp switch but have you bridged the connectors on the plug to make sure you have a full circuit to the fan?

Good stuff Kyu. By now I imagine you can taste food properly again!

Edit: I fully accept your point that not every failure will affect every vehicle and that some vehicles may never experience a failure. The risk of a failure is certainly less than what 'everybody that's ever been on the internet might say' but you all must agree, the risk does exist and it can be expensive. My mates e36 M3 Evo has done 240k kms and is still on the original VANOS... doesn't make VANOS failures a myth. It's not that's it's going to happen guys, it's the risk of it happening... if it's fixed, whether it was going to happen or not is irrelevant, the risk is eliminated. That's what affects the price. Two otherwise identical houses built in the 90's, one with monolithic cladding and the other with weatherboards - we all know which one will cost less, just because of the risk. In fact somebody on here just bought an e46 M3 only to find out a month later the subframe is completely screwed... bet they wish they got it inspected before purchase. Doesn't need to stop you buying but if I saw a torn subframe pre-purchase I'd be expecting a lot off the market price. So, silly not to ask. Caveat emptor.

Great, I'm glad you had a similar positive experience to me. When I took the 328 (with M3 suspension) in they couldn't get the camber I requested, needed longer bolts and shims. They did the best they could (and actually aligned) and said pop back in when you get new bolts... and left it at that, didn't charge me so I expected a larger bill when I returned. Not so, they only charged me for one alignment (plus the cost of the shims) even though I took up ramp and technician time twice. I asked about it, not wanting to rip them off and they said they prefer to provide results, not just service! They instantly created a repeat customer that's happy to refer others. A few members here go there actually.

Racelign Workshop https://www.autolign.co.nz/profile/website/view/accountId/14978 And no looking back, they're awesome.

If you can keep any classic M BMW at 4k miles you're going to do well! Imagine a 4k mile E30 M3?!? This one's an outlier though, average prices are much, much lower: https://bringatrailer.com/bmw/m-coupe/

"Cars under 5k" Hehe. ?

Wow, that sounds way more complicated that it should be... where's the drain plug that it requires the car to be level? Even if level is required you could just leave the drain pan under the car and lower it back to ground... And you can flush the oil when you're doing the change, that would be significantly less expensive that replacing the whole lot in a month. In fact, even if you're paranoid you could just change the filter next service... any crap that you need to be concerned about will already be picked up and you'd save a couple of hundred bucks on fresh oil. Although I'd say that's probably unnecessary anyway.

Repco also has oil sales starting today for the next 5 days... up to 30% off. @sobanoodle: unless your manual or dealer says to use 0W then I wouldn't, it's unnecessary in our climate, even in the deep south. A 20W is probably perfect for Auckland but they're few and far between.

I normally just drive the font of the car onto blocks, jack up the rear from the centre, install rear jack stands and then jack the front from the centre and install front jack stands. One jack, two blocks, four stands. If the font bumper is on I normally have to do the rear end in two goes, first to get the stands in (on lowest setting) then again to level it once the front it done. If I have the bumper off this isn't necessary.

I agree that it can't hurt to use the "approved" oil. And in this case, since it readily available at a lower cost than the alternative it makes perfect sense. And I accept that you were only answering which was preferred. You are mischaracterising my position though. I'm not advocating a "Chinese" oil over an approved oil, I'm saying that you're not going to do any harm by selecting one of two almost identical oils from the same reputable manufacturer as long as it's a suitable viscosity. Suggesting I'm being "cavalier" by asserting this is ridiculous. My problem is when people who should know better state there's only one choice when there's not. It's like the myth perpetuated about BMW coolant that is somehow magical. It's been repeated so often over time that too many people believe it and it becomes self-perpetuating. I do appreciate your less aggressive tone so thanks for that.

Well, that's assuming you consider kids a necessity to be 'grown up'. Some of us will never need four doors or a large car.