M3AN

You might win the day.

Bumber swap will be easy, bumpers are made to come off without too much drama. Fender is a different story altogether, they're not meant to come off easily. Replacements? In the right colour? From an M5? I'd think a dealer would be the only option and I'm pretty sure they'll be unreasonably expensive. A wrecker might have them but they won't be a dime a dozen. I'd claim it all on insurance, just pay the difference for the M5 bits.

It's less of an unrealistic price than you might imagine IMHO, GLWS. I was pondering this the other day - how do you "flush" a power steering system? I'd like to do mine but can't get my head around the best method.

I have never heard them called "traffic circles" before. In my life.

"Needs replacement rear screen". I do like the Mercedes lighter though, adds a little class.

Sweet, welcome. Some motorsport trim and that thing would be beaut. Like the colour and wheels.

Do let us know what you end up doing and how you get on. Good luck.

It's always a matter of having the right tool for the job!

Fair question.

Oh dear. The zoomed in image suggests that M3 was dead a long time ago.

Agreed on all accounts. He says he has black leather seat with Vaders, they should really be included at that price (already installed). Bit tricky that it says on road costs are included because that includes a warrant and it's officially unwarrantable without a cert. If I purchased it I'd only do so conditional on a new warrant from VTNZ. IMHO the job's not finished and needs to be sold as unroadworthy without a cert. As I'd say about every similar conversion. Nice car but! lol - just realised it's the OP's. Stand by my comments but I do ask, why no cert?

Well, I'm not convinced you're in a better place than you were. You'll need to call a vehicle certifier and find out what else is required (if anything). There's no "new seat belt" you can get that will be different to your current one other than a race harness. And if you need to get a race harness to get a cert then that's hardly ideal for daily use. Keep in mind most cars on our roads were never fitted with an airbag in the first place. A cert is really a great length and expense to go to to solve the problem you have. As I said, it will cost you at least $400.

Yes, we need to know what type/year the 320i in your profile is @moneygoddy. But without knowing that we can all tell you to spend nothing more at the mechanics you've been to. You need the error "codes" read from the onboard computer. A BMW specialist (original dealer or independant mechanic) with the correct computer equipment can do this for you, as can some private individuals such as @Mad_Max offered above. If you take it to a specialist you should ask for the codes to be read and to be provided with a printout which you should then post here for comments. Make no commitment to further work. This shouldn't cost more than $80 and IMHO should be free (rebated) if you get any repair work done at the same shop. To get the codes they need to connect up the computer, read the codes, clear the codes, drive the car, connect up the computer again, read the codes and print all the results. A charge is justified, it does take time and equipment (although very little skill) to do it properly. If you can find somebody private to do it for you then you should ask them what beer they like.

Just buy Andrew's steering wheel dude, it's worth the punt for $60. A cert will cost you at least $400 + the replacement steering wheel. You can also use a different self-contained steering wheel (airbag control unit is in the wheel itself) and fit that with a suitable clock spring. But ultimately, as AJ says, if you want to do it cheap just get a non-airbag wheel off a wreck and fit that, nobody will know the difference except you.

Is there a lock on the passanger side of the e39 (is for e36)?

Bill's right, 100kg ain't going to make squat (lol) difference to ride height. But the prevailing internet opinion supports Robert's theory. Ultimately most e36's lean right and there's no definitive explanation available to the best of my knowledge.

Finished the trunk loom, should be good for another 20 years and it's one of those little details that I'm hoping sets my example apart from the masses. In the end I ran the spoiler cable (two wires in a rubber sheath) on the outside of the repair loom. Feeding it through just didn't seem feasible (it probably is, I just don't have a method). It's weatherproof and fed through both boots so fits the bill just fine. Pro Tip: when you're checking continuity then your separate earths will still connect... duh. Don't spend 30 mins trying to work that out. Brake light, plate lights, lock actuator and lid closed signal all work! Nice.

Yep. Pics or it didn't happen.

According to Adeeb (and I have no reason to doubt him) it's a mechanical lockout.

No, was dry as a bone in the compartment (a fair bit of dust though) but the PCB has what looks like some fouling on it. There's an intermittent ECU code being thrown and the car stutters when this happens so I'm hoping a] this is the cause and b] it's not too expensive to fix. I've had an offer of help, I just need to follow that up. So I thought I'd do the loom and I might also replace the fuse box whilst I'm at it. It looks like whoever did the aftermarket alarm all those years ago was a little rough.

Ouch. Good luck dude, I read a few stories like this just a month or so ago. Needed to get into the E36 boot with no key access and no battery. At least I had a coupe but it was still a PITA and in researching it I read some pretty tough stories from sedan owners. Lucky we don't keep kids in there eh?

Pretty much +1 to that.

It's been a while, not much to say really except the car's off the road at the moment because of a dodgy DME (ECU). In the meantime I've been replacing the wiring loom in the trunk, it's common for the wires from the lid to the main body to wear and break or short (you should check yours if you have an e36 or e39). Anyway, the e36 replacement "repair" loom from BMW (61-12-8-391-788) comes with wire tails and silly little solder connectors so I replaced those with a proper plug. How they come: Spades clamped on ready to solder: Finished plugs: Trunk lid is now done and back together, including routing the existing spoiler cable. Now I need to do the chassis side which will be a little less convenient!

As challenging as it might be that's what electrical diagrams are for. I'd certainly start with a diagram before I picked up a drill.