M3AN

More observations; The rear plate and puddle lights (door handles) are LED's, I don't think they came like that (in 2008 anyway). Angel eyes have been upgraded to (very bright) white LED's also, looks heaps better than stock. Interior LED lighting set is on the way from eBay so everything matches. The stubby aerial is actually aftermarket and has a carbon fibre tube... looks naff up close, will replace with stock. A few hundred km's over the last few days and I'm still smitten, everyone should own one of these at least once. Some comments on the Avin once I've recovered from NYE...

Frivolous for sure... but hey, it's the festive season... And yes, I'm sure 99% of people will ask if I "won" it...

I don't think the 335i ones work, apparently you need the M3 ones... and the M3 ones don't work in the 335i. It would be great if they were all plug and play, they have such similar functions.

Yeah, I've seen that (although can't find it immediately) but I've got something else up my sleeve to see how it turns out before I try that.

It stands to become the current price benchmark, despite being a convertible. It's got an amazing logbook of work for the distance travelled. Great colour.

Yeah, and most cars with paddles, ever. It's not even worth debating.

As you wish. I want conventional paddle shifters.

I'm pretty impressed with the load space too. Even though it's marginally smaller than my e36(s) it's actually possible to get 5 wheels with mounted tyres in easy, space to spare. That's a nightmare in the coupes without using the passenger seat and even then still a PITA! Took it out to some semi-rural roads for a spirited drive today and enjoyed every moment of it. I need proper paddle shifters and I can't just reprogramme my brain to adapt to these crazy ones. At the moment I'll do something stupid if I reach for them in a pinch.

Thanks. ? It's an Avin USA 10.25" system... installation was a bitch, two afternoons... but I sort-of expected that. Disassembling, and then reassembling the dash and glovebox took most of that time. First impressions soon.

With enough notice Kayne will do the whole car on a lift but that's not going to work if you need it done now. Outputs are easy enough to DIY, depends where the leak is really, they rarely all need replacing at the same time but worth doing 3 if you're doing 1.

It's watching you... Not sure, but it isn't factory. Is that a little picture of a sun? Does it turn on some aftermarket daylight running lights? You may need to play with light switches to see. Perhaps some "cool" under car LED strips? Just a guess.

Make sure you use a high-temp clear. ?

The chances of them getting anywhere near 250*C on a street car are about zero. The calipers will get super hot only once the rotors are almost glowing and then you stop the car so the calipers act as a heat sink. It's highly unlikely your rotors will glow before you crash. And if they do, follow proper cool down procedure and your calipers will be fine. I do think that your stickers will peal off though because of heat cycles, road crap and washing. As soon as a corner lifts they'll remove themselves quickly. If you spray a clear coat over the top though they'll last a lot longer. Edit: I must say that the calipers do look good so props on that front.

Nice @gjm, a 3/4" set is a must-have IMHO although I'm amazed you found one with a 46mm socket in it!

Man those 3 doors look good don't they? I very much like those wheels are they 17's or 18's? And are you running 245's all around? Edit: GLWS.

I've ordered some black ones, they'll be here in the new year. I haven't decided what to do with the carbon fibre ones but sure, if I'm going to discard them I'll tap you on the shoulder so-to-speak. ?

No, ensconced at the family house on the North Shore. Very full and very content. ?

This arrived pretty quickly and no GST... although it was marked at US$98 so any GST would have been small. Via DHL. The quality looks fine, the cables and adaptors seem strong and there's lots of them... no installation instructions. ?? Project for after Christmas day whilst listening to the cricket.

Fronts are easy Graham, especially if you're starting with a new hub/bearing assembly. Remove wheel, remove caliper, remove rotor, pull hub, anti-seize the bearing interface on the spindle, wack on new hub (rubber mallet), replace rotor, replace caliper, replace wheel, drink beer. The hardest part will probably be getting the old hub off, it could range from easy through to PITA so be prepared for either or anywhere in between. In the worst case the bearing will separate and leave the inner race stuck on the spindle. The easiest way to get it off in that case is probably with a Dremel.

Cheers Kyu, I'm pretty stoked actually, I didn't expect to like it as much as I do but it's very, very good. I'm stunned at how good the auto box is... and just how rapid the car actually is. The photos don't tell the story of the paint but the price does, it's a long way from perfect upon close inspection. I think I'll get a proper cut and polish and then assess what to do. But I went in knowing this and it doesn't concern me, I can't see the paint when I'm driving it! For a net ~$5k it's a pretty big upgrade from the 328!

I have F1 A5s on the rear of my M3 and like them, always have. I've also found them to be quite a bit less than the equivalent Michellins (in 255/18) but that has required me to shop around. I use the F1 directionals up front for more stable tracking and better aquaplane prevention than assyms.

Yep, PITA. But your case is tax deductible on your income... if you can be bothered... government wins again... :-/

I just paid GST on an eBay.co.uk purchase, collected at source via PayPal... it would be interesting to be able to trace that GST and see if it ever arrives back in NZ.

Probably is standard... ...I was making an incorrect connection between an electrically operated PS pump and active steering, I thought they were one in the same, my bad. I don't have active steering so perhaps that's why I like it! ?

lol this thing is fun, even the auto box is a delight in sport mode. The car is way quicker than I imagined it would be and it has hydraulic rather than electric power steering, bonus. The seats and suspension probably feel better than my M3. ? I played with all the settings that mapped across from my '08 coupe manual and have set it up how I like. Tilt might need some inspection on the driver's seat, it clicks but then does nothing but the current position is okay for now. It has privacy glass too. I'm impressed that the radio preset buttons are capacitive touch buttons as well as proper buttons, that's cool. Not enough pockets and no coin storage, that's a bummer. I could use the cup holder for coins but it's not ideal and there seems to be no OEM solution. I washed it by hand today and exposed all the imperfections and there are many. Looks great from a few metres out but not so good on close inspection. I knew this going in though and I'm not at all concerned with what I see. I'll probably pay for a good cut and polish in due course and see where we go from there. More pics... These must go... These can stay... 100% happy so far.