M3_Power

It's fine on force 10. There are guys in Brazil running E100 (i.e 100% ethanol) on these engines without issues (modification required on injector and tune) Debatable about power gain ... But most likely worse mileage.

As a constructive feedback on your driving (if I may) ... you are missing a lot of corner apexes and braking points. I timed a few of your laps and they were in the 1:22 mark. Your car also seemed to understeer a lot in the flowing corners (2,3,4) which could be why you weren't hitting the corner apex). 2, 3 and 4 need to be driven as one flowing section rather than individual corners. I did a good lesson with Mike Eady in this which is a standard 323i on road tyres and I was doing 1:20s in slight damp conditions with him in the car:

Love the mirrors. My brother had a set of those on his 330Ci many moons ago. Very rare indeed.

SAF-XJ with FM Booster BMW Part number 83 22 2 282 583 - comes in a 3 pack box (you'll need about 1.3litres - so just over 2.5 bottles).

The joys of buying new

Is it?? I just went ahead and deleted a few more messages ... the new forum doesn't seem to warn or state how full the PM boxes are or am I missing something?? PM away Matt : )

http://www.dpccars.com/car-videos-13/12-11-13page-Original-BMW-M3-vs-New-M3-and-M4.htm According to the video above ... starting price is 72,200 Euros ... I am guestimating that'll translate into about NZ$170K+ when it lands in New Zealand ... add a few things and it'll be close to NZ$200K.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=674090837&ed=true Great little run around. 021 281 0155

Good to see BMW M back on top of its game rather than the E9X M3 rubbish that they made. I am expecting the pricing of these to be closer to a very highly spec'd Porsche Boxster or entry model 911 however ...

A most interesting proposition there Dan

No dropping of diff needed that's for sure. Just the bottom bolt from memory to allow the dummy shafts to swing down. That's pretty useless if a dealership fitted the seals and pressed them too far ... the factory seal insert tools are basically idiot proof!! I can't see (if they have used one) how they could accidentally press them too far!! At least anyone competent enough working on it would have taken the measurement of how far it sat before pulling the old seal out (or checked the specs!!)

I've been skeptical about the cryo treatment myself ... good to hear some feedback about it. Having said that however, it is my understanding that none of the cryo treated hubs from dr Vanos have failed - even in race applications. Mine aren't broken - this is just a spare I have that I've decided to strengthen. Do you mind posting a photo of the broken tab repair and how it is done? Curious to see what the local solutions are to this issue.

Hmmmm that quote does sound a bit more than I remembered something like this to cost. Try Peter at Team McMillan or Ray at HellBM if you don't want to get your hands dirty. Diff stays in .... If memory serves the left one you might have to remove one section of the exhaust, but the right one you should be fine with just dropping the shock. I did the whole thing on my own at home .. although I had access to the correct BMW seal insert tools which made it a bit easier. But nothing a correct sized socket can't do LOL. Just remember don't jack up your car from the diff or the diff cover - but on the jacking point on the front of the rear subframe. Here's a few photos I took of the input shaft seal (which is a lot harder to do)

Piece of piss to do ... very simple. If you know how to turn a few nuts and bolts and know how to bang in a seal then you'll be fine. You don't even need to drain the diff oil (you'll lose a little bit but not a huge amount that you can't top up later.) If that one is leaking the main seal will probably leak soon also - that one is a little more involved but not too bad (just more stuff to remove in contrast to this one which is bugger all) I did mine on jack stands without much issues.

Okay, those that have followed the Vanos issue with the s54 will understand what this is all about. So I have a perfect condition spare vanos unit which I am about to strengthen and put away for a rainy day and I have been thinking ... rather than buying stuff from Beisan and the likes of Dr Vanos (or Turbotoy) and spend a fortune (US$300+shipping for a redrilled oil pump disc and US$700+shipping for a turbotoy hub) why can't something like this be done locally? And perhaps if we get enough owners a group discount could be had maybe?? Also supporting local industry?? The oil pump disc simply has another pair of holes drilled that's undersized by 0.6mm to the existing holes and the hub I suppose could be Cryo treated locally like the Dr Vanos hub (which is US$950+GST). Hoping for knowledgeable members to chime in on which local business might be capable of doing this without stuffing it up? Or whether this might be a bad idea to try and attempt here locally?? Mods - apologies if this is in the wrong forum! Beisan oil pump disc: Dr Vanos Cryo treated hub Turbotoy hub:

I can't help but think this is what the next M3 should have been.

LOVELY!

I think you need a bit of a reality check to be honest (if I am blunt) but try it in real life mate .. .see how far you get with someone that you've paid $15/h on a job versus someone that charges legitimately and fairly with a proper invoice that pays the IRD and see the difference in treatment you get afterwards. Then take it to the tribunal if you think it's worth while getting back your $15 ... Respect flows both ways ... if you are forever searching for the best bargain rather than the best service, you'll soon build up a reputation as the person that just wants everything for next to nothing. Build up a good relationship with a good shop and you might find that sometimes they'll just help you out without even charging you $15. And before you think I am talking out of my arse ... I won't even bother going into how wrong your maths is with your estimates on workshop costs ... I have multiple friends that run some of the largest dealership workshops in Auckland and they would laugh at your claims and figures on costs. I do agree that cars are now made harder and harder to be worked on by backyard mechanics and joe blogs ... but that's probably as a result of people willing to charge $15/h to compete with factory trained technicians, so manufacturers are now in need of making it harder for that to happen to protect dealership profit margins. Think about that.

I once helped friend change brake pads on a car that he paid a $15/h "mechanic" to do ... the brake pads were on backwards (backing plate against the rotor and pad material on the piston backwards). So by all means enjoy the level of workmanship you get from your $15/h mechanics. Many moons ago I also paid a manufacturer mechanic to do a home jobbie for me on a Honda - replacing cambelts - now I can do those in like 2.5 to 3 hours on my own and that's usually the expected time it takes for someone that knows what they are doing. Relatively simple job, but with loads of stuff that can go wrong (points at the 14mm tensioner bolt) - well low and behold a single slip by this guy on the 14mm tensioner bolt and a second slip completely rounding it. With less than 50mm between the bolt and the chassis rail there was no way to get to it. It took him a total of 12 hours start to finish for the full cambelt job as the only way to get that bloody bolt out was to turn it with a cold chisel lying on his back swinging upwards. No doubt he was regretting charging me only $80 for the job afterwards. Moral of the story .. .sh*t can go wrong even if you know what you are doing. Whilst charge out rate doesn't always = quality ... it at least usually ensures you have a come back should sh*t go wrong. I've always said this to other friends ... Mechanics are a bit like lawyers, you get screwed either way, might as well make sure the person screwing you over knows what he or she is doing.

I wonder if it still has the ate a Porsche 911 rear end?? http://jalopnik.com/the-bmw-i8-ate-a-porsche-911-1307154852

Have you asked your better half yet?

Might want to state what your budget is when it comes to buying or renting ... it'll basically determine where you'll end up living in Auckland I am afraid. Also what's important to you - convenience to shops and restaurants ect ... crime rate ... insurance ... travel cost (parking at work?) School zone for the kids? Dog registration (whether you can pay for it online or not - yes it's different in different areas). Or most importantly I suppose proximity to BMW tuners and parts suppliers When are you moving? How much time have you got to sort ect?

I know of a NZ new facelift with 34k km on the clock ... apparently showroom condition.

Saphire Black M3 CSL on South Eastern Highway at around 10am this morning going towards Pakuranga. Didn't catch the plate unfortunately, but it looked like the car needs a wash for a few seconds I caught it : P

Sorry Tristan ... I've not had time to complete this yet ... I have however cut the pattern on Alcantara already and have a mock up done on the wheel and it seems to work quite well. Need to pop into Spotlight one day and pick up that thin foam backing and some fabric glue and pick out the stitching haha!!