jimbo01

Bummer - the Chip Tunning sounded interesting if true E38 4.4 lire V8 from 210kw > 229kw, and 420Nm > 449Nm SLK230 from 142kw > 169kw, and 280Nm > 330Nm (I was ready to buy if I could verify their claims)

Found this - genuine NZ euro plates for $199. May be worth checking out. http://www.autopassion.co.nz/euro/ As a final finishing touch for all Euro cars, Autopassion Euro is happy to offer a range of three styles of Euro Plates. Standard number plates look a little lost on Euro cars, but with our authentic NZ Europlates in black or blue, the look is complete. We also do German Euro Plates.

I may just have to man up and tackle it myself - spent too much on the components LOL.

Do you know Honda want over $40,000 for a top spec civic 2.0s these days! We test drove the current 2.0S a few years back and yes it has all the spec boxes ticked, went OK, but it was poorly put together, and rattled. And as for outrageous repair and maintence bills - you are talking about Honda! I've had a lot of Honda's and they cost about the same to service as a BMW, or more, labour is labour and it takes about the same amount of time to do the required maintenance. Often the Honda parts were more expensive than BMW. Try repairing a Honda 5 speed automatic gear box which was only dealing with 1/2 the power of the equivalent BMW unit and see how much change you get from $6,000. Oh and it may have failed at not much over 100,000km. They have nice engines but shite gearboxes. I personally love what Honda has done over the years as the best in FWD. I can't love wehat they are doing now. Their best moments were the NSX, the 2006 Legend (an underated car), athe now defunct S2000 (which was rear wheel drive), and the killed off V10 NSX replacement, and the Type R range. We have a 2001 Odyssey V6 with 4WD. It's the ideal family vehicle. The thing they sell as the Odyssey here in NZ now is a smaller underspecd and overpriced yawn. They have truely forgotton the passion for cars that Mr Honda had, and customers who have a passion for cars. Bean counters run Honda now not engineers. So yes I'd buy a BMW FWD car, and I'd pay a premium because of the innovation in engineering built into every BMW. BMW has an extensive range of cars that are at least equal with anything else in the world.

They already have mini in their line up.

I'm after the black parcel shelf trim which covers the DSP speaker enclosure, and the black speaker covers. Note: I already have the electronic rear blind and back section of the rear parcel shelf trim for that. II have also score the enclosure for $80 delivered so now Im just missing the front section of the parcel shelf trim. Cheers ... Jim

This won't be suitable for widescreen. My new unit is currently with Hotwire along with my Nav gear which he's tested and set up for me. Wish he was about 400km closer to Wellington LOL. Jim

Last week someone tried to steal them (they did steal 4 tyres that were not on rims, and my sons bike. and scratched my BMW, probably with the bike brake). Anyway the wheels: They are off my 1999 E38 740i and in pretty nice condition with Continental 235/60/16 tyres, one of which is new, 1 is good and 2 need replacing. Pickup from Upper Hutt (but only if you buy them - no 5 finger discounts!) Photo's to be posted when i can locate ithem

Last week someone tried to steal them (they did steal 4 tyres that were not on rims, and my sons bike. and scratched my BMW, probably with the bike brake). Anyway the wheels: They are off my 1999 E38 740i and in pretty nice condition with Continental 235/60/16 tyres, one of which is new, 1 is good and 2 need replacing. Pickup from Upper Hutt (but only if you buy them - no 5 finger discounts!) Photo's to be posted when i can locate ithem

This is a video unit in perfect working condition currently still installed in my 1999 NZ new E38 740i. Photo rto come when it is removed. This will only drive the 4:3 dash display. It will NOT drive the 16:9 display. I'm after $250 for it. I have a new video unit on the way to run a 16:9 upgrade screen (which I still havn't been able to find), luckily it will also run a 4:3 screen.

I've got a new video unit on the way so I will be able to run a 16:9 screen in my 99 E38. However I need the 16:9 a display screen to complete my Nav/Reversing Camera / video upgrade.

$60 - an hour isn't cheap when it's $60 an hour no matter how long it takes. So the longer they take the more they charge. Only a fool goes into that sort of deal unless there is a pretty good recommendation from someone who can vouch for them. Hence why I'm after a recommendation for someone who knows what they are doing when it comes to BMW's (and is prepered to show that by providing a quote). The guys who sell the aftermarket upgrade speakers for BMW's instruction note to allow 2 hours for replacing all 4 speakers in the doors - so 3 hours for 2 doors is about 3x longer than it should take.

(1) Smith and Smith Petone replaced the broken passenger side window in the E38, buggered up the trim, left glass inside the door which scratched the new glass. Went back saw manager who prmised to order glass, replace it etc. Weeks later followed up, nothing ordered. A few days later they range back and arranged to do the job. All sweet 2nd time round. (2) Smith and Smith repalced the passenger glass in my company Outlander. Scatched the sh*t out of the plastic trim fitting a temporary plastic window needed until the glass came in the next day. Lesson - do not leave a valintine one, or even radar detector mounts on your windscreen while your car is unattended. Unattended bastards will break a window to get the radar detector they think is in the glove box!

My 2 pair of Pioneer TS-C131PRS speakers turned up today so now I need to install them, or get someone to install them. These are weighty little beasts, and have a frequency response down to 30Hz, not bad for little 5.25" speakers. I'm happy to do the amp install but after ripping all the rear seat, boot trim etc out for my Nav install I don't want to go near the doors what with airbags and stuff in there. Anyone know a good sparky / caraudio installer in the Wellington region preferably experinced with BMW's. Update: Got my my E38 rear sub enclosure. The two outer speaker holes will fit a bigger speaker magnet than the 2 inner speaker holes so the 2 pair of Pioneer TS-C171PRS component speakers is a bust. Now back to buying 2 Kicker 6.5 inch subs in the 2 outer holes. I'll blank off the 2 inner holes. These speakers have usable base down to 25Hz which for a 6.5 inch speaker is damn good. 2 of them powered by a 150w RMS bridged amp channel should sound pretty good

here the link you want - step by step dis-assembly instructions. http://www.csparks.com/bmw/SunScreen/index.xml

Sweet - I'[ll PM you

My objective is to improve the base in my E38. The constraints are I don't want an enclousre in the boot and i want to retain full use of the ski hatch. I have decided to base my install arround the rear sub enclosure from the DSP sound system. I'm installing 2 new pioneer amps either side of the ski hatch, on the back panel in the boot. The 1st amp will connect into the speaker wiring (it has speaker level inputs). This amp will drive new Pioneer TS-C131PRS door speakers and is rated at 4x 75watts RMS. I'll use the filter to only send frequencies over 80Hz to the exisitng speakers pre-out from this amp will feed the 2nd amp. The AMP is the Pioneer PRSD-4200F 4 CHANNEL bought from Hyper Drive and is currenly being specialed at less than 1/2 price. Photo attached The 2nd amp will drive the two 6.5 inch Kicker subs. I'll run the amp in bridged mode; 2x 150 watts RMS and only feed frequencies below 100hz. I'll be using the standard DSP sub enclosure but will be blanking off 2 of the 4 speaker holes. The Kicker subs are the COMPVT65 rated at 300Watts peak, 150 watts RMS, and down to 25hz. The mounting depth is only 7.1cm.

The NZ distributor for SEM Colour Coat products is steve@pbsupplies.co.nz SEM Colour Coat Aerosols Landau Black can be used to restore the faded purplish looking formerly black trim in the rear of your BMW. I'm getting a can to restore the black trim coming with my rear blind, and the trim cover for the subwoofer speaker enclosure. About $40 delivered which is pretty good. see this link if you want an example: http://www.bimmerboard.com/members/cyclops...20Procedure.pdf I'm replacing the beige rear trim with black as I think this better matches the car interior, i.e. black on the top of the doors, black dash etc. Ordered and paid for the SEM Monday the 23rd of August. Weather permitting I'll be able to report on how well this product works this Sunday.

Insurance is paying on the bike so the rear blind and associated trim is on it's way, and I'm trying to buy the standard rear sub enclosure and trim from another supplier.

Rear blind and subs on hold as we were robbed last nite. They took 4 tyres, 2 wheels (recovered) and my sons Scott mountain bike. Insurance only pays market value on bike - ouch! Also scratched the BMW. Bastards 1/2 unscrewed our security lights so they could wortk in the dark like the rats they are! Pioneers amps were dispatched from Hyper today so I will have to complete my project one days.

Thanks - both rear headrests are now out - it needed a powerful upward jerk then they came out fine. The headrest adjustment motors are mounted on on the metal panel behind the seats. So tomorrow night I'll get the rest of the dis-assembly done ready for installing the GPS, the electric rear blind, and sorting out the subs. These will probably be 2 x 6.5 inch, or maybe 8" subs mounted on the rear parcel deck using the boot as an enclosure. I've bought 2 Pioneer PRS-D4200F 4 channel amps from Hyper, one will power the exisitng door speakers running on a high pass filter, the other will run 2 subs mounted in the rear deck bridged to give 300 watts RMS per sub. Each amp will mount perfectly either side of the ski port, up high out of the way.

I have been following the E38.org instructions to remove my rear seat. I have all the bolts out, and they say remove the rear headrests 1st. Trouble is they wont come out. They are electrically adjustable and they just won't budge. I've put them fully up, and tried to rmeove the seat back but the headrest stays fixed so it seems like the electically adjustment unit is mounted to the wall behind the seat back. I've removed the trim from the seat back inside the boot and there is no visible bolts to remove. So I'm stuck. Help please!

This is GSM so will only work on Vodafone and 2 degrees, both of whom run a 2G GSM network and a 3G UMTS network. 2 degress uses Vodafones network where they havn't got coverage. Telecom's XT phones don't do GSM, 3G UMTS/WCDMA only Anyway conclusion that a 2 degress SIm is the way to go seems on the money.

Managed to pick up a Nav DVD ROM unit for the E38 as well so hopefully we can get that going too. Apparently the reversing camera is a direct fit for an E39 with a TV and display, for the E38 I'll have to do a little shaping. PM hotwire if you are interested.

Yep it's the same hotwire as on this forum. Also looking at retrofitting a nav unit, and perhaps updating the video unit, and the screen to 16:9.