Allanw

Some motivation.... (could use some new rear tyres though... see 2.21 on) Motivation...

Ah... the $1 reserve one? Looks like a good base for my fave BMW project... M3 touring

Drove Whangarei to Warkworth. 1.5ish hours, 7.0 L/100kms Even with the AC on. got up to 7.5L/100kms by te time I got back, after chasing mates around on a stag do

It's 5 stud.... weren't 2002's 4x100??? Interesting.............

Fixed that for you

Is it flat from being parked on for the last 6 months, or is it from a lock up? If it's from being parked, they will often disappear fairly quickly.

There is usually a bunch on eBay, not sure if the Jap ones are different though???

Yup... even the factory consumption figures in the handbook show the 320i auto is the hungriest around town, actually MORE than the 325i! The 2.0 is a bit gutless and works harder = less efficient. May as well get a 325i or a 318i - the 318i is even cheaper to buy often too! Plus the 318i is probably as fast as a 320i around town, just less torquey for open road cruising.

Awesome! Keep up the encouragement! maybe encourage an M60 AND crunchy

I was just thinking the same about the boot lid...

If you have any issues with the new one, complain like hell! It should work at least as well as your old one, before the "loss" If you had an accident which damages a tyre (or 4), would they replace them with linglongs? I mean, they do the same job. Maybe any issues with THEM are down to installation too??? BTW: You got a heavy foot??? http://mefi.us/images/fuelly/sig-metric/115568.png

or two...

If the pulley spins under the belt, get another hand to squeeze two sides of the belt, thereby tightening it - hold the pulley a bit tighter A couple of good hits will usually do it anyway. Once I had a long enough spanner, it was easy as.

Really? So here in Whangarei, where the average annual humidity is about the same as Singapore, I'll have the same problems? Singapore 84.2, %, Whangarei 82%. Singapore is warmer than Whangarei, so the moisture is less likely to condense on the metal surfaces. I'm not sure how they can be the worst - at this point, they're the same, but with less UV damage. The wiring problems I have heard of ( not experienced) are usually in particular Mercedes models, which were prone to the insulation breakdown regardless of the climate - the recycled plastics used in the insulation went brittle over time. Even NZ new cars were affected. I've not heard of any harness problems on a BMW (or any other make) limited ONLY to Singapore imports. I hear lots of people bagging Singapore cars, but very few actually have any first hand experience with issues. It's usually regurgitated from someone trying to sell something which didn't come from Singapore. The wiring problems I have heard of (not experienced) are usually particular Mercedes models, which were prone to the insulation breakdown regardless of the climate - the recycled plastics used in the insulation went brittle over time. Even NZ new cars were affected. LOTS of these cars were imported from Singapore, and mis-informed people blame it on the climate, when it was actually a production fault with the wiring. It wasn't limited to specific markets. There have been some very rusty/rust-prone cars imported from Japan. They do salt their roads, as you say, and can actually be worse than UK cars. Fortunetly most importers avoid the worst affected areas/cars and bring in better quality than they used to. Remeber the crap-boxes they brought in really early on? You could watch them disapear - plus loads of them came over as deck cargo! I would always pick a NZ new car first, but manual E39's don't come along too often. The autos just aren't the same. The advantage of a Singapore car, is they are European spec, unlike the Japanese versions which are built for that market. My radio etc works in NZ without mods.

Awesome - You're a LEG-END! Thanks

I've been Googling for quite some time now, to work out what bulbs to use to replace the Multi Information Display (MID) unit backlight bulbs. Some seem to think 6V, others say 12V. Some even say 12V 1.2W. Does anyone know for definite? I have one blown, and would like to replace the lot. I'm ordering some high beam LCM Mosfets (in case my LCM gets the dreaded high beam on syndrome) and some oter bits from RS, and thought I'd throm in some bulbs. I too tight to spend an extra $20 and get both types though! Cheers,

I did mine recently: Thread Here.

Sweet, we get down that way sometimes Will get hold of you about it one day. Cheers!

Where are you based? Do you do minor panel work too? like door dents and minor scrapes - just need a skim of filler etc.

The NZ UV levels ruin exposed rubbers way faster, but I've seen Jap imports with really hard rubber components hidden under the dash etc (was swapping parts between two cars, one Jap, one NZ new). It's like the environment in Japan sucks all the moisture out of the rubber. Our Singapore 525i has rubbers in very good condition though, everywhere. I guess there is less pollution or something, to harden the rubber, cause the sun certainly doesn't seem to do it over there. I know it's very humid there, but maybe the temps are lower??? even the window rubbers only have minor perishing on the corners, where my mates NZ 540i has completely disintegrated rubbers with splits all over the place. I think the biggest advantage of the NZ new cars, is that the history is FAR easier to verify as correct.

The V8 sounds awesome though. Cheaper if it grenades too... She's my older sister... althoguh she did used to model wedding dresses No Pics though. She wants to replace her Prado (man those things are hideous drays! Slow as hell, ugly and handle like a ute. Hasn't cracked a head though. Yet. Doesn't appear to have been here that bought it

+RUC at $34 = $102ish. I'd only get 500 to 560 in the 525i. could probably squeze it out to 600 if I REALLY tried. 'spose I could turn off the AC too So far, our economy is 2L/100kms better since doing the Vanos seals! Mrs hasn't been driving though

Do your rocker cover gasket when you do the Vanos - You may have a slight drip onto the exhaust from it. A radiator hose isn't hot enough to create the smoke - the exhaust is! If you're doing the work anyway, the rocker cover gasket only take about 2 minutes, as you have the cover off anyway.

That probably depends on which branch you're at. The guys in Whangarei here have been great - I helped fit my VW one, and they guy was VERY particular (More than I was!). I'm insured with AMI too. There weren't any aftermarket in stock anyway, but they fitted and OEM VW one (the repair bill was about $3500!). Try it. Genuine screens probably aren't all thay expensive - BMW body parts are often cheap.

Same. some is sh*t, some isn't. reviews are the best idea. Shipping is fast, unless it goes out of stock. If you want the "carsoft" kit from them, you can buy mine