Allanw

Easy. "Rune Tinos Maraud" Best you get that sorted! Could be trouble.

that works too NCS expert is more complicated though. If you're semi serious about doing stuff, having both is good. BMW Scanner allows you to fit used modules that the BMW software won't - like a used LCM or instrument cluster. BMW Scanner is very easy to use, as it's all tickboxes etc, but doesn't always let you alter every option possible, where you can hunt them out with NCS (and NCSDummy).

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=942966

or buy BMW Scanner 1.4 from xcar360.co, for about $40. Reads fault codes too

you *may* have errors after fitting the xenons, but you can either code the car for xenon (best to do this anyway) or fit error elimination packs (which I have a pair of) if you get an error. I never fitted the packs with the retrofit kit, because I got no errors, but the coded correctly for them anyway. Coding the car to xenon is best, because it then doesn't do a cold check, like halogens, but watches for xenon ignition - if a xenon fails to ignite, it will try again, before it braings up an error. Every now and then, I see one of ours attemp to ignite, fail and the re-ignite and go as normal. the difference from halogen to xenon is like night and day (haha). I've seriously seen 6volt VW's with headlights as good as the E39 halogens (and mine were brand new!).

Bummer. I want your shed.

Dude! There's something wrong with your garage! I can see bits of wall, and there is some shelves not covered in crap. Next thing you'll be posting a pic showing actual visible floor, without piles of crap up to waist height! I have a garage, a loft in the house, and barn, and I'm still up to my waist in stuff. Today, I was looking for the big chunky staples for my staple gun (I was playing furniture maker today). I didn't find any, but I discovered I have 4 staple guns They're all empty though.

Nah... prolly not one of them . (I have to be very careful about what I say, when it relates to work though.) I service medical equipment... Genuine, actual, legal, medical equipment, nothing "medicinal" There is a patient in the area with some gear. He's a nice guy too. Always researching stuff and trying things, or making something. Interesting to talk to as well... The gear, and our work van would probably buy a couple of houses out there!

Haha... we go out there for work - The guy we visit has an electric gate on his garden fence, so horses don't wander off the road, climb over it and eat his garden It's a long way from anywhere.

It does depend on the exact cars you compare, of course, and not all diesels are the same. Back in the 90's (fuel was cheaper obviously!) Dad had a 3.0 V6 manual Toyota Surf/4-runner. I remember a trip to Auckland, where we spent 32 on petrol... and a fiend of dads spent $27 dollars of diesel in his 2.4 turbo diesel surf (he still had to pay RUCs) I was driving (and was a teenager) and I can remember pulling out to pass a pile of cars up pohuehue viaduct, he pulled out too, but when we got to the end of windy ridge, the line of cars (who didn't pass) was just coming around the corner at the other end... and he was still trapped in it Those were sh*t, and they haven't improved much at all since. I also had a mate who brought a truck likes dads, but a V6 auto - it was HUNGRY and SLOW. an X5 will perform better than a lot of Jap trucks, and probably with the same economy. You really have to look at each model/type etc based on it's own merits. Just buying any old diesel 4WD is asking for trouble! sometimes there may be a petrol version that IS more economical. That can be a bit misleading for some though - clearly you must do immense milage, because saving $5000 a year is quite tricky... My wife and I in the 525i and my old VW van only spent $3201.07 last year, combined.

I got stainless steel pistons for my E23 Calipers (that are going on my VW van ) from www.biggred.co.uk - I thnk they were about NZ$300 all up... but there is 8 of them!, though I didn't see you car listed.... www.rexbo.eu - 2x front caliper piston = 101 euros, shipped ( about NZ$165). Pair of front calipers = NZ$390 for TRW's, but they have cheaper ones - NZ$330ish for ERA Benelux. If you send your old ones back, you get the core charge back... but the shipping will probably be more than the core. I dunno how that compares, as I didn't look anywhere else (That's your job !) I've not had any issue with anything from them and have used them a fair bit: - Mate from work wanted 4 shocks for his poked old mid 90's Pajero, lowest quote locally that HE got was NZ$900. Set of 4, shipped from REXBO in Germany was just over $300 NZ (cheap brands - Metzger and Japanparts - his truck is an old peice of crap (Pajero) and he just wanted something better than the knackered ones)). - My old Suzuki Wagon R Turbo (I had a few years back) needed shocks and a clutch, CV joint, tie rod ends and brake pads. Locally, just the shocks and clutch were NZ$900. Complete tie rods (not just ends) and everything else, plus a few little extra bits, from REXBO (and not the cheap/nasty no-name brands - I went with stuff I knew like Exedy, TRW, etc) was NZ$700 shipped by German Post, and no GST on import for some reason! Hope somthing in there helps.

Makes my neighbours place look like a bargain: 1.2M 8 years ago, 55 acres (1/2 ish in covenant Bush) and the house about the size of that section! (I think it's 390m2).Also has a stream with cool wooden bridges, several sheds, and caves all over the place (one had 4 complete Moa skeletons in it!) a large pond, atrium etc, 7 minutes to central Whangarei I can uderstand why Jooles brought there so long ago, but don't get why someone would want to pay that much now (obviously they'll develop it, but then there will be 3 expensive units to sell to someone who's willing to pay a fortune each). Though clearly I like to be away from the city, but some must love it. Sell up Jooles! - S62 and 6 speed... sorted!

Put it on at $15K. You'll probably get a $12K offer It's a bummer BMW didn't do the Mercedes/Volvo/Audi dickie-seat-in-the-boot-of-the-touring thing

I don't know about the after market ones, but the genuine have all the markings on the top of the housing. I could get brand new Halogens from Hella for $700 a pair (and did). The Xenon ones were complete with ballasts and everything, but were $1800 a pair. I managed to sell the halogen on for what I paid (were only in the car for maybe a week or so), and for another $200 ish got the Genuine Xenon retrofit kit - pair of lights, ballasts, brackets, self levelling sensor and cables required for install etc. Some of the aftermarket ones look quite nice, but many are REALLY nasty!

It doesn't look like a genuine one (which you specified)... It wouldn't have been on that car from factory, and it's also M5 style - like the aftermarket ones usually are - the normal (non-M5) ones have the "T" bar in the lower grille. Not that all aftermarket ones are bad anyway - they can vary a bit though.

Nah, that's "Character"

Oh yeah... some of those ebay lenses or lights have lots of writing moulded into the leans and look really cheap on facelight lights, which are normally totally clean of writing on the lens.

The clearlight.co.nz place was $180, with a 3 year warranty, and they are recoated. After buying all the stuff to do it a few times, and spending all the time... makes $180 look pretty good for a "professional" polish and recoat. Aren't the kits $40 or $50? I think it was cheaper if the lights were out of the car too. E39 halogens are terrible (low beam) lights anyway - they're about as good as My '72 VW Beetle on low beam! - the Xenons are vastly better - hence why I got the BMW retrofit kit (with a self levelling setup included) - they come up on ebay.uk or ebay.de. If you don't already have Xenons, look for a set!

Hmmm "Reshell"... or identity swap???

Is that the same as a "Use By" date?

Excellent... Just in time for tomorrow (though I won't be there anyway) ...but... I have to have a little Giggle (because I'm a nerd) - the technology on that board is hilariously ancient... (... which is why it's probably still going )

I was going to use these guys: http://www.clearlight.co.nz/ for about $180 I think, but ended up buying a brand new Hella set (for $700), then a genuine BMW Xenon retrofit kit (for $900) .

Jeez... haven't you been under there with a toothbrush... yet? I spose you're just waiting for warmer weather does it feel faster???

If you want to use it on your BMW's, I'd go BMW specific. You can read codes, plus fit new modules or set options etc, plus a lot of the generic readers give very generic fault codes. For the E39, I use the BMW stuff (INPA, DIS, WINKFP etc) and BMW Scanner - the two of them can be had for around NZ$100 total and can do everything I'd ever need. I've recoded an E53 X5 LCM to our E39 then turned off angel eye cold checks, coded a brand new ABS module, changed settings for anything I possibly could and fiddled with a bunch of things I shouldn't. Plus I can go from 2.5 to 3.0 and load the correct software in the DME