Allanw

Maybe he can get us photos of that too.

Even worse, it wasn't a real 525i (M54 facelift)... it was a 523i, but japan badged them as 525i What will be REALLY interesting, is if it really is the "525i" shell, or if it's actually the M5 with the identity swapped dodgily... how many times have we seen that??? Interested in exhaust photos

(FYI - everybody knows your address from that - dunno if that worries you. May want to stealth edit the street signs) Council aren't likely to be helpful, though might be worth a try. If it were me, I'd put a metal plate over it (be a helluva lot faster than wating for the council). If they complain about the plate, tell them to fix the drain - it's not your bit that's the problem. The drain should never have been there, and it certainly shouldn't be that far sunken into the road. If you go metal plate, dynabolt it down, at least on the concrete end to minimise the clanging and movement.

Awesome - it makes a big difference (certainnly did on my M54 twin vanos). I couldn't believe how hard the orings were in mine - same thing - basically turned to plastic and almost shattered. The seals basically didn't touch the sides on the bores, so I reckon truckloads of oil was gushing past. I could actually move the pistons side to side. I guess that's what happens when you use the wrong materials. I guess that's why the seals last as long as a rocker cover gasket (at best). Nice pics too - good to know an engine is clean inside.

It's not super obvious, is it?

I'm hoping there will be no seatbelt changes (unless the manual ones can be fitted without certs etc). It's only got the 6 front air bags, so already "kiddie safe". I have 3 tethers mounted in the factory parcel shelf mounts already, and it's not a folding rear seat. I reckon all I'm really doing is replacing the leather covered chunks of foam with a thinner unpadded version all the safety mounts should be used as normal. I reckon I might be able to gain 150mm of usable width across the rear. It might save me from having to buy a people mover or a Dunnydore for a while.

Click the little gear wheel thing to the right of the search box - it's the advanced search.

We purchased the E39 as a pre-people mover, real car. We've only got 2 kids - 3.5 and 1.5, but there isn't a lot of room for a 3rd childseat (not yet expected, but may happen one day). SO: Is there any reason why I can't remove the rear seat base and back, and make flat panels (vinyl covered ply or similar) with box section brackets/strengthening etc to mount them, then leave the original seat belts in for mounting the seats? Or are you allowed to use old fashioned belts (manually adjusted) to strap them in (FAR easier than retractable belts)? This would give the full width of the rear seat by removing the side bolsters (and saves the leather !) It would also move the car seats further back to make access for the centre child easier. We never use the rear seats for adults, because the childseats are too difficult to get out and put back - If we are taking people, we use our old VW van, with 8 seats. I guess in a real emergency, someone could sit (uncomfortably) on the rear "bench". Any WOF issues or similar anyone knows of. I can ask my WOF guy next time I'm in, but I might start on this soon, if it's feasible. Cheers guys.

Do you think the guy who asked if he'd take $8K got it?

Paul at Milland can get you basically anything. I even get genuine parts from him - just did it last week.

Nice! Go 15" weaves - They look great!

Hey look... a blue BMW with style 42's 1 peice but. Looks nice and straight. Is that Glacier Blue?

There's not really any appreciable difference between those two oils. The lower the first number, the better the cold start flow is (lower the better) the second number is the hot viscosity which is more important, as hot is when it's thinnest. The best really is 0W-40 (if 40 is your chosen hot viscosity), winter or summer.

Beisan, or some ebay sellers do Vanos seals. Made a huge difference to out 525i, though I suspect it's more noticable on a manual. IF you do a fan clutch - make sure to get a quality one - some lock up too much and can explode at high revs... Check if the oil filter housing gasket isn't leaking (between the housing and the block) It'll either be leaking, or has been changed, probably. (*clean the leaves and crap out of the alternator cooling ducts!) Check the DISA valve for rattles (I'd take it out and physically check it - they can come apart and lunch an otherwise good M54). They take 2 minutes to get out. belts and tensioners - they can destroy themsleves too. power steering fluid - people never seem to change it! Check the bottom of the radiator - if it's bowing down, get a new one! If the plastic looks brittle of is changing colour... get a new one! If you leave the trans fluid alone, it may mean an earlier excuse for a manual conversion

Be sure to use EFI hose for that - not low pressure stuff The pump will make some noise - the amount determines whether it's poked or not. If it's a smaooth hissing sound, it's probably OK. If it's a rough rumbly hissing noise, it might be poked

^^^This. WHY did it blow the headgasket? I've never had any difficulty bleeding Dads E30 on the flat. What other work did you do with the head gasket? You could have a faulty waterpump or a clogged radiator.

Our local scrappy takes our batteries, but doesn't pay anything for them. The LPG bottle can be done the same, but I believe they want them emptied, and the vlave removed... not sure you can do that at home, although 1987 bottles probably don't have the 80% valve thing (I think that was a later add-on). Otherwise, for the bottles you could take them to your local swappa bottle place Bunnings and placemakers used to take them and swap for a current, full one for some amount of money (way more than getting your own filled), but you got an intest bottle

Make yourself an account at Fuelly.com - then you can average over 10 or 20 fuelups really easily, and make changes to the OBC based on real figures. Plus it's pretty cool to see all the stats anyway. Our 525i is always very close to the Fuelly average - usually within .2 L/100kms. A lot of people seem to report optimistic OBC's on forums.

D'oh! I installed some chips today. In my bellah!

Looks nice! I like the last picture - model train diorama carpark . The new chrome makes a massive difference! I think the 'verts NEED a spoiler. Without, there's something a bit funny about the boot area. 2 things: 1) Add a right front low beam headlight to your list 2) Instead of RTV (if it's actually RTV you used), use urethane adhesive - 2 reasons: some RTV is acid cure and will rot steel away faster than you'd think possible, and RTV is silicone based - hell for getting rid of and painting near. Urethane (or the MS Polymer alternatives) don't cause problems for painting, and are the stuff used to glue windscreens in (it's often sold as windscreen adhesive). Panel shops use plenty of it, but cringe at the paint issue with silicone

The photo shows the 3 series 1 peice ones - they look arse really. I was out testing the Model A brakes today, and saw a dark blue/grey E39 540i with style 42's

Those are both diesels No experience with them at all, but there's probably not thousands of them around - parts may not be easy/cheap to get if he backs into a fencepost or something. I'd be tempted to look at an E46 318i manual - they're pretty cheap, and there are heaps of them!

You should get royalites!

Cool - just checking! Carry on

I saw one in the carpark today. Had vadgebadge though.