Allanw

If it's june 2000, it's not an actual facelift -they started september 2000. Could still have had factory xenons though, and been upgraded to angeleyes later. The genuine BMW retrofit kit DID use cable ties to secure the ballasts. It was a "no-code" retrofit, meaning there were adapters fitted to stop check messages, though my car didn't need them and I fitted a later LCM and coded it to suit anyway. See if it's factory fitted - if it's a retrofit, that may explain the difference in errors. You can PM me your VIN last 7 digits and I can check if you want.

I thought I already said this, but it's not there :-) They may see a Civic Type R as a Civic model variant. Technically... An M5 is not the powerful version of a 520i, it's a different "model" as such. The Civic is registered as a "Civic" and type R is a variant, just like a EX or LX. A 5 series is not normally listed as "5 Series", but a 520i, 525i or M5 etc. Another Example is the M3 - it's not a BMW 318i M3, it's a BMW M3. The M3 CSL is a variant of the M3 though. Perhaps it is a technicality within NZTA Model naming system. BMW specifies each "variant" of the 5 series as a different/individual model.

For facelift lights, you used to be able to get aluminium ones on Ebay. Not cheap, but should last for ever really!

Much more low end torque. Basically if they haven't been done (probably not) they'll be due. BMW used the wrong material O rings.

Are you sure they're factory fit, not retrofit, or aftermarket? Or perhaps has the LCM been changed and not correctly coded? I thoguht if the LCM was coded for the "Xenon Ignition" option that it would attempt to re-ignite the xenon, and then bring up the low beam warning if it still didn't work. I have a genuine retrofit kit on mine, and I have coded the car to the xenon settings - it once didn;t ignite the left low beam, but it re-ignited it a second or so later. Are the bulbs you bought brighter, or bluer? If you've gone from 35W to 50W, the ballast may have issues igniting the lights because of the higher resistance perhaps.

^WHS, Especially the bollocks about the ad! "around 1000kgs" = around 1300 kgs - pretty similar to an 80's commodore. E30's were no lightweight. "just under 200HP" = 170HP on a good day. =130HP/tonne, not 175hp/tonne - which is the WORST V12 W140 power to weight ratio. Plus we all know a 325i (auto esp) doesn't do 0-100 in under 6 seconds, like the 2 tonne+ S600 can. Open road economy of a Vitz? I bet it doesn't. Maybe the E30's open road economy is like the Vitz town economy when its having the arse caned off it. "as fast as a Porsche Boxster" Really? maybe you could get away with: nearly as fast as a 2.5 Auto boxster... but that really isn't impressive. It's a bit like saying it's faster than my neighbours MX5. "car has a racing diff" Uh-huh "a reason for sale: need some cash for a house deposit." Or more of those drugs perhaps. I wouldn't be listening too much to what the guy has to say about the car. You'd want to rely on your OWN opinions!

That's the weird thing about E30's = the roof is so low (especially with the sunroof), but the seat goes back for MILES. I'm 6'1" and my head touches the roof all the time in Dads. But I can get the seat so far back that I can't push the clutch all the way in. Most people who have their seat back like in the pic, can't drive to save themselves anyway. General disregard for everyone else, and no clue what's going on around them.

Da-daaa: Surgical Method I hope you have small girl hands!

Average Punter wouldn't even know. It's only a 318i If they were buying for performance prowess, they'd probably get something faster. At the end of the day, it would still be more "M" than half the "M" stuff on Trademe!

If your car is from Singapore, it probably has - they are usually very well specced. High OBC has text display at the bottom of the instruments cluster, Low OBC has a picture of a car, and doesn't warn far as many things :-(

Oooof! That's not good! For the gauge to get into the red, the engine has probably gotten to well over 115C (the OBC is usually set to gong when the coolant gets to 125C - WAY too hot!). I'd get that coolant problem checked before it gets more major too (As a side note, there was a guy up here with a 540i who had it diagnosed as needing a cam chain tensioner just a few weeks back. He decided to save up some dollars to get it done........ a few days later - CRUNCH clatter clatter etc. 32 bent valves etc. BIG billl coming for htat dude!)

First most common leak on an M54 is the racker cover - cheap and easy. usually you'll small burning oil though, as it leaks onto the exhaust. Second most common is the oil filter housing seal. Even cheaper, not as easy though. It tends to look dark and nasty, as it leaks slowly and gets covered with dust and dirt on it's way down. If you have a coolant leak, you want to fix it VERY fast. M54 do NOT like to be overheated, and they run hot anyway, and over heat FAST. If you have high OBC, it's not so bad as the car monitors the coolant level. with low OBC, you can leak the coolant out, and it will not worn you. Plus it may not register as being hot until it's too late, or maybe not even show hot at all! If the sensor is in air, it doesn't read properly.

Boy... you guys thought we had some GEMS on Trademe.... REAL Gem

It seems, that it's just the engine and software to change. You may have different diff ratio and auto gearbox maybe. I'd like to convert my M54B25 to a 3.0 too, but it's manual - all I really have to do is change the engine and install the correct software via WINKFP - it's the same ECU and everything. The manual trans is different, but it'll work.

Awesome colour - Parrot-Screech Yellow :-) VAT is only taken off "VAT qualifying Cars" too I think - not all are, as it depends on the vehicles previous use.

Yeah.. Nah - still looks like an X3 Keep your E46, almost the same car, but nice looking

Alpina also deveoped the 4.6is and 4.8is engines for the X5... wouldn't you think they'd have used one of them instead of the 4.4??? So many dreamers. He probably beliveved the guy who sold it to him...

furry muff. Spend a fortune on a ViPec instead Same as a link, but often with more stuff for less money. Really is a link inside though - made in the same place

You want my M54B25? Sounds interesting :-) I can't see it happening any time soon. It's only done about 125K and I can't see myself upgrading to the 3.0 until either something goes wrong, or I win some money. I spend most of my "car money" on other toy cars :-)

Only the one from Jimmy - DIS worked fine, but I don't use it. I've fiddled quite extensiely with BMW Scanner and NCSExpert. The BMW Scanner interface doesn't work with other cables.

I usually only PM this, but it does pop up a bit : This guy called Jimmy reads another forum I read, and I brought some stuff from him: Jimmy's Cables They work great, and he's helpful/knowledgable (Very much so, when you consider the low dollar value of the items). There's probably cheaper ones arouund, but Jimmy will help, standby his stuff. I've also got this: BMW Scanner 1.4.0, but it's probably not as much use on a OBD1 car. SOmeone on Trademe is selling these for about NZ$125..... not the NZ$40 ish you can get them for. I ordered mine from this exact company with no issues. Both theses tools have been invaluable for my facelift E39, and apparently you can use WINKFP to update DME software etc with Jimmy's cable, though I've never tried it. Yet. I need a cheap M54B30, then I can do it :-)

I don't know, but you want them done somewhere that knows what they are doing - you need the correct taper on the bolt seats, otherwise they're likely to work loose. I've redrilled hubs before, and it only took a couple of hours to set up all four and drill tap etc. A decent machine shop should have an indexed table on a mill/drill press that would make easier too - once it's set up for one, 4 is easy. You should be able to get hubcentric rings to go from 57 to 74.1 from somewhere - ebay if nowhere local.

Thats the info you need! There's not too many "modern" wheels that are flat on the back! The machine work involved is going to be easier than a 5 stud conversion, but the conversion opens up a lot of wheel "opportunities"

Wierdly enough, this is a photo gallery of old parked cars. There's some awesome stuff on there! Old Parked Cars

And so... it's a 94 with the 4.0, not the 4.4 as advertised, or a 1997...