Allanw

EXACTLY waht I was thinking... Ugh....leee. How busy can you actually make a car look - BMW has managed to screw up a whole lot of their trademark styling cues, but managed to successfully incorporate a huge amount of KIA styling cues (Although a lot of new KIA's look better that a number of BMW models!)

Wurth does an upholstery cleaning tool (that won't be cheap though) that uses tiny amounts of water to clean upholstery - works amazingly, and leaves the seats pretty dry afterwards - you need compressed air to run it though.

I like the awesome fit of the kidney grilles

E39's do NOT like a power shortage! Give those terminals a really good clean, and press the right down on the battery terminals before tightening them up. It the get grubby emough, the arcing makes it worse, and can actually arc parts of the terminals away so the contact is never right again.

?You need to turn the big nut a bit - if you don't undo the locking mechanism first, the screwdriver may break the clips on the back and then they fall off.

But don't turno too far! Turn it anticlockwise until it clicks, then it should just about fall off.

The switch is really common - does do some REALLY weird stuff - do your sun visor lights flicker or blink sometimes???

In addition to what GLenn said, in an M54, the extra fuel it uses will very likely cost MORE than the extra cost per litre. It will be running retarded timing (and possibly alters the Vanos settings) to suit the lower octane.

Maybe I should have saidI've been drinking Me no see paddles I thought they'd be more visible here, under the steering spokes, but aren't there. The other shots looked liike bits of dashboard to me. Of course now... I've got no cider on board.... looks very much like a plus sign

You been drinking? Me no see paddles.

Try a decent clay bar kit - make sure to turn and knead the clay regularly and keep the surface wet (do it well out of the sun, on a cool surface). I think the problem is going to be that a lot of that has eaten into the surface though - probably needs a good machine cut (probably by a professional too - it's easy to screw up!) The best tar remover I have found is Kerosene - you can spray/wipe a light coat on, and leave it for a while to soften the spots. Then wipe them off with a kero soaked rag. It also leaves a waxy film on the car that you can wipe off. Avoid getting it on the rubber and plastics though.

You really do wonder! Maybe the Odomoeter packed up before it was imported :-) There are a lot of parts of it that look really abused - even the storage try and the heater controls in deformed. It's grubby and dirty, and that engine bay! Dads 1990 E30 has done about 220K now, and looks FAR FAR cleaner than that. I wonder if the engine rebuild was cambelt related? I bet someone thought "It's not due until 100,000" and left the ancient belt in there (they're suppposed to be done every 4 years regardless of milage aren't they). Wouldn't be too hard to tidy, but it's a bit of a wreck! PS: don't care what that steering wheel is worth,,, it's DAMN ugly!

Sounds a bit like a misfire, which could be plugs, leads, dizzy cap etc, or if could have a vacuum leak. It could be a lot of things. When did it last have a proper service (including the parts above?)

Depending on the actual specs of the particular oils; 75W90 can be quite a bit thinner than the 80W90 when cold, giving better gear changes while cold. Once warm they the same 75W is about the same viscosity as a 10weight (or some of the thinner 20weight) engine oil, and 80 is more like a thicker 20 weight or a 30weight. I wouldn't rush out and change it, but I'd look for the 75W90 next time The thing with the diff, is that it MUST be hypoid, where you can get gearbox oil that isn't hypoid, though it's not that common on the shelves.

Holy Crap! Sounds like a lot of effort - glad it worked out for you! I reckon I've used the cruise twice - can't be bothered with it myself I think the roads up here are just too variable - motorway would be easier I guess. REtrofits are cool - I can't be arsed doing most of them though

JKSE might still be looking for headlight covers

WOW! That's awesome Jeff! Thanks! Let me know if you can find them. I can get rebuild kits nad new pistons easily enough - they're a biit lighter for shipping! I'm in Whangarei, so might be awkward for me to collect... Where in Auckland do you live/work - I might be able to get someone to get them for me or arrange some payment to drop them somewhere. I'll PM you Thaks Again :-)

I'm looking for a pair of E23 Front brake calipers - preferably brand-new and free, but I'm a bit negotiable :-) They're the 4 pot ones. Either the pre 81 22mm or the post 81 25mm should be fine. I can get rebuilt ones in the US for NZ$40 each... but the shipping kills it Thanks

Not even the proper OBC either - looks like it's plain jane, but with climate air, not the rotary controls like some 520i's had. Can't say I'm a fan of the interior - wood is hideous regardless of the other colours and it seems a bit "busy" I think. Exterior looks really tidy - especially for black.

Maybe we should all put a "Y" badge on our cars....

Dizzy Cap? If it's blowing your muffler, you probably have fuel making it past a cylinder (no/poor spark) and being ignited in the exhaust. If you have moisture in the dizzy cap or a dodgy lead.plug etc, that will do it. The high revs at idle ccould be a temp sensor, or the Idle Control Valve (ICV) needs cleaning or replacing.

I like Shueys comments

I've never seen one Manual E39's are hard enough to find anyway - I think there have been more M5's for sales than "normal" ones - that's why I jumped on our 525i. I'd LOVE a manual 530i touring. The manual REALLY makes a difference - really livens them up. You could always have a manual conversion done

They do look like a Kia, with 2 kidney grilles stuck on with hot glue. Those great wall utes make me think of a robotic grasshopper each time I see one.

Found another: Looks a bit like the Lexus, except someone has superglued a whole lot of extra crap on it. Looks like some girl got a bit carried away at an asian car accessories supermarket.