jeffbebe

On the adoption of technology curve I am in the middle. I own a 17 year old bimmer, have an iPhone 3GS, an old (souped up) xbox arcade and kobo touch. They all work brilliantly. I do have a brand new Macbook Pro but work paid for that. It also works brilliantly, but no better than any of my old tech. Would like the camera quality of iPhone 4 and 5 though. One day... When my 3GS dies.

Better pics: http://www.bimmersport.co.nz/forums/index....showtopic=44210

Great wheels. Suit the car perfectly.

+1. Clearly a lot of time, effort and coin has gone into this... But why? I guess the extra down force from that bi-plane wing on the back must be essential with all that power under the hood.

When I had an F30 320d sedan last year I felt exactly the same way! Especially about the interior design and materials. Either it's grown on me or the model we had this time was a bit of an upgrade. Had pretty decent leather seats (though not as comfortable as the aptly named 'comfort seats' in my E39), leather and carbotanium (titanium/carbon fibre mix apparently) trim. I liked it a lot but the ultra modern design does look more generic and lacks - for me anyway - a bit of the luxury you got with a high spec E39 or E36. It is a big car. I was surprised when I was photographing it that it was wider than my E39, though maybe a fraction shorter. Certainly doesn't feel anywhere near as big inside but I guess there's a hell of a lot more safety stuff built in to protect our precious swedes. Boot's pretty decent but for a big car it does feel a bit like a hot hatch (A3, Focus, etc) inside.

Totally agree re: the E39. Long before I owned one I drove one and have had an ambition to own an E39 M5 ever since. The 528's an amazing vehicle too, so very happy with my stop gap. That said, I can't be too hard on the F30. We've got a newish Mazda 6 wagon which I guess is a comparable vehicle in terms of size and performance - although it is a few years old now - but the two cars are lightyears apart. The new Mazda 6 clearly takes a few design cues from the F31 but there's a solidity to the F31 that makes it stand out. The materials used inside and out feel really special, the performance from a small engine is nothing short of sensational and the economy setting makes it ridiculously cheap to run. Sadly, I just don't have the means to buy a $100K car (there are cheaper versions but the options make this car). It has been an absolute pleasure to drive though I don't doubt you can get better bang for your buck elsewhere. I don't think new bimmers are for folks with shallow pockets. Having said that if I was in the market for a brand new Mazda 6 wagon, I'd much rather wait a year or two and buy a used F31 for the same money.

So... We have to give the F31 320i touring back tomorrow and I have to say I will be very sad to see it go. What an amazing car. As promised here are a few pics of it and I thought I'd see how it stacks up against my E39. Have to say, for all the F31's incredible gadgets, economy, twin turbo engine (the list is long), I reckon my E39 still looks - and drives - pretty well against the new car. She might cost 3 times as much in petrol and a small fortune in (loving) maintenance but my E39 is still an absolute pleasure to drive. How good are BMW that a 17 year old car stands up so well to a brand new one! I guess an HUD upgrade for the E39 is out of the question?! haha That said, the F30 is brilliant and if there was any way we could keep it, we would, but the pictures say it best.

I'll never get the 28 seconds I spent watching that before I turned it off back. You owe me.

Cats were clogged. Feels like a different car now. No idea if there's more power but definitely a lot more acceleration lower down the gears. Sounds pretty good too. A bit whiney at high RPMs but I've been assured that will disappear after a couple of hundred kms and a bit of carbon!

It goes back on Monday. Gonna miss the twins... Love these wheels so much but they're a bugger to clean and the OE pads make a lot of mess! They were black after 4 weeks of driving. Will try and get some good pics tomorrow (any budding photographers keen on taking some shots then please PM me!) with my E39 and then plan to do a bit of write up and comparison to my E39.

+1. Looks very well looked after. Almost immaculate interior and pretty tidy engine bay suggests a very conscientious previous owner. Well worth fixing. I got my 1996 528i for a a grand or two more and have spend the same again at least on improvements and repairs in the 14 months I've owned it but I love it. Best car I've ever owned and there's a real sense of satisfaction restoring it. I keep a list of things I have to do and want to do. Prioritise the must dos over the want to dos and gradually tick them off. Do as much of it as you can yourself. When you can't go to trusted mechanics (plenty of recommendations on this forum). You can source E39 parts really cheaply on the internet - particularly eBay, if you don't mind waiting for them to show up.

Welcome Marty. Don't be disheartened by what you read about E39s on the web. They are one of the all time great cars and with a bit of TLC will doubtless provide you with years of happy (and luxurious) motoring. I love mine and I have spend far too much money it but it is the by far the best car I've ever owned and stands up brilliantly against most new vehicles in looks and performance. Pics would be good - E39s are things of beauty!

I know and I appreciate the help but you're right, didn't know for sure until the car was up on the hoist!

New muffler and pipe work. Also discovered there are no post-cat sensors.... Goodbye cats hello a few extra horses!

It won't be hard to find an E39 for $5K and it's a lot of car for the money. Expect to spend at least $1500-2000 on top though for maintenance, etc. As Brent says, parts for the single vanos M52B28 are cheaper and it's a great engine but things will go wrong. Look for a car that has had the cooling system done recently; if it's auto (as most are) either look for one that's recently had it fully serviced or expect to pay another $3-500 or do it properly. All the small things add up and, if you're anything like me, you'll want the car to look and run like it did at 1000kms not 100,000kms, so it's hard to restrain yourself from repairing all the things that have worn, etc. But let me tell you... It's worth it! Brilliant cars if well looked after.

Yep, I've been driving one around for the last few weeks. It's excellent. Will be sorry to see it go when we have to return it.

Awesome, thanks Ray. Will definitely be in touch if a replacement's required.

Think I'd rather get one at a great price that's clearly been really well looked after than worry too much about mileage. These engines can cope with a lot more than 108K if they're well looked after!

Can get a brand new Denso compressor online and shipped for $400 and they're pretty easy to remove/install by the looks of things - though would need someone to de-gas - re-gas - will wait to see what the check up throws up next week. Thanks Ray. May well take you up on that if a replacement's required. What (approx) would you charge for labour and re-gas?

99% sure but a mate of mine said it might potentially have been over-gassed which can cause a build up of liquid in the compressor and cause a rattle over time. Hoping that's the case as it will be a lot cheaper to fix than replacing the compressor. Going to take it to my local guy for a check up early next week for full diagnosis.

It's been a week of it... And to finish me off my a/c compressor has developed a charming rattle so something's loose inside. Probably going to cost around $500 to remove and re-con. Anyone know where I can get a cost-effective new or reconditioned unit? Don't want to buy used if possible.

Have you scanned the car? Same thing happened to my 528 last year and it turned out to be just a $20 frayed bowden cable. If it is the ASC unit I think Brent HARTGE535i knows a guy who repairs them.

Have seen some online threads talking about post O2 sensor sims but that also sounds like a lot of hassle (and cost) for relatively low reward (6-10hp).

Now you're confusing me! What do you mean by 'cat enabled'? Surely if they're fitted they just do what they're meant to. Do you mean that some early 528s had cats but no post sensors? If so, I think Glenn's already ruled that after checking my VIN.