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So are their prices

Noticed it for the first time in the last full on downpour - doesn't seem to be an issue when it's normal rain which is why I'm thinking the drains might be partially obstructed - so they work okay until it goes biblical on us. Took it BM workshop on my way home in the downpour today and they pilled out the pillar and roof lining - they couldn't see anything wrong and came to the same conclusion. Guess the only way to confirm is to refit the windscreen but that's a pretty expensive job without knowing 100% if it will fix the problem.

I probably would... Perfect for the school run! Incidentally, wasn't suggesting it wasn't genuine - I know it was - just seemed like a lot of badges!!

Saw it yesterday... I like it!

I cleaned out the drains and they were flowing okay but the frickin' heavens opened today in Auckland - I was on the western motorway when the storm. Suffice to say my poor old sunroof couldn't drain that amount of water away fast enough so my roof lining is munted on the front left pillar. Very bummed. What seems to happen is that in heavy rain the water can't drain away fast enough and it leaks when it flows over the fitting for the sunroof track (particularly on braking). Not sure what to do about it and don't really want to shell out for a new roof lining. Thinking that maybe the windscreen has been replaced at some point with too much sealant that's maybe partially blocking the drain somewhere - can't think of anything else. Any advice?

Saw one of these yesterday... This has a lot of numbers and letters on the back... Seriously, a lot, and it's just some trophy wife runaround - not a Le Mans car.

Saw a couple of tasty cars today - a Phoenix yellow E46 M3 with a 3 letter plate that I can't remember now (old age!) near Kelston just before the storm hit (which incidentally was far more than my sunroof drains could handle so I'm mopping up now!!). And a gorgeous Dakkar yellow E32. Slightly lowered with motorsport kit (I think). Pretty mint but looked like it had a bit of a prang at the front.

Thanks Allan.

I almost bought an interior exactly light that from fleabay but the shipping just made it a bit too expensive considering I couldn't view its condition before buying. Not sure that colour's actually caramel - I think it's called Cinnamon Brown - it's okay but not my favourite. Caramel's very cool but I prefer the cinnamon. Caramel looks like this: And I'm going for this (or thereabouts):

Yep, I thought that after I posted! Going to take the door cards off anyway soon to re-dye the leather so I'll seal up the vapour seals then. Where did you get the Wurth dab-off? Took a look in my local Mitre 10 but they only had full on silicone adhesive sealants.

Heaps on fleabay. Most will deliver internationally pretty reasonably if you ask nicely: http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_odkw=flo...pe&_sacat=0 I bought a set for around $100 including shipping with leather trim for my E39.

I've used similar before and it's worked really well. As long as you prep properly and seal afterwards the colour will be as good as new. Black on black's the easiest to do. It works so well I'm planning to recolour black leather to a light cinnamon. I'll do as much as I can myself but will probably get pro help for the larger areas as you need a decent airbrush to get a nice even cover. Look forward to seeing you results.

What kind of plastic parts do you need to re-coat?

Pretty happy with the exterior now but got a few bits and pieces that still need doing. Trying to prioritise them is hard though... There are some which I know are completely unnecessary (like recolouring the interior) and quite expensive, but I really want to do them. There are others that ought to be done to keep the car in mint condition... This is my current to do list, welcome to hear thoughts on what to prioritise: Exterior: Fix a few small dents and respray door (some key scratches that couldn't be touched up perfectly). Replace badly painted (by previous owner) kidneys with paint-matched PFL kidneys. Remove eyelashes and replace with lower E38 style eyelids. Replace chrome strip door and bumper trim with genuine shadow line. Interior: Replace right rear door card. Replace lumbar support in driver's seat. Recolour leather to cinnamon. Install sport steering wheel (I actually prefer the styling of the standard four spoke wheel it's just a little big). Repair roof lining - it's in good shape generally but is just starting to come away beneath sun visors. Identify which door seals are leaking - weirdly the ones that are visibly damaged dont leak and the ones that look mint I find water on the kick plates after rain... Go figure?! Mechanical: Replace fuel injector (one of them not perfect after cleaning, so planning to swap with a new or mint one) Identify cold start issues and fix them - possibly replace vanos seal Once all that's done the car'll be just about good as new... Now to start saving up! EDIT: After catching up with Brent today going to replace thermostat and check/replace PCV and hoses.

Woah... Those 520 M3s are the business.

Great to hear from someone genuinely passionate about how their car looks and feels! I've got a list of things to do on mine as long as my arm - some aesthetic some mechanical and practical - but prioritising is hard! Good on you!

Precisely! Looks very similarly spec'd to mine when I bought it - interior's identical, exteriors almost identical except mine had BBS RSIIs and the dodgy old M badge and no other badging. I presume this car, like mine, didn't come from the factory like that.

Best way to check is take it to someone like Brent who has spare motors and regulators, whip the door card off and try some working parts. I'd start with the regulator because it probably wouldn't make any noise at all if the motor was stuffed. But you'll which part needs replacing when the window works again! In the meantime, don't use the window!

If you can hear something (i.e. the motor) then it's probably the window regulator.

The RSIIs or the LMs (I think?) on Darren's M5? I love my RSIIs but the deep dish on Darren's wheels is worth coveting!

Cool, thanks. Might get a few other bits and pieces from Schmiedmann after Xmas too!

You're probably talking about Darren's M5 but I'll take the compliment... Mine looks pretty much the same on the outside (from the front at least!)

Brent's 328i is a beast! Buy that!!

Yep, that's mine. Take the little lad swimming on a Sat morning and live in Ponsonby. Thanks! So glad I spent the money refurbishing the RSIIs instead of replacing. Very happy with how they look now.

The rough idling is usually gone after a minute or two but I'd say that it's at least 7-10 minutes before the car is at peak temp and the difference in performance by then is significant. Unfortunately, most of my driving at the moment is short trips around town, so the car rarely gets to fully warm up and feels a bit sluggish as a result.