jeffbebe

It's a 528i with an M52 engine. Every now and again (rarely) the car starts shuddering with an unpleasant knocking sound. It's only happened two or three times and the circumstances have all been different - though the car's always been warm when it's happened so it's not a cold start issue. Has been at a variety of speeds from virtual standstill (when it sounds worse) up to about 60kms where it's present but not overwhelming. Doesn't seem to lose power, at least not significantly, when the shudder starts up. It happened recently and I found the o-ring around the dipstick had split and was leaking oil - I thought that might be the problem - but it happened again today. Other than that the engine's mint - I've done heaps of stuff on it in the last few months to get it up to scratch. As it happens rarely I figure that it's unlikely to be a vacuum leak which would cause it to happen all the time. Replaced all the ignition coils so it can't be that and all the hoses are in good nick as far as I can tell. I wondered whether vanos or injector seals might be failing but figured it would be more likely to happen when cold rather than running temp. Any ideas?

Thanks Sam. Interesting, the Cinnamon dye in the second thread looks way more orange than the swatch I've got. Guess it's the way it photographs.

I hope that you're checking whether prospective buyer's cars are "tastefully lowered" before selling.

Some cheap knock-offs on fleabay - they're not exactly the same but similar lines - think the shape is the E90 ACS tip: http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-ACS-EXHAUST-MU...4ad&vxp=mtr http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-BMW-ACS-2-IN...=item5d35a31ceb Or you could buy a new one for about $500 with shipping! http://www.vividracing.com/catalog/ac-schn...703-p-2985.html

Yep, going for cinnamon. Have managed to source a leather swatch to match the recolouring. Still trying to get hold of a few bits and pieces (mats with leather trim, etc). So what I'm going to do is this: Recolour seats, door cards, handbrake boot and gear stick gaiter plus the floor mat trim. Then, when cashflow allows, get the steering wheel recovered in two tone black/cinnamon. Will probably be Xmas when I can afford to get it all finished plus afford to not use my car for a week or two!

I expect it would, just not sure I'd care for the rubberized car look myself. You have to apply a pretty thick coat to be able to peel it off again easily, and the thicker the coat, the more it looks like rubber.

Not sure I'd want to do a whole car. The paint is a rubber compound so it has a rubbery texture when finished. Great for trim pieces and looks good on wheels but I'd not be that keen on it all over a car.

I usually get between 15-20mbps download on Vodafone but never over 1mbps upload. Pain in the neck as I do a lot of work from home and have to upload stuff to our UK server all the time - which is painfully slow. Haven't found any faster short of paying mega$$$s for a business high speed connection.

I had a major refurb of my BBS RSIIs done at Manukau Auto and Tyre centre. They did a great job for $150 per wheel less than Arrow wheels which was my first choice.

All the best, mate.

Was well looked after.

Don't need to be a CSI to know that the person who left the sunroof open on their M5 at Auckland int airport this morning, will be gutted if it rains.

Depends how far you go with it. I think just seats would be about $5-600. Add another $400 for door cards, etc. Or you can do it yourself so for the cost of some dye (you can buy genuine BMW leather dyes online from o/s) and a shed load of hard work. It's all in the preparation apparently - i.e. sanding back the original leather to remove any coating, repainting (spray for the larger areas, foam applicator for seams, etc) and re-finishing with a sealant. I'm still toying with the idea of doing it myself but that might mean having it half finished for a very long time!

Managed to get hold of a Cinnamon swatch today so I can accurately colour match the dye... It's a bit darker and a bit less orange/more brown than I thought, but will still look the business.

Scarles in Avondale sell it too. They've got a TM store for those outside AKL: http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-parts-...n-527414680.htm There's another store that sells it on TM that has a bigger range of colours: http://www.trademe.co.nz/building-renovati...n-528482628.htm

Looks very good. I'd be nervous about doing anything on my car with the factory spray can nozzle. Did you use one of these to get a good finish?

If it falls off again I'll probably want enough cash to cover all the bloody tape and glue I've bought to try and make it stick!! haha

Nail. Head. Hit. Mine's a 1996 528i imported 8 years ago or so from Singapore - it's in far better nick than any of the NZ new ones I looked at for a similar price. Go figure. Where the car originated is not an indicator of its condition. There might be some general trends - e.g. UK import is more likely to have rust, etc because of weather conditions - but to suggest that ALL owners in NZ take better care of their cars or ALL car-owners in Asia are more somehow more callous and uncaring about their cars is a sweeping generalisation. There are good and bad owners all over the world. Some people take care of their cars, some don't. Doesn't matter if you're from Takapuna or Timbuktu.

If I had a spare $13.5K it'd already be in my driveway!

Duly noted!

Trying one last gasp with marine silicone adhesive. I'll keep it taped for 24 hours to see if it holds. Failing that might try some urethane glue but had been holding off because I thought it would be an absolute pain in the ass if I needed to remove it again.

When I bought my car it had a knock-off ACS roof spoiler. It looked good actually but I had to remove it to replace the upper rear windscreen trim. Finally got round to putting back on using the recommended double-sided 3M automotive tape. Cleaned everything properly with alcohol, doubled up the top on the edges where the curve of the spoiler doesn't quite match that of the glass, taped it up for 24 hours, even added a couple of spots of adhesive silicon, etc etc. Long story short, I can't get the f*cking thing to stick properly. It keeps coming up at the edges. Any ideas before I lose my temper and throw it in the bin! It looks like this one on this car and fixes only to the glass:

I know Stephen, don't think he drives an M3 - last time I saw him he was in an old Audi family wagon! I'll try and find out who it belongs to!

Agreed! Pardon the pun, but I think the shine will wear off all the matte finishes pretty soon anyway. Nothing looks better than a nice shiny car!

Saw a frozen grey M3 (is the newest E92?) on Ponsonby Road today. Was driving so couldn't take a pic but can't be too many of those around.