jeffbebe

Nope, they don't but saying you get significantly better round town fuel economy than BMW's stats when the car was new is wayward at best and dishonest at worst. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

These engines do run hot. More likely to be thermostat, I would have thought. My 540 was running hotter than yours when I got it (as high as 117°) and since replacing the thermostat it's been static around the 96-97° mark.

Yep, LSD will be for when - finally - I get the thing on the track and, even then, will probably be a while before I have the confidence to exit the corners fast enough to need the LSD!! haha

You'd think they could stretch to a few more photos for that kind of money!

You're probably right, Tom! Will drive it for the foreseeable future with open diff and see how it is... While I save for an LSD.

Good luck. Hope it's not a wallet-killer.

Cinnamon leather... Possibly my favourite. Looks great.

Could be battery if the electrics are failing - or some other fault. Did you see any warning lights on the dash before the OBC died? I think you need to get it scanned as soon as possible. My car operated like this when it went into engine failsafe following a tune and adaption reset. Did you get it scanned/checked out before purchase? If you did and they also reset the adaptions it may just be that... Try unhooking the battery for a while and reconnecting before starting.

Thanks Suresh.

I think the M62TU is a better engine performance-wise but because it is a bit more complex than the M62 so there's more that can go wrong. The unique issues are generally around the Vanos timing unit. A lot of the people who prefer the non-vanos M62 do all of their own maintenance and the double vanos on the M62TU is a b*tch of a thing to work on if you're a DIY mechanic. If you're planning to have it serviced by a professional mechanic I think the TU is the better engine. The TU engine came in before the facelift so if you don't want it make sure you check the VIN rather than banking on pre-facelift.

So, you'd recommend this, Suresh? http://www.phantasmusa.com/bmw540ie39.html - Wavetrac LSD for US$1,170, compared to Quaife around GBP900.

There are two arguments going on here. One is an argument over whether manual or auto is better... Well, that depends on the box, on the driver and personal taste but the other main point is why aren't there more manuals... Car manufacturers, including BMW don't make cars for the 3rd, 4th, 5th+ owners. If they clipped the ticket each time the car got re-sold, maybe they would sell more manuals but as many people have said on here the new car market wants autos, so the R&D goes into making better autos. As for the brand... I don't think most car manufacturers will be too worried what fanbois like us think of their brand if we never buy a new car. If diversifiying the model range and utilising the strength of the ///M badge sells more cars and attracts more new car buyers to their brand, they ain't going to care much about us. It just maybe that the head honchos at BMW have a slightly different vision for the brand than a bunch of Exx owners in New Zealand. EDIT: And if you want a secondhand manual car by a cheap auto and get Ray to convert!

Belongs to a member and is an excellent condition, especially for the kms. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah yeah. Looks like Quaife is the way to go... When I can afford it. Similar or less money to M5 kit, brand new and less hassle to install. Should be able to get one shipped from the UK for sub $2K... But I don't have $2K at the moment. EDIT: Actually, the Wavetrac unit is considerably cheaper. Think Suresh uses one (looks like it's the same part # as E39 540i as well). Should be able to land this one for sub NZ$1500.

Plenty of guys in the states who've supercharged autos with no problems. Trans cooler is a good idea though and on my list of nice-to-haves! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Budget EDIT: Plus I like the slush box, despite popular opinion!!! Maybe because autos were rare when I grew up in the UK... Exclusive!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Good stuff! Look forward to seeing the car again! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Possible but a PITA. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sounds stupid but did you try pushing the plug all the way? I found on mine that if you just relied on the main harness 17pin adapter to clip everything in place it left the power plug sticking out a wee bit and it worked when pushed in a little further.

PM'd.

I don't own a cap. EDIT: Seriously though, would love to learn how to drift properly... But not to hoon, just would be great to know I could handle most situations.

That would be great on a wet day on NZ roads!!

Looks good! Just need the roof spoiler and mirrors now... Sorry, I won't let mine go! You can get a knock-off ABS plastic roof spoiler for less than $100 on fleabay, mirrors will be harder to come by.

Thanks Dan. EDIT: I like the simplicity of the Quaife LSD but 2 grand by the time it's shipped, etc is still 2 grand! Might be driving for a while with the open diff.

Yep, there are two slots for the power cable plug in the harness as the CD usually runs from the rear via the radio module to the front monitor. Swap the power plug to the other slot and away you go. Had the same issue with my iPod kit.