jeffbebe

Looks mint but $12K still seems a lot. I'd say $9-10K would be a fair price for a mint example with low kms like that to an enthusiast. Not sure whether the market would agree.

I mostly get plaudits from politicians and drug dealers in my 540i.

KTMP was up over 110°c (got as high as 119°) before Ray replaced thermostat for me. Since then runs between 90-100° - usually around 96-97 on the open road. Fuel economy has definitely improved since thermostat replaced but did so many other things around the same time (vanos overhaul, tune, fixed vac leaks, etc) it's hard to pinpoint what's made the biggest difference.

Interesting... Would I have the same issue on the 540i?

I just thought they were really ugly... Never stopped to check. Did you get a nasty surprise?

Where will its new position be?

I've never seen a Mobil selling 98. The ones near me don't as far as I can tell. There is a Gull nearby. Maybe I'll try a bit of Force 10 for a while.

Yep, that kind of vitriol is certainly aimed at Audi and Porsche Cayenne owners in my part of Auckland. That said, BMW ownership is on the up and I don't think the author is far from the truth when it comes to new bimmers. There was some research published recently that showed that the richer people get the meaner and less respectful to others they get. It's not your imagination that people in new expensive cars think they're the sh*t. It's just life. There are, obviously, exceptions to this rule. I hope I'd be one if I could afford a new bimmer.... But maybe I'd just be another a$$hole in a BMW.

You can probably get three on Hopetoun Street for less than the price of a slab of Lion Red. Can't vouch for their 'quality' though.

Bio-ethanol can act as a cleaning agent for certain metal components I believe but is corrosive to rubber and plastic components (e.g injector seals). 10% ethanol won't be a big drama in 95 or 98 for most bimmers though. I use BP 98 which doesn't contain any ethanol.

I've been clean for coming up to 10 years. In theory I've saved about $40K, the reality is that I've just wasted my money on something else. If you've convinced yourself to quit because of the financial implications have a plan for the money because I f*cking didn't and I'm no better off financially than before. Health's another matter altogether though!

Just a normal Friday night, Glenn.

Carfolie are probably the cheapest - I'm not totally sold on the quality. They do it quickly and cheaply - there are some other posts about this where they've failed to tint dot matrix windows properly. I'm guessing Matthew isn't too worried about the cost rather the quality of finish. There are a few advertised but I'm afraid I can't vouch for all. I had my tints done by Carfolie. Very cheap but some issues with quality which the perfectionist in me finds hard to ignore.

For a change of colour or just paint protection?

I'm OCD - if I get one it would be OE - http://www.ebay.com/itm/Genuine-BMW-5-ser-car-cover-82111470386-e39-/260937350827 (but not an overpriced eBay one!!).

Been thinking about getting an outdoor cover for those occasions mine's not parked indoors. Tired of it being beautifully clean then getting a shower overnight (like last night) and it looking like dusty sh*te in the morning. Not to mention the frickin' bird sh*t.

As long as you're not wearing Lulu Lemon like all the 'real housewives of Herne Bay', then I can forgive the sweat and the neon kicks.

Can't help with the cars but congratulations!!

I think the E36 vert is a gorgeous car. I love this one... http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=667713493 - shame it's only a 4cyl or I'd consider it for those perfect summer days! There was a really nice blue E36 M3 vert with grey leather on TM for a while... If I'd had the cash!!! Would still want the V8 for the grunt work.

Check your VIN on realoem.com and find the thermostat part number. You can then ask Google for options!

Bloody good price IMO. Talk to Ray at HellBM, forum sponsor, he's got two of them.

Looks like they took good care of it. Would love one of these but either the wife or the kid would have to stay at home every time we went for a drive, which wouldn't be that popular.

Ray, you haven't got one this colour yet! http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/m/auction-681631315.htm

Black cars are best photographed out of direct sunlight for that very reason! Looks good though GLWS!

Not sure why you'd want to remove any safety feature from your car for normal road use? If your airbag light is on fix the problem, don't fudge it to get through a warrant. You may trust yourself to not crash but what about the other drivers on the road? Personally, I'd rather have all the protection I can in the event of a crash. If the airbags deploy in a minor incident, so be it. I'd rather pay to replace them than not have them in a bigger accident. (I've only skim read this thread so apologies if I've missed the point).