jeffbebe

In Christchurch this morning. It's -2 degrees and my soft Auckland bones don't like it. Did see a nice black E46 M3 license plate 02 M3 on the drive from the airport.

Very nice. Jealous!

This guy has been very helpful in the past [email protected]. They are on the other side of the world so prompt responses aren't always possible but I've generally had a reply by the next working day.

http://www.bimmerfest.com/news/704327/vors...coupe-upgrades/

It would be awesomest!

Aha! True, not many 540i tourings - would be a great car. There's an E61 M5 touring living somewhere near me. Would be a great fun car to own I reckon.

Score! I haven't used Pelican - is shipping reasonable? Most of the US suppliers I've looked offer really cheap OEM parts but shipping is astronomical. Good luck with the restoration... It's a good looking car (although I'm biased!).

Heh heh... Thought mine was the only one in NZ, Tony!

Definitely not like the experiences I've had with Schmiedmann, Tom. Everything I've received has been really well packaged, good communication, prompt delivery not to mention pretty damn cheap. Can't complain... But then it only takes one stuff up to sour the taste. Hope they fix their mistakes for you... And quickly.

Notice his mate's had enough by about 2.30... Can't blame him, I'd be sh*tting myself. He's obviously a pretty skilled driver but what a twat.

Yep, sometimes it's worth the pain. If only... She has a 2005 Mazda 6 which never ever goes wrong. Not nothing no how never. Bloody clever Japanese cars. You have a 'spending budget'? Lucky bugger. Wait 'til you've got a wife and kids! Thanks Tom. Bummer about your Schmiedmann stuff. I've bought a fair bit from them and they've always been excellent. Well packaged, really helpful and even splitting orders to ensure they arrive tax free! Yes, do! Coffee and car natter would be great... Maybe a little drive too if the CSL's allowed out Would be great to get some pics of both cars in some cool location too.

"Accidents" happen to accountants all the time.

Everything costs $$$s with these cars... But Schmiedmann has made the costs very palatable and I haven't gone crazy. Just stuff the car is in need of.Have been offered a VF supercharger at a great price though.... Would love to buy it but it's still not cheap and I'm just not sure the divorce is worth it if my better half found out.

Nice looking car... Not sure about the comment "E46 Touring estates are a fairly rare sight in NZ" - I see them absolutely everywhere.

Posh! Looks good, this is just the gear knob, right, not a short shift kit?

More swag from Schmiedmann - first of two boxes full of gaskets and timing chain guides, etc for Vanos overhaul. Plus Beisan Systems M62tu vanos kit

That's what I'm talking about! The next owner's problem!!

Thanks, I can't get enough of them but you'd need a 540 or M5 after your E46 M3!! Thanks, appreciate it.

Figured it wasn't worth spending a lot of time on the paint until I'd fitted the ACS spoiler I nabbed off my old 528. It was a PITA to get it to stick last time round so I decided not to f*ck around with 3M tape or that kind of stuff and went straight to hardcore glues. BMW recommend an adhesive called Betalink but I couldn't a stockist anywhere in NZ and dealers aren't much help on a Sunday if you're not buying a car. Anyway, opted for Sikeflex-227 which I'm assured will work equally well... The proof will be in the pudding, as they say, plus this stuff's black so won't show up at all through the back window. Cleaned up the glass with some meths, lightly sanded the underside of the spoiler and cleaned with meths too before applying a thin line of sealant about an inch from the edge right the way round. Seemed to be a much better fit than my old car and fitting was pretty straightforward. Used green painter's tape and a bit of cardboard packing to provide a bit of leverage to the tape and parked in my work garage so it can stay dry and cure for 24 hours. Fingers crossed it'll be rock solid and not fly off as soon as I go over 60kms (as spoiler's affixed with 3M tape are prone to do). Always liked the fairly sublet look of the spoiler on my old car so wanted it on this one. Probably be the last cosmetic mod I do unless I can find a front lip/sword I like that isn't ridiculously over-priced.

It's not as shiny as it looks, so far my cut and polish attempts have been average... But photoshop is a wonderful thing for making my car look as perfect as possible!

22 June 2013

Thanks. Just got some Pellecare topcoat to redo the black leather as well so will crack into that when I get a day free.

Pretty happy with the cosmetics now.. On with the engine!

I've bought a fair bit of stuff from Schmiedmann and they have always been excellent. Really transparent order and communication process. Great website and easy to navigate and huge range, plus shipping even on large items is generally pretty reasonable and always prompt. I have found that shipping from Europe and Asia is generally far quicker than orders from the US.