curryinahurry

Have you looked on Ebay? Second hand ones don't cost much.  Just make sure you get one thats the same frequency as the one in your car depending on the country of origin.

Would you know whether they're genuine M3 wheels? Any photos of the writing on the inside?

The E46 is much easier and cheaper to maintain and generally more reliable.  The E90 is a bit more comfortable and safer.

Being mechanically capable, you can pretty much DIY everything on an E46.  Repairs on the E90 is much more difficult with lots of complexities with electronic systems and expensive parts.  E.g Electric Water pump,  vanos solenoids or ledge seals, sump gaskets.  Even the washer pump on the E90 is difficult to replace!

Also, general maintenance is more expensive as well as the E90 requires a runflat tyres, BMW battery + Coding the IBS

I've owned plenty of both...and I have sold all my E90 and E92s and gone back to older models.

That sounds like quite a drastic improvement! Keen to see the before and after photos when you get a chance.

Keen to see what kinda of improvements you get.  I've been thinking about getting the same work done on my diesels as well.

Bit of a long shot, but any have a Montreal Blue boot lid for a E36 sedan?  Needs to be in good condition.

Hi, I'm looking for a digital climate control unit for my E36.  

For some reason a few buttons on mine have stopped working.

Let me know if you got one for sale.

2 hours ago, dirtydoogle said:

Scan it with something that will talk to it. Otherwise there is a plethora of things that will cause an ABS fault 

You can test the sensors with a DMM with diode function 

Thanks Doug - by sensors you're referring to the wheel speed sensors?

Hi Team,

My elderly neighbour came around the other day asking for some help on his 2002 525i E39.  Hes got a yellow ABS light, Traction Control Triangle (ASC) and a check engine light on.  He tells me that the ABS light goes off after ~30 minutes of driving.

I gave it a scan on INPA and it looks like his car has a vacuum leak that's causing the CEL.  So the CEL is probably a separate issue.

However, I'm not sure what's causing the ABS and Traction Control light to come on as I cant connect to the ABS/Traction control module.  

I was wonder if a faulty ABS module would cause this?  I heard failures on the flexible PCB within the ABS unit is quite common.

Are they any other tests I can do to diagnose the problem?

Thanks,

Andrew

I ended up fitting the TRE-340 in tank.  It was a bit of a mission since the opening of the fuel tank is very small and the TRE pump was quite bit bigger than the original transfer pump.  Took a while to come up with a bracket design that I can get into the fuel tank.

After many iterations, I've come up with a bracket design that is able to clamp the pump into the factory fitting.  Photo below is is not of the final design - I'll keep that secret for now

To power the pump I ran some higher gauge wiring from the external pump to the new in tank pump.  The original wiring that powered the transfer pump is too thin and isn't suitable for running 6A.  Secondly, I discovered that the original transfer pump is only powered when cranking anyway, so it would never have worked without running the extra wiring.

I also replaced the fuel line with a smaller diameter one rated for 50 PSI.  To fit it, I turned a custom brass reducer so I can join that to the factory nipple.

Definitely took longer that I thought, but happy that its all working good now   Feel free to PM me if you're looking to do the same on your e30.

I have done so on my E36 and E46 (very similar design) but I've got access to a shop press and lathe so its not that difficult.  I think it'll be very hard to do a good job without the right tools in this case.

To press out the old bushing, you'll need something that matches the diameter of the bushing (preferably a tiny bit under).  Otherwise *maybe* you could push out the old one with the new one whilst having the lollipop sit on a spacer so it theres room for the old one to come out.  It typically takes around 2-3 tonnes for remove.

Hi Team,

I'm wanting to fit a car seat into my e46 sedan, but when I went to install it I discovered that there is no mounting point for the isofix top tether.

After a bit of goggling, it turns out that there is a mounting point but the brackets are not fitted.

https://www.e46fanatics.com/threads/retrofit-isofix-top-tether-anchor-points-diy.975965/

So I was wondering if anyone here has done this retrofit?  Where did you get the parts from?

Thanks in advance

On 11/5/2020 at 9:39 PM, Lucan said:

I'm doing the same thing in my PFL - bought a FL tank so I could move to a single in tank pump, but sure it could be done without going to that degree?

I've read that FL tanks use a siphon system internally rather that the cross pipe which somehow is an improvement? That and the pipe diameter Troy mentioned are the main reasons I bought the whole tank (plus to avoid starvation issues and that I found one cheap)

Wont be looking at it til Xmas when I have time off work though, so if you finish before then let us know how you get on!

Hey Lucan - mines a bit of a strange setup because mine is a 89 facelift model and its got the larger 63L tank.  But for some odd reason it still uses the old 2 pump system.  I think being an S.A built E30, they're a bit odd.

I've custom designed and fabricated a bracket to secure the pump and I've got a solution for connecting to the outlet without the reducer.  But haven't had got around to changing the fuel line to a smaller diameter - I will see if I can it without dropping the tank.  

Will take some photos and update once I've made more progress.  Hit me up if you need my custom bracket

Recently my E30's been cutting out randomly due to my fuel pumps failing.  Despite being a 89' model - my E30 appears to be on the 2 pump setup, with an in-tank pump and an external pump to provide line pressure.

I've done a bit of reading on the UK forums, and swapping to a single pump setup seems to be way to go.  I've picked up a TRE-340 which is commonly recommended for the job.  The plan is to swap the in-tank pump with the new pump and replace the external pump with a bypass.

Has anyone done this to their E30?  Is it necessary to upgrade the fuel line going from from the in-tank pump to the external pump? What other modifications did you have to do?

Probably doesn't help, but I have a 17 x 8.

7 hours ago, polley said:

Had GKR performance in the UK do a map for me. He emailed it to me and I flashed it my self.

Was really good (and probably cheaper than getting it done here)

I was wondering if you could share how much this costed?  I'm interested in getting my 330d tuned as well!

I'll add to this.

Here are the problems I found.

1. Big exhaust leak (likely from the turbo) evident by all teh carbon on the left side of engine bay but not crackly sounds (so probably not a cracked manifold?)

2. Battery is low (possibly due to alternator issue)

3. Oil level light came on (Maybe due to battery low)

4. Traction control light and yellow brake light came on (maybe also due to battery low)

5. Waterpump losing water, but doesn't seem to be overheating.

6. Steering wheel very worn.

7. RUCs are behind by around $350

It'll make a great project for someone with the time.  But may cost a bit if it needs a new turbo.

Good luck to all bidders!

I have a steel grey Stahl-grau (400) E46.  Mine looks nothing like that!! 

With the increase in rainfall I decided it was time to get a new pair of wipers for the E70.  Jumped on FCPEuro because NZ dealer prices are just simply not fair.  A few days later my box of goodies showed up and much to my disappointment my wipers didn't fit.
Who knew wipers LHD and RHD wipers are different anyway?!?!
Anyhow, I didn't want my Bosch Aerotwin wipers to go to waste so i decided to design and 3D print some nylon adapters for these wipers.
Here are the results - excuse my dodgy paint job.  Fits like a glove!
If anyone runs into the same problem - hit me up.

I was the second owner of this car.... Loved it to bits back then.

Its changed a bit since....

Is that a FC in the garage?

The quality is a bit of an unknown as they don't really specify their materials or manufacturing process.  They are "engineered in the UK" but quite possibly made elsewhere.

I'm looking at the option below:

https://www.turborebuild.co.uk/webshop/prod_3501210-Genuine-Melett-UK-Turbo-CHRA-Garrett-GT2556V-434766000216-4347680011-BMW-530d-E39730d-E38.html

This would be a like for like replacement rather than an upgrade.  It would be nice to have an upgrade though!

Hi Team,

A bit bored in lockdown, so I'm trying to entertainment myself with some BMW maintenance.

I'm looking into rebuilding the VGT Turbo in my E46 330D.  I believe the stock one is a Garrett GT2556V.

I came across a brand from the UK called Melett - they seem to be a good option for those not wanting to bend over for OE whilst not wanting low quality replica parts.

They offer a drop-in CHRA cartridge for around $350 shipped.

Anyone has experience with these? or know of other good options?

Cheers,

Andrew

Ok heres the breakdown.

For an E70, it comes in pre-facelift and facelift models with the switchover year in 2010.

Assuming  you're looking for diesel, the preface-lift E70 came in 2 variants of the M57 engine.

 - 3.0d is single turbo

- 3.0sd is twin turbo 

- 35d is the same as 3.0sd

Around 2010 they changed the naming to 30d, 35d, 40d, 50d and this is where it gets a bit muddy.

- 30d = N57 single turbo

- 40d = N57 twin turbo

- 50d = N57 triple turbo!!!

The main price difference in the E70s after the engine comes from :

- Facelift vs Prefacelifted

- Mspec vs standard spec

- 5 or 7 seats.

- Interior trim (leather, heated, ventilated etc)

- Panaramic sunroof

- Idrive version 

- 360 Camera, etc 

If you are towing, you'll want one with "additional towing capacity" on the options list.  This typically means you have air suspension in the rear.  

Hey firstly, welcome aboard!

These BMW diesels are great cars - they offer excellent performance, economy and even reliability (except for cam chain issues for your model).

Yours look to be a low KM, NZ new example - you have done well!  

I'm not a big fan of the blacked out rims, so perhaps go for some nice factory Mspec rims and some white LED angel eyes would be a good starting point.