a13antichrist

That would be awesome.. Should I PM you or just drop it in here?

My locals are in Wgtn I have no idea what the story is in Auckland.. Here I would get Page European to do it.. they charge 90 & that's where I get all my servicing done too. YEah probab;y should have mentioned that the car is in Auckland whereas I'm in Wgtn.. so I need someone who will know the thing inside out & will be able to tell me everything that's going on with it.

Pretty much sums it up really.. I need to get a mechanical check done on a 96 E36.. I'm guessing the BMW specialists would always be better than an AA check at least? Cheers

I've got an E36 center console drinks holder and two sets of license plates.

Sounds nice.. what sort of price, if you don't mind me asking? Montreal blue is my 2nd-favourite after the boston green. I've been half-thinking about speaking to a dealer or someone & seeing if they couldn't source me exactly the model I'm after... is that done at all?

What are the specs on that one?

Looks like it's sold already.. dammit.

Hey Andrew, Yeah I've seen that one. As yet I haven't been able to bring myself to accept those sorta KMs.. even this one here the 80km are too much.. Don't suppose you had a look under the front spoiler to see if the stone guards were still there? Voyager have also got a 97 328 that looks very nice, only 49km and I reckon the $20k they're asking isn't too bad.. course there should be a sizeable discount given that it's not bostongrün...

Here's the link: http://www.trademe.co.nz/structure/auction...88&key=36986833 Is there any point even considering this or should I just ignore it completely? Are there any "rules" about damaged cars? Cheers

This will be my second E36 after I wrote off the first one a couple of weeks ago. Only thing that seemed to be any problem with the first was the transmission - really jerky from 1-2 when cold, and when accelerating hard. Couple of electrical issues too with the CD cartridge popping out sometimes & the Air-con having a mind of its own.. other than that though, had no complaints.. this was a 96. So no hesitation to go for the same thing again as the replacement. Just a shame there don't seem to be that many in bostongrün.. heh.

You could try ringing state insurance, I hear they've just acquired a newly-deceased 96 323... heh

Hmmm. Is there an E36 buyer's guide somewhere with what to look out for?

The seats show wear as well but not quite as bad... the interior panelling at the rear is slightly loose so there's all-over wear.. but I'm just a little skeptical about how this much wear could happen "naturally".. oh and the driver's door actuator is stuffed too. Yes it's an import.. not fresh off the boat though. Will ring Shelly & ask their opinion. Also the front & rear skirts are aftermarket which again makes me wonder what's been up with this car....

6 my 96 has the T-lever as well.. and I've seen a couple of 97s with it.. though maybe that backs up what was said earlier about them being replacements for non-regulation parts? THanks Sumo I'll look into those points..

I'm not sure that it is just the pigment - the wheel feels completely different, more like rough velour than anything resembling leather. In either case, how difficult do you think it might be to repair? Or would it be a replacement wheel? The tyres have just been replaced at the 60K service (done through Shelly BMW) so I'm guessing they're not going to give anything away; what should I be looking for on the braker rotors? This is a 1998 model incidentally, so a lot younger than my 96 that had none of this wear.

Gear stick:

OK so I've been looking at this car for sale, and the leather on both the steering wheel and the gear lever are severly cracked and worn down (pictures below). The car has apparently only done 60k kms so if the wear is due to hand friction then I'm guessing it can't have been treated nicely? Or would it more likely be a sign that it's done a lot more Ks than it says? This is a 98 car and given my 96 had the same number of Ks while the leather on mine was perfect, I'm a little suspicious, though not quite sure of what, exactly. Incidentally, the sunroof on this car is screwed as well - only opens to halfway & then clunks to a stop - does that suggest anything in addition to the above?

I was overseas until last Sunday morning, car was being looked after by a friend & driven from time to time to keep it happy. Picked it up on Sunday afternoon & that was Sunday evening. 19 the engine looks mostly okay - the fan is all chewed up & one of the belts & its housing is a little crushed but it doens't look TOO serious. Of course the rear axle is twisted from where the tow company unsparingly dragged it onto the flatbed & there are chunks taken out of the right-hand-side wheels & tires (you can just make it out in the 2nd pic above). Alarm & immoboliser still work great though..

Nobody with some spare time? Hell this is what I do for entertainment..

Didn't pick up on that.. the question was posted to the auction on trademe. I didn't know that anyway & I had mine for 18 months..

OK here's the goss: He's had the car here for about 6 months, apparently he brought it over from Japan himself The brakes & rotors were done at that time. He says he had it for the 60k & 75k services, though apparently he works at some mechanic and so he did the services himself. Changed the fule & oil filters, & spark plugs, but the cam belt is still the original. VANOS unit hasn't been a problem yet, apparently. I did ask him if he'd be happy to take it into a different mechanic & let them do a full check & he said he wouldn't have a problem with that.

Otahuhu. Will give him a call in a few minutes to find out whatever else I can.

YEah I hear what you're saying but the closed eyelids sort of made it hard to stare at either one or the other... Next one's going to be either exactly the same, or slightly newer.. or maybe this: Anyone know how much the M aero skirts cost?

Driving school, nah. Staying awake school, maybe....

3rd... By the way, anyone who can feel my pain and happens to live in Auckland, I'd very much appreciate your help in consoling myself...