mtk540

Andrew. Wobbles at 70-80kmh? Touch the brakes the steering wheel wrenches from your hands? You've got a case of the E39 "shimmy". I had that on mine and after lots of research found it to be a well documented trait on E39s especially. I went through the whole lot - wheel balance and alignment, checking for bent rims, shaved the rotors, changed rotors and the pads ... and still there. Finally replaced the front thrust arm bushes which did the trick. Mike PS: Thought you had it on the market ??

Spotted on Sunday @ 3.30pm Rotherham St end of Ricc Mall. Matt in his E36 M3TRBO and a lovely lady. Is this why we haven't seen/heard from you for a while ???

I recently had something similar in my E39. The heater fan seemed to have a mind of its own. Stops, starts, slow, full on. There was no control of the airflow whatsoever. Then I saw an article in the June 09 issue of Total BMW that pinpointed it straight away as a faulty final stage resistor or "hedgehog" due to its shape. It regulates the speed of the blower fan. I had it replaced and the aircon goes fine now. Apparently a well known problem. It can be a DIY but requires getting in under the steering column and taking bits out.

Support the forum sponsor !!! Mag & Tyre Direct Contact Jono (zenetti) here on BS but there is a branch in Petone I'm taking the E39 to the Chch branch tomorrow and they've offered me a BimmerSport discount for a wheel alignment.

I like that. Are there many E39 540 Touring in NZ in either Tip or Manual ?

Fortunately not into DIY !

I have the nav unit hanging from the top lip of the boot in my E39 saloon and find its' really hard to get bulky luggage in. I even struggle to fit the big chilly bin in let alone the golf clubs, trundler and luggage or a buggy for bubs.Agree the All Road 4.2 V8 is a good option for the added Quattro for skiing and towing.

I'm also a forum member of VASK (VW Audi Sport Klub www.vask.org.nz) and hunted around to see if it was owned by a Vasker. I found that the current owner is a chap who collects cars and also races small capacity saloons. He's had parts sent over from the UK by an ex Audi Sport rally team member. The vask boys are just as passionate about their Quattro's as BS members about E30 M3's... edit: gutted out some pointless cr*p that I wrote late at night!

Ditto on that William and Atta, I picked up on that straight away too. I think the UR A1s were full time 4wd ??

I've always drooled over the car that took Audi to the top in rallying and perhaps started their star to rise to where it is now for road car sales. Walter Rohrl, Michele Mouton, Hannu Mikkola those were the days. Although the shorter Sport Quattro took over in the mid 80's the A1 variant is still my favourite. http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/C...n-237923853.htm (How do you re-name a link??) This one looks in immaculate condition but note there are no interior pics. Has been in storage - last WOF May 2003. Not many NZ new UR Quattros in NZ. I don't know about $48k though. An E30 M3 would be a more affordable option for a classic of this era. Thoughts??

My lad turned 5 last Feb. He's already bored with the presents he was given. In fact some are still sealed in their boxes. He's now into Lego and High School Musical etc for inside. We also try and buy him stuff that we can all be involved in outside eg scooter / bike / fishing gear (now that's fun taking a 5yo fishing) / rugby ball. He can use those for years to come perhaps even with you ! Advice from a Dad - don't spend a hundy on stuff like action figures/toys that he'll forget about after a couple of months. Let his mates buy him those. Chances are you'll double up anyway. Let us all know what you end up doing..

You'll be wanting appearance money at our next meet then ....

Just to get back on track ... Spotted today in my clients warehouse, tucked in the back and away from public view. E24 M6 in white, LHD, just imported from Japan by his son in law. Pretty good condition ie no visible signs of dings or rust. Bumpers are fully colour coded, I think standard are chrome and black rubber inserts. Not registered yet. Will post up more details when I see him next and check out if he wants to come to next Chch meet. edit: typo

Welcome Gareth. Another nice addition to the E39 540 stable. I totally agree with your comment on the ear to ear smile. Mines been on for 3 years !

Good on you with the names Atta.Sorry I couldn't stick around. Had to leave to take my 5 year old to a birthday party. Great photos Mark Mike (mtk540)

After having owned Subarus for 11 years (they were great) we decided to go for an Audi A4 Avant quattro. It's the B5 model (1997 - 2002) with a 2.4 V6. We've had it now for nearly 3yrs and my wife loves it as its easy to drive, has good boot space (more usable space than the E39) and more economical than the Subaru. This model is now as cheap as chips with a flood of imports coming in. Not looking forward to the resale price! If I were to sell it today it would probably be for another Audi, either an All Road with the 4.2 V8 rather than the 2.7T or an A6/S6 Avant to carry the ski gear etc. A BMW Touring would be a great alternative but unfortunately no 4wd. Being from Invercargill you also will see the merits of the quattro. Horses for courses, mackt.

I'm not in the legal profession either but in the finance profession. The best advice I can give you is to get good advice. Many here have correctly recommended you seek advice from a specialist in IP, patents or copyright. I see that you are in Auckland and I have a client up there that has used a firm called A J Park although I can't remember who the partner was. Apparently they were great, knew their stuff and blew away the opposition. If your copyright is that valuable to you then spend the dollars to keep and preserve it. You only get one chance and if you do it yourself or hire someone because they were the cheapest and then stuff it up then it (your IP and your hard earned money) is gone forever. Good luck.

Nice one Andrew If it weren't for the "edit - the grey", shadowline and M steering wheel it looks exactly like mine right down to the style 32's PM Jochen - he can get the TV working when in motion.

Blew a bulb this week and found this thread for some advice.Replaced all 4 (main/dip and hi beam) with Philips Bluevision 4000k A bit of elbow grease on the lens with Mothers Plastic Polish and have got a fantastic result, with bright white as opposed to previous yellowish output and the throw is far greater.

Done

Well done Mark Can't wait for next weeks episode !

+1 , sick of it too but didnt want to rock boat until a more senior respected member mentioned it 3pedals - photo 11 shows a 300k speedo. Assumption is the Mother of All F*&$ups. I talk mpg, so much easier for us older guys. Does that classify my 540 or A4 as thrashed English imports? With a car that price prudence and common sense prevail. Caveat emptor. Sorry mods...

Same with me (really p..d me off too) up until about a week ago and then suddenly I get auto entry. No changes to IP address or clearing of cache/cookies or IE settings. Weird.

Welcome Deano. Great choice - good to see yet ANOTHER black E39 540 ! ... and congrats on the arrival of your son. Your whole life will change for the better (as mine did when we had our wee fella). Don't worry about the leather, it all washes off. Just remember where you left the smelly nappies after that emergency back seat change.... Mike

This has also been a problem with some E39s, noticeable at around 70-90kmh and under braking Try replacing the front thrust arm bushes. Other BS members have tried that and it solved the problem