charles28

Wheels have been machined and are sitting back at home. I tried each one on the car to make sure they are right before getting the tyres. 2 good tyres ready to go on the wheels, 2 more on order from a mate in the trade, but won't have time to get those sorted until a week from tomorrow.

Nice Car BMW ALPINA B10 3,5 / 1 Bild vergrößern Based on BMW 535i (E34) Production 4/1988 - 12/1992 ALPINA Engine B11/3: Cylinder 6 Capacity cm³ 3430 Max output kW/hp 187 / 254 Max torque Nm 325 Performance: Acceleration 0-100km/h s 6.4 Top speed km/h 250 Fuel consumption: at 90km/h l/100km 8.3 at 120km/h l/100km 9.8 Urban l/100km 15.7

Tyres removed from my 17's and I am dropping them off to Thorpe Engineering on the way to work in the morning so that they can be machined out from 72.6mm to 74.1mm Next update will probably be 2 weeks away as from tomorrow I have to work 12 days straight, incl Waitangi Day, but it also means 24 hours of over time, which will be handy.

Today I tackled the drivers door window regulator, I had a replacement arrive a while back. Going through drive through's was quite a hassle, so I got motivated today to get into it. So, Door Panel removal. Removing the Door card etc took a couple of minutes. Speaker Removed, cables disconnected, door handle removed. Insulation Peeled back. Regulator Removed. (This took a long time, as the Window was stuck closed and I could not get it to budge. I ended up cutting through the cables and got it out. New Regulator New Regulator Installed, reconnected battery for testing. After all my hard work the window went up and wouldn't go down again, this was quite frustrating, I thought that perhaps it was the Motor, but that didn't make sense, as its harder work for the motor to go up then down. I discovered that the window switches look to have been messed with before, there was a broken clip and the white sticker had been cut. I disasembled this item and couldn't really see anything wrong. However I cleaned it with Electrical Contact Cleaner all over ,re-assembled, then like magic the window went down again. Doing this was a waste of time, as there was nothing wrong with my old regulator, it was an issue with the Controls. In hindsight I should have tested that first. I assumed it was the regulator as they are a common item to fail and the window didn't go up and down. So I ended up ruining a perfectly good regulator for no reason. Lesson Learnt.

Just a Dreamer, 170kw is not 280hp Its closer to 231hp from memory.. nothing wrong with a M54B30 engine, but the cars not worth anywhere near the asking price It's worth maybe 17-18k. Theres a few higher K ones for 13-15k

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=688702841

I decided that I'll be using these 17" wheels, today I had the tyres removed, tomorrow they are off to get machined out to 74.1mm I am using the place that Jonesey suggested and they have quoted me $30 a wheel. It should work out ok, +20 Offset seems about right for an E39.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=688700306 now on trademe. It has blank sensor hole locations as per my trademe pics, but no actual holes.

Buy mine if you want a fun E30, an automatic 320i is about as far away from fun as you get with an E30. http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=688702841

Up for sale again.. http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=688702841 Reserve $4500 Wof until end of Feb, it might pass the next one, but my mechanic mentioned that the rear seatbelts might fail next time due to sun fade on a small part of each one (where it goes across rear tray).

Hmm tricky one really.. I managed to insure my 325i for $5500 through AA, but its only a normal 325i manual. I'd assume its worth 7k or so.

I went to the Dealership today and got the Locking Nut key. It was the 1st one he tried, so that was good luck. The wheels are annoyingly close to fitting, the wheel goes on and the wheel nuts go in, but the wheel doesn't quite sit on enough. I had to try, despite knowing it wouldn't fit I also learnt that its a bad idea to jack the car up on Asphalt, the wheels of the Jack indented my Driveway, doh.

Thanks for the Info Allan, I have put them back on trademe as I can't be bothered messing around, they are not the best looking wheels around etc, so will see how I go re-selling them. Hehe they are sitting in the E30, the bottom seat cushion is removed to make space. As a cheap car for $3500 you would be hard pressed to get much better thats year 2000 and 125,000k I guess. It drives nice, its not quick, but it does the job for now. Cheers for the info, I have put them back on trademe for now, if they don't sell i'll give them a call and go with that option perhaps. Did you have to pay much for the Motorsport wheels? I've heard they can be a tad pricey.

Doh, after some research I found they are http://www.bmwstylewheels.com/bmw/243

I got this 2000 525ia recently, was cheap, low ish k's, one nz owner etc. It is filthy and in good need of a Wash and Polish etc and I have already clocked up 2000k's in it since I got it 3 weeks ago. One thing I hated about it was the Wheels, stock 15 inch with these horrid tyres designed for commercial vans. (Bridgestone duravis 411) with 215/65/15 size (Made the speedo under read by about 2.7%).100k On the speedo was 102-103 on the GPS. I have no idea what possessed the last owner to get those tyres, as they are $337.50 Each new. I found some cheap Wheels today on trademe, factory 17" 5x120 and about +20 Offset, so should be suitable for E39, they might even be from an E39, I have no idea, the guy that owned them tried to put them on his E36, but they stuck out too far, paid $300, 2 of the tyres are really good, 2 are due for replacement soon. So I was already to put these on when I got them home this afternoon, but then discovered that my E39 has Locking nuts, for what reason I have no idea, who would want to steal those 15" wheels. Searched through the car, no sign of the lock nut key, so tomorrow its off to the Dealership to buy one I guess. Once I get that sorted i'll give the car a good clean up and post new pics. This is just a rather budget project, once I sell off my 2005 Golf GTi etc I'll be looking for something like a 540i E34 and will use this as a daily driver to get to work and back. So far I can't really find much wrong with the old beast, I have a new window regulator to install in the drivers door, but other then that there's not much that needs fixing so far.

http://www.turners.co.nz/Turners-Valuation/Price-Check-Detail/?vid=fdb0021b-3988-4583-a398-a2d05755217a an idea of how cheap these things go for at turners sometimes.

I'm going to be looking for an E34 soon, once I sell about 3 cars I have already, but am set on a 540i, i've never owned a car with a V8 engine and think that its something I should experience at least once in my life. I think the 540i is a good option still, I suspect that with a MAF conversion and good ECU tune that the economy could be improved a bit over stock, but a late 525i might be a good option, 535i tends to be a reliable old beast too. But the condition of the automatic gearbox is rather important (as Brent said), especially when it comes to the V8's, they are not cheap to rebuild and tend to be hard to find for a good price second hand. I was tempted to buy a cheap 540i recently that came up at Turners, but with no way of checking it out I passed on it, it probably sold annoyingly cheap too, but I also had to factor in shipping to CHCH, I may have been delivered a car that was totally rooted, so decided against taking the risk.

I have one in Rangiora (30mins from Christchurch) that had done 85,000ks, facelift model only though. $500 This was from a 1990 325i Motorsport Tech 2 027-389-2701

Ideally in Christchurch to save shipping.. 17" or 18" Factory style, such as Motorsport E39 Wheels, not all that keen on non genuine wheels, but tell me what you have and price My E39 has tiny 15inch Wheels, which just looks silly, to make things worse it has 215/65/15 Bridgestone R411 Duravis which were made for Holden One Ton Utes. ie:

I have installed my Mono block Amp and Sub into my E39, which works fine with a Line output converter. However I want to replace my front speakers with some DLS MS5A's I have spare (and tweeters), disconnect Mid range and run these off another Amp I have spare. I tapped into the Front Speaker Woofer Wiring for the LOC, but is this a Full range output? Ie will it give me full range? to run my Woofers and tweeters? using my aftermarket amp or will it be missing the high frequencies? The factory Amp appears to have 3 pairs of wires for each lot of speakers in the front. Cheers Charles

Car is now on trademe. http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=680293794 My Golf is also on trademe. http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=680286562 Once these are sold I plan on getting an E34 540i. I just purchased an E39 523i to keep me on the road if both these cars suddenly sell at the same time.

I didn't intend to buy this, I was looking at 530i's etc. but it was cheap and I find it hard to resist a bargain. Its a 2000 E39 523i with the Dual Vanos M52B25TU engine, 124,000k, 1 Owner for 7 years, was a company car (the bosses). Its also incorrectly Registered as a 525i, but have seen this many times, especially when the model designation badge is removed as a factory option. Its a Jap Import, but it seems to have a proper Steptronic Gearbox instead of a Jatco. Its got a mint as interior, (not leather) and the cd-changer still works 100% fine. It seems to drive a lot nicer then my 1996 528i I had (that one had the Jatco gearbox). Its got silly little 15 Inch wheels and 215/65 tyres, which makes for a comfy ride on canterbury roads. Uploaded with ImageShack.us What did I pay for this car? $3500, with a new Wof and 3 Months Rego, (Service not due for another 5000k). I plan to use this car as a daily for a while, as I am selling my E30 325i and 2005 Golf. (Now both on trademe). I actually want an E34 540i as my toy now, so once I sell off the 2 cars I will start my search for an E34 540i. Options List: Data for the chassis number: WBADM42050GH80711 Model Name: 523I Execution: Europe Type code: DM42 E-Code: E39 Body: Limousine Steering: right Doors: 4 Engine: M52/TU - 2.50 l (125kW) Drive: Rear-wheel drive Gear: automatically Exterior color: Orient Blue Metallic ( 317 ) Interior: Fabric Rips Diagonal / anthracite (F4AT) Production date: 23.02.2000 Work: Dingolfing Code Standard Equipment S202A Steptronic Steptronic S520A Fog lights S853A Language version English Code Optional Equipment S261A Side airbags for rear passengers S320A Deleted, model lettering S354A Green windscreen, green shade band S415A Sun-blind, rear S423A Floor mats, velours S428A Warning triangle and first aid kit S431A Interior mirror with automatic-dip S441A Smoker package S459A Memory Seat adjuster, electric, with memory S473A Armrest front S522A Xenon Light S534A Automatic air conditioning S540A Cruise control S548A Kilometer-calibrated speedometer S602A TV On-board monitor with TV S676A HiFi speaker system S694A Provisions for BMW 6 CD changer S773A Fine wood trim L807A Japan NATIONAL VERSION JAPAN S818A Battery master switch S823A Hot-climate version S845A Acoustic belt warning S875A Infrared remote control S925A Transport protection package Code Standard Equipment S555A On-board computer V with remote control

I used these ones http://www.e30performance.info/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=231 http://www.e30clubsa.co.za/forum/index.php?/topic/50-gearbox-conversion-auto-4hp22-to-manual-getrag-260-e30-325i/

I had a few book marked somewhere, i'll post the links up when I find them.

The awesome Dog and Lemon review of the E30 Also included the E39 one bmw_3-series_e30_1983-91_touring_to_1994.pdf bmw_5-series_e39_1996-04.pdf