charles28

the seller has owned it for around 6-7 weeks. He's just flipping it to make $1k or so I assume. Original Auction http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-957316029.htm

Drained the cooling system yesterday, removed heater valve, disassembled, however all the seals looked good and there was hardly any sign of wear at all, which is just as well, the ebay repair kit I got wasn't the right one for my car. Re-assembled, topped up coolant, bled system, took the car for a big drive today, the fault has not re-occurred so far. I suspect it had an airlock in it, as that can cause issues with the heater valve apparently..

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-970480146.htm Maybe one of the most tidy ones left in NZ?

Thanks, will give that a go, have ordered the repair kit

Not much news. I Thought I had fixed the oil leak once and for all, cleaned all under the car, could see it was still leaking around the sump gasket, however checked all the bolts.. 3 of them were loose.. tightened.. ran car for hours, no sign of anymore leaking, did a 1000k road trip, still no sign of leaking, drive to work and back twice, oil leak is back. Have not bothered to recheck why its leaking yet. Another issue I need to resolve is the climate control. I can have my heater set on cold for both driver and passenger sides and intermittently I get hot air coming out of the drivers side vents. (happens about 3/5 times when I use the car now). It doesn't do it every time, if I have the A/C on the air is cold out of all the vents, however I usually just have it turned off with just the fan running bringing cooler air in from outside. I thought heater valve, but not sure if i'd have this exact issue. Today I gave the car a good wash and cleaned the wheels too.

Hi Guys, I'm having an odd problem. I can have my heater set on cold for both driver and passenger sides and intermittently I get hot air coming out of the drivers side vents. (happens about 3/5 times when I use the car now). It doesn't do it every time, if I have the A/C on the air is cold out of all the vents, however I usually just have it turned off with just the fan running bringing cooler air in from outside. I thought heater valve, but if it was this, would it be intermittent ?

I'm having thoughts of selling my E39 and replacing it with an E36 330Ci, I know both of these cars have the same engine, but I like the idea of having the smaller car, also E46 330ci's are getting old so there's a few around for a good price. Is the E46 much less refined than the 5 series? are the sport seats in the E46's better bolstered than the E39 Sport seats? Will I even notice an increase in performance? Will the E46 have better handling? (To me the E39's handling is already pretty good).

http://www.jeffgraybmw.co.nz/ Some of the staff members have E30's, should know them well.

http://www.zeperfs.com/en/match3288-5247.htm impressive comparison 0-160km time especially

Excellent "drivers" car, not as practical as a Golf, but fun to drive for sure. (i'm sort of looking at them myself) Good Review Golf R32 vs 130i

Yes, it fixed it straight away, the old radiator looked ok on the outside too, but inside had started to collapse internally, perhaps due to too much pressure from the headgasket going.

I had this issue with one of my E30's, however in my case it was the radiator, (Head gasket had also been done before hand). Going up hills would result in the temp going over 1/2 way, i also replaced the fan clutch, thermostat etc first.

Seems cheap, but whats the bet it needs another 5k spent on it to make it decent.

Actually its not quite that simple, they make very little money out of insurance work and the insurance companies mess around and take months longer to pay than they should. Its a heavily regulated industry, they only allow a set amount per hour for labour and often the insurance companies won't pay for genuine parts (also only allowed to make a tiny margin on these) (depending on the insurance company). A load of the average work is a result of the insurance companies not being willing to pay full price. But in this case, the panel beater was being paid for extra work and they have no excuses at all really and I'd be taking it back too.

+1 good option Another car I've been considering myself.

Manual Mk5 Golf GTI with a stage 1 Remap is a good option.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/volkswagen/auction-922414656.htm this one sold for a fair price.

You do of course end up paying a Premium because of it being a popular sort after model, with the Golf R32 Name, but its an iconic car. so 15k is about right. Ie the Audi version http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=937148481 is basically worthless in comparison, when considering K's etc But they are not nearly as cool looking, so are cheaper, but mechanically basically the same car. Even my old Mk4 Golf GTi is a fun daily driver since remapping ECU etc and doesn't rattle like a Jappa With the NZD dropping recently its unlikely that any fresh import ones coming will be cheaper. I recall a few months back there were quite a few of that model for sale and saw them in the 13k range.

I have purchased parts from Hennie Sadie and he does performance tuning etc, but the easiest way to contact him is on facebook.

Yes, the clutch usually feels very light on these. They are nice cars, but over priced imo. the newer shape is faster overall, (on the top gear test track by 3 seconds). seriously do try a Mk5 DSG model too. I'd suggest getting it checked by Hennie HS Performance & Tuning IF your a facebook user, join the group Volkswagen enthusiasts of New Zealand

These are from their cheaper range, however they review quite well. (Morel Maximo 6) http://www.caraudio.com/forums/subwoofer-speaker-reviews/528899-morel-maximo-6-review.html however the reviewer got them rather cheap. The next model up is the Morel Tempo. My E39 still has its stock audio system, however the factory amp I replaced with an Alpine MRX-F35 (Previously an Infinity i7540 for a while, but had someissues). I use a Parrot BT system. which is the same as http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-parts-accessories/other-accessories/auction-935238571.htm so that I can play via BT and USB etc. It appears there's loads of Speaker adapters on ebay for the E46 to take the 6.5inch speakers.

Today I replaced the front 5.25inch speakers (I had DLS ones) and factory enclosures with a wooden adapter to allow for 6.5inch speakers and obviously some new speakers were installed. I installed some foam around them to stop any rattles, the end result was a massive improvement.

Great choice, i'm glad you didn't settle for a 320i, they are plagued with issues and are really not worth bothering with. The inline 6 engine is so much better.

ohwell, even if it wasn't the intake, it was cracked right? so was probably good to have it replaced anyway.. that is.. under the warranty.. if I had to pay $3500 for nothing i'd be quite upset.

The best bet is the dealership for a car like this, someone that works there owns one too. (guy in the servicing dept) or at least did recently. Next option, Kevin Burt