tonylauno1

People can already tell it's a 525i Motorsport from visuals such as registration, badge & bodykits, don't need another method ie plates to tell people it's a 525i Motorsport. People already know it's a Bimmer don't need a 540E39 (saw on a green one) or RS200Z (Saw on a orange one) or ones for sale on trademe like BMW717 and don't even think about putting your name or initial + year of birth on the plate eg TIMBO or JCP or CHONG or MSMITH or GAYE63 - Have seen all of these before I would certainly get something fun or meaningful that is personal to me or maybe include a message too Just my opinion

All the horror stories people tell of Singapore imports are Mercedes; Mercedes are known for electrical problems no matter where they come from. Mechanics says the wires are too hard, can't be twisted or something along those lines, this is coming from mechanics in Singapore and Malaysia - they have alot of problems with Mercedes however not with BMW or Audi and definitely not Japanese cars. You can't judge a Singapore import base on the high percentage of Mercedes that come from there; it represent Mercedes only, it doesn't represent Singapore imports. Another reason you might want to avoid a Singapore import is there are alot of owners who never service their cars because they know in 5 years time or at the most 10 years time they will get a new car. To them there is no point in spending such a large amout servicing them so a backyard mechanic will do. There are alot of Jap imported BMW which is why I buy them, I will buy cars based on conditions & specs just because there are not enough NZ New BMW to choose from even though knowing that there are lot of Jap parts inside which takes longer to get if BMW NZ happens to run out. I buy BMW for the ride quality, it doesn't matter to me if they use Jap parts; it's still comfortable and handles well. I have seen a few NZ New BMW and they sell at average price so you don't need to pay a premium for NZ New cars infact alot of NZ New or ones that have been in NZ for a couple of years are actually selling less than fresh Jap imports. So if you buy a NZ New, thinking that you can sell it for a premium later on, it's not going to happen; people just go for Jap imports as the condition of the car are generally much better than NZ New. When it comes to Japanese cars the NZ New ones are not as highly spec which is why I always go for Jap imported Japanese cars. As for odometer fraud on BMW, it is nearly impossible as someone told me there are 7 areas where it is recorded and the car will change the way the engine function according to the odometer reading and all of these can be tracked - someone can tell us all how true this is.

Great, Thanks for the information.

Thanks for the advise Hybrid.

What I meant to say was driving on the highway for 90mins was fine then I went out again 30mins after I got home. 3km later of city driving the car overheated, the only warning I had was "check coolant temperate" - by this time it was too late. No noise, nothing unusual. An old waterpump which has had it will leak, I thought if the propeller broke on a good waterpump it wouldn't leak. The car is a 97 with 125,000km - I have changed the fan belt and tensioner a year ago. So you change the entire cooling system on your e36, how much did that set you back?

No leaks what so ever, just some coming from the reservoir when it over-heated and water level is just right too. It is steam coming from the bonnet not smoke; wrong word, my bad.

Driving on the highway for 90mins; got home switch the car off for 30mins before going out again. 3kms later in the city, white smoke was blowing from under the hood. Car had overheated. Managed to tow the car back home myself, hope my mechanic is working on 31st Dec. Now I am thinking it could be those plastic propeller on the waterpump or the thermostat has broken which both looks like it's quite difficult to access. There are some people who says this is just the beginning of a series of trouble which I would encountered if the cooling system is not overhaul? - What are your thoughts and experience? Thanks again to everyone who has replied to my various topics and to the people who have created bimmersport.co.nz & keeped it alive.

Track not good enough, had to modify sticker to own preference! ha - I would go one step further and say put it on the car which you took to the track.

Sounds like mechanical insurance is definitely needed. Thanks hybrid, sorry to hear about your NZD6000 gearbox. ouch! It sound just like what these guys are describing at noreverse.org

Thanks guys. Anyone interested just make me an offer.

What offset are yours 18x8.5 deepdish?

I have seen some e46 with deep dish alloys. Since e46 requires a high offset (38-42mm) how is that possible without using a medium offset (20mm) like a set of e39 alloys? If the alloys were to stick out a further 20mm compared to factory wheels, it doesn't look like it will rub against the wheel arc. Are there any other potential problems when going for the deep-dish look?

What! Is that all they're worth, even with good tyres on it? Bummer

Since I don't even have plans for M-Sport suspension, let alone a 70/80mm ride I guess I will be okay. If the auto is a problem for 323's then it would be the same throughout or does different models use transmission from different manufacturers? It's a shame that GM makes so many parts for so many different manufacture. I hope these mechanical warranty will cover suspension bushing. Soon I will need two trailing arm bushing at $390 each.

4 BMW factory 16" alloys + tyre for sale. Very very good condition 5x120 16x7J Offset 20 Hankook Ventus HRII 5mm tread at rear 6mm tread at front 225/55/R16 -Lifetime warranty on puncture -Bought Sept 2006 receipt still available -Have done 18,000km so at 5/6mm tread, it still has plenty of life. 2 alloys has the BMW badge fall off but they can be purchased from Jerry Clayton I think at $13, if I remember correctly. All of this for $800. Advertised on Trademe for $839

Hi Everyone, E46 & E36 Suspension A search on the Internet forums reveal that a whole bunch of people are having problems with the rear subframe tearing away from the chassis. Just go to any search engine and type "E46 rear subframe" E46 Transmission There is also a website dedicated to E46 having no reverse gear http://www.noreverse.org/ and a mechanic I spoke to say that he has come across a few E46 where the driveline was not align or something along those lines. E36 Transmission There has been a few people who have had their transmission reconditioned. What is the story with E36 transmission? My brother is thinking of getting one. Has anyone in NZL ever experience any of this? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I decided to include transmission to this thread as there were no appropriate forum and it would be easier to discuss them together. Let me know if there is a better alternative and I will repost. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's one of these metal plate which comes with an attachment to slide into the back of the TV. I have seen the same thing on a few fresh imports from Japan, I guess they are standard equipment all Japanese use for their navigation. Maybe talk to a car dealer and hope they will give them to you for free when it's removed from their cars. The car dealer never removed it on my vehicle after they imported into NZL.

It tells me what engine it is but it does not give you which variant it is ie B28, B25, TUB28, TUB25 etc This is all it has. Don't they stamp it somewhere on the engine or on a plate? P E46 Cou 328Ci M52 ECE 19991100 R N Production Code: BM52, batch ID: 47618

From what I have read, it should be M52TUB28 (Steel cylinder lining + double vanos) as it is a 2000 however I could not find anything under the hood to confirm which engine it is. Already have about $1000 planned on rear bushing in the next 12 months and yeah, I was afraid that a major issue would consume it all. I had a Inspire CC2 and yes, it is relatively problem free and if the previous owner had taken good care of it then it should still idle & shift smoothly even at 250,000km

As the previous member mentioned BMW dealers will sell upgrade M-Sport kit to lower the car, wheels, brakes, body-kit so it is just like the actual M-Sport (if all the kits were ordered then it does become a genuine M-Sport) or some owners will actually get these upgraded M-Sport kit and some will mimic the look with new wheels and suspensions etc. One of the things that most people do not change is the window trim (the silver chrome around the windows) actual M-Sport vehicles have black/shadowline chrome not silver. This is the easiest/quickest way to spot a mimicked M-Sport however the only fool proof way to tell if it is an M-Sport will be the VIN as another member suggested. Now if it is not a genuine M-Sport then it might not have 1) High-stall torque converter - make the engine spin faster and use more gas 2) Performance rear axle ratio - car is always in lower gear, higher rpm and more torque 3) Anti-sway bars might still be the same if people only change springs & shocks All of these information comes from www.kenrockwell.com who is a photographic equipment reviewer and it just so happens this engineer loves his cars too. Just a gentle reminder that M-Sport will always use more gas compared to standard ones

Apart from oil change, the Honda cost me next to nothing to maintain in 5 years but I have set aside $1000 each year for the BMW and it just accumulates if it doesn't get used. I reckon I will need it in 5 years time as you cannot ignore maintainance like you can on a Jap car, they are so forgiving. You are correct it is not as bad as people make it out to be, especially ones who does not own one and it's all hear, say, rumours. Some dedicate their lives to persuade others out of owning a European car even though they do not have any facts. I get annoyed at people who have owned a BMW and 10,000k later at 80,000k they need to fix something which cost $2000, then they curse at BMW and seriously believe they are a bad manufacturer and swear to never own one again. If they did their homework they would have been better prepared for it; I think the problem is people don't expect to fork out more money when they have just spent alot more than average for a European car. Some reason these ill-informed people expect a European car to be a better quality car (which it is) and that it must also to be more reliable

Thank you everyone for the welcome greetings and your comments. I don't have any plans to modified the car right now (need the extra discretionary cash in order to have plans) - no more lowering; been there and done it with Hondas, too much money involved especially when wanting correct cambers and it places unnecessary stress on suspension components and it might affect the ride of the car in a negative way. I might do the following in the near future 1) clear indicator lights, not altezza look-a-likes would be a good start however I am sort of over these minor details. 2) tinted windows as the sun "bites" my right hand while driving long distances 3) could do with some mags, keeping it same size at 17inch 4) reclad front leather seats and carpets (need dark color carpets) 5) Multi-function steering wheel (This would probably be first on the list) 6) when I drive the car enough { in a few year time } and know what it is capable of and it's limits I might add a front & rear strut brace to see if it makes any difference 7) find out if a M3 air-intake would fit and find out how much hp it will add then might decide to get one. 8) could do the same with a M3 manifold if it fits and makes a difference.

People experiences on the same tyre are different because they are probably comparing their old tyre which is different. Other factors to considered are tyre pressure, alot of shops I went to pump them up to 46psi which is way too hard and the tyre doesn't sit flat on the road that might explain lack of grip - (I had one set on 46psi and the middle tread worn down very quickly). When it's wet was it could have just started raining which is more slippery than when it is actually soaking wet. I have had Nankang NS1, Brigdestone Grid3, Dunlop Direzza, Achilles ATR Sport and Grip is exceptional on all 4 tyres (wet & dry). Nankang creates alot of noise and grip is not as good as others however at half the price and performance which is close to Direzza and Grid3, it is exceptional value. Direzza give me more confidence and I can go around this particular corner outside my house 10km faster compared to Nankang. They are quiter, more refine and absorb bumps much better than others. Grid3 to me seem like there is more traction when accelerating from standstill in the wet and noisier compare to Direzza. Achilles ATR Sport are new to me this tyre has not been on the same car as the other 3 tyres however the grip in the wet are exceptional, very happy with the performance. I will try Direzza when these wear down as I reckon it would give a more comfortable ride. When I am short of money I would definitely go for Achilles again as they are around the same price as Nankang $130 compared to $200 for Direzza. There is maybe a $20 price difference between Direzza and other high performance tyres such as Falken, Toyo, Bridgestone etc from personal experience and the hype and the number of people saying how great they are, I would always go for Direzza. Have been trying to find a good tyre for E39 528i 225/55/R16 and there are not alot of choices and ones available are more like passenger tyres, and they are more expensive that 17" performance tyres. Time to get new mags, so if anyone has 17" mags to fit e39 then let me know.

12DD - E39 540i Silver... Saw it in Pakuranga - someone tells me he knows who the driver is and the plate is not in reference to his partners bra size. C IT BIG - E53 X5 4.4i Silver... Saw it in Mission Bay- Is it about the size of his Remeura tractor? ONE AIM - E46 328ci Dark Blue... Saw it in Greenlane. On the top it had the word "THE CHALLENGE....." and the bottom it had "TO BRING A DREAM TO LIVE" 540E39 - E39 540i Dark Green... Saw it in Onehunga and the car was jam packed with 4 people inside

I was thinking of the same thing, why didn't I get a BMW earlier! Love those wheels and overall presentation of the car is excellent. It looks like you might even have Xenons which is rare when shopping for these cars in the 2nd hand market. I might need to get tints on my cars when I can be bothered or when the sun pisses me off on the motorway. How much did you pay for it and how many kms has it done? If you don't mind sharing