E30 325i Rag-Top

Yes, agree, that doesn’t sound right at all. Our 116d (pretty much same engine) is completely different when cranking. Yours doesn’t sound like it is turning fast enough to catch and fire. I would think that is your issue, and not the glow plugs.

Are you still in Hamilton? Is there any backlash between the crown and pinion..? Can you get a photo of the inside..?

Did the E70 come with a DPF..? It might have in some markets, EU maybe hence the AdBlue which wasn’t required for NZs lax emission rules. All the more reason why people should not be allowed to muck about with emission control systems on cars. Really pisses me off, glad to see they are starting to pick up on this kind of dumbf**kery at WoF time now.

Probably to find a way around CGA by selling “privately” through TradeMe rather than off the yard. Pretty sketchy, and I think that approach has been tested in the tribunal before.

I know plenty of i3 drivers that have only used the 3-pin plug charger to keep the car topped-up. Can easy cope with the daily commute, you probably could miss a day and still re-charge to full overnight. Obviously take a bit longer for the 180km trip but should still be ok. 15A circuit will be great, just make sure the charger is in plenty of air / not in direct sunlight when doing the bigger charge as it has a thermal overload trip in it.

That level of black soot is more likely to be poor running, worn turbo, clogged injectors, overdue oil changes, etc. Possibly jammed up EGR valve. My understanding is that the AdBlue system is to reduce levels of the NOx emissions, which are much smaller / finer particles than the soot, by a chemical reaction. So no AdBlue shouldn’t mean more soot, unless it’s not been done properly and now it’s not running right..

Unless it’s a race car with history, originality is key to the value of an E30 M3, and the RHD conversion is a big minus in terms of collectibility. The lack of originality with the conversion is compounded by the technical issues that balancerider mentioned above, with steering and engine performance plus weight balance all affected. As this was a USA spec car (no dogleg box another minus) the bumpers have been nodded or swapped plus lots of other changes. This guy has already pulled his ad from E30 Classifieds NZ because everyone was telling him he’s dreaming at $125k!

I always find the horsey types the worst on the road, either pulling a horse float or a horse truck. Never pull over, and often have a massive queue behind them. When there’s been a big horse event on they end up driving in convoys together oblivious to everyone else that wants to get home. I understand horses are not cheap, but if you’re worried about moving your fragile asset on the road then stay at home with it!

CAUTION: Next pic contains nudity!!

#lovethebiggrilles

The workshops’ main functions were for training of technicians and service staff, plus the preparation and maintenance of the head office fleet of vehicles. Thanks There was also a bit of “homework” done after hours, but H&S put a stop to that.. The circle car park with the blue and white fountain was a great feature, displaying the vehicles wonderfully. Not sure about the naming rights sorry, but will find out soon enough. Have heard lots about the coffee, but being a Pom I prefer a cup of tea and am too tight to pay when there’s a perfectly good coffee machine 💰!!

After a number of decades for the company, and over a single decade for me personally, today is the last day for BMW Group NZ operating out of the “BMW building” in Pacific Rise, Mount Wellington. From next week BMW NZ HQ will be out of smart new offices in the Mercury Building in Newmarket. Mixed feelings moving out of such an iconic building, synonymous with BMW, but onwards and upwards into the next phase.

When it’s the 8-speed auto-magic in a road car (even a weekend fun drive car) then no problem. And, whilst beauty is always in the eye of the beer-holder, the E87 isn’t exactly a timeless looker is it.?

You would find yourself very surprised if you were selling LWB 7 Series in NZ then (Jacinda’s Povo spec taxi fleet aside).

If you had all the parts already just laying around then it could be worthwhile. Especially if you want something different, or “built not bought” as the homies say. Otherwise you’d just buy an F20 M135i wouldn’t you..? Better chassis, better engine, easy to tune or modify…

I think you are referring to the Adaptive Lights if it is swivelling and moving the lit area, much more advanced than high-beam assist which is just auto dipping of high beam. With hi-beam assist it works pretty quickly 9 times out of 10, with the 10th time being cars coming from around a corner or bend in the road then it takes time to react. This can result in being flashed. Never had a problem with the Adaptive Lights - either following someone else or on-coming vehicles. Are your lights Xenon’s or LEDs or even Laserlights? Had a lot of people flash me when in an X3/X5/X7 with LEDs on low beam, as they are WAAAY brighter than most other lights and high up. I just flash them back to show that I was not on high beam…

sh*t, yeah, no idea what that video is supposed to be all about, very cringeworthy. Unfortunately, the proper “Motorsport” department is now only a small part of the overall M division. However, if things like that sell more M cars and keep the Motorsport side funded then I’ll take it as a necessary evil. In terms of those weights, was that what you saw from putting yours over some scales?

How much lighter was the E46 version than the standard M3..? 110kg seems to be the quoted figure. So that extra 10kg difference makes it a “L” ..? Ok, I look forward to the final kerb weights being confirmed.

Aren’t there two big cables under the Cook Straight already? I’m not saying send the power from Tiwai to Auckland, but it’s a supply grid, use that capacity for SI and then any spare can move north until it gets to Auckland (simplistic and very non-scientific explanation, sorry). Yes, they arrive home after 5pm but most chargers have a timer function for when you want it to start and stop so you can choose low rate periods. Agree, home charging doesn’t work for everyone (here’s a tip don’t use an extension lead!!) that is where workplaces or possibly public chargers enter the equation. It is worth pointing out that not EVERY EV needs to be charged EVERY night. Traffic stats show very few people travel more than 100kms in a day. With 600km range that’s a charge once a week. Yes, there are new factors to be considered and some clever solutions to be found, but I’m afraid it is not a joke it is very real and it’s already happening. There have been over 5,500 NEW electric vehicles put on the roads in NZ this year already. Not including all the used Japanese import Leafs (Leaves?) coming in.

Rules on RUCs on EVs have been in place for a long time. EVs are subject to RUC, there has been an “exemption” in place for a number of years and was until either a set date or the total number of EVs on the road reached a certain percentage. The end date has been moved out a couple of times but it has now been stated it won’t move again, iirc it’s some time in 2023. Cost of electricity + RUC will still be way cheaper per km than petrol or diesel. As for the supply grid, a lot rests on the closure of the smelting plant down south freeing up a lot of capacity. With the vast majority of charging done at home the flexibility is there to use “off-peak” periods.

In the case of the CSL it’s the safety stuff that still weighs in, most of the luxury is gone - manual front seats, no rear seat, very few Driving Assistance features. The best direct comparison the “cooking” M4 Comp RWD and the CSL is about 100kgs lighter. Which should be noticeable, same as having a reasonably large passenger jump in/out.

There’s been a real bad harvest in Brazil I believe, which has pushed the price of beans through the roof as Qube mentioned above. Luckily I’m a Pom and drink tea mostly and whether it’s batch roasted barista or home made Nespresso tastes much the same to me 😳. If it were the price of batch brewed Hazy IPAs going up, then I would be in a whole world of hurt..

Box of goodies arrived from Vink Motorsport for the race car, so that is nice. Also came with the added extras of a bit more enthusiasm and determination to crack on and get it finished.

That may be the case for yourself, and a few others on Bimmersport. However, in terms of the BMW buying public then it’s a very different story, order bank is out into next year and growing. Most of the orders I have seen are trading a fairly new BMW so they are BMW owners as well. The “BMW owner” group in NZ is vast and wide, Bimmersport, Simply BMW NZ, E30 club, BMWCC all cater for various sub-sets but there are still lots out there that are outside of these communities.

Most customers are aware of the situation, but there are some really entitled twats out there as well. “You want to know exactly when it will arrive Sir? Certainly, I’ll just phone the people in Ukraine that we are waiting on and see if they can hurry it along”