elmarco

Also do they supply some kind of a flash back valve? imagine the bang if it went off.

Yes, it does go off with a bang! Did exactly this in 6th form chemistry (many years back...) with the tube into dishwashing liquid. We were lighting the bubbles for some fun, until we forgot to remove the tube. The bang was heard all over the school and glass from the flask was embedded in the walls....

Isn't ozone carcinogenic??

Glad you guys had a good time, and that Vector's notorious sound system didn't play up.

I don't know what is going on at Vector - the Foo sounded awesome. Linkin Park also sounded good, and yet the Smashing Pumpkins sounded like the pain you feel after slamming your nads in a fridge door (don't try this at home)... Utter crap. I also heard that the Chilli Peppers were really off sound when they were here.

Maybe it has more to do with the roadies and their sound desk than the arena itself??

All adds to the polished performance that the Foo give every time I have seen them I guess. That was the last concert on the tour - they must have been absolutely buggered and still blew us out of the water. Respect.

Easy isn't it?

Is the stereo properly in Europe mode?

Make sure it is not in USA mode...

You bet - I set it to Oceania mode before installing the trim and finishing up.

Rock on!

I went to Monday's show.

I have seen most of the major rock acts that have played here in the last 15 years, and the Foo Fighters was by far the best.

I have absolutely no negative comments on it at all, I think that if you wanted to plan the perfect concert than this should be the benchmark.

Cheers

Grant

I agree - the only other concert I have enjoyed as much was the last Foo Fighters concert in the Supertop..... Dave Grohl was 15/10 that night - talented bastard!!

Remember there is no 'Ctrl' button on Chuck Norris's computer. Chuck Norris is always in control.

http://www.chucknorrisfacts.com/

Who's the man? Why Dave Grohl's the man....

Count for the night:

• · 4 beers
• · 1 whisky (or was that 4 whisky’s and 1 beer?)
• · 3 crowd surfers spotted
• · 1 ambulance removal (no idea why)
• · 1 busted guitar string
• · 1 totally demolished guitar
• · 1 nearly busted ankle (Dave Grohl)
• · 2 stages (both ends of the arena)
• · 2 ½ hours of solid rock and roll
• · 1 voice lost
• · 1 male stripper on stage wearing nothing but a smile (technically it was a thong, but a smile sounds better)

On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being David Hasselhoff, 10 being Dave Grohl) the Foo Foghters get a solid 9.75 (0.25 points off for going so hard the night before that Dave Grohl's voice was nearly gone at the end). Still can't get over how he always looks like he is loving every second of it - unlike some other big name bands that I've seen recently...

Anyone else think it was a kick ass show?

Elmarco,

just had a check on a website for how to change the radio.

Pretty simple. Take the dash lining out of the passenger side, using a screwdriver with tape over the blade to avoid scratching the panel.

Then remove the panel around the stereo.

Then remove the two bolts/ screws holding the radio in place. Pull out old radio and plug in new one and put everything back together (the panels just snap back into place).

Easy enough.

Victory!!

Easy enough is right - took me 15 minutes (being careful).

The fascia panels are not plastic as I thought - they have a die cast aluminium backing making them pretty rigid and simple to get out. The pins are friction only by the look of it and are quite long. Just be sure to protect the soft dash components with something while you are levering it off. No damage to mine, but I can see how easy it would be.....

The main connector needs to be lifted to disengage the pins fully and the cable assembly will fall away when properly disengaged.

Stereo works great (radio, CD, and stacker) and I am one happy camper!

This has been posted before, someone should try this out at the Aucks dyno meet

Didn't know it was a repeat.

Be interesting to see, although not on my car... One bit of crap in there and it goes straight into the engine!!

Look at the search history. Selling prices vary from around $75 to $500 depending on model and source.

Reverse RDS = noone wants them (in NZ or Germany!) They make a good choice for a car dealer or if you are selling your E46 and want a working radio in the hole.

Business RDS Cassette = good cheap choice if an existing CD changer is fitted in the boot

Business RDS CD = good choice for yourself if you have no CD changer and don't play tapes

Professional RDS = best choice if you want the best of the best and are prepared to treat yourself to the highest-performing radio that BMW offered at the time.

My current one is a Business cassette (NZ frequency), so I guess it is worth firing onto trademe once the new one is installed. Not sure if there is money to be made importing them off ebay though!

I would have introduced Mr Band Expander to Senor 20lb Sledge, but I guess the rear wheel treatment would also give that feeling of satisfaction! Sounds like you have done this before Jochen?

Yeah - you do learn something new every day Yuen!

Thanks Jochen - glad we have access to someone like you who knows this stuff backwards (even if you are half a world away). I guess the twin tuner is a bit of a waste in NZ - we are only just getting RDS let alone active traffic management...

Had a look at the WDS site - love the section for special use vehicles - official use vehicle - gun mount (non camouflaged). Where do I get me one of them??? Thats what I call active traffic management!!!

How the hell did we ever get by without the internet?

Criminally negligent is a bit harsh I think (semmantics maybe?), and the OEM BMW pricing of parts may have something to do with the decision to take short cuts. But I do think it is unprofessional of an auto electrician to do that and wouldn't do that myself unless it was a temporary measure. If you buy a top end car, I guess you have to be prepared to accept higher maintenance bills.

Slightly off topic - a few years back I test drove a VR6 golf which locked brakes when I really hit them. The ABS light came on, and then went off again as normal after restarting the engine. To me, that is a fault as the ABS isn't doing its job even though the system is restarting normally and the light is going out implying that all is fine. Ended up walking away from that one, but shows that you can't be too careful when buying second hand.

Really? From my experience, white and amber bulbs are the same, ie: you can use amber bulbs in amber lenses or white bulbs with white lenses. The sockets should be the same for either, all that matters is the positions of the pins and voltage/wattage. This was with the E36 but I would have thought it's the same.

The idea of the pins offset is so you can't do exactly that - put a white bulb in a clear lens indicator, or an amber bulb in reverse etc. There is a radial offset (as well as a vertical one on the P21/5W) - I forget all of the actual IEC codings but BAU15 is for a PY21W (amber bulb).

Some bulb sockets will accept both although it is frowned on - the ECE lighting rules are very tough on indicator colour and failsafe design is required. The silverlight bulbs are amber bulbs with a silver coating on the outside - so they use the same base as the PY21W.

The specific difference between pins on the amber and white bulbs should be about 3mm radially (ie: one pin is 3mm further around on the amber bulb than the white). The attachment shows the difference between the white and amber bulbs. Course, the bulb sockets are normally only nylon so if you force it hard enough, it will go in....

Some manufacturers (like the one I used to work for in Europe) actually code the bulb socket so you can't put the wrong socket into the wrong counterpart in the lamp housing (ie: you can't mix reverse and stop/tail or indicator).... Admittedly, they don't all do that, and some aftermarket lamp manufacturers are a little less perdantic about it. And, I suspect there are some less than certified bulbs around where an amber bulb uses a white bulb base as well.

I guess the guts is that in theory (in the OEM world) they should be different and designed failsafe, but with the amount of aftermarket parts available there will be cases where they are the same....

bulb_codings.pdf

Were the pins on the bulbs set at a quarter to 3, or at 10 to 2, as ive yried both of these outlets for my E36 but they only do the 10 to 2 type which will not fit as the other sort are required for the E36.

That will be the different coding they use to make sure the wrong bulb can't be used in the wrong socket (eg: an amber bulb in the reverse, or a twin filament in the indicator etc). This will also depend on the original specification for the car - if it had amber lenses, then a white bulb will be required for the OEM bulbsocket (and the amber bulb won't fit).

The amber bulb is a PY21W, and I know Philips supply them (not sure about Osram). I think the Philips version with the silver coating is called Silvervision. You could also try Hella, or an auto electrician - or have a quick trawl through the web.

Each to there own.

But tell me... if you had an accident and the passengers airbag & pre-tensioner didn't activate and your G/F or wife got seriously injured due to the fact of this....who would you hold responsible ???

Personaly and from a business liability possition... I would never do such a thing.

Something to think about ???

Well put Glenn - there are too many idiots out there on the roads to take any chance with safety systems. A few years ago (when I was 10 ft tall and bulletproof) I wouldn't have worried about ABS or Air Bags, but wouldn't touch anything without them today.

What about the person that ends up with the car next and thinks everything is ship shape with the air bags?....

I guess it is like buying a motorcycle helmet. You can find one for $50, or $1500. How much value do you place on your head?

Hi All,

just wondering if anyone knows the replacement size for wipers on the E46, and whether the drivers and passengers are the same size.

My wipers are a bit juddery right now so want to replace them.

Had a look on the back of the packets in REPCO and couldn't find any for the E46.

If you know the sizing please post a reply.

Thanks

I had to replace mine last weekend. The blades themselves had lost all tension and were really noisy - not to mention the knackered refills. $130 for new genuine BMW blades and refills (RH $80+GST, LH $32+GST) from Team McMillan in Auckland. Kind of pricey, but they are so quiet and I can see in the rain again.

If you just need refills, you should be able to grab a sample at Repco or Autostop to check the width and length against the car (they have always allowed me to do this). And as Glenn says - try to use good quality ones like Bosch. Nothing worse that not being able to see in the wet...

Sounds like you and I have got sister cars.....

And remember the E46 radio comes in 3 x types:

Reverse RDS. radio/tape, no CD changer control, 12-watt amplifier. Single tuner design.

Business RDS; radio/tape or radio/CD, with CD changer control. Tape has 12-watt amp, CD has 25-watt hgh-power amp. Single tuner design.

Professional RDS: CD, CD changer control, twin tuner design, high-power amp. The very best model.

Actually, what do you mean by single or twin tuner design? I thought they only used one tuner per radio... One for AM, one for FM maybe??

Just curious.....

Yes, there definitely is a market in NZ. I know the situation well.

No after-market stereo can match the BMW OEM stereo, as ONLY the BMW stereo can control the original BMW antenna amplifier and diversity switch.

The E46 has 2 or 3 FM antennas (depending on E46 model) and the stereo decides which antenna to use and tells the antenna switch to change antennas. No aftermarket stereo has this ability.

So add an after market stereo and the antenna switch stays on one antenna, and FM performance will reduce dramatically, which really shows up if you live in out-country areas where FM signal strength is low.

Plus the original BMW stereo offers:

1. perfect integration with colour, design, and ease-of-use

2. Speed dependent volume

3. RDS

4. Steering wheel controls

5. Telephone integration with BMW telephone

6. Control of the original BMW CD changer in the boot

Not all aftermarket stereos can offer these functions

And the original BMW stereo is a high-quality Blaupunkt or Alpine unit (depending on model). The construction and components used are very very good. I'm a radio tech and have worked around car stereos for over 20 years, so I can recognise cheap crap and good quality easily.

I always recommend fitting the original BMW unit.

As for replacing the radio, you only need to remove the trim around the radio. I use a plastic bicycle tyre lever. Lever the trim up evenly across the length of the trim, otherwise the pegs may break off.

Then the radio can be removed by undoing 2 x screws.

The security ocde function in these radios is automatic; no code entry or programming required in an E46. Just plug it in and it works. Put the radio in a non-BMW and it won't work :-)

Remember, if the car has a band expander and you are fitting a NZ-band BMW radio: make sure you remove the band expander and repair any damaged wiring before the new radio goes it.

Remember also: the OG radios are market dependent: Europe, USA, Japan and Oceania. ONLY the Europe and Oceania radios work in NZ. So when buying a non-programmable OG radio, you MUST get a European or Oceanian model. I always got the European radios from Germany or the UK, because they had RDS and the Oceania models didn't.

With NG radios, you can change the AREA setting to Europe, and thus purchase of a NG radio from the USA is OK. Luckily, NG and OG radios are immediately distinguishable just by looking at the front panel.

Enjoy your forray into swapping out Japan BMW radios for European models :-)

This is why I got the beamer in the first place - I appreciate the engineering that goes into them! I had no idea that they had more than one antenna - but I am not at all surprised. Guess that's one reason why I can't live with loads of flashing lights on aftermarket stereos. It just seems so tacky and un-BMW like.

Having worked in the automotive electronics industry, I can tell you that the same thought does not go into Detroit or some of the Japanese iron... Sad really as they all use the same suppliers.

Any idea what an OEM spec radio should sell for on trademe Jochen?

Check this out - a leaf blower used for a dyno run. Nuts!!

http://videos.streetfire.net/video/Leaf-Bl...o-pull_7514.htm

Want to earn more and have a stress free life? Call Oceana gold in Otago, they will give you $40 per hour to drive a truck above ground, plus overtime. Want even more, get a job at any mine in Australia.

I saw a job driving a bitumen truck in Western Australia in the Herald not so long ago. $115k AUD salary + benefits.... And that wasn't even in the mines!

Does make me wonder why I tolerate some of the crap at work!!

And just think about the front line police out there (Counties-Manukau especially) - they get paid around the $50k mark for long shifts and get to deal with the scum of society every night! With the distinct possibility of being knifed or beaten up and public flagellation when some bleeding heart liberal takes offence to them doing their job.

And no, I am not a police orifacer.

Elmarco,

just had a check on a website for how to change the radio.

Pretty simple. Take the dash lining out of the passenger side, using a screwdriver with tape over the blade to avoid scratching the panel.

Then remove the panel around the stereo.

Then remove the two bolts/ screws holding the radio in place. Pull out old radio and plug in new one and put everything back together (the panels just snap back into place).

Easy enough.

Yeah - I can't stand the butchered look when you try and put something non-standard in the dash. The black plastic filler really does look crap. And it really bugs me when there are loads of flashing lights and graphic equalizer bars etc. Maybe I'm getting old....

Std BMW stereos are not bad, and my current one actually sounds pretty good. It will never be perfect, but then again, I'll probably never know the difference.

I did see the installation methodology on the site. Looks simple enough.... Let me know how you get on!!

Yes welcome.

Love to see the photos - I too have a 330ci. Gotta love that M54!!

Looks like exactly what I was after as well.

Just signed upto ebay and bought one.

Don't worry elmarco - he has three units (of the same type) for sale so I haven't stolen it off you.

Ha - so did I!! They look to be in plentiful supply over there!!

Did you get it from germanaudiotech? I thought $150 USD was a pretty damn good price. Freight is normally the killer, but $45 USD is OK.

Wonder if there is a market for them here?? How much do NZ frequency radios go for on trademe??

That radio on ebay is a NG (twin-display) radio with OG connections - one of the few available that were made during the transitional period whilst they changed to NG radios.

It is exactly the right type for a 2000 E46

Thanks Jochen.

I was a little confused with it having the split screen and RDS (making it NG), but the old type pins in the back.

Cheers,

elmarco

Does anyone know if BMW part number 6512 6 909 882 is a NG world mode stereo? Would this require a harness and antenna amplifier change if I was to fit it into a 2000 model E46 (OG stereo I believe)?

//cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180236303612&fromMakeTrack=true

Cheers

elmarco

Have I understood correctly in that I could get a NG stereo from anywhere (eg: the US off ebay like http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-Busines...QQcmdZViewItem) and it will work in NZ but will need a wiring harness and antenna amp for my OG E46?

Are the wiring harness and antenna amp easy to come by? And do all the NG radios work with the multi function steering wheel and std 6 disc changer?

One last thing, do the factory radios ask for a code when you install them??

my e28 past 300,000km a long time ago (about 9-10 years ago).

up to 499,500km now .

Yeah - you are really getting your moneys worth!!!

I've seen plenty of Mercedes taxis in Germany over 600,000km, but not a privately owned one before. Great work!!