jom

2 hours ago, Eagle said:

One data point. No reputable business in the trade etc would fit one for reasons above.

On the other hand, if you need a working one to test whether yours is faulty, fifteen bucks on a wild goose chase is cheaper than $130. If it was at fault, the Chinese one should last until you buy an OEM one.

(Why does this bring to mind the Python sketch "if you feel bad about eating her you can throw up in the grave???)

17 hours ago, Eagle said:

You can the OE VDO crank sensor from Spareto for $133 shipped via DHL. Putting a $15 aliexpress special sounds stupid given you can't trust it and the time\effort involved to swap it.

mine has lasted 10 years...

3 hours ago, GrandClam said:

ah yes the crank sensor was the other thing that showed up on google.

$15 is certainly a lot more reasonable for a sensor than 200.

thanks for the advice i will probably give this a go

I assume by aliex you mean ali express?

Absolutely. Mine has been working for the past 12 years...

I had this problem years ago and I think it was the crank sensor, the insulation rots off the wires or something. If you're going to try it - don't go for OEM - Aliex have them for $15 or so.  if you're worried about longevity buy 3, you'll still save heaps of money.

Thanks for all the answers. I hadn't realised how bad EBC pads are!

I will go with Vertex discs, Hawk HP+ pads and race Dot 4 fluid.

Is there a NZ stockist of Hawk pads that does more than Japanese performance cars?

I know that this has been discussed to death, but with OEM discs and BMW pads I got fading and brake judder after 4 laps of Manfield. I use the car mostly on the road but with the occasional track day, and I don't want to have to replace the rotors  every time I go on the track. The braking is really good, just not for long...

Don't really want to go down the E46 330i route, I was thinking of slotted discs and EBC yellow pads. Anyone had experience with these?

BTW its a 328 coupe...😁

Jo

1 hour ago, Jacko said:

Agreed, had the same and I had to threaten them with court action as a teenager they backed off and paid up, but now Im black listed by state, no loss  

 

Ill call AA Monday and get some quotes and agreed values sorted. 

If you're low mileage AA do classic car insurance. It's a lot cheaper...

6 minutes ago, Choo said:

Would anyone happen to know how much it costs to fix the condensation issue on headlights & rear lights? Just wanted to get an indication before I walk into a mechanic's shop. What I've read online makes this seem too complicated for me 😛 

Well, on a Corolla I cleared the spiders webs out of the drain tubes and sprayed them with flykiller....

IIRC, the 4-6 cyl conversion is just a plug in module on the back of the cluster

11 hours ago, NZ00Z3 said:

I've played with the scanner and looked at the E36 section.  Right at the beginning, it asks you if your car is made before or after 03/98.  After and it's OBD2.  Before and its OBD1/ADS.  This section lists the cars and all the normal ABS, etc OBD 1/ADS modules.

My E36 is 11/97 and it's OBD2. I have seen an early 328 that's OBD1, but that's pretty unusual.

20 minutes ago, Kees said:

On the topic of the police, I just got pulled over randomly and out of the blue about 20 minutes ago. 

Was not speeding so was curious as to why they had stopped me. 

Two officers got out, one went to the passenger side of my car, the other to the driver's side. I got asked for my license (as per usual), and I gave it to them. It was then photographed and handed back to me. (didn't seem to have been put through any system check etc)

Just seemed a bit suss... Anyone else had this happen? 

Yes, but in Belgium where they have guns. We had a  loose rear  jack stand on a trailer that was trailing on the road and sparking. Porsche 911 Targa, they moved up both sides of the Transit tow vehicle and banged on both doors at the same time. We would have been scared if we hadn't just had an awful channel crossing. They got us out of the van, motioned us to follow them and pointed out the loose jack. Big deal, but they weren't being friendly...

Went on to lose 2 out of 4 trailer tyres on that trip and hoon down the Eifel mountains in the fog. Only scary when we drove back up in daylight...

The current system uses infra-red. Who's going to bother to hack that?

The shock shop in Porirua have been good in the past.

The Jatco box is also used in a Nissan, with a different sump. I would be very surprised if BMW removed/used cheaper components in the JDM E36. (The E46 may be different - the same parts as used in the E36 seem to fail earlier?) . 250,000km and 24 years later my JDM E36 still runs sweet.

However - as Andy said, that doesn't necessarily apply to all manufacturers, but I suspect it may be with locally assembled (and part sourced) CKD kits. I worked at the "university on the hill" and things like carpets, wiring looms, ehausts were locally sourced. There were also bits left out - possibly for spec changes (e.g. no rear wiper) but some other bits were deleted to make assembly easier. I'll leave it at that....

I have type 2 - have to manage it but my doctor caught it early. Too much stress at work plus cakes every week (failing project needing support) did it for me. I'm now classed as pre-diabetic, and retiring has really made a difference. Keep on going!

The calcium battery is a lead/acid battery with calcium added to the plates. In my view it's not suitable for older cars that weren't designed for it, it needs a higher charging voltage and for the vehicle to be used regularly. Check the label, google the part number.

Is it a calcium battery? If it is a standard charger won't touch it. If its fully discharged you'll need a calcium specific charger to kick it into life.

21 hours ago, wrs said:

I wants it... Loss of traction at 100k's, cool!!

A long long time ago I rebuilt a 69 Camaro SS with a "mildly modified" 454. Thought that we had clutch slip at 100mph. Then we saw two trails of smoke out the back....

I have 245/40/17 PS4s on the back on M3 Staggers, no problem. (standard Motorsport springs)

4 hours ago, gjm said:

Trying to deal with a solicitors in the UK about a Trust for my brother. The original practice that set this up was great, but two principals died and the work was passed on, nd passed on... And we weren't told.

The latest firm have racked up a £1000 bill which they have sent us, accrued through their efforts 'to contact you [me]' so I can give them instructions. F%^&*g thieving b@st@rds.

Try suggesting that you will contact the legal ombudsman in the UK....

Especially a plain unmarked green van parked in the shadow of an overhanging tree, or just over the brow of a hill... SH1 Himitangi to Sanson (actually I think the VW Iltis that's usually around is blue)

14 hours ago, jon dee said:

 the vehicles electrical system must be  specifically designed to work with a factory installed calcium or silver battery.... if its not, then they don't work  

So as my vehicles are not specifically designed for Calcium batteries, does this mean they are not "fit for purpose"?  The CGA beckons....

42 minutes ago, Olaf said:

AA Batteries these days are rubbish, even maintained with a modern seven-stage calcium/AGM capable charger. I now buy KOBA, good quality for the money.
 @jom if you're not driving the e36 regularly, best to hook up the batty on maintenance cycle on your fancy new charger.  HTH.

The Repco battery charger has two different cable ends, one with croc clips and the other has ring terminals.  Guess what I've connected it to! All I need to do now is open the boot and plug it in.😁

Does anyone have issues with Calcium batteries? I bought 2 not far apart a couple of years ago. Got them from the AA, after my last AA battery lasted 11 years. Now they seem to lose charge really fast - both my cars have failed to start this week. Lockdown and not driving? maybe, but when we've been away in the past for 6 weeks at least one car goes on the button...

The first time it happened I tried to charge the battery with my usual 12V charger - didn't work. Called out the AA thinking I had a dead cell, but he tested it, boosted it and it worked. That's when I found out that calcium batteries need a specific type of charger. $250 later, I can now charge the batteries....

I'm not impressed with them, and I'd like to get them replaced before the warranty runs out - but the AA do a battery test and say it's fine. I have only EVER needed to charge a battery on either car (E36 and Honda CRV) after a long period away - a couple of months. Now I'm doing it at least monthly.

BTW - both cars charging systems checked out OK.

Can anyone throw light on this?

Probably not the case with your one... but.. I had a Honda Accord saloon which regularly got water in the boot.Tried aiming a hose everywhere, dealer couldn.t find a leak either.
It turned out to be a previous panel repair - the filler housing hadn't been sealed to the rear wing. Any speed above 80k the water off the roof ran over the top of the wing and down to the filler housing, soaking the boot....