RvT

Never had to do it but some lateral thinking .... Buy a pack of needles that contain a darning needle (U shaped). Thread some fishing line through then try hooking up the carpet / foam in the middle and tie it off against the steering wheel. Tensioning/Pulling it up should lift the carpet but if it tears the carpet, then no come back against me for bad advise

Spotted this wrecked 3.2 z3 going cheap. Motor may be unusable though. Price is right http://www.tau-sales.com/defaultMall/sitem...?EVENT_NO=64814

Just found a PDF file for the owners handbook on my PC from a couple of years ago. I imported a 2001 E46 ex Japan but the manual was in Japanese. I signed up with the US BMW site and downloaded a US version. Just PM me with your email address and I will send the PDF to you Ron

I have imported 2 x BMWs ex UK, last one was 3 years ago but sent it thru a Dutch company who are very good. Cost then was 3000 Euros for a 20fter but was also allowed to put personal effects in with the container. If the car is going to be split up here, then costs aren't high. If you want to put on NZ road, then pm me and I can send you a simple .xls spreadsheet I use with costs to get it on road in NZ. I would strongly suggest that Jap imports are the way to go if after parts. I have seen a few damaged M3s with rear damage but motors untouched going very cheap. Freight from Jap to NZ is $NZ 1500 if it can be driven on or $2k if needed to be containerised. Also you will need extra BMW NZ certificate to prove origin if you want to put on road here. Ex Jap is easy but ex UK will cost $700 just for a letter ex BMW NZ !!! If you export ex UK, you can get a certificate ex the DVLA called Certificate of Pernament Export V561. Simple to get but needed I was told when I exported mine. Any more info, pm me. Happy to advise Ron

I have bought 12 cars from them over the last 3 years. Mostly Audi A4 and BMW Z3, Z4, 320. Have just changed to another company as the service is improved. TAU is a good first timers company to work as you get a more photos of the car and the web site is easy to understand. I have helped a further 6+ friends bring in their first cars thru TAU. Everyones initial concern is that you send the $ over and then there is the worry nothing turns up. It is natural and I had it with my first car. Then you realise the culture in JP is about trust and the company is extremely honourable to work with. I wouldn't risk my money with other unknown operators. PBOY - did you get the blue 320? I was trying to talk my brother into it as it was a great price. If it is your first time and you have any questions on what happens next, send me an email Ron

Grade 3 because TAU mark their cars harder and the scuff mark on the back corner. Have bought in a grade 3 from TAU and it is equal to a grade 4 or 4.5 on the USS auctions.

Spotted this unit this morning for sale in Japan and had to share with you. It isn't a BMW but the lines are beautiful. Estimated cost would be on the road here for $55k if you can get it complied. This link may only last a few days as it may get sold and disappear from the site. Enjoy http://www.tau-sales.com/defaultMall/sitem...?GoodsNo=173974

Why don't you import a 2001 320 model with the 2.2l motor, facelift front end and would be on the road in NZ for $12,500, complied and rego Check out http://www.tau-sales.com/defaultMall/sitem...?GoodsNo=172847

There are 10+ on Trademe at the moment for $995 eg ... http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=111881783

I was at the Shanghai GranPrix last year and they had a couple of AMG Mercs flying around before the big race. The sound was so pure and deep, that I thought this is the sound I want for my next imported car. I started looking at the US forums and the Eisenmann were given a very good wrap for sound & performance on the E60 M5s. I didn't really think about the loudness factor and NZ WOFs till your comments so I might have to check out the decibel ratings for the exhaust to see what I can bring in. I found the UTube tape thru the US forum and love that sound on the M5 !!! I can just see the boy racers turning their heads in central Chc. Allan - Thanks for the link. Has anyone personally dealt with the company Beastpower in NZ ???

Found a nice sounding exhaust for my next car but all local searches come up empty. Has anyone imported one or know who is agent for them on this side of the world? My last resort is to bring a set in from Germany or try to establish an agency here in NZ

Check out this first ... http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/importing/frontal-...mw-20050617.pdf

I am importing at least 2 containers a year from Belgium full of margarine for my business. This is in a refrigerated container which is dearer at 2500 Euros so non refrigerated 20fters are cheaper. UK is a dearer beast to work with compared with Belgium or Holland. The last car I imported ex UK cost 1900 Euros in 2003 for the 20fter container from Holland to NZ. This paid for the company loading the car, securing it down and packing a few machines around it. I never trust UK port companies after hearing a few horror stories over the years. Penry is correct, don't pack anything in wood as there are strict rules involved. The costs add up when it lands in NZ as you can't get a container dropped off at your house any more. They have to be moved to a Transitional Approved Facility and opened by MAF accredited persons so more costs involved. We are 30km from port and it costs $400 in trucking costs just to land the container at our facility.

I know it costs about 2,000 Euros for a 20ft container from Holland to Lyttleton including packing and sending. If you are looking at smaller parts, then you are at the mercy of the person who is selling the stuff usually with expensive being UPS or FEDEX. The cheapest is using the postal service in the country concerned like NZ Post if you were in NZ.

PDC - Park Distance Control - an alarm for backing. No TV in it Wheels aren't 18" from what I can see - look like 16" or 17" No Spoiler kit Indicators are original yellow No Sunroof Steering wheel is old 4 spoke not the trendy 3 spoke (optional)

Hi The one you are looking at is not very highly speced - not many options were put on it, almost base model. Price is about right with low kms but it is base model so will be hard to sell downstream. They had a motor update in 1999 so can't tell which motor this is from the picture. If you are Chc based, happy to show you what to look for on mine etc. I am about to put my 99 540 on the market and someone will get a brilliant ride out of it. Send me an email, thru my profile. In general, the 540 is a fantastic car to drive. Extremely comfortable to drive and excellent handling. The manual says 0-100 in 6.4 sec so it has a huge amount of power at the pedal. Not many inherant faults with them apart from cup holders breaking. Would definitely recommend the 540 as a great entry to the "BMW family". Ron

Hi Japan is easier to import from. Normally the Japanese company you are buying a car thru, will send thru the deregistration papers thru and VTNZ recognise this so you don't need the BMW paperwork. Imported a Z3 a couple of years ago. It was the updated 01 model with a 2.0 motor. Gutless motor which sounded good but not much delivery. The 3.2 ltr s54 motor would be a nice motor for the Z3. Not sure if was available in RHD as I haven't seen many in my searches. If you are looking at Japan, I suggest this company to work with. They are good and we have used them. http://www.kadoco.co.jp/ Happy to mentor you thru the process but hate tire kickers as they waste my time

Hi I have imported a few cars ex UK and in recent years ex Japan mostly for personal use and eventual resale. My latest sale was a 04 Z4 in Blue. If the car is for personal use and not going to be onsold, then go for it. The Z4 market is dead here. It took 12 months to move it and in the end, I sold it below my cost just to free up the cash. The car was mint and fully speced with everything incl leather, TV, PDC etc. Getting the car to NZ ex UK is simple. I heard some bad press over the years about the UK ports and vehicle tampering after you drop it off. I drove a 99 540 to Holland and got it loaded into a 20ft container. The company I used were excellent and ended up putting some personal effects into the trunk which arrived perfectly. I was able to open the container here myself and reverse the car off. Getting VIN in NZ may need some prework done. Being ex UK, you need the chassis sign off from BMW NZ so suggest you email the BMW NZ people and get onto the person who does that here to check it out. VTNZ rely on the info from BMW NZ to verify cars etc. Cost to do this was exhorbantant - around $600 !!! for a piece of paper but that was 3 years ago. Feel free to send me an email if you need further advise. Ron

If you filck me your email address either as a message to me or just here, I will email you the E46 owners manualin PDF format I downloaded ex USA BMW Ron

Hi Looks like we have matching cars as mine is a 99 540 black but with Schnitzer alloys & white lens. Mine has a P/Plate FIVE40 on it which you may have seen around. Based in Rangiora though. Ron

Try a Bushranger Exhaust- Jack. Basically a blow up tub that starts out flat but blows up when contected to the exhaust. Bought it when car wheel fell thru rotten boards on a car pit. Have since used it on trailers, 4x4 trips etc. Great investment that folds up into a special bag. http://www.4wdworld.com.au/products/bushrang/exhaust.htm

Hi Arcon You may want to download a manual for your car. My e46 was an import so the manual was in Japanese. I found a owners manual on https://oc.bmwusa.com/ I joined the "owners circle" by registering with a US serial number for someone else's car. After that I could download any manual. If you like, I could email you the PDF as it is still on my PC. Just send me a message with your email address before Wed as I am out of the country for a couple of weeks. The file is about 2.1 MB Ron

As a general rule, normally add 300,000 to 400,000 Yen to the start price to estimate the final price. From my importing spreadsheet, a car that sells for say 3,000,000 Yen in Japan, would be on the road here in NZ for $NZ45,300 complied & registered. Happy to email anyone a simple .xls spreadsheet which takes a price in Yen and adds fees etc to give you an on road price here in NZ. Ron

Had the same issue in a 1990 535. It turned out to be a worn clutch on the radiator fan motor. Essentially, when the car is driving, air passes thru the radiator and cools it down. When the car stops, the fan motor kicks in and cools it down. Not sure if your motor has a fan belt only or a clutch in behind the fan. If it is a belt driven fan only, could be a slipping belt ? If it is clutch driven, then it is stuffed. Easiest way to test it is to try to stop the fan with a cloth wrapped around your hand - that is how the mechanic in Paris tested it for me. If it stops easily by hand, the clutch needs replacement.

Hi Matt Good choice on car What was the buy price, year & mileage ? What do you think mine should sell for?