318Touring

I need to get a motorsport helmet for the upcoming driver's training day. I really haven't got a clue of what to get, taking into account this is my first time and I might not like that type of activity! Which means buying a $700 helmet isn't good investment until I know that I'll be doing more track days. So I'd like to get some feedback on which starter basic helmet I can get that will still meet the requirements as per the link below but not requiring a lot of investment. http://manual.motorsport.org.nz/index.php/knowledgebase/36-2-01a-schedule-a-1/#a1-4 I'm planning to drop by at Road & Track at Lower Hutt on Saturday to take a look around.

If you like cars and (car) manufacturing do the factory tours for Porsche (Zuffenhausen), Mercedes (Sindelfingen) - both in the Stuttgart area and BMW in Munich. They all need to be booked in advance though and get filled up rather quickly. The relevant museums are also quite amazing but they don't need to be booked in advance (their entrance fees are cheap).

I used Milland recently, and Paul provided a very good service and competitive pricing.

A quick update, I did the following on Sunday: adjusted the idle screw - this fixes the really high idle, and seems to be dropping to normal idle quicker 'reset' the car by disconnecting the battery etc. - the juddering and hesitation have reduced significantly to almost non-existent I also tried to find vacuum leaks by spraying soapy water at the connectors and hoses - seemed there wasn't any leak. Thanks for your suggestions and help!

Thanks @Olaf for the pointers. Resetting seems to be the first thing I could do then check for vacuum leaks. No code, which I don't know whether is unhelpful or good. My idle issue isn't as bad as described at the forum, also managed to get my hands on a workshop manual.

I'll take a look tomorrow, thanks

Yup all of that sound like a good next step. MAF is rather hard to disconnect, I'll need to google on how to do that and not destroy it in the process.

Posted in the off-topic because this is for my '05 Suzuki Swift. In the past few months, it's been exhibiting the following symptoms: when cold, idle RPM would be at 1400-ish also when cold, when the gas pedal is floored power delivery would be somehow interrupted. The only way to get power is to let off and push the gas pedal again when idling from cold it'll judder with the RPM oscillating accordingly when warm, sometimes, pushing the gas pedal doesn't deliver any additional power. The remedy is to let off and push the gas pedal again Took it to the garage this morning, it was already warm, and they couldn't replicate the issue. They said that it might electrical (hence the title of this post). I've replaced spark plugs, O2 sensor, oil and filter, air filter and cleaned the throttle body. It' not throwing any code. Any idea? I could always replace the MAF but it now feels throwing parts at a problem (or a bunch of problems) that I don't understand.

Yup, just annoying having to split the purchase across different sites.

Thanks, unfortunately I seem unable to get oil filter for my F20 from US based websites. Search for the part number turned up nothing. I'll give milland a try, completely forgotten about them and Google search (bmw parts nz) didn't include them at all. They need (better) SEO.

Apart from the dealers themselves, where can I get service related parts in NZ? Euro-Italian is still selling BMW parts? Schiedmann's shipping is more expensive than the parts that I'm planning to buy although will work out cheaper than dealer's. OEM vs BMW branded.

Can you supply just the tyres? Just in case mine don't pass WOF.

Yup, just resetting the notification won't create a new record in iDrive.

The software used for coding is expensive. Porsche's one costs $10k or more (USD?), not a lot of independent garages will have that kind of money lying around. Powerhaus is currently sending 991s to Armstrong if they need coding. In some cases they will indeed tell the owner to go to Armstrong, so yes, this is already the case for Porsches. I'll ask around and see what I feel like doing, at the end of the day I don't think the difference will be that much, especially if Winger provides a loaner as it's much more convenient (is it still free?). My BMW has finished its warranty and servicing period hence my original question. How to change oil and filter plus resetting the service indicator in F30 (and F20) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4pX2vp-Glk PS: I get mine (not the BMW) serviced at Armstrong as I want OPC's stamps on the book....

Dealer is charging $120/hr + GST or thereabouts. Independent $100/hr + GST. Dealer will 'include' other nonsense (Porsche is always 'topping up washer fluid' for $25+GST as part of their standard service, and give you the 9/10th full bottle - I told them I now have lots of those bottles at home, and not to top up my washer fluid). My BMW is not a car where it is important to have official dealer stamps (actually service records are in IDrive only now). Hence why pay more for the same thing for something that isn't 'special'? I'll search online for DIY oil service, and how to reset the iDrive, if it's not too much involved. What's happened to the BMW scene? For Porsche I can go to Powerhaus or North City Motor knowing that they'll do as good job or better than the dealer as long as it's not 991 or newer.

Bringing this thread back - in summary there isn't a good independent BMW garage in Wellington? Seriously? Since my F20 no longer on all-inclusive service plan, I'm looking for a good, reasonably-priced BMW focused garage. Seems that there isn't one, apart from driving all the way to Paraparaumu?

Hi Jun So you did indeed buy the car? Congrats! Going to Southward this Sunday. Daniel

Many of us can only dream of. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12136875 "My wife supports me" "Nope, he's crazy!"

Steer where you want to go, don't stare at the things you were trying to avoid ? Humans eh.

Haha, they must be joking! Oh wait, BMW tax ..... Tell you what, this is what I always do with my 911: - follow the recommended service however, - I do all of the easy things myself, cabin air filter, engine air filter, even serpentine belt - on the 'harder' bits e.g. engine oil as I can't be bothered dealing with 8.5 litre of used oil, I bought all the parts and liquid myself, hand them to the authorised Porsche dealer to carry out the work - I still get the stamp, and the 'heavy' servicing only end up costing $500 incl. WOF, and brake fluid change - I bought original Porsche and OEM parts from the UK As for my BMW, it's still under service plan. I'll think of how I deal with it once it's out of service plan.

Longer service period (2 yearly plan) is beneficial to the manufacturer less so to the customers. The manufacturer will be able to promote their environmental friendly corporate image by reducing the pollutants produced e.g. used oil, while at the same time saving money on their 'service plan'. Porsche used to have 2 yearly interval for their 911 from 2005, before reverting back to yearly oil change from 2009 model (997.2 to 991.2). Re oil and BMW original equipment. Buy oil at Repco or Supercheap that has the BMW approved label on them. Buy BMW original oil filters etc. from our forum sponsors. Obviously ditch your BMW independent garage if they use some cheap, non-BMW approved, incorrect weight oil. Total costs for oil change should only be $150-$200 which is a small price to pay for long-term motoring. Also tell your BMW dealer that your windscreen water reservoir doesn't need to be filled up as part of the service. It's a $20 charge for something that costs them 50 cent. Even if they give you the whole bottle of windscreen washer, it's still only $10/bottle.

That's it. We need more tunnels!! Someone else can supply the Lambos and F-cars.

Too quick, I wish we have kilometers long tunnels. Sunday drive would be up and down these tunnels all day long.

Ah, I love the Mt Vic tunnel. Did you slow down to open up a bit of space, and nail it? The sound bouncing around the tunnel walls always puts a smile on my face....

If you can't feel the scratches under your fingernails they will buff out.