Mike.Gayner

The 540i is the first BMW I've had, and everything seems a little more difficult. Removing trim etc on japanese cars is basically a case of tugging till something feels right - everything is a bit more solid on the BMW. Also, the BMW pics will be a lot less remarkable, seeing as it's already in fairly decent condition. edit: Also, if you've never gone to the "extreme" of removing seats, give it a go next time. It's actually a very quick and easy procedure (on most cars, havent tried the BMW yet), and allows you far greater access to problem areas.

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May as well post this here - was going to wait until I've had the chance to detail my new BMW before posting, but meh I'll post this for now. Today I cleaned out the interior of my GF's runabout. It hasn't been cleaned in at least a year. I also gave the outside a quick was, and tested the bonnet with some cut and polish. I'll finish the interior maybe next week.

Self deception is an amazing thing. LOL dude that's a massive load of bull honky. Seriously, how do you even come up with this stuff?

Do you still have the LSD?

Some people here have had good experiences, which is awesome. Every time I've had mechanical insurance, I've had faults which have turned out to be exclusions, so I get no peace of mind from using these companies. I will never use one again - you're better off putting that premium into the bank in my view.

Hi (n00b reply) are these the same as what I'd find in my e34 540i? Thanks.

Hi, very interested in bonnet struts. Also, does it have the factory radio? Because I'll take that too if you can post these items to Tauranga. Thanks.

Oh FYI I had the car checked out and replaced a worn swaybar link. Problem solved.

No, I'm not sure where you got that from? I'm agreeing with the person who has seen the car. There's no sense in you and him having a disagreement with me as the intermediary - you'll just have to agree to disagree I think. I fully agree, and sorting this out is on my to-do list, it's just not priority one.

I do appreciate you guys helping, but I'm satisfied with my solution. Huffer - I assure you the person I've been speaking with is not old school, and is very onto it. 3pedals - you admitted earlier that you cannot give accurate information all the details. And yet you're willing to assume your opinion is more valid than the professional who has seen the vehicle first hand. BTW, I'm typing this from a friends house in Auckland - I made the trip last night and the car drove excellently. I'm extremely happy with the handling and performance of this vehicle.

That's kind of my point - I'm taking the advice fo the professional who HAS seen the car, and has all the details. Any opinion from here is second hand based on my admittedly shonky details

The tyres are not damaged to the point of replacement - not even close. I think it's fair to say that the tyre expert knows what he's talking about, so I've taken in his opinion. He does indeed think that the wheels are the wrong offset, but he doesn't believe it to be a safety issue.3pedals, I get what you're saying, and I appreciate it. But your post does seem to reek of alarmism, and I think you're exaggerating the issue. There's no pull whatsoever in this car under heavy braking. The tyre technician (his name is Eric from Tyre Master on Elizabeth St Tauranga in case anyone knows him) was extremely professional and knowledgable, and most certainly not your typical back-shop grease monkey. I trust his opinion. His thoughts are that yes, it would pay to change the wheels to get the handling of the car as good as possible, but it doesn't necessarily need to be a priority.

Just picked up the car from the shop - fixed the swaybar link that was causing the front end knock, which is great. The technician says that the tyres are not in fact rubbing the guards, rather the excessive wear was caused by an extreme toe angle, which was fixed with an alignment. He does however agree that the wheels are too wide/wrong offset for the car, which causes it to not track as well as it could (eg it "sways" a bit on the open road, something I had already noticed). This isn't a safety issue, more a performance problem. As much as I would love to have the car handle as well as it did from the factory, replacing the wheels is not a priority right now, so maybe in the future. So I humbly concede that I spoke too soon regarding the job that Coombes did - they had indeed suggested excess tyre wear which could be fixed with an alignment, which is exactly the case.

Thanks guys the owner has tracked down the nut. I will take it in to the workshop and have them get the answers to your questions. Ta.

We're talking about a locknut key. The design is like a large torx socket, but with a lot more points.

The car is at a tyre shop currently to have a swaybar link replaced - but they can't get the wheels off either. Neither can any of the other half dozen shops I've been to, except a couple who suggested smashing the nuts off.

Sadly not.

Thanks for the help guys - I will get the correct info as soon as I can. Currently I'm trying to track down a tool to get the wheel nuts off, as it doesn't seem to have been provided with the car.

If I can get a tire which will fit without rubbing, will the wheels be OK? I understand that they're probably not correct, but will this cause any issues re safety, or excess wearing of other parts like wheel bearings? The wheels look great on the car and it would be a shame to change them. Ta.

Will do ASAP. Coombes Johnston. I'm not hanging them out to dry yet though - I haven't even spoken to them yet, so they've had absolutely no chance to respond to my concerns at this time. Will wait till I get to speak with them about it before I pass judgment. They were professional and thorough in their inspection, but this is a rather obvious thing to miss in my view.

Hi, sorry about the wrong info, the tyres are indeed 235 front and rear. Hybrid - I bought the car privately, but on the advice of a pre purchase inspection from an authorized BMW dealer. He mentioned uneven tyre wear, and that the car needed a wheel alignment, but failed to notice the tyre rubbing on the guard. So you think if I reduce to say a 225 with the correct design, I should be OK? Thanks.

I hope it doesn't come to that

I dont know TBH. They're wide though - at an estimate 9".

Here's a picture of the rims, and some close up's of the damage. The tyres are 285 wide btw.