my_e36

Only in America. Shifting blames, pointing fingers, shugging shoulders. At the end of the day, only $$$ matters.

Usually 95/96 in normal cars but use 98 in the old Mini ($30 a tank to the brim) which starts easier and run smoother. Hardly uses 91 these days and I don't miss those black stuff at the exhaust that doesn't appear when using 95/6/8.

My shop is a Navman & Garmin reseller, if you need more info, feel free to ask here or send me PM. $400 will get you basic models. I havn't use Uniden, Gold Fingers myself but general recommendation from my suppliers are stay away from them. Especially if you want maps in other countries when you are travelling with the GPS units. Navman and Garmin both have good international map coverage. ICN 330 - base model of base models, non-touch screen. Cheap, Easy to use, but screen is a bit small. Uses an older SiRF II GPS chips, which is a bit slower to get GPS lock. Once locked, not much difference to SiRF III All the following has wide-screen, SiRF III chip (faster GPS lock from turn-on) ICN 530 - entry-level touch screen model, good value. ICN 730 - I think it's 720. Similar UI with N40 with wide screen and camera. N 40I - scaled down 720 with updated maps and no wide-screen Or the new S30 - updated map and UI, I am using it at the moment. Well worth its price. Things to look for... Price, size of unit, size of the mounting (some are so huge they can't put into the glove box) length of cig. charger cable, if they come with carry case or not. If you plan to use the unit on foot, check if they have battery in-built. ICN330 doesn't have battery. PC Connection - needed if you need to load more POI (point-of-interest) yourself - like speed camera locations. F20's PC Connection kit is optional, S30 is included.

According to AA, if its NZ new, only 2000+ BMW models can use it.

10k - Integra Type-R 20k - e36 M3 / S2000 100k - e39 M5 + Mini Copper S (with some JCW mods)

Yeh, you don't have to follow it. Some in US even say it's a scam because by lengthening service interval, it would look like it's cheaper to keep and run as servicing cost will be less for the same km. Also, BMW Dealer do not have to service it for you until within 500 or so km if you have service contract with them.

They say if the remote is RF based, put the key near yout temple when you press the button will enhance the range. Of course, this is not a long term solution. Do you have tints on your car? If the tint sheets are metallic based, that may explains it.

If you have a multi-meter, test the wiper pump connection and see if that's ok. It could be a clogged/dud pump or something else. When I had my Jap 323i, had a similar problem as yours and need to unclog the pump inlet. As for the air-con, it could be the control unit in the dash. Not uncommon. If you are handy with soldering iron, there's a cheap fix that involve changing a few capacitor. Let me know if you need it.

Dynatron 4xxx and 7xxx series is differnt by that the 7xxx series has transponder remote, which means you don't need to press a button on the remote to dis-arm the immobiliser before starting the car.

They say they no longer sells the iPhone because of the 1.1.1 firmware. It was on front page of Retailers News. Back to the phone, personally I think it's over-rated. Surely it's good looking, camera is great, screen is excellent. But the phone part of it sucks. No PXT, no WAP (HTTP is ok), ringtone is too soft if you are gonna keep that in your pocket. And Apple is making it hard for 3rd party app to be developed for iPhone. Oh, the on screen QWERTY keyboard is not exactly "thumb-friendly" for one-hand-use. Number pad for the phone is not bad though. I borrowed one last week, but after having it for a night, it wasn't right for me. I would rather have a iPod Touch (which is essentially iPhone - Phone - Bluetooth) + a mobile phone.

There's been a few discussion on this before. Stay away from Uniden bascially. Dynatron is good. I used the 7600 model which is 4 star. 7800 has 5 star because of the batt. backup siren. Please use the search for the rest.

Different target audience I suppose. 5th Gear went on more about what's behind the car, the drive, the performance. They have crash tests and test drives of more "real life" cars. Top Gear is all about showing what it can be done when you have expensive cars and $$$ to burn to make a car program.

It doesn't look "that" bad... Why is this a write off? Is it because not many people can make the carbon fibre parts that they need to fix it, hence rendering "beyond economical repair"?

Given their size, it causes aerodynamic drag that eat up the petrol. I have a conspiracy theory that the oil company is behind this. By the way, it's MasterCard, not Visa.

In my Mini, I carry 1l of oil, 500ml of brake fluid, 1 litter of premix coolant/water, tow rope and jumper lead

Same here, I too used the Grey Lynn branch and they are very helpful and friendly. My friend uses the new East Tamaki branch with similar experience.

Now, back to your story again. There's nothing much for you to do about your job. Your company have its right to fire you for misconduct. It would depends on how and if your direct boss (store manager I presume) will defend you. I remember some guy came in to buy stuff from me (I was only a salesperson back then), hand me the goods, sign for the credit card slip and I delcined his transaction because his signature wasn't match the one on the back of the card. Upon which the guy scream and yell at me and all then walked out. On my next shift, my manager said that guy complained to head office that I was rude and impolite (completely not true, my whole team saw the whole thing), brah brah brah. Plus based on my track record of customer services, my manager's took my side and I got off just like that. However, headoffice sent that prick a $50 vouchur for his "trouble". Anyway, that's my story. Good luck.

It's just retail for you. I've been in retail for 6 years, that's pretty much the worse kind of customer you can get. For him to get mad over a few bolts, this guy clearly had problems. If he's in my shop and can't stop swearing, I would ask him to leave. Don't worry about him. Anyway, Here's a little piece I read not long ago... Hope this will cheer you up. LAW OF THE GARBAGE TRUCK - Let the garbage go by. By David J. Pollay How often do you let other people's nonsense change your mood? Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive employee ruin your day? Unless you're the Terminator, for an instant you're probably set back on your heels. However, the mark of a successful person is how quickly she can get back her focus on what's important. Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson. I learned it in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here's what happened. I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when all of a sudden, and I mean without warning, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded and missed the other car's back end by just inches. Here's what happened next. The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us. How do I know? Ask any New Yorker, some words in New York come with a special face. Now, here's what blew me away. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was friendly. So, I said, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!" And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck." Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they'll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You'll be happy you did. I guarantee it. So this was it: The "Law of the Garbage Truck." I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people: at work, at home, on the streets? It was that day I said, "I'm not going to do it anymore." Well now "I see Garbage Trucks." I see the load they're carrying. I see them coming to drop it off. And like my Taxi Driver, I don't make it a personal thing; I just smile, wave, wish them well, and I move on. The bottom line is that successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day. What about you? What would happen in your life, starting today, if you let more garbage trucks pass you by? Here's my bet. You'll be happier. I guarantee it.

As long as you like the place and it's suitable for you. The price is just a number. I don't and I can't understand why people do that.

Maybe Walmald (spelling?) or Chubb, since they sell and test fire extinguishers. BTW, saw fire extinguisher on BMW's parts catalogue, might want to check with a dealer to see if they can order in.

Really? I still had the receipt for when I bought the 4 rubber strips two years ago. But shouldn't be twice the price only two years down the line. Part numbers... B51368119961 - $38.80 B51368119962 - $38.80 B51368119963 - $37.10 B51368119964 - $37.10 plus GST. Bought those from Team McMillan BMW Auckland.

Can try a clay bar first before any cut polish. 2000 grit wet sanding is another idea. Need a polish after that though. Otherwise, if there's only a few dots, the you can try to scrape the overspray **VERY CAREFULLY** with a blade.

Noob question... What's the advantage of going to Rotary engine? (Other than being smaller, lighter and presumably lower centre of gravity which all goes to handling) I thought most BMWs are 50-50 distribution, so by having something lighter in the front, wouldn't that upsets the balance?

as topic, please share anything that you see around you. Made in NZ.

Love those wheels on your new e36. It's tidy.