Joost

Thanks guys for all the useful help. There is one 318i auto that I'm looking at with a leather interior. Was looking at doing a manual conversion on it. Is it worth it? Seem to be lower kms too

Thanks guys. What makes the 318i better than the 320i?

Hi Guys- I'm quite new to this forum. I'm looking at getting an E30 sometime in the next 12 months. I've been putting money away for this car for the last 3 years and have about $3k already. It will be just a second car for us. Preferably I would like to get a manual but the ones I have seen on Trademe seem to be modified (lowered, non original mags etc). I have some across a couple of auto 318i which have been in good shape- a couple with leather seats. sunroof etc. These are around the $2-3k mark and seem to be fairly original with one car being owned by the same owner since he bought it in 1987. I was looking at buying an auto and then converting it. From what I read here and other forums the manual 323s/325s seem to be popular for track racing so tend to be more expensive. The manual 318s I've seen are around $5-$6k so thinking about going down the conversion route. Any help would be much appreciated

Thanks Guys, I want to take it into BM Workshop for them to check it out but its a busy time for me at work so waiting until December when I can take half a day off. Have checked it on a flat surface and I also notice that once someone gets out of the LHS it creaks as well

Hi Guys, Have had my 2000 E46 328i for almost two months now. Car has had , l/f suspension arms, all 4 rotors and brake pads replaced- originals were pretty worn. The car has done 135kms is ex Japan and the first NZ owner had it for 8 years and has kept all the service history. He was an elderly guy who upgraded to a newer 328. While washing the car today I noticed that the front LHS wheel is closer to the wheel arch than the front RHS (drivers side). There is a gap of about 8cm between the wheel and wheel arch in the RHS but only a gap of about 4cm between the two on the LHS. It looks like the LHS wheel is slightly more forward than the other side The car has just has an alignment and a balance done and neither the mechanic who did the rotors or the tyre guys picked up anything strange when the car was on a hoist. On some Bimmer forums some posters reckon this is normal to take into account the drivers weight to balance the car- what do people here think? Is it worth taking it in to get a second opinion. Car drives fine and I've already spent $1500 on it including suspension and cooling system preventative maintenance. Also looking at getting transmission serviced but don't want to spend more if there is some serious body issues Cheers J

Thanks Guys will leave it -too much of a risk!

Hey Guys, I've been seriously considering getting this 530 http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-662908761.htm The guy seems to sell a lot of Euros - went there about 3 months ago to look at an E39 he had, bid on his auction (had a low reserve) and a day before it finished he withdrew it -possibly because the price was low or he got an offer outside of TM Has anyone bought a car from here? I'm worried about his bad feedback with a constant thread of 'car not as described'. Will go and have a look at it next week but looks like the car comes with no service history... Thanks J

Thanks Guys, Have been checking the oil level weekly and it seems fine- not full but no noticeable change in level. I do check it when engine at operating temp as per manual recommendations

Hi Guys, Just had my Bimmer for 6 weeks and notice that when I start it up the yellow oil sensor light comes on when I start driving. It stays on for about 15 seconds and then flicks off. I've checked the oil level and its three quarters full. It sounds like a broken oil level sensor to me, Do you guys concur? Is it worthwhile replacing it? Car has just been serviced and its only used as a weekend driver Appreciate your feddback Cheers J

Hi Guys, I've only had my 328i for about a month. When I got it the previous owner had had it for 8 years and it looked like for the first 6 years he had done quite a bit of maintenence on ( he had kep receipts etc). For the next 2 years he hadn't done much work on it and when I bought it I had to replace all four rotors, pads and the RF suspension arm. So far car drives great- got a new waterpump and hoses fitted as preventative maintenence. However, I've noticed that after driving the car and parking it up there is a creak coming from the Rear LHS wheel arch. Its noticeable when someone steps out of the backseat of the car or when you press down on the boot. However, after about 15 minutes or so when you come back to the car and press on the bonnet there is no creak anymore. Any idea what this can be? Its been on a mount and my mechanic couldn't find anything that looked worn or out of place. Doesn't really affect the drive but thopught I'd look at picking it up before anything major happens Thanks J

Thanks- it is a 2000 328i- looks like the first owner got a lot of the work done. Radiator has been replaced due to leaking and also a new expansion tank has been added. Waterpump looks old

Should I replace all the hoses then?

Hi there, I've just purchased a 328i- so far drives well after getting new rotors and pads put on all 4 corners! Next is the waterpump. From reading on these forums it sounds like waterpump failure is very common as the kays get higher due to the plastic impellor breaking on the waterpump. Should the waterpump be replaced with another plastic one or should I go for one with a bronze impellor as some other sites have mentioned? The radiator and thermostat have been already replaced by the previous owner so only the waterpump left to do. Looking forward to you replies

Hey Fellas, Just bought an E46 328- its my first ever BMW and so far loving it!