gjm

I checked this morning - there is a dash light when the fogs are on. I don't think I've ever seen it before. That Dave... He's not often wrong, and he was right again.

That shows how often I use the fog lights! ?

There's sufficient fog down our way to sometimes qualify as being appropriate for using fog lights. The issue is that it is possible, in older BMWs at least, to switch on the foglights, and forget them. There is no indication on the dash to say they are in use. And turning off the headlights/sidelights does not cancel the foglights - the next time those lights are turned on, the foglight is there waiting. I don't think the button on the E36 lights up to say foglights are in use, for example. Mercedes have a system where you turn a knob to switch on headlights. Once turned, you pull it out to one position to enable one set (front or rear - I don't recall which comes first) of foglights, then pull again to enable the second set. When you turn off the side/headlights, the foglights are automatically cancelled - the knob returns to it's initial 'in' position. So simple. So effective. So not used by so many manufacturers.

Two's company. Three's allowed.

I know this engine can use oil as it gets older and the piston rings wear, but haven't heard of big end issues (before).

It's based on what I was told a couple of years ago - I've not tested it! (I'm too nice. ) I was told that not completing a deal once the auction was over had to be down to the parties involved. The seller might still be required to pay a success fee, but if either side unilaterally backed out of the deal they could have their account closed. Not much in the grand scheme of things, I guess.

A complaint to TradeMe is in order. There's no legal redress that I'm aware of, but the seller will receive a stern ticking off from TradeMe. And you can, of course leave negative feedback. Nothing that'll make any difference of course, and the seller probably won't care. Look at it this way. If the seller is that much of an arse that they'll stiff you on a perfectly good sale, what have they done (or not done) to the car? You could have had a very lucky escape.

Sweet. Thanks.

1991 E30 M20B20 vs M20B25 - is there any difference in the parts used for the timing belt and water pump? (And associated bits and pieces?)

Barry is the man to go and see in Wellington. Talk to Christian - CSET - if you're in Auckland.

Got a WoF on the E36. Feckin' rear lights were a PITA. Aluminium backing plates, connecting to aluminium tabs from aluminium sockets, relying on pressure from a bulb, does not make for a solid, corrosion-resistant connection! Got to the WoF station and found I had a centre brake light, but no side brake lights and no rear fog light. Turns out that it was just the rear offside brake light bulb that wasn't quite making a connection, and that because it wasn't working the other bulbs took a union vote - solidarity, brothers! - and all decided not to work. One out, all out. Took bl**dy ages to find the culprit. Need to make a tiny adjustment to the steering rack, and will need to look at the front wishbone brackets - 'lollipops' - before the next warrant.

Happens to a lot of people. Me, f'rinstance. Set out with every good intention of getting a job done, then something happens and enthusiasm just goes clean outta the window. I was fortunate and had a couple of very nice chaps come down and help me through the last event of that nature.

Condition is everything. As is ownership - I was stung by a distant seller passing on a car that wasn't his. Check the car (and docs) in person if at all possible, or get someone to look at it for you.

I need a replacement in the E36. The current one dribbles water on to the screen.

Changed the oil. Again.

Looks like a 'saved by the anti-intrusion bars' situation. Brent showed me a car in his yard that had been hit very hard - those bars really earn their keep. Fingers crossed nothing other than pride was hurt.

I love these.

I saw a post on Farcebook earlier where someone had been quoted $60 to have a new key cut for his BMW - he had the chip, but had broken the key stem out of the plastic fob. He was hoping someone could suggest somewhere cheaper.

There's a feeling I can empathise with... Pulling the turbo off the 320d to find that 'someone' (probably a nice man at a garage) had done it before, and used exhaust paste when reassembling. Fortunately no detrimental effects, but all the same... Has me questioning everything when I come across stuff like that.

<chuckles>

EPS... Expanded PolyStyrene? I'm not fully versed in NZ building regs but I suspect they require underfloor and in roof insulation. I think they do require double glazed windows which means that our plans to save money by re-using the windows in the house (which are in excellent condition) is a non-starter.

That was my thinking behind going for a concrete foundation for the extension. it'd be a reasonable size extension - about 40sq m - which would increase the size of the house by around 50%. The land is over 0.3Ha so we'd not be over-developing. Another consideration is recladding in plywood. In this scenario it is very, very strong and would tie everything together. Downside is that I don't like the look.

I think power has been dealt with, but I do know there is a tree at the front of the porperty that wil require attnetion - the power lines run very, very close to it's branches. Drainage is septic, water supply is tank. It's actually a little further from other houses than I would like, but that does mean noise isn't an issue. From the look of it, no additional works (other than the outbuilding construction, which was consented) have been done. Thanks for the advice. I've worked with asbestos, and written safety guidelines on it's use and removal. There's a good chance, given the age of the property, that there is asbestos within the cement/concrete tiles on the outside of the property. Again, a building inspection should reveal this. My biggest concern is the piles. I couldn't see them, and have no idea what their condition is. The current owner has been there for 10-15 years and hasn't touched them. We would be looking to significantly extend the house and while piles would match existing building infrastructure, I'm tempted to go for a concrete foundation (if it is suitable). If we opt for piles, I'll need to check to see if the existing structure needs to be updated to current code (assuming it isn't) as a part of the extension works.

I was going to say M10s are awesome, but it looks to be a facelift so it'll have a M42. This. It'll need work. However, at 2.5k for a WoF'd and rego'd manual E30 it's priced pretty well provided it'll not fold in half from rust. You could very, very easily spend $5-6k and more on something that looks and sounds nice, but still needs everything doing. Go into it with eyes open, expect the worst, and you could be pleasantly surprised. Rust is the big issue. Anything else can be sorted.

Oh, that's not the garage... That's a playroom. There's also a double garage.