gjm

A very, very nice man from Wellington dropped some off recently when he was up this way. He also left some other useful bits and pieces, none of which I've had a chance to do anything with because the car wasn't at home!

Is there a Hartge H35 in NZ? Saw a black M3-a-like on SH1 this morning. LHD, obviously. Thought "that looks nice, although ride height may be a little off for an E30 M3." Did a double take... No BMW badges at all. Nothing. It was stationery in the left lane on the approach to Papakura from Drury. Hartge logo on left side rear, H35-24 badge on right side rear. Correct elevated rear spoiler. Correct flattened oval tailpipe. Correct Hartge rims (from the look of them) with centre cap logo. Hartge logo on the right (passenger) side of the front grill. Very shiny. Very, very very nice.

She's back. Looks so, sooo much better. Not perfect - wasn't expecting perfect - but much more 'right'. Very pleased. Just need to sort the front, now... And the locks. The drivers' door lock is almost completely stuffed. Had to climb over from the passenger side this morning.

I vaguely recall it was quite a slow sale in Wellington. Maybe it was $3250 last I saw? Current owner has had it listed for about a month in several 1-week listings: #1156183181, 1164523534, 1169207807 as well as the current listing. Seller is consistent on price - every listing has started at $6k.

7 Ferraris in Patumahoe, including a 456 and a 360 CS. So common. Saw another on the way down Bombay Hills about 15 minutes later.

Turners have a 1977 Mercedes 350SL up for tender. According to their blurb, it 'seats 5'. Really? Even with the optional rear seats, you'd never, ever get more than 4 in there! And to tell, you just have to look at the car. The pic says a lot, but doesn't tell you about the zero legroom in the back...

They aren't good at checking the validity of a cars' description or providence. Given they charge a seller for selling, and charge a buyer's premium, I'd expect them to make at least a little effort.

In response to the title of this thread... Yes.

We'll run 95 in Miss M's 318i M43 whenever possible. It doesn't seem to like 98 much, and feels happier on 95 than on 91. (It actually seems happier on 91 than 98 - just a seat of the pants assessment.) I can't think of a situation where 95 will hurt your car, and can think of many where it might help. That said, I have read of people 'optimising DME' for running on 95. If your car is genuinely designed to run on 91 (and doesn't have adaptive EMS), there shouldn't be any benefit to running 95 or 98.

That'd be nice, but no. The car will be in better shape, but only courtesy of having the arches sorted. We're being very good boys. No naughty 'extra' bits being fixed while the insurance work is being done. Just getting the arches sorted as a separate job at the same time. I'm sure it might have been possible to fiddle things, but I can't be bothered with finding someone prepared to do that. It's just not worth it. We're happy. Miss M gets her car back.

The word from the assessor is back - "Fix it". Actually, I doubt he said that, but that's the short version. So the back will be sorted, and I'll have the rear arches re-shaped and sorted as best they can readily be. I'll do the fronts myself - they're nowhere near as bad in terms of shape, and represent a slightly simpler clean, rust kill and paint job.

It was an opportunity to get it sorted - close inspection showed the paint had split leading to rust, and without completely dismantling I couldn't see what else may have happened behind that piece. I don't think the metal had split (although that's possible), in which case I'd be happy to just brush prime and even brush paint with something approximating the original colour. I shipped the old springs to someone the day before we were knocked...

Not a happy bunny. A previous owner - maybe not the previous owner, has done more of a number on the bodywork than we thought. A really, really shitty 'just do it - I don't care' kind of job. Naïve of me to even consider someone might have done something properly. Miss M's car is in a bodyshop as the result of a woman in a Captiva very gently tapping the rear nearside corner of the car. The bumper doesn't appear to have split, and the bumper shock absorber did it's job - it compressed, and has fully released. However, the strip of metal under the taillight has been buckled in two places and the paint has split. An insurance assessor has been to have a look and we're waiting for the verdict - repair, or write it off for essentially the tiniest little knock. To fix it requires the removal of the rear bumper, the taillight, the rear wheel, the arch liner... Metalwork needs sorting (don't know if this would be a panel beating job, or a new piece), priming, painting and re-assembly. Not hard to see where $1k+ might go in that scenario. I thought "OK - let's get the rear arches sorted at the same time." We knew these had been massaged butchered to fit some wheels that were far too big. However, it seems that not only were they rolled, pumped, stretched and then stretched some more, but they weren't in any way at all refinished. Rust. And the front arches are the same. I could buy another 1995 318i 5-speed manual 4-door, essentially a twin but in a different colour, for about $2.5k. I'm almost hoping the assessor says 'No' and doesn't want it repaired. I'll have to write-off the work we've done (including a brand new set of Eibach springs ) but should be able to recover the wheels with near-new tyres. Then of course we'll be into the arguments about what it's worth... What's the deal in NZ with buying back a car? Is it possible/practical? I assume there's an insurance register somewhere, and (I'm guessing) it might need a cert before it's allowed back on the road? Very sad. Miss M loves her car. It is her first car, after all. And I feel bad because I feel I've let her down.

Aww... How sweet of her to ask!

And a radio. Or had BMW started including those by the time this was made? There was a time when they were an option!

It is in 'Specialist Cars'... Presumably looking for a 'special' buyer?

I like this. That said, I like the concept I posted recently, so obviously my taste is dubious at best. Perhaps I should do something similar with the two E30 coupes I have that no-one seems to want...?

I doubt it. New tyres will cost that on their own.

Matt Le Blanc wil be the front man for the next season of Top Gear, and will be accompanied by Chris Harris and Rory Reid. Eddie Jordan and Sabine Schmitz will make regular appearances as will (of course) The Stig.

Looks like a great car, and a good price. And with suspension I've not tried!

All true. However, those who put in the least effort are typically those who shout, scream, moan and whinge the most. They're 'too busy' to read instructions.

That's the issue. Not all cars are equipped to run ethanol-included fuels. And (sadly) the masses lack the automotive education to know this, or whether their car is suitable or not. They 'know' higher octane is 'better', are sold on the benefits of clean-running expounded by the fuel manufacturers, and so use it. Then their fuel system eats itself because it's made of the wrong stuff, and they get a big bill (or worse). Nothing wrong with ethanol. Or E85. Just so long as it is used appropriately.

Welcome to my world. Frustrating, innit? I replaced the nsf tierod on the 500SE. Was going to do both, but rain stopped play.

Not much info yet, but I really like this.

What benefits, other than increased power, does any one of these engines have over the others? Or, what drawbacks? At the moment I get the impression that the M43 is an 8v engine used in the 318i, while the M42 and M44 are 16v DOHC engines used in the 318iS, and they all have chain-driven cams. (That may be a little simplistic and I'm aware there are some slight differences in capacity.) Is the M43 more robust than the M42/4? Are there pitfalls with the 16v engines?