gjm

My thoughts too. Solid little motor. May not tune as well as some others, but that's not what we want it for.

Well, this really hasn't worked out anything like the way it was planned. The car is, or is very likely to be given we have had an offer accepted, to be a 1995 E36 318i saloon, 5-speed manual, Cordoba Red, black leather. It has problems of course. Clearcoat is peeling, tracking is about a mile out, brakes are a bit soft, headlining is sagging (they all do that, sir). But that's about it. The brakes do work well enough, just require more of a push than they should. New fluid may sort that. Drives well, with more get up'n'go than I'd expected from a M43 engine. Steering is pleasantly light and tactile, nothing rattles or shakes . What can I say? It' seems to be a solid, sensible car. The engine isn't the greatest ever fitted, but the biggest issue - a weeping cover gasket, isn't a problem on this car. Actually, the engine bay is almost suspiciously clean. It's had a recent full service, new rad, new expansion tank, has new rear tyres and good fronts, WoF is barely a month old. Pics in due course. So now I have two E30 coupes, one with live rego, engine and gearbox, one without. I have some plans, but one of them will certainly be going.

I think the front actually comes down by 35mm. Obviously there's more adjustment in the pads if you feel so inclined. We had this setup fitted to Mrs M's E30 320i back in the UK. Not sure if I have any pics but I'll have a look. Ride was excellent - at least as good as stock. I think the H&R springs drop 40mm?

Bilstein B12 shocks and Eibach Pro kit springs. Lowers 30mm when compared to stock, maintains superb ride and handling.

Bloody houses. Not house prices... Found a house we like. Been on the market for 11 months. Over-priced at the admission of the sellers - they've nowhere to move to, so thought they'd see what the market had to say and if it sold, they'd take time off and find a rental. Went to look on Thursday evening. Not perfect, but that wasn't expected. Nice bit of land, nice outlook, nice neighbourhood, good community. Spend the weekend doing due diligence. Call on Monday and... They'd just received a full asking price offer. (Seriously - not a seller put-on.) 11 fu^%%* months, we look, and that happens! Wouldn't mind quite so much but it is the 5th or 6th time this situation has come up in 9 months. The first place we looked at had been on the market for 18 months, we looked at it, and the very next day an agent approached the owner saying they had a buyer. <sigh> Good job we don't need to move. In the meantime, I think I'll advertise our services to anyone who is having problems selling.

Fantastic to hear you're sorted. I'm sure there were times when you were thinking "Why?????" but hopefully you're now happy it was worth the effort.

The osf wing on my 190E is a case in point. Looked good when I bought the car although I could see it had been painted - subtle shade difference - but is now a bit of a shambles. I've struggled to find someone who will paint a panel at a time. If we weren't using the car so much, I'd take the bonnet off and take into the shop!

I appreciate what you're saying, and it's true. Hard to justify a $6k panel and paint job on a daily driver worth $8k, though. I'd like to get the multitude of stone chips sorted on our car (a consequence of driving SH1 every day) but the cost is hard to justify.

That sounds like either something serious needed doing, or someone didn't really want the work.

Check the cooling system has been sorted, and the timing chain sorted. You'll know if it's been done because if it hasn't it rattles. Valve cover and valley gaskets leak, and valve stem seals could well need doing. Nothing serious. Just maintenance stuff. Looks like a really nice car. I always shudder when I see a 'Loaded' sticker int he window, but that's dealer speak for "it's got lots of stuff!"

I suspect anyone who has any in a shed knows what they are and the price attached could be almost as 'exciting....' Always worth asking, though.

Assuming your car is a 6-pot, then this looks to be correct. This kits lowers a M-Sport-kitted car by about 25-30mm at the front and up to 25mm at the rear. Bear in mind you can use different spring pad thicknesses to subtly change the ride height, too. Also looks to be a good price for the H&R springs. However, Eibach springs currently seem to be cheaper... No idea why. I think Eibach p/n E20-20-001-03-22 is correct for the 6-cyl Touring. (You'd need to check specific suitability for your car.) They can be had ex-Europe for about 30% less. I was trying to get a set of the Eibach springs for an E46 M3, but was unable to do so. Availability may be an issue.

That looks to be at least a 40mm drop on a standard E46 ride height. Possibly 65mm. Someone else will know better than I. There's lots of options... At 40mm, there's possibly a question over whether or not dampers should also be changed. Certainly a damper designed to work with a shorter spring will be more effective than a stock damper and shorter spring. Compare BMW stock suspension with Motorsport. My background is in Europe, where suspension means Bilstein, Eibach, H&R, Koni, Spax, Vogtland and others (alphabetical order - not suggesting any preference!) are common, This side of the planet you also have King Springs and doubtless others. These are (believe it or not) the cheap end of the market, but you still get what you pay for. Some manufacturers have shared production facility at one time or another, but this doesn't necessarily mean the products are the same. Aside from the different colour (makes a huge difference, of course) the rates are unlikely to be the same. In my opinion, to do the job properly you want Bilstein or Koni dampers fitted with Eibach, Koni or (possibly) H&R springs. Bilstein don't (as far as I know) manufacture their own springs, and their suspension kits generally include Eibach springs. Koni can provide a complete Koni setup. Economically, the H&R Cup range of suspension kits represent good vfm for road and occasional track use (-40-45mm iirc), and their Cup Sport kits drop the vehicle further (-60mm, iirc). Prices for kits vary depending on source and the kit in question. A Bilstein B12 kit sourced from Europe when on special offer may be cheaper than a H&R Cup kit - it's normally the other way around) - but it is always worth checking locally (NZ) to see what is available.

The new Top Gear trailer - that's the Chris Evans 'vehicle' (LOL) on the BBC - looks to be less of an accident and more of a freeway. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rur6a9QKmi4 Sabine: "Hold tight to your balls, sonny!"

We started an old Merc - 240D - that had sat under a tree for 12 years. Flush the fuel lines, new fuel, and it fired 3rd or 4th turn. Diesels can be nice like that. I'm not sure how the transponder keys are copied. BMW should have access to the codes for a specific vehicle, something 3rd parties may not have, but Lockmasters claim they can 'create' a key for you on site: "If you've got a late model car, chances are that the key has a computer chip in it called a transponder. You may think you need to see a car dealership to order one of these specialised keys but the truth is, often they get them from us. We can create transponder keys directly from our mobile locksmith vans which means you can receive your key right when you need it most and don't have to wait for an overseas order." Give them, or a similar company, a call. Battery - borrow one to see if the car will start.

Changed the oil and oil filter. Again.

Don't worry about the kms. It's a good price for a well-specced E46 Touring. Oil level check sensor is an easy and cheap fix. The rest... There's very, very few 10+ year old cars that don't have minor cosmetic issues. Check the service history. If it looks good, buy it.

My thoughts, too. Having got this far and only being a cert short of all done, I wonder why it's for sale?

Looks and reads as a really nice car. Ticks a lot of boxes.

Silver 2007 530i saloon, travelling along Hingaia Road to the SH1 on ramp rego JTExxx (I know what the numbers are!) Nice car - pity about the driving. All those things 'other people' say about BMW drivers - this one is why. No indicators, impatient, cutting up other drivers to get into a lane, forcing other drivers to move or brake hard to avoid a collision. If you're on here, you should be ashamed. And please - don't do it to me again. I nearly did something I would now be regretting, regardless of whether I was justified or not. Be grateful I was at least awake (unlike so many at that time of morning) or you would have had a blue touring buried in your passenger door following one particularly ill-advised, un-indicated manoeuvre in moving traffic.

I had assistance, but yes - they're here, now.

The stock ones are said to protect against impact at up to 4km/h. parking knock-type stuff. There's no doubt the ones on the car have been messed with. Pretty appalling, to be honest, and sadly not he sort of thing you ever know about unless (like me!) you pull things to pieces. Most people would only find out when they were rear-ended. Edit: The same part number appears common across many E46 models and bodystyles.

There's still protection, but the mount are held by two bolts each side instead of three. Terrible way to force something to fit, imho, especially given the towbar that was fitted (and removed before we got the car!) was allegedly custom made.

Surely a WoF should pick that up? At least, I'd hope so!!

Ta ever so much.