gjm

Kyu - I'll take them if they've not been snapped up overnight.

Fitted a new battery in the 320d. Probably about time - the one I've taken out is original, so 14 years old. It was just not cranking fast or hard enough on cold mornings any more. (I know how it feels!)

Thanks Andy. Replied, and payment sent.

I'd like the fuel filter, please. Part 1 of the 'just bought a car servicing' for Miss M's car.

Stuck open I can live with. Removed entirely raises a lot more questions... PO tells me he's replaced the radiator and (I think) the top hose. Expansion tank looks to be in good condition.

Likely to be thermostat, or coolant temp sensor? Or something else entirely?

Well, it's home. And it's dark, so no pics. Temp gauge struggles to climb out of cold. Needs a gear knob, and the rearview mirror wobbles like a nodding dog. It's been lowered, the arches have been rolled, and there's signs of rubbing so we'll need to touch that up. Curiously, and contrary to Jared's post, this one actually seems to like a few revs, and goes fairly well above 3-4k. Assuming the forecast storms don't roll in over night, I'll have a far better look over tomorrow.

First episode of the Chris Evans-led Top gear scheduled for May 29th in the UK, May 30th everywhere else. Some content: Chris Evans & Sabine Schmitz: Dodge Viper ACR vs Corvette Z06 in Nevada Matt LeBlanc in the Ariel Nomad Evans vs LeBlanc in Reliant Rialtos Guests said to be Gordon Ramsey and Jesse Eisenberg

That's the concise version of wht I found. More power from a M43B18? Replace it. Not entirely true of course, but there are other, far more easily tune-able engines around. However, the M43 is (as far as I can tell) a good, solid, reliable and easy-to-work-on lump. And it makes plenty of power for a first car.

Favourite coolant leak location for an E46 is the heater matrix. This is the part of the car that the rest of the car is built around. First the heater matrix, then the rear axle, gearbox, the seats, dash and interior, body panels, engine.. You get the idea. Guess what needs to come out to get at the heater matrix?

The fabric looks pretty good, but I know little to nothing about headlinings, let alone in an E36. To be honest, 'er ladyship was far more impressed with a clean engine bay, comfy seats, and a headunit that will accept an input from her phone. (Have I completely wasted my time? We'll see!) A bit of sag in the headlining really didn't bother her.

Sweet.

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.