gjm

Had a bit of a squeaky noise from the front of the engine. A quick look didn't show anything and I'd thought it was perhaps one of the pulleys feeling tired. As a result, driving was limited to 'absolutely essential,' and the 500SE pressed into service for shopping. (Mrs M hates going shopping in that!) Today, pulled things apart and found the aircon belt hanging off the front of the compressor. The smooth side was polished to a lovely sheen, and the ribbed side cracked all the way around, although nothing is missing. We were very lucky - if it had caught on the fan things could have been very bad indeed. These belts never get changed. BMW don't stock them in NZ, and RealOEM only shows a kit comprising belts, pulleys, and so on - p/n 11282339103. However (and for anyone who might need to know) the belt is a 4PK 968. If possible, get a 4PK965 as the 968 has the tensioner almost fully extended; the 965 doesn't fully compress the tensioner but does give a teensy bit of stretch leeway. While you're there, you may want to check the main drive belt, another 'never gets changed' item. Again, RealOEM shows this as a part of a kit, p/n 11282339099. Again, you can buy the belt separately at ~$90+GST from BMW (they have 1 in Auckland, but more often than not bin them when shelf life expires), or from a factor as 6PK2090. The aircon belt can be replaced from under the car (remove the engine undertray), but the main belt will require fan shroud removal, which requires removing the fan.

Sad. Still, in good hands now, eh? (May be worth dropping the sump too.)

Could be poor maintenance prior to you getting it? When in the UK, my Audi was like that. Took 2 or 3 quick oil changes to get things sorted.

The Mazda Tribute we had required a more-or-less complete interior removal to do the handbrake cable.

Yuck. Hopefully next time will be better. How long have you had it?

Driving without due care and attention. Is that an offence in NZ? He's admitted to it when stopped.

Changed the engine oil and filter. In the Mercedes, for a change... 1 hour, end-to-end, including getting everything out of the garage, clearing up afterwards, and even having a cup of tea in the middle. Then went for a nice drive south.

Sabine is an interesting choice. She's a farmer, holds a helicopter pilot's license (she owns a Bell JetRanger) and first raced the 'ring in 1994 at the age of 15. She's clocked 400000 miles 'round the 'ring, won the 24h race twice (^ as Nathan says) and held the lap record at the age of 19 after clocking 8.16 in a Sierra Cosworth. She also held the record for a NA car at 7.07 in a Porsche 997 RSR. She still regularly races professionally, and prefers racing in the wet.

SH1 southbound approaching Te Kauwhata from Hampton Downs is an absolute shambles - craters appearing in the road surface where the surface has been ripped up after the tar has melted. Same problem northbound approaching Dragway Road at Meremere (again). This is an annual event - scrape, tar, chippings, let the traffic bed them in while the cars get chewed by flying stones.

And dogs. Saw a woman in a Micra (or similar) swerving all over the place at 70-80km/h while her dog was trying to lick her face.

Especially when the speed limit itself is an arbitrary number, and not one based on any sort of scientific (or other) investigation.

Apologies, Jason! 4x100, 16x8, et20-25.

I don't doubt this is correct, but it does seem pedantic in the extreme! However, I think it applies to certified changes detailed on the plate, and not to a (reasonable) change of wheel on a standard car. That's a bit of a pain for anyone adhering to the letter of the law. From the LVVTA docs: "you can fit any diameter wheel without the need for an LVV cert as long as the rolling circumference (the distance one turn of the wheel travels on the road) does not increase more than 5% over the original equipment." This applies (afaik) to an otherwise standard car.

I knew certs were tight, but this sounds like overkill! I would have expected that maintaining rolling diameter while not allowing tyres to extend past the wheelarch or rub on suspension components would be fine. I'd heard a number of inspectors have quit over ever-more draconian policies in this area. Still, it's nowhere near as bad as Germany and their TÜV requirements where parts manufacturers are required to extensively test any aftermarket and non-standard components. At least here the decision to modify is in the hands of the vehicle owner.

I have 16x7.5 Momos if they might be useful?

American reporting suggests Chris Harris and Sabine are 'unknowns'! Oh, 'merica. You're so last century.

Fair points. She may surprise us, though. Chris Evans will overdo trying not to be Clarkson while trying to be funny.

Lookin' good, John.

Latest news: Ginger to be joined by Chris Harris and Sabine Schmidt. So Ginger just went from front man to weak link.

Well, that's what the listing says. http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-924170424.htm Gotta be rare, right?

Any idea of the cost associated with the testing? I reiterated what I was told by a Castrol Racing rep when I said they're the same, but that doesn't mean he wasn't wrong! I recall years ago people saying how superior ATE Blue brake fluid was when compared to the 'normal' Gold. These genuinely are identical fluids: ATE used a different colour to speed when the user could identify new fluid in a fluid change. Of course, that reasoning doesn't apply with engine oil!

I have a very similar set made by Draper. Originally bought for replacing the front shocks on Mrs M's Mk3 Golf, they've been very, very useful ever since. Only downside is that the head of the ratchet is, of necessity, quite large and sometimes too large to get into some spaces. Conventional sockets have their place, too. http://www.lowes.com/pd_451559-22328-89853___?productId=4771537 They're cheap! And another of those 'right tool for the job' tools. Excellent find. If you have any spares, I'd be keen to help make some space in your toolbox.

A genuine dual-mass flywheel for your car will be US$7-800, so over NZ$1k. You can get a LUK pattern part for a little over half that. Regardless, either could be a lot more than they were expecting so they could have cut corners. You don't say where you are so we can't recommend someone to take it to for an inspection, but this is not right. It won't get better with time.

BMW TSB SI B11 08 98 regarding engine oil for M engines calls for "Castrol RS SAE 10W-60 Synthetic Oil also called Castrol TWS Motorsport SAE 10W-60 Synthetic Oil". Castrol RS is the pre-2000 formulation. After 2000, Castrol RS product was reformulated and lost its BMW approval. According to Castrol, EDGE 10w-60 is the same as TWS. The pre-2000 RS formula, Castrol TWS Motorsport SAE 10W-60 Synthetic Oil, and Castrol Edge 10w-60 have a higher film strength than other Castrol 10w-60 oils. The BMW Approved product is ester-based and a direct competitor to ELF and Motul ester racing oils, while the non-approved formulations are PAO based. You can normally buy Castrol EDGE 10w-60 at Supercheap. Edit: Or go to a BMW dealership, as Glenn suggests.

Cheaper than the last item, the Sidewinder is a very useful tool for those situations where you want a ratchet but don't have space to swing the handle back and forth. http://www.wellforce-osk.com/detail.aspx?itemno=21300&productid=412&pfourmenu=11 Prices vary (of course) but they're on Amazon for under US $35.