gjm

Awesome car. Glad it won't be wrecked.

There was someone on Facebook looking for these.

And... Sold.

3DDesign kit under offer.

Thanks. I'll bear it in mind.

May have to... Mrs M has arthritis and is starting to find it harder to get in and out of the 320d.

The ACS / Eibach sway bars have gone. Next up: The balance of the suspension I bought a while back. It is designed for use on all 6-cylinder E46 saloons and coupes but probably not the M3 (although I have seen the same part number quoted for the M3 and other models); Ohlins list a different part number for the M3. This is from the Japanese BMW tuners, 3DDesign, who partner with Ohlins to develop suspension solutions. 3DDesign was founded in 1998 and initially focused exclusively on high-end suspension components. In 2012 they expanded into styling and other parts for BMWs and BMW Minis. I bought this kit secondhand, but it has sat on a shelf in the garage ever since. The 3DDesign page for the kit is here and the pic on that page shows all the parts included - some of the rubbers are cable-tied to the springs in the pic of the kit I have (above). They have 20-way damping adjustment, and use the original BMW top mounts. The webpage is in Japanese, so to help everyone out I have reproduced the info: New price, ex-Japan is \339,000, currently just over NZ$4000. (I've seen the same kit for JPY336,830 and USD 2950. Normally I'd ask 50% of new (or discounted) price but I didn't pay that. Asking $1100.

Fixed.

Well, Kerosene didn't touch it. Andrew - I'll drop you a line. Thanks.

I'd not thought of Autosol... So - two schools of thought. Solvent-based, or polish/abrasion. Any thoughts on use of White Spirit or Kerosene? I'd have water on hand to immediately wash the affected area, and expect to polish afterwards.

We're not sure exactly when it happened, but some ^$#@&^&* rubbed their car against the rear bumper of ours. There's no obvious actual damage - no splits or even serious scrapes - but it has left a red streak across the blue bumper. What's best for removing this? I was thinking something like T-Cut.

A mate in the UK took his test in his Dad's Mercedes E55 wagon after the instructors car was driven into on the way to the testing centre... He passed, but did say he was concerned about parallel parking a bus instead of a Fiesta.

Shhh! Don't tell everyone my secrets!

I like it. Less to go wrong.

Payment received - sold.

On hold, pending payment.

I'll get a price for shipping.

Apologies if this has been posted before. I had a look but didn't find anything. This list is mainly from https://www.vorshlag.com/bars.php. I've added a couple of entries.

Some time ago I acquired some very nice suspension parts for our 320D but for a number of reasons it now seems unlikely we'll be using them. Mainly, Mrs M's arthritis isn't getting any better and it may be pragmatic to buy a vehicle which is a little taller so she can get in and out more easily. This is a pair of AC Schnitzer sway bars (anti-roll bars, as we of English origin call them ). They are made for ACS by Eibach. Vivid Racing list the ACS bars at $1384 (less discounts and so on); the Eibach bars are listed at $700. (Both plus shipping and so on.) You may not be able to see it clearly in the pic, but both names are clearly printed on both bars. Part numbers are 313546311 (front) and 313546312 (rear). The ACS p/n for the set is 313546310. The Eibach p/n for the set is E2066-320. I'm told these will fit all E46s, except (perhaps) the M3. Front bar is 27mm; rear bar is 21mm. Don't fit just the front - fit both. Your car will understeer if you fit just the front bar. What's in the pic is what is included, so you get the links and all bushes too. All bushes look to be in good condition. Asking $350 - half new listed and discounted price..

http://www.bmwstylewheels.com/bmw/109

Yup - M9 concept. I'd not seen it. Took a 15-year old girl to bring it to my attention!

I agree - there is no doubt the Bridgestones should be a much better tyre. Does the $980 include all the fitting and disposal? Good price, regardless. Unfortunately I didn't have the opportunity to shop around or the price may have been lower, or the solution different. I had bought a set of rims and tyres and despite a thorough check of the tyres (tread, cracks, age, manufacture) suggesting they were fine, it looks as though they may have been fitted to a car which was parked with the tyres flat for a long period of time - all were misshapen, out of round and similar. In the absence of a reliable way to spin them up, it is sadly the sort of thing you find when driving, rather than looking. Replacement tyres were essential, immediately, and at a time when we didn't have money to buy them. Good, cheap tyres were the order of the day. (There are many much cheaper ones we might have been able to get, but I won't fit something if I am unsure of the quality and safety.) Hankooks are typically good. Bridgestones are typically better. As Ron points out, it is important to look at the driving you're doing. 200km+ per day at ~100km/h on SH1 is very different to spirited driving on a more rural road.

I think these are 30mm front, 25mm rear. A nice, sensible drop for a standard height car.

Just for future reference: Hankook H457s, 205/55-16 - 4 new tyres fitted and balanced: $500 Hankook Optimo N426, 215/45-17 - 4 new tyres fitted and balanced: $780 (including disposal of old tyres) Neither of these are the last word in performance but they aren't marketed as such: they are a 'Grand Touring All Season' tyre. After many thousands of kms, I'm happy to say they are very good. Not great perhaps, but we've not been looking for the last few % of performance. They grip well in the dry, and give no cause for concern whatsoever in the wet, even last night on SH1 with a moderate to heavy swell and whitecaps driven by high winds from the south. (If you were out there, you'll know what I mean! A boat would perhaps have been more suited to the conditions.) They wear well, too and let's face it - with our mileage that's a consideration.