gjm

http://www.ivini-apps.com/apps_detail_bmwhat_android.html Looks to ship from Germany.

I keep thinking of getting something like this for the 320d. Reading codes is probably all I'm looking for - not looking to write anything back (at this stage...) I'd got as far as looking on TM for readers but hadn't come across Torque, and hadn't really considered using a phone for it. (Bloody WindozePhone anyway.) I have an older rooted and hacked HTC Desire which might just suit, though.

I'd not considered that. The service indicator on the 320d suggests over 13000 miles between services. Not a chance - I'd never have it go that long. Maybe half that but no more (bearing in mind most of the use is on the motorway), and then only because I use good oil.

'Murray' - whoever that may be - seems to think so. I'm not sure. But I'm not in the market for a mint E30.

Ordering up some bits'n'pieces for a seasonal service. Oil filters (I'm considering buying in bulk), trans filter and gasket, and considering another airfilter - it's been 12 months and nearly 40000 miles (60000km) since the last one. It won't hurt, and I want to get in and check exactly what was done when the swirl flaps were removed. At present, I don't know if they were blanked off - not blanking means a slight reduction in bottom end power, but that's all. Not removing the swirl flaps means bits of metal could be ingested by the turbo and inlet... I'm hoping I'll have a shiny new turbo, proper de-cat downpipe and EGR bypass kit to fit, too. I can drop the exhaust before working on the tranny which will save the possibility of the burning ATF smell I had last time this was done. I'll check the engine and gearbox mounts while I'm at it. Need to check if I have replaced the fuel filter.

The E34. I would have, but for other things that have happened.

To be perfectly honest, the 3-series Touring boot space isn't great. Good enough for us (and I've even carried a 2400x800mm table in ours!) but I can see how one or two more bulky items could quickly take up most of the useful space. I've toyed with the idea of a 5-series on several occasions, but just can't justify changing at the moment.

I don't suppose the 318i Touring has a towbar?

Looks fun.

These need a new home. Make me an offer?

"As is where is" is presented differently in the UK. The majority of sellers will use the phrase "sold as seen" to mean the same thing.

Looks cheap compared to this one...

Anywhere that begins with 'O'...? I quite like Onehunga, actuially. We're scratching our heads a little because while we'd like to be able to walk to the shops, cafes, etc, we also want the quiet and tranquility that comes from living somewhere significantly more rural. Mutually exclusive requirements, really. Right now we're digging in, sucking up the commute, and trying to get a viable plan together. We've been through some tough times - less than 18 months ago we were literally penniless - and there's no sense in making life any more difficult for ourselves than is really necessary. I've a new job, Carol's looking for work, Bex is doing well at school... It's coming together.

JPS BMW 325i GrpA There's a thread about dreaming. Could easily apply to me, when I saw this...

Yeah, sorry about that. Maybe I'll do some radical stuff over Christmas. See if I can take something that's working anyway, and try to fix it.

My view on affordability is probably slightly skewed. In the UK, maximum mortgage lending is calculated based on income, as it is here, but the upper limits tend to be around 3.5x, and not 5+. Difficulties with getting on the ladder are much the same, and while I have been thinking housing prices may be lower, I'm probably comparing a more regional figure with that of one of the fastest growing cities - Auckland. As for the sale of first time buyer homes - conversations recently with more rural agents (who will still have a better view of what is going on in the city than I do) suggest that the sale of ftb-type homes has barely faltered. The difference is that investors, speculators and landlords are stepping in, waving wads of cash leveraged off their current property portfolio, and snapping up ftb properties whenever possible, typically at well below advertised price. They can do this because a sale is a sale, and the real ftbs can't get the funds together. I think it was the governor of the RBNZ who suggested the problem with lowering the deposit requirements now would cause a sudden influx of buyers, and push prices even higher. Of course, had the 20% deposit threshold not been instigated, we might not have the log-jam we currently do! Or, conversely, maybe we'd be worse off... I'm not an economist. The new CVs are interesting. Realtors have for some time been citing that CVs are out of date and bear no relevance to property prices, and that buying at 30-60% over CV represented good sense because the CVs were going to change, and dramatically, upwards. That has happened in some areas, but much of Franklin has seen little change in CV. So the realtors are saying the properties are even more of a bargain now that the councils have undervalued them! I think I need to get on that bandwagon. Just need to exorcise my soul, first.

I've lived in worse! I'd not looked to see what was available. Was Henderson/Waitakere a chosen location, or just where the properties happened to turn up?

Nothing to report. Sorry. Get in, turn key, start, drive... Buy RUCs, put fuel in, drive... Repeat... Another service due in about 2500 miles or so. Just before Christmas, then.

Sounds a little like a justification for the actions taken by the National party, and an upbeat 'prices will rise' diatribe. Which, coming from the MD of Barfoot & Thompson, is to be expected. You could rewrite parts of this to give a completely different slant, by changing just a few words. For instance, "it represents what people with the ability to do so are prepared to pay to obtain the property of their choice in the current market" could just as easily say "it represents what people with the ability to do so are being forced to pay to obtain the property of their choice in the current market." Similarly, the notes around first time buyers could as easily say that ftbs will have to wait a long time before affordable property becomes available in Auckland. For anyone trying to buy a house, the numbers are scary. stuff.co.nz said, around the time the 20% deposit instruction came down (I know there are dispensatons for smaller deposits, but try and get one...) that all it would take is saving for a little longer. Hmm. Let's see... How much can the average person/couple save in 12 months, bearing in mind that at 12% increase per annum (quoted by Mr B&T) the price will have gone up by nearly $50k (based on a $400k property). Obviously they don't need to save an additional $50k - they need $10k more. Not impossible, but frustrating. For reference, Stats NZ quoted (12 months ago, and only provided a mean as opposed to a median which may be more relevant) the average hourly wage at $27.55 an hour, or ~$55,000 a year based on a 40 hour week. ANZ suggest this income (single person, 1 car) could support a $315000 mortgage based on a 5% ($17k) deposit. You could buy something down our way for that, but I don't know what you'd get in Auckland for ~$330k.

Not enough fuel, or too much? What's the economy like - any worse than when you bought it? How much oil does it use? Is it losing any coolant? Does the engine overheat at all? Any white smoke on start up? The 250t has the 2.5 twin cam engine, and can be prone to head gasket failure which (on the twin cam) manifests as bubbles in overflow reservoir (this is gas from combustion), an oily residue on the walls of the coolant overflow reservoir, and occasional engine overheating. It's not as easy to diagnose as the gasket fails 'internally' - there's no obvious outward signs of failure, and any symptoms can be difficult to reproduce. If it is a head gasket problem - check the radiator cap. Actually, do this anyway. These fail, allow too much pressure to build up in the cooling system, and could cause the original problem. If it is overheating at all, get it sorted ASAP. Repeated overheating will crack a cylinder head, and in the case of the 2.5, possibly the block. See here for more info on this. Of course, it could be something else entirely.

I was in 'windy' Welly on Thursday and Friday. Thursday - hang on to your hat. Friday, sailing in the harbour may have been difficult. You'd not have got your craft to move. Oddly it felt warmer on Thursday than Friday... Anyone see 'The Block' last night? 3 bedrooms on under 400sq m of land, selling for $1.5m. Crazy. Nice location for some, perhaps, but crazy.

If you have studs and can 'hang' the gasket, don't use a sealant. I don't know the technical reasons, but I've found that using a sealant in situations like that can actually be counter-productive. Carb to manifold, fitting a water pump (and similar) I'd use a sealant (normally Hylomar - if it's good enough for Rolls Royce turbines it's good enough for me) but not on a manifold to head joint.

I have these for sale... Not quite the same and I appreciate they may not be what you're looking for. But very cheap!

I have 17x7s from an E46, but appreciate they may not be wide enough.

See here: http://bimmersport.co.nz/topic/50039-bmw-airbag-recall