gjm

We're around 430000km and adding around 1000 a week at the moment.

Zorst - fixed. The middle pipe had split, and quite bady, in two places. Someone has at some point had a similar problem and tried to MIG repair it - that really doesn't work on stainless, but we've had the car for nearly 12 months and it'd not been a problem until very recently. The vibration looks likely to be due to an occasionally binding near side front brake. Possibly a piston not releasing properly, or sticking.

I'll do that.

I think Turners will deliver anywhere, but they'll charge you. Probably even for an inter-branch transfer. It's just over an hour from Sylvia Park. If you do see it and decide to buy, I can probably arrange to get it halfway - I'm working in Hamilton and living in Te Kauwhata.

Hopefully I'll be there on Sunday to tell the tale!

Locally and quickly, probably not easy. There may be a genuine BMW part on a shelf in a warehouse, but equally likely is that it would be ex-Germany. Pattern parts for the 320d are a bit thin on the ground in NZ - not actually a problem providing you remember this, and plan a little in advance. The part is available from Europe (and probably elsewhere) Unfortunately, when an exhaust splits (as this has) then it's time. Now, kinda thing. And it's not really practical to wait 'til something arrives from overseas. On this occasion it's as much a price thing as anything else. Genuine BMW exhaust parts are more than likely very expensive (I saw EUR 300+ ex-Europe), so this seems a sensible approach on this occasion. Cheapest pattern part readily available from Europe is around EUR 125 plus shipping; Geddes quoted about $150 for something made to order.

You've not missed it - it's perhaps an oversight on my part. This started as a comparison of the relative fuel-related costs for a vehicle using LPG and other fuels. However, I've realised that unless I can spend fairly big and get something with a full multi-point LPG system which uses some method to amend the EMS and alter timing accordingly, then it is probably either a waste of time, or potentially more trouble than it's worth. Fortunately it's not imperative we do something now, but this has (for me) been very useful in focusing my thoughts. Thanks to everyone for that! It'll also be invaluable when the time does come to acquire something a little bigger.

OK, so the custom exhaust idea, while an option, isn't an option. Timeframes just don't fit. He's stacked out with race work (in fairness - he'll make a lot more money from that than he ever will from me and I completely understand) and while he may be able to fit me in towards the end of next week, it's much more likely to be the week after. The racket this is making, I really don't want to wait that long. It is part number 2 on the diagram below. And that is - quite literally - more than the price of a complete (well, downpipe back) custom exhaust system. So I've spoken to Geddes Automotive in Onehunga and will take the car in there first thing in the morning. They've been around a while and hopefully longevity is some indication of decent work. I'm not looking for a complete system, just a replacement for that part. The problem? It looks as though there has been an issue with that section of the exhaust in the past as there are signs of welding in two places (behind the cat, and at the bend), and those welds are breaking up. While it sounds like loose pieces of metal, it's just that type of blow on the exhaust. I've packed under the bracket to support the pipe as a very temporary measure and this has quietened things down considerably. Hopefully for long enough to get it sorted. This feels a little like a bodge fix, which I really don't like, but it's a 'good' bodge. I'm taking bad and broken stuff off the car and replacing with something good.

So the exhaust is making a lot of rattling noises. No blow or unusual roar, just the sound of pieces of metal banging around. Could be a loose heat shield, could be the cat falling apart, could be baffles. Hopefully find out later. Spoke to someone today and was quoted "700 or 800 bucks" for a custom-made, tig-welded stainless system with mandrel bends. That's food for thought. Just buying a back box in from Germany would cost more than that.

Kinda liked the idea of a Fairmont EB2, but I guess the 5.0 V8 isn't going to be quite so economical? I'm unsure where the conception came from that LRs and RRs are so expensive to maintain, or so unreliable. 20 years living and working with, and on, them in the UK suggests otherwise, but they are 12000 miles from home over here. Maybe they're pining for the muddy lanes of Blighty? We've found several properties that we really like, and all are on unsealed roads. In one case, calling the road unsealed is a kindness... To be fair, it's probably as much a reflection on where we're looking as anything else. We did take the 320d over one such road: Klondyke Road, Onewhero - Port Waikato. Didn't realise it was quite like that... Mrs M assures me we won't do that again in anything less than a 'proper' 4x4! It wasn't really a problem, but there are certainly better vehicles for that trip.

I've missed charcoal BBQs ever since we got here! Gas barbies are kinda like moving your kitchen outside, and then having yer Missus tell you what you're doing wrong... You're a bad person. I'm telling my daughter. Lol. But for those who have suggested it - the idea of borrowing a float when needed had occurred to me. I'm trying to take a more 'proactive' approach by not getting a horse in the first place!

Lol I have a potential plan, but I'm going to let the idea settle for a day or two.

We're in the $000s bracket, and sadly not the $0000s range! If I had that sort of money available there's an AMG C55 I'd quite like...

Towing duties will be varied. Lifestyle block type stuff, or car trailer. Something smaller won't worry about those, but Miss and Mrs M seem to have their sights set on a horse. Of course, owning a horse doesn't mean a float is needed, just simpler. Frankly that sounds like an expense we just don't need at the moment. (Or ever!) I've held off looking closely at Holdens and Fords. Perhaps it is now time.

It's a balancing act. In the UK, my daily driver was a late 80s Mercedes 300SE. The likely difference between it's sale value, and the purchase price of a newer more economical car (which would depreciate), paid for a huge amount of petrol! I quite like the older X-Trail. Heard some very scarey things about the diesel engine fitted in them, though. Maybe unfortunately I grew up around Land Rovers and their posh cousins, and have some very fond memories.

I've replaced wheel bearings before. This doesn't come anywhere close to that experience. There's no problem. Then there is. Then there isn't. There's no middle ground, no gradual worsening or reduction in severity. It does or it doesn't. My experience with bearings is that they rumble and the effect is noticeable pretty much all the time. F'rinstance, I had the issue this morning - left home and all was fine, slowed coming off the two-lane piece of SH1 on the way south into Huntly and suddenly there was the vibration. Completely cleared a few minutes later (during my investigation) and I've since driven from Huntly to Hamilton, Hamilton to Manukau, and back to Te Kauwhata with no hint of any problem. I'm hoping something comes up on a code read.

Lol Drove a Kia Sorrento hire car - once. Never again. Understeered for the world understeering championships, and that was at around 65km/h on a moderate constant-radius two-lane corner. I really wondered if we were going to make it. Of course, that's a people carrier type vehicle, and not a 4x4 or even a soft-road SUV. Exploring options and seeking experience at the moment. There's the usual contradictory info available on the 'net - buy a diesel because it is torquey and economical. (A Range Rover DSE has some appeal and a BMW engine - can't stretch to the TDV8.) Or buy a LPG-converted V8 something-or-other for the power. Reduction in economy is more than made up by lower fuel price. LPG is fine when done properly. That means with proper engine management updates to account for the significantly different octane ratings of the fuels used. There was a race team in the UK who used LPG very successfully, but then fell foul of new engine mod rules designed to prohibit or restrict some types of petrol-engine tuning. My comment about manufacturer-fitted LPG systems stemmed from a conversation with a service manager at a main Ford dealer. He said his sole consolation was that Ford were no worse (in this respect) than anyone else, and that it was a shame the car manufacturers didn't keep up with developments. I guess it's more difficult as a mass-manufacturer to make those sort of changes.

Feeling the vibration is definitely road speed related; I don't think engine speed plays a part. When the problem is occurring, there's very little noticeable vibration below 50-60km/h. Above that it becomes quite pronounced. (I've underlined 'vibration' to acknowledge something is happening at lower speeds.) It's only by being critical that there is any obvious issue at very slow speed. It's definitely there, but manifests as a repeated 'rub' rather than any sort of vibration. It's almost as though the caliper is being repeatedly activated and momentarily pressing on the disc, over and over again. Not to actually brake and stop the car, just to control speed. Hmm... Cruise control? Don't think so - it happens without cruise control being activated. Mrs M doesn't use (know how to use?) the cruise control, and she has experienced the problem too. Bear in mind that this rubbing sensation is far from normal. Ordinarily - 99%+ of the time - there is absolutely no issue of any sort: no vibration at any speed, no slow speed rubbing sensation. It is only after the higher speed vibration has manifested that the slow speed issue can be detected. Using the brakes may, or may not, help alleviate the issue. It's quite difficult to describe. One of those "if you were there you'd know what I mean" things! I think a code read is in order. It's easier and faster than trying to take things apart in the hope of finding what is going on.

Ta. Definitely would be looking at an already converted vehicle, and one running a multipoint set up. There's a few Ford Explorers around that have been converted, but the older ones are almost exclusively singlepoint (mixer) type conversions, and can be problematic. Early days. Not in a rush, and tbh can't justify (practically or financially) doing anything immediately. Manufacturer (such as Ford, etc) fitted kits carry a bit of a question mark. Typically they aren't as good as the aftermarket professionally-fitted setups, but the price difference may negate that.

This just gets stranger. I've had the car in the air. Nothing seems loose or worn. And the problem is still very intermittent. There's no pattern to when or where it occurs. Rough roads, gravel, highway... It happened again this morning. First time in about 3 weeks. However... I obviously stopped and was lucky enough to get on to a reasonably smooth, straight and traffic-free piece of road. Usual quick check revealed nothing (engine left running) so I got back in and very, very gently eased away. It was immediately evident that something is wrong - it felt like a badly warped brake disc, but not necessarily with the regularity I would expect from a warp - it seemed there was more than one rotation between the rubbing sensation. There was a definite resistance to moving, and it was easy to feel a regular 'grab'. Not enough to stop the car, but sufficient to notice it. So... A brake-related problem, perhaps. The brakes work well, and all discs and pads were replaced not very long ago with good (but not genuine BMW) parts sourced from a very nice and reputable, well-known to the BMW community, supplier. I stopped again, checked the discs - no evidence of a high spot, but this was at the roadside and as such not a thorough inspection. A few minutes later and there's no issue of any sort, again. I've not come across this before, but could something duff in the ABS cause this?

I'm sure LPG must have been discussed on here at some point, but a search didn't turn up any results. We've seen discussions around the merits (or otherwise) of diesel and petrol, and how it's not quite as straightforward as diesel is cheaper, many diesel cars are more economical, but there are RUCs to be paid and rego costs more. Curiously, looking at RUC costs, NZTA refer to vehicles as having petrol or non-petrol engines. Non-petrol engines attract a higher charge for rego. It turns out we may be moving house, to somewhere quite rural. Certainly we're spending more time visiting folk who live in places where sealed road surfaces are less common, and there's been far too many occasions when the underbody guard has rubbed something. I thought about a small SUV before, but as many pointed out - they tend to be less economical than a 'normal' car, less nice to drive, and potentially less safe in an accident. They'll also often not tow much more than a car, and that could become relevant. So, a 'proper' SUV. Something Land Rover Discovery, Range Rover or similar size. The diesel versions (of an age and at a price we'd consider at present) tend to be a little lack-lustre. Talking to some folk in Europe they suggested looking at LPG conversions. And so the fun starts. If a vehicle can run on petrol or LPG, does it fall into the petrol-engined rego class? Has anyone done a similar check to find the relative economies of running on LPG and petrol?

Burnt-orange-coloured (with black wheels) M4 in Hamilton today, driven by an older gent. Nice colour for it, I thought.

I'd opt for the full change - fluid, drop the pan and replace the filter - every 100,000km. Flushing may not always be a good idea - this pushes all the old stuff, and any foreign matter through the trans. Or so I've been told. Marshalls in Hamilton did our E46 at something over 200,000 miles... The fluid that came out was thin and water-like, but fortunately no bits of any sort. Marshalls recommend every 25000km, which I think is as much about them making a job for themselves as anything else. (And it'd mean them changing ours 3 times a year at $250 a time...)

I suspect the mileage covered may be having some effect on economy. There is a good chance the turbo is a bit tired, and it's something I'm looking to replace. Deleting the front cat seemed to make a difference when driving - whether it improved economy is hard to say. Economy was better when I was driving from Clevedon south and back (we're now in Te Kauwhata), but Mrs M has been putting the lion's share of the miles on the car recently, ferrying Miss M to and from school. That's meant more less-than-ideal driving. My Mercedes does 10 or 11km to a litre - more if I drive really carefully - but they were never a particularly economical car and some of the things I've done may not help much. Lovely to drive, though.

Sounds like the job I'm contemplating, albeit on an E46. How did you get on?