gjm

Sweet. Mrs M's VW Polo 1.6 wasn't a whole lot less than that.

They were $1500. I keep thinking about them, but do I really want 18s for a commute? Probably not. I know where there are some 17" Alpinas, but they need some tidying. Those 18s look pretty good.

Saw a white 7-series (I think - it was just a glance) being driven in a <ahem> 'spirited' fashion from Walters Road along Tironui Road at around 7,20ish this evening...

Looks as though the powers that be have the kms/miles thing covered now. I did breathe a sigh of relief. Car is back from Marshalls. Pre fluid change it drove OK, with just a little occasional rev flaring - sometimes when accelerating the revs would rise, and then the car would 'catch up' - not significant, and not particularly bad, but something that suggested the fluid needed changing. (Really? After 360000km who woulda thunk it?) There was no noticeable notchiness in changes up or down... Generally pretty good. But the fluid looked like dishwater after you've cleaned your barbie in the sink. (You do clean your barbie, don't you?) OK... That's a slight exaggeration, as while it had the consistency of water and was black, there were no particles or foreign matter in it. At all. Post-change and perhaps changes are that little bit slicker than they were. Accelerating from standstill is a little quicker. But that's about the limit of the difference. Of course it was worth doing, and an excellent idea... Good for another 10 years! (OK, maybe not 10 years, but y'know what I mean. ) So, next... Rear brakes discs and pads. The discs are well-worn, and I'm pretty sure the pads are the same. I'll give Brent a call.

That thing is wicked. http://cars.mclaren.com/m6gt.html

That's definitely cool.

The fact it was able to be shared, and you didn't need it all to yourself? Selling cars. I'm terrible at it. I don't think I have ever bought a car simply because I needed transport - pretty much every purchase has been a long-winded and considered one. This means I develop an attachment for my cars, and when I have no space left, tend to find somewhere else to keep them rather than sell. And when I do finally get a grip on reality, I tend to be brutally honest about what I'm selling. None of this 'excellent [or perfect] for year' rubbish; excellent and perfect are (in my opinion) absolutes. It either is, or it isn't. Age has nothing to do with it. And then I detail what I have done, which sometimes raises questions. Why did you have to do so much to it? If you've done all this, why are you selling? And I detail all the little things that are wrong, too. It's probably a subconscious effort to make sure no-one buys it!

Paid some RUC today. Hmm. Intriguing... No mention anywhere of miles or kilometres, other than to say that '1 unit' is 1000km, or 621 miles. There's no mention on the card that goes in the screen, either. So I bought 6 units, and the numbers all match - I didn't get 6000 of anything, 'only' 3726. Which by my calculations means I'm out of pocket by the equivalent of nearly 3.6km! (Cue: Shock, horror, government makes money from innocent tax-paying resident! ) I suspect that somewhere in the registration process there is a section for indicating if the odometer is in miles or kms, and that the RUC are calculated accordingly.

Yup - the 15 seconds of orange oil light after starting the engine refers specifically to the sensor failing, or having failed. At other times, an orange oil light indicates low oil. A red oil light, at any time, indicates low or no oil pressure. This is measured by a completely different sensor system. Think of the in-sump sensor as an inverted dipstick. All it does is check there is oil present. Yes - it is a good idea to get it sorted, but provided you check your oil level regularly in the traditional way (just like you would on any car) then you're unlikely to have a problem.

Booked into Marshalls in Hamilton on Wednesday morning for a trans drain (not flush) and refresh. There is a bit of 'club' in Hamilton - Coombes Johnston (BMW main dealer) will recommend Greg Hantz for work on older cars; Greg recommends speaking to Fabian in the parts department at CJ. Both Greg and Fabian recommend Marshalls (Fabian whispers it, as you'd expect a main dealer to do), but I'm told that Marshalls do a lot of trans work for CJ anyway. Apparently Marshalls don't flush transmissions as it can cause more trouble than it cures, and with the Hydramatic 5L40E and similar belt-less disc-based transmission designs, especially those with some life behind them, I can see how that could be true. Some tiny little particles may be providing frictional 'help' while embedded in the plates, and cleaning them out while filling with lovely new, slippery fluid may cause problems. They drain the trans from the sump, remove and clean the sump, will fit the new filter (I'm supplying) and replace the drain and fill plugs. They also pull the hoses from the cooler and drain as much fluid from there as possible, too. Definitely a job that's easier on a ramp than in a driveway. They'll drop me a t work and pick me up once they are finished. Whatever, it'll be good to get it done. The diff oil was, frankly, astonishingly bad. Still with 360000km behind it, I guess it's allowed to look past its prime. Exchanged messages with Brent re sway bars (I keep calling them anti-roll bars) and will see him as and when the time is right.

You can tell I'm kinda new to BMWs in NZ, can't you? No plans for any M3 mods. I'll see what is available, both in terms or 'bars and suspension when I have other, more important things sorted. Most of the time I'm cruising at 100km/h (honest, officer) on SH1, so there is little real need for any changes. Need... Hmm. Sounds a lot like 'want', to me.

Thanks for the info. I think I read somewhere that M3 'bars, or at least one of them, won't fit a non-M car. Not the same as M-Sport (as I'm learning! ) Edit: An M3 rear bar could fit... With a lot of work. Clearance to the spare wheel well and diff mount is slightly different. Fitting would need custom brackets to be made, extra bushes, and some 'modification' to the spare wheel well. I'm not that concerned, and there are other options, including the Sport kit. 1999/2000 Standard.....Frt 21.5mm....Rr 15mm 1999/2000 Sport...........Frt 24mm.......Rr 19mm 2001+ Sport..................Frt 23.5mm....Rr 18mm 2001+ Standard............Frt 23mm.......Rr 18mm Convertible...................Frt 23.5mm....Rr 20mm M3................................Frt 26mm.......Rr 21.5mm M3 CSL .......................Frt 30.8mm....Rr 22.5mm /edit I plan to have a chat with Brent (in particular) as he's just down the road. Ray... Euroray on TradeMe? Getting the ATF sorted is still the no. 1 priority.

Yup - more than likely. Might a 5-series bar fit? My W201 Mercedes runs a W124 400E bar up front now - make a huge difference. I had to trim 2-3" from each end, and obviously use bigger bushes, but other than that it fits beautifully.

Go have a look. If you're not confident but are interested, it'd be worth having a word with a specialist and ask for a PPI - it'll cost a few bucks, but could save you a lot in the long run. When I bought the 320d, I did as suggested above - included some immediate expenditure in my budget. Regardless, at $3k it'd be cheap wheels. However, I'd expect to see the auction pulled if that is all it got to.

They do... But this is an 'additional' noise. Not your normal clatter or even diesel knock. It is typically more prevalent when under load (high gear up hill) or when accelerating hard. I'll get to the bottom of it. In the meantime, driving out to Maraetai today gave me the chance to explore how the suspension is getting on. Too much roll for my liking (ARB/swaybar upgrade time) and I've no doubt a set of Koni shocks and Eibach springs would bring improvement.

Engine oil and diff oil changed, and a new fuel filter fitted just for good measure. Engine oil was black. Well, it's a diesel. Judging by the reset of the OBC, it's been in there for about 4000 miles (6400km) which means it's getting toward needing doing, in my opinion - 5000 miles seems a reasonable interval. BMW's OBC reckoned it was good for another 9000 miles. The diff oil. Sealed for life, huh? Can I sue BMW for publicly disseminating hopelessly misleading information which will lead to the failure of a major component? Well, hopefully failure won't be a problem any more, but what came out of the diff barely resembled anything I'd call oil. Certainly, lubricating qualities were pretty minimal. OK - I know that BMW's interpretation of 'life', and ours, probably differ considerably. The fuel I changed because I had one, and because I don't know when it was last done. Whatever... It felt like it was driving much better. There's still noises from the engine bay under acceleration that I don't like, but this could be due in part to the possibility that the swirl flaps may have been removed, but no blanks fitted and there's unlikely to have been a remap to compensate. So I have what sounds like diesel knocking - a similar thing to 'pinking' or pre-ignition in a petrol engine. Any recommendations for someone who can do a remap? And I must get the trans sorted. It's reaching the point where the engine revs rise, then I wait for the car to gain speed. A little like a slipping clutch - this ain't a good thing!

An E46 320d Touring in Matamata, earlier today.

OK... I'm drawing a bit of a blank on the trans flush front. Any Hamiltronians able to recommend a good, reputable and competent place to get it done, as opposed to a bozo in a dirty backstreet workshop with a secondhand flushing machine? Found 3 potential operations... Marshall Transmissions - 10 Grasslands Place Mainstreet Transmissions - 13 Manchester Place Hamilton Automotive Repairs - 82 Killarney Road I have no knowledge of any of them. Does anyone? Perhaps by PM if it's not good news.

Yesterday I cleaned it. You know how older cars get - the interior in particular seems to get neglected, and there are marks on the carpets, the seats and pretty much everywhere that just don't go away with a quick wipe over. So it was a wet vac job - long-winded, but definitely worth it. Paintwork was shiny when I finished, too. But now I have found a dent in the tailgate that I didn't know was there! Obviously hidden under a layer of dirt. The paint isn't broken so I'll get a paintless dent removal guy to have a look. Today - engine oil change and diff oil change. Penrite Enviro+ 5W40 for the engine, Castrol Syntrax 75W90 for the diff. I'll get an engine "oil levelling sensor" sorted for later as I anticipate changing the engine oil again over Christmas, and I'll drop and clean the sump when I do it, and replace the sender at the same time. Then I need to find someone who will do a good job of flushing the transmission - I'll have a filter and trans sump gasket later today. I've changed the fluids on Mercedes several times, but never on a BMW, and it looks to be a bit more involved not least because of the lack of gearbox dipstick. Sealed for life, y'see. I'm kinda dreading seeing what comes out of there...

20? Really? Surely with an 8" rim that's going to cause some rubbing, if not poke out the side of the arch? That said, I've not tried it. Or even put a straight edge across the arch and measured back to the rim edge to see what might be possible. I'll be doing that. Most rims quoted for fitting to an E46 seem to be in the et40-47 range. E36 rims may be a little lower, but not so much as to discount them from fitting the E46. I think E90 rims would suit, as would X3 (although they may be heavier). Found this while browsing the net, looking for some info and idea... (It's OK - nothing dodgy!) Made me laugh, though, while admiring one persons tenacity. OK. Back to the topic. Bearing in mind my car is a Touring and not a Coupe or an M3, which makes quite a difference to the amount of space available under the standard arches, how have others found comparisons between 17 and 18" rims on their cars generally, and E46s specifically? Does ride suffer, or do you experience tramlining, thumping or anything else? What is stability like, in the dry and in the wet? I may go for 18s now if I find the 'right' set, but the car would probably look a little odd wearing 18s without a change of suspension. 17s may look a little small but this isn't just about looks - it is about practicality, suitability and comfort, too. Suspension change may come later but unless it fails a WoF or other problems become evident, it is wa-a-ay down the list of jobs to do. Suitability? I'm talking about the effect a significant change of offset will have on the scrub radius. Given this is a daily driver, and for about 250km per day, I want to keep things comfortable. Kiwi roads aren't billiard-table smooth, and the rain we get here can cause all sorts of puddles (and small lakes) on SH1. Having raced a (European) Ford Capri Mk2, I know how it feels to come over some bumps, in the rain, while on the brakes and turning in, only to find the steering wheel is fighting to do it's own thing rather than what I want it to. OK - that's extreme (and we did have huge arches to cover huge rubber) but the principle doesn't change. And my wife will be driving the car too. :-) Of course, suspension changes affect the scrub radius, too. I know there is a lot of suck it and see about rims and tyres, but other peoples experiences may help me to make a better decision, sooner.

7.5L/100km sounds pretty good to me! My '6' might get as far as 8L/100km if I drive incredibly carefully.

Sounds just like mine. Yellow (I think) indicates the sensor is duff, or perhaps not working correctly. Of course, there is something in the engine bay called a dipstick which can be used. Change it out when you next change the oil. If your car has a few miles on it, get a sump gasket too, and drop the oil, remove the sump, clean, replace sensor (with new O-ring; genuine BMW ones have an O-ring, as do Hella, but the Meyle ones might not) and refit. Carefully. Don't overtighten the sump bolts.

OK... Found this. http://www.sycamoreservice.co.uk/BMW-e46_wheels_tyres.html (There is an equivalent page for E39s.) Sadly, and in light of missing the 68s on TradeMe, it looks from this as though they would have fitted without any problem. They cite 'technically possible' wheel and tyre combinations but I think they are referring to BMW OEM size and offset rims, so it may not be a truly comprehensive resource, but it is a good start. All ETs listed (for alloy rims) are in the high 40s, suggesting much less than that will need further investigation and/or check fitting.

I was watching the staggered MM-Sport rims recently on TradeMe, and had asked if they were genuine. While doing my due diligence and checking that they'd fit the Touring (I was pretty sure they would, but wanted to be certain before coughing up $00s) someone else snuck in and bought them. How dare they? ;-) In order to avoid something similar happening in the future, I'd like to get a grasp on what works on an E46 Touring, and what doesn't. I've related elsewhere how my car 'fidgets' on the road, often needing very minor steering inputs. A little research suggests the E46 is particularly prone to this, and any number of factors can cause it to happen. Tyres (type, style, manufacturer, load rating, profile and size), rim offset, alignment (not just wheels but suspension too), front lower wishbone rear bushes, shock absorbers, and even im diameter seem to be a factor. My car runs the 'standard' 16" rims with 205/55-16 tyres - I think the rims are Style 45 16x7 et47. I understand the differences offsets and a change in rim width can make, but not the limits of changes tat can be made. Presumably a 17x8 et15 with 225/45-17s isn't going to work as while it'll clear suspension and brake components, the outer edge will sit 42mm further 'out' from the car. Don't think there is quite room under there to accommodate that! If I am going to increase the size of the rims, it'll probably only be to 17s. These seem to give the best compromise between ride, handling and comfort, and (hopefully) won't make my car, with standard non-sports suspension and no lowering, look like it's standing on tip-toes too much. Suggestions and advice, pretty please!

According to the owners handbook, "approx 63" litres. Is that for your 120d? If so, then my calculated figures (as opposed to the OBC figures) may be pretty accurate.