gjm

I meant to have a look in the owners manual to see if it says. (Yup - even got a full wallet of books with the car!) Thanks for that! I'll be printing it out and spending time 'playing' in the car.

Hmm... 17s. A little more research (it never ends) suggests that my car is a 'Business' version. You may be able to substitute 'economy' or 'base spec' for business - it didn't get much by way of options. Cloth seats (not a problem - anyone sat on a very hot leather seat lately?), standard suspension (almost all 330ds, for example, seem to have sports suspension), and so on. Stock 16" rims... At least they aren't steel! However, it does raise the question of whether a larger rim is going to look OK without suspension work. Julian's 65s are pictured on a lowered saloon, and the blue Touring I pictured earlier has sports kit. That aside, I think that if a rim will fit a saloon without rubbing issues, it'll fit a Touring. Coupe rims may be a different matter - stock M3 rear rims won't (as far as I can tell) fit on the back of a Touring so I need to be careful with offsets and/or tyre width.

Hmm. Certainly got potential, although I suspect the car in this pic has been dropped a reasonable amount.

Naah.... Maybe a set of Konis, but not a bodykit. Too much work!

Filled up with diesel this morning. $80, at $1.42.9 per litre, so 55.99 litres. Odometer says 542.6 miles, so that's 873km (near enough). The computer told me I was getting 61.4mpg, or well over 20km per litre. Hmm... That doesn't match with what the fill up tells me - 15.6 km per litre (around 45mpg, which is exactly what a UK car guide says the car will do, as an average). However, using a 10c per litre discount voucher, fill up cost was $74.40. Add $47 for RUC, and that's under $125 per week, as opposed to petrol at $110 twice a week that I was using. (Computer says 4.6 litres per 100km; actual fill up says 6.4 litres per 100km. I think that covers all the economy bases. ) So, much more economical in all respects, but something, somewhere isn't quite adding up. Curious. Little yellow oil light keeps appearing on the dash when I start up. Time for a new 'oil levelling sensor'; glad I've not changed the oil. I'll get a sump gasket, drop the oil, drop the sump, clean everything up and refit. And put some nice, clean, new oil in. I suspect it is way overdue - the service indicator says over 9000 miles to go, but I completely disagree with that.

Need two new tyres pretty quickly, if not immediately... Not my favourite style but would certainly work and in many people's opinion, suit the car well. I've been look at a set of Alpinas (17x8 et46) but while they have four yres with lots tread, two of the tyres are of uncertain manufacturing quality, and the rims have had some significant kerbing. And these ^ are a lot closer to home (for me).

LOL. Aren't I brave when she's not around?

It's a convincing argument... Except for one teensy thing. Mrs M can't drive stick. Well, she can, but a back injury means I'd have to lift her out of the car afterwards. Then I might have a back injury, too.

Been doing some research into the 'sealed for life' (yeah, right... Short life, then?) automatic gearbox fitted to my car. It is the BMW A5S390R, aka the GM 5L40E. It's used in the E46 328i, 328Ci, 330d and 330Cd (coupe, convertible, saloon and touring), E39 525d and 530d, E83 X3 3.0D with four wheel drive, and E53 X5 3.0D with four wheel drive. Maybe others, too. BMW also built/supplied the A5S360R, but as far as I can tell the only significant difference is the torque handling capacity - A (automatic) 5 (five) S (speeds) XXX (maximum torque rating) R (Manufacturer: R=Hydramatic/GM Z=ZF). Curiously, the GM designation appears to remain unchanged regardless. The attached doc is specifically for the E39, but contains a lot of useful information specific to the 360 & 390 series transmissions too. It shows the location of the plugs and gives some info regarding what is expected during the change procedure. If you're looking for details of the change procedure itself, start here. Fluids... Lots of misdirection around this. The current consensus seems to be to stick with Dexron VI, and you'll be fine. This has been used in several countries, and over tens of thousands of kms without any reported issues (that I have found). At least, no issues directly related to the choice of fluid. Lots of discussion around oil manufacturer, but that's another matter. BMW did supply a fluid, which was superceded by a different BMW part number, and then (it seems) discontinued. Latest advice is to use Dexron VI, although some older Dexron specs including III would probably suit. When changing the fluid, change the filter (and transmission sump gasket). Expensive from BMW, cheaper elsewhere (of course) but check carefully the part number as there are two or three different types. Again, these may correlate to the 360 or 390-series gearboxes, but I have no confirmation of this (yet). Not sure on the procedure for draining all fluid from the transmission system; the gearbox itself holds about half of the fluid, witht he rest in the cooler, pipework and torque converter. Many torque converters also have a drain plug, so I'll see if this is true of the GM 'boxes. BMW_E39_Transmission_Fluid_Information.pdf

I did look at an E39 540i a while back, before I bought the Merc - a white (allegedly) M-sport one. The seller was claiming all sorts of hostory for it and to be fair it really did look the part, and gave every impression of being pampered and looked after. However, when pressed for any sort fo evidence that various things had been done, he went very, very quiet, ending with 'it is what it is' and 'come on - it is over 10 years old' type comments. I may have missed out. Or I may have dodged a bullet. Dunno. Regardless, it's good to know that a balance is being maintained. Driving economically and hearing how many kms per litre someone gets is hardly page-turning, edge-of-the-seat stuff, but for me (at the moment) it is a fact of life. With fuel prices going the way they are, I may not be in such a minority for long!

I'm up for that test! Given the condition of the tyres, we may (need to) find out sooner rather than later. As for your last tag... I think the closet door is open.

Actually, I've done ~400 miles and... etc, etc. But that's possibly the main reason why I bought it! I was getting a bit fed up buying lots of petrol 2 or 3 times a week; buying diesel once seems much more reasonable. Of course, enjoying driving is also important.

Not quite the magnificent weekend of achievement I'd hoped for, but I have done some stuff. Replaced the intake air filter. I think we can agree that was a job that needed doing. Also replaced the cabin air filter which provided a very similar comparison. Replaced the oil separator. Probably didn't need doing as it was running the later 'vortex' type, but I now know it'll be good for quite some time. I think these can actually be cleaned, anyway. Sadly, that's all the good stuff. Didn't get the inlet manifold off, or the engine oil changed. Haven't got a transmission filter and gasket yet, so that's not sorted either. Did get time for some more swirl-flap related research and it is quite possible the flaps were removed and nothing else done - no blanking plates, no remap. And I've found that there has been a 'knock' at some stage - the offside front wing is pressed against the leading corner of the bonnet, causing a very slight deformation to the bonnet. The wing looks fine, but close inspection shows the indicator doesn't quite fit properly. More investigation needed. Other than that, all good. Must get the drivers' door check strap sorted as the door has tried to bite me a couple of times today. And we've just passed 640km on this tank of fuel, with an easy 300km, possibly 400km, to go before fill up (depending on how I drive). Less economical than planned, but it was warm and we've been using the aircon pretty much full-time. The aim is to get 1000km between fill-ups.

Thanks for letting us know the outcome. I too have a squeak from somewhere towards the back of the car, bu I've no idea what it is! (Yet.)

"could have been traveling in excess of 113mph" <gasp> When I moved here I was astonished at reports of police chases with vehicles travelling in excess of 120km/h. Let's see... That's less than 75mph. Anything less than 85mph on a clear motorway, and the UK police are unlikely to look up from their newspapers. At the moment I like the low speed limits as they fortuitously coincide with an excellent speed for economy. I can see it getting very boring, very quickly though! As for the 'ring taxi, well, it had to happen sooner or later. How many taxis have crashed? I have no idea. This can't be the first time! I wonder if they paid the bill for any damage?

I'm thinking more of getting off the mainstream and looking at the RNs from BBS... I kinda like the radial designs, but they've been done a couple of times, Maybe more. Yes, they look good, but I really like different!

Needs 4 more cylinders! (OK - I love the 928. It's a problem I'm trying to deal with.) Back on topic though, 944s are a massively under-rated car.

Michelin Pilot Sport 3 on the front, same size and load rating on both sides. Michelin Primacy on the back. Same sizes, but one is a 91V, the other a 91W. Not really an issue. However, on close inspection they're all a bit sad. One is well worn (tread) but all have some serious marks to the sidewalls. If the sidewalls are weakened, it could contribute to the fidgeting I'm experiencing. Oh dear... Does this mean I need to bring forward the potential larger rim purchase?

New vacuum cleaner? I've got one wife... (I'm so brave when milady isn't looking over my shoulder!) The lowering/springs/shocks thing is something I've thought about long and hard. Larger diameter rims tend to look odd on a standard height car, but I definitely don't want a slammed in the weeds look. Just something that's 'right', like this: BBS RN 17x8 et15s. Yup - very careful about that. This oil. I get the impression that a lot of diesel oil can be used in petrol engines, but not vice versa. Anyway, this one is BMW Longlife 04 approved. This is where decision time is required. I really like the BBS RNs (above) but they seem expensive (to me). Radials are seemingly easier to find and I like them too, but... Do I like them as much? I saw some "titan grau" RNs in Germany and they looked gorgeous. Would suit the blue paintwork, too. Why are BMW rims so heavy? At the other end of the scale (please excuse the pun) I bought a set of original Mercedes rims for the W201. These were fitted as standard, out of the factory, to the 1998-2000 CLK320, and weigh under 12lbs each. Yes - 14lbs (p/n 208 401 0002). I kid you not - you can hold one of these, by the edge, at arms length. Whatever. Any thoughts re RNs vs radial spokes?

Mmm... I love the smell of Castrol R in the morning! I bought the Penrite engine oil today. Got a reasonable deal on 2x5 litres (needs 5.5 ) but I've had good experience with Penrite before. It's good oil so I'll see how it goes. I can always change back to Castrol later. As it is a UK import, I did check the speedo against my phone (which may not be that accurate, either). It's pretty close... 65mph, or 104km/h, showed as 101-103km/h on my phone. Hardly a scientific test, of course. Vaguely related to the speedo accuracy, I got looking at tyres earlier. (Bear with me!) One (on the car) does need replacing soon, and another will follow fairly soon. Two tyres. Buy good ones... Easy $200+. Hmm. Maybe I should consider those 17" rims a little sooner? 225/45-17s are a tiny bit larger in rolling diameter, which should mean the speedo is more accurate than at present. At least, that's the justification I'll use to Mrs M.

I wonder what it would do if I tried driving economically! Doing a longer trip at constant speeds, as I am, makes an enormous difference.

I saw some mention of sunshine... We'll see. It's raining here at the moment. (But fingers crossed for a change.) I don't trust either the service computer, or the economy one, but it's taking so long to get through a tank of fuel I've had no chance to see how accurate it is! But yes - the oil may not be cheap, but it is cheaper than the alternative. Incidentally, the PO appears to have been using Castrol Edge Sport 10W-60.

I really want to change the engine oil this weekend as I suspect that by my personal reckoning, it's overdue. The computer says otherwise, but... And I don't have the oil level sensor yet. Can a failing sender cause any other problems? Here's to hoping it stops raining, and I have a chance to get under the car tomorrow.

Well, that's what the title of the web page says! It does look to have an enormous number of styles, and lots of fitment information and specifications. http://www.bmwstylewheels.com/

I've not been through the area in the E46 yet - tomorrow, perhaps. May see if I can find Brent, too.