gjm

+$28 per tyre for the fitting, balancing, tyre valve and old tyre disposal. Which seemed expensive, so I checked around. (Hyperdrive assure me the valve and tyre disposal are free - no charge.) Beaurepairs charge $10 for fitting, and another $15 for balancing, so there is some sort of agreement in pricing for that service. Nocams charge $7.50 for fitting, $10 for balancing, and $2.50 for old tyre disposal.

The compact? €42900.

Hartge F1 - 1988 MB W124 300E with a modified M88 engine, built by Hartge. Sold at auction last month for €72600.

@BMTHUG

Of course it's overpriced. Not in the least uncommon. Most E30s are overpriced. Pretty much anything with a manual gearbox attracts higher pricetags than might be deemed sensible. This one is a little more unusual being a 'vert, NZ new, and low kms. No mention of service history though, and you'd have to expect that to be full, complete and up to date. But yes - expensive.

Back in Mercedes again. I do borrow Mrs M's Baur from time to time.

I've no issue with spending the extra for Michelins, etc, but finding them is a real problem at present. I've run Hankooks on the W201 for ages. Very pleased with them.

Tyres for Mrs M's Baur 325. (1990 E30 325.) Been looking around and stock sizes - 195/65-14 - aren't as commonly available as they might have been a few years ago. I'll probably take a look at a Bridgestone offer but as we only need 2, that's not necessarily ideal either. Thinking either Kumho KH27, or Hankook K415. $130-170 per tyre depending on source. Any views either way? Edit: Bridgestone are offering Ecopias at $161 fitted, but no special offer. Current 'Buy 1 get 1 half price' and similar deals are only for specific models of tyre. Beaurepaires are offering buy 3, get 1 free, on the Goodyear Assurance TripleMax 2 at $150 per tyre, but plus $26.20 per rim for fitting. Hyperdrive are offering 50% off with discount code. However, by the time you're finished with all the faffing about, there's little to choose between suppliers when it comes to the same model of tyre.

Sold the E46 320d. Sad day, but it does have a small issue - it won't start. Our move, no garage or workshop, and largely - no time - have meant I didn't get it sorted. Gone to another forum member though, and I'm sure it will live again.

Received a small package of service spares for m chainsaw. Sent from China in February. Arrived last week.

$49 for a WoF in town. And I can take a look under the car at the same time.

Certifiers and certification have a different viewpoint to the rest of us, and using OEM parts is no guarantee of acceptance. Replacing an E30 autobox with a manual one, using all parts from an otherwise identical car, still requires a cert. Yet you can R&R anything and provided it goes back as it was originally, it's not an issue.

I think that's your certifier being a touch strong. The auto to manual swap does require cert (pedal box) but all else being equal, the prop doesn't need hoops. Bizarrely you can dismantle and rebuild the entire brake system and no-one will bat an eyelid.

I do believe I have a set of 6 COPs bagged up in the container here...

I've quoted (elsewhere) 1375 based on memory of BMW advertising blurb from <gulp> 25 years ago. ?

I've had a quick look around, but haven't found anything to suit your car. Laurent Motors in France do a wide range of turbos for BMWs, but nothing for the 4-cylinder N4x engines. It might be worth contacting them, though?

Hi Nicolas, The N42 is far from an ideal engine for this sort of attention. I'm sure you've heard of the N42 issues. First thing to do is ensure the timing chain and all associated parts are renewed. Not just appear in good condition. Then a cold air intake, exhaust replacement, and chip tuning could see you get to 160hp. It's still a N42 though, and fundamentally designed for economy, not performance. Mosselman used to do a turbo kit for it, but I don't know of a supercharger - there may be a Rotrex kit somewhere. To be honest, you'd probably do better to fit a 3.0 from the E46 330, or similar.

Apologies - not actually a question about a BMW, but one which could easily apply. Car will not 'proceed'. Select D, 1, 2, 3, and there's no forward motion. There is a sound of auto gearbox components doing something, but no movement. No bad noises, either. Did seem to almost move in 1st. Select R, and it'll go backwards, no problem. Previous owner advises that this happened over a period of time, gradually losing the higher gears. Also admits that gearbox had been leaking fluid. A garage advised the very non-technical PO that a replacement gearbox is required. I plan to drain whatever fluid is in the box, remove the sump and filter, and inspect for debris. If it's clean - no particulate - I'll replace the filter and sump and correctly fill with ATF, and see what happens. There is no indication the garage did this before their diagnosis to the PO. If there is matter in the sump, I suspect either a rebuild (s/h box quoted at $1200-1600 ? ) or a replacement gearbox will be needed. Any other thoughts?

Bought another Mercedes.