gjm

I'll check to see if early and late can be swapped. Edit: age appears irrelevant. Coupe/sedan are different though - I've asked which these came from.

Next day is good enough for most things.

Shout out to Gavin for being an all-round helpful bloke. Had a few occasions lately where I've needed stuff urgently, and he has always turned it around, next day delivery (to whatever address I've given), and even included sweeties in the box. All supplied with the forum discount, too. ?

Mrs M's Baur failed it's WoF. Front wheel bearing (I'd not noticed, but on the ramp it's more evident), wiper blades (gave them a clean and they're fine), and... faded seatbelts. Now, there's a rort. Faded or discoloured seatbelts are a fail - UV damage to the belt mayhave occurred and the belt should be replaced. Upwards of $150 (probably more) per belt for re-webbing. I asked about UV-stabilised fabrics, but the tester assured me that the letter of the manual is such that discolouration to a significant part of the belt is a fail - absolutely no allowance for belt integrity whatsoever. The manual says the following are a reason to fail: "e) fading so that most of the colour has been bleached, and: i. shows signs of chalking, or a powdery residue is evident on the webbing, or ii. it has become stiff f) been dyed to conceal fading, or g) contamination from grease, paint, solvents or similar products. h) been replaced or shows other signs of repair (Note 14) and there is no evidence of approval from the seatbelt manufacturer. Note: Such approval is very unlikely." I concede two belts have faded in part, but not to a 'most of' situation (too open to interpretation imo). There is no sign of chalkiness, residue of any sort, or stiffness. They have not been dyed, or repaired. A third belt has been replaced by one which is a different colour (brown, not black, and unfaded) but this was also cited as a fail. However, taking the words at face value, it seems that unless a seatbelt is replaced with a genuine manufacturers item, it is still a fail! Anyone care to guess the price of BMW seatbelts for an E30...? Sit down before you ask. ? Bloody annoying. Yes - I know... Wrong WoF station, etc...

OK - slightly tenuous, but only slightly. A custom Dnepr 750, a development of the M72. The M72 was, in turn, a development of the BMW M71. More interestingly (perhaps) is that the MV-750 was equipped with a sidecar, and two-wheel drive: the sidecar wheel was also driven. It had nearly 6" of ground clearance and was much favoured by the military.

I know of an IT-based firm looking for a business consultant, based out of an office in Wellington. They have a gorgeous harbour view! "This role will require you to be responsible for the business configuration aspects of software implementations, upgrades and ongoing support working alongside other consultants in the New Zealand Professional Services team. Key activities include; workshops, business analysis, prototyping, solution configuration, training and end user support." PM if it might be of interest.

Damn. Just what I could be needing shortly... Anyone heading from the Hutt to Hawke's Bay...?

Or... Use it as an adapter for ITBs...

Would brake cleaner work?

Not bad for a Harley.

I like this far more than is healthy for me...

There is not a 46mm socket, on its own, in the country. And if there was it'd be $45+. ? So I bought a 21-piece 3/4" drive set for $129. New tools. Happy Christmas to me. ??

More rant. 46mm socket needed, and my collection/accumulation of sockets goes as far as a 41mm. Boxing day. Engineers Merchants all closed 'til the 6th. What's the chances of Repco a. being open (OK - 9-5.30 today) and b. having what I need?

In the dark. On a foggy night. While wearing dark glasses and facing the other way.

The 5 I'm referring to are by Baur. If you have an E24, Baur will still make one for you.

Yippee! It's about time my slidehammer got some use... Now I just need the weather to play nice, and stop raining.

Well, maybe... NZ Couriers have noted on the tracking that 'the office is closed' (there are people here - I was here!) and invite me to contact my local branch. Phoning the local branch goes through to an after hours message... Office is open from 7am through to whatever time. The local drop-off point (Caltex) tell me that service has been terrible lately... Edit: I take it back. This has to be easier to fit than just a new bearing! That said, anything I should be watching out for...? Not done one of these. On a BMW. Yet.

The Very Nice Man has confirmed it is a bearing. No noise, even smooth noise, when the wheel is spun, but it is definitely there under load, especially on right hand turns (it's the left front bearing). Described as not being as bad as it could be, and that it'd probably pass a WoF. ? Still, that's not good enough. It needs to be sorted. Which leaves me in a bit of a muddle. Do I try to sort it myself, with (I suspect) insufficient tools to do the job properly (I've done a bit of research and there are pullers involved that I don't have), or do we accept 'she'll be a'right' a while longer and get it sorted after 6th January when the world starts turning again? Olaf makes an excellent point - I don't want to - won't - run a risk of Miss M having problems on the way home. Edit: replacement part ordered. After discussion I'm getting 'more' than just the bearing - I've seen how the bearing is replaced and it looks like it could be a PITA. So I'm getting the bearing and bearing housing. Should be a unbolt, bolt-up job. I hope.

It's going to see a Very Nice Man who will hopefully be able to achieve what I haven't had time to do - diagnose what is wrong. Further thought and discussion (with the Very Nice Man) suggests it might not be a wheel bearing... That could just be my knee-jerk guess at the issue. Might be a tie rod. Or a mount. Or... Well, it is definitelysomething. And it needs sorting. Fingers crossed...

Sounds normal for NZ Post.

I'm working tomorrow and Tuesday.... I'll be calling around to find somewhere that has one, or can ship overnight (for delivery Christmas Eve!)

In the time honoured tradition of going wrong at just about the worst possible time, Miss M has come to visit us in our idyllic corner of NZ. No - that's not the problem. We love to see her. The problem is that her car has decided now is the time to need a new wheel bearing. Firmly grasp and wriggle the n/s/f front wheel, and you can feel and hear movement. I suppose we might get lucky and find some piece of suspension is slightly worn, but let's be realistic - what are the chances of that? So, two days before Christmas, she needs a new wheel bearing. And she has to drive back to Hamilton on the 28th. Being the kinda guy I am, I always sort this stuff before it gets to the catastrophic failure stage - how bad does it get before it collapses completely?

There were 5 of these built, and one (silver) is in Thailand. There's a white one, and I know of another silver one, in France, which is for sale for EUR65000.