gjm

I don't like silver on a car, but somehow it works on this. Easy to see why you've not felt any urgency to sell.

I think Nick is being pessimistic. (Managing expectations - that sort of thing.) Miss M has a slightly newer, M43-powered E46 4-door. 8v vs 16v, but a bigger and heavier (about 60kg) car. Her car typically uses less than 10l/100km for normal running about, and will easily dip into 6l/100km on a run.

Got a similar-sounding problem with Mrs Ms Baur. Not got it sorted yet.

He seems to have quit forums where he became exasperated at how many non-turbo driving web-taught 'engineers' were happy to tell him how to do things. He sells through agencies now, and keeps a low profile so he and his dogs can get on with making things.

? Kerr-ching! 1973 M15 used in the 2002. Readily identified by the Kugelfischer mechanical fuel injection kit.

The X6 is hijjuss. The sort of car you wouldn't look back at, unless to convince yourself it really is that bad. Nice inside and nice to drive though. No idea on servicing or maintenance costs, but I'd expect them to be 'exciting'.

Here's a rare one. Anyone know - specifically - what the designation is?

We had three done - both fronts, and centre rear (won't have an issue with the centre rear on a cabbie - that's a Baur / coupe issue in 2-doors. ) Cost was perhaps a shade more than you paid - $650 or so for all three. Drive in, drive out. In fairness, the two front belts do operate much more smoothly now.

@eliongater

Just saw a set of ACS Type 1 alloys, 15x7", 4x100 for sale in Oz. $1000. Oh - and they need refurbishing.

Pop an N20 into one. That'd sort it.

Needs to be dirt cheap, or break it for spares. Way overpriced as-is.

Just ordered some parts from eBay, paying with PayPal. Price was €170.88, with €21 for postage. GST has been added (I didn't check, but expect this was done by PayPal), at €28.78, so under $50. Which is disappointing of course, but not such a huge amount in the grand scheme of things. The sweet spot is going to be from $400 thru $700ish where you'll pay less in GST than you would in taxes, charges, duties and handling fees. This kinda assumes that MAF don't get involved and start doing inspections on everything coming into the country...

Wanted - front upper strut brace for a 1990 E30 325. Condition more important than appearance.

?

Anyone have a pair? Lemforder p/n LMI 2581102. For the front of an E30, obviously.

In the "What did you do..." thread I mentioned Mrs Ms Baur failed the WoF. Fair enough - it happens. Reasons for fail - one front wheel bearing, wiper blades worn, and seat belts faded. Seat belts. Faded only.... WoF manual says faded and one (or more) of several other things, none of which are even the tiniest bit evident. The guy who does rewebbing said the fail was an especially harsh call, made purely on the basis of discolouration and not related to any indication of wear or lack of integrity. Wiper blades - it's been dry lately. Cleaned the screen and blades - they're fine. (Yes - should have done this before going for the WoF.) Wheel bearing. I left the fail sheet at work so couldn't clearly recall which was the problem. That's important, as having stripped both I find they are identical. Identically worn, or identically not worn. They both spin smoothly with no rattling, hum, groaning, grating or any signs of wear. (There could be something under load which I'm not hearing/seeing.) Grease looks clean. Spinning the bare hub on the spindle (nut in place) both will rotate for two full turns after I let go. Based on this, either they both need doing, or neither of them. At $200 each. I'm probably being unfair, but Mrs M commented that maybe they saw a woman with an older car...? The guy I spoke to did look a little uncomfortable when I was discussing the issues raised. We'll sort it. But we won't be going there again.

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.