gjm

Had no idea where to post this. Here will do.

It's an exercise in nostalgia, and provided there is a differentiation between the new parent and the old name, that's fine (with me). You could argue that BMW should have scrapped Bentley and re-badged the cars, but that would probably be a mistake - buyers want a Bentley, not a BMW, regardless of what is under the skin. There have been many attempts over the recent years to revive old names. Bristol, Jensen, (Riley), Austin Healey... Even MG has been resurrected. It's nice, but ooften is just a badge exercise with an XYZ car underneath. Pischetsrieder planned something a little different. BMW running gear, but a definite diversion from typical BMW styling and market focus. Of course, he left BMW 2 years later and went to VW.

Back in 1998, Bernd Pischetsrieder announced to the Association of Riley Clubs that the Riley marque was to return. As head of BMW (at the time) he instructed Nick Stephenson, Director of Rover Engineering, to start work on the new car. Pischetsrieder is a big fan of Riley and 1998 marked the centenary of the Riley name. He was at the ARC centenary dinner and spent time with Victor Riley, the grandson of founder Percy Riley, and drove the 'White Riley' and a 1934 Brooklands Nine. Sadly, that appears to have been where the revival stopped, as even Rover Group's press team were unaware of the plans. BMW own the rights to a number of historically famous and important marques, including Austin Healey. The BMW Z8, formerly known as the Z07 concept, had been mooted as being released as an Austin Healey, which (as we now know) didn't happen.

One of these is on it's way. https://www.crazysystems.co.nz/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=184 (They're cheaper on TradeMe, from the same supplier.) Apparently they are pretty much plug'n'play... Which just leaves the small matter of getting to the back of the existing kit to sort!

That's fighting talk! Having driven both, there is a solidity to the 190E that the E30 lacks, but the E30 can feel more agile. (I'm talking 2.3/2.5-16v vs 'ordinary' M3. The Evo, Evo2, Cecotto, etc versions of each vehicle were refined and more focused versions.)

Listing prices are very high - these are likely to hang around for a while. The 2.5 is a truly superb car.

You're very welcome. Great to meet you - hope to see you again later in the year.

Apparently that wasn't an option! <Mutter mutter mutter mutter...>

Sold / gave away lots and lots of E30 bits. Can't sensibly take them with us to Hawke's Bay. ?

Dean - I have a set here in Te Kauwhata, so I'm even local! I'll send you a PM.

Sounds promising. I have a spare steering wheel with multifunction buttons that could suit. I want to make the implementation as useful - and as safe - as possible.

Thanks. Perhaps a touch disappointing, but understandable. Just considering options for the bluetooth install on Miss M's car. The solution Kyu linked to does include a remote, but I'm trying to discourage moving hands from the steering wheel.

Base spec E46 from 2001 (it has a cassette deck, not even a CD43!) Build sheet does say it has 'preparation for CD changer', or similar. Would the wiring for the multifunction steering wheel be present, even though the steering wheel is one without buttons? Or was the extra wiring installed only with the multifunction steering wheel?

Changed the trans fluid on Mrs M's Baur. Trans sump was clean and free of any debris - fluid was pretty dirty. Certainly makes a difference. I suspect the trans may have been slipping a little, but consistently so that it wasn't immediately evident. There seems to be a more direct correlation between pressing the accelerator and forward motion. Changes smoother, too.

Aye. It's a funny one, and no mistake. As far as I know it has been fine for... well, months. No significant oil loss, no signs of oil leaking. Not seen anything quite like it since I overfilled an automatic gearbox without cycling through the gears...

This was nose-up and definitely leaking from the front.

Investigating a bump/thump/clunk type noise fromt eh front suspension on Mrs M's Baur. (Until it started pouring with rain.) Had to park on a slope for a while - came back and there's a small oil slick running from under the car! Checked parking positions and nothing more than the tiniest of spots. ? Could it be that being parked on a slope was enough to cause the leak? We have a spare sump gasket... Waiting for us in Hawke's Bay.

Cool! Looks like a cheaper and locally available Grom-type solution. Am I right in thinking it connects to the back of the existing radio, and USB, microphone, auxiliary wires (whatever) are run to the glovebox or wherever suits?

Feels like I was doing the classy, sensuous photo montage, and you stepped in with some porn! ? ?

No worries. Hardly a real issue!

Could be! To be honest, I kinda assumed something based on sparse knowledge. You're not the only person who has said that, so there must be another reason why the radio part isn't working.

This might work... Retains stock appearance. https://gromaudio.com/store/bt3_adapters/bmw-mini-98-05-bluetooth-adapter-car-kit-behind-the-radio-connector.html I'll investigate Eonon. For Miss M it'll need to work with Apple (which it may well do) - I see it's Android-based. Edit: This looks funky! https://www.eonon.com/Android-Car-GPS/Vehicle-Specific-GPS/BMW-E46-Android-8-Octa-Core-4GB-RAM-Car-Radio-GPS-Navigation-System7Inch-1-Din-Multimedia-Car-DVD-CD-Player-Support-Bluetooth-WiFi-4GDongle.html