gjm

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

Second recommendation for Fabian and CJ. ? Lovely lass works reception a couple of Saturday's a month, too. Although I may be biased - she is my daughter.

I had the same issue. To be fair, I seem to have landed the only job in my field in the area. What do you (both) do?

Hawke's Bay. It's the future. Our future, anyway. Go fairly rural, and it's still easy to get to the big noisy places.

Absolutely nothing to do with BMWs, but quite cool, and clever. Reminds me a bit of the 504. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU5M8_fZcwY

The Dynavins are nice, but the N7 (for the E46) is $1k++. I expect a clone would be much cheaper, but it's sadly not going to compare to the $80 for a bluetooth headunit, plus a bit for a fitting kit. Appearances would be more important if it wasn't a student car - resale value is likely to be measured in the very, very low $000s, if not $00s! Personally I'd like an Android-enabled Dynavin-type solution, but Miss M just wants bluetooth connectivity. ?‍♂️

Don't think it does, but I'll see if we can check later.

BMW(s)... Mrs M's Baur has a WoF but will get a trans fluid (and filter) change, and further review of front suspension. I'm just not happy with it - replaced the shocks and struts which has certainly improved things, but there is still something not right. Miss M's 318i will get a set of E90 16x7 rims, and also get trans fluid sorted. In other news, the Mercedes - W201 and W126 - both have fresh WoFs. W201 will get brake overhaul, perhaps new discs, and caliper rebuilds. IMO it needs a tie rod and a front wheel bearing adjustment, and it certainly needs a pulley bearing squeak investigating. Hoping it's not the waterpump - I replaced that not so many kms ago. W126 has had new brake pads all round and will get discs in due course - they're legal but worn and should be changed. Needs a sunroof seal, too.

Spotify streaming seems to be the way, these days...

Cool.

Not going to be much difference in price to ordering from Ali, either. The unit we've got for 'er ladyship is also available from Jonvy: https://www.jonvy.co.nz/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=7721 Nothing flash or fancy. But should do the job. Sadly the radio is unlikely to work. The car originally had the radio antenna in the windscreen, and when the screen was replaced (prior to our ownership) the new screen had no such connectivity. Ho hum. Unlikely to be a problem.

I'd not yet looked at Ali - but if it is a viable option then could be the way we go. Have a new JVC Bluetooth headunit coming at some point. Will keep the BMW one, of course - can always swap it back in when the time comes for Miss M to part ways with her (current? Latest?) 318i.

We're hiring a 4x2 35m³ rigid lorry. Needs a class 2 license, but our current landlord has offered to drive it. Probably won't be big enough for everything...