gjm

When we first moved to NZ we had the use of a Swift for 6 weeks or so. It was a very good car. The only issue we had was a feeling of being 'exposed' in busy traffic. We always felt vulnerable - so many much bigger vehicles who didn't care, and so many fuggin' muppets in beat-up pieces of crap who cared even less. Perhaps it was a feeling exaggerated by driving someone else's car?

Sadly, I gave up on the idea. A decision aided by someone offering to buy the rims involved, so they've gone to a new home.

This. Once you factor in costs for shipping from the US, buying individual parts often makes no sense. And there can be a lot of merit in developing a good relationship with your local BMW dealership. The flipside can also be true... I need a couple of tiny o-rings for one of the Mercs. $7 each from a NZ-based Mercedes parts specialist, and 18c each from the US. Sadly the US supplier uses a fixed shipping solution which costs $30-odd. Still, I could buy a couple-dozen and more than likely make use of them later.

I'll happily vouch for the M43. Great engine, especially if comfortable cruising and economy are what you're after. I put most of 100,000km on an E36 318i manual in 18 months. Troublefree motoring - just look after it - change the oil, and ensure the cooling pipes are sorted every 100000km or so. The only expenses (other than servicing) we had were tyres (still kind-of servicing), and a drivers door window regulator. Currently driving Miss M's E46 318i (M43, again) automatic. Again, great economical motoring. This one had sat for some time before we got it so I'm still investigating things that might go wrong, but so far the only problem has been the expansion tank cap. Economy - we're getting an easy 800km from a tank in the E46; I was getting 800km before the low fuel light would show in the E36. I defy anyone to do that in any 6-pot petrol BMW! Once we get sorted, I hope my daily will be something like a 2001 E46 318i manual coupe. Quick enough to have some fun, handles well, simple, and very economical.

It's a good colour.

I was lucky enough to catch up with Elijah where we discussed his latest purchase. I'm not sure, but saying "When will you ever get a chance like this again?" may have swayed him. It's gonna be great.

Yep - pretty sure the FB Ones are 15". I think they belong to a guy with a dark grey E30 who is at Waikato Uni.

This is for sale, if anyone is interested.

I suspect (without looking closely) that the bodywork will write this one off. The engine and gearbox (and rear axle?) could be useful to someone. Bit pricey at the asking though.

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a.aspx?id=1838784364

RR is in TK now. There's enough line there to complete a temporary job using the existing line, and cut off what was removed, and the one way inline valve. Doing the job properly will mean removing the inlet manifold - I'll get to that in time. Changed the spark plugs today. The combination of removing the air pump (etc) and new plugs does mean the tickover seems to have settled down a bit, and it generally feels like it's running better. Current average fuel consumption is 13.5km per litre - aka 7.4 litres per 100km. A fairly easy 800km+ per tank of fuel. Not bad for a 17 year old automatic!

Sadly I'm currently nearer the 'dollar down, dollar a week for a very, very long time' stage!

Removed air pump and associated stuff from Miss M's 318i. Pulled what look to be original spark plugs... ? They are NGK platinum, but even they can get a bit tired after 100000km+. Ordered 4 more.

Still ❤️. Still can't afford it. ?

Thanks Jared. Arrived yesterday morning. If the weather stays good, I'll have a look later today.

The cap unscrews without any problem - it's what is normally in the cap (and seals in the reservoir neck) which is pulling free. My biggest concern is damaging the reservoir.

Hopefully this shows the problem.

No photo but will sort one. The top 'shell' - the threaded part - comes away on its own. Everything else stays in the neck of the reservoir. I can prise a flat cross-shaped part out of that out, and remove the spring, but that's not much help!

No-one else had this happen? I've had caps come apart at least twice now, although this is the first time it's been difficult to extract the pressure part from the tank.

Interview this morning. Should be interesting... The interviewer is the person I will replace - he has moved 'up' int he company. I wonder if he's looking for someone like him, or someone to take things in a different direction? Impossible to tell. The company has shared a 'position description' which I take as a good thing - so many describe this document as a 'job description'. Subtle, semantic difference, but potentially an important one. That said, the document is 7 pages long... ? (And doesn't include making tea!)

Broken E46 radiator cap. Well, not broken, but in two parts - the outer cap, and the pressure components. The cap unscrews from the expansion tank, leaving the pressure parts in the neck of the tank. Any tips or tricks for getting the parts out of the tank neck, other than remove the empty cap, start the engine and wait for pressure to do the rest?

Will do. Thanks.