Matth5

Get some quotes from other insurers and disclose the mods in the quote request, ask them if the modifications are ok. If they say yes in an email, you've got approval in writing. Some companies are more friendly to mods than others so it really depends on who you're with. Safest is to find a company this is ok with it. Trademe Insurance for example will even insure modifications if you specify them, I've got my coilovers and rims insured.

1. Get MHD instead, assuming you haven't got a specific reason for preferring JB4. A proper ECU tune is generally better than a piggyback hack. 2. Yes, any BMW specialist can install it. Not a terrible difficult DIY either. Order online from Burger Motorsports, I hear some cheap Ebay ones can be good too.

I know about the issues with the WOF system and it's full of holes yes, but it's a hell of a lot better than no checks at all, I've seen how well that goes. While we don't have emission testiong, WOF checks are supposed to fail vehicles for excessive smoke. But I still see some, presumably tradie vehicles, on the roads, I suspect dodgy/incompetent WOF inspections. Cops should be pulling them over. Besides that I wouldn't be too concerned about the odd person with a decat exhaust (disclosure: I'm one of them) as that will only ever be done by a very tiny minority, it's not even worthwhile to do on most cars.

TBH I am glad for NZ's WOF system, most people can't be trusted with car safety, some will skimp to save money and others are just ignorant. Grew up in South Africa and you get all kinds of s**t on the roads. The liability and consequences don't stop people taking the risks in the first place. It's not just cars, but trucks from companies skimping on maintenance to save money, and some have killed 20-30 people in a single crash from faulty brakes https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/fields-hill-accident-faulty-truck-should-not-have-been-on-the-road-20161123 Also I find it strange that they implement emissions testing but not safety testing over there, you'd think safety would be the first priority ?

To be fair NZ's rego system is awful and doesn't have a good reason to exist. No consideration for how much you actually use the car and unfair if someone owns a second vehicle they might use occasionally. It's only purpose is fee collection, which could have been part of fuel costs/road user charges instead. That would spare a bit of admin work, the threat of $200 fines and other associated hassles from millions of people's lives.

It's only an issue if you have a warranty with them.

A tyre pump powered by the cig lighter socket, and a can of tyre slime will do just fine. I've had several punctures without a spare and the pump was always enough to get me to a tyre shop. Have yet to use the slime. The low tyre pressure sensor will warn you well before the pressure gets too low to drive on, so you can pump the tyre back up and drive carefully to a tyre shop, if the warning goes off again then you've got enough time to pull over and pump it up some more

"Called up both Beaurepaires masterton and Bridgestone Masterton. They both refuse to replace the run-flats with non run-flats, citing that it's illegal to do. " I've heard of this tyre shop stupidity from US forums but never before in NZ, that's shocking. It's certainly not illegal.

If you want good suspension on a budget you're better off getting a good shock and spring combo. There are places that'll help you put something together based on what you want. Eg: http://www.strutmonkey.com/ Cheap coilovers aren't worth it. And in NZ they won't be cheap regardless because they'll require a cert. You'll be better off with some good shocks and springs. Considering what goes into developing good suspension... there is no way you should touch no name brand suspension parts, it's asking for trouble.

I'll bet the scum buildup is from people using dishwashing fluid, or plain water.

You can still epoxy the plates on if you ever want to add them.

The best one is whoever has the best special going at the time you need tyres

I'd say buy an SMG one here, see how you feel about it, and then get a manual conversion done if you still think you'd prefer a manual.

Explain the issue to the original tyre shop and let them work it out. Could be a faulty tyre.

Ouch ?

HPFP... we all go through that one haha, had mine replaced about a year after getting the car. The part has had so many revisions, hopefully the new one is more reliable. Hopefully you can just enjoy the car now

What's the process and cost like for importing a car from South Africa?

Running a tune is the fastest way to expose issues with your car, parts getting worn will show their wear sooner as they're being worked harder. So... not recommended if the costs are going to hit you too hard The stock charge pipes also like to explode when running tunes as they don't tolerate the higher boost pressures.

I guess it depends how the WOF guys are about loud cars and if they have equipment to measure it, because it will be really loud. I had PE mod + downpipe and it was pretty damn loud, couldn't imagine why anyone would want it louder. I added resonators to bring it down to a less obnoxious level. Yep the stage1 map is fine, but with an intercooler you can move up to stage2 + which is more fun

N54 and N55 can both come with DCT. A straight-pipe... err IMO it's too much, and will probably get you hassles from the cops. IMO, perfect sound for these cars is the "PE mod" (google it) and a pair of resonators - the resonators make up for the downpipe, as not everyone likes the effect the downpipe has on the sound when combined with the PE mod. Think you need an intercooler first though In NZ's climate, the $200USD Ebay cheap one will do fine.

More like the best entertainment America has provided to the rest of the world in a long time. Fun to watch from a distance...

You can DIY it, FCPEuro should have them at a decent price. I bought new front and rear rubber like a year ago, still haven't gotten around to putting it on...

I think in rare cases the adaptations can be out of whack if the car was taken out of normal use for an extended time, maybe if the car was stored or at a dealer for a long time without being driven properly? My DCT was strange when I first got it, it had just been shipped from japan when I bought it, a DME update sorted it but they may have done an adaptation reset. My boss had a similar experience with a 235i auto. Some people probably just resort to it unnecessarily which might do more harm than good. The adaptations are for adapting to wear, there isn't some mystical driver behaviour based learning as people, that's some silly rumour that some people persist on spreading on BMW boards. So resetting that when it isn't necessary could make the transmission perform badly until it re-adapts. I've seen that the XHP software can actually show you the adaptation values. The XHP dev refuses to add adaptation reset as a feature to the app because he thinks people will use it unnecessarily.

It's perfectly reliable as long as you maintain it properly. It's extremely rare for a failure to happen suddenly and leave you stranded. It's just that maintaining it properly... takes effort and isn't cheap

I'd say it's pretty damn ideal to get one with those mods and new turbos + HPFP ect. A good buy for sure!