Dn540

Hey guys,

Recently bought an 05 (04) 318 touring, but it came with some horrible Jap spec eclipse headunit installation. I'm swapping this out one of the double din Sony units that uses my phone as it's display or possibly back to the business CD with an Anycar unit installed.

Anyway, can anyone tell me if any of this stuff in the photos is factory? I'm assuming it's all part of the jap headunit equipment and will remove it. There's three antennas on the windscreen, a GPS unit, what looks like another GPS unit and a little plastic sticker with an antenna in it. Also on both rear side windows of the cargo bay there's antenna strips.

Original stereo according to Realoem was a Business C43.

Cheers,

Mason.

On 30/01/2017 at 8:23 PM, allan said:

Have a google I found several UK threads concerning the vvt  set up getting oil in to the cam sensors and coursing some weird goings on

Awesome, will try searching a little harder. If the weather is nice for a bit I'm going to have a look under the cover and see if there's any pinched/shorted wires, oil in places it shouldn't be etc. Car drives normally and pulls well, but then the EML comes on and says it's the VVT then sometimes turns off the next time the car is started. I would think if the VVT motor had gone, it would be permanent.

EDIT: After clearing out the eccentric shaft sensor and plug which was full of oil, a week of driving including an 8 hour round trip to Arrowtown it seems to have solved it. Either that or I just got lucky.....

11 hours ago, allan said:

MMM personnel I would be keeping the ford (bits tongue) These motors will empty your wallet quicker than water can flow from a tap. Do a search on here or google for n42, 46 problems best of luck.

Yea, the Barra I6 is bullet proof, just a shame the rest of the car isn't lol. Have trawled quite a few pages but information is a little limited as the they're US based and they don't reall dabble in the 4cyl realm. Cheers, I'm gonna need all the luck I can get.

9 hours ago, BM WORLD said:

swap it out for a M54b30 setup

 

Haha this is definitely on my to do list, I had a couple on my Manheim watch list that were close (close, as in within 4hrs drive) but don't have the spare funds or spare room at the moment. I tried to get into a 325 but the mrs wanted a "fuel saver"

When I win a little lotto money this week I'll grab your 540 touring and also that S54 motor you have while I'm at it

Hey folks,

Bought an E46 with the beautiful N46 (ha), I've had it a week and already the VVT is giving me issues (probably why the PO sold it). 

After four days of using the car with no problems but a little  rough idle etc, I scanned it using a generic OBD scanner which initially gave fault P1050 with no EML/engine lights on the dash. Then I took it into a good friend at BMW who scanned it using BMW's software, came up saying  Valvetronic motor/DME fault. Cleared the code and it was OK for a couple of days. Went to drive it before and both check engine lights were on, so turned it off then on again and only EML was on this time. Scanned with generic OBD again and got code p1062.

So, Is this likely to be just the valvetronic motor itself, it's DME, wiring harness or something else? Just need to sell the XR6 it's replacing and then I can start throwing money at all the usual N46 bits.

5 hours ago, FIAT 131R said:

I have a 6 speed from an E46 S54 M3 .   There are several options so it might be worthwhile giving me a call on 021 449 242.

Do you have any M60 boxes? Will give you a call this week.

22 hours ago, BM WORLD said:

just buy my car comes with free box

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-1246424243.htm

Haha, yea He'd love to, so would I. However transport down south and the fact he already has a very tidy 540, I think he'll go the conversion route.

Hey folks, Chasing a Getrag 420G gearbox for a friends E34 540i. Either box alone or complete conversion.

Must be some rocking horse sh*t scrapings around?

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-1176965525.htm

When will it end..... funny thing is, somehow it's registered as an M3. Well, the plates are anyway.

23 hours ago, Olaf said:

yep, I fully understand the view that a 4cyl BMW is missing two cylinders!  However, the balance of the 4cyl 3ers is sublime, and it becomes clear that the quality is in the package - chassis and engineering - not just the engine and drivetrain.

The snobbery is clear here.  For every Euro driver convinced their car is better (because it's European) added to the straw man argument, there's another who appreciates the quality engineering (of their Euro) that is not existent in mass-market Asian cars, and doesn't mind paying for it.

I'll choose a 4CYL BMW if I can't afford a 6 or 8, in preference to driving a Corolla.  Because it's well engineered, RWD, handles well, and is strong.  I will not risk my family in a Corolla or other mass-market shoebox.  I've seen too many of them (small Japanese or Korean hatchbacks) demolished on the side of the road as a result of a sunday afternoon RTA, meatwagon and Fire Service in attendance.

Very much so.

I guess you could call it snobbery, but I too believe it's more of an understanding/appreciation of the engineering and quality. At the end of the day a Chinese watch will tell you the time, but is it a Rolex?

i don't see any problems with 4cyl BMW's/Mercedes etc, generally the package comes down to the region it was marketed for and the options ticked. Obviously your'e not getting the full experience that you would in the 6+ cyl car, but you still get the brands quality that most of the time cannot be found in Japanese 4cyls. 

All depends I guess, but yes I prefer manual any day. And depending on the vehicle increases value.

For a while I had to daily my LTD (worked 5.0 + heavy clutch/5speed) and I got sick of that really quickly. Traffic and hills (Dunedin) become tiresome. And this is just spending 30mins in Dunedins traffic, I couldn't imagine doing it in Auckland for example. 

Now we take the wifes BF XR6 with the ZF auto or the E320, both auto. The xr6 is definitely my choice of daily driver, but after a while i get a real craving for the manual again.

Guess it's worth it to have both and find the balance!

4 hours ago, gjm said:

The W124 is a nice car. It's actually a pity it has electric seats and a sunroof - at this level they're more desirable with less spec. Less to go wrong or leak. Looks like a nice car... Just ignore the description!

The W126 could be nice but yup - appearances ruined by bling.

Dunno if it still up on TM but there was a rusty 500SEC "AMG". The seller said you could tell it was an AMG because the VIN ended in a zero... How I laughed. And laughed... It did have a set of Pentas on it but the car itself would have needed serious work. And it wasn't an AMG.

My s124 320 has 336k on it,  everything works.  Heated and electric seats etc, love it.  But I could see the appeal of basic everything I guess.  It's amazing the amount of people that slap an amg badge on and think yep that's it,  done. 

Dkubus is bringing some 3pc pentas to the market soon. 

1 hour ago, Neal said:

A simple bit of research would have led to amg hammer. Fav car with that badge on it.

Amg was 124 based,  what badge do you mean?  Surprised we don't see more cars on there "same as hammer but rearar" 

Some people....

This guy, Rare, Top of the range 230E (lol), . Actually it's common as, bottom of the range and MB Tex (vinyl) not leather. Some one has put a Sportline steering wheel on it though, but no mention.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/mercedesbenz/auction-1141232072.htm

Take one C126 500sec and call it a "Terminator" 500SEC..... with extra badges "licensed by Mercedes-Benz". More like someone went badge shopping on eBay and tried to cover as much space as possible. Would be a nice car if all the extra badges and plate were removed.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/mercedesbenz/auction-1141082704.htm

I don't know why I let TM ad's annoy the sh*t out of me, but some people are just clueless.

At least they have acknowledged it's not an M3 now..... still haven't edited the listing though...

The level of automotive ignorance out there these days is insane, can't believe some people don't even do the most bare basic research about what they own.

I'd probably say the R129 SL600 is a better comparison to the E31 than the SEC. V12 and similar body design.

I really think the Bruno Sacco designed Mercedes are just an awesome, timeless design. Both the C126 and the E31 will look amazing well into the future.

I'd take a 560SEC anyday, older tech, style and cheaper to maintain, and don't need a second mortgage for when a service is due on the CSi.

Talking lotto though, I'd probably swap in an M113K and some form of manual transmission.

I'll PM you.

A Mercedes, huh? I hear you can get penicillin for that now.

I was originally sick with BMW syndrome, but thankfully I cured myself with a couple of Mercedes. Still addicted, but weaned myself down to one

mind you, if you gotta have a mercedes, the W124 is *the* one to have.

Yep, the 124 is definitely the 'Benz to have. Bruno Sacco was onto something!

Would love to have my S124 and an E34 Touring in the garage, one day....

Hey folks,

Just wondering if anyone knows someone at ANZ auto parts in Auckland or is familiar with the place?

They were wrecking a 95 E200 a couple of weeks ago on TM, now this car in particular had a set of alloy sill/scuff plates on it that I want. I phoned their number, got put onto some other number then he gave me his cell number so I sent him a pic of what I was after.... now they can't find the car and he said he doesn't know where it went......

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=1055146839

Kind of wondering if someone in the loop knows someone there to find out, I'm guessing the guy I'm talking to doesn't work in the right section or it's gone to a different wrecker.

Cheers.

Bargain? Not sure. Although, given the prices of 15x7 BBS rims (changed hands for less than 50 quid a set in the UK!) over here they are relatively well priced.

If the centre bore really is 55mm, they're too small for an E30 which requires 57.1mm.

No mention of offset.

Ah bugger, oh well. Was just thinking 4x100, wasn't sure of E30 centre bores etc.

Considering the waffles and caps alone are worth half the asking price, they seem pretty good. I'm currently in the market for some centre caps, just waiting for a cheap set to pop up.

EDIT: Just noticed the seller made a mistake, they are 15's not 16's. Not nearly as desirable by any means, even for the centres.

I'm not the seller, just spotted these on my four time daily BBS search.

I'm assuming some E30 guys will be chasing these? Bargain.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-parts-accessories/wheels-tyres/alloy-wheels/auction-1051804563.htm

This is near the top of my "must have" cars list, and only two photos supplied. Of course, If I had the money I'd email for more but it would still be nice to see more photos in the listing, especially when you can add 20 of them.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/mercedesbenz/auction-1027657487.htm

1980's Stockbroker not included

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-1026883497.htm

Haha, better than some of the ones I've seen on Facebook of guys selling their RFB with their fat missus in a skirt 5 sizes too small leaning on the car, yep that's a selling point.

I ordered some Koni's through GeorgeStock in Auckland recently, the price on those seemed reasonable.

I ended up returning them for other reasons, so I'm currently looking at ordering from dcperformance in the UK, as their prices work out to be rather reasonable.

http://www.dcperformance.co.uk/uprated/koni-sport-front-dampers/BMW/5-series-e34.html

Thanks, I'll have to create an account at DC to check freight but a quick "add to cart" $NZ1000 (excluding freight) for a full set of Sports seems pretty good!

Hey folks,

So my mates just trying to sort out his suspension on the 540 at the moment. After hours of UK/US forum trawling we came to the conclusion that Vogtlands and Konis provided the best ride height and stiffer than HR, but after a quick search on here it seems a couple of owners say the Vogtlands are too soft and HR are stiffer? Any one had direct comparison between them before?

Also, we're trying to order shockies... Auckland quoted 1700 for a set of 4 Koni's, not sure if they are Sports as Summit racing do the set of 4 Koni yellows for $nz2500 delivered with gst/duty, which is madness as that seems to be in KW coil over territory.

Trying to find that balance of good drop height with smooth but firm ride quality.

Where in NZ or overseas do you guys buy your Koni's from? Only reason for Koni is the owners reviews seem to always be in favour of the Koni strut over the Bilstein strut, are they really that bad of a ride?

Another little tip for bmw and mercedes interbreeding.

E36 struts will mount up to w201 knuckles.

An m50 throttle body will mount up to a m111k inlet manifold with very little modification.

And because every merc fan should know black smoke racing. Here's a bmw zf 5 speed in a merc.

And on a side note a r200 diff can be made to fit the w201 by just adding a front mounting point. Resplining is another expense though

There are a couple of guys that are into giving mercs a bit more power in NZ. I only found this out when I started selling off my project

That's a cool video, I've always wondered If I could get a BMW box to bolt up to my M104. Spent quite some time forum trawling but most of the forums are US based where they seem to think autos are a gift from the gods.

Do you know what ZF box they used? I can only imagine the sh*t I'd get from my BMW mate if I put one in, but it's better than paying an arm and a leg for a 16v Getrag box.

I've also seen Skyline diffs used in 201/124's also as they just need the rear hat swapped out. E36 struts are used by a few guys on Stanceworks to go super low instead of forking out for adjustables. Can't use true coilovers due to the macpherson strut design but there's a few companies doing kits now that have adjustable plates on the spring and the strut.

hell no. W124 brilliance; I've a friend who ran a 300E for 120k kms; on acquisition he added konis, springs, AMG rims, and caught up on maintenance. A great distance car, solid as a rock, great handling whether 1 or 5-up with gear. I should have scored one myself. They may have a grandpa/pipe and slippers image, though this is a benefit when driving sleepers is one's goal. #8 )

a 500E would be fun.

The 124's are brilliant, my wagon has done 334,000km and still feels solid. Had to replace the throttle body and engine harness due to the great design of eco junk wiring. The only worn out parts are the front seats, which could have been saved if the PO had looked after them. I've just given the interior a treatment of Leatherique, great stuff. I bet his 300E rode sweet with the new konis and springs! The 3.2/3.6 M104's are no slouch and can handle boost with ease, have a look at Turbobandit. You should definitely pick one up if you get the chance.

There's a guy in Germany who turned his wagon into an E500 including full widebody using original 500 body cuts, E500 body kit, 5L M119 and the Recaro interior it looks insane.

to be fair, i do tell people dont judge a BMW on the 318i you drive, maybe i am a bit harsh on the 190E when i am doing the same thing the other way round.

oh yeah now you mention the system thats right, my one conked out at the far end of the VTNZ inspection lane, it got its sticker but couldnt get home. Helpful guy in the diesel trucks lane came over he was a Merc guy back home in Ukraine or Russia or something, just happened to have a spare fuel electro whachamadoodle in his car plugged it in got home and ordered one off a croud called Startech who were very helpfull.

Haha very true, I think what ruins the 190 for most people is they've only ever seen them G'd up with homie chromies and mirror tints. I wish NZ had the Merc following/forums that other countries do, or even compared to places such as here on Bimmersport. IMO, it seems as if there's three Merc groups in NZ: The RFB types, the older type and then people like me, the young to middle aged with the passion but no club/forum to call home lol.

The system is designed to continue working under electrical failure but requires all sorts of stuff to work on and is a real nightmare if they don't know what they're doing. I'd say it's been the death of heaps of 190's deemed "broken euro trash" .

The 1.8 and 2.0 engines aren't great... Good for pottering around but the 190 is too heavy a car for them to work. The 2.3-8V is better, and the 16v engines better still.

The straight 6 (2.6, 160hp) is a much better and more suitable engine but does carry a weight penalty. It goes well; put a stiff roll bar in the back and it handles nicely too. To get it to sporty BMW handling levels you need to investigate shocks and springs (or buy the Sportline model, c.f. BMW M-Sport suspension) but these were intended to be comfy cars first, and sporty cars second.

The 4cyl versions weigh a bit over 1100kg, quite light. I had a 2.0 8v and it definitely wasn't a rocket. But it got around hilly Dunedin very well and was great on the open road. The auto is to blame also as they start in 2nd gear. Loved how solid it felt, yet it's smaller than a modern Corolla.

Either a 2.3 or 2.5 16v is one of my dreams, missed out on one a few years ago.

In the words of Mercedes they were a compact executive car. If you wanted sporty, you bought the Sportline with upgraded springs, steering and seats or the beautiful Cosworth.

Most of them suffer these days due to the complexity of the Bosch CIS-E/KJET electro-mechanical injection, people mess around with all sorts of stuff on them with no clue. When I got mine, someone had "adjusted" the mixture screw but hadn't adjusted the rest of the corresponding systems and it was all over the place, ran like a sack of sh*t.