Olaf

e38 740i engine needs rebuild and scratched paintwork, according to seller. For less than the cost of your wedding suit... http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-1291208650.htm

great news, John. Hopefully cresting this puts you in the position you were expecting, with BMW handing and the power you sought. Kind of sad the 535i e60 didn't make an appearance in NZ or Japan, I think that power plant in the e60 Chassis would be a fun thing for us boost-heads! Hope to see you on the next roadie.

the rear underside of my e60 545i, yesterday. "if you see this, please put me back on my wheels" seriously though, so much Aluminium used in the construction of this car.

e60: Weds and Thurs: new shocks and associated hardware installed. Yesterday I installed 2 new jacking pads (front left, front right). Today new tyres (RE003's) all round, and an alignment. Now I just need to figure out how to install new wiper blades (Valeo VM351)... after I get rid of the Rain-X interior anti-fog that I put on the outside of the Windscreen (D'oh!)... and that'll tell if I really need to replace the blades. Oh, I'd better Rain-X the windscreen with the correct product. Next few days, I'll install new angel-eye bulbs. Looked into LEDs, just went with standard Hella items. They arrived with my order for Transmission service (new pan/filter, bolts, fill plug, mechatronic sleeve seal).

they're on now, Paul. It was on the rack and aligned straight afterwards. The new suspension will need a few thousand kms to settle in, then I'll have it re-checked. I'll just scrub in those new boots carefully over the next week. The old rears were cracking badly on the inner sidewalls. The fronts will be going onto a drift pig, apparently. No sales work for me, life is easy.

and so you should!

no no no, this won't do. you need to talk to the man who cornered the market in e38's, and, most particularly, 750's. Talk to Don @kulgan and he'll tell you the price, if he deems it appropriate for you to make an e38 aquisition.

I found this very interesting document on Dynamic Drive via google from M5 Boards. Looks like it's from BMW Training? Explains how the system works, in detail. System pressures of 170-180 Bar. Wow!

I'd have thought Link would be able to answer your questions/tell you about the function of their unit. Looks like good sussing, Toby! Though whether or not it's correct I can't tell you.

I had to look it up, out of curiosity. Seems even the NZ Rego peops are viking/gingaphobic, they have this vehicle described as 'Red'. I wonder if there's a difference between e60 'Active Steering' and 'Hydro-Steering Sevotronic'? VINWBSEH920X0CG99020 Type code: EH92 Type: M6 (EUR) E series: E63 (M6) Series: 6 Type: COUPE Steering: RL Doors: 2 Engine: S85 Displacement: 5.00 Power: 373 Drive: HECK Transmission: MECH Colour: INDIANAPOLIS ROT METALLIC (A31) Upholstery: LEDER MERINO/SCHWARZ (LKSW) Prod.date: 2005-08-29 S414 Parcel net, passenger side S428 Warning triangle and first aid kit S430 Interior/outside mirror with auto dip S441 Smoker package S442 Cup holder S464 Ski bag S4MC Interior moldings Carbon Fibre S508 Park Distance Control (PDC) S524 Adaptive Headlights S548 Kilometer-calibrated speedometer S601 TV function S609 Navigation system Professional S610 Head-up display S620 Voice control S644 Preparation f mobile phone w Bluetooth Vehicle options S672 CD changer for 6 CDs S677 HiFi System Professional DSP S700 Area-Code 4 for DVD S818 Battery master switch S825 Radio control Oceania S864 Retailer Directory Overseas S874 Radio frequency 434 MHz S880 On-board vehicle literature English S902 General special inspection S925 Dummy-SALAPA S9AA Outer skin protection S216 HYDRO STEERING-SERVOTRONIC S302 Alarm system S423 Floor mats, velours S459 Seat adjuster, electric, with memory S488 Lumbar support, driver and passenger S494 Seat heating driver/passenger S502 Headlight cleaning system S522 Xenon Light S534 Automatic air conditioning S540 Cruise control S563 Light package S760 High gloss shadow line S853 Language version English

that's the irony, isn't it? I see a large difference in the environmental responsibility of burning 27l/100km round town, and burning 27l/100km round town with extra added gassing your friends/family/neighbours with added Toluene (a known carcinogen) in the exhaust output.

that would be pretty awesome. I'd want cats, though. Call me a greenie (with a V10) if you must...

to be fair, I'm not sure I'd be trusting VTNZ to even judge or correctly measure tint value/visible light transmission. Take it back to AC BMW for the WoF! They WoF'd it first time. Problem solved. And you can speak - face to face - with their sales manager. I'd be disappointed too. Though I'd get it resolved to my satisfaction. Let us know how you get on.

First impressions: ohhhhhhhh, it's good. Rear's up higher (it looked saggy/arse-down last weekend with our two kids in the back, and groceries in the boot); its adopted the 'sit-up-and-beg' attitude of new shocks at the front. 4x4. But I don't care. Seems very composed.

Probably the obvious recommendation would be Car Folie - the sponsor of this general discussion room! Take your concern to the sales manager at the dealership. If you've not fully escalated in the right area, your on-line bitching is premature. The sales manager will look at the long game - that the purchase of your next near-new or even new BMW is at stake. hope that helps.

that's a pretty special e65. like!

I've not been to the US since the early 00's. Getting busy with a family after returning to NZ, my goldmember status on the airlines has lapsed.

Shocks themselves were pretty reasonable - USD480. The rest of the hardware, and freight, runs higher. I end up paying the GST - if it's missed at the border - through adjustments on my GST return. About NZD 1350-ish all up. Sourced from FCP. I err on the side of caution, having had shock replacements done where dust boots or spring seats weren't replaced, and the creaking really pissed me off. With BMW recommendations for new fasteners (no re-use/mandatory replacement), and my caution - what's the point of that tear-down if you need $50 extra in parts - I order a lot of hardware. My e46 rides like a new one, hopefully this will too! tyres this weekend. @TermiPeteNZ you can expect a drive next catch-up ?

Thought their acquisition of a large German SUV added +25 experience points to their driving skills. bzzzt. Next player please! no doubt some brown trousers and all!

Suspension parts haul, at the workshop. struts, strut mounts, bump stops, dust boots, spring perches, spring seats, pinch bolts and a bunch of other fasteners. Only thing re-used are the springs. I was interested to note the Sachs OEM strut housings are aluminum. An e60 trunk, this morning. with luck, it'll be ready today.

Hey Jeremy, sorry to hear that mate. We don't have a spare room, though this might be of help. A mate of mine stays here, he finds it reasonable and it's flexible. Pilmuir House - Lower Hutt

Just scroll down and use that 'insert other media' button. You can link to images elsewhere, or upload from your machine. Easy.

I now have a couple of aluminum suspension struts, spring seats, and shock bolts in my hot mitts. Photos later. It feels like Xmas. now, if only I could convince the beast to pass a fuel station without visiting. May have to recalibrate the loud pedal. #; )

I know what you mean. I picked up four nokia car kits in Oz, with the intent of installing them in my cruiser here. Suddenly all the info faded. I never thought of inductive coupling to modern smart phone! And yes, I've wondered why the smarkphones lack an antenna jack. Michael, you should take a look at the Sierra Wireless MG90. You'd be amazed at what it can do. Very impressed you've cooked up GPS, Dash Cam front & rear with large screen. And having same car and setup for both your homes, genius.