Olaf

I'm out of my pit, off to do i6 Automotive DISA service, and an oil and filter. Hey Elijah, you going to frame that clutch and put it on the wall, or are our suspicions that you'll have motive power to those rear wheels coming true?! It'll be GREAT to see your e28s on the road, keep at it!

yep, top marks! Looks very smart. Keep her tidy, she'll still be driving in another 30 years!

Check! I agree with the other, look for a well-loved and maintained e46. Although the list above seems a lot, when you get a vehicle that's around 150k kms, if most of this work has been done you're good for 100k+ of trouble-free motoring, providing you're good to it! Mine (purchased at 112k kms) was ex-Japan, and I've spent the last 4.5 years catching up on deferred maintenance, and general wear... it's now at 173k kms, and I *love* driving it. I'll run through John's list above, and add my items: Vanos rebuilt with Besian kit. [not yet, will no doubt be soon]Vanos oil feed line replaced. [not yet, will no doubt be soon - hang on, perhaps so!]PCV System including hoses completely replaced. [yep!] New brake booster, as oil from PCV system contaminated booster diaphragmRocker Cover gasket replaced. [yep!, and all those seals around the plugs] Oil Filter Housing gasket replacedOil Level Sensor replaced. [yep!] Replaced power steering reservoir and top hoses (they like to leak pentosin) Sump gasket, and bolts replaced (they like to leak oil) Engine and Transmission mounts replaced (do it whilst doing the sump gasket)M Sport Steering wheel, [I'd certainly like one!]Bluetooth Head Unit. [replaced MD deck with factory CD head unit]Idle air control Valve service. [yep!]DISA Valve repaired. [yep - doing that this morning with an i6 Automotive unit]New Alternator. [thankfully no, not yet]New Water Pump and hoses. [yep! I had all sensors, thermostat, and header tank replaced at same time]Front Control arm bushes (Poly Meyle HD) [replaced lower control arms with Meyle HD] New ARB end links Rear Control arm bushes (Poly) [yep! Meyle HD, I think]Strut tower reinforcement plates. [yep!]Rear Shock reinforcement plates. [yep!] New Sachs OEM Shocks front and rear, all strut mounts, fasteners etc Motorsport ARBs front and rear, new ARB bushes Staggered Style 194 rims and appropriate rubber Replaced broken rear springTransmission serviced REBUILT, flushed and new filter. [new cooler lines and transmission cooler]Hawk performance [Akebono Euro ceramic pads -I'd go Hawk Performance next time] brake pads. Slotted and dimpled rotors (Near new) [yep! - Slotted Rotors front and rear] Replaced all parking brake hardwareBraided brake lines. [yep! First front, and four years later, rears]New Radiator overflow bottle and sensor. [see above]Aircon regassed. [yep! and compressor plus receiver drier replaced - my compressor was pooched] Replaced broken sunroof shade sliders Replaced windscreen wiper shroud [bottom of windscreen] Replaced those seals on top of the headlap glasses that disintegrate Replaced Rear Screenwash Pump Replaced Front Screenwash Pump and addressed leak Replaced spark plugs with NGK units Replaced fuel pump and fuel pump relay Regular coolant and brake fluid flushes Airbag Recall (no charge) Purchased another key Replaced passenger airbag seat occupancy sensor mat (twice) Replaced serpentine belt idlers and belt Add countless oil filters/o-rings/sump washers for the many oil changes; air filters, cabin filters, and many, many litres of either Castrol 0w40 or Penrite 5w40 Synthetic oil; a few fuel filters; a few sets of tyres, multiple wheel alignments, wiper blades, and lots of polish and wax..... and you have a fun drive! Yes, I still love it. No, it's not for sale. Yes, you really should consider an e46, they're a great drive. About once a year I think of my old e30 325i Touring and think "that was fun, and lighter, but this is SO much better". PS - the green saloon linked above looks MINT! You should consider it. HTH/

"carry on my wayward son"

+1. excellent project Brent, and the vidjos are a wealth of info. Keep it up! I reckon one of these would be enough to keep me entertained on the track for years, never mind the supercharger. Wouldn't claim to have the talent for that much power #; )

HI Dave, your trademe link has expired - has this now sold?

very attractive! If I had a 550i I'd be straight in. (bump)

I drove a '93 318iS - manual - in '93, took it north from Sydney over the Bulledelah Ranges (the old route when it was the main road), it was an absolute joy to drive.

PS- what you going to drag it with, John?

I'll ask a couple of mates and come back to you.

more seriously though, you might consider making it a trackday fun car. strip it out, cage it, and use a power train selected on the basis of any likely racing classes/categories you might enter (eg The Surgery Sprint Series)... low-rent motorsport! as far as your pockets are deep.

I'd just keep your e46 coupe, mate! #; ) Or if you're wedded to the e36 idea, you could buy John's S54 motor and trans now he's splitting that mad e30 touring to sell, add that into the e36.... along with beefy brakes and suspension. Or go electric? M10+turbo+nitrous? yep, now I'm just getting silly.

I run Akebono ceramics on my e46. I'd be going Hawk Performance next time. If that tells you anything.

thanks for helping me understand. indeed, yellow certainly helps with contrast in low light. Those Frenchies are clever sods, having done this for so long!

yep, similar thoughts myself. Pros: looks beautiful. the extra money goes into even greater production quality; must have 20 more colour graders on each episode. at least on my Amazone Prime TV box, tech quality on my TV is great. love their silly circuit. "The American" is kinda funny enjoying that their celeb guests never make it to the studio. Errr, tent. Cons: no new ideas, really. just slightly more "scripted" than Top Gear was. Overall I think it's a big one-fingered salute. They've so much of Jeff Bezos' money to play with, they didn't really need to come up with any genuinely new ideas. The Tent, allows them to mix the global travel of the specials, and maintain a format. Amazon is huge in UK, they're not losing a 'mainstay British audience'. Overall they win; a move to streaming before broadcast TV is dead. Guess I'd better go watch EP3?

I've mostly been just driving mine. It really needs a good clean. Today I ordered a DISA valve repair kit. It's down on torque, and I'm hearing a rattle... hopefully this'll improve things. Failing that it could be VANOS seals and rattle? Could be time for another service appointment. Oil and filter next weekend. Nearly 173k kms now.

I'd suggest that if you're in fog and using your high beams, you're doing it wrong! Next time you're in genuinely dense fog, you may find that *just* using your fog lights (and of course the side lights) may increase your vision, due to the low angles. Using high beam usually cuts your vision, with more light reflected back at you. Or did I misunderstand your post? cheers

outstanding.

creating genuine surprise by driving courteously - they're all expecting you to be a complete arsebiscuit. more seriously, though.... the feel. A car whose rear follows either the front, or loud pedal inputs. the fit and finish. but did I mention the feel? back in the '90's, VW ran their "drivers wanted" campaign. They ran this as all the drivers were already gainfully engaged with their BMWs! Did I mention THE FEEL?

all sounds good, Toby. Bear in mind that basically the whole of the eastern suburbs is a windblown salt zone - don't scrimp on the metal for your garage.

natural light rules, I'd always have a window. Toby, you don't need to weld now.... but you will in the future! Get the high-current outlets planned for. A topping slab may be your answer, if the existing slab is strong enough. A number of mates who've built garages have remarked it's useful getting higher quality building paper. Probably helps with condensation. Kilbirnie/Lyall Bay - no issue with condensation, the sun exposure bakes and heats steel garage all year round, you'd be amazed. You'll want high quality galv though, due to proximity to sea/salt driven by the wind. Roller doors take up less storage space. Build it high enough to get a 4x4 inside. HTH

James May's "Jeremy Clarkson Remix of how he got SACKED** That's not like, ass dragging on the ground, breaking sumps each week...

Oh, never mind, I found it myself. http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/recallresults.cfm?SearchType=DrillDown&type=VEHICLE&year=2002&make=BMW&model=M3&component_id=0&SUBMIT=Retrieve+Recalls&PrintVersion=YES regards...

thanks for the clarification. Can you furnish any recall notices from BMW - in any country - for the e46 Drivers Airbag? I'm certainly interested, as my vehicle could be impacted. However, in the absence of any BMW recall notice, you can appreciate universal skepticsm. regards...

M3_Power. It's a global recall for the BMW e46, and the offending item is the passenger airbag, for certain models. As stated earlier in this thread, if you contact your BMW dealer - or indeed helpful Bimmersport members offering to assist - you can determine if your vehicle is impacted, if the work has already been done, and make arrangements to have the work actioned if it is outstanding. Mine was not an NZ-new vehicle, it was covered by the recall. There is no information to suggest the e46 drivers airbag is included in the recall. I think your post does a disservice to the work of BMW NZ and their dealer network. Or were you, perhaps, referring to models other than the e46?