Olaf

thanks for your views. It's not hypothetical; I've been driving for more than 30 years, used to do 1200+kms per week so have been exposed to a number of RTAs, some mine, many more others. I may not have seen it all, though I have seen a lot. It's sad your perspective draws the race card; your experiences are in fact universal regardless of race. I've been there, done that, including the second language. The point I will reiterate is that where you choose to become a pushy ass seeking admissions on video at an accident, you are more likely to experience dismissal by those who count, or worse, end up assaulted. How you conduct yourself has greater bearing on your personal outcomes, after the accident. Denial of liability is natural for some. Car A is stationary. Car B runs into the rear. It matters not what driver of car A or car B says - Car B is at fault. Let the insurers work it out, concentrate on safety, welfare, rehabilitation. There will be plenty around with their blood pressure elevated; why contribute further? Any competent lawyer will destroy your video if it came to court. You'd be portrayed as a technology bully. Isn't that - bullying - what you were taking exception to? regards

you'd be sh*t out of luck with most people. All insurers advise policy holders not to admit liability. The key thing at the scene of an accident is to remain calm. Were you up in my grille demanding admissions of liability on a video recording, you'd find you'd strangely dropped your phone... and somehow it was stood on. Making rash demands and calling police to an accident where damage report to a police station is all that is required, once details are exchanged, just makes you look like a prick. Once the services arrive, you're on the back foot for behaving like one.

yes - clarity. you were stationary at the point that the other car continued it's turn, and hit you. You were clearly travelling slowly enough to stop - which police or loss adjusters will view positively. the other car hit you while you were stationary. you've done what you need to do. Do not call the husband. It's up to insurance companies to sort out. The garage whose loan car you were driving will be accustomed to this kind of thing; you've been clear with them. Contact him when he's back. If contacted directly by the husband or the driver of the other car, just say it's with the owner of the vehicle and has been referred to the insurance company and request they not contact you again. Chin up Graham, nobody was injured, just a little paint traded. A minor inconvenience for all concerned. Embrace 2016! #8 )

you said it yourself - whilst regurgitating the party line - contributing factors. ask: what was the cause? stop drinking the koolaid, ask the questions.

so Francois, how's this coming along? We need an update. Beach Hop creeps ever closer. Is your project gaining inertia? Oh I know, how about a theme tune? Inertia Creeps might do the trick. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3mn7EC-skg Anyway, keen to see the V8 swap. regards

there, that's better. having experienced most japanese and australian saloons of the time, read the un-ending assault of the australian motoring press on things being as good as the benchmarks of the roundel and three pointed star, then drove 300e and e34, I was left wondering what it was the motoring press were smoking in addition to their tyres. Sorry, lets get back to the Soarer love.

thanks for the heads-up. M54B25 kit is now on my list of planned preventative maintenance for 2016. http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-DISA-Valve-Intake-Adjuster-Unit-Aluminium-Rebuild-Upgrade-M54-2-2-or-2-5-/151042490072?hash=item232ad57ed8:g:usgAAOSwNSxVVRwf Olaf.

sorry for the late response; merry xmas, and best wishes for the new year!

very happy outcomes. the lads at Page European kindly fitted me in to their pre-xmas rush, found we'd not been tough enough with the upper strut mount bolts. they rattle them down. we used faccy spec on the torque wrench. Took opportunity to have the new steering inner rods installed, it's now aligned, clunk-free, and like a magic carpet... that handles the bends too! here's a few images: Parts Haul - pre-install. Dad Rock Alert: like the U2 song. Elevation? the finished product. "good enough for a couple-a kiwis".

the car gets older and needs *at least* as much maintenance/servicing as it did when new. so to answer your question - yes, it will still need the $200k car level of servicing. but then, you knew that as it aged, it'd need *more* - not less - quality servicing. Toyotas are prolly the only vehicle that can make do with less and continue to function. IMHO. It's a whole shitload of car for thirty k. It's not like buying a two year old Toyota for $30k; it's your new girlfriend who has a champagne and coke habit. she's yours for the price of the quickie vegas wedding, but needs the champagne, coke and leather constantly.

I like the look of the Tite-Reach. pretty handy - esp where you've passed the loosening/tightening stage. I'm very impressed with the Bahco 'Go-Through' socket sets. not a gimmick; really handy!

good point, Darren. The travel insurance benefits of the platinum cards are not to be sneezed at! checking of course that you're covered, not taking CDW and LDW on rental cars saves a bundle; accident just call insurance co, pay the excess, credit card travel insurance sorts it out and refunds you (less their excess). Medical costs - brilliant. I was rear-ended in a rental on one holiday, took the shine off. All sorted out on goldcard credit card travel insurance. Damaged leg on holiday, all sorted by platinum credit card travel insurance. return of rental car to another city, additional flights, medical treatment, x-rays, physio - they were great, and certainly made a difference in a downer situation. I wouldn't travel without it; these benefits are rolled into those (relatively inexpensive) annual fees.

oh, here's the best writeup I found: http://www.crookedriverwriter.com/downloads/E46Springs_Struts.pdf

great to read of your progress, Andy. I really dig this project.

you got that right! we finished at 9.50pm. The wagon trim takes ages to put back together. mine's stock as a stock thing, too. non-motorsport. I too used the strut tower reinforcements as a precaution, in the front - inside the shock tower, from underneath. rears - on top of the shock tower. Used Meyle HD rear bushes. #8 ) yep. The Sachs OEM shocks provide a beaut ride, though I have some 'clonks'. Will need to check it over tomorrow. Surely my rear LCA bushes and endlinks aren't gone again, and are now shown up? Could be back to my independent on Monday; though I've never had to have a business fix issues from my spannering before. Could this spell retirement for my tools? tune in next time...

we got it out with a lever on the lower control arm, pulling it down low enough. strut assemblies done with new spring seats, bump stops, dust boots, dust washer, top bearing. now we start the tie rod end replacements, and get the whole front buttoned back up. It's taken a great deal longer than expected; both of us have done plenty of suspension jobs before. Just got caught out I guess. #; )

hmmm. got ball-joints separated with pickle fork. Thankfully a new pair of steering arms with tie rod ends (Lemforder) on the shelf at my place. Been back to retreive balljoint separator, returning with manual, steering arms, separator... hopefully we'll get this sorted! Can't help thinking there's a trick we're missing here. Olaf

ahhhh. just consulted that on-line Bentley manual - as mine is on the shelf at home, 25kms away! Looks like I need to: Remove tie rod outer end nut. Use BMW special tool 32 3 090 or equivalent to press tie rod end off steering arm. - Remove lower ball joint nut. Use BMW special tool 32 3 090 or equivalent to separate steering arm from control arm.

hi folks I thought this was easy. it should be. I've the e46 elevated, evenly. both sides supported by jack stands. Wheels off. removing front struts. I've removed the sway bar end links. I've removed the 18mm pinchbolts at the bottom. I've removed the three 13mm nuts at the top. ISSUE: I can't seem to drop the control arm down low enough to get the strut out. What am I missing? thanks in advance for your expertise. Olaf

great to hear of progress on your compact, Andy. less of the 'today', though over the last week have been catching up on e46 maintenance. last weekend a decent wash, clay-bar. rain came so no wax. cleaned interior. wednesday, washed, dried, waxed. all meguiars product. removed racks from roof. yesterday, new AC compressor and receiver drier, rear sway bar bushes and end links (thanks Page European!). Cool air again, the old compressor was pooched. luxury! Rear end now happy to follow front again. Today I'm off to install new struts (Sachs OEM), strut bearings, bump stops, spring pads, dust boots, fasteners, and sway bar bushes; rear shocks (Sachs OEM), bump stops, dust pads, fasteners. Another episode of 'middle-aged grey-haired bastards on driveway with tools' to start at 0800 #8 )

awesome. that'll put the proctologist out of business. $3-5k for a colonoscopy? Nahhh bro, got my android smartphone and one of these endoscope thingies eh. good curry the night before for a 'cleanout', half-bottle of JD for the relaxation, all good. My mates have promised not to post pics on facebook with this thing hangin' out my arse...

yep. they don't call 'em "French Fords" for nothing. The Peugeots are usually okay to drive (in that Gallic non-BMW way), but christ they're self-lightening! Bit's falling off and failing... no thanks. If you want that experience, you can get the same thing with genuine flair in an Alfa. I'll get me coat...

water? it's LA, barely rain, dry as a bone. perhaps he suffered an errr emission entering the corner and lost traction... with his seat? #; ) yep. complete talent evacuation sufferred before he entered that corner.

True Rewards on Platinum works out well enough. Channel basically all your monthly expenditure through it, clear the balance every month. Before you know it, you have a bag of sand to spend. Noel Leeming are good, you can use your TR cards there *and *collect flybuys for your expenditure. Bought my daughter an iPad Air 2 64 for school, she's happy, didn't hurt my back pocket; result. Still, I think the reward rates are better with some of the new platinum air points cards (lower threshold for a dollar reward than ASB Platinum). Must get around to changing. ASB service has been dropping over last few years.

Probably they have experience on the japanese iron, coming up through they standard japanese drift cars; don't understand BMWs. I thought it interesting; all that work and no strut brace?