Olaf

nice work. gives me a w00dy, for sure.

this should provide some entertainment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3zgzK6zBms

I spotted same car some weeks ago on way home from work. momentary e30 touring pining for my old 325i.

MyUS.com works brilliantly for me. the only thing approaching 'out of the ordinary' is when I ordered a kitchen knife; they took a little longer to process, to ensure it was allowed into NZ under customs rules. Great service. Nothing amature such as changing addresses and fogetting to mention!

GPS on your dashboard gives you a speedo in your line of sight #8 )

it's in the catalogue at supercheap http://www.supercheapauto.co.nz/online-store/products/Permatex-Ultra-Grey-RTV-Silicone-Gasket-Maker-Rigid-High-Torque-99G.aspx?pid=5359#Recommendations maybe there's a supercheap branch close to 'rednecksville', so you don't have to go to Pukekohe? Given I'm south of the Bombays, where's rednecksville anyway - is it Henderson?

ooooh you guys gonna have fun. as with any partnership, be sure you are both in agreement what your exit strategy is - before you start! bringing it down? H&R Sportsprings should do the trick: Looks like OEM Sachs and Bilstein struts are around the same prices... one assumes you're not saddled with a self-levelling system in the rear to delete, or electronic controlled dampers? cheers

Permatex usually available from Supercheap IIRC, so the Ultra Grey (sounds like a description of my haircolour!) should not be too much of a mission to track down.

you might find that simply getting it back to OEM in the suspension department will sort out the wallow-y-ness. Read back on the road tests from '87-'89 - ISTR the e32 was renowned for tidy handling, with excellent ride and comfort to boot. It was one of the cars the australian car comics that when a new falcodore would come out, would usually be compared with in the road test. Usually a large amount of license was employed - or a large line or two of white powder probably. One only had to drive the VP Commode on its release, it certainly wasn't anything near the 5er/e300/7er of the time, contrary to the encouraging reviews in the comics had you believe! It's not too late mate - you could buy a hyundai accent!

+1 any more info on this, or you gonna throw parts at it and hope?

I've been taking the same approach for years. Buying a car towards the end of its depreciation curve and maintaining it well leaves you with a manageable reliable *car*. not an asset. when people are saying "it's not worth it" when faced with a large repair bill against the notional value of their car, they're confusing it as 'putting money into an asset'. Cars - on the whole - are liabilities, not assets! As with Andy's approach above, the $1000 chunks works for me. I've been spending about $1k/year on my 855-T5 for the past 8 years. I paid around $9k for it, it's worth about... well, whatever anyone would pay for it. It's reliable and fun to drive, and I've learned plenty working on it. Paid for some jobs, done others myself with my mate on his driveway. One year it's not mechanical but turns out to be a set of tyres and an alignment. It's a grand a year ongoing, basically. You're lucky, the car has cost you nothing. As Andy illustrates above, you've got nothing to lose in catching up on that deferred maintenance - if it's a solid car to start with. Perhaps spending a case of beer with Andy looking it over and drawing up your battle plan will help you establish your budget. If you're importing parts yourself, I use FCPEuro.com as the prices and quality is good, along with the service. You might be able to carve up purchases into orders that squeeze in under the GST/Duty thresholds as well, with careful purchasing. Do your basics, get the engine maintenance stuff addressed. Belts, filters, fluids (cooling, engine oil, diff oil, power steering fluid)... mounts, cooling (pump, hoses). all those gaskets you mentioned - with a mate, and taking your time, it's labour intensive though not rocket science. Do it with a mate, break down the jobs into 'work packages' so you're not overwhelmed by the enormity of the task, build your confidence as you go, enjoy a couple of beers with each job. Does the timing chain and guides need replacing - check against the specs. now the trans - the service is easy. Buy your ATF in a 20 litre pack; it's way cheaper that way. At this point you should have a car that's relatively sorted for reliability from the basics. (hopefully your heater core and valves are okay). Next you're into stop and go. How are the brakes? How is she steering and handling? You're probably sold on driving and owning a quality german engineered car over a japanese or korean beater. Do remember - nothing is free - if you play, you pay. you may be $1000 in (and $150 in beer tax) by the time you get to the end of the trans service... what else would you be driving for $1200? As Andy says, it's not necessarily the *right* way to do it; it's one way of doing it that works for some of us. YMMV.

here's an interesting blog post about diagnosing vacuum leaks, using OBD scanner and a can... that's certainly on-topic, and easy to understand... http://blog.fcpeuro.com/2014/12/19/lean-faultsvacuum-leak-diagnosis-using-an-obd-ii-scanner/

Hey Tim, I did say in the first instance - to get the codes. That is, scan it to see what code it's throwing. As for FCP Euro - 2 front O2 sensors and 2 rears - Bosch OEM. USD269.80. $10 loyalty discount. Freight to NZ - USD28.21 via USPS. Checked out duty on whatsmyduty.org - close to the NZD60 threshold, but not over. FWIW I bought my oxygen sensor wrench from Trade Tools - it/s 3/8 drive http://tradetools.co.nz/products/3031140 I should close with: Get the codes and diagnosis! cheers

epic.

yes, +1. You need the codes. And a diagnosis from someone in the know. As others have said, more likely a vacuum leak; could well be time for your PCV system service. If it is your O2 Sensors, here's a more reasonably priced selection https://www.fcpeuro.com/BMW-parts/530i/Oxygen-Sensor?year=2003&e=180&m=20&page=1 though as noted, a duff O2 is unlikely to cause a misfire... here's a video illustrating how much fun you can have changing out your O2. http://youtu.be/f70FrWhpUsc cheers PS - I jut did an O2 on my ovlov, using an O2 socket made the job easy - $20 well spent.

Hmmm, you got both types of music - V8 *and* The Stone Roses w00t

maybe I'm odd, had thought about buying this - really liked that it had a period yet decent head unit in there! It's looking good.

very nice blue, looking very straight. keep up the good work!

Hi Amber-Leigh. 1. Brake Fluid. BNT Race Brake Fluid is under $20 for 500mls, they told me its Motul RBF600 with house brand stickers on it. It has basically the same specs. I think I paid $15 and some change recently. 2. Akebono Euro - avoid. I'm running these. Better modulation than stock, meat to the pedal, but poor initial bite. The US folks love them cos they keep their wheels clean. I'd rather have bite. I elected to not use them on my Volvo. A number of folks whose opinions I trust have recommended Hawk Performance so I'm going there next time. 3. Just buy the Meyle HD's. I think I saw them advertised on TM recently. I did Meyle HD LCA's, rear bushes, and end links. I think they are the sh*t. 25k kms later it's still tight as a drum, nice and precise. They're up-rated over stock, and you can buy and fit replacement Meyle HD ball joints in future. If you can't fin local, just pay the GST on import. (try fcpeuro.com) Hope that helps.

yes indeedy, totally cool.

I shop carefully. I don't beleive in 'lucking out' on customs, my packages are costed to come in under the limits. www.whatsmyduty.org.nz is my bible. I think the notion of 'sheer volume' is incorrect, most of the shippers are now ensuring the Schedule B classifcation codes for each item shipped, description, and cost, are on the waybill. this info is provided electronically to NZ customs while the shipment is in transit. if one is over the limits, one is charged. Hope that helps.

DHL and FedEx Priority: if I hit 'send' on my Inbox first thing Saturday morning NZ Time, FedEx will usualy reach my address Monday morning. It's a four day service - that's just how it works with the international datelines and flight schedules. DHL can be a mixed bag as they hand off to Courier Post. FedEx Economy: usually same dispatch arrives by Friday, as a 7-10 day service. The $$ saving is usually insignificant. Four brake rotors run around $160-$180 USD depending on size, with 'premium' discount (20%). Try googling "myus.com visa promotion" to get no setup fee, two years free premium membership (20% freight discount + 30 days free parcel storage), 25% off in your first month. HTH

phew, for a mo there I thought it might have been an ambulance!

I've used MyUS for things like brake rotors, suspension parts; not panel parts.

I think the side skirts work well, but can totally leave that rear spoiler. totally contra to the balance of the design. Still, overall he's mastered it. "Less is more".