Olaf

+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".

no, though Ive used www.myus.com for more than a year - I rate them.

Oh yeah, "Durex Fiesta Green". Loving it - "Hard to get one like this" - meaning nobody wanted an LHD 850 in the first place, so you'll not find many on offer in godzone. "investment". hmmm, more accurately it's "expenditure"! Hasn't made it to 'Sales 201' in the Dealer's correspondence course yet.

yeah it was interesting in that it was all ad-speak, and completely devoid of any info on the state of the vehicle! nice copy though, sell hard.

at least this ad will give you a laff: http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/toyota/auction-784189558.htm and its 4x4 with lpg!

I merely googled "bilstein Z056A00" and found: https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=bilstein+Z056A00&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=sb&gfe_rd=cr&ei=kksyVLOwBOjC8geonYHwAg seems to indicate it's a pro-kit(?) for 6 cyl e36. HTH

Guys, Plast-x is a polish/compund, not a coating. You're going to have to get some elbow-grease going to get some fine finishing going on. I used my Mothers Headlight Kit on Saturday, found the same thick coating which I disturbed in some places. Overall I found that despite the polishing (on the end of my dewalt batty drill) and subsequent wet sanding and final (heavy) polishing, my lenses appear to be wearing 12 years of use with the factory xenons on the inside as well. That is, there is very fine cracking in the acrylic due to heat cycling etc. It's not going to come out from any sanding! I got a slightly better finish (more even) than I started out with, after sealing. Water beads off the lens more easily, no noticable vision difference at night. I guess they weren't so bad to start with. YMMV. Photos later.

In essence, it seems that most headlight restorer kits use foam-backed wet-and-dry paper or varying grades (used with water to lube), and a plastic polish. Some include a UV sealer. I bought a kit a while ago - Mothers powerball - based on a bargain price (I normally go with Meguiars product). I've also bought a UV sealer. About to give this a go soon, will post pics. EDIT: FYI the restore kit recommends using the polish/powerball first. then if pitting remains evident, use the wet-and-dry. 800, 1000, 1500, 2000 grits respectively. I guess those of you already in possession of some plastic polish and wet and dry in the above grades, could just get on with it. Oh, that's me - I already had plast-x in the basement!

well, it looks as though it went smoothly! well done.

if it's horses, get thee a truck license and buy a four wheel horse float Mind you, if they're living at your lifestyle block you can borrow a trailer when you need to. tough choice between the commode wagon and the e39 Touring.... 528 or 530.... I guess the diesels are rare as rockinghorse sh*t here, shame. Nice quandry to be in, though! Whoever suggested a mercedes ML, I missed the requirement "must be (exceptionally )troublesome and representative of the manufacturer's lesser-regarded output" I'll get me coat!