Olaf

Nürburgring (GER), 3rd-6th June 2021: 24h Nürburgring, BMW M3 "Eifelblitz", Sabine Schmitz, Johannes Scheid Lap of honour Photo: BMW Ag

Wesley has an alternate viewpoint here:

that'll tell them.

Just as well it's not listed here, eh? Look how this has degenerated into a thread pontificating on what can be said on TradeMe (meta discussion), or on here (more meta discussion). Awesome car, who's going to buy it? As for not being able to actually ask a question on an on-line listing? Yep, limit one's ability to probe the veracity of the listing before committing to buy and being legally bound to do so. Great idea. Not. Imagine: "it's not what you said it was" "it's a 3.42 diff. it's black" "yes but you didn't say it's broken" "I didn't say it wasn't. Look, you could have asked" "How? they switched that feature off!" "you bid, you won, now pay up".

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. It's like Tom Waits' measure of a Gentleman. "A Gentleman knows how to play the piano accordion. But doesn't."

^^ this! (or Goo Gone). Then agitate with an electric toothbrush. Use an old head of course.

Indeed, MKII Jaguars used to be $2k with a couple of bodies and engines for spares, and we used to buy VW Beetles or Split-screen Kombis for under a grand. Supply has diminished and demand has increased; nostalgia burrows its way into bank accounts and slush funds with remarkable fluidity. 😉 This is a good thing I reckon. Desirability keeps these models alive. The Allegro is an obvious exception. 😁

No.

For a serious buyer, just one drive of this car, and your doubts will vanish while your wallet opens. It’s a beaut. I followed it across the tops on the Gentle Annie a couple of years back, it’s composed, handles excellently, and the glorious noise from what is a docile car in town, is honey to any car lover.

As in any part of life where there’s expertise in servicing any equipment (not just BMWs), there’s excellence and something that passes for service, and plenty of arrogance in between at both ends of that continuum, and in between.

... and this one's err interesting.

For ya'll lacking cool points, you can make friends with this new errr member.

PS:

^^ this is the correct answer. The only reason these cars are "known for it" is that people don't follow the recommended maintenance schedule, flush and replace with Genuine BMW Coolant every two years. I do mine annually as a precaution. As you can see in Promo's picture, someone's been running green coolant. Probably replaced it too late. If it is the valley pipe, there's an expanding replacement tube available in the aftermarket. @NZPanda the way your MBI works is you put it into the workshop, they do diagnosis and liaise with your MBI provider on your behalf. If the claim is approved, you pay your excess. Oh - and Jom's suggestion of suspecting the sensor is also a very good one. They're cheap and they do fail, incl the seal.

Thanks Jon @E30 325i Rag-Top we appreciate you keeping the lights on!

Yep reported it immediately. I think she’s been listening to Lou Reed’s New Sensations. My red joystick…

It did about 380kms over the weekend, ran well and didn't use a drop of oil.

You'll probably find Koba less expensive. I don't have access. Use your google foo.

yeah it's a recall item in USA but not in NZ.

When required. Symptoms include frequent discharge condition, odd codes. Battery testing. Still, my old bettery (a Marshall) was testing okay though giving issues (I'd already changed IBS)... changing it out for a new battery and ensuring correct registration resolved problem. Bear in mind the IBS cable causes issues (545i); there's an updated part available - not sure if all 550's already got the later part. HTH

I got an AGM Koba SA59520 95AH (20HR), 850A (EN), 180MIN (RC) battery for my 545i and am *very* happy with it. It was not particularly pricey. You need a DIN88L.

the tech term for that is "farked". wow. do you like steel with your helping of rust?

Thanks Matt @balancerider me too, got to get to the end of renovations first. I continue to build up parts for the conversion.

Awesome, thanks Harm. I had thought of re-masking (it had gotten damp); cutting corners based on not enough time cost me dearly. I’d looked into the manufacturer’s recommendations for cleanup, they weren’t at all obvious! Ive got to do some wide beads with MS at home between plastered concrete and cement board, I’ll definitely mask for that. PS: Can Guns were on my list but never realised. I've ordered a pair now! PPS: Tef-Gel, looks like a winner. Will try to get some.

Date: 16 Jun 2021 Distance: 262884kms 1. Hardlines and Fueltank Balance Tube Some minor surface fust forming was observed last WoF, so I put the car up high, scuffed the hardlines with a scotchbrite, treated with KB Rust Blast, masked up, then painted with Epoxy KB Rust Seal. Before After. 2. Exhaust Leak WhiIe addressing the hardlines, I noticed soot on the exhaust near where the shape is squished a little to pass the back axle. A little Y-shaped split had formed. This was a welding job, Jon at Auto38 executed admirably. Before Exhaust repaired. 3. Pre annual trip checks Replaced front RH indicator bulb. Oil (Penrite HPR5), Filter (Mahle OX91), and 65ml of MBL8. EDIT: Last oil change was 260672 in Nov 2019, 2212kms/20 months ago. Emptied boot. 4. Boot spoiler & bootlid seal replacement My original spoiler had distorted and lifted, and was letting water into the boot. As the car's in dry storage it was less of an issue, but of concern when contemplating a wet journey or outdoor parking. The BMW factory spoilers have a steel rib within them, and threaded mounting tabs for six 10mm plastic mounting nuts, each with a closed cell foam washer. Water works its way into the spoiler, rusting the steel, distorting the shape. I think we’ll see this more often as these cars age. I'd acquired a replacement spoiler more than a year ago, though it needed paint prep as it was body colour Delfin. My original was the standard unfinished matt black. I discussed with the team at Union Hardware, wanting guidance on how to refinish. They reconnended prepping by first cleaning, then wet sanding with 400 grit wet and dry followed by 600 grit. Then a coat of Plastic Adhesion Promoter, Etch Primer, and then Primer Surfacer. If left overnight, dry rubbed back with 600 grit wet and dry. Then the usual body colour plus clear coat. They noted I'd get a matt finish, so not to go to the expense of the UPOL clear I usually use. They also recommended using windscreen sealant to assist with keeping the water out. I duly bought the supplies I didn't already have, and then mentally prepared. I also ordered new spoiler nuts and gasket washers. Sanding the spoiler was fun, a light touch is essential, and patience as the W&D used wet is slow work. I used a foam block for the straight parts. I used KB Rust Blast as a precautionary measure on the mounting bolts, rinsing and drying after 20 mins. I masked off the threads in preparation for paint. Plastic Adhesion Promoter is unusual to use, it goes on clear, flashes off and that's it. You don't let it dry. Etch Primer is a dust coat only. I'm still working on that, my OCD alter-ego wants a uniform finish. The Primer Filler is easy to spray, and levels out nicely. It'll fill minor imperfections. I left the spoiler to cure. My lesson from this section: when using aerosols, spray a quick burst onto your masking paper away from the job, before applying paint. I got a splat of something gluey first shot with the Etch, that I had to sand out later. Fast forward to painting time. What can I say. Dust coat, flash time, 3 wetter coats with ~10 mins in-between. For all of the painting I used my customary water bath technique to help the paint flow better. For the clear coat I got the temperature too high, and the can distorted. I was lucky. Use *warm*, not HOT water! A water bath, recently. Primer Filler (in case you were wondering). I left the spoiler to dry overnight, and turned to the boot lid seal. Lachssilbered-up and cleared. The old boot seal was visuallly in good shape, though it had lost its elasticity and had a couple of small tears. The new one looked great. Removing the trim is a pain, punching down the centre of the plastic trim rivets. I was concerned about what I'd find beneath the seal. I needn't have worried. For a 31 year old car it was in good shape, mior surface crust in two spots (the corners above the tail lights). A light scuff and rust blast, follwed by drying with the heat gun sorted that. As a precautionary measure I brushed on Rust Seal paint along the seam between the rear tail light panel and the seal mounting edge, and left it overnight to cure/dry. Nice bit of flange that. New Seal ready to install. Installing the seal was easy. Find the centre of the seal, work from the back (beneath the rear screen) and push fit your way around. A little rubber grease eases the process. If you've got it right, it'll meet neatly in the centre to the right of the latch. One part slides into the other - it’s correct length right out of the packet. The new seal makes it harder to close the boot lid, and it sounds amazing - "cl-UNK", on closing. Job's a good un. A perfect join. Mounting the spoiler was a be-atch. These are not designed to use sealant. I test-fitted. I used a thin bead of sealant before applying to the car, being careful around the two drains not to block them with too much material. Holding the foam gaskets to the nuts with a tiny dab of sealant helps. You need 1/4" 10mm socket with an extension for this job. Old gasket seals and nuts as removed. New gasket seals and plastic nuts When I attached the spoiler and started tightening it down, It seemed to be proud at the leading edge, so I added more. Not recommended! Lessons. Mask up if you're using sealant. Prepsol is great for removing from the spoiler. I used Isopropyl and it took off some of the paint, though lifted it from the panel with ease. Prepsol was great, not harming the paint but thinning and further preading the sealant. Loads of clean rags recommended. Buy trim rivets when you order the boot seal, and order 8 or 10 gasket washers in case you lose one. The spoiler looks good, on reflection I could more easily have used Satin Black instead. All that remains before the next road trip is a wash, new battery (or take a jump pack), and get my (new-ish) phone to consistently pair with the stereo.