Olaf

that's interesting, though I'm still not clear on why you must have 500hp? If 650i is out of your pricerange, have you priced the true cost of modifying and engineering (certing) a 640i to 500hp?

okay, where do I sign? time for some more power in Grey Thunder anyway.

They keep tossing out 'cold war' like it's a brand on a pair of designer jeans. That's a greater travesty than whether they'll be able to get the power down and enjoy it pointing in the right direction. Still wondering when they'll get the welding done ?

well, he's got everyone answering and hasn't contributed anything to the thread apart from a question...

I have lived in a city so badly polluted they go to TWO carless days when polution levels pass the threshold. At this level everyone's personal health and safety is far more important than the individual liberty to drive one's car - whether it's meeting emissions regulations or not. I can take the bus. It's not a big deal. I will allow your right to *breathe*, to trump my desire to drive my 30 year old 4 cyl factory non-cat e30, or my 16 year old emissions-compliant V8. I hope you'd afford me the same courtesy. If there was good reason for it - eg our current pollution levels were measured daily and data published, I would get by. I think you've made too great a leap - from a vehicle that fails emissions to a fancy new one. Is there no middle ground? Perhaps a car someone can afford, a few years newer - or even older - that meets emissions levels? What would I say from my middle-class palace? I'd say "you do what you have to do". When I was a nipper, my dad commute about 80 mins (bus/train/bus) to his job. Coming home he'd do the reverse, only adding a couple of extra bus rides and more time travelling on night-school nights - studying to get ahead. A wife and four children, one income, rent, no money for the luxury of a car, just putting food on the table and saving a dollar here and a dollar there for a house deposit. In those years I think if he heard your argument through a time warp, he'd have a quiet laugh - "having to have a car?".

not to mention durability/negative impact on longevity. Yes, I'm the kind of sad git likely to add a cat to my e30 as part of the M42 conversion! The e36 had it, engine management expects it, so why not? It'll give me some peace of mind.

Indeed, why should number-8 wire New Zealand join the First World by enforcing emissions standards, rather than just accepting that 5 extra horsepower by removing a CAT is okay, along with poisoning your wife/neighbour/cat/stranger down the street as a result of these mods. It's bloody unreasonable, and we should be left to do whatever we like! Especially those who can't afford to safely operate a car on our roads, they should be given a get out of jail free card, exemption from WoFs or any form of safety test because owning a car is expensive enough without compulsory insurance or emissions testing, even though there's just one WoF test per year instead of two (as long as the car's less the eighteen years old now)... I've been advocating emissions testing for years, I don't vote Green, and would prefer to ensure testing is implemented as most lack enough common sense to ensure their vehicles are well-serviced and not polluting. EDIT: I've also lived in two first-world countries where emissions testing is compulsory, and had no issue with being a responsible citizen operating a vehicle within the law. For more than thirty years we've made a national sport out of importing worn-out cast-offs from Japan that have finished their useful design lives (I drive two of them), and these days we continue to import used Trucks and Busses from Europe (notably UK) that no longer meet their emissions standards, but appear to be good enough for us. As for Environmentalists, I'm not a fan; they're more likely to recommend a battery-powered vehicle that could have questionanle ethics around the production of it's power cells, or adds stress to our national grid.

or... just get the OEM Sachs Msport part and be very happy with the factory setup? I appreciate that as you're punting the car around the track at motorsport events (more power to ya!) you may want more spring rate and a corresponding increase in damping... EDIT - and ARBs...

Not so sure everyone who knows the monotube design loves it... cue @3pedals for an excellent explanation of the benefits and flaws of said design. PS: B6 = Sport, B8= shortened Sport.

PS: "stiff penalties for non-compliance" I was thinking about the systems tampering. eg 'well son, you've pulled all the emissions controls from your vehicle, so here's a $3,500 fine which we'll waive if your car is presented for re-test in compliant state within 30 days, and passes". A vehicle not passing test would require re-test within 30 days, potentially pink-stickered if it hadn't improved, re-test in 30 if not meeting spec... third time unlucky? I wonder what the Germans do, if a vehicle is driven on the road in a non-compliant state? Crush it?

holy sh#t that translates south of the bombays to 'do not drive in wellington'!

None of it fits with the kindness schtick, to be fair. I take it you were being ironic describing it as a paradigm ?

I use a freight forwarder, though they charge me GST.

Winger parts dept for instant gratification and supporting your local business. If shopping by price, consider FCP Euro - they may have OEM options such as Valeo or Bosch, in addition to Genuine BMW.

more f**king nanny state bullshit. if they were really serious about cleaning up the vehicle fleet, they would: introduce vehicle emissions testing at WoF time introduce emissions laws - no tampering with emissions systems for road-legal vehicles introduce stiff penalties for non-compliance. introduce carless days under certain conditions (eg high polution readings). It's as simple as based on the last character of your number plate. It doesn't have to be a heavy drain on workshops to buy equipment - the govt could establish drive-in testing stations, independent, job done. I've seen this in operation in one of the world's most densely-populated and poluted cities, and since it's introduction, polution has fallen significantly. Meanwhile, shuffling the deckchairs here in Godzone makes for good PR for green voters.

is it the same kind of setup as e60 M5?

can't fault your logic. in my case. the VTNZ was just down the lane from the dealer.

article's a bit too OTT serious. liked the music video very much. have to agree, the advert's lame. really lame. given they're advertising a new car and it's less than 5% of the footage, they're working hard to establish a tenuous connection to the legend of the gusheshe (cool name btw). Interesting.

I shot this south of BNE in Jan 2020.

indeed, my e46 was VTNZ Inspected on arrival, for compliance. and given a WoF. When I bought it (from an Auckland-based dealer, on an advert from TradeMe), it went for a new WoF before they handed it over... and failed on the brake hoses as the rubber was cracked. WTF?! So they got the brake hoses sorted, number plates attached, WoF re-test, and handed it over to me . Not to mention the $1000 of remedial servicing I was hit with on getting it to Wellington. wow. Lessons learned. EDIT: the brake hoses were not picked up in the PPI that I paid for!

@Eagle - good tip, I never thought of doing CPS O-rings. @adro I bought a length of high pressure FI Fuel Hose, pre-cut and fitted short connector lengths, and used new stainless jubilee clips first time I replaced my e46 fuel filter. Managed to get the inlet and return hoses mixed up, won the no-start prize. Trap for new players.

Aftermarket warranty isn't used for sorting pre-existing issues - many car dealers try this BS. They don't sort oil leaks etc, and when an importer says "fresh service" it usually means "we gave it a quick oil change, and we might even have done the oil filter too". You'd be lucky if they've done anything scheduled like air filter, cabin filter, drive belts, plugs... they're out for the bare outlay as their money is tied up in stock, they need the fastest turnover to make money on that expecsive lot space. Any expectation they're going to try and do it right, is a hope only. One of the few dealers I've seen that operates as we'd hope, is Wholesale Cars Direct in Wellington. Always very high quality stock. No brake rotor skims - new quality rotors and pads... quality new tyres rather than the hitch-potch of JDMs that usually come from Japan. Their prices are at the higher end, though it appears there's value there. I've never met anyone who's bought from WCD and regretted their purchase.

HPR5 is the right stuff for M54 IME. How's the oil filter housing gasket and valve cover gasket/seals? they're the prime culprits for oil leaks, followed by VANOS oil line, Power Steering Reservoir and hose, and sump gasket. It's a grand looking car, mate.

yep. I lived and drove in That London for 3 years. Never saw grit unless I was heading to Manchester, or Leeds, and only then in the depths of winter Dec-Feb. Used to do North London A406-A40-M40-M25-M4 to Reading every morning, back via (A404? Marlowe etc) back down M40/A40/A406... never saw grit. I reckon a Southern (softie) car would be generally okay; take each on it's merits. Of course e24 with it's super-efficient rust traps is the exception.

@Herbmiester is Draggy a phone app that gives you performance figures? Could putting this on my phone be like +10hp for my mighty M40B16?