Olaf

welcome, Graeme. Would be helpful to know which part of the country you're in - please update your profile. How many kms on the 545i? If you're new to the 545i, important to check and verify state of the valve stem seals (common failure on this model), and whether there are coolant leaks (the coolant tube that runs front to back in the Y of the block). Both of these items are expensive if you're paying for the work to be done. A well-sorted 545i is a joy to drive. 333hp and 50:50 weight distribution and 1650kgs, they're a great tourer, yet surprisingly nimble with Dynamic Drive suspension and Active steering. If you're interested in the long-term experience and different repairs and maintenance I've done, take a look here:

Welcome! if you’re not using a BMW dealer for service, do find a good reputable BMW Specialist.

@Autoglym

Specialist retailers are an exception. They deserve your consideration.

Nothing is cheap in NZ, when you’ve lived outside the matrix.

hmmm. Unplugging the detector has the disbenefit of removing the 'taking oneself rather too seriously' filter. As I said in my original post, anyone travelling in a line of traffic in a 50 zone on a long straight road can easily find themselves doing 56 or 57, along with everyone else. Bad driving? Or considerate for the conditions and other human beings using the road.

Welcome, Kris! Everyone loves an e21. Do post some pics when you get a chance. has it been off the road for long?

That’s a rather simplistic view. With very long range, and great selectivity, you can pick up the instant-on or mobile radar operating in the vicinity, eg - reflections from other vehicles 5-6 kms down the road, regardless of the unit’s direction of travel. That provides useful warning, and is the reason I’m still using mine. I’m usually moving towards them, which is what counts.

I bought 14" crossspokes a while back, can transfer over the 14" rubber I have. Ideally I'll find some 15" crossspokes to get me in the realm of better rubber. Soon I'll be talking with my little sister. "Hey sis. What do I want for my birthday? well, you could scour the local ads to find me a 4.10 small case limited slip diff." I mean, there are probably some left in Germany, eh. I might need to go and visit, bring it back (drained) as carry-on. ? Space for a tall man? I'm not sure mate, I'm just 174cms after I've been to the Chiropractor! ? Next time we catch up and I have the e30 with me, you're welcome to try it on for size and we'll take a drive.

It's a while since I researched (there's a thread here that you should find helpful). Ford's Motorcraft Mercon SP for the 6hpxx aka Ford 6R80, is Lifeguard 6 spec. I wasn't sure if it was full synthetic, and never approached a Ford dealer for price/availability. The Spec for 6HP26 is: ZF Spec TE-ML 11B Shell M-1375.4 Mine was done by my previous independent using Fuchs Titan fluid that met the spec. I've since found this; it may or may not be what they used. https://www.fuchs.com/de/en/special/product/product/22198-titan-atf-1/ specifically approved for TE-ML 11B. You can definitely buy the Shell fluid from Winger BMW, though it was somewhere $80/litre when I asked a couple of years back. Bring your own container too, they held only in bulk. HTH

and then, this happened... traffic was busy for a time, so I was 1 km late on the snap. 260k not out! In 9 months I've put a little over 2000kms on Grey Thunder, and she's getting better (stronger) all the time. On saturday morning we took an early run up to Paraparaumu to run an errand, and I enjoyed every kilometre. I'll need to get back to the workshop, and get those wheels sorted. And suss out the stereo. And prep the guages for cluster recond (RPMs, new lights, rebuild and remote SI board batteries). More on that stuff soon.

And on 80’s style terry toweling sweatbands, imagine the fashion colour clashes? Orange ‘fish skin’ nitrile gloves, white with red and white striped sweatbands, khaki army surplus overalls, yellow-framed safety glasses, and brown steel capped safety boots. Heavens! ?

Yeah just bloody dissolves them eh.

Wow, you must get very sweaty hands. I use them, and they’re a bit slippery when I get them off. But never to the extent they’re dripping on my face when I’m under a car with hands raised. 80’s style terry toweling sweat bands just wouldn’t be practical, eh. ?

Nitrile gloves. Won’t stop most of the cuts, though they will keep the chemicals out.

Was thinking similarly... looks like the amount of -ve camber the race cars at the Wellington waterfront races used to run ?

reducing the supply, increasing scarcity, raising the market price...

Wow that’s coming up well!

I don’t see you recommending a cut-price workshop or qualifying if the OP is planning on supplying his own eBay special parts?

Because diesels are looking a bit sh*t when we don’t just focus on co2, and look at No2 and particulates, and consider short trip running, eh.

That’s stretching it a bit far, surely. I’m not advancing the full green-loony agenda; just that we don’t need to cut out essential emissions control components in pursuit of more power. As we all know, Turbo Six PETROL motors do pretty well on emissions/consumption scales. ?

Already provided. Don’t remove your cats! ? PS: OP wanted to save money on labour.

Hey, it could be that someone has previously installed poly bushes, and this is what you're experiencing?

So it's a clunk, different to all of your other cars. But wait. It's not a clunk, it sounds the same as your other cars. You'll appreciate we can only go off of what you've said, and it seems your story is changing. You thought you've got worn bushes, but now you don't. Fair enough. Yes, you normally need to make an appointment to see Auto 38. Or the BMW Dealership. Or even your dentist or surgeon. Most successful business owners try to maintain a pipeline, and ensure they're engaged in billable work for most of the time. Can't blame you for chancing it elsewhere in the name of convenience. Cheers

I would like to see our leaders - regardless of which party or coalition is in power - to simply introduce emmissions testing as part of the WoF regime, and legislation to prevent disabling emmissions control systems for street cars. If the cats really are restrictive, source a high-performance cat. Those in the first world with sensible emissions controls in place, are still able to chase the joy of high performance combustion engines without disregard for their fellow citizens. We can stay redneck, and third world... though eventually we'll need to grow up. We could even do it before we're forced to.