Olaf

So I finally got a replacement diff. Thanks to Jon for finding the car, a non-running M54B25 325i Touring, pre facelinft slicktop. It was quite a mission, aligning help from different mates. Won the auction, kindly lent car trailer by another mate. Road trip! All the way to Taranaki in my freshly-serviced F25 X3 X-Drive 30D, to pick up a 2000 325i Touring with the all-important 3.46 diff. Couldn't have done it without help of friends. Dragging the parts car home, Taranaki Diesel Fillup in Wanganui Having got back to Welly with a 700km round-trip day, I reflected on how well the X3 tows. The trailer towed well, the little X3 just torqued away. It turned out the oil that came out of the diff is nice and clean. Sadly the alternator had been nicked. Bonus was some speakers and an amp. Got some spare mirrors. And the post-recall airbag for sports steering wheel, so I'll be able to fit that wheel and get the steering wheel controls working, code up cruise control with luck (research needed). The rest of the parts car is now Jon's to part-out - so if you've been wanting to build an e46 Touring race car now's your chance! Nice clean oil out of the new diff. Photo: Jon @ Begley Motor Works Next weekend was Matariki, so I cleaned Blue Zoo and prepped it to take on a car club trip to the Wairarapa. Still such a fun car to drive. [EDIT] The Suspension is tiring, feeling a bit worn. [/EDIT] I think it's worth sorting out. The Hawk HPS pads are working beautifully. The ANSA replacement exhaust has a nicer rasp to it. Barely any louder, just a slightly different note. Ideal. Blue Zoo in the Wairarapa, 29 June 2024 So I need a FRONT Anti roll bar 24mm: P/N 31351094542 in excellent condition. Can anyone help? And it's time to get sorted with the Diff replacement, get the steering wheel swap done, and get some sounds sorted. I'll go for a Kenwood mechless head (like in Grey Thunder), fit the Alpine amp, and two-way component speakers in the front door to replace the factory units. I guess the boot speakers will be knackered too so I'll replace them. I'll also need to make sure I can use the steering wheel controls with new stereo, so there'll be a conversion unit there too. Perhaps August/September.

Awesome progress! god loves an e46 touring! Took mine on a club trip last weekend, the M54B25 certainly isn't quick like a B30, though the car remains enjoyable to drive. Going to hunt back through your thread looking at speakers and amplifier areas.

Hi Admin team, unable to upload photos today. I'd upload the screenshot, but ya know... Your assistance appreciated!

Spotted two Teslas in the carpark my wife used today. A black Model Y. And a white Model 3, a couple of spaces apart. nice monochromatic contrast. Something about the Model 3 caught my eye... Ooooh!

indeed, given e30 cabrio is worst-handling e30, you'd not be doing that one for the performance/handling... Jun, there's a Model 3 on TradeMe with panel damage, something like $8K for the battery.. getting the whole wreck without the body panels could be just the starting point for your e38 luxury-length project. Or, for more completeness, I know a guy with a couple of e60 M5 that need work... ideal - you can have the best of bost worlds! One V10, one EV! Oooh! That'd drive everyone mad.

Volkswagen. I think we draw the line through Volkswagen. Not that I don't love them, but you know, Dieselgate. Will that work? I like the idea of an i3.

made me laugh, well done. 😀 Jun has a leg over both sides of the fence, and has looked at the TCO from many perspectives. His only 'crime' is looking at value where most see price. I'm no particular fan of the Tesla, though appreciate Jun's thorough investigation and that he's living it. I'm in no position to run electric, so for me it's all academic. I'm surprised we don't see more i3 around Welly. Last guy I met with one was very enthusiastic, charged via solar install. The thing that gets me about (generalising here - I'm sure it's not you, Jun) Tesla drivers is the open road behaviour. Coasting down 10kmh below the speed limit in regional towns (60 in a 70, or 40 in a 50), 90 in a 100... then zip to 110... then the batty burn rate is too high in a passing lane after overtaking... down to 105. All over the place! 😎

it's like an explosion of yesterday's whipped cream. put strawberries on the dash, call it pavlova.

Picture your favourite female in a leather corset/bustier. Now swap that out for Uberkaro, Houndstooth etc. It's just not the same is it?

They haven't yet recovered from our previous govts complete f**kery of maintenance budgets into ideological changes sans good science. Give them time, it'll get unwound.

I'm not a suspension guru... looks like e46 is good for ~300hp, e60 M5 good for ~550hp. I'd guess there's measurements involved... and (before you're cutting any steel) engaging with your certifier to run your design outline by them, determine what threy'll want to see as you progress. Got pics, or a project page? I'll subscribe, sounds like a really interesting build. Yeeehah!

Let's try that again... Date: 20-31 Apr 2024 Distance: 211,112 to 211,118 kms 1. PCV Refresh, Starter Motor replacement. Starter motor precautionary replacement - it was developing a rattle, showing it's age. Refresh the PCV system as it was last done in June 2014, no sense in re-installing old parts after the Starter Motor replacement. Full PCV service kit installed. Fig 1: Journey into the beast - intake manifold removed 2. Front of motor accessory drive refresh Some rattles around the front of the engine. It's at least ten years since we did the whole lot (belts have been replaced) tensioners, pulleys etc. OEM INA and Conti belts. Fig 2: new bits ready to install Fig 3: Nice new fresh front accessory drive kit installed 3. Rear Muffler Replacement Mid mounts and rear mounts replaced as 22 years old - that rubber was looking cracked and crispy. We'd had the muffler off a couple of times and Jon had noticed the rust on the top of the box was advancing... it was getting a little raspy, though interestingly hadn't raised concern through the last couple of WoFs. BMW OE was a bit pricey for me - notwithstanding it's a quality stainless steel product... over USD1000 and back-ordered. I sourced an OE pattern ANSA unit (yes, they of the OE to Ferrari and Lamborghini fame, amongst others) from Rockauto... it's not apples-with-apples being aluminised steel, yet even included chrome extension tips that my original unit didn't have (BMW tips are USD80 each!). Fitment is good Jon managed the dissimilar metal weld between the stainless pipe and the new muffler with aplomb. Fig 4: I'm very happy with that. A weld, yesterday. Fig 5: Didn't Wesley Snipes have a strapline: "always bet on (Bogan) black."? The sound is nice - it's quiet enough, similar to the old one and my impression is it breathes better - perhaps the baffles had choked things up in the old one? The rasp of the split box is gone, replaced by a bit more of a muted rasp when the loud pedal is opened. Happy days. Figure 6: New box in-place. 4. Rear ARB Endlinks, ARB Bushes, Shells replaced I'd noticed the shells were rusty when it was last on the hoist. We were replacing fronts and as these are the same age, time to replace them too, Genuine BMW bushes. 5. Front ARB Endlinks, ARB Bushes replaced Clunk in front suspension on compression over bumps. Now eliminated, and steering is significantly smoother. Bonus! 6. Coolant top-up, Pressure test TOK Jon found the coolant down by nearly a litre - I don't think I'd checked it cold since water pump replacement. A top-up and precautionary pressure test revealed sytem is pressure-tight, no leaks, Test OK. 7. Replaced insulation - cable bunch passing the oil filter housing We'd seen that a couple of services back, something I should have done. The flexible conduit/shielding breaks down with heat exposure and leaves the cluster of wires exposed. I conceded and asked Jon to do it. Fig 7: lovely new flexible conduit. 8. Observsations I've a few things to monitor or source. moist Power Steer reservoir. It's 12 years since that was replaced - rather than do the O-ring, will replace the whole thing moist HP PS Hose (pump to rack). I have a very good used one on my purple tag sourced for the e30, so we'll use that as replacement. The e30 can have the UK purple tag-in-e30 hoses. Bung on PCV valve Source replacement front ARB (it's getting mottly beneath the bushes). 24mm P/N p/n 31351094542. Squeak from front strut persists... sh*t if I need to do strut mount bushes and spring seats again (it's 8 or 10 years already) I guess that's Konis or Sachs M/Sport and Msport springs... a decision for another day. Alternator bearings starting to rattle. Monitor. Steering - monitor. Play upper steering UJ/lower column? Fig 8: A 22 year old 212k km alternator, in-situ Summary The car is purring, and feels really nice to drive - my better half grabbed it as soon as it was back, and later commented it drove really well. So we're back to a solid place, though more to monitor. All work carried out by Begley Motor Works, Marton. Top quality, top service. Worth the drive from wellington, always a pleasure to catch up with Jon and Keren. You should go there too! Images courtesy of Jon at Begley Motor Works. Next items list: Replacement diff (e46 medium case) 3.46 (including the two small bushes, input and output seals, fill and drain bungs, oil, rear cover sealant) Clean and rust paint the surface rust on rear subframe Source 24mm front ARB p/n 31351094542 New sunroof seal (Part ready to fit) New speakers in front - consider a new head unit with screen, fit rear camera? Maybe install that Msport steering wheel with the stereo integration - need post-Takata airbag.

Consider then the plight of a business doing repair work on a customer car. They need to pay for the overhead of a secure storage area or more lifts than they need, if a customer's car has to wait for discount parts from abroad. It's more efficient for the repair shop to be able to source locally, and they'll pay the overhead to a local supplier that does something (next-day supply, warranty coverage etc) because it gets the customer's car off of his hoist/out of their workshop quickly. We're a tiny market; until we have scale nothing will compete with being able to source from a large market on $ terms.

I dunno about shafted, try and run a business without adding the cost of your money tied up in stock on the shelf, pay GST and taxes, wages, KiwiSaver,. advertising, insurances, lease costs etc.

I bought a VEMO remanufactured Bosch from Rockauto. No pesky core charge (FCP). I'm sure it'll be good enough, factory rebuilt. Edit: oh wow thanks for the link to your thread. Mine's a 12412354709 - those effite M54B25 donks just don't need the extra muscle the B30 requires 😉 I can only suggest you keep it simple mate, we all here are guilty at times of over-analysis slowing us down whilst we enjoy the research rather than the fruits of our labours. You're lucky. I had to replace starter motor in a Mitsubishi Sigma with 220k kms on it (things had changed - five years earlier I'd have bought a new solenoid and brushes, and put it back in - in 1997 chinese units were on the shelf and cheap. I replaced one on a Maxima with about 170k kms... a common failure according to many taxi drivers I spoke with (the A32 and A33 was the alternative cab de jour from the questionable reliability of the falcodore of the time). It's the first time I've done it in a BMW - it's the car my wife drives, given it was making noises it gets replaced before it leaves her stranded. Can't see the point in wasting time with a used unit that might fail soon after install - for the effort (cost) of the work. YMMV.

Date: 20-?? Apr 2024 Distance: 211,112 kms 1. A whole lot of servicing getting done... We've owned this car 12 years now, so she's getting a bit of a birthday - second time round on stuff we did years back, and more. Starter Motor (the original one was starting to click so a precautionary replacement before it leaves my better half stranded), PCV Service (again), New accessory drive belts, pulleys, tensioners (again), A new rear muffler (ANSA Exhsaust pattern part) and mounts, and more. It should be feeling great when I get it back. Nothing like starting with a palindrome mileage eh?

bump!

buy a silk scarf for your wife or girlfriend, buy this, get away for a long weekend with the top down. go for it!

I think the Singaporean thing is luck of the draw. My friend ran an ex-Singapore Volvo 855 for ~16 years with zero issues, other than the car-audio install. Other friends have had Audi, BMW, Mercedes and said "never again!". I've heard a theory that they're left engine-running, aircon-on while in shopping mall parks to keep interior cool. Loads of time idling. So although the car may have a low mileage, number of hours corresponds with nearer 100-160k kms. Ex-Japan? not much different to NZ - plenty suffer 'deferred maintenance' at end of ownership, irrespective of Japan or NZ. It seems that when cars come to end of warranty cover, some items may 'escape notice' and cost the owner $$. It's all down to the individual car. NZers are notorious for only getting their car maintained when a WoF fails; why this would make an NZ-New BMW more attractive than a used import from Japan, I don't know. OP @Kaz_, your seller is talking up a notional point of difference on his M2 for sale, in an attempt to dissuade you from other examples in the market and net himself a sale. It's a load of horse manure. If you're buying a recent M-Car, get a pre-purchase inspection done at a BMW Dealer or BMW Specialist. You need to determine if it's been driven spiritedly, or simply thrashed. HTH

I'm a comparatively recent convert to RFT. My tyre guy looked at me and said "why wouldn't you?" (in context of a vehicle built to run on RFT, no spare, no jack, no space) - and gave me the "are you really that stupid?" look. It's all great with tyre goo and a compressor until you have a triangular hole in your sidewall, and you're two days away from a replacement tyre! My X3 came on the wrong tyres - non-RFT in the wrong size, though they were the right rating. Got factory Dunlop RFTs. They were a bit odd, though okay - better than the originals. When I replaced them with Bridgestone S-001 RFTs the difference was substantial. Quieter, better riding, better grip - particularly in the wet - and more progressive. HTH.

keep the faith Cam! We've had ours twelve years this month... I saw it across the road yesterday arvo where my wife had parked it as I headed over to my F25, still a double-take. They're the near-ideal car! The great all-rounder. Ours is about to get a big maintenance birthday.

Welcome! Stick with RFTs, unless you like the idea of no boot space from carrying a spare, a jack and wheel brace etc. RFTs are consistently improving; the suspension is tuned for them...

In my humble opinion - and the experience of having run an N62 for 7 years and 36k kms with uncompromising maintenance, it's a non-issue. My personal view re the coolant pipe 'issue' is that it's caused by neglect. If you do a coolant flush annually (instead of the recommended bi-annually), with BMW Blue coolant, the likelihood of failure is greatly reduced. Perhaps the higher temp contributes to cooking/hardening the valve stem seals? Mine were replaced, I did oil and filter more frequently than BMW and the condition-based servicing in the iDrive calls for. There's enough to do on an N62 to keep it running reliably and well, without looking for modifications. All those seals and gaskets to keep oil on the insides (and the outsides dry and clean), including the upper and lower oil pan gaskets. PCV bellows. Valve cover gaskets. Cooling System services. Replacing the intake actuator as they fail causing low RPM minor roughness and bad fuel economy. The list goes on, coils and plugs, then there's the Auto to service, all the suspension and brakes. I was never concerned about the engine 'running hot'', the design is for efficiency. My e30 - by contrast - takes way longer to warm up. HTH.

Date: 23 Feb 2024 Distance: 210,335 kms 1. Flat tyre Hmmmm. Drove the car Weds night, it was pulling to the left and seemed a bit dead. Checked pressures… 3psi down on both fronts, right rear down 3psi, left rear down to 13psi (!). Gark in the rim and a corresponding gark in sidewall - thankfully not deep. Dropped into my trusty tyre guy this morning. Nail found, Tyre demounted, repair effected, remounted and tested, wheel reinstalled. Job’s a good ‘un 2. Rego Ordered another 12 months rego. $106.

the joy of living in Wellington perched on a hillside is that offstreet secure parking is scarce and ++$.