Olaf

18 Dec 2018. 258,444kms 1. New Black Circles 4 new Hankook K415 in 195/65R14 fitted, balanced, aligned. 2. WoF Passed her WoF. Wahoo! With thanks to Jon & Keren at Auto38. Next, in Jan it's time for me to do the lock barrel repair kit (over the hols); and the get subframe mounts, trailing arm mounts, diff bush and diff oil done at Auto38. Anyone have a pair of 51mm front strut housings in good nick?

I tried hard, and could not reach that concusion. It only specifies same per axle.

That one for sale in Wellington looks pretty good to me.

the PPI is the basis, maintenace records contribute. The other part of the puzzle is the workshop's relationship with the insurer. Where these are in balance, things go very smoothly. We've not experienced Autosure trying to wiggle out of a claim. My personal experience is they've been exceptional. Diagnosis made by specialist, discussion re policy cover, dpecialist approaches insurer for approval. I end up with a service record and a fix, and pay only my excess. Alternately there are some who try to take advantage; understandably the insurer will examine carefully. Summary:play by their rules, and use a specialist with an excellent relationship with the insurer, keep the vehicle serviced, and it's all really smooth.

“Less Probable?” Unsure which filter you applied to reach that conclusion. Similarly, as it is a) possible to cover a private purchased vehicle, or indeed a dealer purchased vehicle - by buying direct through an agent at a discounted rate, why wouldn’t you? youll take this theoretical vehicle wherever you choose, of course, and it’s good to have people you trust. BMWs are a bit different, and I would be going to [edited: xxxe xxxxxxn no longer recommended], Auto 38, Winger BMW, or a couple of other BMW Specialist Independents in Wellington for work on a BMW, in particular an M5. They’ll know the conventions. Whereas your experienced JDM Yo workshop will know their vehicles. It’s not just code readers, it’s knowing which specialist tools they need for timing etc etc. This ain’t your aunty’s Camry. @TermiPeteNZ that’s your cue. good luck!

You can certainly buy an MBI policy from an agent and apply it to a vehicle you’ve just acquired elsewhere, or already own. The insurer may want an inspection done to establish if there are pre-existing issues. Having plenty of service history helps. I think it’s still possible to buy an MBI for an M5, though it’s a bit more pricey than it used to be; an exclusive category for complex and outrageously expensive to repair luxury cars. I’d recommend buying a 5 year policy, which should make the vehicle a far more attractive proposition when it’s time to sell. Particularly if the vehicle approaches that age limit where one can no longer initiate a new MBI policy. Forgive me spruiking, you might like to know BMW Car Club NZ has arrangements with a number of businesses to provide discounts to members. The discount on Autosure MBI from the agency may be worth considering if you’re about to buy a pricey MBI policy, it would certainly cover your membership fee and provide a useful saving. Lastly which workshop is going to turn down a rod bearing job on a car like that? I think if I were looking to buy an e60 M5 I’d be happy to be buying one with the job already done, though I’d be more favourably influenced had the work been executed by a well-recognised BMW specialist, or BMW dealer. Hope that helps.

We all know gearbox oil is rather whiffy, or pungent. Now we know why... https://youtu.be/b6SN7N7sgks

yeah good point, tensioners done but not the guides, apparently.

sure is. cheap enough to make it your BMW Club trip car, Paul! Appears the pricey fail bits have been attended to?

PS - I forgot to mention Schmiedmann.

I'm sure they'd politely point out that they're in the EU, as they're in Dublin, Eire. South of the border! ?

Yes, my understanding is there's plenty of Brembo kit - amongst other - made in China. Still, they need to meet Brembo's QC standards. Unless they're made of chocolate, should you be concerned? Mick's Garage are pretty good as a northern-european based supplier. Consider that buying your parts while in the UK you'll be hit with 20% VAT; this may not be a meaningful offset to the freight costs of simply buying on line here and now. There may be a VAT-free for export refund scheme still in existence though who knows how reliable that is, and whether your parts supplier is part of it. I used to use both Euro Car Parts, and German Swedish & French, back when I lived there (another life ago, now). Could be an opportunity to do business with Milland, here in NZ. I did a quick look on Mick's Garage on '07 X5 V8 (apologies if I've forgotten your drivetrain!), rear brakes pair Brembo NZD262 plus NZD39.46 7 day freight. That's a lot less hassle than wrangling brake rotors through airport check-ins, believe me! It'd even be under the threshold for customs charges. https://www.micksgarage.com/d/brake-discs/bmw/bmw-x5/x5-2007-to-2013/4-8-i-355-4799/products/3281906-6414-23281/brembo-rear-brake-discs-pair- USA + Freight can work out very well too, IME. Hope that helps.

Not to mention the 45 series changing your handling. Usually when you go wider, you go lower aspect ratio to remain at the same circumference. The engineers set that car up as a package with thousands of hours of development time. Unless you're looking to make specific changes, I'd suggest you stick with the stock sizing, as @eliongater suggests. Here's a visual comparison of your stock size, and your tyre professional's suggested option: Aside from the handling change (taller sidewalls adding 33mm to the height, more sidewall flex, and higher c of g), you can see it'll also gear it up, and nearly 99mm to the circumference (more than 5%). Seriously, I'd shop somewhere else, where the tyre guy has a clue.

on the contrary, any Leaf owner should expect to have the piss taken, even when there's an i6 or bent 8 in the background...

Besides, between Tyler and Doug, they have a cunning plan to talk down the values of all e60 M5s in the USA, pick em up for 2.5 cents in the dollar on their original buy price. Tyler will build a huge warehouse on some of that vacant land they have so much of down there, and slowly fix each one of them over the next ten years. Then, some time around 2030, they'll run articles praising this forgotten masterpiece of incredible power and grace, from a time before the GFC, before austerity and turbocharging, before we all went nutty and electric. They'll make their market, slowly selling each "discovery" off starting at around $125k, and increasing as each "barn find" comes to light, demand growing with the new legend. They're shrewd, these southerners. You should be too.

outstanding. more pics, time to see it in roadgoing form!

I had to google that. I'm open-minded, non-judgemental. It's too early in the morning for those images. I'll never look at a Leaf again in the same way, without thinking of a#$ play. ?

anticippppppppppp-ation ? four black circles, this afternoon. Photocredit: Jon Mechaniker

it's all part of his schtick. not to be taken seriously.

we have soft water in Wellington, so if it's not enough to move here for the AWESOME weather, there's the water too! ?

I am reliably informed that using the BMW washer fluid avoids the scum buildup. Had one of mine done about 2.5 years ago (new pump, tank all cleaned out), tank still clean as a whistle, exclusively BMW fluid since.

12 Dec 2018. 258,426kms 1. Gearbox Oil Drained and filled gearbox oil, with thanks and kudos to @Barryn. This being on light duties is frustrating! Gearbox oil level was low (leaks, now resolved). About 1.5 litres of Messers Penrite ProGear full synthetic. Now shifting more sweetly. 2. Tyres While we had it in the air, we had a look at the tyres. No way those rears are passing a WoF (low tread on left, cracks, and age of both rears) - and the fronts are over ten years old - so it's now parked until they're sorted next week.

^^ This.

try searching xxxxxxxxxx on ebay. they're out of Sheffield UK, from memory. Seemed like essentially the same kit, and cost less. It's what I did on my e46. Hope that helps. oops i6 Automotive, and they're not so cheap these days, https://www.i6automotive.co.uk/bmw-disa-valve-intake-adjuster-unit-aluminium-repair-kit-3-0-only.html

10 December 2018. 171765kms (19,571 since acquisition) Service. Keeping up with the requirements of the MBI. And sensible maintenance/care. 1. Oil & Filter. Also replaced filter housing (OEM Hengst), as the filter drain plug was seized. (there are two drain plugs on the N62. One in the oil pan, one in the centre of the filter housing). Fuchs GT1 Proflex 5W30 8 litres, Hengst E203H. 2. Cooling system flush and fill. This annual coolant replacement (twice factory frequency) is my 'belt and braces' approach to risk mitigation of the valley coolant pipe issue with N62. Genuine BMW coolant used. 3. Service checks. The usual belts, plugs, hoses, suspension, brakes, air filter, steering etc etc for annual service. Though to be fair, pretty much everything's been replaced in the last 2 years, so we'd have been surprised to find any issues. "It's driving like they did when these first came out". I'm loving it.