Herbmiester

Need a pump and thermostat for an N52. (E61 530i N52 2008). Also do I need to use the blue BMW coolant if so where do you get it other than BMW? Thanks.

Factory E70 towbar, excellent condition. $350

The rear windscreen squirter nozzle on my e70 is just dribbling but water is dripping into the inside of the car from the top ofthe screen trim area, is this a common fault/easy fix?

I was keen on a 135i E82 and at the time I owned a 335i E92. My thoughts are that the E82 was more lively but also skittish in the comparison, unless you were on very smooth roads the E82 moved around noticeably more. I found the E82 had less ability to get the power down and was more tail happy, this may not be an issue in a 130i as there is a lot less power and torque to deal with. The E92 was more predictable and easier to drive fast. The E82 was fun but required more input and concentration. Steering wise there wasn't a noticeable difference with turn in being very similar, both had very positive turn in. My test area was Whiteman's Valley in Wellington and the Rimutaka's and in my experience NZ B roads, the fun ones to drive, are often not smooth and you do need some ability to deal with an irregular surface, as such I prefer 18's over 19s as a bit of sidewall (No run Flats) helps here.

It looks like the LED's have gone in the X5, I am not sure if they are repairable, if anyone has some advice I am happy to hear it otherwise I need a replacement inner assembly. If anyone has one please let me know asap.

I think you might find that while free of turbo's the electronic modules in this car are both numerous and not exactly reliable. I do like the car, my wife has a an E61and its a lovely car; but it is saturated technology and based on previous ownership of other e60 models your interest may wain when you have to problem solve or pay someone to problem solve finicky electronics. Not to mention rod bearings and SMG issues.

Jon at Auto38 does great work, highly recommended. Like you I live in Silverstream and while it is a bit of a trek to get there Jon is the best.

Thankyou it is my pride and joy.

My one.😉

Nice idea in principle but far to much like hard work. Perhaps, but turbos in light cars are even more fun. A 300HP NA car vs a 300HP turbo car in the same chassis would likely be pretty close on a track but the turbo could have a nice torque advantage, always handy out of corners.

Just curious, would you use a tool like this on BMW engines? For me that could be an N57, M60 and N52.

I bought my wife an E61 530i with an N52. Its a very nice car to drive and quite well specced. The only thing I am struggling a bit with is the nature of the power delivery. Its smooth to be sure but just seems a bit lacking. Most of this is probably due to weight, 1800kg or more I suspect, It will go when revved but I am now so used to turbo engies I sometimes forget I need to push that pedal down hard. I see why BMW went to turbo engines, you can become very addicted to that mid range torque and as such I can see why the deisels were so popular. I now prefer turbo engines, the ones I own or have owned are mostly lag free, or close it and with good boxes like the ZF 6 and 8 speeds it seems you are mostly in the right gear. I will keep the E61 for a year or so as it is a nice place to be but I can see a Deisel F11 being the next buy.

Good advice, thanks fellas.

My X5 40D is a bit vague up front. I have recently had a wheel alignment and the tyres are good so wondering if its time for new Tie rod ends. The internet suggests these can be the culprit but unsure what else I should be looking at. Car has 130k on the clock

As Q says quite common, I would definately go aftermarket for the fix.

I think most aftermarket wheels on BMW's look cheap. Probably because most place like M&T sell cheap wheels.

My take on this is that what was at one time the best sports saloon in the world with a 500 HP V10 is showing its age. I do love them and the point of the video, as you can see by the title, was not to degrade the old girl. The point is our future does look pretty awesome when an M-Lite's can nearly break into the 11's (Probably can with a tune), we are going to have some very fast used cars in 5 years or so. I do note that when I read tests on the E60 M5 the 1/4 mile times were closer to 13 flat, especially in the Aussie mags. I realise we now have 4wd and awesome gearboxes and that purists dont always like either of them but it does make them easier for the average driver (AKA most of us).

I miss it.

Can you give me an indication on price?

A whileback I saw an image of a an oem BMW towbar that had an aftermarket clamp on flange that sat below the ball. This seemed to allow you to fit things like a bike rack as it could bottom out on the flange. Does anyone know who makes them and where to find them?

PM sent.

Just wondered if anyone has done an Android conversion on their E60? What do you think. I cant stand CCC but a CIC upgrade seem expensive.

Looking to buy an E61 LCI for Mrs Herbmiester. A diesel would be nice but a 525 or 530 would be ok. Must have heated front seats. Kms under 150k preferred.