jonoe30

I'm not sure if the E60's CCC system is similar to the E90's, but in the E90 at least you can still complete some functions using only the dash OBC... Don't know if you've seen these instructions, but worth a try if you haven't: Start engine. Hold turn signal lever in the up or down position until TPMS tell tale symbol and RESET are displayed. Press button at end of turn signal lever. Press and hold button at end of turn signal lever until a check appears after RESET. Vehicle must be driven to complete relearn.

My guess is the description is just an automated template based on the tick boxes they use to list the features... I doubt anyone is even reviewing it :S

Thanks There's a lot to keep maintained, but they are generally a pleasure to work on... analog by today's standards, but well engineered... dig in (to the work and your pockets ?)! In saying that I put off these bigger jobs for far too long... quite a bit to tackle at a time. Doing the roof is particularly rewarding haha

Replace all suspension/bushing components/diff rebuild - Completed Apr-May 2019, 198,000km Since I purchased the E30, Previous owners had fitted Vogtland springs and Boge fronts with standard rears... impractically low, soft, paired with with the wrong shocks. Add to that almost 200,000km on the clock and most things were getting soft/perished, the rear beam bushings were particularly shot adding some exciting rear wheel steering to the mix when avoiding pot holes. After countless hours of research and sleepless nights pondering what I'd do, I purchased Bilstein B8 shocks & H&R Sport springs a few years ago, but they sat in the garage (shocks stored upright), being too busy with work to devote the time to completing the job. It's never going to be a track car being a convertible, and I'm not an overly 'spirited' driver, but I didn't want to return to the lofty heights of factory suspension & wanted something firm but controlled. I picked up the strut bar & cross brace from Garagistic on sale in the hope to keep everything nice and tight up front and make the most of the sport shocks & springs (I'm sure I could find stiffer/higher performance versions of these, however I liked their understated design). This year after quitting my job it was finally time to get them fitted. Crippled with an acute case of 'while you're in there' I had brought all other bushings for front & rear, all new wheel bearings (front left had failed a warrant). Diff was whining rumbling like there was no tomorrow so off to Kayne Barrie for a rebuild. Parts: -Bilstein B8 sports shocks -H&R Sports springs -Garagistic front strut brace -Garagistic front lower x-brace -Original 3.73 diff rebuilt with Z3 torsen -Rear beam bushings -Rear trailing arm bushings -Rear sway bar bushings & end links -Diff carrier mount -Front control arms -Front rose-jointed sway bar end links (Ford Mondeo 'upgrade' from E30 wiki) -Front strut mounts -Front tie-rod ends -Spring pads -Front disks, pads & caliper rebuild kits (rears replaced 2 years ago) -Parking brake pads & hardware -New brake lines (x6) -Wheel bearings (x4 - FAG, original supplier as noted on the old ones) -Exhaust hangers & gaskets -Engine & transmission mounts -Various new bolts, nuts for drive shaft, rear beam, etc. All bushings/mounts/end links/control arms Lemforder. Brake rebuild kits & lines ATE, standard Bosch pads. I removed the exhaust directly from the headers & removed as one piece. Then dropped the rear subframe as a complete unit and disassembled (loosening the half shaft retaining nuts before removal). The subframe came away easily as the rear beam bushings were completely separated You can see a 3-axis puller attached to the half shaft & hub... this was useless requires a press or back of an axe with spacer! Once this was all apart, I took these round to Nathan's (zero) house and with his help & the right tools we got all the old bushings and bearings out in an afternoon! This would have been a properly horrible job without his help! There were only a few very minor corrosion spots on these parts due to the copious amounts of factory protectant wax that was still clinging on, nonetheless while it was all out, I sent it off to be sand blasted, primed & painted: While this was all out, gave the under body a good scrub & check for corrosion... again the factory wax and face-lift galvanizing process had held up well. Once all the parts were back from the paint shop, I pushed all the bushings & bearings back in with a press Received the diff back from Kayne and set about re-assembling everything! (assembled on the car) The old front sway bar end-links vs the rose jointed ones Front strut bar fitted (required repositioning the clutch fluid reservoir). Unfortunately I've only taken it for a short run up the road (needs a wheel alignment) as I was down to the wire getting it reassembled (read 2 days) before I headed off to South America for 6 months (in Peru writing this!)... For now it's up on stands in my parents garage... Looking forward to getting it back on the road and will post re the improvement after I've had some time on the setup (back in December)! A few quick photos for ride height reference before it went into storage: Special thanks to my father for many hours of assistance, sweat and muscle. Nathan for his time, knowledge and good conversation. Kayne for getting the diff turned around before I headed to South America, during what was a really busy time for him!

Replace convertible roof fabric & seals - April 2015, 177,000km After almost a year of enduring a 'leak free' roof (as described by the previous owner) it was time to replace the leaking convertible roof fabric. The leaking was coming through the perished stitching that connected the fabric to the frame... most of the loops had separated from the frame (don't drive with your soft top closed, windows open at high speed!). Parts: -New original pre-cut 3 layer fabric (canvas, rubber inner, cotton interior lining layers) -New front & rear bow seals -New tension straps -Sikaflex 225 (original rubber sealant as used at factory) -ADOS F38 high heat contact adhesive -Stainless steel high strength screws for tension straps and rear bow seal retainer (Auckland Engineering Supplies is very useful) -Litres of solvent (for old glue) -Rust-Oleum black satin spray paint Unfortunately I don't have a lot of photos from this job, but I used the original factory service video of canvas replacement (I have a copy if you need it) + the instructions that came with the fabric. It was easy to tear off the original fabric, with frame attached to car, then a few days with clothes soaked in solvent wrapped around glue cover bows (horizontal bars fabric attaches to) to remove all traces of the glue. Once the old glue was removed, I decided to remove frame, lightly sand it to remove some spots of corrosion and respray all parts with a black semi-gloss/satin spray paint. Refitting the frame is straight forward, however be prepared to spend many hours with shims getting correct alignment of frame to body (happy to assist people with this!). Then it's a process of re gluing the canvas to the frame (there are specific alignment cuts in the canvas to attach this correctly). It's very important particular attention is paid to the way the two layers of canvas are attached to the rear bow, and the final layer needs to be glued so that it pulls the canvas in around the rear bow. Done correctly, the canvas should meet at almost a right angle with the rear tonneau cover when it's closed. Some original inscription from the factory on the old canvas Before it's first outing I also used 303 Canvas protectant (kind of like scotch guard) to protect the fabric and make the surface hydrophobic I reapply this every 6ish months - 4 years on it's still looking near new: I also picked up an original rear window 'bra' on german Ebay to protect the rear plastic screen if it's parked outside on a hot day (it's been garaged since the roof replacement):

Refresh cooling system & replace timing belt - April 2014, 165,000km I didn't have any overheating issues, but everything was original and looking a bit sad. Was the first project on the car after I purchased it, and I really just wanted to pull it apart and have a good look & get some preventative maintenance done Parts: -All new hoses -New radiator (upgrade to 'hot climate' width) -Brackets & shroud for above -Thermostat housing -Blue & brown sensors -Fan clutch -Water pump (GRAF) -Timing belt & tensioner -Auxiliary belts -Temperature resistor for aux. fan -BMW coolant Got everything out, also removed the intake manifold, cleaned up the exterior of the head, sent the injectors out to be reconditioned, inspected & adjusted valve clearances. Replaced cambelt & tensioner (cover had been misfitted, with the tensioner rubbing!)

After completing a total rebuild of the suspension this year on my E30 convertible I thought I'd create a long overdue project thread to document the work in one place and add in some of the work completed previously... Purchased in Jan 2014 as my daily driver it has been getting attention in fits and starts over the years as time has allowed, and for the past few years was relegated to weekend driver with the purchase of a sturdy Toyota TownAce 60HP diesel (now gone) My main goals with the car are to ensure everything works exactly as it should, keeping it looking original, with mild upgrades (it's a convertible after all) & modernisation as things are given attention. Plans (I'll make a post for each in this thread): -Refresh cooling system/timing belt replacement - Completed May 2014 -Replace convertible roof fabric/seals - Completed Apr 2015 -Fix electro-mechanical folding mechanism - Completed Dec 2016 -Replace all suspension/bushing components - Completed Apr-May 2019 (Special thanks to Nathan (zero)) -Rebuild diff (+mild upgrade - Z3 torsen... while you're in there eh?) - May 2019 (Kayne Barrie Motorsport) -Rebuild head - TBC, planned Jan 2020 (slow oil leak from head gasket down block... a case of while your in there - no coolant mixing/ loss or compression issues) -Convert AC to R134a - TBC (all parts sourced) -Audio upgrade - TBC (CD43 - E36 CD player for something tasteful in the dash, small inline Alpine amp + Bluetooth adapter sourced) -Install new alarm system - TBC (and tidy loom behind dash from butchered install of old ?Dynatron system) (Above 3 to happen concurrently with dash out) -??? Re-dye leather (keeping original patina) - TBC -??? E46 rack swap - TBC (purple tag sourced - still pondering whether I want to make this change, considering certification requirements) -??? Respray (same colour) - TBC The car was had many small issues when I got it - see post: Original build sheet (pretty well spec'd, NZ new, 'special request' is the high-stop on the boot):

Big thanks to Nathan for help on Saturday removing these! Relatively straight forward when you have the right tools Now off to be sandblasted and repainted...

I've also just been offered the use of a hydraulic press by a relative, but if you have specific tools it might be quicker.

Hey, that is an amazing offer if you think it won't take up too much of your time? Happy to reimburse you for it. I'm around all day Saturday if you're free?

Long time no post, but have finally got the E30 out of storage and giving it a birthday... I have the rear subframe out and disassembled, and I'm looking to get the rear wheel bearings replaced (still in the trailing arm with the hub), along with trailing arm and beam bushings... Can anyone recommend a good machine shop that could do this? (I have the parts)... Auckland based. Cheers in advance

It actually looks like its had a swap with an original BMW leather interior which has been re-dyed blue (as the cuts/panels/stitching looks factory); wonder how long it will last...

It's brilliant pop psychology for millennials, but I agree with most of his points for sure. I have FB but barely post, no Instagram or Snap Chat (which I think is the ultimate of the self gratification apps in terms of instant hit) and no alerts on my phone for anything but phone calls. I probably spend more time on here or reading other forums, if I'm on my laptop.

Haha... thanks guys, I'll give him a call!

Looking for recommendations on the best place to get an E30 medium case diff (open) rebuilt. It's leaking oil and I think the lash is out (I have spare crown and pinion wheels if these need replacing)... whines like there's no tomorrow at speed (rear wheel bearings themselves are fine). I would have gone with a second hand diff, but it's a relatively uncommon 3.91 ratio. I'll have it out of the car probably this weekend so just need a place to drop it off!

Classic car insurance often has a buy back clause after a write off, but I haven't seen it in State or Vero policies I've had. Check your policy working and see... if it comes to that. Hopefully not!

If it's registered personally your name is already withheld by default for the carjam style searches as the other's have mentioned; if you want to prevent easy access to your name and address for the 1000s of people who have access to the NZTA database through work (insurance company reps, car dealers etc.) you can do it here online: https://transact.nzta.govt.nz/transactions/personalinfoaccess/entry There's a link included which explains the situations in which your info is released.

I'm also guessing it would be impossible to register it without going through the special vehicles registration process which it wouldn't meet the requirements for?

~92,000NZD; No wonder NZ doesn't see more new BMW's on the road with the mark up BMW NZ adds! This car would have to be at least $150,000 here.

FYI - according to Tire Rack the Bridgstones are 140 and the Pirelli's are 400 https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Pirelli&tireModel=P+Zero+Nero+All+Season+Run+Flat https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Potenza+RE050A+RFT Some additional info for those interested: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniform_Tire_Quality_Grading

Sage advice

I wouldn't worry about the suspension setup especially if you are changing from one type of run flat to the other. Plus all of BMW's marketing around RFTs was designed to sell the idea that they were for better performance and convenience and not that they were a cost saving and economy improving measure (which would have been the main drivers for the switch). I would hazard a guess and say the calibration for RFTs is relatively subtle... slightly different spring and damper rates, as people regularly switch to non-RFT's without issue. Going back to your original post KiwiTT, what tires does the vehicle have on it now? Apart from the DTC warning activating (it's hard to say whether this is happening too often without driving with you, though at 50km/h I'd expect you'd have to be turning some very tight corners or braking very sharply on slippery surfaces to activate it) do you have any other issues with them?

Aren't the RE050s what they shipped with? Whatever it had on it I found them very harsh... unfortunately all tire/suspension opinions are very subjective... I usually drive an E30 with Toyos which have much bigger side walls so take my opinion with a grain of salt

I forgot to follow up with the outcome... he ended up getting Pirelli P Zero run flats to replace the OEM Bridgestones (which may have been the originals or second set, they were overdue for replacement wear wise)... was about $1650 all up including alignment which I thought was very reasonable (225 front and 265 rear fitment I think). I've been borrowing the car since December and have done around 5000km on them... they are much more forgiving, more like normal low profile tires, don't tramline like the Bridgestones did and in the recent downpours have been very compliant and not too prone to aquaplaning. Wear seems to be good so far.

I LOL'd at this.... I'm also a PM for a living... Everything I undertake on my E30 is a textbook case of massive scope creep... and budget blow outs... 'while I'm in there' syndrome should be number 1 on my risk register haha. Great that you are taking the time to refurbishing everything while you've got it out though! Looks brilliant