jonoe30

Here's where I got the info: Japan http://transportpolicy.net/index.php?title=Japan:_Fuels:_Diesel_and_Gasoline#Gasoline NZ http://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/2011/0352/latest/whole.html#DLM4044783

I've just been having a quick browse of TradeMe/Japanese car auction sites for E90/91 325i LCIs for a friend and I'm noticing that most of the imported 325i LCIs from Japan are fitted with the N53. It's my understanding that the N53 was never sold in the NZ market due to our high sulphur content (50ppm vs 10ppm in Europe and Japan) clogging injectors and other components. The N52 is pretty trouble free apart from usual water pump replacement... are the N53s going to become our new troubled, buyer beware engine ala the N42? I'm imagining regular injector replacements because of our fuel?

I hadn't noticed this, but read the link you attached and they sure do! Though it appears they won't try and collect it unless the value of the goods themselves exceed the threshold (so the OP is safe in this case) In saying that, it's a matrix of rules they apply... If you tick enough boxes, then bingo you get a bill! Hadn't seen the what's my duty app so will use this in future to take the guess work out

No, duty is never charged on freight costs. I presume the delay you were talking about earlier was a manual verification process (something like send us a photo of your CC and Photo ID) because it was your first order from Pelican?

Yeah I hear you there... I spent many hours reshimming and aligning the roof to get it to work properly (I also fitted new tension straps when I replaced the roof canvas which makes a big difference to folding). Thankfully I didn't have to replace the top motor so didn't have to re-sequence the timing with the microswitches which might be a headache in your case. I undertook it myself as I didn't think even a BMW mechanic would have had much practice adjusting them as they are so old and rare. The whole setup of the EM top seems to be a bit poorly engineered for BMW; I expect it will probably give me grief again in future so let me know if you do find an expert!

Do you have an EM or EH top? Just got my EM top working a few weeks ago... now I'm actually using my car with top down!

According to the build sheet it's a 635csi that shipped with an M30, so it's definitely been re-engined, though I don't know why if you went to the trouble to put an M88 in why you wouldn't pair it with a manual trans at the same time.

Interesting... the fan clutch is designed so that if it fails it will be with the clutch engaged so they should be driving around making a lot of noise!

Do you mean stereo presets, saved locations etc.? If so they are paired with the key, the idea being that two different drivers can have their preferences saved (incl seat and mirror positions). If not you'll have to wait for someone more knowledgeable to chime in.

This will be because you are using switched 12V power on the pin that needs constant 12V (i.e. connected straight from battery) the stereo uses constant 12V to retain the presets and the switched 12V to turn on the unit when you put the key in. Figure these out and it should be all good.

No word on how damaged it is yet... McLaren F1 car worth millions crashes http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11759861

Out of interest, what is the head rebuild costing?

Re the tyres, all E90's (excl M3) came with run flats I believe. Recently replaced the factory Bridgestone run-flats (10yo technology) with Pirelli P-Zero run flats on my brother's car and they were a massive improvement, particularly compared with harshness of the OEM Bridgestones. They were only $80 more for the set of Pirelli's (2x 225R17 + 2x 255R17); around $1680 all up including balancing and alignment which I think is very reasonable... can't comment how they wear yet. I don't believe their is space for a spare under the boot tray so if you were to go that route you would need to store a spare in the luggage space or go with an "M-Mobility" style inflator goo kit.

FCP offers both OEM and aftermarket too and usually has most parts in their own warehouse... Pelican does have the better customer service of the two and can be slightly cheaper for the OEM options. Also Pelican are great when it comes to 'dealer only' parts in that they will order even the most obscure parts out of German for you if you're prepared to wait (I've even managed to get some NLA parts from them), but it looks like the OP is ordering common items anyway. I haven't had any experience with Schmiedmann.

If you haven't already ordered, have a look at fcpeuro.com pricing... their shipping is cheaper than Pelican Parts and if you use their UPS option (which I think is the cheapest anyway) UPS NZ rings you when the package arrives and you can pay GST over the phone with a credit card... Avoids the above issues with NZ Post which is appallingly slow.

I think I have a pair of new E36 reinforcing plates at home, I'll check when I get home, if I do you can have them free.

Fixed the electro-mechanical mechanism for my soft-top - it's taken me about 2 years to source the parts from various wreckers overseas needed to repair it. Now it goes up and down at the press of a button, just in time for summer!

If you still have time - when they change the CCC unit to accept the NZ maps see if they can change the MiniDisc player to CD - I had this done an no additional cost on my brother's E91 as they had a spare unit out of a later model E90 with a CD drive. Also make sure they don't forget to retain the coding for haptic feedback on the controller (the forgot on his and I took it back)... this feature means that the control wheel has a 'notchy' feel as you scroll through the menu and stops moving when it reaches the end of the menu items... It's more of a nifty feature, but it's kind of handy when you're driving and it wasn't fitted to the newer units.

Haha, well I'm happy if E30 convertible resales stay high, might make me feel slightly better about the amount of cash I plough into mine.

20-30K? You could probably get a 325i LCI (2008+) for that money, though most are fitted with iDrive (the newer CIC version with a better interface and maps)... I wouldn't be concerned about iDrive, it's not particularly prone to having issues (we have 3 vehicles in the family with it, without issue, likewise a few friends too - though I'm not at a service centre to see what vehicles are coming back for), especially the HDD CIC based ones and the maps are still being updated, unlike older CCC based versions. If you really don't want it you should be able to find a pre-LCI 325i without it quite easily. The 330i and 335i almost always have it fitted as you've noted. Just get a mechanical warranty for the first 3 years and anything particularly ugly should rear it's head (at the very least it will repay most of itself when the electric water pump dies at 80-100ks)

Well I doubt it could be insured for that. I wonder what my FL 325iC would go for then... 30K? lol. I can't see anything Mtech on it apart from the gear shift gator and steering wheel, also doesn't look particularly well spec'd (No OBC, or A/C(?)). Nonetheless it looks very tidy, manual and the AC Schnitzer wheels might be worth something if they're not replicas. Maybe 10K for the right buyer.

Do you have any pictures of the wheels it will come with? What are the tyres like on those?

I saw this and couldn't help but think of N42/N46 owners...

Agree with the comments above re simple to fix and maintain - though do expect gremlins to appear on a car 25+ years old... every part will eventually wear out; so its a small but constant stream of little things you need to do on even a well maintained example. Engine problems tend to be simple to fix, and manual gearboxes and diffs shouldn't have any issues as long as it hasn't been abused. I would pay particular attention to suspension bushings - if they haven't been done in the last few years, expect to be replacing them - they are not overly expensive or complex, it's just a physical and time consuming job. The only thing I'd say is don't buy one if you're a perfectionist; I will freely admit I am not suited to classic car ownership as I want everything to work just so or look just right - Pelican Parts and FCP Euro have made a lot of money out of me while I replace random bits of worn trim, switches, door locks etc. Other friends are with E30's happily plod along with low ownership costs as things that would bother me don't bother them. In saying this - what I spend in $$$ I get out in joy haha.

Nice Looks like a good factory solution if it can be done for similar money! As zero has noted re the fan exploding; don't drive it while the clutch is locked up.