Kiwi_BMW

Have you got any 8hp70 trans?

Are you still looking for an engine?

The 6HP19/21 and 8HP45 are the same length, and the rear flange from a 6HP can be fitted to a 8HP, so the same d/shaft should work. The rear mount would be an easy adaption, although from what I have read there are several different cross members and one maybe a bolt in fit. That leaves one mechanical issue, the trans cooler pipes are different size between the 6HP and the 8HP, not sure about the 6L Cantcu supports many electronic shifters and operates seamlessly in a oem way. Yes it is a bit more expensive but a 8HP is younger and most likely in better condition than a used 6HP

A better trans swap would be a 8hp70, it would probably cost less than a manual swap

Why don't you fit a 8hp45, it would bolt up to the N52 and Cantcu controller. While the 6hp works quite well it isn't as smooth as the 8hp

I agree ICE vehicles are getting more complex and fragile, looking at the internals of some components they are more petite than an equivalent model 20 years ago, hence the reason why they are so fragile. It probably doesn't matter to the first owner as they buy new anyway, the people that it will affect with planned obsolescence is the used car buyer, many of them can't afford the expensive repair costs associated with some of the repairs, or the maintenance costs. I'm sure the extended maintenance schedules are part of the problem when it comes to some of the early failures

Is each successive model of BMW getting less reliable and requiring maintenance that older models never needed doing? I look at things like the E60 V8 valve stem seals, water transfer pipe etc and F10 headlight water ingress, V8 valve stem seals The quantity of oil usage that is now common. While the technology is great, in some respects, it has become less reliable also. An E30 and some others will be around for a long time yet, but will todays cars be around (and operational) for as long as the earlier models? Are the manufacturers building in planned obsolescence, after all if they don't keep selling cars they go out of business.

I still have my E39 540is and a 04 530i E60, so I'm aware of the features of the E60 and the advancements in features, but i do miss the V8 in the E60

What are you going to ask for it?

I have been offered a E39 and I'm trying to guage what it might be worth. Some details 2002 E39 525i Motorsport in Titan Silver Jap import first registered in NZ in Feb 2005 and had 25,089km on it Current km just over 50,000km Overall the car is in pretty mint condition but does need some under car plastic trays replaced Alcantra cloth interior . What would be a fair price for it? 202 Steptronic 204 Drive Version Export Drive Design Export 249 Multi-function For Steering Wheel 261 Side Airbag For Rear Passengers 337 M Sport Package 339 Satin Chrome 354 Green Stripe Windscreen 423 Floor Mats, Velour 428 Warning Triangle 430 Interior and Exterior Mirror Package 431 Interior Rr Vw Mirror W Aut Anti-d 434 Interior Trim 441 Smokers Package 459 Seat Adjustm., Electr. W. Memory 473 Armrest, front armrest front 481 Sport Seats F Driver/front Passenger 520 Foglights 534 Automatic Air Conditioning 548 Speedometer With Kilometer Reading 555 On-board computer 602 On-board Monitor With Tv 640 Car Telephone Preparation 676 Hifi Loudspeaker System 694 Preparation For Cd Changer 705 M Sport Suspension II 710 M Leather Steering Wheel 715 M Aerodynamics Package 775 Individual Roof-lining Anthracite 785 White Direction Indicator Lights 788 M Lt/aly Wheels 807 Japanese Version 818 Main Battery Switch 823 Hot-climate Version Military version 845 Acoustic Belt Warning 853 Language Version English 875 Infrared Remote Control 925 Shipping Protection Package

I have a pair of E60 adaptive headlights, they were cleaned, polished and sealed just before removal from the car, let me know if you are interested

I have a complete motor that's still in the E39, let me know if you are interested

I've had a E39 with sport seats and comfort seats, the comfort seats are far superior for long cruises than sport seats, I haven't spent long enough in the M5 seats to say if there is any difference. The E39 comfort seats do lack side bolstering though........I've been looking for a set of E38 sport comfort seats, very rare in NZ and expensive for a set in the US if you can find them.

If I wanted another V8 I would buy it, but since I already have a E39 V8 with manual I'm not really looking for another V8. I've thought about a E60 with N54 and 8hp, when I had a E39 530i I thought the balance of the 6 compared to the V8 made it feel more agile, but I sure liked the extra hp of the V8 which is why I sold the 6 and kept the V8 An alternative to the N54 in a E60 would be to fit an ESS supercharger kit, it would possibly work out cheaper to buy a donor E60 N54 from the US and transfer the running gear and electrics than buy the ESS supercharger kit, plus the N54 is quite tuneable.

Yes the colour is what drew me to it, but the spec is a bit hohum, it has some options that would be a bonus but is missing a lot of the options that were standard on NZ new E60's. The 5k price is a bit excessive and the current owner thinks the manual is a high ticket item. Being a N53 the motor isn't worth much as they weren't available here in NZ and there are a few differences between the electrics of the N53 and N52