GorGasm

Compared to a Highlander, yes they are horribly unreliable and expensive to fix. Compared to other BMW, only a bit worse that average.

Cool. The polish might work better on dark colors or cars with light scratching. I found polish gave a deeper finish before applying ceramic. Polish was much harder to apply and remove. Ceramic is stupid easy to apply.

Yes. Good value really.

My old E55 was like that.

Solid.

540i touring is the business.

That gets you a brand new Maserati! Or get a brand new Alfa Giulia Veloce and save 60 grand. Not station wagons I guess...

It was 10.x on the trip meter when it was commuting in akl. Mainly Emma driving though. Funnily enough the 535i gets the same but much better on the open road, down to about 8.0 average or as low as 7.0.

I have Fireball Hydrophobic Snow Foam. It's OK, I certainly wouldn't rave about it. I actually think Meguiars NXT wash leaves a better finish. I'm sure there's better stuff than Meguiars, but I am "lazy" and on a budget.

I have used the Meguiars stuff. I find NXT is superior to the Hybrid Ceramic. NXT Wash and NXT sealant gives a pretty decent finish, follow up washes with NXT Wash are also good as there's something in it which conditions the surface and provides a slick finish which other washes I have used don't have. I think the durability of Hybrid Ceramic is lowering that NXT. Both NXT Sealant and Hybrid Wax are very easy to apply though. Wouldn't bother with the Hybrid Detailer. As an additional step I use Autoglym Super Resin Polish before NXT/Hybrid Ceramic to clear up swirls, scratches and get a deep wet look going. I haven't used any of the hardcore ceramic sealants on the market from places like UCC but I suspect the durability of those is higher. I don't have many pictures but here is: Wash, Clay, Autoglym SRP, NXT Sealant

Could be worthwhile if you have the know how: 2x Idle actuators 2x Throttle actuators 4x VANOS soldenoids (used to be $1400US each, now about $500 it seems) 2x Ionic control modules 1x ABS pump ($4500) 1x Alternator voltage regular (cheap enough) The best parts of my E60 M5 experience were: 4500-8250rpm thrust was very exciting as there's not much going on below 4500rpm. Excellent handling. Interior comfort.

The work you are going to do on an M5 is not going to be fun work I can tell you that. If it's not bearings or SMG then you are going to be swapping $1000+ modules which shouldn't be failing in the first place. I can think of at least 10 modules off the top of my head. Interesting and capable car for sure, but...

That's about on the money. If the SMG, economy and parts prices weren't so bad then it would be a better prospect.

+1 for Laufenn LK03. As mentioned before they appear to be the old Hankook S1 Evo which are a solid tyre.

I found the 130i throttle to be all in the first 1/3 of pedal. The second two thirds didn't give a relative increase in power.

That's just bmw engines in general

Problem with the diesel being RUC is overpriced for passenger vehicles. The alternative is a V8 but that comes with a mega thirst. So yes, turbo petrol is a win.

Depends which Hankooks I think. The EVO range are generally well regarded, everything else not so much. Definitely YMMV. And more than anything you can only really comment on tyres which you have purchased new or have a recent date stamp on them. Old tyres are dodgy regardless of brand.

Good for you man.

I disagree now, I used to be that tyre snob. I currently have Laufenn LK03 and Michelin PS4S on my cars currently. Nothing wrong with the Laufenn's, they appear to be the same design as the old Hankook S1 Evo which was a decent tyre. I also had some of the cheapest tyres out there - Triangle th201s - which came with my 535 and I ended up running them for 30k km and they were absolutely fine wet and dry. I was adamant when I bought the car that I was going to replace them because I was that tyre snob. The Michelins are fine in the dry but do not inspire confidence in the wet. They track and slip like crazy on shitty NZ roads. The Triangles felt better, albeit on a different car. I vote give the LK03s a go. Certainly there are exceptional cases of super sh*t tyres, but in my experience so far the Laufenns LK03, Roadstone Eurovis Sport 04 and even the Triangle have been fine. My hunch is that anything made in south east asia, in the hot, humid climates is going to be bad on NZ roads. Every time I have tried their tyres I have felt like the reaper is in the passengers seat.

Just caught up with the interior pics. Sick.

Seriously though, if you aren't an enthusiast driver, or it's a daily driver then it's a pretty appealing option. Going to see a lot more Chinese made vehicles on the road in future me thinks. Already lots of Havals kicking around.

MG ZS EV is where it's at. $40k for a brand new small EV SUV. It's seriously tempting, a little more range would be nice so I could get to and from Auckland on 1 charge.

Does look like a great example!

I just watch AutotopNL