Azukamii

@sobanoodle I'll probably be placing an order for rotors/ pads for mine. (just doing a bit of DD on the parts first!) happy to add your order to it if you like? Also, when did you get the BMW? I thought you'd still be team Subi! (im-a-bus on clubsub)

Oh I didn't know that! Will keep the cassette unit for times I want to be hip and retro! Now to dig up my "Lion King Returns" soundtrack... I think the cable ties are cut relatively straight, but yes, I will keep that in mind when next behind there. Admittedly a few trim clips were damaged in the process, so will order some of those along with a rubber grommet just to tidy up the little hole I made!

Day 214: To celebrate the successful de-cheesening, and make most of Waitangi Day, I decided to finally address the lack of aux input for the BMW Business stereo. I had discovered a few days prior that the head unit was off an 02 spec M3, which meant that despite having the correct port at the back for aux, along with the correct firmware, it simply wasn't compatible. After a very successful visit to @HELLBM, it was finally time to leave the 1990s behind and ditch the cassette tapes! I don't like messy installs, and a major gripe i have with aftermarket units is the aux cable can quite often become a tangled mess around the shifter stick. So i decided to wire the connection beneath the steering column and into the little compartment at the right of the steering wheel. This also would double as an anti-check phone device, because I'll admit to being guilty of checking ol' google maps from time to time. Initial tear-down to figure out where I want the cabling to go: Aux cable plugged into the back of the stereo: One can never have too many cable ties! Aux cable fed through, trim re-assembled and of course, the obligatory "phone plugged in and ready to entertain!" photo I've left enough length to be able to comfortably pull out the phone and change music, but not long enough to text/ check bimmersport forums Of course, the massive negative would be the lack of usability for the passenger, but given this is a car that's seldom taken out, and when it is, is usually just me, i don't think it's going to be that much of an issue. Only modification I had to do was drill a small hole at the back of the tray to fit the aux cable through.

Quick Update from cheese post. The seat still reeks, so I gave in and purchased a replacement seat from Ray at Hell BM. after vigorous cleaning and conditioning, the leather is starting to look great! I've also removed the leather off the cheese seat and will save it for a day when i'm ready to get it cleaned/ reupholstered. For now, this will more than suffice. Cabin has a very VERY slight whiff after shampooing sections of carpet that failed the sniff test, along with the rubber mat getting a wipedown of vinegar before applying a decent coat of baking soda both above and below the rubber matting (sitting for about a week) That's all split into a million pieces so that's probably going to be the next purchase for the car. Also have an additional can of deodorizer to set off in the cabin - will wait till Friday to get that sorted. If anyone is going to leadfoot and feels particularly brave, feel free to subject the Mch33se to a sniff test!

I'll be rocking up for both days in the m3... be cool to organise a little meet up of some sort with those who are also attending, maybe even do the coro-loop afterwards?

Thank you all for the feedback! I'll give some shops a call around about a replacement foam base along with cleaning the leather and go from there. Regardless, that steri-gene stuff sounds like it could be handy! (sniff tested the car last night and there is a very slight whiff lingering around) I'll trial some vinegar first, if that fails might grab a bottle! I guess i can't get it 100% perfect, but over time, hopefully what's left of the smell will go away! So far, the baking soda "hack" still hasn't made much of a difference to the leather/ foam. will wash it all off tonight and just set the seat outside to dry!

a couple of you already know I did a stupid while moving house last week and left a bag of frozen goods in the back of the old beema. This little surprise knocked me to the floor when i opened up the garage-queen a week later, preparing for a Saturday afternoon blat. the affected area (thankfully) only appears to be the LH rear passenger seat, where the curdling mess has seeped below the seats and into the bottom of the foam/ under the rubber mats on this side. The glorious Christian ( @CSET ) agreed to take a look and although his cleaning has made a MASSIVE difference, there still is a lot of smell coming from the seat unit. if it's unable to be rescued, i will resort to buying a new unit, but I'm much too stubborn to admit defeat just yet! if anyone has any advice on ways to rid of the foul stench emanating from the Germans insides, please do speak out! I fear the longer I leave this issue un-resolved, the more likely CYF's will come knocking on my door. THINGS DONE SO FAR: removed rear seat washed, cleaned and dried the curdling mess pooling beneath the rubber mat where the seats lie. soaked, ringed, and further soaked the foam in a hot bath filled with washing powder for a good half day half-removed the leather cover (the smelly section) to soak the foam, and later somehow clean (have wiped with heavily diluted washing powder and hot water, with no success) coated the affected surfaces (including back of affected leather) in baking soda and let sit for 24hrs I should note that the leather cover itself has not touched any contaminated water, i did wipe it down with a damp cloth however, dye had started to seep out so I quickly wiped it down and left it be. Photos attached for viewing dis-pleasure

I should've checked this earlier! Picked up the M3 last night. $940 later the cracking is all glued up! Peter mentioned that the car had never had the repair done before. When i initially took it in and had a word with him, i did try to push getting plates welded or at the very least, that crack welded up. he insisted it wasn't worth welding and that the epoxy will do the job. I guess if it still fails I can always revisit it later down the line! for now, i'm just happy I finally have my car back. Just in time for my last weekend in nz too! Apologies about calling it foam, when i was doing the DD people seemed to refer to it as foam, rather than the epoxy, so i didn't realise it was the same thing till i actually spoke to the team at BMW!!

@M3AN I've heard of people epoxying the plates as well as injecting the foam, id be going down the route of welding if i decided on that. Really the info for foam is pretty limited. Peter at BMW Auckland central swears by the stuff, so all depends on what kind of quotes I get back from other parties!

Day 136: Finally decided it was time to get to that pesky subframe. Took it to Auckland City BMW and a lovely man named Peter Burke had a looksee. found something the previous shop missed Now to decide. structural foam, or plates

Hey there, what style 19's do you have? I have a set of 18's painted in gloss black. The tyres will need replacing on them (fronts are fine, rear has camber wear), there's also some minor scuffs on two of the lips (as pictured). Car is currently locked up so these are the only photos i have at the moment. More than happy to get some more (or bring car to you) over the weekend.

Day 26: Tried light painting for the first time a couple nights back. I'm sure theres a lot wrong with these photos, but for now I'm quite pleased with them! Didn't bother blanking out the mini's plates as the owner quite likes people knowing his car Perhaps next bimmersport meet I'll have a play with other cars!

Oh man why didn't I know of this car before... You think he'd consider swapping for my one? Everyone knows red goes faster! Or I suppose I could just bolt in some PVC piping and rattlecan it black. same/diff In all seriousness, that is some comprehensive bracing. It's a shame he's having to sell it.

Definitely food for thought. Had a quick look online at that bar installation, does seem like a tonne of messing about for sure. perhaps my best bet would be to get in touch with BMW and see what they say first before calling around the other shops recommended. Seems a bit of a shame that 12+ years on, there's still no guaranteed solution. id be very interested to see updates on when you fill the rest of your frame, @Karter16 heck, if it's a job you can tolerate, would you mind teaching/ assisting on how to do the same to mine?

@Matth5 Curious as to why you opted for the 335i in the end. Mind you, they look awesome Mod plans I'm not sure yet. at the mo i already have an expensive list of to-do's: Replacing the stereo with a tablet setup Getting the subframe sorted Replace tyres Replace brake pads and front rotors get new FSU and install Given how well kept she is, I kinda feel wrong to mess with her too much, but later down the line perhaps a new set of wheels, a nicer exhaust and a tune up would certainly be considered Car will only be used for club events - be it track days, spirited runs or just parkups (like Caffeine and Classics in Takapuna this sunday; which i'll be going to!)

@Karter16 thanks! Certainly looking forward to it! @Matth5 Definitely looking at the subframe. Had been told by a couple of M3 owners that the reinforcement plates didn't always work. Alternative is getting structural foam pumped in. No clue who to go through to get that done. Work like that is WAY over my skill-set.

@Contrails 800 of course We've got Termignoni headers and a QD muffler on the italian! It's a struggle to stay PG when you hear it on song!!

If you've always wanted to know what happens when a now reformed, ex serial JDM tinkerer is locked in the same room as an E46 M3, then you've come to the right place! This thread will outline pretty much any remotely interesting things that surface throughout the ownership of this German brute. SO. Without further adieu: The first 2.5 weeks of ownership! Day 2: Back in auckland after a near 8hr drive. Stole keys to a private carpark with camera in hand: http://bimmersport.co.nz/topic/60252-first-time-euro-owner-text-heavy/ Day 14: Bullied the SO into taking his MV Agusta out for a little "photoshoot" to hone my skills: Please forgive quality, I compressed them into JPG so its MUCH grainier than the raw files Day 16: A passer-by heard what could only be described as "gale force winds" in the garage. On closer inspection its source was the mighty Germans air conditioning system. Replacement Final Stage Unit possible? YouTube and forum posts have confirmed this will indeed be a VERY ENJOYABLE TASK. Photos will follow... once I've located a replacement unit. VID_42110526_211411_140.mp4

Sorry for digging up an old thread, but where would one find a replacement for this unit? just buy this part online from a certain shop or are they available locally? Mine just went kaput last night LOL

Took her to Bavarian Motors in Glenfield yesterday. Subframe is A-OK! Now to start spending some money on her for the oncoming monthly events. I know Euro Car Club have a few every so often, as do Caffeine and Classics. I've also recently joined the BMW Car Club so hopefully she'll be out in full swing shortly!

@B.M.W Ltd 2015 Mv Agusta F3 800 (180kg | 148HP) 2010 Aprilia RS125 (126kg | unknown HP - modified, yet to get on a dyno - Hoping for low 40's) 1998 Aprilia RS250 (150KG | 75HP) - ex-racebike if you've been to any of the caffeine and classic meets on the shore you will have seen the mv and rs250 hovering around the 125 has been awaiting a few rogue parts from the UK for a few months now @J~~ Thanks! Been given a few names to call so will be getting onto that this week!

@Jacko i'm on AW11 #3. I don't learn! Though now the m3 is in the picture, some of the toys gotta go and there's NO chance in hell that the Italians will get the boot! @qube He'd probably have told me to buzz off with the offer I made. @B.M.W Ltd The guy I purchased it off was named Jason. He owned it for 5 years. There was an owner of 5.5yrs before him but he blacked out his name on most of the paperwork. I believe his name was Ben. Before that the car cycled through about 10 dealerships. Hope this helps!

April 2017. The era of Gymkhanas had come to a close and it was time to sell the trusty STi. unbeknownst to the flat-4, my eyes set elsewhere. She was sleek, Italian, two wheels, absolutely insane, and I needed one. As 2017 progressed, my love affair took the form of two Italian two-stroke sports bikes, both of which exhilarated me, but as the months started to pass, I began to worry more and more about firing them off a cliff and not coming home. I remembered the thousands of kilometers i spent with my various cars, pushing each one and loving every second of it. I yearned for long twisty mountain runs, I desired the roar of high displacement engines, I missed air-conditioning. So I began the search, my requirements were simple; lightweight, high grip, and cheap to modify. This led me down the route of something akin to a Type R Integra, then my partner one day surprised me with his DC5-R, so it was back to the drawing board. Should I conform and get some filthy skyline? Or perhaps sink all my funds into the 80's mr2 sitting around the back and embrace being forever poor? Then one day, my landlord visited in his E92 M3. AND HE GAVE ME THE KEYS. I knew I could never afford an E92, but just as every car enthusiast should know, I too was very aware of her older, slightly unhinged sister. What I wasn't aware of, was how affordable they really were. A deep blue one popped up. I and the landlord went out and had a look. She was nice, but not worth the asking, then a yellow one popped up. Cheap, but had a very sketchy history. About 4 months later, just as i had given up and started looking for some RFB stickers, SHE popped up. and my goodness, was she something. I didn't hesitate, I contacted her owner and booked an inspection. YES! she passed with flying colours! Ok then, better tell the boss i'm not going to be in on Friday. Why? Because i'm about to make the biggest decision in my millennial life! The plane landed and i stepped out of the shoebox of an airport. There she was. It was like i'd waited a lifetime to see an old friend. My eyes tinted rose. She really was as beautiful as they said. It took the whole of 80 minutes before her owner reluctantly handed me the keys, making me promise that should I ever decide to sell her, to get in touch with him first. If you made it through that essay of a write up, then congratulations! After the 7.5hr drive back to Auckland and consequent de-bugging, she's now settling into her new home. The whole household have made her very welcome! As have the small handful of friends she's already surprised! So without further Adieu, here she is! Imola red Manual 145000ks Fully documented and thorough servicing history, with photographed works including the vanos refresh about 30000ks back. Aside from the K&N filter and Eibach lowering springs, Completely original (even talked him into including the OEM bits!) I absolutely cannot wait to meet everyone and start taking her out. She does need a new set of tyres and brake pads, but really whats that in the grand scheme of things!!