Kees

Yesterday I was looking over my E34 which I hadn't driven in a couple weeks, and spotted some masking tape and half a can of gloss black plasti-dip. I decided I should mask off the front license plate filler, which was pretty battered from 370,000km of NZ's finest roads, to see if I could make it look any better. Didn't bother to do any prep work other than give the area a quick wipe with a rag and then began spraying. Took all the masking off this afternoon and it actually looks decent enough, and will be a good temporary fix until I can be bothered to order a new one.

Spotted this today and had to laugh. Not sure what you are going to tow with your Cayman!

I did a couple coats on my 540 in October and the paint is still glossy and hydrophobic. One thing I've heard recently is to keep the coating on for as long as possible you should use a pH neutral car wash. I think Autoglym and Meguairs have pH neutral options. I had been using a generic Turtle Wax car wash but I will be switching to something pH neutral. Just reminded me I did a polish and ceramic coating on my old S8 when I had it with the Turtle Wax Ceramic Black products. Photos are a bit rubbish but man the Turtle Wax stuff does a slick job.

Yup, living dangerously! 🤣

@Sammo WOW! Looks absolutely sensational. Love the wheels.

Since I got my Manual W8 Passat, the rooted wheels have really annoyed me. Went to wheel-fix it to see how much it would be to give them a refurb. The polished lips were oxidised and decently curbed, and the painted centres were bubbling. To have the wheels properly sorted they would need to be chemically stripped and painted which would cost around $3K.... Plus I was still on the hunt for new tyres. Came across an NZ New, Auto W8 Passat, with much tidier wheels, wrapped in RE003s, and in the same colour as the manual! So I made the unique decision to buy it just for the wheels. Is actually quite a well kept car with a service book which is completely full. Was dealer serviced until around 2015 and judging by the RE003s (which are now on the manual one), it had been pampered more than most W8s. Got quite a few looks on the drive home. Not sure how many times in human history, two silver W8s have been cruising together! Driving the pair back to back is very interesting. The auto is nice enough on the motorway but feels pretty sluggish around town. Manual transmission really transforms the car in my opinion. Also, driving them both home from Hamilton, the 6-speed manual got 9.1L/100km whereas the 5-speed Auto said it got 10.4L/100km. But anyway, having owned it approximately 24 hours and having swapped the wheels, the auto is up for sale! Would make a great tow car, long distance cruiser or winter beater. Has the rare leather and alcantara Recaro bucket seats which are electric and heated. Also has a factory VW tow bar and probably is one of the tidiest W8s left. Have no use for the car so its now on trademe if anyone wants it. Can do a decent deal for Bimmersporters, although I doubt anyone would want it 🤣 Depending on how long it takes to sell I will probably get bored and start taking more bits off it to swap with the manual one. https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/volkswagen/listing/3556110221?bof=6Myl2HdR

I think I’m going to get a couple air tags for my cars since they are fairly inexpensive. Look like they work decently well and it would be nice to have the system integrate seamlessly with my phone and computer. However, have heard they can notify unfamiliar Apple devices that they are being tracked. My mate left his airtag he has with his keys in a mate’s car and his mate got a notification saying a foreign airtag unfamiliar to his phone could be tracking him. Could be problematic if the thieves have an Apple product (which lets be honest is quite likely seeing how popular iPhones are) as after a while they will know they are being tracked.

Anyone want to come view the car 🤣 I feel like we need a Bimmersport in-person investigation...

Is a bit strange its been to 5 dealers, but I guess spread over 3 private owners its not too bad. Could have gone for example: BMW dealer, first owner, dealer who does a dealer trade with another dealer, second owner, dealer, third owner. May also be a carjam error. From memory I think that one was sold from Tradein Post in Greenlane at some point. Was a thread on this car in the past too: (wonder if it was with its original owner until 2016 as the car looks to be in a fairly prestigious driveway indicative of someone who bought it new) Photos showing car was from Tradein Post:

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/325i/listing/3538275807?bof=lkYJ4f9I Not sure if this one has been posted here yet, wonder what it will go for. Bidding currently at 2.5K. Lots and lots of rust and suspect blown head-gasket, so quite a large project.

@Sammo Was nice meeting you today, your e30 looks awesome!

Honestly I think he will get 50K+ for it. Higher ks than the first two blue ones which were snapped up for presumably $40K and $50-55K respectively, however it looks to be in better cosmetic condition and is an arguably more desirable spec. I guess the only issue is how many people are realistically looking for an E39 M5, considering there have been 4 total for sale in just over a month? If someone really wanted one they probably snapped up either of the first two. That said, if I could afford it, I would buy it. Love the spec, and it has original plates!!! In my personal opinion, this may be controversial but I think E39 M5s will be 100K+ in the next 5 years. Rare in NZ, NA V8, 400hp, RWD, with a manual. Can't beat it!

Was for sale in 2019. Such an incredible spec. The colour is an Individual Colour of BMW Laguna Seca Blue, meaning the colour was a special order and not a standard M6 colour. Is really highly spec'd. Best M6 on the market in my opinion. Here are the details from that listing:

Bargain! Body is all aluminium so the scrap value is close to 2K just for the body. Air suspension components also worth a decent penny if in good condition. Whoever got it can enjoy a luxury limo and then make more than they paid for it if something goes wrong.

Just checked my screen recording, is the same Trademe account, so must be the same owner. Bet the seller is glad they didn't sell it for sub 40K!

Amazing spec! Was for sale in September 2020. Sat on the market for a while too. How times have changed...

Completely agree! Don't understand why a whole new plate has to be issued for the same car. Only way to get around it in NZ is to make the original combination a euro plate prior to putting the Personalised Plate on as then you own the rights to the original combination, but obviously no one ever does this.

Saw that on the carjam and that really pissed me off. I'm quite OCD with original plate combos on NZ New cars since its something you cannot get back once you put a dumb personalised plate on it. Makes me even more mad when the plate has been on there for years like with that M5. Keeping the original combination really completes the car in my opinion. My W8, e34 540i and 207 GTI all are on there original plates. I'm so OCD I actively look for cars with original plates and would pay a premium for it too.

Just noticed no shadow trim either. Normal chrome part of the "comfort" spec like with the seats? Looks a bit weird having the chrome and then black wheels imo.

The others were bargains for their apparent condition, this one definitely looks to be a little rougher around the edges than the others. Also has the highest ks out of the 3. Also has the startup rattle that was noted by the second one for sale. However, I reckon the seller will probably get more than the second one which was listed for 55K, simply because he can adjust his price if required. Someone will definitely want it. Still a tidy car overall. Also, have the front seats been swapped for standard e39 seats? I thought all M5s had sports seats. Have never seen one with standard seats. Standard seats an option?: Under-tray seen better days No floor mats N

I think you just won Bingo! 3 NZ New Le Mans Blue E39 M5s for sale within a month and 5 days! What are the chances!!

Might also be worth blasting some water behind the plate with the hose to loosen the adhesive as much as you can without having to pull on the plate. Have had the issue in the past and just used water to get it off. Fishing line is a good idea though.

I tried to write a polite response which I emailed to him. It consisted of two sections as I'm hoping it can act as a way to conclude contact. I first gave some advice on what I would do in regards to diagnosing the severity of the leak. I made sure to explicitly state it was my personal opinion and I am not a mechanic, and to seek proper advice and opinion from Audi. I then reminded him of the service and inspection done the day before the deal was finalised. I stated I had no knowledge of the leak which is a fact he knows, I pointed to the fact Audi had inspected the car with no such leak noted, and concluded I do not accept responsibility for fixing the leak. I tried to phrase things as professionally as possible. I'm currently a third year law student so I tried to be as careful as possible in how I explained everything. Hoping the email I sent him can conclude contact, or at least allow for me to conclude it myself. I provided advice as to what he could hypothetically do in terms of sorting the car to a standard he is happy with, and confirmed where I feel my position stands on the matter. Have not had a reply yet.

Nope, I don't think I would ever personally guarantee a vehicle I'm selling. Have written him an email explaining I claim no responsibility for repairing the oil leak, if he comes back aggressively, I might send him the relevant provisions of the CGA.

Good point, might as well try rip the band aid off as he's not going to be happy sugar coated or not so would be best to be straight to the point and very clear. Really appreciate the advice!!