tmase

Great looking car! Was never a fan of 'verts but those photos might make me change my mind! Good luck with the sale.

I am no expert but I did look at a heap of E39s of various engine sizes before I bought mine, a 530i, both Jap import and NZ new. Others on here no doubt will be able to correct me if what I am saying is off base. Japanese imports tended to be higher spec'd than the NZ new ones that I looked at. Many NZ ones don't have a Nav screen or TV though the Japanese nav system will not work here without some modifications but there are guys here who could sort you out. Also the Japanese Nav unit is mounted on the top of the boot space in the sedan which can limit what you load in there a little bit. Japanese cars have a IR remote locking system instead of the RF one that rest of the world uses. The IR range is a bit crappy. Externally the way I tell a Japanese import sedan from anywhere else is the boot lids have different sized indents for the number plates - you won't fit a Euro-plate on a Japanese import, can't think of any other visual differences. People often are concerned about service history - and rightly so - and there is a misconception that Japanese cars don't have the history. That is not always true some do come with a service history and are well looked after in the same way that some NZ cars have a tough life. Basing your decision on the vehicle's condition can be a good indication of how well it's been taken care of. Some areas of Japan salt their roads in winter - mainly in the north I think, but I never saw any evidence of corrosion in any of the cars I looked at and our higher levels of UV in NZ could potentially have a detrimental effect on seals and rubbers, though my car is good and has been in NZ for 9 years. As for Singapore imports - I was put off them by stories that the humidity there destroys the electronics but that is probably a bit of an old wives tale and in any event there aren't a whole lot of them around. A touring is probably a lot more practical, some sedans don't even have split folding seats (it was an option!) but they do attract a bit of a premium due to their scarcity in my opinion. I was pretty determined to get a post-facelift model (530i) as opposed to a pre-facelift (528i) so I didn't test drive and 528s but on paper there is a bit of a power and torque difference - 142kW vs 170kW and 280Nm vs 300 Nm. Don't have a draw bar on my car so can't tell you what real world difference that'd have on towing. I'd reckon a 540i would be a better tow rig (210 kW and 440Nm). According to my owners manual the braked towing capacity for a 530i Saloon/Touring is 2000kg (according to factory specifications and legally permitted in Germany). 750 kg unbraked. Hope this helps

Got a new windscreen Monday - insurance wanted to go cheap aftermarket, I wanted OEM, compromised with a Saint Gobain (the OE suppliers) screen with out the factory BMW markings. Rain sensor still works - yay! Broke my garage door remote the other day so bought one of these little guys on Ebay last week; a Universal Garage Door Opener (UGDO). Noticed Hotwire (Grant) had installed one a few years ago, he gave me a few pointers on where to wire it in - cheers Grant! These were optional equipment on E38s and E39s (possibly other models too). Tested it out on the bench, cleaned it up, retouched the paint that had worn off one of the buttons, and added some tin-foil strips that are meant to extend the range! Got it installed yesterday - good result! Range is still not as good as I hoped (about half the driveway) but the whole thing was about the same cost as buying a replacement remote and looks (I think) a heap tidier. If anyone else is thinking of one of these be aware that the U.S. UGDOs operate between 288 MHz and 399 MHz whereas a lot of garage door openers in New Zealand operate on 433 MHz, so it pays to check first. U.S. cars at least were pre-wired for these but Japanese cars (like mine) aren't so some wiring would be required, not sure what NZ new cars have in the way of pre-wiring. Early model UGDO units are not compatible with rolling code technology which is associated with modern garage door openers, later model ones are so check the part numbers. Also there may be a difference between units for sunroof equipped and non-sunroof equipped cars. Grant's thread above has some good pointers.

08 550i LCI M-Sport, seems to tick all your boxes http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/...n-468090090.htm

Nice wheels, I like those M5 replicas

Checked my policy wording online this morning; "Repair or replacement of parts We will decide whether damaged parts on your vehicle are repaired or replaced. Windscreens and window glass will normally be replaced with new parts. If we choose to replace any other part, we will use original manufacturer branded parts. These may be new, recycled or reconditioned." I reckon that says OEM replacement to me.

Only one fill up, all round town stop/start driving pretty bad I know, should improve slightly next fill as there has been slightly more country driving this time. Probably need to do the VANOS seals too!

Had a stone chip today on my E39, very close to the A-pillar which had turned into a 30cm crack after being parked for an hour. Rang my insurer tonight (AA), they have arranged for Novus to contact me tomorrow. I queried them about whether I would get an OEM screen should it require replacement. They told me that the policy specifically mentioned the use of aftermarket parts but couldn't find that in the wording specifically. After a conversation with a supervisor they quoted a $1200 price difference between OEM and aftermarket. They reckon that any problems with rain sensing etc would be down to incorrect installation rather than the screen itself. I'll have to see what Novus have to say tomorrow and have a proper look through my policy wording.

Came down to the Falken FK452s and the Toyo T1S in the end. I'll keep anyone who is interested posted on how they go, not sure if anyone else in here has tried these Toyos in an E39 yet. That is if they show up! If anyone cares there were only one set of Direzzas in this size left, good price too - $226 each - but you've managed to put me off them 3pedals! Thanks all for the suggestions!

I'd love to be able to justify Michelin Pilot Sports, but I just don't get to do the sort of driving often enough that would need tyres of that ability. No Proxe 4s in New Zealand until July apparently if anyone else was interested, blame the Ports of Auckland dispute and the Japanese Earthquake. Have a couple of Toyo T1 Sports on order for next week at $290 each, probably a bit stickier and won't last as long I suppose

The Hankooks that are on at the moment were getting a bit chewed out on the insides, I was putting that down to the sh*t roads down here ruining the alignment rather than the tyres themselves. I'll get a wheel alignment done and see how much adjustment was needed. Not sure if I could do Chinese tyres, I'll save those for my '87 Mazda!

Looking at the Toyo Proxes. Can get them for $269. They are 98W rated which are higher than the 94 rated tyres that are on it currently which should be even better for weight. I guess that'll make the ride even firmer than it already is! Apparently the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric II does not come in 255 40 R17 even though the catalogue says it does which is a bit of a bugger.

Firstly, I am a tyre noob! It is time to change the rear tyres on my E39 before winter sets in - standard tyre size 255 40 R17. I currently have Hankook Ventus HR II on the back, but I find they don't have much grip with 2mm of tread left, it'll oversteer without a heap of provocation. On the front I have Goodyear Eagle GS-D3s with a heap of tread left, which seem pretty good. I am having a bit of trouble deciding what to get for the rears. I don't do track days or anything but I wouldn't mind something that grips a bit in the wet and isn't overly loud in the road noise department, but I am aware that you can't get everything in one tyre for peanuts. I was trying to track down some Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetrics IIs but it seems there are none in the country. I hear reports on Dunlop Direzza DZ101s that range from very good to completely terrible. The guys in the UK websites tend to favour the Falken FK452. Does anyone know much about Toyo T1 Sports or Proxy IVs. Also a lot of tyre retailers are trying to push the Dunlop Sport Max. I've done a bit of independent research on the web and rung a few tyre outfits down here in Christchurch, but it seems the more I look into it the more confused I get as to which tyre would be suitable. I sort of had $330 per tyre in mind as the higher end of what I was prepared to spend, but if I could get away with less that'd be good. I am aware from reading posts on here that this can be a bit of a polarising topic, but I'd be interested in what people think. Does anyone have any ideas?

It is a bit more expensive and a bit polarising looks wise but.... Manual 07 650i http://www.trademe.co.nz/a.aspx?id=460138569

Yeah the Aussie (and rest of the civilized world) system is much better. I drive regularly in both here and in Oz and found it didn't take me too long to adapt. Though I do occasionally roll up to an intersection and have to actively think of which country I am in. The rules over here are a bit of an anachronism, we changed and the rest of the world was meant to follow onto our system but never did. I think the state of Victoria did but gave it up in 1987 or thereabouts. Most tourists have absolutely no idea that our give way rules were different, most hire car firms never said anything when they picked up a car. I have had to run a bit of a NZ road rule seminar for my Aussie colleagues that have worked over here as they had no idea why they were getting flipped the bird when they drove around. The 25th will be chaos, no doubt, but hopefully we will pick up the new system with relative ease, especially as it seems to me to be the more intuitive way of doing things.

Would have thought that at $6600 the guy would have to be wearing a big loss on it. The E90 parts alone (bumper, bonnet, etc) would be have to be worth more than that.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/...n-446789019.htm Someone has spend a lot of $$$$ doing this. Actually looks pretty good from the front.

Could have sworn I saw that car listed at $10k 24 hours ago

Like the style 65 wheels, they OEM or replicas?

You have to go into the webETK section and then into 'Specific parts search' then 'Components of other vehicles' to then enter your VIN - after that the 'Options' tab at the top in grey will display your buildsheet.

Try this topic, it should help. BMW ASAP

Could it have been an F10?

Hi Guys, Thanks for the kind offers - Qantas have looked after us so far, meals and accommodation. Not sure what tomorrow brings, hoping some of us can get on flights tomorrow but not sure with the 24th being one of the busiest travel days and all. See what tomorrow brings. Christmas wishes to all.

Hope everyone is alright in Christchurch. I was in a Qantas jet about 5 minutes away from landing when the first one hit. We held for a while then went to Wellington, where I will be until lunchtime on Christmas day due to there being no seats tomorrow. Wonder what state my house is in? Still it could have been much worse.

There is/was an underground rail system in Hamilton?