Eagle

PCV system on those is just a basic valve and hoses isnt it? No vacuum leaks? Checked the fuel pressure regulator? MAF and coolant temp sensor readings ok?

Its in the engine bay

Not to mention the E34 B10 turbo is 10 years older and still beats it.

All the Mxx series 4 cyl engines are generally reliable expect for the M40. M10 followed by the M43 are easiest to work on.

Better than nothing but still quite limited to what a proper scan tool can achieve. I think id rather have a Saab than one these engines, one of (if not the most) unreliable engine BMW has made.

A proper scan tool goes along way. Glenn (Botany Motor Worx) is retired but still posts on here occasionally BM Workshop Botany seems to be the recommended one for East Auckland. I don't know of any others out that way but others may. I know how you feel in regards to emails but some places just aren't very good with email correspondence for whatever reason so it may just pay off to ring them instead.

I will always maintain that the 80-90's was the golden age for automobiles

Indeed its poor design but BMW are usually pretty good when it comes to that sort of thing Well if you get a cheap 1.5 ton jack ($74 Toolpro low profile one on sale @ SCA atm) to use on the side to get clearance for the main jack i don't see why that wouldn't work unless your jack main is that terrible. If its that bad then a decent low profile one is probably a good idea. Ive done some pretty low cars with my 3 ton high profile Powerbuilt, i just had to jack a side up first which allowed for plenty of clearance.

If you are going to get another trolley jack then why wouldn't just jack the car up using center jack point\pad and then using axle stands under the jack points or ramps?. Sure you still may need to lift one side a little to get the 2nd jack under the car (depending the profile and how low the car is) but its far easier.

E34 and E39 have always been the perfect size for me for an all rounder. Modern BMW's are just getting way too bloated for my tastes, the CEO parked his G30 M5 near my E39 the other day and that thing is monstrous.

Rang up a Bridgestone dealer here in Hamilton and don't bring in 235/45R17 S007A's into the country. Looks like im sticking with my PS4's for the time being.

Always liked the look of the 5 series tourings but if you don't need\use the extra cargo area often then you are disadvantaged compared to the sedan. Fold down rear seats have worked fine for most of my situations.

Fair enough. Certainly not extremely rare or expensive its just no one is selling them anymore haha, same the with the E24 M6. E28 M5 is a different story.

FYI M cars were around before the 90's Wouldn't mind a E34 M5, not crazily priced but are heading there, hard to find though. Problem is everyone is holding on to these older looked after cars for good reason (applies to all good models)

Yeah Vanos seals are probably the best $150 ive ever spent on a BMW to date and you'd probably benefit esp with that shorter diff ratio. Lots of things could cause rough cold idle on these - vacuum leaks and followed by the CCV system being the most common.

I agree but you'd think they would given you just bought a new car off them and they are surely still are making profit on the install.

Im certain you still enjoy it much more once you refresh the suspension and get some good rubber on. I did about 10,000km also when i first bought it for a daily driver into the city, it was fine for that as it was all slow placed. Once i changed job and started a long commute with a good twisty section of road near the end, i had to either sell it or refresh the suspension felt like driving a truck. Granted yours probably isn't as bad as my 230,000 old parts at the time but its one of those things you never regret doing.

Wouldn't surprise me but at the same time it also wouldn't surprise me if it was more expensive than ordering some yourself.

Tyrerack have plenty in 20" sizes so must NZ Bridgestone again, always the option import. I can't even find them listed in common size 245/45R17 on NZ Bridgestone website but it maybe incorrect.

So what sizes and price were the RE003? I always found Bridgestone NZ to be a pita in regards to buying certain tyres. So many stores with varying prices you have to ring a wide range to find out the normal price and then they don't carry seem to offer most of the sizes that are available over seas.

I remember Chris Harris writing something on the subject in regards to the P1 but given the design and cost of that car im sure they made it work better than a mechanical device in that case. Still think it comes down to your use. If you want to sideways often then a clutch type LSD is a no brainier. For the average new BMW driver the 'e-lsd' is probably adequate. I think its all the BMW's in the middle that don't have either that are the ones that are really bad. My E39 540i manual was terrible even with 275 S001 tyres, either tyres smoke or power cuts, one of the reason i sold it so fast.

Yep aware of the 'e-lsd's' and they are certainly appear better than a pure open diff but they have their limits for some (which is why im assuming BMW are offering a true mechanical LSD) I think aftermarket diff ie Quaife maybe better depending on what's needed. Not sure how the 'e-lsd' would interact with it though. Would assume the BMW LSD would be designed to match or maybe they re-code modules to suit.

What shocks were used? Does that include delivery of all the parts?

Yep hence the all the "BMW's are expensive to fix" comments you always here. Many of us wouldn't be to afford\justify being able to run any BMW if we had to shop at the dealer.. Sure some of the their pricing is ok but don't they seem to stock much esp for the older models so no reason not to order it yourself which is cheaper and faster. Even then items like coolant which were reasonably priced keep going up and up (at the local dealer here at least) Only ~24 years ago when an motorsport spec BMW came with an LSD std.

To me its more the people who buy these are aren't the people you would associate with having good driving skills.