Eagle

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

^ Pretty much how i interpreted the OP. It's not a zero sum game in this case.

NZ isn't is a place associated with under body rust caused by salted roads, even then its unlikely to suffer much as its situated very high and has a the rubber mount and spring pad covering the top and bottom. Im sure they mainly include it for the OCD types\ more sales There is no bottom mount bolts on E39 unless he's meaning the single pinch bolt and nut for the bottom of the strut (3 & 4)

Its not so much the price of the items but the added postage costs on top on that due to weight\size. Sure the bolts and washers are probably fine to add but not essential, get them in NZ easy enough also. Things like those metal coil spring seats are generally pointless for cars in nz unless they have been damaged etc. If you don't care about spending a bit more then its really a non issue. I don't buy anything i don't need to myself.

Definitely get the strut mounts, whilst the rubber is usually passable the bearings are typically rough gone at those k's. New bump stops and rubber boots are probably needed in this case, maybe the lower spring pads if they are deteriorating but the rest of that kit isn't typically needed in my experience

+1 for Fedex. They have never charged me GST on the freight cost also unlike every other mofo.

X to the V(6)

Not necessarily the bulb. It may well be the bulb holder itself not making very good contact with the taillight strip. Rip it out and have a look when you check the bulb.

Yeah do this on most cars i buy, can't stand a dirty wheel. Woman's cars are the worst ive seen, all those oils etc creating that horrible tacky feeling and its usually bad enough you can scrap it with a fingernail. Even continues over to the indicator stalks sometimes.

Yeah don't think I've driven one with known good vanos seals.

Yeah different story in the states, no real shipping costs and cheaper parts. It will need a full suspension and cooling system refresh + all the and known and unknown issues you discover when you buy a older used car. I just don't see value in an overheated neglected diesel.

Real rough and very neglected for the k's. Would have to be dirt cheap as there's nothing even positive about it.

Could be many things. I had a stone lodged in rear rotor once that required taking the whole thing off, they aren't always seen. Did the people you took it to run the car on the hoist to see if they could reproduce it?

Even got drift tyres on the rear

The only brake fluid ive ever used in dozens of BMW's have predominately that Castrol Super DOT 4 or Motul RBF600 on the track. Get the Castrol.

Pelican do Fedex now as well but its still expensive

Turners\ECS\Pelican are all under the same roof now but Pelican is still operating as per usual for the time being. Pelican have always seemed to use excessively sized boxes, tis probably one of the reason their shipping costs are much higher than FCP etc, never use their international shipping anymore.

Im not disputing their benefits but if you to want limp back home after a puncture then that's your choice. Been in a number of situations where a runflats would of been a pita and would of been the end of my trip given they were in remote areas. Run over lol, clutching at straws much.

Summed up exactly why id never take a car on a long trip that didn't have a full sized spare. Sure BMW are loving the savings on not having to include them anymore despite whatever bs they say to justify it.

Never experienced pain in any BMW seats (mostly 80-90's era). I always found they fit me very well and aren't too hard or too soft. Ive done 6hr drives without stopping in E34 and E39 sport and comfort seats without lumbar and while i was a bit stiff from sitting i was never in pain.

Sounds inline with the symptoms

Your average tyre shop is like a zoo, many breeds of monkeys present.

Selling the most reliable BMW V8 ever made and buying one of the most known problematic ones. Pay to play or just caught slipping? Sure its low k's but its probably been sitting in Japan traffic most of its life. K's are irrelevant in many aspects but so many people are so obsessed about the arbitrary figure. As for the question - Trade it in for whatever fits your criteria. It's easy to emotional when scorned but its only 1 bad car ending your love affair then i wouldn't say it was really love at all.

Yeah will truly be for sale in a month but had to re-list to keep my listing from expiring

Its too bad pre-facelift 540i sport models are so rare. Yeah sure you can make one from parts but it would be nice to be able to chuck on the facelift headlights and enjoy a simple V8 without all the crappy TU "features"