Eagle

Assuming everything is installed correctly, tyres\wheels are good, what are the ride heights? Rear - All my 80's lowered 30-40mm BMW's were about 2-3mm toed out in the rear with new shocks and sometimes springs. These were all old cars and on NZ roads so im certain the trailing arms etc get fatigued over time. Eccentric toe\camber plates was one the best mods i did with my old E30. Putting a another trailing arm in may or may not help (did on my old E30 that was with new shocks, springs, mounts ) Front - Strut tower deforming or actual strut housing come to mind

https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-1804655579.htm?rsqid=59ee4f504fc749f197fc4d04bf5cfc24 It may well be the tidiest one ive ever seen but adding all your labor costs onto the price is bit much for me

Only had one problem with VR and that was a headgasket along time ago. Used their diff seals a couple of times. I have 2x VR output seals\rings with that part no if you want them - $30 incl postage if you want them

Crazy given they are poorly designed garbage. FCP euro have a special discount @ 324 NZD. maybe the dealer should order some.

Was it some lower quality aftermarket brand?

Pelican are offering FedEx now too but FCP are the cheapest and fastest. Only use Pelican now when FCP doesn't stock something.

Lost count of how many ive ordered over the years, never had an issues. E39 front Meyle struts cost me $80 USD to ship from FCP back in April 2017, the struts themselves cost me $116 USD on special Good old 80's BMW's with their strut inserts were much cheaper to buy and ship

Every time i hear someone crying about BMW parts being expensive i ask them when was the last time you went to their dealer for parts. Answer is almost always never.

Looks tidy for the age but photos aren't good. Would be interesting what the mechanical side of things is like.

Most of us here work on our own cars and have good reasons for preferring them for certain requirements but they aren't the be all and end all esp these days. No one with crediblity is going to recommend buying a BMW because its a BMW Plenty of good options for 'nice' hatchbacks these days.

Have you got a decent scanner? Surely EGS codes would give some info

1. Definitely get it checked out. If the independent BMW garage has a good rep then id go with them, if not the dealer. 2. If it checks out fine it may not be worth it given the price of the car but no one knows for sure what can happen or not. At those k's i would hope its had a transmission services and suspension work along the way. 3. Hard to say without exactly seeing the car. Sounds a bit overpriced to me gives its a high k 1 series. +1 to E46

* Note - Better also pertains to the ability to experience falling apart and breaking down

Haha yeah. The Hamilton one at least appears reasonably priced. I think the other one is a case of - i paid someone 15k to fix it so add that to the price.

I've no issues with Youshop US which ive used over 10x but Youshop UK on the other hand are terrible. Ive used them 6x now and 5 recent times they took 3+ working days to recognize the package and 3+ working days to actually send upon immediate payment. Last package took from 22 Aug to today and that was wasn't counting the days it took to show which was nearly a week. Lodged a complain and won't be ever using them ever again but just a thought id put out a warning based on this consistently garbage service.

Bet you'd never thought this would make the list. https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-1747361675.htm?rsqid=e810e9e711f64e29b089266602243088

What grade oil are you using? Is it louder when increase rpm at idle. Others things like loose spark plug and exhaust leaks can cause ticking once you get going. Get your self a Stethoscope, useful tool inexpensive tool.

Looks to have the same issue i have with most of these cars which appear to built for drag races - big $ spent on engine\power side but running cheap coilovers (just for stance) with big heavy wheels with average at best tyres.

In my experience someone will always low ball you regardless of the price when selling on tm

A screw driver etc to pry loose the glass and a vacuum cleaner nozzle near the said screw driver to suck it up

Quite sure all all E34 bumpers are interchangeable, RealOEM appears to confirm also. It was the bonnet, grill and grill trim that had to be a set iirc.

Why can't you use a normal torx wrench on it?

Lol thats a bit harsh, i mean its not that best looking E30 around but id still drive as it's not an active tourer or 5 series gt which i wouldn't be caught dead in) Axle stands

It can be done with the head on but i doubt anyone would recommend it esp since its on cylinder 1 - rocker shafts have to slide out the front of the engine and you need certain tools and knowledge. Lots of time and effort for a sometime that isn't guaranteed. If you are taking the head off you it would be dumb just the replace 1 rocker and put it back together., another one arm could easily fail and you may have other issues with the head, plus you'd need to check it for warpage and get a new gasket etc otherwise you risk it leaking. Its just not worth the time and money. The only 2 options i see worth doing to fix the problem are: 1. Replace the head with a checked 2nd hand one and a new gasket set 2. Put an entire new engine in (replace the transmission at the same time). These motors are typically 600-800 but you can find bargains around and its probably easier to find a complete motor than a separate head

Thats a given but i imagine he would be getting a replacement head, new arms or whatever