Yuen

Yeah, Vista still runs slower than XP for me even with superior hardware, I think OSes generally get good around the 2nd service pack, so looking forward to those.

I use Nero, it works on XP and Vista.

Ah I see... I should check if there's a service bulletin for the early E36s then! Wonder if I have the same sticky goo, mine comes in a whole roll and is rather hard when it's not heated up. 3M makes good ones apparently!

True. Sounds like you need a fiver or a seven! Ok, we better stop the thread hijack...

I think so, to find an Avus E36 you usually either go for an M3 or later model 320i M-sport like yours with the suede/cloth interior. Looks so nice under the sun - I was looking at one today.

No problem Charlie Good luck!

The red leather is an extremely personal thing Love it or hate it! Avus Blue is one of the best colours around. But not easy to find on the E36 6 cylinders except for the later 320s. Braeden yours is Avus isn't it?

Seen the X5 one before, but the guy running for his life still cracks me up! Edit: ^ The cat in the sunroof... awesome idea!

Good stuff Jochen, I didn't think the foam liner would make that big a difference in terms of water getting into the car, perhaps the design of the E39 is different to the E36? On my E36, since it was an early build it didn't even come with a proper foam liner, just a flat piece of foam cut to the shape of the door and stuck on. Since it disintegrated and tore, I bought some plastic sheets, and used double sided tape to seal the hole. The later E36s got the proper molded foam liner piece which is way more durable by the looks of it. Where did you get the original BMW butyl-rubber sticky goo by the way? Is that the black stuff that goes soft when heated?

Welcome to the board Dan. Major issues: The automatic transmission on the 6 cylinder imports is the JATCO transmission, which tends to jerk from 1st to 2nd on cold starts. This goes away once the car is warmed up. On my 320i which has done 175000km, the transmission is still solid - the cold start jerk is just annoying but at this many kms I doubt it could get worse. I think the jerk can be reset by programming by some transmission shops (this has been posted on the forum before) or even the dealer. The cooling system on E36s is a common maintenance item. The problem is the plastic radiator neck weakens and eventually breaks. As has been mentioned, the earlier water pumps were also a problem - they were made of plastic. Later on, they changed to a metal water pump, which wasn't that great either - something to do with the bearings. The latest version has a composite impeller and this is the best type. The radiator should be changed if the car has done high kms, I wouldn't really go past the 140,000km mark. While you're at it, might as well change the water pump, expansion tank, thermostat, and hoses. So try to get a car that's had everything done. Air-conditioning. The earlier E36s use R12 gas. Since this is now banned in NZ, if the system goes bad you can't recharge it. You'll need to convert the whole system to run on R134a gas, which will cost a lot. You can identify these cars by the black air-con sticker in the engine bay. Later cars use the R134a gas - look for the green sticker. Minor issues: Headlining and door panel cloth sagging. Apparently on the earlier E36s, the glue they used was not as good, hence the cloth would separate from the panels after awhile. Purely aesthetic but if the car has had it done, that's great. Glovebox sagging. It's common to see sagging gloveboxes in the E36s. Later cars had a different mechanism that I think means it can be fixed by replacing a plastic part (saw a DIY somewhere). But the earlier type seemed to have a different design and I don't think you can do much about it. Switches. On the earlier cars, they used little 'grain of wheat' bulbs in the window switches which burnt out through time. Not an expensive fix if you can source some and solder them in yourself. Otherwise, probably just learn to live with it unless you want to buy some from a wrecker. Same for the headlight switch and the HVAC controls, on some cars the bulbs have burnt out. Cheap fix. OBC. Almost every E36 out there has, or will have a faulty OBC display. Seems to be more common on imports? Anyway, it's only an annoyance as long as it isn't so bad that you can't read the error messages, so not a big deal. And if you are thinking of aftermarket suspension in the future, the earlier E36s (5/92 and older) had different front shocks. On these cars, the front sway bar is connected to the front shocks. So to have more options, get a car manufactured after that date.

Perhaps you're the one smoking mate? Next time try reading! Thanks Braeden.

Hey Charlie, the coolant level circuit is a simple one and from what I can see there are 2 reasons it throws the error. 1. The sensor float is broken - you'll need to replace the sensor. 2. The sensor is fine, but the connections are not. There will be two pins on the sensor which sits at the bottom of your coolant expansion tank. Unclip the connector, get some sandpaper, I used 1200 grit I think - then sand the male connectors on the sensor. Then roll the sandpaper up and sand the female connectors on the connector. This is to get rid of any coolant residue that may have leaked on it. On my car, I had the first issue after I did the cooling system. I'd broken the connector by accident. The error went away for a few days then came back, and turns out it was the second issue. After the sanding, it's been accurate till today. Hope that helps, let us know how you go.

Looks like an extremely tidy M3 for sure!

Shot you a PM!

LOL, thanks for the laugh. I don't see KFC mentioned anywhere. I hope that means KFC is safe, because I just had it

Kinda cool Nice to do that to an M5 that's been hit in a rear. Watch out Holden.

They look great, the stripes coupled with the red seatbelts will be hotness.

I can vouch for lidistick's setup. I have driven his car and it feels just right - not overly harsh, but feels sporty and fun to drive. I think it is a little stiffer than an M-tech setup.

Yup, it's great Putting something together would be a good idea - it's just a really basic piece and small leaks won't matter.

Welcome, love the look of the car, sure is going to look great clean and polished!

Nice car mate - welcome to the forum!

Welcome - and yes we are awaiting pics!

That's the alternator cooling duct, just helps channel some air to your alternator. Yours isn't missing, but half of it is gone. Common to see it broken. Part number is 12311735915, try asking the dealer, might be cheap enough. Btw, should be the same part on all 6 cylinder E36s except the M3. You can check www.realoem.com to be sure.