ducatiss

I agree with the other members - 150k is nothing on these engines which properly maintained will do well over 300k. Short trips will kill engines when the oil never really gets up to temp as well, as well as not letting the engine warm up before giving it a boot full of revs - now that's really bad. The other thing in your favour is that its NZ new and while that doesn't guarantee you a trouble free life, you will be able to look back through the ownership (and service) history to make an educated guess as to whether the millage is genuine. The other thing in your favour is that your car being NZ new shouldnt have the the Jatco transmission that causes so many problems.

No worries. It may be case of me favoring what I have but I regularly get up to 10kms/Litre out on the open road in my 320i which is about the same as my wifes RAV4 though it does drop around town. I also find the power fine though the auto box makes hills a pain (I will be ditching the auto box for a manual early next year). All the figures from BMW show the 320i and the 325i being VERY close in terms of fuel economy but the 325 is noticeably quicker off the line and in general driving. Good luck

Probably a fair price if condition is reasonable though try and knock it back a little. There are still a lot around so you can take your time as you can sometimes pick up nice things like sunroofs and leather upholstery for not a lot more. Things to look for as follows: Make sure Cam belt and tensioner has been done. Unless the seller can show you a recent receipt for the work being done assume it hasn't and book it in right away. Get the water pump done while its being done. Check for rust in the usual places Check for soggy carpets front and back - lift the carpets in the back and see if its dry - these cars often leak due to blocked drains. Check the oil for signs of water (white looking oil around the oil cap) These cars often crack heads if over heated. Check for overheating - the gauge should be at about the middle mark when driving. Engine should be smooth (though its common for some weird idling issues rough idle and hunting and idle which can usually be cured cheaply) If its auto make sure that it operates smoothly and without clonking when going from reverse to drive. If you can get to the car before its warmed up make sure that it pulls away without delay in drive. Diff should be free of whines and vibration. Vibration and clonking can be caused by wear in the rubber coupling and CV joints in the drive line - another common area of wear. DO NOT rev the car in neutral or park to check for smoke - very bad for these transmissions! Look for blue smoke out on the road - these engines when cared for will go well over 250,000kms. Instuments are easily swopped out and millage is very easy to falsify on these so just be aware of that. Check that the central locking works and can be locked from both front doors and the boot - not uncommon for this to give problems. Check ALL electrics. Wipers are known for sticking and shuddering. The other thing is that the 2 litre behind an auto can be very fuel hungry around town and a bit of a slug unless you are out on the open road. The 2.5 can be bought for not a lot more and arguably doesnt use much more fuel at all. Most of these things I have mentioned apart from the cracked head can be fixed if you are mechanically minded quite cheaply and there are still a great range of parts available on the likes of TradeMe and from members here. You need to be aware that an older BMW WILL need lots of maintenance and you will need to keep on top of this. If you arent prepared to learn how to do this yourself, then you will end up spending lots and lots of $$$ Not an exhaustive list but hope this helps.

If you dont sell complete I may be interested in some parts of it.

yes 35mm maybe up to 40mm but certainly no lower is a good height to get what you are looking for. Dont under-estimate good shocks to control those springs - opinions vary but the consensus seems to be Bilstein or Koni. Neither of these are cheap so price around (including on the Internet from overseas). I made good savings on mine from Turner Motorsport.

My comment was not aimed at you Aaron rather the long winded debates that come about everytime a car comes up with an M badge on it. Everyone has an opinion on the origins and spec's of "genuine" m badged cars with no consensus. My "constructive" opinion is: 1. No the badge isnt genuine, brobably a cheap ebay knockoff 2. The car has most of the credentials (apart from the auto) for a motorsport enhanced 325i 3. The car looks tidy enough - if it were me and the car stacked up I would be offering between 4.5 bottom and 6.5 tops. I agree with bravo - I think the price being asked is a little high.

I like the idea and well done. if you dont host the files on your server but rather link to them there "may" be less of an issue regarding copyright restrictions.

here we go again!!

Does anyone know what sort of connection the kr-U660 (std in the e36) uses to connect to the CD changer? I believe these are a Sony model so do they use an Ai-net or Din connection? Any help would be great.

transmission Fluid ok?? Everything all still connected?

Best engine bay I have ever seen on an E30 - man there has been some work go into that car - well done. Can you tell me a little more about your engine fan - where from, how much, etc?

Is the cam timing correct? Did you have this engine running correctly with the standard cam at all?

Sounds like you have gone too low (yes there is such a thing!!) What the shock shot are suggesting wont lower your car any more, rather the shock will have reduced travel keeping the springs captive. The ride really will always be terrible like this - if it was me Id go up a little in height by replacing the springs and putting in a decent set of Bilstein sports (which are for lowered shocks) but this is all going to cost you 1 - 1.2k.

How did you shorten the springs?

I couldn't agree more with your sentiments here mark247. In NZ when the F/L E30 was released there was a "M-Technic Sport package" available for the 320i and 325i. Each package was different but basically consisted of leather sports seats, revised suspension, body kit, green tinted glass, leather wheel, satin chrome finish etc. This information comes from the original sales brochures (of which I have for all E30 models) As far as I am aware these options could also be ordered separately. As for other countries who knows.

send us a pic of the plug thing you are referring to - but seriously, pod filters are a fashion accessory at best!

No - lubricating them is not what I meant - the antifreeze goes into the strut body to aid in cooling the shock - helps pass the heat from the shock through to the strut. Sounds like you have been through a war zone with Subaru !!

Any chance of posting a picture so we can see where you are at? Might refresh my memory from when I did mine.

yes agree with the comments fro Yuen made about buying new, correct bleeding will make a big difference and is essential. Also make sure when you bleed your system that you have the heater controls set to hot so that coolant is fully circulating right through. Also be aware that if there is no coolant circulating around your temp gauge sensor, it wont necessarily read correctly.

How have you found the SLK? I have alway liked the look of them (from the outside anyway) and have often thought about getting one until I read the issue that others have had regarding the interior paint flaking off and the roof giving issues. Is this just the usual Internet BS or are there issues like this that I should be aware of?

You will need to replace the expansion tank if it has cracked - knead it is a temporary solution only and it wont survive for very long under pressure. The frothing was probably caused by lack of coolant. You should be able to get a good used one from trademe or a BMW dismantler etc for cheap money. Under pressure it doesnt take a big hole to loose a lot of water in a short time.

My Bilstein looks similar to the one you have pictured and haven't had the issue you have - but bagging bilstein based on the service or in your case the lack of service you got from BNT is a bit like bagging Dunlop based on bad service received from one branch of Beaurepairs. Are you running a little 100% antifreeze in the strut body - this helps transfer heat from the shock to the strut.

I wasn't aware there was such a thing!

re the wheels being marked e35 - no I dont think that e35 means they are off a later car (other members may correct me there though). I would try another complete cluster - maybe another member has one they could lend you to try or something. Was it reading correctly before you started on all your repairs??

If you can get Koni's for a bit cheaper then that might be the way to go. I would still price some Biltein sports from the likes of Turner Motorsport (USA) as they are quite competitive in price even taking exchange rate into consideration. I would try whatever shocks you decide on with the lovells first to see what you think - its a minimal cost to change springs really. If you don't like the Lovells then as some other members have said H&R's have a good reputation. As for other parts I would have ALL the bushes including your anti roll bar buses checked for wear. Finally after all that is done get a wheel alignment done. Finally, check your rear shock mounts as these are a weak area on the E30 and cheap enough to replace.