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Dont let it eat thru the plastic guards - they are there for a reason - that is to keep water and mud away from the guard - if it eats through it, expect rust to follow.

Front end shimmy or warped rotors?

What do you want for the tool kit - all tools there? Will need to be sent to me (at my expense) to the sth island.

1985 Fiat 125 ( First Car) Battled the mechanics and the rust but a great first car 1988 Fiat 125s 5 Speed (a bit of a dog) 1989 Mini (had a 1300 engine in it and went great!!) 1990 Isuzu Piazza ( much hated but it went ok) 1990 Audi 80 GLE (loved it but cost me thousands) 1993 Mitsi Sigma (boring family car) 1994 Honda Accord (much better family car) 1996 Mitsi Galant VR4 (Lots of grunt and great for passing but always a fragile feel to it) 1998 Mazda Eunos 500 - nice V6 engines 2001 Toyota RAV4 ( say what you like its been the most reliable car I have ever owned and still do) 2005 BMW 320i (Current Car) Also add to the mix a variety of bikes including an 1100 Katana, Ducati 900 SuperSport, and a BMW 650 Dakar.

do you have a budget in mind? Also what is actually wrong with your 2.5 engine?

Who knows what its worth without seeing the history, interior, mech report etc, but being only the 2.5 probably not a lot though they are a nice drive as a manual and the 2.5 engine was often said to be the sweetest.

No - leave the additives to the japas. The e30 doesnt need them. All e30's are a bit tappety. I'd try adjusting them all to spec first.

So its AMI at the top, State in the middle, and Westpac at the bottom? Anyone here go through an insurance broker or have any other companies to compare?

Anybody, anybody, anybody???

Don't forget checking the drainage channel that runs along the right side of the boot - specifically by the rear window - as thats where mine was leaking into the right hand rear footwell. The water pools there and can run up underneath the rear window if the seal is bad as there is nowhere else for it to go.

I'm with AMI as well and they have been great. I have been with them really since I started driving and I keep them up to date with all changes made to my car - ie lowering, sports suspension etc. I provided them with a valuation from a friendly car dealer to get the "agreed value" that I wanted without a problem. I prefer to insure with a company with a branch that I can walk into and talk to real people.

Not too sure on that one - just make sure you have bleed your system properly (do a search on the forum as theres a bit of info on that round) My first thought was slippage on your front pulleys dues to all that cooland getting everywhere, but as you say its coming from the rear. Maybe someone else will be able to help.

Yup - heard it before ...bas...ds. There seems to be a few here that have had a similar experience - so I have started another thread in general to see what other peoples experiences have been.

After reading yet another post about someone getting ripped off by their insurance company I think it is time for people to name and shame (or in the case of good service to rave) so that other people here will have some information to go on beforehand.

Thank for that - but I would still like to know the height of a standard E30 325i spring. If anyone has one lying around and can help I would really appreciate it.

looks like noone else does either. Ok then can anyone please measure up and tell me the spring length of a standard Front and Rear E30 325i spring and I will compare it to these ones.

Make that labeling is your friend regardless of whether you have a Bently manual!! No, dash removal isn't as hard as it first seems. You will need some instructions or a manual, and a methodical approach. Lable wiring plugs and looms as you remove them and you should be fine. I removed mine by myself but an extra pair of hands can be useful when removing and replacing. I wouldn't remove the dash though unless you have checked out some of the other possibilities mentioned by others first.

I have some E30 Convertible springs (the ones with the pink stripes on some of the coils). I know that these are supposed to be a heavier duty spring to cope with the increased weight of the convertible - but does anyone know whether the ride height is any lower than a standard 325i? Any info appreciated.

I had a leak and it was coming in the boot but I see yours is dripping from the light. I take it you have blown out the drains with compressed air. Also check the bottom drains (where the water exits underneath the car) are not blocked or crimped shut.

No, the rear flaps on pre-facelift vs FL are different (I think the fronts are the same) Its to do with the fact that the FL cars have a deeper boot and the rear guards are a different shape. Its a great looking car - would love to see some pics of the engine and interior as well. You should start looking around for a crack less dash. They seem to come up on trademe every now and then and while they are time consuming and a pain to install, it isnt a hard job and the end result is worth it. Dont even bother to try and repair the cracks as the repair is always visible and they will appear again soon. If it is only a small crack that is starting you could try and stop its progress by heating up a small nail and making a hole at each end of the crack - this should stop it cracking further for a while.

The original plates are definitely a keeper for anyone interested in either restoring or keeping their car original. Its probably not a big deal as the e30 at the moment is only just collectible - and that's arguable. But in the future good E30's will become rare and to have a good one with the original plates (whether they be black or white) will add to the car, if not in value, at least in attractiveness to the collector (all things being equal).

So this is an academic exercise ... 1. It wouldnt just "bolt in" without so much custom work both in terms of custom pulleys, the building of brackets, tubing, etc not to mention the remapping of the fuel/air side of things that you would be spending thousands and thousands. Unless someone has done something like this, no-one will know the costs involved and I would doubt an engineer/mechanic would be interested either when they find out you aren't in the position to see it all though. Turbo charging would be less expensive (slightly) and you would have a better chance of success. You would also have to change the comp ratio etc which involves lots of engine work. So short answer is NO NO NO - not worth it unless you have access to someone who likes doing such modifications AND knows what they are doing. I have heard of supercharger kits for the M20 but they are very expensive. A much better bet for you I think would be to drop a bigger engine in from either a 325i or better still something from an E36 or later. Still expensive but would be much cheaper than supercharging and a much better result in the end. Hope that helps.

Excuse my ignorance on the subject - but why are 6X9's so bad?

I would agree with the comment re the AFM. it would be worth checking. Try a second hand one - they aren't that expensive. The usual thing is to replace all the usual ignition components first - plug leads (though the originals don't usually give too many issues on the E30) Check to see that a lead isn't broken and arching on metal somewhere. Are all the plugs the same colour? Also check your valve clearances. You could also try borrowing an ECU to see if that solves your problem. The 320 heads don't give as many problems as the 325 as a rule - the 325i head having a distinct lack of metal in some critical places around the water galleries. If your old head was in good condition and all clearances correctly set then that wont be the problem. My advice - start on the ignition/electrical side first then work from there.

Nice car by the way with plenty of weekend projects left to do - which is as it should be. Enjoy. On a slightly different note why does anyone bother with using electrical tape to achieve shadow lining? Unless there is something I don't know about this practice the tape surely must fade and slowly come off over a short period of time. Why not do it properly with some wet n dry, etching primer, and paint? It took me about 4 hours per side including time for drying between coats. It been on a year now and is still looking great. Another product to try for restoring leather is the Pelle leather care system. You can buy it from places that sell leather furniture, and while it will cost you around 60-70 bucks, in my opinion its well worth it for restoring the condition of older leather as it leaves the leather much softer looking without a gloss finish to it. Other than that, love the wheels, they really set the car off nicely.