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You will no doubt like me, find the quality excellent. I have bought parts off these guys before and the service and range of parts is excellent.

Is the car lowered and by how much? Really though, you have probably replaced most things so would pay to get it checked by someone in the know.

Way back in the 90's a friend of mine who works in the political arena, told me (after I commented to her that it appeared Winston was on the way out), not to ever underestimate Winston. He is one of the few politicians that are able to successfully manipulate both the media and public opinion to his own ends. He is a master of the "end game" and while I do not like his style, I don't think we have seen the last of him yet.

I don't think people are being mean. probably just frustrated at having to try and decipher what SGBOY is trying to say at times. Interesting photo nonetheless.

Yes, that is pretty cool, but how on earth can you watch T.V. and still drive safely?

No thats not right. It is only a measure of the fuel's resistance to pre-ignition or knock resistance. IE the higher the octane the less likely the fuel is to pre-ignite under certain controlled conditions in a test engine. However if you run a lower octane than the engine is designed for and you get pre-ignition, this lowers the power output of the engine and if not controlled through engine management, will eventually ruin it.

Sorry, Im not up with the history of your purchase but I would check/replace coolant and other fluids, hoses, belts (including cambelt) oil and filter (regardless of km's since last change), lubricate all hinges and door locks and sunroof if you have one, check battery fluid level, and finally take it for a good long drive.

Probably one of the most useful and sensible comments posted on this topic.

Is there some sort of correlation between the number of posts someone has made and their intelligence?

Most engine manufacturers accept 1 litre per 1000 kms as an acceptable margin of oil consumption. Most if not all engines burn a little oil. However I personally think that 1.5 litres per 1000 km's is excessive.

Yeah it can be tricky - if thats the hose thats leaking, just undo it at both ends and pull it back toward the firewall and out. You will lose some cooland in the process so you may have to drop some out the bottom tap on the radiator. Shine a torch in under the manifold and it all should become clear lol.

Yes there is a coolant pipe under there - it goes from the top heater pipe on the firewall to the bottom of the thermostat housing. Mine split under there. Good news is the hose (which should be replaced with a genuine BMW part due to all the weird kinks and bends in the hose) is not expensive and only took me half an hour to replace including taking the other on off. It should be fairly easy to spot if this is the one causing your problem.

You can get the Bosch Platinum +4's from Super Cheap though you might have to ask for them as when I got mine the guy there told me they had to keep them behind the counter as people kept stealing them. Having run them in my E30 I'm not sure they were worth the expence. Having read up on the Yttrium spark plugs, the rational and technology behind thems sound so would probably heed Glenn's advice and get yourself some of those.

I'd say it has to be worth 5K so long as it doesnt look like a "boy racer special" but you may have to wait for a while to get it in this market. Make sure you keep all the reciepts for the motor work!

I would have thought that the ICV would have needed to know the coolent temp. Just wiring it up to a 12 volt source wouldnt achieve this. As an L-Jet owner I could be well off track here though. I seem to remember testing my Idle valve by heating it in hot water and then observing what the valve was doing. I would be keen to hear what you end up doing as I might convert as well.

Lots of things could cause this - worn rings/bore/valve guides and or seals are among the worst and most expensive. Take it to a mechanic fo a compression and leak down test would be your first step to try and diagnose further. How much oil is it using? If it is blue smoke it is oil burning. Black smoke will usually mean a fueling issue.

You can try second hand but from my experience you are usually buying rubbish as there are very few decent used radiators out there now for the older BMW. You can try www.pelicanparts.com/ or www.autohausaz.com/index.html. Both of these places (based in the U.S) should have what you are looking for. You can search by part number as well. I just imported one for my E30 from pelican parts (300.00 U.S including freight from mem) and it only took 10 days from time of order to being delivered. Well worth it imo for an OE BMW radiator. Just be sure you do your homework before ordering and make sure you order the correct one.

Even Allegro's can be made to look good...

Welcome dude - I'm sure you will find this place an excellent reference for all things BMW. Look forward to seeing your pics.

So the BMW's air bag is only designed to trigger at the correct time at speeds of 56km/h or less? I take your point about cars designed in the 1990's. However I would have thought that BMW would have attempted to exceed the 56km frontal test rather than just meet it. I mean being rated as 1 out of 5 is pathetic.

other than what others have already said, I dont think there is anything else that you can do other than keeping your maintenance up to date. It sounds as if the km/l that you are getting are pretty right for the 328i.

This is just another example of someone telling everyone else how they should feel to further their own ends. Clarkson however seems to attract trouble where ever he goes but as an entertainer this is part of his appeal (to me at least). He is probably one of the last champions of old school "in your face" motoring where such considerations as economy and safety fall well behind the performance and fun factor.

Maybe so but what surprised me was the amount of damage done - I did not expect the A Piller to fold like it did - it looked more like a Holden Barina than a BMW. To be fair, the the E46 does much better but I had always thought of BMW (and in fact all German brands) being class leaders in safety - after looking at the Euro NCAP site, this is arguably not the case.

Not sure if you can get the tensioner from repco - but if so it should be fine as the cambelt change intervals are not large. Ditto for the cambelt.

Euro NCAP 64km/h offset Crash Test for E36 The 3-series' cabin became structurally unstable during the frontal impact and the driver ran a risk of life-threatening chest injury. The distance by which the steering wheel was displaced backwards posed further risks of injury, while stiff aggressive structures in the lower facia area also added greatly to the chances of the driver sustaining serious knee, thigh and pelvis injuries. In the side-impact test, protection for the driver's abdomen failed to meet coming 1998 legislation for new models. Front impact In the frontal impact, the 3-series suffered excessive movement of the screen pillar. The cabin became unstable, the driver's door lost structural integrity and the beam supporting the facia became partly separated from the car's side. The driver's door could be opened by hand after the test, but moderate force was needed. The passenger's door could be opened normally. The steering wheel was pushed backwards by 223mm (8.8in) and upwards by 14mm (0.6in). The impact resulted in excessive footwell intrusion, with the brake pedal being pushed rearwards by 321mm (12.6in). The standard-fit airbag triggered late and failed to offer adequate protection; the steering wheel also intruded too far into the car's cabin. This intrusion might have increased the probability of serious injury for different sized drivers or those in different seating positions. Neck protection was good. High levels of force transmitted via the seat belt, and the driver's chest hitting the steering wheel with sufficient force to bend it badly posed a high risk of injury. Facia-level intrusion and the instability of the cabin may have added to the level of hazard for different-sized drivers or those in different seating positions, so chest protection was down-rated to 'poor'. Had the impact occurred slightly differently, it could have caused greater facia intrusion. The driver's left knee struck the lower facia to the left of the steering column. Protection for that knee, thigh and pelvis was down-rated from 'good' to 'marginal': if the knee had impacted in a slightly different position horizontally or vertically, it could have hit the steering column or its adjuster locking bracket. The steering column, its adjuster or its mounting bracket could also have caused localised knee injuries. The driver's right knee struck the facia to the right of the steering column. Protection for the knee, thigh and pelvis was down-rated from 'weak' to 'poor': if this knee had been in a slightly different position, it could have struck a steering column stabilisation tube or a facia support bracket. Such rigid structures could also have been hit if the knee had penetrated the facia further. Furthermore, the column adjuster or facia brackets could have produced localised injury, as could the brake pivot or column stabilising tube. Excessive intrusion into the footwell presented a serious risk of foot and ankle injury. After the test the dummy's left foot was found to have become trapped between the car's firewall and the floor. Protection for the passenger was generally good, although forces transmitted by the seat belt could have caused chest injuries. Results obtained from the passenger dummy were not modified on the basis of any structural damage to the car. Side impact Side impact The driver's head and pelvis were well protected but the amount of protection provided for his chest was rated as 'weak', and for his abdomen, 'poor'. Ref http://www.euroncap.com/tests/bmw_3_series_1997/15.aspx