Neal
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Posts posted by Neal
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Charge cooler is the other thing to keep an eye out for. Replaced mine as it developed a coolant leak. Sounds like they have also become a maintenance item. Thought about going aftermarket, but wanted to keep it factory and despite the marketing for aftermarket units from the usual companies the plastic / alloy OEM is very efficient and effective. If it goes again I think I’d seek out the F80 GT4 version though.
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I think that notice is for b58 and s58 engines. When I searched B-ELW Pressure Control Valve (PCV) 15Y150M (2023) from the bottom page this came up
https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2023/MC-10245365-0001.pdf
But ironically here’s a s55 thread on a similar issue.
https://www.bimmerpost.com/forums/showpost.php?p=28024387
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12 minutes ago, M3AN said:That's what actually got me interested... in the US BMW are offering NZ$4000 F series valve cover replacements under a 15 year extended warranty because of PCV design faults... I'd like to think that was applicable in NZ also but how do we search for that?
The PO of my car actually paid for this work in November last year (I have the actual BMW work order and invoice) which, whilst I'm grateful, is absolutely BS by BMW if they're ducking reasonable (and responsible) liability here in NZ, where we actually have stronger consumer protection laws than the US.
Ironically I didn’t see this one.
Had my s55 plastic rocker cover replaced at 55k as was getting an oil drip onto exhaust manifold early last year. Would get oil smoke coming from under the bonnet. Thought it was just a wrapped rocker cover that is a supposedly common on s55. Perhaps it was this. Was a few $k to have it replaced.
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It’s also worth searching on SIBs as those aren’t quite recalls. The plastic fuel tanks leaks in some cars is good to know about for example. Try a search on “sib bmw f87” for example . Similar using “tsb bmw f87” as well.
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Also think sometimes M cars get tarnished with FUD and it sticks regardless of the car. No doubt non owners will list every fault the can possibly happen and talk themselves out of owner some of the best driving experiences they can have. Stops them from committing. Meanwhile many of us m series owners have had s54 / s65 based cars that don’t have bearing / smg pumps / subframe ( e46 ) issues even at high mileage.
I guess make it clear in your add that you’ve been a long term BMW enthusiasts and the m5 hasn’t been passed from owner to owner and thrashed. Good luck with your sale.
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Been looking at the next possible retrofits. Looked into adding a Heads up display which looked straight forward on the M3 as the cluster will run one. But it turns out that that my windscreen installed doesn’t have correct layers of film for HUD. Apparently F3x and F8x can have one of 3 windscreen depending on if it has Kafas camera , light/ rain and HUD. If I’d installed one the hud image on current screen would show a ghosted or double image. If I need to replace the windscreen at any stage I’ll pay the difference and get one that supports all options.
I’m looking to do two retrofits.
One will be a centre speaker to the dash so I can learn more about doing a multi seat dsp tunes and anchoring the centre of the stage to the dash when I have the family in the car. Putting some thought into mounting the tweeter on top of a speaker grill and have it more on axis rather than having the treble sound defused bouncing off the windscreen similar to BMW B&O centre grill. This will involve cutting the dash to mount a grill and exposing the factory speaker mounting points underneath. Cutting templates can be found online and it looks straight forward. I’ll also need to run new speaker wires from dashboard to my MObridge amplifier and repurpose the subwoofer channel and configure it for centre channel. Then install either my sub amplifier leftover from my e46 m3 system or get a new subwoofer amp that is more space friendly for the install. I’ll use the same focal es100k speakers for centre channel to timbre match the rest. This will run passive crossover as I only have one amplifier channel to allocate.
The second is 5DL 360 surround cameras. Currently I have 3ag rear camera and parking assist PDC. Retrofit will involve adding cameras to side mirrors and the sides of the front bumpers and the 5dl camera looms to doors and front bumpers. I’ll use a combo of new retrofit loom and mirror camera mount mirror plates and buy second hand bumper and mirror cameras. Car will then be coded with vehicle option 5DL.
I’ve started by getting a camera module which looks like it will be the cheapest part of the install. The camera prices seem to be all over the place so will buy these when the opportunity comes up.
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There are phone apps that will work out the code based on units serial number or online service that will do the same.
eg https://play.google.com/store/apps/dev?id=4797224868258853173&hl=en_NZ
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With the csl widths the other ones I considered as Bridgestone Re71 and Yoko ad08 with has been superseded by the ad09 . These are street legal semi-slicks that don’t mind wet days.. They are higher dry grip option. Best tyre combo I had on e46 m3 was the Bridgestone re11. Really good on driver days on the track and better than the PSS and PS4S I ran after. Re11 were replaced by re71s.
Only issue was with Bridgestone nz it was going to be an order and wait process so I went with another set of PS4s. I briefly had ps5 on the front of the f80. They are a bit smoother and quieter than PS4s with a nice steering response. A bit less road feel. Didn’t get to explore front end grip though.
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I used to run 235/40r18 and 265/35r18 ps4s on my e46 m3. Would get mine via tire rack.com and brought about 4 sets of tyres for the e46 from them. Prices imported were similar to nz prices. I think I just needed to register for importing goods more than $1k.
It’s a good alround combo. Hardly ever got traction light flashing. Found the rears would last no more than 40,000 kms.
scroll down to ps4s.
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On 5/27/2025 at 4:39 PM, HELLBM said:H Shantelle,
Andrew and Ollie are pretty much hands off these days. i`ve been giving thought to reviving some of our events, namely the Dyno Day`s we used to have. Would be great to amp up the Bimmersport site and facebook Page. Give us a call sometime to discuss.
Thanks Ray Hellbm
Drove from Wgtn to Auckland for one of those Dyno days. Great fun ! ( e46 m3 day )
Would be interested is seeing how an s55 with stock and GTS tunes does 😀-
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Thats looking great !
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1 hour ago, deedub said:Just noticed that my coolant reservoir cap on my 98 E36 318is has a 1.4 bar cap. Checked real oem and it should be 2.0 bar. Trying to understand if there's a reason PO would intentionally replace with lower pressure cap. May have just been the best option available.
Lower pressure could also be a result of the 90s e30 cap recall. There was concerns around pressure build up and scolding an unsuspecting owner.This one was for m20s and I remember being sent a new cap for my 84 323i
https://bmwtechinfo.bmwgroup.com/sib_attachments/B170293.pdf and
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Probably a 20 -30k install in its day. Looking like Alpine F1 components, IE scanspeak made speakers. Seen those at $1200 usd a pair second hand not that long ago. That system is very much top end alpine stuff from the day.
Other than the soft top , great platform of excellent 3 way front stage. Still has kick panel mid bass position which is great compared with door locations.-
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Speaking of 80s still have some Alpine gear. Few amps and equalisers from my e21 install circa 88. And have this set which is NIB from early 80s
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Almost , but air intake to low on those.
Needs to be a e90 m3 with bonnet level intakes to make it through that
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M2 looks great with the M decals.Welcome to s55 ownership!
Neither thought you’d replace the e36!
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On 4/4/2025 at 8:18 PM, Karter16 said:Torrential rain yesterday and today so I can't do any work on my retaining wall at home. Got round to a little job I've been wanting to do for a while. The trim around the SMG shifter boot makes an annoying plastic on plastic creak sometimes when shifting, which isn't particularly pleasant from a driving experience point of view.
Today I took the trim apart and used some tesa tape to insulate the clips and mating surfaces. I also gave everything a good clean while I had it apart. Put it back together and the squeaks are completely gone (unless I press very hard directly on the plastic trim), shifting is now a satisfying mechanical click, rather than the annoying creaking sound it could be before.
Cool fix to sort rattles. Also good on door card clip mounts 😀
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There’s also the odd single din unit with carplay / android auto. At the pricey there is the Porsche high end single din , at the other end there are a number of headless CP AA units on AliExpress
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Very cool and welcome. F80 is phenomenal car… but I might be a bit biased on that 😀
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7 hours ago, balancerider said:Ooh very cool @Neal - I always wondered if the dealer could do an official region change on the VO, my cruise control reading in MPH when everything else is in KPH is irritating. As I understand it on the F3x would need a new kombi as well.
Not so sure about that one , same challenge with my cruise control with mine also having a UK VO. All roads lead to a replacement cluster. Got to remember setting it for 62 mph rather than 100 😀
But it would certainly solve the default Map location as well rather than asking dealer for a manual download of NZ/Aus. Also stop BMW UK dealers asking if I’d like to have car serviced.
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On the Speed Limit Detection retrofit using the process earlier my car has since been in for a service in the last week. As a result the 8TH option is now showing as an official factory option. I did a online BMW vin lookup today so no chance of it being wiped during any future servicing 😀
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Great you see the positive out of it with how the medical team worked to stabilise you. There are some phenomenal people that fix us up when we get broken.
One of those life events, happy to have survived …. But fu$k, that was a bit close.
Speedy and progressive recovery.
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On 11/26/2024 at 10:00 PM, Driftit said:Non car things over the weekend. Small bikes instead. Massive amount of fun.
Syds Run 2024 in Christchurch. A charity run for leukemia in the name of the guy who started this event. Syd.
560 odd scooters and small CC bikes. I've been two years in a row now. Syds 100th Birthday (RIP) would have been next year. They reckon there is going to well over 600 bikes this time.
Buy a sh*t bike, chuck on your battle jacket and join the fun. Live your Pest Life.
I have a 1978 Yamaha Chappy LB80 which is a laugh.Know what you mean with small bikes. Wife had a bucket bike when I met her. Basically a cheap low cc bike for organised car park racing. Don’t need to be doing 737 take off speeds to have a good time 😀
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Other way round do it is to get something like an AVSS type thin walled high temp insulated wire and twist it together. It won’t take up as much room in the door connector garter. It was a tight fit from what I remembered .
eg. Automotive Wires AVSS 24 22 20 18 16 14 13AWG Speaker Audio Cable OFC Oxygen-free Copper Thin PVC Insulation Car Wire
https://a.aliexpress.com/_m0jAYWX
PSA: G Series M3/M4 Recall - Are You Up To Date?
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Just got a low charge cooler coolant message . No real indication or smell. Was around 60,000 km with car running standard factory engine tune. I check the charge cooler fluid levels about every 5k now. But no issues since.