Neal

Beach BBQ Merlot

Gutted the old cd stacker. Raspberry Pi based system will replace the CD stacker function. Control will be via factory Nav controls. Kit list Raspberry Pi 2 b ..... edit Now Raspberry Pi3. P-Ibus custom board with onboard Ibus interface and hifi components Wifi dongle Bluetooth dongle 128gig thumb drive Asus USB Bluray player for cd/DVDs duties Mini sata extension cable Powered 7 port USB hub Logic relay to send power to usb hub Modified video loom to BMW video unit for reverse camera and system video Old pc 3.5 inch system rack trimmed down. Sabre based USB Dac 96k/24 bit with optical out.This will feed audio directly to car stereo processor via optical interface. Cd stacker emptied ( got one for $40 off TM) Usb Bluray drive. Case removed and sides dermalled to fit stacker opening. Usb hub and raspberry position mock up.

Wife's 328i recently had drive shaft UV joint replacement. Drive line vibration gone completely. Here's to the next 100k kms.... Or X5 replacement

Allan, too true but this was similar to a DIC driver. Absolutely clueless to what was happening around then. Not looking forward to the return trip home in a few weeks.

I've found with Bridgestone tyres they are at their best from roughly 1000kms. Had re001/2s and the ones before. Same for the out going re11 as well. Well priced tyres for the performance .

tourist drivers Had my first dose yesterday of the stereotypical ones that have been making the news lately. Rental car pulls out into SW1 by Wiaouru. I brake hard (70k zone) . About 50 meters later the tourists car just comes to a standstill in the middle of the road. Occupants are just looking around Wiaouru from the middle of the road! Sound the horn and the driver finally realised they weren't the only car on the road. So they pull across in front of an oncoming car. Another near miss. All for tourist being able to drive here, but clearly some don't have the basic skills to drive on our roads. Basic test needed before letting them loose !

Was that the supercharged one , plate something like 500hp ?

maybe a second hand Coke machine and install gear inside. Only would need to chill to about 20 degrees ?

Isofix tether mounts on e46 M3. Nervous bit of drilling on rear parcel shelf, but came together alright. Took about 5 hours . My Little girl likes ridding in the M3 which made it worth while.

Great project. Like the way that it issues little room in the dash and the apps your using. The issue you where having with the Dacs is the factory amp was expecting balanced audio so running a unbalanced output of 2 volts doesn't give enough drive. The BMW balanced amp input is expecting close to 8 volts . So basically you get 5 watts per channel peak.

Clear run on an inlet road near Porirua on way home Dancing with 3 y/o daughter this evening ( she's been unwell this week) Red wine

Just wow , that's an awesome restoration job.

Do the x5s come with side sun shades on the rear doors standard or is it an option extra or "highline" model only ? I'm not getting a definitive answer via Google. My thinking is I want something that has similar passing acceleration to a standard e36 328i if needed. The 328i I think is a good car in this regard getting passed the 80kmh brigade that like to speed up when you go to overtake. Looks like the 30d is similar and the v8 looks very good in this regard.

Possibly showing age here, Brought this brand new along with a alpine tape player. Amps were 20,40 & 90 watts reflectivity. Considered high powered at the time. Bumper bolts used to come loose running a crewinvega in sub. These days , 100 - 150 rms on components with 500 rms plus on bass becomes the norm. I wouldn't put a class ab amp under the seats if more the 60 rms btw unless it has a massive heatsink or the air can easily be extracted. ( if you like your music louder). Amp may run on the hot side which will shorten its life.

Come to think of it, still have bits of my old e21 system circa 87

Elijah Doesn't look that hard to make something similar from mdf and vinyl wrapping. That way you could drop your own custom components in. Have a look at this series of custom fabrication. https://youtu.be/vYW-BUEbjTo It does need to be this complex , but you'll get the ideas behind making pods and grills

Sounding like a ground strap behind the dash. On the off chance check the engine to chassis ground cable as well. I had a series of electrical issues with an e21 323 which sorted after cleaning the contact points at both ends. This included rev counter, lights , temp gauge, charging etc. Nice car btw.

It would be the wife's vehicle , used for shopping run, carting around daughters 3 yo friends in car seats, holidays with 4 adults and a car seat. Possible caravan duties. Weekly 200km round trip to the inlaws ( needs easy access and space for walker). Maybe a tow car for the mini if I can't get it all the body mods through cert. I think wife's doing 1200 - 1500 kms a month. I'd be after something less that 50,000kms with heated seats and a sun roof and possibly a 7 seater option for the odd time. Sorry to hijack this thread.

Really good info here. So basically the $15k difference between an 4.8 and 30d would be the same cost over 4 years and the 30d is cheaper beyond that point at about $3.5 less to operate per year (for our household) The issue will be getting the go ahead to spend high 50s rather than low 40s.

Been watching this as well. Was Thinking of a e70 4.8 to replace the wife's e36. She's been hit twice now in e36s ( one seriously hit) and frankly I want more protection around the child. X5 has one the safest crash ratings where as a e60 touring has same rating as an e36. Size perception is quite funny. The x5 is only marginally longer than a Camry by a bumper.

I'd look to see if Dayton RS series speakers would fit such as a 5.25s driver up front. Build adaptors and use e30 speaker grills which would keep it looking factory up front. If you can get the hifi rear enclosures then you'll have more choice with rears. To keep costs down run the front speakers active and use you head unit to power rear speakers. 4.1 amps also tend to be a premium so you can often get a four channel plus 1 channels for roughly the same price yet have more power and headroom for the same price. You'd also find that running class d on bass will be easier overall on the e28 electrics Eg http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-stereos/amplifiers/mono-1-channel/auction-1011992998.htm http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-stereos/amplifiers/4-channel/auction-1011992564.htm Front components if they can be made to fit. http://www.daytonaudio.com/index.php/loudspeaker-components/loudspeaker-drivers-by-series/reference-series/rs125-4-5-reference-woofer-4-ohm.html http://www.daytonaudio.com/index.php/loudspeaker-components/loudspeaker-drivers-by-type/tweeters/nd25ta-4-1-titanium-dome-neodymium-tweeter.html Often have these speakers on special. http://www.parts-express.com/cat/hi-fi-woofers-subwoofers-midranges-tweeters/13?N=19808+4294967118+4294967060&Ne=10166&Nrs=collection%28%29%2Frecord%5Bendeca%3Amatches%28.%2C%22P_PortalID%22%2C%221%22%29+and+endeca%3Amatches%28.%2C%22P_Searchable%22%2C%221%22%29%5D&PortalID=1&showMoreIds=10014

When I suggest m6 rivnuts scratch that. Use m12 grade 8.8 fasteners and weld in the L brackets ! That a 15 in a 2.5 cubic foot box ?

If you have fixed rear seats put four m6 rivnuts into rear firewall. Make or bent brackets to suit between subbox and back seat. Drill from inside of car (back seat clips out easily) to make sure you don't go too low and hit fuel tanks.

As in VJ from page ? Knows his stuff if its the same guy. His sig was on the first lot service stamps on my old e30 85 323i . He was still servicing it 330,000 kms later. He also help with the m635i nut and bolt restoration from a couple of years ago.

Been watching the series WW2 lost film on lightbox. Kind of like the real " Band of Brothers" . Film footage is real and I can only imagine the hell that war brings. Didn't know that much about the Pacific war before yet met a number of USA pacific war vets over the years. Small islands where 10,000 plus people dying at a time......... Worth watching but very grim at times. If in London the imperial war museum is a must visit. Went to a holocaust exhibition as told from a kids POV. Wasn't a dry eye to be seen.