Neal

More to check (esp. if uk import as to NZ new) - Rut in the front floor sections - Rusted rear subframe - Rusted battery box in boot - Rust in rear boot floor edge - Rust in front subframes - A pannel rust and pannel at front windscreen Other things to check - Front ball joint wear on front hubs - Water leaks that lead to rotting carpets - CV joints (Do full left & right had turns and listen for CV knock) - Speedo circuit board / tacho - Some had issues with rubber fuel lines and NZ unleaded petrol on injected versions. - Rear drum brake pistons - Tearing around seat subframe mounts to chassis mounts - Gearbox rod change entry point oil leak (Easy to fix with $20 aftermarket mod) - Check alloy gearbox housing for impact factures at the front. That aside there are so many aftermarket bits for the old style Mini's that every area can be replaced or improved on. Typically the NZ coopers have been well looked after by collectors / Mini fans so many are in mint condition.

Well done ! Pics ?

I find with bike your body needs to adapt to the riding position which can take a few days in a row. I found that after 9000 km of adventure bike riding through Argentina a couple of years I had real issues with getting back on my Ducati with it's head down bum up riding position. It took a series of good long rides to sort it before it became ok again. Same if I don't ride it for a few months , shoulders / neck take a hammering for a while. Perhaps make a point of riding it to work over a week and then go for longer rides on weekend to develop riding fitness. Would seem a shame to sell the S1000rr without giving it a real good go.

Jeff Grey Wgtn weren't interested in doing a pir on my wifes e36 dispite me being a customer since the 1980's. However , they seem happy to service it for the last 5 years. However they may have changed and are doing these again like shelly's used too. otherwise Page did the pir. Have complete faith in those guys.

Ha ha , no pleasing some people eh What about going lower power / rewarding to drive like an Lotus Exige or the superchagred versions to hold you over. Not a lot of them in NZ so seem to hold s/h values. That of course you haven't already got one sitting in the corner of the garage

Surely in your neck of the woods a high end sports bike could fit the void for a while. You could do the west cost loop in a day which in my opinon is some of the best riding in the world. Something like a Bmw 1000rr or a Ducati 1198R of the new 195 bhp Duc sports bike ? None of the Cars so far mention can touch these for 0-300 kmh performance and these bikes have all the traction control to keep the wheels pointed in the right direction. Just a thought ....

I think it could only be down hill from there. Perhaps a Nissan Mica to hold you over Hired one in the Uk to get to Silverstone for a Ferrari track day. Couldn't have got any greater contrast in cars if I'd tried.

On a similar vane the late "Georg Plasa" Judd v8 power 1 series hillclimb car build. http://www.134judd.com/fahrzeug.html

Spent yesterday cleaning / removing tar specs / clay baring the M3 , just need to finish stage 2 & 3 of Mothers Waxing process to complete. Then have the 328i , two motorbikes and one of the oldschool mini's to do.

Love this stuff. Need to get off the internet and into the garage to finish off the mini . Looking forward to doing this stuff in a car .

The Sony sub amp runs class D with around 300 watts RMS into 4 ohms at 13.8 volts. (engine running with alternator charging) Used to produce good clean bass results with around 300 rms so the box is the key to overcome the challenges of the e36's well sealed boot. Mind you , power ratings can be interesting. Had an PG amp rated at 4x25 rms for the 100 watt car stereo class that used to exist. At 12 volts into 4 ohms you got 25 watts. At 13.8 volts you got 75 rms x2 = 300 rms x1 bridge. This power was plenty for nice high quality sounds with more that enough volume to overcome car and road noise.

Was through a dealer , but it sounded like they would sell direct. The policy I have doesn't mention that it has to via dealer.

Lumely are underwriting my M3 warranty. Worth a try.

Have you got somewhere to stay in Wellington ? Your welcome to stay here , Can pick you up / drop you off if needed.

Have seen the fronts in a 8 1/2 as reps. There was a pair on TM for serval months. Something else to consider. The 17's sound like a good way to go as well.

I reckon the M3 E46 18x9 rears would look great on the back I know of a set of rears that will be coming up around Feb when I swap them out of new ones They have some kurb rash that needs sorting, but run true. Also have a 16x8 ACS type 1 rim that needs re-furb.

I had bad boot rattle when the rear spoiler bolts backcame slightly loose (try grabing spoiler to see if noise reduces) , Other areas for attention is rear number plate mounting (Put a clouple of strips of foam door surround sealer under it) and rear boot lock. Also make sure that boot rubbers are in good condition

I recently had the rearview mirror bubble of death ( Just before the point where they dump acid all over the interior) Sent it to the USA and it repaired and sent back with new autodimming glass where the gel doesn't break doesn't to acid over time. Took less than two weeks and cost roughly $250 nzd belowis an email I recieved from them in regards to an Oval M3 Mirror I needed repaired. I called them with credit card details rather than mailing it. http://www.sybesmas.com/home.html Thank you for you inquiry. Unfortunately, we do not have the plastics in house to build you a mirror as a pre-exchange. However, if you would like to send your mirror into us, as a repair and return, we will gladly exchange out the defective glass cell. The cost for repair is $95 (including shipping/handling) which will be retained up front prior to the repair. Customers in Canada will be charged $120(USD) and all other international repairs $175(USD). **For international customers please note that your country may have additional surcharge fees upon the return of your product. These charges are not included in the price above and will not be paid by Sybesma's Electronics Please be advised that, to repair your mirror, we must open the plastics in your mirror. In the rare instance your plastics break beyond repair, Sybesma's will make every effort to find a comparable replacement but no guarantees are made. If unit does break, $15 will be retained as a bench fee and the remaining will be refunded. (Less shipping/handling if you did want mirror returned). Please send your mirror along with your name/address/phone/credit card number stating you would like the mirror repaired and returned. If you prefer not to include your card number we will contact you for it once the unit is received in house. PLEASE NOTE - We no longer carry glass cells that support the slider button auto dim feature, cells for the Lincoln Continental mirrors or for the Mitsubishi Spyder as they are unavailable to us. ***We request you DO NOT send in any additional plastics with your mirror (i.e. trim pieces, pins etc.) Your fully assembled mirror the only item needed. Sybesma's Electronics will not be liable for any lost pieces*** Warmest Regards, Sybesma's Electronics 581 Ottawa Ave Ste 100 Holland, MI 49423 USA 800-456-4265

Have measured a 3 db difference higher in my old e36 with sub box running in back corner of the boot compared to middle boot up against back seat. Suspect it coupled with the car better in that position. However I prefer the quality of the bass more in the middle, timing seems to be better. Having said that try running your sub 180 degrees out of phase to see if it sounds any different. You maybe getting phase cancellation in your midbass from your fronts depending on your subs HPF and your midbass LPF points and the roll off rate your crossover is running . (e.g. bass between the sub and fronts partly getting cancelled out between 70 - 90 hertz making it sound like less Bass)

These Altenzo share the same spec for grip and tyre as a Pirreli P6 (AA 320) Grip is one A with AA being highest. On paper they have more traction than the majority of Firestone tyres that NZ'ers love to put on there cars so they can't be that bad. My own pref for road tyres is for AAA with 180-220 treadwear with bridgestone being the tyre of choice for the last 4 sets based on price / performance.

What a great looking service. Your timing for this post is perfect. Got some audio bits for the car to get.

Rang the local Firestone dealer for a set of Re11's for the M3. Got called back saying that bridgestone in not carry the sizes I'm after anymore but did offer up Re002's. I'd rather not go that way. Any Bimmersport suppliers got 2 x 235/40/18's & 2 X265/35/18 Re11's sitting on the shelf ? Update: Have been able to place a factory order for rears via Bridgestone NZ for the rears. These guys have been exteremly helpful. Will take a few months for them to be manufactured / sent to nz which suits the timing for the rears I will need.

Yeah , sorry , didn't mean to undermine people that may have been hurt , but that's a lot of eye candy cars that are wreacked. Probably should have posted something like this clown .....

Can a prius turely be called a car ?

http://jalopnik.com/japanese-ferrari-crash/