E30 Zone

I nearly bought one 6 months ago. It sold for just £2750 on ebay so I think people are put off with the rebuild stories. One owner account stuck in my mind as he sold his to make swift effortless progress in a e90 325 instead of ragging the nuts of his e90 320si. Of the two though, the 320si is in a...

It'll buff right out

This is a great service:

https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/

Recently told me a car I was looking at had 'corrosion seriously affecting strength'. Bank balance / life-saver!

Spot on. I used the wire technique this evening and sure enough the lights reset. Thanks.

Thanks guys. I'll give the wire method a go and let the forum know. But a reset tool sounds a good bet long term.
Cheers.

I suspect this has been asked before, so apologies to the regulars, but I'd like to know how to reset the service indicator lights. Apparantely the system can be reset by a wire in the right holes. Any ideas so that I can keep the car looking kosher with DIY servicing? Or do I just need to invest in...

Sold my 318i to a mate in Haywards Heath. Does anyone know of a specialist near by? Munich Legends is just down the road but I think that's a bit much for a 180,000 miler!!

So genuine parts everytime to hell with cost??

Being a family owned car the original system lasted 18 years (good guess earlier Orangecurry) so I guess I've had good value from the exhaust so far! And I wouldn't be surprised if I keep the old girl for a while too.

Why would power be down? You're right, that's what it feels like but why?

It's a bit of an odd story but I've ended up fitting a pattern front&middle section on to a genuine back section. It doesn't feel or sound quite like the genuine full system (I think I'm being really picky). Fortunately, the garage has given me an option of trying a different pattern front&middle se...

I think the black bits go well with Zinnobar red. Standard look is almost always best in my mind. However, if you were to add a 318is front lip spoiler and colour code it, then it would be wise to colour code the black strip at the bottom along the sides and at the rear. That'll be a very neat finish.

So it sounds like the M42 and M43 are the easiest engine swaps for a M40. I've heard the M42 is a very rev happy engine but a bit scarse. What about the M43 anyone? Performance figures? (What is non EWS M43?) Cheaper than a M42 perhaps? I presume you need the same combination of engine, loom, ECU an...

Many thanks.

Do the manual and electric panels share the same mounting points? Ie, can I fit an electric non-rusty panel instead of my rusty manual version?

Thanks loads.

I've just had some spray work done by a guy in Essex. He's just setting up his business and seems willing to offer up good deals. I'm amazed by the quality of finish. Can't see where he sprayed in the new stuff, matches perfectly, he even sorted the odd bubble spot without any additional charge. So ...

So has anyone had experience fitting a wing to the last facelift model? Any problems?

The GSF wings are marginally cheaper so I'm pleased to read the recommendation from Iain T.

Right, Gaydon has inspired me to do a bit of work to the old girl.

Anyone know whose front wings are best? Euro or GSF? I ask because I remember someone on here mentioned needing to make adjustments to the ones they bought.

The genuine wings are an extra Ã‚£100 per side!

My fule consumption needle will almost always be between 30 and 40mpg so it's only accelerating that drinks a bit more and brings down the average. 350 miles from a tank will cost about 40 quid. My M40 318 has just under 175k miles and there's been no noticeable difference in economy over the last 1...

This is something I'm considering too. I can't find any guide on costs. I guess the M42 318is lump would be cheaper to fit than putting in a 6 cylinder engine but has anyone got any experience and cost information? I presume the purchase of all the engine options will be able the same.

Has anyone got any images/websites of really retro designed E30s? I've seen the previous model looking pretty sharp with minilite alloys and stripped down but I've never seen an E30 with a similar look.

Loads of M40s seem to struggle at idle and mine's never really improved over 15 years of mentioning it to the service engineer. But this is different to a lumpy shacky experience on cold start. This seems to be common as the miles get high and I guess only some sort of rebuild will solve it.

I'm seriously considering an engine swop as my M40 318i is pushing 175k miles but I want to keep the old girl for the time being. I'm guessing the M42 engine from the 318is might have the least problems and expense??? Anyone got an idea about buying a good M42 engine and then having the work underta...

Most cars have about 20-30 miles with the emergency light on. I've pushed about 25 miles on a motorway with the emergency light on the whole time. The needles is below the red at that point!

I post this by way of a comparison but also because I'd love a 325i but fear the extra running costs. I get 350 miles from a Ãƒ”šÃ‚£40 full tank in my M40 318i. 150-180 miles sounds horrendous but I guess you must have quite a bit of fuel left in your tank at the end if your refill costs just Ãƒ”šÃ‚...

I've noticed some bad rust forming around the sunroof mounting points. The rust is sure to soon bubble up to the exterior surface so I feel this could soon be a race against time. The car's Zinnobar Red. And then there's the lining. I've got the light grey facelift model interior so it's a kind of l...

They failed miserably and even lost their loose change down the side of the seat! As another Zone member said at the time, the cretins will buy / steal crappy Novas and will (hopefully) end up doing damage to themselves whilst trying to match decent Bavarian stuff on the roads.

OK, this will sound ridiculous, I'm based in Canterbury. Why the trip to West London? Well, I was unbelievably desperate to get a new dash. I'd just had my car vandalised and the idiots had taken a stanley knife to the dash to try to get into the locked glovebox (read star letter in the latest BMW C...

You both make correct points. Firstly, I should get Birds to sort this minor niggle but I'd be looking at over 150 miles round trip. It was an excellent dashboard install otherwise. Secondly, I'm not very spanner friendly - for fear of doing more damage than good. I've found technical advice on the ...

Since having a new dash installed (at Birds - a great job by Phil), I've had problems with my stereo blowing a fuse. Can anyone supply instructions / a website for where all the wires should be going? It's a Sony CD player, I have no electrical aerial and no rear speakers. Also, rear speakers... I'v...

I've never really understood how a lsd works - a summary anoyone? Plus, what's the effect of different ratio?

Ironically, the idiots dropped Ãƒ”šÃ‚£1.50 and their stanley knife down the side of the seat where they could retrieve them. They didn't find anything in the car so it actually cost them money!

That might be a sound option Jimmy. I've got to see how much my insurance company value the damages. My Ãƒ”šÃ‚£100 excess might make it worth while to make a claim but I don't fancy losing 2 years no claims bonus. So if I choose to keep my bonus, I'd look to get the dashboard professionally done but...

You look after something for 15 years, spending money to keep a bright red e30 coupe looking as good as the day it was born. And then, it gets absolutely savaged by bored teenagers on Saturday night. Dashboard, glovebox, gear stick, hand brake, sunroof lining, roof lining, passenger door and glass a...

My 318i has been going to Peter Newman BMW Specialists since 1990. I've never really spoken to him about modifications but he's had every single answer over the years for any problem. He's actually based near Ashford but I make the journey from West Kent because he knows what he's doing. It's always...

Thanks very much guys. I thought I'd better check because I could see the worst case scenario of driving 10 miles to my mechanic with half a car.

So I won't need any more specific tools than standard tool bag stuff?

Search found 37 matches

Re: BMW 320si (Rare)

Re: Nasty!

Re: E30 Reg: H362DDB information wanted

Re: Service Indicator Reset

Re: Service Indicator Reset

Service Indicator Reset

Specialist Servicer near Haywards Heath

Re: Exhaust - Pattern or Genuine Part?

Re: Exhaust - Pattern or Genuine Part?

Exhaust - Pattern or Genuine Part?

Re: Freshen up the body

Re: M40 Versus M42, want to replace the engine

Re: Sunroof Panels

Sunroof Panels

Re:

Re: Euro Car Parts or GSF???

Euro Car Parts or GSF???

Retro styled E30 anyone?

Engine swap: 318 to M42/2.5/3.0/3.5???

Rusty sunroof / tatty sunroof lining

Stereo Help

Dashboard Replacement