dan101smith

Any plans to sort out the gearshift? That was one of my biggest bugbears with my old 540i/6T - to the point where it didn’t really feel like the gearbox suited the car!

Yes, but won't work for live streaming services like Sky Go.

There are two questions you need to answer: 1. What size return are you looking for? 2. What's your risk appetite?

If you don't have debt, Octopus Choice.

If you have debt, use it to pay [some of] it off. Almost anything else at that level is a false economy.

It's a 4.4, not an iS.

Wasn't the M3. I'm 99.999% sure it was this one.

@duncan-uk was this the one that had all the micro-blistering in the paint?

@inkiboo had something that sounds similar - the pre-2014 firmware can't handle the latest 3D maps or something.

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I struggle to believe that. My manual 4.4 wouldn't do 40mpg if I rolled it down a hill.

I ran an E53 3.0d for a while, and really liked it. If you go for a diesel (and I think I would) then definitely get it mapped - feels much, much better after. It really does feel a lot like an E39 IMO, but with the advantage of sitting up high and having 4WD. They do suffer with diff issues, but a used replacement isn't too expensive. I replaced mine with an E70 3.0d, which although slightly nicer inside I liked less overall. I'd have another E53. Oh, and mine didn't have the pano roof - I heard too many expensive tales of failures so avoided that. I also swapped in a Nappa interior from a higher-spec model, which had lumbar support - I suffer in certain car seats over long distances, and this solved that for me.

I'm hoping to get mine back by the end of the week for a trip out to Bicester Scramble on Sunday.

Merry Christmas Mick. Looks like you’ve had a magical day!

Dennis, how does the head unit attach to the fascia panel? Do you have any pics showing the rear of it? Ta.

Am I right in thinking that an Alpina front lip spoiler covers the oil cooler vents on the standard 6-cylinder lower lip? It looks like it does in the pics I've seen. Assuming so, firstly: why? and secondly: is there a way to restore air flow to the oil cooler?

@alpinaman might not be too far away from you. If that's the case, get it recovered to his garage and he can wave his magic fixing stick over it.

That's numberwang! Oh, and nice M3.

Any 5er will make a compromised track car. Just enjoy it for what it is!

It'd be cheaper to buy a car that doesn't need to be constantly worked on.

$1300 for a service?!

I quite like my Nightbreakers. Don't forget that HIDs will be an MOT fail.

I think the fact that we can’t agree between us on a thread here shows how difficult it is for the BBC to get it right. Some hark back to the Clarkson, Hammond, May days, but the truth is that TGT is dying on its arse on Amazon, and is likely not to get another series after the initial contract term finishes.

Funny you should say that. I was out in the 911 earlier, and in the 90 mins of driving I did, I don't think I ever went above 60mph.

"All the car you ever need" can never be a diesel, for me. There would always have to be something petrol-powered to sit alongside it.