Tuvoc

I ran them for 7 years on my E60 covering over 40k miles in that time. No issues whatsoever. I drive conservatively, and defensively so I did not hare any concerns about safety at all. The premium tyres would come into play with an extreme emergency situation that you can't avoid no matter how careful you are. In that situation a premium tyre might save you from a collision or worse, or they might not. Always up to the individual. Sold that car, but if I have another one my mileage would be quite low, and the cost of the tyre spread over a long period, so I'd probably go mid-range.

Not sure I would call an iDrive an "upgrade"... depends exactly which one I guess.

Do your neighbours give you strange looks about how long you spend cleaning your car ?

The email correspondence was with cclondon@cclondon.com Make an enquiry - Transport for London (tfl.gov.uk) If you're in Birmingham I imagine you'll have to deal with the authorities up there if they have one or are introducing one.

To TFL London. As I recall, I ran the checker on the reg plate which said it was liable for the charge, but then there was the option to upload your V5, they would check the emissions numbers and then update the database if they were low enough. My then 2004 M54 actually complies with the newer Euro 6 regs for petrol engines, even though Euro 3 was the latest standard when it was produced.

My 2004 M54 E60 was exempt from the London emissions charge. I had to send them a copy of the V5, after which they updated their database. Your E46 330i is probably exempt as well if you do the same.

Maybe better the devil you know.. lots of posts where people have replaced radiators only for them to fail in a very short time. Even if they are the OEM manufacturer, there is no guarantee that they are made to the same quality standards as the original ones were for BMW. The only fail-safe route is to buy from BMW if they are still in stock but that is an expensive option. Just my opinion of course.

No surprise there, even if it is isn't as good as the brand name stuff you wouldn't know about it until your engine has done 100k+ miles at least. So in other words, why not use it ! Where I think lower cost oil like this makes sense is that if you're on a budget it enables you to change it more frequently than if you use expensive premium stuff. And to me that is a better way to go.

You did a google search, a single person said they thought it was made by Shell, that has been repeated dozens of time, and now the whole internet takes that as the gospel truth. I think it is unlikely. You will get dozens of opinions on oil. While I'd be totally happy to use Triple QX on an 20 year old E39 say, for a newer car like the F10/F11 I'd be inclined to go for a big brand name for peace of mind. Will that big brand name actually be any better ? Who knows.

The specialist can advise, but just because the outside looks fine doesn't mean the inside is as well. Having said that, my 2004 E60 was still on it's original radiator late last year when I sold it.

I had one coil pack fail on my M54 at around 140-145k miles, running on 5 cylinders, and two others were weak as well, so replaced the whole six. So yes I think you're probably due even if it may not be your actual problem !

I had a CTEK MXS 5 for mine, and followed the BMW guidance and charged it through the bonnet posts. Really easy that way as well. I would put it on once a week to top up the battery.

Looks stunning in white, never seen one in that colour.

Agreed.

Totally gorgeous, but likely to be a money pit in the future, and you'd have to worry about those V8 valve stem seals.

Pretty irrelevant what brand the BMW dealers use, it is just a commercial deal. In my old M50 non-vanos 320 I used to use Fuchs 5w-40 full synthetic, and that had done close to 200k miles when I got rid of it. Engine was still sweet and used no oil that you could see on the dipstick. I had used Mobil 1 0w-40 a lot in earlier years but moved to the Fuchs mainly because of cost.

I'd like to thank everyone for their interest in the car, it is very much appreciated. Dan can indeed store my car for a very reasonable price, so I've decided to do exactly that. It keeps my options open without costing me a fortune. Thanks Dan ! And once again shows what a fantastic forum this is.

Car is going into storage after all, at a price that makes that a sensible option.

Yes I saw that ! I've always thought it was carbon black but I'm obviously wrong !! Yes at £500 there is little to no risk for a buyer as it is pretty much worth that as scrap if something goes wrong further down the line. But for a quick sale to someone on the forum which is convenient for my travel plans, it is OK for me. I'll need to finalise my plans of what to do with it in the next week. Checked under the bonnet, it is indeed SAPPHIRE BLACK. And here is me thinking for the last 8 years it was carbon black Noe also mfg date is Feb 2004 not Nov 2004, that date seems to be American format. The car was first registered June 2004.

Sutton, Surrey.

Oh yeah, 5% LImo tint on the rear windows and back window. Those and the brick wall are responsible for the scrapes on the left near the sill covers,

£288 is very cheap, I think I paid £330 for mine many years ago - sump, oil and the connector sleeve.

Incredible work on that front bumper !!

Not many miles on that car !

Mine stopped working about a year ago I think. I re-gassed it but it didn't last for long, maybe a couple of weeks. I simply haven't bothered to fix it, I do without it. But I do less than 1,000 miles a year now so that isn't as big a deal for me as it might be for some. The car is also so old it isn't really worth spending the money on. I make sure it is safe (last MOT no advisories) and service it every year, but not much more.