Kit

Thanks. Will let you get back to the matter at hand.

What is the best, brightest bulb that can be fitted to the existing oem setup on the e34? Apologies if the answer is above, I can’t tell if everything being discussed is a retro fit over a simple bulb change. Thanks.

I am not sure there is another car that splits opinions so much. My research tells me to avoid pre 2007 cars like that featured in the article. The TDV8 seems to get 25mpg on a mixed run and 30+ on the motorway by all accounts, not great but nothing I’m not used too with my e30 & e34. Messing around cosmetically with any car can quickly change its character and what you project to the world when driving it, let’s be honest many BMW owners are not shy on that front. But if they love it, chrome wing mirror caps and 100% tints all round, who are we to point the finger. Personally I have never gone down the renting route, just like throwing cash into a landfill in my opinion. But again, each ego to their own.

Ha, good point! It’s what the Mrs calls it, and we all know what she says goes.

Made on a bright brisk Tuesday morning perhaps.

As ever I’m being quite specific with my search, I’d like a 2007-09 TDV8 Vogue SE (before the facelift) with no side steps and clear windows (although the black one I have spotted is a Vogue with tints). Ideally I want Tonga green as mentioned. I’m not a fan of the rear lights in particular on the late models as they look aftermarket to my eyes. Not a fan of the early digital dash either. But that’s just me being a bit picky. Having a encyclopaedia for a history file would be preferential. The lower milage oem looking ones seem to be around £11k, not that they come up often. That’s a bit much for me at the min as £600 road tax and a big unexpected bill could see me at £13-15k in no time I’d imagine! Not in a rush and need to sell some cars before I can buy, but as ever, it’s fun looking…

Glad I am not the only one thinking about these cars! Having a fund for regular servicing and one or two 4 figure jobs along the way is the only way to do it. It’s a complicated £70k car, it seems a few people on the net think it should be like owning a fiesta which is where I guess the issues start. Saying that I’m sure some issues could have been avoided during the design and production stages! If the right one comes up with proper service history and I’ve managed to sell one or two of my other cars (a W124 and a mint e30) it’ll be hard to say no I think. On the off chance anyone is interested here are the links to my (very oem) cars for sale. I’m open to offers so please DM me if interested. E30 - https://www.e30zone.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=283113 w124 - https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1409870

I have been thinking (ok, wanting) a Range Rover for a while. It makes no sense in many, many ways but I think it’s an itch I may have to scratch before the world becomes electric. Ideally I want a full on country spec model that is as oem correct as possible (somethings don’t change), think Tonga green with clear windows. Not an easy find it turns out. It’s either a horror or a love story about them online, any of you have any experiences to share? Let’s just say I am used to German cars and worry about owning something a bit more, well, West Midlands. There’s a very oem low mileage example in all black that seems to have something about it. Not normally my thing but I keep looking at it. Silly boy.

Very useful, comfortable, sturdy old things!

This is now on car and classic with more detail and pictures. Will sort out the small rust issue in Jan. https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1409870

The Highlands.

It's been a while but thankfully I have sorted out my picture uploading issues so thought I would update you all. Overall the car has been behaving itself and fun to drive. I've had a chip from Enda put in which is tuned for higher octane fuel (I only use Esso Supreme 99+) now the car feels more lively and responsive, especially in the higher gears. The best result has been the fact the chip was based on a standard 525i manual, not the auto chip that I inherited from the donor car, this has solved the issue of the revs staying too high after each gear change (an auto box feature it seems). The car overall, with the new engine and chip feels like it was worth all the effort (thankfully!). Bit more poke. I also had my donor doors fitted as the originals were rusting from the bottom up and were deemed scrap, also had a new headlining fitted along with the kickplates from the donor. Makes a big difference. A few extra little bits and bobs were sorted out too like realigning the boot which never sat flush - fiddly job. So quite a bit of work (and expense as usual) of late. I have sold a few bits on ebay that I had from the donor which has now been scrapped sadly, amazingly a kid from LA bought the oem steering wheel (minus airbag of course), glad I can help keep these car going in a small way. I have other bits that i will list soon. I have had a few issues over the past few months but have found a really good local mobile mechanic who knows his stuff (rare find I think) so has made fixing small problems easier during lockdown etc. I had to replace a power steering hose that came from under the top up bottle near the front light as it was causing a leak that made a mess of anywhere I parked for more than a few hours, easy enough fix. The car passed the MOT but it highlighted that I needed some new anti roll bar bushes so had them done... The rear wiper is still not working which is annoying so may get that looked at again, used it quite a bit for the brief time it worked. I also managed to buy some leather door cards to finish off the interior transformation (see below), they are yet to be fitted but I got the wood from my donor car which will also be fitted, they have a better grain and a deeper colour although my current ones are mint. (I will have my very good condition cloth and burr wood door cards for sale if anyone is interested) After a quick oil change (Castrol 5w40) and a detail I packed the car up for a 1500 mile round trip to Scotland, a good opportunity to further run in the engine... Was a much needed trip away, we broke the drive up by an overnight stay in the lake district on the way up and the way down... I was very keen to see the MPG figures with a loaded car and roofbox, overall the driving was quite mixed outside of all the motorway miles so a good test. The chart below shows how it has done the past few (busy) months... Close to 29mpg over close to 2000 miles isnt too bad. The best I got was 32mpg prior to the scotland trip, but half of that tank was driven without the roofbox and a lighter load inside the car. Next on the to do list is to get the leather doorcards in and sort a few other small bits, an odd intermittent noise from the steering column popped up this weekend - perhaps dry bearings or something in the column. There's always something isn't there. Thanks for reading. Kit

As I've finally sorted my problem of uploading pictures to the forum today I thought I would share some pictures of a quick detail I had before a recent trip to Scotland. Pleasingly fresh... Today I also updated my project thread Incase it’s of any interest to you -

Having just (finally) having filled up I can get some sense of the mpg post chip. Not an exact measurement as around half of the fuel was used pre chip but I am seeing a difference. It did 310 miles using 44 litres over mostly very sensible motorway driving, so an average of 32 mpg. Will report back after a full tank of mixed use but the difference with the cars new engine and chip vs my old stock 520i is marked in more ways than one. Maybe all the hassle and expense was worth it!