Hello from South Africa

[Gerhardm32]

I am from South Africa, just registered, driving a 1991 E34 535i auto. ODO meter had 167 740 km on when I bought in Jan 2009, standing on 191773 km's now, but mid Dec 2010 I found the cluster was replaced in 2001 with a used 1 from a scrapyard.

Some pics:

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab103/Gerhardm32/IMGP0749.jpg

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab103/Gerhardm32/IMGP0750.jpg

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab103/Gerhardm32/IMGP0751.jpg

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab103/Gerhardm32/IMGP0746.jpg

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab103/Gerhardm32/IMGP0747.jpg

New mags:

http://www.keepandshare.com/userpics/g/e/r/h/ardm32/2010-04/sm/imgp0997-35025046.jpg?ts=1272455005

http://www.keepandshare.com/userpics/g/e/r/h/ardm32/2010-04/sm/imgp0998-90914113.jpg?ts=1272455005

[Mr._Graybeard]

Welcome, Gerhard!

I bought an E30 cabrio with a cluster transplant once. Thought I'd scored a real bargain with only 67000 miles. A couple years later I found out about Carfax and ran the VIN -- the ODO had gone from 85000 miles to 15K in the course of one transaction. I later learned that the ECU had also been replaced. Still not quite sure what happened there, or why.

[jhayregz]

Hello!! Is that a M steering wheel?
What else are your plans?

I am not from South Africa, but Canada.
My car is from South Africa though :p

http://i33.tinypic.com/ayu36e.jpg

[Gerhardm32]

Welcome, Gerhard!

I bought an E30 cabrio with a cluster transplant once. Thought I'd scored a real bargain with only 67000 miles. A couple years later I found out about Carfax and ran the VIN -- the ODO had gone from 85000 miles to 15K in the course of one transaction. I later learned that the ECU had also been replaced. Still not quite sure what happened there, or why.

Thanks for the welcoming.

[Gerhardm32]

Hello!! Is that a M steering wheel?
What else are your plans?

I am not from South Africa, but Canada.
My car is from South Africa though :p

http://i33.tinypic.com/ayu36e.jpg

Hi,

It is a M steering wheel, but when I bought there where no M badge on the boot, just the 535i. Someone checked out the car last year and said I have the one with the sports pack, but I am not to sure. RealOEM.com Online BMW Parts Catalog (http://www.realoem.com) shows on my VIN number my car as a E28 535i build in 05/90 in SA, nothing on the sport features.

The car is stock and I am not planning on changing anything else. Done the mags and just going spray the black at the bottom of the car also white for a more sporty look and then add a boot spoiler.

Got a lot of interior fixing still and some oil leaks to do. For me this car is in perfect condition.

[Mr._Graybeard]

I imagine the sun can eat up the upholstery down there. For us in the American Midwest, the issue is rust. I just washed my car this evening and noticed some trouble spots around the license plate lights. That area seems to be a BMW weak point. A friend with an E39 just had some repairs done in that area to her car.

[Gerhardm32]

The sun are really bad for the upholstery here, that's mine is tinted. I am in Pretoria, Gauteng, but if you go to the coastal side, you got the sun and rust problems on your car.

[BigKriss]

nice - that car almost looks exactly like mine.

[Gerhardm32]

nice - that car almost looks exactly like mine.

Yup, it drives like a dream, won't trade it for anything else.

Yours also got the blue interior?

[whiskychaser]

Welcome from me too. Original dealer for mine was Northcliffe Auto in Blackheath, Randburg which I guess is about 50 miles from you? Original plate was RFC 230T. Maybe blue was a popular interior back then as thats what I have too. I dont know if the rear sun blind was a standard fit for the ZA market and I dont use it much. But I believe the sump guard was and it has saved my bacon on speed bumps and kerbs a few times:-)

[Gerhardm32]

Welcome from me too.

Original dealer for mine was Northcliffe Auto in Blackheath, Randburg which I guess is about 50 miles from you? Original plate was RFC 230T. Maybe blue was a popular interior back then as thats what I have too. I dont know if the rear sun blind was a standard fit for the ZA market and I dont use it much. But I believe the sump guard was and it has saved my bacon on speed bumps and kerbs a few times:-)

Thank you.

As far as I know the rear sun blind was standard here for all the models, mine is broken. The tinting is help a lot now.

The sump guard is just a pain when it comes to changing belts.

[BigKriss]

yes I think its buffalo leather. in australia the model is called an executive model.

[Gerhardm32]

Mine has everything that points to the sports pack, but can't say for sure. All I can say is, this is my first BMW and will for sure not be the last and no other make ever again. Everything in my BMW is electric buttons and stuff, just by pressing a button something happens. The power that this car has is amazing too. Fuel consumption is not what I am used to, but I will keep paying to drive it.

[BigKriss]

theres stuff like vin decoders to tell you what your car came with. Decoding the 17-character BIMMER VIN - bimmerfest - BMW Forums (http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1231654)

yeah my fuel consumption is around 17-18 L/100kms for city driving.

[Gerhardm32]

theres stuff like vin decoders to tell you what your car came with. Decoding the 17-character BIMMER VIN - bimmerfest - BMW Forums (http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1231654)



all the vin decoders come back with it is a E28 535i auto, right hand drive, 05/90 build, SA, but doesn't bring up any stuff like sports pack and that. I just don't understand where the E28 comes from, I have a E34.

[whiskychaser]

OGA12801 (not mine) is a ZA vin but decoders come up with the wrong tranny - realoem is correct though. Mine is OGA11907 and works fine. Normally vins dont use letter O or number 0 either and have 17 digits. This may be some quirk of the ZA market or laws? You are probably better getting the vin decoded at a dealer as free decoders dont seem to be completely accurate

[genphreak]

all the vin decoders come back with it is a E28 535i auto, right hand drive, 05/90 build, SA, but doesn't bring up any stuff like sports pack and that. I just don't understand where the E28 comes from, I have a E34.This goes off build date and SA factories are probably not fully detailed in the database. If you want to kow if you have an 'is' model, it has the sports seats as well as the lowered suspension. The lowered suspension (low slung suspension) means lower rear springs and 3mm lower spring pads at the front instead of 9mm thick ones, measured where the pad goes around the base of the spring seat. So you can look in your front wheel arches to fund out... If you have normal seats, maybe your car had the low suspension fitted only. Welcome to e34 Heaven! Give her your wallet, your gold teeth and waking hours worrying... but enjoy your time here :)

[Gerhardm32]

OGA12801 (not mine) is a ZA vin but decoders come up with the wrong tranny - realoem is correct though. Mine is OGA11907 and works fine. Normally vins dont use letter O or number 0 either and have 17 digits. This may be some quirk of the ZA market or laws? You are probably better getting the vin decoded at a dealer as free decoders dont seem to be completely accurate

My VIN is 0BF91979, I just checked mine again on realoem and it has the correct tranny but the wrong body. I was thinking of going to my local dealership to see what I can find out on this car's history.

[Gerhardm32]

This goes off build date and SA factories are probably not fully detailed in the database. If you want to kow if you have an 'is' model, it has the sports seats as well as the lowered suspension. The lowered suspension (low slung suspension) means lower rear springs and 3mm lower spring pads at the front instead of 9mm thick ones, measured where the pad goes around the base of the spring seat. So you can look in your front wheel arches to fund out... If you have normal seats, maybe your car had the low suspension fitted only. Welcome to e34 Heaven! Give her your wallet, your gold teeth and waking hours worrying... but enjoy your time here :)

Hi,

Thanks for all this info now, when I have time I will be checking the suspension to see if it is the lowered suspension or not. I just know when I go over a bump in the road or anything else, it is slow over it and not in a straight line either because the car is hitting everything underneath. I have the sports seats in the car and in the owners manual it is stated that only the sport models have it.