Hi everyone,

For sale is my E38 7 series roofrack.

BMW Original equipment. Used - I no longer need it and am doing a garage clear out. It is complete, in good condition has has the optional windsurfing kit with it. You can use it as a general roofrack or find the options for bicycles etc. I'd like £50 for it. Regarding postage etc. I'd prefer local pickup: I live between Portsmouth and Chichester. Otherwise I can send it to you using whatever postal option prefered at cost.

Thanks, Simon.

By the way was the M70 manufactured in 1994 also.  I noticed you said <1994.  The model indicated was 1994 year to me.  Does that change anything?
Great site by the way.

Hi Chris,

The E30 was designed to run on whatever fuel is available. In most cases the 'regular' grade of fuel is perfectly adequate. However on older cars that no longer run to spec, you may find that the lower grades of fuel cause engine knock or detonation. If that is the case then move up to the next grade.
If the car is stock and has had nothing done; performance wise; it should not need premium grades of fuel.

The only E30 that requires premium fuel is the M3 and it has a switch on the ECU if you are forced to use 'regular' grade fuel.

Don't get sucked into the myths about premium fuels giving higher performance or more hp; it just isn't do. Premium fuels have all the same detergents and cleaners as the regular fuel. They differ only in the antiknock ingredients required in high compression engines which typically run aggressively advanced ignition timing. All that the premium fuel does is keep the combustion temperatures down enough to prevent knock in those engines.

If you don't need it, don't use it...costs more money and adds additional polutants to the environment.

Hope this helps

Hi there guys
As a new member to the site and also a new owner of a 1983 bmw 316 with a 1766cc engine,
I would like to ask,Ive received conflicting reports,from friends and also from the previous owner
as to what grade of fuel would be sufficient for my bmw,The previous owner said that they used
SuperPlus unleaded as opposed to normal unleaded grade with a fuel additive/supplement
My car is all original with 80k miles from new on original engine although she does project minimum
blue smoke sometimes on pretty hard acceleration...
What grade of fuel would you guys reccomend for it in its present condition and mileage ?
My intentions are complete restoration although for a 1983 , she is in very reasonable condition

With thanks

Chris Nield (London)

Hi there guys
As a new member to the site and also a new owner of a 1983 bmw 316 with a 1766cc engine,
I would like to ask,Ive received conflicting reports,from friends and also from the previous owner
as to what grade of fuel would be sufficient for my bmw,The previous owner said that they used
SuperPlus unleaded as opposed to normal unleaded grade with a fuel additive/supplement
My car is all original with 80k miles from new on original engine although she does project minimum
blue smoke sometimes on pretty hard acceleration...
What grade of fuel would you guys reccomend for it in its present condition and mileage ?
My intentions are complete restoration although for a 1983 , she is in very reasonable condition

With thanks

Chris Nield (London)

The 6cyl m20 engine (which is in the 320i) is really ok, the fuel consumption is pretty high (for European standards, don't know how that is for US standards).
I think my dad's 320i manual did 23 miles to the gallon (10 l/100km) when driving highway at a steady 75mph (120km/h).
Service history sounds ok, always good to have!

Let me know if you need some help.
- Ilir

Cheers for the links.
It is 122k miles unfortunately and hopefully will be having a look tomorrow. I was kind of hoping that with it being an auto that it would appeal too much to the younger, racier driver, but who knows. The ad says it has a service history with 13 service stamps. Main concern is the fuel economy as autos tend to be a bit thirsty.

Will also be having a look at another one which is the same spec and year but with 77k on the clock.

Hi Clive,

A lot of info on the e30 3series can be found on www.bmwe30.net (or http://forums.bmwe30.net/).
As my dad had the same car as you are telling about (he only had a manual gearbox), I can tell you the following.
The engine is good, the 6 cyl will probably last pretty long, 122k (miles or km?) will last for longer (longer if it's in km ).
You have to look for rust, that can really be a problem (the body is very prone to rust), so be sure to check that well.
The e30 is also very popular with young ppl, so try to get some history on the car, as it might not be handled very well.

Let me know how it goes!
- Ilir

Hi, was just wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction for any reviews or info about the 1990 320i AUTO.
Also how long do the engines tend to last for. I'm looking at one with 122k on the clock but have no idea if this is good or bad.
Any help gladly appreciated.

Think you can change interior and exterior parts, block would be a lot harder.
Good news about your 850i M70 engine:
- it can be converted to 6.0L, the M73 cannot
- The M70 is more turbo friendly than the m73 because of compression ratios