TriggerFish

I believe it's a 184/204 thing. My 184 didn't show boost/MAF/data etc. in Torque, but my 204 does. I've heard others with the same situation. (Or I've totally misread your post, in which case, ignore me!)

FWWI, there's a lot of cheap ones on the various E46 facebook groups. They could well be cheap for a reason, but it might be worth a look? Mine is in for arches (with a friend) at the moment. What started off as some bubbling has turned into basically all of the inner arch being replaced. I'd dread to think of the labour costs for making and welding in new panels. Fun times(!) I found mine needed work just by poking the inside by hand, and it crumbled. If it's soft under there, walk away.

I'd be interested in knowing this too!

You can unplug the vacuum line to that flap which should then leave it open all the time (assuming it hasn't seized, in which case, it might need hammering open). It's worth trying before spending any £££!

I replaced my water pump a couple of weeks ago. I used the metal gasket, as well as some liquid gasket stuff on both sides as well - no leaks at all that I've noticed yet, after a few tanks of fuel. I can't remember which one (and the tube is covered in the stuff, so I can't read it, but something like this: http://www.loctite.co.uk/gasketing-9224.htm#a) That stuff does dry/sets, and is forming the sole gasket between the diff case and the diff itself on my e30. (Short term fix that proved stable long term, so I left it for fear of inducing another leak.)

My front xenon arm snapped (well, the ball & socket joint failed), there's no way such a tiny part would make a noise audible within the cabin. Not any of the ball joints on the wishbones is it?

I've got the Zlines on one axle on mine (can't remember which), and really like them. Their winter tyres were very impressive too, until they went bald.

I reused them on my last e46. Lasted *0,000 miles with no problem.

Bulbs blown then?

The LCM is only worth investigating at this point if there's no 12v making it to the headlight connector. (This is the first test I'd be doing - it's free, and easy.) It's the control unit for all the lights, and can be set to tell the car it's a saloon, touring, coupe, with/without xenons etc. If you've got 12v, then you can likely ignore it for now. If, once you've got new bulbs, and you find it flickers badly, then the LCM will be worth looking at. (Usually what happens when you fit xenons, and don't tell the car.) The ballast/ignitors are separate - and can be found in the engine bay, under the lights. The LCM is the right hand thing in the image below. Wrong

If there's power to the headlights (do they share a socket type with the full beams? Might be easier than finding a multi meter) then it's likely to be the bulbs and/or the ballasts. (And there's an third bit inside the headlight, but they seem pretty reliable). You can buy new D2S bulbs far, far cheaper than new ballasts (bulbs are easier to change too), so if it's a case of guesswork as power is reaching them, I'd pick up some new bulbs first of all.

I know! I'm guessing that that's the first time his crappy Vauxhall has ever been in a position to overtake anything, and then the excitement got to him, and he crashed... Or he's just an idiot! (Sam, it was on the A418 from the Bugle Horn/Stone to Fairford Leys/Aylesbury, if you're wondering (which I doubt you were!))

Didn't crash it. Unlike this Vauxhall driving bell end. (Excuse my over excited friend!)

Yeah, I'll be keeping a close on eye on it over the next few days. No steam out the back, so I think I got away with it. It never made it into the red part of the gauge, and when I pulled over, the pipes were incredibly pressurised/solid, suggesting nothing had burst (otherwise I figure the pressure would have escaped?), so I think it's ok. thanks for the heads up though. It's a mistake I (hopefully!) won't ever make again!)

Overheated in this freezing weather. (Impressive, right?) I had a coolant leak, and while I tracked it down, I kept refilling it with water. I finally fixed (I think!) the leak, but forgot to replace the water with antifreeze (I know, I know!). The lower pipe into the radiator froze up so the water wasn't pumping, and there was no hot cabin air. It then started to overheat (I assumed maybe the climate control was having a hissy fit, so ignored the lack of heat as the fan was on the slowest speed too, despite being on 'auto') - hence the discovery that it was frozen up! A friend drove me to BMW at lunch and I bought antifreeze, and then I thawed the pipes/radiator out with hot water in the work car park, refilled it with antifreeze, and problem solved. After that, I enjoyed it in the snow!