First Post and one for the Aussies

[BM073Sydney]

Hi All,

I am new to this site after buying my first 2002. I have to say, it feels like I am a kid again in my first car - big smiles all round

I am in Sydney, Australia and I wondered if the Australian members could recommend any specialist for 02 parts and services. Like many here I guess, my car is basically sound but like most 33 year old cars there are a few things that bring it 'character'. I would like to slowly iron out some of the less desirable traits and figure having somebody closer than Jaymic in the UK may be useful.

Any suggestions?

Look forward to hearing from you all

Simeon

[oz_tom]

Welcome!

I think Bavariacars ( http://www.bavariacars.com.au ) or Peak Performance are the way to go in Sydney. Sorry i cant help you further.

If you need a specific smaller part, Peninsula BM down here in Victoria could probably help you out. They have 20+ parts 02's.

Good luck!

Tom

[Beaner7102]

Welcome to the nut house - err Congrats on buying an 02. Jaymic are good Waloth & Nesch in Germany are better on price. Localy try the places Tom mentioned, also Welch Auto Parts in Melbourne are excelent for new parts (mounts, rubber seals, discs etc) the owner Greg knows 02's backwards and can quote most part numbers by memory - email him greg(at)welchautoparts.com.au dont know what shipping would cost you though. Good luck with your new toy. Beaner7102

[Skippy_the_Bush_Kangaroo]

Welcome and Congratulations!

I'm up in Brisbane and have found one of the best resources is the club network and the wealth of knowledge that members have.

Failing that, some of the Australian board memebrs may have the answer to what you need.

[TMK-001]

Welcome mate! Good luck with it all.

Got any pictures of your car?

Todd

[Biscuit3]

Hello!! I'm near Parramatta!!

My boyfriend just got his first 2002 today and he's worked for BMW for almost 5 years! He loves it, I hope you do too. Let me know if you are close or ever want to go for a drive sometime. I love meeting new 02 owners. And remind me to show you my tattoo sometime And on the subject of Peak Performance, my boyfriend works there, I do sometimes as well, so if you need something, definitely let me know. I love working on these cars. If you need help, I'll more than likely help you out for free! But you gotta come and help as well, that's the deal.

Send me an email sometime - hungrykitty3@hotmail.com

Hope to hear from you soon!

- Ash

[BM073Sydney]

Thank you all for your welcome.

I have attached a photo of my car at Bathurst this last weekend. I was due to go out to a friends farm for the weekend near Cowra (about 3 hours drive). I wasn't going to take the car as I would rarely trust a classic car I have had for less than a week with such a long trip but the car felt so strong and fun to drive, I couldn't resist. Anyway a long fast drive there (including a quick shot on the motorway to 'see what she could do'), a trip into Bathurst and back and then a long fast trip back saw no problems (except two minor issue, I will spell out in a post later) and no loss of oil, no overheating and no scary noises.

Front of the car was plastered with bugs and my face was plastered with a smile.

First job (yes it is that minor) is fit inertia reel seatbelts. I forgot what a pain in the ass static belts are (sorry).

[_z_]

looks like a pretty sweet drive!

So how's she feel in the corners? Things pretty tight?

[BM073Sydney]

She is great - trying to get used to the understeer (not sure if that is normal) but if I plant my right foot, she goes around corners like she is on rails. Feels very together, a PO has done a good job in maintaining this car plus it was a Canberra car all its life (inland and pretty dry) so aside from some surface rust here and there and some bad paint she is very solid. The gearbox / diff are a little noisy but I have never had a sudden problem due to gearbox failure, so I guess I can live with that for a bit I will change the oil and maybe add some teflon based additive and live with it while I save up. Any suggestions as to the best oil to use?

The seats are the limiting factor for how hard I can push the car through bends (that and my own fear), unfortunately I can't bring myself to change away from the existing brown vinyl seats, they are so cool - especially the headrests. Maybe once I have sweated through a hot summer...

[oz_tom]

She is great - trying to get used to the understeer (not sure if that is normal) but if I plant my right foot, she goes around corners like she is on rails. Feels very together, a PO has done a good job in maintaining this car plus it was a Canberra car all its life (inland and pretty dry) so aside from some surface rust here and there and some bad paint she is very solid. The gearbox / diff are a little noisy but I have never had a sudden problem due to gearbox failure, so I guess I can live with that for a bit I will change the oil and maybe add some teflon based additive and live with it while I save up. Any suggestions as to the best oil to use?

The seats are the limiting factor for how hard I can push the car through bends (that and my own fear), unfortunately I can't bring myself to change away from the existing brown vinyl seats, they are so cool - especially the headrests. Maybe once I have sweated through a hot summer...

Looks excellent - just straighten up your front bar :-P (mines crooked too hahah)

With your gearbox. Think about upgrading to a 5 speed unit as it is probably one of the best modifications you can do and if your right and the gear box is about to go, its perfect timing! Also, if you can find one, a 3.91 LSD out of a e21 3 series (however they are really expensive!) as they are a good match with the 5 speed.

Regarding your cars handling, log onto the whiteline website and check out their swaybars. They are cheaper than any place o/s and will tighten up the ride nicely! Of course you can upgrade your springs and shocks too but there are so many different brands out there its hard to start. Most people recommend Koni's or Bilsteins. King also make springs for 02's but i have heard mixed reviews. Beaner7102 also told me another brand which is good but cheap but i cant think of it! Hopefully he'll chime in. I think it was Lovells or something.

With your seating, there are a few period looking seats you can look into (if you choose to upgrade). Its alot harder to find a set of e21 recaross over here then in the US so be prepared for a long search if you dont want to pay the $800 for a pair falling to pieces from a wrecker. Other seats to look at are Scheel, but just check the 02 seating guide FAQ and see what you think!

Tom

[_z_]

thats great that the PO seems to have been good to the car.

Another little thing to check is the steering box fluid level. You can probably see a red plastic cap on the steering box. Clean the heck out of that area and then pop it out -- it should be brim full of hypoid-90 gearbox oil.

If not top it up -- it'll make the steering a lot smoother if that is well lubed.

Just make sure its clean first, you *really* don't want any gunk or grit to fall into the steering box.

happy 02ing!

[Biscuit3]

thats great that the PO seems to have been good to the car.

Things like this rarely happen.

Still waiting for that email from you! Your car looks really good, not like some that are good from afar but far from good.

[Skippy_the_Bush_Kangaroo]

My car's PO sold it because he didn't want his kids wrecking it. I thought that was a noble thing to do.

And 8 years on I'm stuffing an s14 into it...

[bch]

Would love to see an update version on this thread,, any pointers towards reputable sources in Australia would be great thanks.

[oz_tom]

On 5/30/2023 at 5:34 PM, bch said:

Would love to see an update version on this thread,, any pointers towards reputable sources in Australia would be great thanks.

Lots of great local sources - what are you chasing?
Best bet is to jump on the BMW 2002 Owners, Australia group on Facebook. There are plenty of 02ers in SA to point you in the right direction. A lot of aussies tend to purchase from Walloth & Nesch in order to use their 75 euro flat rate shipping... naturally watch out for duties which usually snag me over $1k AUD