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Sterndotstern posted:I've had a long-term boner for E28s. Do you have pics/details? http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2809820&pagenumber=28&perpage=40#post348183298 I posted some pictures earlier in this thread. It's a 21 year old car, so it needs some love - This is going to be long. The car has minor surface rust here and there. One dent - front passenger side door. Looks like it can be popped out easy. It needs new pads and rotors soon, but I've got e32 front calipers and a discs and rear e34 540i's ready to go on when I get the time. Suspension needs attention bushing wise if you want to tighten it up. It has a sagging diff mount, I ordered one a while ago but I think Steve Haygood lost it. He was going through health problems at the time (awesome guy to buy parts from by the way). It needs a new guibo, which I have ready to go in. The brakes, \diff mount, ect were to be taken care of during winter break. Right now the car isn't driven much, being at college and living on campus. The paint isn't in great shape - quite a few places are missing clear coat. Mechanically she's sound, just needed a new clutch master cylinder and slave cylinder when I bought it. The clutch pedal bracket might be cracked - it's a bit stiff and it vibrates a bit. The tranny seems to be weeping ever so slightly - not enough to drip fluids down it seems though. This seems to be a common problem. 4th gear has a grind on hard shifting. The odo broke ~25k miles ago. It currently reads 104k or so. Interior is in so so shape. The back seats are a bit worn, but the driver's seat has some rips in the leather. Comfort interior, black and tan. Has an aftermarket headunit with an ipod jack, but it's a bit old. All electronics work, OBC is in great shape. Rear windows close slowly, but the fronts are good. A/C needs a recharge (e28 A/C is notoriously lovely even when working 100%, so I wouldn't bother.) Theres a fan for the heater that is under the stereo in the center console, which needs to be replaced. It makes an angry noise above the '1' setting so it's probably on it's way out. No cooling issues to speak of. Engine bay has caked oil here and there - the valve cover gasket had been leaking for a while. When I bought the car and had the valves adjusted the old gasket crumbled into dust. It's been replaced, and no longer leaks. Doesn't burn oil either. Power seats work, aside from the headrests. Drivetrain wise it's pretty sound. Always starts right up, occasionally on the first crank. Doesn't burn / leak any fluids aside from the weep in the tranny. Runs nice and strong and can see ~28 mpg highway ~23 around town. No real mods aside from Euro headlights and the wheels at the moment. Got a deal on those I really couldn't pass up. Borbet Type T's, 17x8.5 front 17.9.5 rear, et13 and et17 offsets. In drat good shape, but the clearcoat on the very outer edge of the lip in the rear is peeled off a bit - some rubbing. Now that winter is here I'm putting back on the E34 basketweaves. They've got some new Khumo Ecstas on there. Oh, and it has a 330i ZHP shift knob. I love that thing - it was from my M3. To anyone disappointed with stock shift feel, nab one of those. You can find them for $54 shipped and they make SUCH a big difference. I've got a Hartge rear spoiler that needs some cracks fixed before it goes on again, got it with the car. Here is the P.o.'s baby - an 88 535iS. He used mine ('87 535i) as a dd for 6 months before I bought it from him.   The rest here http://mye28.com/viewtopic.php?t=53465
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Oct 20, 2008 16:44
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Hay that hood looks a little rusty...
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Oct 20, 2008 17:07
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CornHolio posted:I disagree, I think those black wheels are pretty sharp, at least on that car. this is what i'm thinking, and my car is lower than that m3 and will have matching mirrors and black trim.. Contrast to the black everywhere, my carbon fiber lip and hood (grille by then)... So im really torn between the 2.
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Oct 20, 2008 17:07
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If anyone has a spare $189,000 laying around, can I suggest you put it to good use and pick up this BMW M1 that has appeared on ebay: Clicky   
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Oct 20, 2008 18:09
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omigaw Those door speakers are AWESOME.  wait... its listed as 1 of 79 built in 79, but the placard on the car says it is from Jan 1984, and according to its VIN it has a production date of June 1980. 
CornHolio fucked around with this message at 18:19 on Oct 20, 2008 |
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Oct 20, 2008 18:11
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CornHolio posted:wait... its listed as 1 of 79 built in 79, but the placard on the car says it is from Jan 1984, and according to its VIN it has a production date of June 1980. I think this is one of those cars that was built as a street car then converted to one of the ProCar options. "Some of the 456 road cars were later converted to replicas of the ProCar machines, including one that has popped up on eBay this week" - http://www.autoblog.com/2008/10/20/ebay-find-of-the-day-1979-bmw-m1-wow/
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Oct 20, 2008 19:28
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I recently just got this amazing 2001 E46 330CI with the sport and premium packages. I absolutely love it and it is one of the best cars I have ever driven. It is stock except for a Remus exhaust which is nice and deep and not very loud at all which is great. Any common things I should look out for? I plan to snag some cheap snow tires for it in a month or so. I also ended up getting a 3 year/unlimited miles warranty on it, which is extremely comforting.
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Oct 20, 2008 20:31
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Jabel posted:Got word from my parents earlier today that they put a deposit or placed an order (Not sure) on a 335d for when they arrive stateside. I believe its based of the N54 (correct me if I'm wrong)so it should be a reliable motor right? Just hoping some of you might know more about it like real world economy and how it compares to the 335i. The N54 runs on gas, and the 335d (M57...I think) does not. The economy is on par with a 4cyl accord which is pretty great. The combined cycle should return mid-high 20s where the gas engine returns low 20s. But this car isn't all about economy - your parents will probably never make up the premium they paid for the 335d over the 335i. The premium gives you a boat load of torque and a different driving experience that many people prefer. I can't wait to test it out myself, even though I typically enjoy reving past 4000rpm and a manual transmission more.
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Oct 20, 2008 21:35
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Ugh, why do I end up working on my daily driver more than my project vehicle? gently caress BMW and gently caress their leaky coolant systems!
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Oct 20, 2008 22:00
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The fun never ends, does it? I got my new radiator on, and after sorting out some problems bleeding the system, everything seems good with my car. I'm not getting any water vapor in the exhaust, and no signs of coolant in the oil, though I only put about 25mi. on it. Seems to be good on power, so all signs are pointing to not having caused any engine damage. I'm going to take it in for a leak down test next week, anything else I should be on the lookout for early warning if I did damage the head gasket? Maybe I got lucky, it just seems like every story I've ever heard of overheating an M50 engine ends with "... and a blown head gasket."
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Oct 21, 2008 03:42
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Welp. I put up some feelers for my E28. With hope I'll be in an E30 in the near future. I have a feeling I'm going to miss the old girl though. She's been a great dd.
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Oct 21, 2008 07:55
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This might be a really stupid question, but I don't get the climate control on my 5-series (2002). There's the auto setting, which normally is pretty self-explanatory, but there's also the temperature setting on the top vents. Do those work independently or together? Like do I need to worry about changing the temp setting from cool to heat every time it gets cold or warm or whatever or can I just set the temp on the auto to 72 or something and not worry about it? Also, despite the two temperature settings for passenger and driver, I've never seen a difference in the air coming out from either side. Does it only affect the air going at your feet or something? Also, my car is at about 93k miles and is an E39 I believe, I took it in to the dealership to get a general inspection done after I bought it and replaced the waterpump already. Should I go ahead and replace the other cooling system parts before 100k miles, or just take it in to get them inspected at that point, or what? Stefan Prodan fucked around with this message at 14:22 on Oct 21, 2008 |
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Oct 21, 2008 14:18
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Stefan Prodan posted:This might be a really stupid question, but I don't get the climate control on my 5-series (2002). There's the auto setting, which normally is pretty self-explanatory, but there's also the temperature setting on the top vents. Do those work independently or together? Like do I need to worry about changing the temp setting from cool to heat every time it gets cold or warm or whatever or can I just set the temp on the auto to 72 or something and not worry about it? Also, despite the two temperature settings for passenger and driver, I've never seen a difference in the air coming out from either side. Does it only affect the air going at your feet or something? The adjustment dial on the vent is to let you setup the stratified airflow. BMW did lots of research on cabin comfort back in the early 80's and determined that for optimal comfort and to reduce driver fatigue, you should set the cabin temperature to about 72 degrees and direct cooler air towards the driver's face. Naturally, not everyone likes cold air blowing at them, so they put in the option for you to adjust it. The auto climate control will try to keep the overall temperature at what you set it to, and you can determine what type of air blows at your face. As for the driver/passenger settings, I've found that BMW has the best driver/passenger settings because it works so invisibly. Yes, it works mostly with the air at your feet. You won't be able to immediately feel a difference in the air that comes out, but both passengers will be comfortable and be reasonably close to their set temperatures. When you get to 100,000 miles, you should think about replacing the rest of the cooling system. I have 98,000 miles on my original cooling system, but that's just because it's still under CPO warranty and if it dies before 100k, I'll have BMW foot the replacement bill.  I'm selling the car, but if I were keeping it, all of that lovely cooling system would be replaced at 100k.
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Oct 21, 2008 15:28
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Is there any reason why an electric fuel pump would produce a whining sound only while the car is being cranked, but sound normal when the engine is running? My e46 has developed a weird electrical whine/whistle which I think is coming from the rear, but only during the few seconds when it's being started (which is making it hard to track down). On a somewhat related note, is there a safe way I can crank the car without it firing, such as a specific fuse or relay to remove that won't cause a CEL?
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Oct 22, 2008 01:18
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I'm sick of every part on my 7 year old pontiac breaking, so I'm going to drink the kool aid and pick up an M3 as a replacement. At least when poo poo on that breaks, I wont mind fixing it as much. I cant decide between a e36 and a e46, though. Heres my pro con list for each, hopefully some AI goons can help with the decision. E46 Pro: Better looking Faster Lower miles/better shape "set it and forget it" climate control(A big deal for me) Better value retention E46 Con: Guido/Yo-boy image(at least around here) Higher insurance Thirstier $10k more than E46 Wear items would be more expensive(bigger tires) E36 Pro: $10k Cheaper than E46 4 doors, more whores Better local knowledge base I would feel more comfortable working on it E36 Con: Higher miles/more likely abused Would likely need work more often I don't think it comes with auto climate control(a big deal) Hard to find a non auto, non convertible Harder to find a 5 speed sedan Ratty interiors I was pretty dead set on a E36 sedan until I noticed that the E92 knocked the E46 prices down into the 20k range. I would have to finance 20k, but you get what you pay for. So AI?
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Oct 22, 2008 04:29
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kmcormick9 posted:I don't think it comes with auto climate control(a big deal)
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Oct 22, 2008 04:38
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kmcormick9 posted:I was pretty dead set on a E36 sedan until I noticed that the E92 knocked the E46 prices down into the 20k range. I would have to finance 20k, but you get what you pay for. So yes you can get a solid E46 M3 for $25k but I think I should mention that you can get a solid E39 M5 for that much as well unless you're against the idea of 4 doors or a V8 or the fuel economy or whatever personal reasons. Anyways, my vote goes E39 M5 if you don't mind it or spending the cash, but if it's M3 only, the E46 takes it unless you care about saving $10k. It's just better than an E36 M3 in every way. Just make sure whatever you do, the car has full service records and has been taken care of. Any car is going to cost a lot if things are breaking on it. Cooling system of course, no matter what BMW, is essential. Because you're getting an M car you should watch out for wear items like shocks/struts/brakes/tyres and budget to replace them if they look like they need it. These cars require everything to be in good shape in order to give you the proper experience and if you aren't interested in that, you shouldn't be getting an M car. That is, assuming you're wanting the enthusiast experience. If you can wrench, this won't cost very much to budget for at all. Tyres are the biggest deal of course. You have to experience good tires to realise what they can do.
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Oct 22, 2008 05:44
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I'm about to pull the trigger on an 06 325i (e90) for about $28k Canadian. For anywhere between $3k-$7k more I can get an 02-05 M3 (e46). Is this a jump I should consider? My buddy who has 3 series similarly regretted not making that same decision to get an M3. He also said, "The thing about power is that once you get a taste of it, you just want more." Is dual zone climate control standard on the 02-05 M3's? Is there a site to compare all the spec/packages available for past BMW's?
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Oct 22, 2008 10:15
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bigmike posted:I'm about to pull the trigger on an 06 325i (e90) for about $28k Canadian. For anywhere between $3k-$7k more I can get an 02-05 M3 (e46). Is this a jump I should consider? My buddy who has 3 series similarly regretted not making that same decision to get an M3. He also said, "The thing about power is that once you get a taste of it, you just want more." Is dual zone climate control standard on the 02-05 M3's? Is there a site to compare all the spec/packages available for past BMW's? Expect to pay 2-3 times more in maintenance costs to keep up the M3 over the 325i. If you're comfortable with that, then by all means get an M3. If you want to find a happy medium between the relatively slow 325i and relatively fast M3, an E46 330i or E90 328i/330i will be quite a bit snappier and will have pretty much the same maintenance costs. I would actually skip the 325i all together and get either a 330i or a facelifted 328i. The E90 325i is pretty underwhelming. If I were going to buy a used less than 5 year old used 3-series right now, it would be a 2004 E46 330Ci with the ZHP package. It's a bit like a junior M3 without the BMW M tax.
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Oct 22, 2008 10:42
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Driving home from a party tonight I feel a bit of a pull for a second, then all is back to normal. As I get off the highway, I hear a lot more noise than usual from the back end as I coast. When I pull in to my apartment complex (about 1000 feet from the highway, so I was not driving far after hearing the extra noise) I smell gear lube. I get out of the car, grab the lovely glovebox flashlight, and see this... http://gamera.seanharlow.info/~wolrah/BMW/diff/ (link to dir as I'm too tired to resize enormous pics) What probably broke and how much will it probably cost me? If the pull I felt was when it started losing oil, I probably drove 25 miles at between 80 and 100 MPH on it. If it was just when I noticed the noise, maybe 1/4 to 1/2 mile at city speeds. e: 2002 325i stick
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Oct 23, 2008 08:18
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wolrah posted:pwned Looks like it might be the input shaft seal on the diff, can't tell for sure. I'd top of the fluid and drive it around the block, then check the level. If you think you can make it to your favorite BMW shop, do it.
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Oct 23, 2008 17:37
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2003 330i Lately my idle has been really weak. Instead of comfortably sitting around indicated 850RPM it fluctuates between 500 and 650RPM, dipping as low as 400RPM on occasion. My first thought was fuel delivery, my second was air. I replaced the spark plugs 4k miles ago, oil 2k miles ago, and the air filter 25k miles ago but it's immaculate upon physical inspection. What's likely plaguing my car?
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Oct 23, 2008 18:06
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Just put an E36 rack on my E30 because mine was pissing fluid when I turned left. Oh my god there is a difference. Probably because my old rack was really lovely, but this is so much better. It's nice to have firm steering, with less turns lock to lock. I think something got tangled in the SRS wires though, because something went "plunk" and now my SRS lights are blinking so I will have to take the whole thing apart again to find out what is going on there. Oh well, the joys of owning an E30!
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Oct 23, 2008 18:06
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Sterndotstern posted:Looks like it might be the input shaft seal on the diff, can't tell for sure. I'd top of the fluid and drive it around the block, then check the level. If you think you can make it to your favorite BMW shop, do it. I have an extended warranty on the car, so after a few phone calls back and forth with CarMax and the local BMW dealer I had it towed up there. Regardless of whether it blew as I was pulling off the highway or at the earlier point where I felt the pull, it still managed to basically empty itself in less than the distance to the dealer, so no way I'd try to drive it. I'd rather not give CarMax any reason to deny the warranty claim, as I asked what the worst case scenario of a full diff replacement would be and it's about $2500 parts and labor. $75 deductible is far more appealing.
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Oct 23, 2008 18:38
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TractionControl posted:Just put an E36 rack on my E30 because mine was pissing fluid when I turned left. Ive been thinking about this, my current rack is fine, but I would like to have less turns to lock on my E30. How hard was it to do? How much did it cost? What specific rack did you end up getting?
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Oct 23, 2008 19:04
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wolrah posted:I have an extended warranty on the car, so after a few phone calls back and forth with CarMax and the local BMW dealer I had it towed up there. Good deal. They will probably have to replace it. SWEET NEW DIFF! Plus, $2500 sounds like a goddammned lot of money for a 3-series diff.
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Oct 23, 2008 19:28
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Update on the above: New diff, warranty's covering it, about $160 out of pocket between deductible and tow. I'll be quite interested to find out what happened.
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Oct 23, 2008 22:45
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wolrah posted:Update on the above: Please let us know. Also that's hilariously expensive if the insurance is paying $2500. I'm not sure what an M5 diff/driveshaft costs (common 540 upgrade) but I'm pretty sure it isn't that much, and that's an M car!
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Oct 23, 2008 23:21
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Xenoid posted:Please let us know. Also that's hilariously expensive if the insurance is paying $2500. I'm not sure what an M5 diff/driveshaft costs (common 540 upgrade) but I'm pretty sure it isn't that much, and that's an M car! Yea, if it wasn't covered under warranty with that quote I'd just acquire the parts for a M3 diff swap and take the car to one of the local independent shops (in the past I'd say do it myself, but that's hard when in an apartment and it's my only car, plus my Probe showed me exactly how little motivation I have when things don't go right). It would cost less and I'd come out of it with a LSD.
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Oct 24, 2008 01:02
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Dyscrasia posted:Ive been thinking about this, my current rack is fine, but I would like to have less turns to lock on my E30. How hard was it to do? How much did it cost? What specific rack did you end up getting? I wasn't able to do it myself because I had no time and mine was broke, but my trusted mechanic did it for $400. It was $50 for a used E36 rack. Its not terribly hard to do, you have to modify the steering knuckle. If you have an airbag car you have to cut a slight hole in your firewall. Enlarge the hole and fab up a slightly new bracket. There are plenty of howtos on how to do it all.
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Oct 24, 2008 01:23
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TractionControl posted:I think something got tangled in the SRS wires though, because something went "plunk" and now my SRS lights are blinking so I will have to take the whole thing apart again to find out what is going on there. Just disconnect all the airbag poo poo. Use it as an excuse to get a Mtech I or II steering wheel. You'll have to take apart the check panel and remove the TWO SRS lights (one is hidden and soldered in place). Or get a check panel from a non-SRS E30. Even if you get things hooked back up right, I was reading on one of the E30 boards that even the dealers can't turn the SRS lights off anymore.
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Oct 24, 2008 03:21
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Adnuo posted:2003 330i
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Oct 24, 2008 03:45
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VacaGrande posted:Is it a manual? I had the same issue about a year ago - there's either a TSB or something similar on this and the dealer should be able to find it - there's a computer update that fixes it. Yep, there is: SIB 12 57 06 posted:SUBJECT If your production range is within the bolded parts, you should be affected.
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Oct 24, 2008 13:55
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VacaGrande posted:Is it a manual? I had the same issue about a year ago - there's either a TSB or something similar on this and the dealer should be able to find it - there's a computer update that fixes it. Got any more information? Occasionally mine will dip low, then overcompensate and rev up to about 1000, then dip down even lower on the return, repeat until it can't recover and stalls. This only happens if it's in gear with my foot on the clutch, if I slide the shifter to neutral nothing changes and then it stops immediately and goes back to a normal smooth idle if I take my foot off the clutch in neutral. While it's already at the dealer, I may as well get that taken care of if it's a simple reflash. edit: cool ^^^
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Oct 24, 2008 14:00
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Mr. Toast posted:http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2809820&pagenumber=28&perpage=40#post348183298 Why are you posting that poo poo here? Hurr -- intentional rust treating to my hood, big rims (lol 10" for 150ft*lbs) and stretch. As a side note, the rust bucket isn't an iS, just an i. thealphabetsez fucked around with this message at 16:06 on Oct 24, 2008 |
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Oct 24, 2008 16:02
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Mad Dragon posted:My only advice when buying a Z4 is to find one with a manual top. The hydraulic tops really don't fail a lot, but they're extremely expensive when they do. Besides, the car is small enough that it doesn't take a lot of effort to put the top down. Listen to this man. It might be more mechanical but there's far fewer things to go wrong. Also, if you ever get leaks and such, it's so much easier to fix it.
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Oct 24, 2008 17:14
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Guinness posted:Expect to pay 2-3 times more in maintenance costs to keep up the M3 over the 325i. Went to the dealership with the intention of putting a deposit down on that 325i. The sales guy ended up backing it into a pole, lol. Now that I've had some time to think about it, I'm probably going to wait until a 330i/328i comes available. Finding a standard transmission is almost impossible in this city. And with the Canadian dollar in the shitter right now, importing fris no longer an option at all. The Infiniti G35 is on my radar, as well as the very similar 09 altima 3.5 coupe. Any thoughts on those cars?
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Oct 25, 2008 01:48
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bigmike posted:Finding a standard transmission is almost impossible in this city. And with the Canadian dollar in the shitter right now, importing fris no longer an option at all. The Infiniti G35 is on my radar, as well as the very similar 09 altima 3.5 coupe. Any thoughts on those cars? The G35 is a nice car but it's kind of cheap feeling. Haven't driven one though so I can't comment on that part. I don't know anything about the 09 Altima 3.5 coupe, but it's gorgeous from the outside, if a tad giant looking.
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Oct 25, 2008 02:27
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Brock Landers posted:Just disconnect all the airbag poo poo. Use it as an excuse to get a Mtech I or II steering wheel. You'll have to take apart the check panel and remove the TWO SRS lights (one is hidden and soldered in place). Or get a check panel from a non-SRS E30. Even if you get things hooked back up right, I was reading on one of the E30 boards that even the dealers can't turn the SRS lights off anymore. You can turn off the SRS lights, I've done it before. My clockspring broke. Basically you have to jump the code reader directly to the SRS unit. It's actually pretty easy. Instead of bitching around with replacing the check panel or SRS lights I just unplugged the SRS unit. I'm going to get a new wheel eventually, but I'm cheap. SUSPENSION FIRST. FLYWHEEL AFTER. Then something ridiculous maybe.
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Oct 25, 2008 03:28
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Guinness posted:Expect to pay 2-3 times more in maintenance costs to keep up the M3 over the 325i. What makes you say that? Is it the fact that the rigid suspension tends to vibrate things apart more? or is the car in general just needier than a non M bmw? Ive been wondering if i made a mistake buying the e36 m3 over an e46 330i because of our rough roads in northeast ohio. Ive had no problems so far but ive had to change some of the routes i take to avoid bumpy streets. I really like the feel of the road but i almost cry when i hit that rare (or not so rare) chuck hole that i cant avoid. Is ohio going to vibrate my car apart, should i get a new softer suspension, or should i look at a newer regular 3.
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Oct 26, 2008 00:19
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