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King-Kong posted:Any tips for pads or other brake work when it comes to E9x's? I'd recommend Hawk HP+ or Hawk Blues, I've had great luck with their pads and they don't need a lot of heat to work well (good auto-x and street pads too). They're squeaky, so it's best to have a set for street and a set for track. Good brake fluid -- any DOT4+ fluid (Valvoline, Motul, ATE) -- will be sufficient. Even the stock fluid works surprisingly well with the good ducting BMWs come stock with.
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Feb 11, 2010 00:21
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Sterndotstern posted:I'd recommend Hawk HP+ or Hawk Blues Do you know how Hawk HPSes are for daily driving? Are they worth the premium over Axxis Ultimates?
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Feb 11, 2010 00:35
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How challenging is the final stage on an E46? Mine has acted up a few times in the past and finally gave out Monday (just when I was leaving to drive to Chicago to enjoy Snowpocalypse 2.0 hitting there). I managed to get it to start the fan back up at full power and have had to leave it there since then, but as annoying as that is I think I might wait for warmer weather unless it's a very easy job to fix/replace the broken bit. Working in an apartment parking lot in 20 degree weather when the heat is the part I'm trying to fix just does not seem appealing.
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Feb 11, 2010 02:18
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wolrah posted:How challenging is the final stage on an E46? How big are your hands? It's pretty simple if you can get yourself into a comfortable position. It's been at least 4 years since I've done it but I recall it only taking an hour tops.
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Feb 11, 2010 03:08
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Doctor Grape Ape posted:How big are your hands? Pretty big. I'm one of those rare few who find the original Xbox controller to be the most comfortable. If it's an hour job I think it's going to have to wait until it's warmer unless I can find a heated garage to work in.
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Feb 11, 2010 03:20
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It's not that bad really. You just take out the glovebox (something like 6 philips screws), take out the kickpanel under the glovebox (slides out), take out an air duct (bend the dash plasitc out a little and it pops right out), remove a flap actuator (two torx screws and pop out the actuating rod) and the final stage is right there- on most e46s they're just held in with a tab. But yeah, if you haven't done one before it might take an hour or so. If you know what you're doing it's a 20 minute job.
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Feb 11, 2010 03:29
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I'm pretty good at getting the glove box off (CB is bolted to the bottom of it and my DICE HD is behind it, so it comes off a lot when working on either). I guess as soon as the outside temperature goes above freezing I can give it a shot. I love to play in the cold, but hate to work in it if I don't have to, so having the blower stuck on 100% is preferable to freezing my rear end off.
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Feb 11, 2010 21:31
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What do you guys think about this bad boy? http://phoenix.craigslist.org/cph/cto/1597474453.html It's obviously been in some kind of frontal wreck, because it has the grill off a 540, but the guy says the title is clean. He says it's so cheap because he has to offload it fast. If the title is indeed clean, is there any reason not to snap one of these up for 13k?
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Feb 14, 2010 08:07
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peterjmatt posted:It's not that bad really. You just take out the glovebox (something like 6 philips screws), take out the kickpanel under the glovebox (slides out), take out an air duct (bend the dash plasitc out a little and it pops right out), remove a flap actuator (two torx screws and pop out the actuating rod) and the final stage is right there- on most e46s they're just held in with a tab. Captain Tact posted:What do you guys think about this bad boy? --
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Feb 14, 2010 08:37
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I just got a letter in the mail regarding a class action lawsuit regarding the RFT on the 2006/2007 3 Series Bridgestone tires. I haven't had them replaced yet, and I'm at 22k miles, it seems I can get new tires, and be reimbursed 35%. I wonder what I have to say at the dealership to prove that I'm experiencing the issues mentioned by the suit.
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Feb 15, 2010 16:05
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BMW posted:...An abnormal or loud noise caused by irregular tire wear on some Bridgestone Turanza EL42 RFT Run Flat Tires may be objectionable to some customers. The noise is totally different from normal road noise... ...That was from SI B36 06 06. We've had issues with E90 and E91 tire noise since they were first released. The noise is caused by abnormal tread wear on the Turanza tires. This has been an ongoing issue since 2006, and most of the affected tires have been replaced by now. Go out and look at the DOT number on your tires' sidewalls- there should be a string of letters and numbers followed by a four digit code in an oval [IE: EJH8 7B (2106)]. If you have 16" tires, that number needs to be earlier than 2207 (meaning the 22nd week of 2007). If you have 17" tires, then the number needs to be earlier than 2606. If your tires are within the early production range then you're eligible for some help on the cost of new tires, as long as there's less than 30k miles of wear. So check your date stamps, then call up your dealership and complain about very loud road noise. Tell them that the issue has been ongoing for the last several thousand miles, you've just been too busy to bring your car in. When they tell you that you need tires, bring up the letter you received. Don't mention the letter or the SIB until after they quote you tires.
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Feb 16, 2010 02:14
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This is was first car, a '95 318is. http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2376/2229551323_43700f4c19_b.jpg I loved that car, I'm sad to say it's not with me anymore. This http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2683/4361110423_f64ce0353a_b.jpg is my new car. It's a 1997 750iL I got it for $5300. Everything is perfect except for the stereo, can you guys help me with that? The previous owner replaced the head unit with an Alpine one, it turns on but no sound comes out. Could it be that the amp got messed up? or something else, and how much would it take to fix it?
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Feb 16, 2010 07:01
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beaner69 posted:Everything is perfect except for the stereo, can you guys help me with that? The previous owner replaced the head unit with an Alpine one, it turns on but no sound comes out. Could it be that the amp got messed up? or something else, and how much would it take to fix it? When I got my 1988 325i the first thing I did was replace the stereo with a "JVC KDDV5500 DVD Receiver" -- it can play DVDs full of MP3 music files, which is 30+ hours of listening on one disk! It was tedious work, about 6 hours (since I'd never done it before), but straightforward to anyone with high-school-level electronics. I downloaded the electronics manual for my car model. I removed the old amplifier and head unit. I pulled apart enough of the side panels to get to the wiring, soldered new wires to the speakers, and ran these new wires to the dashboard. I soldered them into the new receiver unit plug. It all worked fine first time. Modern head units just have a different philosophy of how to wire up speakers as compared to the old units. That's why I wasn't able to re-use the old speaker wiring. Also they have a different philosophy of power supply for head unit. The car originally had a permanent low-power wire to the head unit to remember its settings, and an ignition-based high-power wire to the amplifier for when the engine's on. I just ran the new unit off the permanent low-power wire; it was enough to drive music louder than I care to listen to.
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Feb 16, 2010 07:58
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beaner69 posted:This is was first car, a '95 318is. http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2376/2229551323_43700f4c19_b.jpg I loved that car, I'm sad to say it's not with me anymore. Find a factory stereo (MID) and put it back in the car. Seriously. The radios in the E38 and E39 (and E53) are pretty much part of the car and removing them is just asking for trouble.
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Feb 16, 2010 13:05
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King-Kong posted:Any tips for pads or other brake work when it comes to E9x's? I'm running PFC 06 pads on the track (e46) and really liking them. These are a track-only pad, though.
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Feb 16, 2010 15:32
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Brock Landers posted:Find a factory stereo (MID) and put it back in the car. Seriously. The radios in the E38 and E39 (and E53) are pretty much part of the car and removing them is just asking for trouble. How so? As far as I was aware they're generally comparable to equivalent models in the E46, and I have never seen anyone raise an issue when researching my CarPC project. A few other stock bits like the CD changer and the Nav screen require regular heartbeats on the I-Bus, but those are both easy to emulate and not necessary unless you want to retain those stock parts which most don't. As far as I've found, the trickiest part of replacing the OEM stereo is finding a bracket that doesn't look like poo poo when it fills all the empty space.
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Feb 16, 2010 16:58
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wolrah posted:How so? As far as I was aware they're generally comparable to equivalent models in the E46, and I have never seen anyone raise an issue when researching my CarPC project. A few other stock bits like the CD changer and the Nav screen require regular heartbeats on the I-Bus, but those are both easy to emulate and not necessary unless you want to retain those stock parts which most don't. As far as I've found, the trickiest part of replacing the OEM stereo is finding a bracket that doesn't look like poo poo when it fills all the empty space. You're right, as long as you're prepared to bypass all the stock parts, run all new wires to all new speakers, and not mind it looking like total rear end, you can put whatever stereo you want in your E39, E38, or E53. I didn't gather the OP wanted to go through all that hassle, so putting the factory MID back in place is the easiest/cheapest way to get things working again.
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Feb 16, 2010 18:18
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Brock Landers posted:You're right, as long as you're prepared to bypass all the stock parts, run all new wires to all new speakers A speaker's just a speaker. I can't imagine anything that would require different speakers.
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Feb 16, 2010 18:43
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ljw1004 posted:A speaker's just a speaker. I can't imagine anything that would require different speakers. Sometimes you get cars with strange things like 1 ohm speakers, or speakers with an amp built into the enclosure. Of course you might be able to just cut the connectors off the wires and reconnect new adapters. Edit: An example is the Z32 300ZX's with the lovely Bose system. If you replace the headunit, you need to replace the speakers because they will not work with other systems because of the issues I mentioned above.
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Feb 16, 2010 19:06
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ljw1004 posted:A speaker's just a speaker. I can't imagine anything that would require different speakers. In this case, you need to bypass the factory amp. You can either cut/splice the factory harness and reuse the wires ($$$$ if you screw-up or want to return to stock) or run new wires to the existing speakers. If you run new wires, you have to deal with the proprietary BMW connections at the speakers (again cut/splice) and I *believe* there are crossovers at the speakers you'd need to take into account. I suppose a speaker is a speaker, but in a BMW, it's all part of a greater system that's tuned and balanced to work together. It's EASIER to either bypass the whole thing and redo it, or return it to stock. I never said you couldn't do it, just that it was asking for trouble.
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Feb 16, 2010 19:35
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Brock Landers posted:In this case, you need to bypass the factory amp. You can either cut/splice the factory harness and reuse the wires ($$$$ if you screw-up or want to return to stock) or run new wires to the existing speakers. If you run new wires, you have to deal with the proprietary BMW connections at the speakers (again cut/splice) and I *believe* there are crossovers at the speakers you'd need to take into account. I suppose a speaker is a speaker, but in a BMW, it's all part of a greater system that's tuned and balanced to work together. At least for the 1988 325i, there was crossover wiring for the "speaker+tweeter" pairs, but it didn't change anything. There were still just the normal two wires coming out of the speaker assembly, you can still just cut+solder new wires onto them, no difficulty at all.
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Feb 16, 2010 22:45
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My e36 m3 has developed an unfortunate rattle. It sounds just like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GH6Mjrpn7YE I don't think it's the VANOS because it doesn't have that deep diesel sound...sounds completely normal just with that ticking. The ticking is just like someone lighting a gas burner on a stove. Maybe a vacuum leak somewhere? I changed spark plugs about 6000 miles ago so I will look at that this weekend...that would be a very simple fix. If not though, is it something I should be concerned about or just let it go until it warms up outside and I have the chance to go digging for the source? Realjones fucked around with this message at 00:01 on Feb 17, 2010 |
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Feb 16, 2010 23:55
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I just traded in my '08 Jetta for a '06 E90 325i CPO. I really wanted a 330 or 335, but they were out of my price range. I'm totally in love with it even though it has slightly less comfort features than the Jetta did, it's still way more fun to drive, way more aggressive sounding and all kinds of things. I've never really been a huge car guy, my Jetta was kept completely stock, but with this car I kind of maybe want to change a few things up, and was seeing if that was a terrible idea. My ideas: Lower it a little bit. When I was walking the lot to find the exact car I wanted, I immediately was drawn to the 335is without knowing they were 335is from a distance, because they were lower. Can I lower it an inch, inch and a half without a) looking like a moron b) For a reasonable price? and c) without voiding my warranty I'm not looking to slam it and look like my car has bags or anything, but to give it the 335i look while being a poor schlub driving a 325i. I know the 335 has larger wheels, and I'm not looking to spend the money to get new wheels as well. The Sound System. I did not get a car with a premium sound system. I do have the on-wheel controls, but it's really not all that good. The one in the Jetta sounded better. I'm okay with the actual controls/1cd/aux jack stuff, and don't really feel the need to change that out, but the speakers are not great. What are my options with that? Everything I see online includes a new stereo which isn't something I want. Can I just hook up the outputs from the stock stereo to a new amp and speakers?
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Feb 17, 2010 01:43
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Brock Landers posted:You're right, as long as you're prepared to bypass all the stock parts, run all new wires to all new speakers, and not mind it looking like total rear end, you can put whatever stereo you want in your E39, E38, or E53. I didn't gather the OP wanted to go through all that hassle, so putting the factory MID back in place is the easiest/cheapest way to get things working again. I still can not find anything that says putting an aftermarket head unit in an E39 is any different than any other car. Why would you ever waste time cutting/splicing the factory harness as you say in your next post? For years any even remotely common car has had harness adapters available through most any car stereo shop. This one for example. With that cable, an antenna adapter, and a mounting bracket to place a DIN head unit in the oversized opening, most standard car stereos would appear to be as close to plug-and-play as any other install.
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Feb 17, 2010 06:29
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Ok, this probably falls under the category of dumb questions but here goes. I'm replacing the rear brakes this week on a 91 318is. My question is, what size is the Allen bolt that holds on the rear caliper? I failed at google 
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Feb 17, 2010 08:22
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Southpaw posted:Ok, this probably falls under the category of dumb questions but here goes. I'm replacing the rear brakes this week on a 91 318is. My question is, what size is the Allen bolt that holds on the rear caliper? I failed at google I don't know which screw / bolt you mean, but here, find it yourself. http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=BE53&mospid=47480&btnr=34_0567&hg=34&fg=10
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Feb 17, 2010 12:36
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wolrah posted:I still can not find anything that says putting an aftermarket head unit in an E39 is any different than any other car. Why would you ever waste time cutting/splicing the factory harness as you say in your next post? For years any even remotely common car has had harness adapters available through most any car stereo shop. This one for example. With that cable, an antenna adapter, and a mounting bracket to place a DIN head unit in the oversized opening, most standard car stereos would appear to be as close to plug-and-play as any other install. Did you read the part of that page where it says "This item does NOT fit"? As the former owner of an E39 BMW, trust me when I say that a stereo replacement in that car is non-trivial and not the same as other cars. The "radio" faceplate houses just the display, buttons, and either a single disc CD player or cassette player in a narrow, shallow bay. The radio tuner (and therefore antenna connection) and the pre-amp are located some place else in the car (the back I think) and the amp sits in the trunk under the CD changer. Again, I'm not saying you CAN'T do it. Read my original post, I just said it wasn't EASY or the best idea if you don't want a lot of hassle. Brock Landers fucked around with this message at 13:10 on Feb 17, 2010 |
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Feb 17, 2010 13:05
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Southpaw posted:Ok, this probably falls under the category of dumb questions but here goes. I'm replacing the rear brakes this week on a 91 318is. My question is, what size is the Allen bolt that holds on the rear caliper? I failed at google M8. Pray they aren't seized, buy 4 new ones and replace them, it's cheap ($8 tops, that's dealer rape prices) insurance for the next time you do the brakes. Granted I have OCD and enjoy replacing hardware when I get the chance, so *shrug*
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Feb 17, 2010 16:00
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Southpaw posted:Ok, this probably falls under the category of dumb questions but here goes. I'm replacing the rear brakes this week on a 91 318is. My question is, what size is the Allen bolt that holds on the rear caliper? I failed at google Hopefully not 7MM hex like the E36. All the drat hex sets skip over 7MM for some reason. I was finally able to find one set at Harbor Freight that had 7MM.
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Feb 17, 2010 16:22
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Doctor Grape Ape posted:M8. Pray they aren't seized, buy 4 new ones and replace them, it's cheap ($8 tops, that's dealer rape prices) insurance for the next time you do the brakes. Granted I have OCD and enjoy replacing hardware when I get the chance, so *shrug* Put a little anti-seize on the threads too.
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Feb 17, 2010 16:45
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Casually thinking about a 99-01 7 series, I have always loved the look of those cars and I am wondering: The fuel economy ratings are bad for the v8, worse for the v12. Obviously with a powerful motor in a heavy car you will get low numbers, but how bad are they actually? What common problems would I expect with the electronics suspension/steering body/interior engine/transmission/drivetrain? Is it possible to get good documentation for service procedures? Obviously there will be community support but I imagine most of what's out there will be for the 3 and 5 series cars since they became more affordable sooner. I'm not scared to do a lot of work myself, as long as the service documentation is available and I know what special tools I'll need. Edit: Did they make it with black leather ever? Every one I've seen in white (the color I want) has either tan or gray leather. ab0z fucked around with this message at 17:02 on Feb 17, 2010 |
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Feb 17, 2010 16:50
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ab0z posted:Casually thinking about a 99-01 7 series, I have always loved the look of those cars and I am wondering: I drive an '01 740il. My experiences below: Options Black leather is available though I don't think I've ever seen it on a white e38. Personally I'd recommend a mid-year refreshed '01 740il with the sport package. This is the car I have and I worked my rear end off to find it. Reasons being: - The "L" designation makes it a little longer and ridiculously roomy. Minimal fuel economy difference. - The '01 was the most reliable of the E38s and had all the revisions of the body style (scalloped headlights, factory nav, etc). They also don't have all the off-color plastic and cheap chrome on them. Subtle body differences make an '01 look much newer than, say, a '97. - Midyear refresh means you're getting the widescreen nav system. - Sport package means you're getting the snazzy rims and body trim and upgraded suspension and transmission. I realize the stereo and nav system may not be a big issue for you now, but as Brock has pointed out changing them for a non-OEM is a huge pain in the rear end. You will save yourself a lot of time and hassle by starting with the best BMW had to offer. Fuel Economy I average 19mpg with most of my driving being freeway commutes in heavy-to-moderate traffic. The trip computer typically gives me 19mpg and an average speed of 30mph per tank. Free and clear highway driving won't be much better. Common Problems Expect the cooling system to be problematic and in need of major overhaul, at least on the v8. It tends to poo poo the bed every 60k. The suspension and brakes will likely need some work due to age. BMW electronics aren't exactly known for being indestructible, so expect to replace a wide variety of little doodads. If your car has the pull-up window shades in the rear expect them to be broken or break soon, and expect at least a couple hundred bucks to repair each shade. I've gone through three glove box handles so far, they just keep breaking. No idea why. Self-Labor The Bentley Manual is the bible of 7-series repair. It usually runs about $100. e38.org is a great online resource for how to do most of the small stuff you'll need. The 7 series is similar to the 5 series in many respects and a lot of the documentation is interchangeable. It's not a particularly difficult car to work on, but it is a gigantic over-built German death machine. Don't expect things to be as simple as they might be on a Honda.
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Feb 17, 2010 19:44
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OrangeFurious posted:gigantic over-built German death machine I'm kind of expecting that. Who has the best prices on the millions of ball joints and control arms I would need to replace every other week? Thanks for your educated reply by the way, it's hard to find good help these days.
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Feb 17, 2010 20:39
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ab0z posted:I'm kind of expecting that. Who has the best prices on the millions of ball joints and control arms I would need to replace every other week? You forgot about suspension bushings, too. https://www.rmeuropean.com for 95+% of what you need https://www.pelicanparts.com for maybe 4% and then the remaining 1% will be the dealer, at about 2x what https://www.realoem.com has listed for the price, in my experience. All I can say is good luck if you decide to get an E38, especially if you find one that is "a good deal." You may want to think about making a pilgrimage to der Vaterland and sacrifice a VW to get in good standings with the BMW Gods.
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Feb 17, 2010 20:54
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Doctor Grape Ape posted:All I can say is good luck if you decide to get an E38, especially if you find one that is "a good deal." You may want to think about making a pilgrimage to der Vaterland and sacrifice a VW to get in good standings with the BMW Gods. It helps to be careful. I looked at a few cars in person and the range of quality (and prices) was all over the place. One repo dealership in the Valley had two cars, neither went straight, one didn't shift and the other was on awful 22" rimzzzz. $13 and $15k respectively. The car I ended up buying from a BMW focused shop/dealership was completely stock, low enough milage and near perfect except for a dead window regulator and a few paint chips. $11k out the door. Price seemed to have no correlation to quality (or reality). OrangeFurious fucked around with this message at 21:01 on Feb 17, 2010 |
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Feb 17, 2010 20:59
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OrangeFurious posted:Price seemed to have no correlation to quality (or reality). Yeah I figure 10-12 for a good example and then another 5 to make everything right. What's the deal with that phone that's built in? Can you connect a different phone, or remove it altogether and replace the armrest with one that doesn't have the phone integrated?
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Feb 17, 2010 21:10
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ab0z posted:I'm kind of expecting that. Who has the best prices on the millions of ball joints and control arms I would need to replace every other week? Don't forget the fact that the catalytic converters like to poo poo themselves after 100k miles to the tune of $1200 EACH (there are two), not including labor. I love the E38 myself, but between the "normal" BMW maintenance like suspension, bushings, ball joints, the engine cooling issues that plague the V8, the automatics that like to go into failsafe mode (and need to be replaced), AND the expensive catalytic converters, they are on my "Do Not Touch" list. Unless I can get one for free or darn close to it, that is.
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Feb 17, 2010 21:11
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Doctor Grape Ape posted:You forgot about suspension bushings, too. Thanks! quote:All I can say is good luck if you decide to get an E38, especially if you find one that is "a good deal." You may want to think about making a pilgrimage to der Vaterland and sacrifice a VW to get in good standings with the BMW Gods. I've seen german cars worked on before, I know what I'm getting into. I maintain a garage for working on whichever of my 4+ cars needs something at the moment so it won't be an issue if I need to drive something else for a week while I leisurely work through the cooling system or front end.
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Feb 17, 2010 21:12
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Brock Landers posted:Don't forget the fact that the catalytic converters like to poo poo themselves after 100k miles to the tune of $1200 EACH (there are two), not including labor. I love the E38 myself, but between the "normal" BMW maintenance like suspension, bushings, ball joints, the engine cooling issues that plague the V8, the automatics that like to go into failsafe mode (and need to be replaced), AND the expensive catalytic converters, they are on my "Do Not Touch" list. Unless I can get one for free or darn close to it, that is. I'm seeing them rmeuropean for $640 (that's still pretty drat expensive) but like I said, if I get one of these cars I'm budgeting a couple grand right away for this sort of thing.
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Feb 17, 2010 22:05
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ab0z posted:Yeah I figure 10-12 for a good example and then another 5 to make everything right. What's the deal with that phone that's built in? Can you connect a different phone, or remove it altogether and replace the armrest with one that doesn't have the phone integrated? Not all of them have the phone, so hope yours doesn't. There are ways to remove it and/or kits to replace it with bluetooth connectivity for a real phone. Those ran about $900 last I checked, which is dumb. There are also kits to replace the OEM CD-Changer with an iPod dock. It involves running some cable, but is worth the effort.
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Feb 17, 2010 22:31
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