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wolrah posted:Automatics are time bombs. Both versions of the automatic will lose reverse eventually, on the ZF it means tranny death, on the GM it's apparently repairable, though it requires opening the transmission and removing the valve body, so you're getting to about mid-level wrenching. Interesting. Well, maybe that means it's finally time to find someone with a standard trans to  teach me how to drive stick. Any other E46 325ci owners have thoughts? I'm open to other ideas within the series, so if I'm making a bad choice for the money please let me know, I'm certainly not settled on the idea. Still doing my research etc.
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Oct 20, 2010 18:13
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My '04 BMW E60 530D, picked it up a month ago. Had ~65,000 miles on it, feels brand new. Click here for the full 1920x1440 image. Completely stock, I'm considering getting it tuned and I might put some M parts on it, sideskirts and front bumper. What do people think about people putting M parts on non-M cars, is it frowned upon? Why do people take the model designation off, is that so people won't know you're actually driving a 316?
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Oct 20, 2010 19:24
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Trapdoor posted:Why do people take the model designation off, is that so people won't know you're actually driving a 316? Even stranger, when I was in Europe for a few weeks this fall I saw more unbadged BMWs than ever. I'm starting to wonder if people steal them or something, but I can't imagine why anyone would. Guess it's good I keep my M3 in a garage?
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Oct 20, 2010 19:33
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From what I've read over in Europe and stuff people like to keep it low-key and they de-badge their cars. Where-as in America a lot of the common folk up-badge their cars. Although, it seems lots of people in the USA into modding also de-badge for aesthetic reasons.
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Oct 20, 2010 19:35
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I like the clean debadged look. Also, putting M parts on your non-M is fine as long as you don't call it an M. Even if it's better than an M, it's still not an M. (Disclaimer: That's not my thoughts, that's the general feeling of everyone that drives an M for the elitist factor)
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Oct 20, 2010 21:27
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I'd like to take the big honkin' 325is badge off of mine, because it's big and obtrusive and wax gets in it, but it's probably way less faded underneath, and frankly I don't want people thnking " lookit that jerk in his debadged car, probably wants us to think his 318 is a 335." Didn't mind taking the badges off the mx-5 since there's nothing I could be try trying to fake.
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Oct 20, 2010 23:13
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Trapdoor posted:
It's like: people who know BMWs know it's not an M car, and people who don't know BMWs don't know the difference anyway. So what's the point? Just don't get fake side grills.
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Oct 21, 2010 03:04
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Because I'm an idiot, my E36 328 is sitting in the driveway with all the doors locked and the key in the ignition. I don't have a spare key but the trunk is still open. Is there a good way to unlock it? I have folding rear seats but there doesn't seem to be a way to unlatch them from the trunk side.
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Oct 22, 2010 02:22
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My wife wants another BMW. What's the best way to talk her out of it seeing as how referencing our last BMW hasn't worked?
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Oct 22, 2010 03:27
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Both my rear wheelarches have rustholes in them, and are non-salvageable  Has anyone had any experience with having them changed at a bodyshop?
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Oct 22, 2010 07:12
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frozenphil posted:My wife wants another BMW. What's the best way to talk her out of it seeing as how referencing our last BMW hasn't worked? You're asking for advice on how not to get a BMW, in a BMW thread?  You could probably tell her you couldn't afford it, but that's about it.
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Oct 22, 2010 07:29
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Yeah, you can rebuild the seals, but it is apparently quite a pain. Unless you're really poor, a completely remanufactured rack that can be swapped in is cheap and easy - and equally that's the way to go if you want a quicker ratio. Problem with the slow ratio is catching the tail if it moves more than you were expecting. That boot will be the issue - duct tape isn't going to seal well enough. BrokenKnucklez posted:Thanks, I will crawl around the car this sunday, when I have a whole day to dedicate to it. e: Trapdoor posted:What do people think about people putting M parts on non-M cars, is it frowned upon? In the US, it's loving lame. This is pretty much the correct answer.  It is something that bros who get hold of E46s do, not actual adults. In Europe, it's actually accepted, basically because BMW do it themselves, plastering M logos on trim options. They will sell you pimp rimz, pimp shifter knob, pimp steering wheel with extra ///M for your automatic 316i. As for removing model designations in the UK/Europe, reasons include (i) aesthetics - it's a bauhaus thing; (ii) cars tend to be much more expensive as is gas, so yes, you want people who don't know the difference to think that your 316i might be a 330i; (iii) a bit irrelevant these days with the current state of ignition security on premium cars, but it used to be done to discourage theft/joyriding. If you had a high-powered derivative, you didn't necessarily want to shout about it. Saga fucked around with this message at 11:38 on Oct 22, 2010 |
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Oct 22, 2010 11:29
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MajesticTrout posted:Because I'm an idiot, my E36 328 is sitting in the driveway with all the doors locked and the key in the ignition. I don't have a spare key but the trunk is still open. Done this :/ Called out the RAC (breakdown people) and he levered the top of the door frame out and popped a thing down to pull the door pin up. Didn't damage the door but he used various tools to lever it gently.
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Oct 22, 2010 11:47
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Saga posted:In the US, it's loving lame. This is pretty much the correct answer. How about on an E60? I would never get any actual M emblem/trims, but the M bumper and side skirts look too badass to pass up.
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Oct 22, 2010 12:15
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Trapdoor posted:How about on an E60? I would never get any actual M emblem/trims, but the M bumper and side skirts look too badass to pass up. Well, I'm not the arbiter of what is and is not OK - despite having an account on somethingawful.com - but I was just thinking of sticking the M logo on non-M cars, which as we all know are different animals. So I imagine it would be equally lame putting an M badge on a non-M 5 series. The M cars have different bodywork than the non-M cars (unless I'm forgetting obvious examples - don't know about the Z4 Ms), so I imagine there's nothing "wrong" with the non-M body kits, even if they're called M-Sport or M Technik or whatever. I think we're getting into angels on the head of a pin territory with this one though.
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Oct 22, 2010 12:52
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The correct way to go is tons of M parts, but no visible M logos or badges. Also, no chrome, and no (fake) carbon fiber. Only two M logos on my car, and those are on the door bump strips, because there are no alternatives. e: 316i and 520d badges on the corresponding actual M models are encouraged.
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Oct 22, 2010 12:58
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Ah yeah, I'm talking about the m-tech body kit, not the actual parts from an E60 M5.
Trapdoor fucked around with this message at 13:05 on Oct 22, 2010 |
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Oct 22, 2010 12:58
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Trapdoor posted:Ah yeah, I'm talking about the m-tech body kit, not the actual parts from an E60 M5. Yep, this. An M-kitted E60 with nice wheels looks beautiful, just don't put an M or M5 badge on the trunk/boot/anywhere else
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Oct 22, 2010 13:01
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How hard is it for someone whose experience stops at "replacing windshield wipers" and "changing tires" to install a body kit, is it better if I leave that job to a professional?
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Oct 22, 2010 13:05
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Although I mostly agree about the m logos everywhere a guy showed me his recently swapped in newer m-tech steering wheel on his E34 the other day and it was a huge improvement over stock.
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Oct 22, 2010 14:21
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As long as there are no fake side vents and no M badge on the trunk, then I think putting M parts are OK. Hell, since I have a sport model 330i, the wheels even have the M badge on them, but it was stock...
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Oct 22, 2010 14:37
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It think it comes back to a basic rule I remember hearing in AI, Modifying a car to make it go fast = Good Modifying a car to make it look good = Fine Modifying a car to make it look fast = Silly
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Oct 22, 2010 14:44
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It is perfectly fine to have an MTech shift knob, but I suppose that is technically a performance upgrade.
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Oct 22, 2010 15:23
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Fermunky posted:As long as there are no fake side vents and no M badge on the trunk, then I think putting M parts are OK. Hell, since I have a sport model 330i, the wheels even have the M badge on them, but it was stock... "ZHP"? My old US-spec 330ci had style 68s, so I have to take back some of what I said and admit that BMW USA did put teeny ///m logos on the wheels.  Nowhere else though.
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Oct 22, 2010 15:40
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I have an M shift knob that I pulled out of a junked M3 at the yard that lasted about 2 weeks before it was bare. Also an Mtech2 steering wheel in my E30.
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Oct 22, 2010 15:46
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Unfortunately there is no such thing as an illuminated shift knob without the M logo
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Oct 22, 2010 16:30
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I run M5 wheels on my M3 as snow tires is that tacky? edit: They're knockoffs but were really cheap.
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Oct 22, 2010 18:55
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Saga posted:"ZHP"? No, ZHP is the Performance package, I only had the Sport package (ZSP) and came with style 68 as well (at least up to 04/2001, and also had sport steering wheel, sport seats, and sport suspension.
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Oct 22, 2010 18:56
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Been searching bimmer forums to no avail so this is my last attempt to see if someone might have a clue what's wrong with my car before I have it towed to a shop since I don't have a garage to work in nor the luxury of time any longer. 97 BMW 540i 6spd Replaced the clutch due to a seized pressure plate 2 years ago, along with new internals and slave cylinder. Now: Leak from what looks like the right-hand side tranny bellhousing. Losing brake fluid at an appreciable rate. Got air into the lines it seemed, but bleeding didn't work for some reason. Just prior, when the car was cold it would almost "hop"/stutter right when I released the clutch all the way. I don't drive it often and when I came back from out of town I was greeted with a fully non operational clutch. Would anyone here have a clue if this may be something common/easily repairable?
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Oct 22, 2010 22:22
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Crossposting a few pics from the post your ride thread. '82 733i with a 5 speed.  The good: drives great. Body's in nice shape, but definitely needs some TLC. Interior is basically the same story - pretty nice, but the leather and wood need some work. The bad: Brake idiot light comes on intermittently. PO says it leaks a bit, so it could be fluid or possibly the accumulator (I think). Heater core blew up and the PO bypassed it. Also, the idle is loving bonkers. Once the car is warmed up and idling, it idles from ~800rpm all the way to 1600 or so and then goes back down to 800 and repeats the cycle. From what I've seen at http://www.e38.org/e23/ and Bimmerboard, it looks like my ICM or ICV is shot.
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Oct 23, 2010 14:50
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Trapdoor posted:You're asking for advice on how not to get a BMW, in a BMW thread? Search my post history in this thread.
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Oct 23, 2010 19:40
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Well, money's tight and I work from home so I'm garaging the E36 for the winter. Can't afford to insure it at the moment. I've been paying about $170 a month, and that's just too much for a car that I drive less than 100 miles a month. I'm looking at this as a blessing though, it gives me a chance to do some of the work that I've been wanting to get done. The first thing I'm doing is detailing the entire car and scrubbing the undercarriage. Then I'll pump up the tires and park it in the garage. I still have a brand new radiator, surge tank and associated bits to install, so I think I'm going to go ahead and order: 1. Belts 2. Thermostat and gaskets 3. Fan tool 4. BMW coolant (running prestone right now) I already have the hoses, surge tank and Behr radiator (and sweet brass bleed screw) Once the cooling system overhaul is complete, I'm going to probably do the diff next (LSD and better gear ratio). After that, depending on funds I'm going to go ahead and do the clutch + 5 series swap. I figure I'll have 3-4 months to fix it back up and that should give me plenty of time to take care of this stuff. I also want to go ahead and try and source some E46 front seats and a new sunroof cassette. Hopefully by the time spring comes around the car will be in great shape and ready to drive. Keeping the salt off it all winter will be nice as well.
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Oct 23, 2010 21:59
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frozenphil posted:Search my post history in this thread. I recommend getting something newer, like an E60/E90, seems like you just got unlucky and the previous owner drove it like he stole it.
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Oct 23, 2010 22:22
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Thanks for the advice on the steering rack, I will do that a little later as now my fuel pump died. I checked the voltage to the pump and its fine... I want to hug the guy who designed this car, I mean, an access cover under the back seat? So much better than GM-ilk, with the removing the tank and what not. The air boot really did the trick. Previous owner thought duct tape could fix every thing. I changed the plugs and ran great until the fuel pump keeled over. Here is the next question for any one who has done this... The trunk lock is broke, previous owner decided to try and drill it out, with the drill bit still in there. I already took the back seat out, no access hole. Any tricks into breaking into the trunk?
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Oct 24, 2010 03:18
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Has anybody replaced an E36 sedan blower motor? The Bentley makes it look real easy, but this DIY shows the wipers and cowls and wiper motor coming out too. And says it takes something like four hours where the Bentley makes it look like a half hour job. I got a used motor for $50 off of ebay, it was supposed to be OEM (Bosch) but it looks like the wheels don't come off (unless there's a trick). Were the OE ones not removeable with replacement BMW ones removeable or something? I'm OK with bending the sheetmetal on my car, I just want to know if there's a trick to it. (Blower doesn't come on at all, it's not the final stage which I replaced a little over a year ago)
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Oct 24, 2010 03:26
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CornHolio posted:Has anybody replaced an E36 sedan blower motor? Yes. Listen to the DIY -- the Bentley has some wild ideas about cables that just move aside with the flick of a wrist. I tried on a junkyard car just to attempt the Bentley method and came away loving pwned.
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Oct 24, 2010 04:02
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Sterndotstern posted:Yes. Listen to the DIY -- the Bentley has some wild ideas about cables that just move aside with the flick of a wrist. I tried on a junkyard car just to attempt the Bentley method and came away loving pwned. I find bentley is generally poo poo for showing what is actually involved with a job. It's pretty good for basic items (brakes, plugs, etc) but anything that isn't regular maintenance they tend to gloss over some pretty big parts.
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Oct 24, 2010 05:47
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CornHolio posted:Has anybody replaced an E36 sedan blower motor? Yes. It's a tedious as gently caress job, but not a terribly difficult one. It's one of those jobs where one step will take the majority of your time; specifically as you try to finagle the motor itself in/out of its spot.
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Oct 24, 2010 20:50
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MajesticTrout posted:Because I'm an idiot, my E36 328 is sitting in the driveway with all the doors locked and the key in the ignition. I don't have a spare key but the trunk is still open. I got into the car on Friday, but forgot to post anything. I ended up pulling the carpeted liner off of the trunk lid. Once I had that off, I saw the arm that goes from the trunk lock over to an actuator. I moved it by hand all the way one direction and it unlocked everything. This thing:  Click here for the full 2048x1536 image. Also, the genius responsible for the trim clips for the trunk lid can go right to hell.
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Oct 25, 2010 00:51
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Saga posted:Help help!
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Oct 25, 2010 08:54
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