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I'm gonna go ahead and say no. I much prefer DRLs on the E39 over angel eyes. I pretty much can't stand angel eyes unless they came stock. Spend that money on fixing something rather than an upgrade.
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Mar 28, 2011 14:33
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0zxy posted:I'm gonna go ahead and say no. I much prefer DRLs on the E39 over angel eyes. I pretty much can't stand angel eyes unless they came stock. Spend that money on fixing something rather than an upgrade. They did come stock on E39s, but only 2001+ E39s. IIRC, the E39 was actually the first BMW to have angel eyes.
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Mar 28, 2011 14:50
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The newer models can handle it, and most other bimmers with enclosed headlamps. However, if you've ever seen a true roundlamp bimmer with angel eyes, you'd know how ugly and clashing it is. I say go for it.
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Mar 28, 2011 14:51
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KaiserBen posted:They did come stock on E39s, but only 2001+ E39s. IIRC, the E39 was actually the first BMW to have angel eyes. That's what I meant. I tried to force some angel eyes on an E39 one time (stock plastic US housings) and it wasn't pretty. Unless you have the elipsoids and can do a good job it'll look like poo poo. I had some on my E36 for about two hours before I realized how bad they looked. If you're going to do it, in my opinion, it has to be OEM yellow angel eyes with OEM bulbs. Aftermarket HIDs look out of place on the E39 when some retard goes out and puts on 6000k+ bulbs. Add some poo poo ebay angel eyes and you're one step closer to buying chrome wheels at wal-mart and making me want to put your once beautiful E39 out of its misery. I bought my E36 M3 and the previous owner had put purple HIDs in the stock housings. I tossed in my elipsoids with stock bulbs on the car before I went to the DMV.
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Mar 28, 2011 15:23
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The problem I have with the stock halos is that they look washed out/old because of that yellowish hue. Sure the mad tyte ricer death blindingly blue ones are horrid, but I'm partial to the white ones. Just within reason of course. I still don't know how to install them, but my E39 does have Xenons, so uh, should be easier? Also, funny story, I bought the thing without properly checking the lights, it had a set of NEON loving BLUE bulbs. Replaced those things the moment I noticed them. awesome-express fucked around with this message at 17:52 on Mar 28, 2011 |
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Mar 28, 2011 17:49
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McMadCow posted:I agree that it's probably not worth it, but don't you think your estimate is a bit high? I can see about $1K in parts there... I dunno, all those suspension bits are close to $1k alone, plus a couple hundred for a steering rack and arms, a few hundred for essentially new brakes and the axles are not cheap either. I suppose it depends on how much you can find used and whether or not you do the labor yourself.
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Mar 28, 2011 18:08
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So, my recently acquired 330CI has some pretty even road rash on the nose. Nothing terrible, but it's definitely visible once you get about 4feet from the car. I was paging through my first BavAuto issue and lusting heavily when I came across the road rash/paint pen repair stuff. Have you guys used any of this gear, and would you recommend it? I'm not looking for showroom perfect, but I'm not looking to have it peel off and look like poo poo in two years either. What's the consensus on this stuff?
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Mar 28, 2011 18:39
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awesome-express posted:The problem I have with the stock halos is that they look washed out/old because of that yellowish hue. Sure the mad tyte ricer death blindingly blue ones are horrid, but I'm partial to the white ones. Just within reason of course. I still don't know how to install them, but my E39 does have Xenons, so uh, should be easier? Speaking from the experience on my E46, not difficult at all. Once I had them aligned, just had to run the wires, hook up the power and ground, tap into the interior lights and the DRL's. IMO they look really good on E39's / E46's, but nothing older than that. I also agree on the eggwash yellow tone, that's why I picked a white LED set.
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Mar 28, 2011 18:40
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revmoo, Black88GTA, Sterndotstern, 8ender - Thanks for input about the cooling system replacement. It is greatly appreciated. Last question - should I spring for the aluminum thermostat cover?
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Mar 28, 2011 23:58
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Count me in with not liking angel eyes that much, even stock. However, my philosophy is, if you could get it stock, it's allowed, so go for it in that case. The saga of my E36 continues, as I took it to have the AC looked at today and was told that it had the highly unusual fault of a blown coil. Apparently this was probably caused by something making a gently caress-up last time the AC was inspected and sending a charge to it. A costly gently caress-up. I'm expecting it to be repaired on Wednesday, as AC systems are pretty much the one thing I won't touch as an amateur mechanic. Window is still busted and another regulator needs to be ordered after I eliminated all other possibilities, much to my chagrin. Paint has also been ordered and when that turns up, fixing the odd rust patch and chip will be the next order of business. Speaking of all this work I'm doing, is anyone interested in me taking pictures of any of it? I'm sure seeing the doors being disassembled and reassembled over and over would be boring as hell, but tackling the paintwork might be informative to some people. I'm not so bothered about showing off, I just want to give back to the community a little since you guys have helped me so much.
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Mar 29, 2011 00:06
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runwiled posted:Count me in with not liking angel eyes that much, even stock. However, my philosophy is, if you could get it stock, it's allowed, so go for it in that case. I'd definetely be interested in paintwork. My e36 has a lot of rear wheel well rust, and some at the front plus a few patches. Before I sell it I'd like to fix what I can to make it look nicer. Of course it'd take some cutting/welding to fix all my rust, but I'd like to get some of it fixed.
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Mar 29, 2011 00:23
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What's with BMWs gravitating towards me? I left work this afternoon and there was an E36 M3 and an E46 330 next to my E92. Then I go home and half the time there's a 325 parked next to me.
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Mar 29, 2011 00:55
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emanonii posted:revmoo, Black88GTA, Sterndotstern, 8ender - Thanks for input about the cooling system replacement. It is greatly appreciated. no, some have reported casting issues...unless you can see it before you buy it, get the plastic one.
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Mar 29, 2011 01:21
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Cojawfee posted:What's with BMWs gravitating towards me? I left work this afternoon and there was an E36 M3 and an E46 330 next to my E92. Then I go home and half the time there's a 325 parked next to me. I always try to park next to other BMWs. One time I came back to a E39 and E60 next to my E34 like some sort of 5 series history lesson.
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Mar 29, 2011 01:26
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Oh my. I've just received my ZHP suspension kit and strut mounts from Tischer BMW for my e46. What lovely, lovely parts they are. 2 ZHP control arms (with ///M logo  ), 4 struts, 4 bump stops, ZHP front swaybar and all the hardware. So awesome. My car's at 130K Miles on the original suspension. I can't wait to see how this is gonna feel.
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Mar 29, 2011 01:56
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Cojawfee posted:What's with BMWs gravitating towards me? I left work this afternoon and there was an E36 M3 and an E46 330 next to my E92. Then I go home and half the time there's a 325 parked next to me. I try to park next to other BMW owners. Usually they are less likely to door ding you.
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Mar 29, 2011 14:04
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awesome-express posted:I've also been thinking of getting an E46 coupe in the near future. Or should I just wait for the new 3 series to debut and get an E92 after like a year or two? Assuming you're talking 330ci - the M54 engined car has the advantage of relative simplicity (offset by age-related fits of "random poo poo breaking"), but the N52 has much more "motor", is lighter (the motor, not the car overall) and will get better gas mileage (due to the magic of valvetronic + the other efficient dynamics crap). To me, it basically comes down to how much money you want to spend and how much you like the newer interior. They're both still macpherson strut plus Z-axle multilink/TA at the back. Hopefully the trim doesn't fall off as much on the E9x, but I suspect the chassis maintenance routine will be familiar to all of us. There's no practical difference in cabin space, despite BMW's claims to the contrary. I mean, comparing the E39 5 series and an E46 3 series there's a difference, but I sat in an E91 the other day and couldn't see any perceptible improvement in cabin space over my E30, let alone my old 330ci. I'm not saying there isn't an actual inch or so in it, just that you can't tell even sitting in them back to back. Over here BMW has pushed up the sizing on the rimzzzz for the e9x, so you get to pay twice as much as you used to for tyres. A buddy of mine just bought an M Sport E91. I priced up a tyre for it and
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Mar 29, 2011 15:38
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8ender posted:I always try to park next to other BMWs. One time I came back to a E39 and E60 next to my E34 like some sort of 5 series history lesson. I came out of the gym one day to find two other E39s, both titanium silver (like mine) parked next to me. 525, 540, M5, nice little E39 family.
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Mar 29, 2011 15:45
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Taco Box posted:Oh my. I've just received my ZHP suspension kit and strut mounts from Tischer BMW for my e46. What lovely, lovely parts they are. 2 ZHP control arms (with ///M logo I'm jelly. I've got 174k on my stock E36 M3 suspension and the ride is much less than stellar. I had Bilstein yellows and H&R sports on my old 325is before my little poo poo of a brother totaled her. A suspension refresh is much needed (especially my rear shock mounts, goddamn common E36 problems) but I really don't want to drop a grand on making her ride smoother and tighter.
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Mar 29, 2011 15:46
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I'm looking at a 99 328iS coupe, and I have a few questions. First off, did the E36 body styles carry over into 1999 for the coupes? The OP doesn't say they did, but I thought that was the case. I'm just trying to determine if the year is a fat-finger on the part of the person that put up the ad or an omission from the thread. What major services are coming up at the 90k mark? I know that the cooling systems tend to be a problem on the E46 around that time, is that the same for the E36? Are there anythings to keep an eye out for on these cars?
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Mar 30, 2011 00:18
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oRenj9 posted:I'm looking at a 99 328iS coupe, and I have a few questions. First off, did the E36 body styles carry over into 1999 for the coupes? The OP doesn't say they did, but I thought that was the case. I'm just trying to determine if the year is a fat-finger on the part of the person that put up the ad or an omission from the thread. As far as I know, the E36 coupe carried over into 1999; what I can't remember is whether or not BMW made it for a full year or only part of a year before switching to the E46. As for servicing, 90k miles is about when anything that is a wear item would be due for replacement. The cooling system (which is just as bad in the E36 as it is in the E46), brakes and suspension components (including all the bushings and rear strut mounts) are essentially at the end of their service lives. Nothing here is difficult to do yourself, but added together, you're probably looking at about $2500 in parts. Contraband or Sterndotstern will probably chime in here with a more detailed answer, so I'll leave it to them to explain further. MrChips fucked around with this message at 07:16 on Mar 30, 2011 |
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Mar 30, 2011 02:57
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Thanks for your input. Are sub-frame braces a problem for the 3 series, or was that isolated to the Z3?
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Mar 30, 2011 03:27
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Coupes were still made in 99. I think the verts were made in 2000 but not sure on that one.
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Mar 30, 2011 04:12
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oRenj9 posted:Thanks for your input. Are sub-frame braces a problem for the 3 series, or was that isolated to the Z3? BraveUlysses posted:Gotta clear up some details here about chassis failure:
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Mar 30, 2011 07:32
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oRenj9 posted:I'm looking at a 99 328iS coupe, and I have a few questions. First off, did the E36 body styles carry over into 1999 for the coupes? The OP doesn't say they did, but I thought that was the case. I'm just trying to determine if the year is a fat-finger on the part of the person that put up the ad or an omission from the thread. I have an E36 coupe from '99, so yes, they were still being made that year and I think some trailed into 2000. If you're clever you'll try and do what I did and make sure most of the major work has already been carried out on the car before you buy it. My car had 67,000 miles on the clock but I went for it because it had a complete service history that documented the entire suspension and brake systems being replaced not too long ago, two things I would have had to sort out otherwise. The only thing not touched as far as I can tell is the coolant system, which I factored in to my purchase and will be something I'll have to tackle later. Usual faults for E36 are the notorious window motors, the aforementioned coolant system (though having a later year E36 means your impeller is probably not plastic so it might hold out a little longer). VANOS on the straight 6s can play up sometimes, causing rich running and other problems but really nothing else drastic. At least, nothing you can't fix yourself with a little effort. Oh, and your headlights might be foggy and your bulb for the lighting gauge is probably out too.
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Mar 30, 2011 13:47
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Thanks for the great replies everyone. I just have a few more questions about the sub-frame issue. Is there anyway for me to be able to tell the condition of the rear sub-frame by getting under the car or looking in the trunk? I suspect that the front tower "mushroom" is pretty easy to spot, should I just ensure that the mounting points on the tower are still flat? About what should it costs to have the sub-frames reenforced by a good shop? I work near a pretty reputable independent BMW shop, so I will call them and ask as well, but what am I looking for, ball-park -- hundreds; thousands? Are the M suspension goodies bolt-on to the iS? Is there considered a better overall -- comfort, performance, and price -- setup than the factory M one?
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Mar 30, 2011 14:10
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oRenj9 posted:Thanks for the great replies everyone. I just have a few more questions about the sub-frame issue. You can get under the car and look where the subframe mounts to the chassis. The subframe isn't actually the problem, typically. It's usually the sheet metal on the chassis where the subframe is bolted that tears. I've attached a particularly obvious tear below. I would estimate reinforcement would cost >$1000. 
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Mar 30, 2011 15:38
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You can also check the condition of the RSMs simply by pushing down on the rear quarter panel/trunk area above the wheel. The motion should be smooth but stiff. The indicator for a failing RSM is a knock sound at the bottom of the push. It's not an immediately dangerous issue, but it does show that a RSM replacement is probably in order in the future. Edit: Here's a great video about some other things to watch our for when purchasing an E36. 0zxy fucked around with this message at 15:51 on Mar 30, 2011 |
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Mar 30, 2011 15:44
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Saga posted:Over here BMW has pushed up the sizing on the rimzzzz for the e9x, so you get to pay twice as much as you used to for tyres. A buddy of mine just bought an M Sport E91. I priced up a tyre for it and that's primarily because all the post 2006 cars come with those awful Run Flat tires though right?
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Mar 30, 2011 18:59
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Run flat tires are cool, because it turns the tire pressure sensor into a guessing game. A tire is low? Which one? Better check all of them since none of them are deformed.
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Mar 30, 2011 22:10
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So those of you with E39 530is, what sort of mileage do you get during freeway runs? I'm getting about 25mpg in my 528e, and am curious if I'll see an improvement.
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Mar 30, 2011 22:27
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gently caress gently caress loving gently caress. I tried to remove the distributor cap on my e30 today. Not one, but TWO of the bolts sheared off. One still had a bit poking out that I got out by putting an ungodly amount of force on visegrips. The other one is the problem - it broke almost at the point where it threads into the block. Not possible to get on a grip on it with anything, and access to it is nearly impossible. Would there be any issues with just using the remaining two bolts to hold on the new distributor? Once I get it running I'll take it to a shop to have them remove the bolt and helicoil the threads if necessary, but I'm not going to try that myself. This car is driving me nuts. I can't figure out why the hell I'm not getting any spark.
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Mar 31, 2011 01:30
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Crustashio posted:gently caress gently caress loving gently caress. I ran into the same problem with the carrier bolt on my brake caliper a few weeks ago. I managed to drill a little pilot hole into the bolt and then slowly bring it out with a reverse threaded tap. It worked surprisingly well for me, but I wouldn't recommend it if you worry you'd ruin the threads on the block.
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Mar 31, 2011 02:24
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My cousin is pretty well convinced he is going to buy this murdered out E34: http://www.xceedspeed.com/forums/showthread.php?t=170914&page=1 It looks like he has already replaced most of the common BMW problem areas, is there anything E34 specific he should be aware of? Honestly I think it's too expensive, most of the stuff done is stuff that has to be done to make any BMW road worthy and the only real value piece I see is a winter set of wheels and a summer set. Is that a reasonable price for one with that many miles? I also drove past an E24 today that's for sale for $1k, I might stop and check that out for him.
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Mar 31, 2011 02:37
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That is way expensive, especially for an automatic 525i. Also, that thread was last updated like 7 months ago. Between the HIDs and lovely stereo it's probably not as clean as it looks anyways.
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Mar 31, 2011 03:52
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Keyser S0ze posted:that's primarily because all the post 2006 cars come with those awful Run Flat tires though right? Yes, probably. Although I think the price was for T1Rs, which I don't believe come in a run-flat flavour. I think it's just the going rate for a decent 255/whateva 19 in a Z rating. Versus my 15x7s, which can take £30 ($50) 195/50 (or is it 45) T1Rs. Happy days. It gets better, in another symptom of 19" pimp rimz, he's discovered one of the rear wheels has an inch-long crack in it, presumably from the world's worst pothole. There was wailing and gnashing of teeth.
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Mar 31, 2011 14:43
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tonedef131 posted:My cousin is pretty well convinced he is going to buy this murdered out E34: There aren't actually that many problem areas on an E34. Most any problems are going to be from age aside from the usual cooling issues. The "shakes" is common and often some combination of arms that need replacing. Agreeing with Lowclock though, that car is too expensive given the miles. If hes willing to pay it though it looks like its ready to go for a while.
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Mar 31, 2011 14:57
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Any e30 gurus around to give some insight on my no-spark issue? This has been driving me crazy for the past 2 weeks. Backstory: I have a eurospec e30 325ix. Parked it almost 2 years ago to change the clutch, had a bunch of trouble waiting on parts. Ended up changing the clutch but the car wouldn't start afterwards and I let it sit for about a year and a half. I'm currently trying to chase down my no-start issue. At first I thought it was a fuel leak - first time I tried to start the car I heard a dripping noise and found a bunch of gas sitting on top of the filter. This should mean the fuel pump is at least trying to deliver fuel to the injectors. Knowing I've got fuel I started working on the ignition system. I've done the following so far: -Replaced Ignition coil (brand new coil reads ~12V on pin 15) -Checked for flywheel reference pin, is present -Tested reference/speed sensors, both meet resistance specs. Tried Swapping sensor positions, no effect. -Removed distributor and rotor. Have a new distibutor already, waiting on a new rotor. Carbon buildup on both but they don't look to be in terrible condition. -New set of sparkplug wires, new plugs. Hooked a brand new plug directly into the new ignition coil with the new wires and grounded with battery cables. Still no spark. Tonight I think I may have actually found a problem, but I have no clue where to go with the knowledge: I tested the main relay voltage supply according to page 6-50 of the bentley. Pin 30 gives +12v to ground, but pin 86 gives no voltage reading with the ignition on or off. Bentley says I should get battery voltage but doesn't specify if the ignition needs to be on. So it seems like the supply to pin 86 of the main relay is an issue. Problem is I can't find the diagram to see what how pin 86 is supplied. It isn't listed in the table of relays and I don't see any circuit diagrams that have the main relay in it.
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Apr 1, 2011 02:07
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Crustashio posted:Tonight I think I may have actually found a problem, but I have no clue where to go with the knowledge: If you measure between 85 and 86 with the ignition on you should probably have battery voltage. If you don't have it then it's probably wiring/ECU issue which you can verify by checking for continuity or resistance from the ECU harness (e: Or ignition harness, I don't know I don't have an E30 Bentley). If you do have voltage, then jumping 30 to 87 will tell you if it's a busted relay. Lowclock fucked around with this message at 04:17 on Apr 1, 2011 |
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Apr 1, 2011 03:18
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Someone please tell me that this is a terrible deal for $18000. Do it for my wallet.      1974, engine done by zakspeed, ~300 hp, 75% diff lock, BBS rims, 4-point seatbelts, rollbar, no rust. driving there on monday to check it out.
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Apr 1, 2011 09:01
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