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The Third Man posted:complain about it being expensive to maintain. I think you mean "recover from maintenance debt."
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Jun 3, 2011 23:43
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geeteeslow posted:Truth is, maintenance stuff aside, this car just genuinely cost a whole lot more to operate than say, a GTO or Supra. Cost to operate? Like what?
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Jun 3, 2011 23:44
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I take it you never heard of the M tax? I don't think you ever actually did any research on this car prior to purchasing one let alone a bad example of an M3. They are an expensive car to own, but there are very few vehicles that offer the combination of luxury and performance that an M3 offers. Be thankful you don't own an M5, you would want to set the car on fire the way your complaining. Anyways, I just picked my hooptie up from BMW for some scheduled warranty work. I got a 10 328xi loaner. As much as I hate to admit it, that car was almost more fun to drive than my e39. Any one have one of these and care to show it off?
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Jun 3, 2011 23:46
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So I think I might have figured out my E34 stalling issues. It died on me twice at stops on the way home tonight, so I figured I would take a look tonight since there's still some daylight and I have nowhere to be. It had a K&N filter when I bought it, and I opened the airbox, but I think I must have just looked at the clean side when I bought it. I flipped it over and the thing was just trashed. I held it up to the sun and there were a few pinpoints of light here and there, but it was really horrible. Since, I didn't have a filter clean/re-oil kit, I drove it up to the autoparts store about a mile up the road with the filter out. The difference in the idle and running was unbelievable. It idles so smooth without it as to be undetectable, and it has NEVER been quite that smooth before. The filter is soaking, probably going to have to go through a few cycles to get it clean. TLDR: Prior owner who "took great care of all his BMWs" was a jackass. Let's hope this fixes it for $11.99.
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Jun 3, 2011 23:58
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AlternateAccount posted:Let's hope this fixes it for $11.99. Make sure you use an air compressor to blow the shitloads of oil out of it before you put it in your car and oil up the MAF. If you oil it as much as they recommend you do, you will blow TONS of oil off. I'd rather just get a new paper filter though.
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Jun 4, 2011 00:06
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Lowclock posted:Make sure you use an air compressor to blow the shitloads of oil out of it before you put it in your car and oil up the MAF. If you oil it as much as they recommend you do, you will blow TONS of oil off. I'd rather just get a new paper filter though. Ah good tip. Yeah, I considered just replacing it and I probably will next time it's due. I got a can of MAF cleaner and I am gonna blast it down with that as well. None of the connecting hoses or bits look rough or beat up, so if this doesn't resolve it, I dunno...
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Jun 4, 2011 00:10
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Guinness posted:The 323/328 have the notorious, if perhaps overblown, rear subframe tearing itself apart problem. Definitely get any 323/328 checked out for rear subframe problems. Thanks for the help, now to wait to find a car being sold in my area.
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Jun 4, 2011 00:52
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Lowclock posted:I'd rather just get a new paper filter though.
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Jun 4, 2011 00:53
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Bank posted:I used to like short ram/cold air intakes, but I've realized that engineers spend hundreds of hours designing it (though one could argue it's just designed to maximize the remaining space in the engine bay) rather than having a straight pipe with a filter. Yeah it's pretty funny every time I see earlier BMWs with aftermarket "cold" air intakes. From the factory it's got a nice box that sucks in right behind the headlight and it's even isolated with little filler panels to only suck in fresh outside air. People replace them with lovely metal pipes which loses all the insulation of the rubber ones and then the filter just kind of sits there behind where it normally would sucking down hot engine bay air.
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Jun 4, 2011 01:10
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loving CEL is back. Has anyone ever had a "P1519" error code on the e36? Google claims it is VANOS related, but I haven't noticed any issues. Last year I was getting it but a fresh oil change made it go away. I'm going to go back to fixing my 88 this week. Rusty, badly maintained E36s are not fun to own. I'm going to be much more careful with my next BMW purchase.
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Jun 4, 2011 02:20
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apparently i live one town over from a p legit bmw place, turner motorsports cool (USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)
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Jun 4, 2011 03:51
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I've been considering a new car to replace my 2007 VW GTI... not because I'm unhappy with it, but because I have a few different needs right now. Specifically, I need: - all wheel drive (I ski a lot) - leather interior (I have dogs) - hatch/wagon (I have dogs) And I'd like: - a car, not a crossover or SUV - manual - something bigger than the GTI As far as I've been able to determine, at least in the US market, the 328i wagon is the only car that fits all of these criteria. Does anyone have one? Any feedback? They don't seem to be that common in dealerships, so it's looking like I might have to just test drive a sedan and order a wagon if I decided I wanted one. One big concern I have is that it seems likely based on what happened with the 5 series that the 3 series wagon won't be available for much longer, any thoughts on that?
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Jun 4, 2011 04:31
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Lowclock posted:Yeah it's pretty funny every time I see earlier BMWs with aftermarket "cold" air intakes. From the factory it's got a nice box that sucks in right behind the headlight and it's even isolated with little filler panels to only suck in fresh outside air. People replace them with lovely metal pipes which loses all the insulation of the rubber ones and then the filter just kind of sits there behind where it normally would sucking down hot engine bay air. I don't understand this either. The airbox on the E34 is loving huge and as you said essentially piping fresh air directly from outside the engine bay. Its a well engineering piece of kit. Also science: http://www.bmwe34.net/E34main/Upgrade/Air_filter.htm
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Jun 4, 2011 04:58
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Steve French posted:As far as I've been able to determine, at least in the US market, the 328i wagon is the only car that fits all of these criteria. The current E90/91/92 is a really good car, and the new all wheel drive system is hugely improved over the E46-era AWD. If you're looking for a manual AWD compact wagon with leather interior that is fun to drive, in the US I think that pretty much limits you to the E91 328i/xi and the A4 Avant. From my recent experiences driving a 328i, 328xi, and A4 quattro (albeit none in wagon form), I think the BMWs "feel" better - but that's why I'm in this thread. I'm sure if you asked over in the Audi thread you'd find plenty of people saying the opposite. The BMW has more horsepower and handles sharper (IMO), but the Audi has quite a bit more torque and might return a couple higher MPG in the fuel economy department - against the 328xi at least. I don't think you can really go wrong with either, and total maintenance costs probably won't be far off from a VW (or free for 4 years if you buy a new BMW...). Guinness fucked around with this message at 06:33 on Jun 4, 2011 |
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Jun 4, 2011 06:25
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I didn't think you could still get a manual on the A4.
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Jun 4, 2011 06:41
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dissss posted:I didn't think you could still get a manual on the A4. Yeah, Audi's website shows only the "tiptronic" transmission available (not even the DSG, which I might consider)... I forgot that apparently the Saab 9-3X wagon can also be had in manual... but I'm more inclined to buy a BMW than a Saab I think. On another note, I've been reading about the European Delivery option on the BMW, and it seems like its a pretty sweet deal, but I'm wary. I'm certainly in no hurry to get a new car, and I've been wanting to take a trip to Europe for a while anyway, are there any major downsides to doing this other than the wait and the fact that you "have to" go to Europe?
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Jun 4, 2011 07:28
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hawaiian_robot posted:I'm going to look at an E34 today, a 525i as well - I'm assuming yours has the M50 engine (the one I'm looking at is an '89 so will have the M20), is there anything I should look out for? The guy says the big ticket items (timing belt, water pump, clutch, front end bushes, diff rebuild) have been taken care of recently, and basically covers anything I could think of, based on experience from my E30 except for maybe shocks and struts? He's asking $3,700 for a car with 290,000 km (~180,000 miles), bear in mind this is in Australia where BMWs still seems to attract a premium, despite age and so on. Had a look at the car this afternoon, and it seemed to check out and was very nice, the guy and his family obviously love BMWs, there was an X5 and an E36 in the driveway, along with the the reason he's selling - an E34 535is. He's also going to throw in some E39 16" wheels as well, they apparently need a 1 mm spacer if they're to go on the E34, but I'll probably just sell them. Someone please talk me out of it, i'm meant to be moving house soon and shouldn't spend money on cars dammit 
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Jun 4, 2011 08:47
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My 1992 E34 525i won't start as of yesterday. I had just gotten it home and shifted into reverse to back into my parking spot when it died on me and it hasn't started since. It will turn over and the lights and all the electronics come on when I turn the key but it won't take a jumpstart and I've tried switching the battery to no effect. I've had a bad habit of leaving my lights on and had to start it with a jump pack quite a few times. I've been concerned that I could be damaging the alternator this way but if the alternator did die, wouldn't I at least be able to start? BTW, should my car be chiming if I leave the lights on? The best answer I could come up with is that some E34s have a luxery LKM that will do that and some have the basic LKM that only gives you a visual warning on the dash.
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Jun 4, 2011 16:27
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dissss posted:I didn't think you could still get a manual on the A4. Doh, guess you can't get an Avant with a manual, but you can still get the Sedan with one (which is what I test drove). Well, I guess that rules out the Audi.
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Jun 4, 2011 18:06
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OK, so my car dying when it stops issue is not resolved, I guess. I recorded a video this time, lemme see if I can get all the information listed here. 1995 540i, 122k miles. 1> Car likes to just drop dead sitting at idle. Noticed mainly at stop lights, obviously. There's no stuttering or anything, just dead. 2> Once in a while, the car CAN recover from it. Like the RPMs at idle will drop from ~500 to about ~250 for a brief moment but it will manage to pull it back up. This is uncommon and then at the next light it will die anyway. 3> It sometimes will run just fine at a sitting idle for a while and continue on, other times it will die 30 seconds in as seen in the video. More commonly it doesn't have to sit very long, though. I find that lately, if I let it sit and idle, eventually it will die 4> Engine temp seems to have no bearing, this has happened 3 minutes after running the car after it has sat for eight hours as well as after driving 30 minutes on the highway. 5> Having the car in neutral or park has no effect. 6> Idle is otherwise smooth and even. No hunting or any other clue something might be wrong. 7> Assume no proper maintenance has been done on this car, ever. I got no records when I bought it and the longer I own it, the more I find crap wrong with it that should have been fixed as routine. So far, I have pulled the airfilter, which was grungy and cleaned it thoroughly and sprayed the MAF down with cleaner. This helped the idle and engine smoothness IMMENSELY. I looked around the connecting boot and such, but it all appears to be in good shape. My limited diagnostic skills make me think I need to check a> the status of the plugs and b> fuel filters. Here's the video, sorry for the quality, but I think it demonstrates it nicely. This was after driving about 5 or 6 miles, car was warm still from some earlier driving. Stopped in a parking lot. Notice that the CEL flashes briefly at about 25s. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQhguHzPr3k Please help! edit: it was a K&N filter, which I agree will end up just being replaced with OEM stuff, but that said, I tried to make sure no excess oil was on it, I don't think anything could have gotten in and made a mess of the MAF again, but could that be the trouble? Let's say if the previous owner retard soaked it down and then sucked through a quart of red sticky oil across the MAF? AlternateAccount fucked around with this message at 21:22 on Jun 4, 2011 |
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Jun 4, 2011 21:11
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AlternateAccount posted:youtube.com/watch?v=uQhguHzPr3k[/url] Have you tried a different key? BMW systems are "relatively" trouble free compared to GM but I would try that and see if that fixes it first. If performance is not suffering its not a fuel or spark issue. But those are easy peasy, replace them any ways. Also clean the idle air control valve, if the MAF was gunked up sounds like that could be as well (gently caress you K&N people, yes i said that!). If non of those fix it, reset the computer.
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Jun 4, 2011 21:22
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BrokenKnucklez posted:Have you tried a different key? BMW systems are "relatively" trouble free compared to GM but I would try that and see if that fixes it first. According to the estimate I got, a new key is $185, I'd like to avoid that. I'll look at the idle air valve today, gotta look in the book and see where it is exactly, will report back.
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Jun 4, 2011 21:36
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Guinness posted:Doh, guess you can't get an Avant with a manual, but you can still get the Sedan with one (which is what I test drove). Well, I guess that rules out the Audi. You can get a B7 A4 Avant with a manual (model years up to 2008). That's what I ended up with after getting rid of my e46 m3. This is the wrong thread to say this in, but I think I like the Avant more.
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Jun 4, 2011 22:38
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Here's a question; I was discussing my car with my father earlier in the week, and the discussion touched on how many E46s BMW made in total. I tried Googling, but all I found was the total number of E46s sold in 2002 (561,000!), and approximate number of E46 M3s built (roughly 44,000). Does anyone have a better idea how many E46s were made? Actually, it would be interesting to see the numbers for the other models as well.
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Jun 4, 2011 22:43
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Uhh, anyone know where the air bypass valve is? I sort of traced back from the airbox looking for something that looked like the replacement part, then traced back from any wiring that headed that area and I didn't see anything... Battery is disconnected now, gonna go hook it up a bit and see if the ECU was the issue.
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Jun 4, 2011 22:48
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AlternateAccount posted:According to the estimate I got, a new key is $185, I'd like to avoid that. Oh before I forget, check your Crank and Cam position sensor, they can cause funky things to happen as well. Cam position sensor: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=886595 For an E39, but should get you in the area needed. Crank Position Sensor http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/186191 Thats for an E38, but again, should get you close to where you need to be. You don't happen to have a code reader do you, or a friend that can loan you one? when that kicks the CEL, it should store a code at least for what the last problem was.
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Jun 4, 2011 22:52
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AlternateAccount posted:Uhh, anyone know where the air bypass valve is? I sort of traced back from the airbox looking for something that looked like the replacement part, then traced back from any wiring that headed that area and I didn't see anything... It's that metal cylinder thing that sits right on the front of the throttle body (I think you'll have to remove the center big engine cover if you have one). I doubt it's that though. Have you tried doing the stomp test to see if that little flash from the CEL is actually giving a code? The guy above me is probably more on the right track because of how abruptly it dies. If it was like your fuel pump/filter it would stumble for a second before it cuts out but it just dies pretty fast there like there's no spark. E: Double check that big ground strap on the front bottom passenger side of the engine too. They get pretty hosed up even in corrosionless climates like AZ. Lowclock fucked around with this message at 23:20 on Jun 4, 2011 |
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Jun 4, 2011 23:03
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I found the bypass valve, it was completely disgusting. The little piece in it should be freefloating right? When I took it off the car, it couldn't move. After cleaning it up good, a bunch of black poo poo fell out of it and now it moves freely. Car still dies though. About to go get some gas, maybe reset the ECU again since it's probably not received any data from that sensor in years. I did a stomp test and the only code I got back was 1241, I think it was, MAF. Is there any way to test the cam/crank sensors without just swapping them? I guess I might as well invest a code reader if I plan on keeping this car...
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Jun 4, 2011 23:36
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That's an interesting code.quote:1241 Mass Airflow Sensor Codes 1241 and 2241 can be incorrectly generated on 1992 and later models. The actual fault is a improperly operating idle air valve, and the need for an updated EPROM. See BMW bulletins for more details. AlternateAccount posted:I guess I might as well invest a code reader if I plan on keeping this car... E-mail me about this. kbkb187 at yahoo com Lowclock fucked around with this message at 23:48 on Jun 4, 2011 |
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Jun 4, 2011 23:42
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Lowclock posted:That's an interesting code. Argh, it was actually a 1215(which is still MAF) code. I don't know where I got 1241 from, sorry. That valve was definitely stuck before, but I didn't get any improvement. Think I should just replace it anyway? When I say it moves freely, I mean I can turn it over in my hand and feel the valve sliding around in there. The spring holds it somewhat, but there's very little resistance, I don't know what the spec should be. Anyway, I just drove it to the gas station a few miles away, a trip that requires at least 10 stops and it ran perfectly fine, I was stuck behind someone turning for a good 60 seconds. Then I fill up with $50(!!) worth of gas, and it dies twice getting it out of the parking lot. Email sent. Stomp testing is for the birds, I can never get that crap to work more than one try out of fifty.
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Jun 5, 2011 00:03
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AlternateAccount posted:Argh, it was actually a 1215(which is still MAF) code. I don't know where I got 1241 from, sorry. Yeah that's not nearly as interesting, and might just be left over from before because you were saying you couldn't get the stomp test to clear codes. If you can turn your hand and it moves then it's fine. You can also test it by turning the ignition to II but not starting it and the IAC should buzz, and if you stick something into it and move that flap it should go back to the position it was at. No spring, just magnets. It's probably a stupid idea, but I'm wondering if maybe the evap canister purge is disconnected or something and acting like an occasional huge intake leak sometimes? That would probably make it think the MAF was way off. I'm pretty sure it's the smaller line on the throttle body, the one that doesn't go to the brake booster. Pull it off and cap the vacuum nipple on the throttle body and see if it happens again. Otherwise it might actually be the MAF or its wiring, but that thing I e-mailed you about can do live MAF data to at least give some indication.
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Jun 5, 2011 00:42
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Lowclock posted:Yeah that's not nearly as interesting, and might just be left over from before because you were saying you couldn't get the stomp test to clear codes. If you can turn your hand and it moves then it's fine. You can also test it by turning the ignition to II but not starting it and the IAC should buzz, and if you stick something into it and move that flap it should go back to the position it was at. No spring, just magnets. It's probably a stupid idea, but I'm wondering if maybe the evap canister purge is disconnected or something and acting like an occasional huge intake leak sometimes? That would probably make it think the MAF was way off. I'm pretty sure it's the smaller line on the throttle body, the one that doesn't go to the brake booster. Pull it off and cap the vacuum nipple on the throttle body and see if it happens again. Otherwise it might actually be the MAF or its wiring, but that thing I e-mailed you about can do live MAF data to at least give some indication. I'll check whatever the evap canister purge is tomorrow, hopefully. I will say that it seems like the engine manages to save itself from dying more often now. Had to run out to get an audio cable and while I was sitting waiting to turn on the drive home it tried to die twice but righted itself. edit: OKAY last post for today, promise. I just want to share some estimate numbers I got from a local shop. I feel like these are all VASTLY overpriced(excepting alignment,) but I wonder how far out the consensus is. I don't necessarily want to name the shop because they DID fix my seat right up, but let me know if they are out of their minds. It will help me get MY mind right if these are the sorts of costs I should be expecting to have someone else do this work. Replace Radiator $750 Replace Valve Cover Gaskets $488.25 Replace Engine and A/C belt $149.80 Replace Upper Control Arms/Bushings $854.60 Replace Outer Tie Rod Ends $431.45 Alignment $75 Replace Both Front Struts(does he just mean the dampers here?) $1179.95 AlternateAccount fucked around with this message at 01:33 on Jun 5, 2011 |
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Jun 5, 2011 01:18
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AlternateAccount posted:Replace Radiator $750 Is this a dealership? Those prices are insane except for the alignment. The valve cover gaskets are especially hilarious. A set of gaskets for both sides is like $30 and they install in minutes with only a 10mm socket. A set of belts is also around 30 bucks and are easy as poo poo to install.
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Jun 5, 2011 02:34
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AlternateAccount posted:VASTLY overpriced(excepting alignment,) but I wonder how far out the consensus is Ugh, wow, those prices are rather ridiculous and, even worse, all of those are doable DIYs in your garage. If you have any reputable shadetree guys (BMWCCA forums or local race forums might be a good start), those could all be banged out in a weekend for a couple sixers of beer or maybe a couple benjamins. I'm guessing that shop isn't a BMW shop, because he obviously highballed his estimates. The radiator replacement and belts should probably add a water pump as well (since the labor is basically the same). The labor on all three takes about 3.5 hours, give or take. Replacing front struts is literally 2 hours as long as you have a spring compressor to get the strut back together and some air tools (with the right extensions/swivels) to get the strut mount bolts off.
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Jun 5, 2011 03:09
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AlternateAccount posted:Replace Radiator $750 Ouch. I hate working on my car, but some of this is really fairly easy to do yourself, and vastly cheaper that way. I replaced the entire cooling system on my 95' M3 (radiator, hoses, fan assembly, water pump & housing, belts, thermostat and overflow tank) for about $500 in parts, using either OEM or in the case of the water pump, non-OEM with metal instead of plastic, in about 5 hours. I did have to buy a special tool to hold the fan, since I didn't have anything to make one with. I got all parts from Pelican or AZautohaus. Valve cover gaskets is a 30 to 60 minute job depending on how much time you take drinking instead of working. Good OEM gasket set is well under $100. Belts - replace at the same time as the cooling stuff, probably under $50 depending on your source. Bushings and stuff, I hate working on suspension, so I'd probably have a shop do them myself, but shop around, those prices might be high. The struts seem crazy high. For that price I could have TC-Kline tuned double adjustable Koni's on all four corners.
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Jun 5, 2011 03:47
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Sterndotstern posted:Ugh, wow, those prices are rather ridiculous and, even worse, all of those are doable DIYs in your garage. If you have any reputable shadetree guys (BMWCCA forums or local race forums might be a good start), those could all be banged out in a weekend for a couple sixers of beer or maybe a couple benjamins. I'm guessing that shop isn't a BMW shop, because he obviously highballed his estimates. On the 525i I just looked up, doing both front struts doesn't pay two full hours. I know it's not the same car, but still. That dude doesn't really want to do it or is hoping you are real dumb. e: That alignment price is good though, I'm pretty sure we charge like 120+ for doing that at the dealership I work at. Nodoze fucked around with this message at 06:15 on Jun 5, 2011 |
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Jun 5, 2011 04:25
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hypothetical questions... If I were to find a clean gray 2000 740i with reasonable mileage and in decent mechanical shape for $8000, should I: 1. buy it? 2. sell my 2005 a4? 3. supercharge the e38? 4. dd it? So yeah, I saw one with a for-sale sign on it in a parking lot yesterday. The only external flaw I could see was light curb rash on the passenger-side wheels. I REALLLLLLY like the way these cars look. I assume these are pretty expensive to maintain, but I'm willing and able to do most of it myself. When I go look at it with the owner, is there anything special I should look for that could be totally f'd on this model? RapeWhistle fucked around with this message at 14:03 on Jun 5, 2011 |
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Jun 5, 2011 14:00
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For 1200 you could have a really nice new suspension - front struts, rear shocks, new springs, swaybar links and probably front control arms as well. Older BMW suspension is actually quite easy to work on too, the only enemy is the rust/loctite that might be on yours. We did my e36 in about 6 hours, and 2 of that was wasted on ripping out the trunk lining and trying to get the rear swaybar links off.
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Jun 5, 2011 14:33
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Nodoze posted:That dude doesn't really want to do it or is hoping you are real dumb. Maybe I seemed dumb, that's certainly possible. Sterndotstern posted:I'm guessing that shop isn't a BMW shop, because he obviously highballed his estimates. If you can believe it, it's a shop that does NOTHING but BMW and Mercedes work. Guess I won't be going back there again...
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Jun 5, 2011 17:23
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I guess I'm looking for a replacement aux fan plug for my E36. I have a 1997 328i, but I think the fan was used on a number of models. My plug has a loose connection and the fan only works if I pull down on the connector. I've tried conductive grease to no avail. I'd like to find a replacement plug, preferably with some length of wire still attached, so I can cut mine off and splice the new one in. Is anybody parting out a car that has this plug, or does anybody know where I might be able to order just the plug? Pictures of my plug:   None of the local junkyards have any BMWs newer than E28 for some reason, though I'll keep checking.
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Jun 5, 2011 18:53
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