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Coming up next on "Catching up on E46 maintenance"  
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Feb 9, 2013 04:39
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So, after selling my E30 a few months back - had cooling issues, funnily enough - I've been bitten by the BMW bug again, and am going to look at an E34 535i. It's an autotragic, and the clock is getting around 307k kms (190k miles), but do any of you good folks either know what to look for, or a guide for pre-purchase checklists?
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Feb 9, 2013 09:08
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GOD drat FUEL SYSTEM Finally tried starting my 318iS after it sat for 7 months, only to have it piss gasoline from somewhere under the intake manifold. gently caress! Called it a day
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Feb 9, 2013 23:37
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hawaiian_robot posted:So, after selling my E30 a few months back - had cooling issues, funnily enough - I've been bitten by the BMW bug again, and am going to look at an E34 535i. It's an autotragic, and the clock is getting around 307k kms (190k miles), but do any of you good folks either know what to look for, or a guide for pre-purchase checklists? So, went to look at it. When you start the car up, and it says "TRANS PROGRAM" on the display, that's a bad thing, right? As in, really bad. Jesus Christ.
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Feb 10, 2013 07:31
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hawaiian_robot posted:So, went to look at it. When you start the car up, and it says "TRANS PROGRAM" on the display, that's a bad thing, right? As in, really bad. Jesus Christ. It can mean nothing serious or it can mean something really serious. The only two times I've had it come up are once when I got it back from a lovely non-BMW shop and they shifted stuff around so the throttle cable was getting pushed on and making the car rev randomly in a way that the computer apparently did not like. The other time was when I was trouble shooting an electrical problem and forgot to put some random relay back in.  But yeah, don't pay money for a car that pops up with that first thing when you go to test drive it. :edit: Did you actually test drive it? I'm pretty sure that if TRANS PROGRAM comes up, it will lock the car in 3rd gear until the next time you start it without the message coming up. This is something you would notice while driving it. Edmund Sparkler fucked around with this message at 08:04 on Feb 10, 2013 |
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Feb 10, 2013 08:01
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FIRST TIME posted:It can mean nothing serious or it can mean something really serious. The only two times I've had it come up are once when I got it back from a lovely non-BMW shop and they shifted stuff around so the throttle cable was getting pushed on and making the car rev randomly in a way that the computer apparently did not like. The other time was when I was trouble shooting an electrical problem and forgot to put some random relay back in. Yeah I test drove it, it popped up with the TRANS PROGRAM once or twice when it was cold, slow to take off (because it was stuck in 3rd, obviously) then after that it was fine and shifted through the gears, though I didn't get a chance to give it a bootfull to see if it'd go back into limp mode while running. Dammit, there is obviously a reason that dude priced it 1/2-1/3 what everyone else in Australia thinks E34 535i's should go for.
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Feb 10, 2013 08:31
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BraveUlysses posted:GOD drat FUEL SYSTEM Not sure which year you have, but there's only so many places it can come from. vacuum leak could be worse as far as diagnosing.
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Feb 10, 2013 09:15
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On Friday I went to check out that no-option 2013 M3. It was at a different dealership than my local one so my CA had to drive us over there. On the way I asked about the politics of one dealership selling out of another's inventory, and he told me (and the lot attendant that came along) about this Mini that he sold that was promised to someone else, but the other CA didn't put a deposit down on it so he shouldn't have promised it. The lady that lost out got all pissed and threatened to sue. Anyway, we get there and as soon as we walk in the GM pulls my CA aside and talks to him for a minute. He calls me over and says "you're not going to believe this." Turns out a guy walked in off the street, no appointment, and bought the car while we were on our way. He hadn't even finished signing the papers yet. I could have walked over and talked to him. He kinda looked like a douche bag. My CA and the sales manager agreed to offer me the same deal the other dealership had if I bought another already-produced car, 2.5% over invoice, so they found an identical one still sitting at the port in Bremerhaven and traded an allocation for it. They also offered to give me the base MF on a lease without marking it up. So I pulled the trigger. So in a few weeks I should take delivery, assuming nothing else gets cocked up.
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Feb 10, 2013 14:59
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Dyscrasia posted:Not sure which year you have, but there's only so many places it can come from. vacuum leak could be worse as far as diagnosing. Oh I know, but I've had too many fuel leaks on this car and its frustrating. Since I didn't touch the fuel lines in the 7 months it sat, it's even more annoying.
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Feb 10, 2013 22:51
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I bought that E34 540i for $400. Just like the guy said, the transmission is hosed. I don't think he expected me to be able to drive it up on the trailer though. Reverse worked just fine and I can get it to go forward if I switch to manual mode and stick it in 4th (auto transmission). Speaking of sticking, the shifter feels like it's stuck in molasses when I move it through the gears. Is that because of the transmission itself making GBS threads the bed or just because it sat for a year and nasty mold and moisture and poo poo got all in there? It's throwing a 1263 code: Evap. System. Would that also have something to do with it sitting there so long with old fuel in it? I took it for a short drive around the block in mono-gear mode. I probably want to empty the fuel tank of the nasty poo poo that's probably in there if I have any intentions of trying to save this car, right?       
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Feb 11, 2013 03:47
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Drain the fluid and refill. Use only bmw approved fluid, then try taking your shifter apart. I have heard that these shutters get gunked up and cause crazy rear end poo poo to fail. Nice 400 find btw.
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Feb 11, 2013 05:16
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Hell yeah. Supposedly all you have to do to swap B30 for B40 is drop it in there and everything bolts right up and works perfectly. If that wood trim isn't all cracked and hosed up I'll take it off your hands if you don't want it. Mine have seen one too many Arizona summers, and it's either replace them or wrap them with vinyl or something.
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Feb 11, 2013 08:38
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Are the Bimmerforums admins known to hang out anywhere else? I seem to have been permabanned from there without the slightest bit of a clue why (search my username, I've only made three posts and none are even offensive) and I follow some threads there which I'm now not getting updates for. The "Contact Us" link goes to an e-mail account which seems unmonitored.
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Feb 11, 2013 22:14
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IMO they did you a favor by preventing you from incurring serious brain damage as a result of reading too many threads there.
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Feb 12, 2013 04:34
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Chinatown posted:IMO they did you a favor by preventing you from incurring serious brain damage as a result of reading too many threads there. As someone who's been frequenting them and M3 Post I can attest to the overwhelming stupidity oozing out of just about every thread over there. It astounds me that some of those people seem to be so well off.
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Feb 12, 2013 04:52
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The ONLY reason I read bf.c is because the local NS guys have a very active thread there. And I'll read a DIY if it comes up on a Google search. Otherwise its pretty awful. Lots of just plain wrong advice, and the e36 owners are no better than ricers. Everyone is obsessed with that stupid LTW wing with risers and I have read heated arguments about the curve on factory vs dealer spoilers.
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Feb 12, 2013 12:42
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wolrah posted:Are the Bimmerforums admins known to hang out anywhere else? You've got to hope not since the place is such a poo poo forum.
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Feb 12, 2013 13:40
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If you think the normal forums are bad you should never find out how terrible the OT forum is. At least the Z3 forum isn't too bad.
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Feb 12, 2013 15:27
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I use bf.c for classifieds and that's about it. I don't think I've ever actually read the general forums.
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Feb 12, 2013 17:09
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Yeah, I don't use it normally but it seems that most of the LS-swap E46 and E39 project threads are there, so I don't really have a choice with those.
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Feb 12, 2013 18:00
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BraveUlysses posted:Oh I know, but I've had too many fuel leaks on this car and its frustrating. Since I didn't touch the fuel lines in the 7 months it sat, it's even more annoying. if it's an E36 all you'll have to remove is the upper intake to get to where your problem is probably, which I bet is the bit of rubber hose from the fuel feed line to the fuel rail
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Feb 12, 2013 18:21
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So the snow's cleared out enough to allow a return to normalcy and I was able to follow up on my E36- I'm not going to have anything done to it until the spring. The only really pressing concern that's keeping the car from being (at least temporarily) roadworthy is the knackered front driver's side tire. I've got a matching full size spare in the trunk, so the shop's just gonna swap that in. Everything else (control arms, bushings, valve head gasket, and guibo) can wait until April- assuming I don't go on any cross country trips. Since I won't be driving the car much at all until the summer anyway, it shouldn't be a problem. Come April, I'll shop the other repairs around (or see about doing some of them myself) and replace the all-seasons with some legitimate summer rubber. Having just moved, I could really do without a $1200 expense right now.
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Feb 13, 2013 01:44
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One of my friends from high school just started working at the local BMW dealership washing cars and giving people rides when they drop off their car for service. I went to visit him during my lunch and he was in the office not chatting, but buying a car. Given his budget (he's getting paid $15 an hour) I thought he was going to buy an E46, especially since a bunch of us went through the phase, but he ended up buying an E92 M3. 
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Feb 13, 2013 01:48
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Bank posted:Given his budget (he's getting paid $15 an hour) I thought he was going to buy an E46, especially since a bunch of us went through the phase, but he ended up buying an E92 M3. And you wonder why we are in the mess we are in.... They loan money to any Tom Dick and Harry.
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Feb 13, 2013 01:55
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Bank posted:One of my friends from high school just started working at the local BMW dealership washing cars and giving people rides when they drop off their car for service. I went to visit him during my lunch and he was in the office not chatting, but buying a car. How does that even work? Isn't that payment over a thousand a month?
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Feb 13, 2013 03:03
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assuming 40k spread out over 5 years at some ridiculous rate would come out lower. who knows.
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Feb 13, 2013 03:09
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I'm looking at a '98 M3 here in a week or so; what are some easy to spot or common problems I should look for/ask about? The posting: 
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Feb 13, 2013 03:28
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Sarcophallus posted:I'm looking at a '98 M3 here in a week or so; what are some easy to spot or common problems I should look for/ask about? $6100 for a 98 with 116k miles!!?? Either something is wrong with it or the guy doesn't understand what he could get for the car beyond book value. You need to get on it fast because it will be gone quick if it's in good shape. That being said, if it looks too good to be true etc.... Check that thing over very well. I can't help but feel like he's not being forth coming about something more than just control arms. If its actually not a lemon. Good for you man. I wish I'd have found it when I was looking. Edit: Now that I'm looking at it. Looks like that left front fender had been hit. The gap around the headlight seems really off. But maybe I'm looking at it wrong. Also it may be a fake. Check the vin. Shachi fucked around with this message at 04:00 on Feb 13, 2013 |
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Feb 13, 2013 03:56
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Shachi posted:$6100 for a 98 with 116k miles!!?? Either something is wrong with it or the guy doesn't understand what he could get for the car beyond book value. That's more or less what I was thinking - here's another image of the headlight. It kind of bothers me that there are no pictures of the right side of the car at all, I'll be looking it over soon so hopefully the trip will be worthwhile.
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Feb 13, 2013 04:10
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Doors and body parts should have a vin sticker on them. I know fenders have them as well. If it runs and drives ok with a straight chassis that is a great deal.
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Feb 13, 2013 04:20
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due to the way the turn signal clips in, the gap could be that the headlight mounts are just screwed way out. Nothing I'm seeing screams fake, but the lack of shots of the passenger side is a bit questionable.
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Feb 13, 2013 04:22
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revmoo posted:Doors and body parts should have a vin sticker on them. I know fenders have them as well. Every E36 body panel (Except maybe roof?) has a VIN tag somewhere. Front fenders are near the hood seam, doors are on the doors, trunk is behind the license plate, and rear quarters are by the bumper (difficult to see). Honestly, if it has a running S52 and vaders (which it should since it has the proper sideskirts for a vader car) it's close to worth that much in parts alone.
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Feb 13, 2013 04:28
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Shachi posted:Either something is wrong with it or the guy doesn't understand what he could get for the car beyond book value. Just from the tone of the ad I would guess that it has a lot of deferred maintenance (ie original suspension). The 6100 is probably what the guy paid for it and he just looking to get out without taking a bath? I'm guessing the headlights are not stock and that's why they don't fit perfectly. Good price, but be ready to drop two grand in parts to bring it back in shape.
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Feb 13, 2013 06:20
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revmoo posted:How does that even work? Isn't that payment over a thousand a month? Even with zero out of pocket you can lease a base E92 M3 for less than $750 a month. He should net around $1800 after taxes per month. Doable. Dumb, but doable. Also, insurance.
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Feb 13, 2013 14:24
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Jealous Cow posted:Even with zero out of pocket you can lease a base E92 M3 for less than $750 a month. He should net around $1800 after taxes per month. Doable. Dumb, but doable. Also, car washers/porters make $15/hr??? Man, I've got to move from the marine service industry into the automotive.
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Feb 13, 2013 15:03
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Gosh and I am squeaking over paying 250 a month for my e60.... 1/3 of my income dedicated to a car payment? Insane!
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Feb 13, 2013 17:20
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I've still never bought a car for more than $5000 
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Feb 13, 2013 17:24
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Buying a new car in general seems like a bad idea making $15/hr, but maybe I'm just a poor.Moxie Omen posted:I've still never bought a car for more than $5000 
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Feb 13, 2013 17:34
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 mmmmm.
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Feb 13, 2013 18:02
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| # ? May 24, 2024 14:14 |
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Does anyone know how long KW V3s last before they need refurbing or whatever? A mate is selling a used set with Schirmer springs which is pretty much the ultimate set of coils if I want to spend <£3k. They have been tracked though so I don't want to pick them up and they just be useless after a few weeks. He's only selling because he's a baller with nitrons now.
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Feb 13, 2013 18:16
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