BMW Thread: this is the bmw thread. we drive blue cars

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > BMW Thread: this is the bmw thread. we drive blue cars

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Wombot: Sep 11, 2001

I'm in the middle of yuppie tech worker central, so it's going to be more expensive, unfortunately.

# ? Jul 16, 2013 20:41

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# ? May 16, 2024 12:30

NitroSpazzz: Dec 9, 2006; You don't need style when you've got strength!

Wombot posted:

I'm in the middle of yuppie tech worker central, so it's going to be more expensive, unfortunately.

Fly-n-drive, I did for the E30 and a couple others that were hard to find or overpriced in my area. You're already doing PPI's so do a PPI at a shop near the car then fly out and drive it back. I always book a round trip ticket anyways though, no pressure and usually about the same price.

# ? Jul 16, 2013 21:09

Drunken Lullabies: Aug 1, 2006; by Debbie Metallica

NitroSpazzz posted:

Fly-n-drive, I did for the E30 and a couple others that were hard to find or overpriced in my area. You're already doing PPI's so do a PPI at a shop near the car then fly out and drive it back. I always book a round trip ticket anyways though, no pressure and usually about the same price.

This, I've bought all my favorite cars from out of state and I've never had a problem. If the owner isn't willing to send you some extra photos, service history, and take the car to get a PPI before you fly down it was a lemon in the first place anyway. I've always chatted for a week or two before flying out and only had a car not match the description once, and after a talk the seller paid for my flight both ways. This is the only way to buy a car if you are looking for a specific make model year and options like I always find myself doing, unless you're cool with hunting craigslist for years or compromising.

# ? Jul 16, 2013 22:30

Wombot: Sep 11, 2001

Yesterday I had a PPI done on a Bay Area car (I'm in the PNW), so I'm totally open to that. This one just popped up locally a day ago, so I went to check it out.

Speaking of PPI's, it's muuuuuuuch cleaner than the one in the Bay Area: Valve cover gaskets are the only place it leaks from. Yes, a BMW that isn't pissing PS fluid. I'm as shocked as the rest of you. Looks like the underside of the front bumper/airdam got knackered on a curb, it's popped off the bumper, and the external temp sensor is busted.

# ? Jul 16, 2013 23:40

televiper: Feb 12, 2007

Wombot posted:

Yes, a BMW that isn't pissing PS fluid. I'm as shocked as the rest of you.

Use of PS fluid might explain the leaks you've seen.

# ? Jul 16, 2013 23:56

Wombot: Sep 11, 2001

Sorry, I'm a bit thick today, idgi :saddowns:

# ? Jul 17, 2013 00:19

BlackMK4: Aug 23, 2006; wat.; Megamarm

Wombot posted:

Sorry, I'm a bit thick today, idgi

BMWs run ATF in the PS.

# ? Jul 17, 2013 00:27

Wombot: Sep 11, 2001

Gotcha! And good to know.

# ? Jul 17, 2013 01:00

thealphabetsez: Jun 1, 2004

BlackMK4 posted:

BMWs run ATF in the PS.

ATF may be appropriate for most BMW's through the early 2000's, however modern variants to specify the PS fluid requirement upon the reservoir cap

# ? Jul 17, 2013 02:17

SlapActionJackson: Jul 27, 2006

Keyser S0ze posted:

My 2002 330i had the trans bushing done back in 2006 (CPO), I think it's an $700 job or something since they have to drop the tranny right?

Nope, just requires removing the exhaust, heatshield, and driveshaft. Shifter bushings and the driveshaft guibo should always be replaced at the same time since the marginal cost/labor to do the other is negligible once you're committed to doing one of them.

# ? Jul 17, 2013 04:37

wallaka: Jun 8, 2010; Least it wasn't a fucking red shell

BlackMK4 posted:

BMWs run ATF in the PS.

That's because hydraulic fluid is hydraulic fluid. Real pros run John Deere Hy-Gard in everything.

# ? Jul 17, 2013 05:02

Das Volk: Nov 19, 2002; by Cyrano4747

BraveUlysses posted:

That price is still crazy to me, but it seems that you're really hell-bent on finding the nicest 540 money can buy

Yeah I mean really, he should be buying an E39 M5 :v:

# ? Jul 17, 2013 05:20

Deceptor101: Jul 7, 2007; What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?

BrokenKnucklez posted:

On the N62, it uses CCV (like the OSV on the M62), and I have tried looking up Crank Case Ventilation and variations of the term but I cant seem to find the part on rockauto.com... Is there another term it might be called?

On the m62 it's not actually called the osv, it's generally referred to as the Intake manifold cover (or rear cover). That being said, the one on rockauto for the m62tu is an uro, and for the osv I've heard to definitely buy oem bmw for that part. The aftermarket uro ones (according to a shop, and the pelican parts reviews) say the Uro ones can fail in as little as 6 months.

# ? Jul 17, 2013 09:33

omgitstheinternet: Apr 28, 2005; Money, Clothes, and Hoes;
All a Nigga Knows

Well, I drove this home today:

And I've loved every loving second of it. It's the one that had an accident reported on carfax, listed as rear end collision. The salesman INSISTED that it was just a parking tap that the previous owner insisted on fixing through insurance. I brought it to the local BMW dealership for a PPI and they more or less agreed with that scenario. All they could find wrong with the car is the windshield cowl panel looks like poo poo and the oil pan gasket is very slowly seeping oil. In the end, I bought this car for a good $4k less than any other M Coupe for sale in pretty much the whole country. I think the accident on the carfax scared a lot of people away and they really had no choice but to drop the price. The car looks and drives like it's brand new. As soon as I'm done writing this post I'll be ordering a CDV delete and stubby antenna to make it even more wonderful. An E46 M3 would have been fun, but this is way more interesting, and I'm willing to sacrifice a back seat for something interesting.

# ? Jul 17, 2013 11:08

Imperador do Brasil: Nov 18, 2005; Rotor-rific

omgitstheinternet posted:

Well, I drove this home today:

And I've loved every loving second of it. It's the one that had an accident reported on carfax, listed as rear end collision. The salesman INSISTED that it was just a parking tap that the previous owner insisted on fixing through insurance. I brought it to the local BMW dealership for a PPI and they more or less agreed with that scenario. All they could find wrong with the car is the windshield cowl panel looks like poo poo and the oil pan gasket is very slowly seeping oil. In the end, I bought this car for a good $4k less than any other M Coupe for sale in pretty much the whole country. I think the accident on the carfax scared a lot of people away and they really had no choice but to drop the price. The car looks and drives like it's brand new. As soon as I'm done writing this post I'll be ordering a CDV delete and stubby antenna to make it even more wonderful. An E46 M3 would have been fun, but this is way more interesting, and I'm willing to sacrifice a back seat for something interesting.

I think you made a good choice. My buddy Tony has a Z4M and he loves it. I always preferred the coupes to the convertibles also; something more menacing about them.

# ? Jul 17, 2013 11:58

thealphabetsez: Jun 1, 2004

omgitstheinternet posted:

Well, I drove this home today:

And I've loved every loving second of it. It's the one that had an accident reported on carfax, listed as rear end collision. The salesman INSISTED that it was just a parking tap that the previous owner insisted on fixing through insurance. I brought it to the local BMW dealership for a PPI and they more or less agreed with that scenario. All they could find wrong with the car is the windshield cowl panel looks like poo poo and the oil pan gasket is very slowly seeping oil. In the end, I bought this car for a good $4k less than any other M Coupe for sale in pretty much the whole country. I think the accident on the carfax scared a lot of people away and they really had no choice but to drop the price. The car looks and drives like it's brand new. As soon as I'm done writing this post I'll be ordering a CDV delete and stubby antenna to make it even more wonderful. An E46 M3 would have been fun, but this is way more interesting, and I'm willing to sacrifice a back seat for something interesting.

I love that car! Great pickup! Now lower that girl. They really look stunning when riding close to the ground.

# ? Jul 17, 2013 12:03

ibntumart: Mar 18, 2007; Good, bad. I'm the one with the power of Shu, Heru, Amon, Zehuti, Aton, and Mehen.; College Slice

Does anyone have recommendations for reliable and not outrageously overpriced BMW mechanics in the Sf Bay Area (Peninsula, preferably in San Mateo County)? The bar holding the MP3 input jack broke and I need appropriate tunes to accompany my needless use of the sport mode on my ~4 mile daily commute.

# ? Jul 17, 2013 12:20

Jealous Cow: Apr 4, 2002; by Fluffdaddy

omgitstheinternet posted:

Well, I drove this home today:

And I've loved every loving second of it. It's the one that had an accident reported on carfax, listed as rear end collision. The salesman INSISTED that it was just a parking tap that the previous owner insisted on fixing through insurance. I brought it to the local BMW dealership for a PPI and they more or less agreed with that scenario. All they could find wrong with the car is the windshield cowl panel looks like poo poo and the oil pan gasket is very slowly seeping oil. In the end, I bought this car for a good $4k less than any other M Coupe for sale in pretty much the whole country. I think the accident on the carfax scared a lot of people away and they really had no choice but to drop the price. The car looks and drives like it's brand new. As soon as I'm done writing this post I'll be ordering a CDV delete and stubby antenna to make it even more wonderful. An E46 M3 would have been fun, but this is way more interesting, and I'm willing to sacrifice a back seat for something interesting.

Epic. Those things are awesome.

# ? Jul 17, 2013 13:44

Viper_3000: Apr 26, 2005; I could give a shit about all that.

omgitstheinternet posted:

Well, I drove this home today:

And I've loved every loving second of it. It's the one that had an accident reported on carfax, listed as rear end collision. The salesman INSISTED that it was just a parking tap that the previous owner insisted on fixing through insurance. I brought it to the local BMW dealership for a PPI and they more or less agreed with that scenario. All they could find wrong with the car is the windshield cowl panel looks like poo poo and the oil pan gasket is very slowly seeping oil. In the end, I bought this car for a good $4k less than any other M Coupe for sale in pretty much the whole country. I think the accident on the carfax scared a lot of people away and they really had no choice but to drop the price. The car looks and drives like it's brand new. As soon as I'm done writing this post I'll be ordering a CDV delete and stubby antenna to make it even more wonderful. An E46 M3 would have been fun, but this is way more interesting, and I'm willing to sacrifice a back seat for something interesting.

Awesome man, you couldn't have gone wrong with either but this does look a bit more fun and rare.

# ? Jul 17, 2013 17:34

GentlemanofLeisure: Aug 27, 2008

omgitstheinternet posted:

Well, I drove this home today:

That's loving awesome. I was taking a hard look at that one and nearly called them but decided I'm definitely going to wait to the end of the year so I can save a bit more for a down payment on one. Congrats, keep us updated on how things go with it. I'm still on the lookout for a blue or red coupe, probably won't find one priced like that one was though.

# ? Jul 18, 2013 00:47

Cojawfee: May 31, 2006; I think the US is dumb for not using Celsius

You'd be better off not having a huge down payment. Put that money into the loan or into something else. Once you pay the down payment, that money is gone forever. At least with gap insurance, any money you put into the loan you can get back if the car is wrecked.

# ? Jul 18, 2013 01:56

Viper_3000: Apr 26, 2005; I could give a shit about all that.

Cojawfee posted:

You'd be better off not having a huge down payment. Put that money into the loan or into something else. Once you pay the down payment, that money is gone forever. At least with gap insurance, any money you put into the loan you can get back if the car is wrecked.

There's no need for gap insurance if you put more than 20% down unless you are financing your cars for 60 months or something ridiculous like that. Or if you are driving an absolute poo poo ton causing massive depreciation.

# ? Jul 18, 2013 02:08

Cojawfee: May 31, 2006; I think the US is dumb for not using Celsius

If someone can afford to do that I guess. I'm used to telling people in the military that no, they shouldn't spend all their money to get a corvette just because it looks cool.

# ? Jul 18, 2013 04:31

Ziploc: Sep 19, 2006; MX-5

After being let down by the IS300's drive by wire throttle, I've started looking at E46s again.

There is a ZAM (ZHP for Canadians) near me. But one thing that really bothers me is that non M BMWs never got LSDs.

Is there a good drop in LSDs for E46 non M cars? Are they megabux? Do they perform well? I plan on tracking/racing the car, and potentially driving it in the snow. And LSDs are a huge help in all of those areas.

# ? Jul 18, 2013 16:28

Keyser_Soze: May 5, 2009; Pillbug

E46 LSD's start at $1500 plus whatever ridiculous amount of hours they want to charge for install.

# ? Jul 18, 2013 16:46

OBAMNA PHONE: Aug 7, 2002

Since you cant swap the E46M3 rear differential into a non-M, can't you swap the entire subframe into a non-M?

# ? Jul 18, 2013 16:58

Militant Lesbian: Oct 3, 2002

You can swap Z3/Z4 M diffs into an E46 iirc, or Quaife makes a torsen diff for them. I'm probably going to go with the Quaife whenever I finally retire my E46 from DD status and start turning it into a track car.

# ? Jul 18, 2013 17:08

Ziploc: Sep 19, 2006; MX-5

What bad things happen to an E46 around 100k miles?

# ? Jul 18, 2013 20:35

MrChips: Jun 10, 2005; FLIGHT SAFETY TIP: Fatties out first

Ziploc posted:

What bad thingsppen to an E46 around 100k miles?

Suspension bushings front and rear, plus a cooling system refresh (which is especially important if there is no record of one previously). Other than that, you can expect a handful of little electrical gremlins that are endemic to German cars.

# ? Jul 18, 2013 20:52

concise: Aug 31, 2004; Ain't much to do
'round here.

Ziploc posted:

What bad things happen to an E46 around 100k miles?

Water pumps seize, coolant expansion tanks explode, fuel pumps die, rear coil springs snap, all suspension rubber is shot, valve cover gasket leaks, VANOS rattles and its seals are shot, oil filter housing gasket leaks, auto trans is in dire need of a fluid and filter change, final stage resistor is wonky.

Cooling system refresh, fuel pump and filter replacement, suspension refresh, then chasing down any oil leaks has been my maintenance path so far. If you have an automatic transmission, swapping the mechanical fan out for an electric replacement and removing the auxiliary fan while you refresh the cooling system is a cool little mod.

e:fb

# ? Jul 18, 2013 20:58

krysmopompas: Jan 17, 2004; hi

Ziploc posted:

What bad things happen to an E46 around 100k miles?

Also, secondary air injection system problems - cracked/clogged plumbing, stuck valve, dead pump.

# ? Jul 18, 2013 21:11

Crustashio: Jul 27, 2000; ruh roh

Ziploc posted:

After being let down by the IS300's drive by wire throttle, I've started looking at E46s again.

There is a ZAM (ZHP for Canadians) near me. But one thing that really bothers me is that non M BMWs never got LSDs.

Is there a good drop in LSDs for E46 non M cars? Are they megabux? Do they perform well? I plan on tracking/racing the car, and potentially driving it in the snow. And LSDs are a huge help in all of those areas.

Since you're a fellow canadian, count on an LSD being expensive. Like 3k total investment unless you can find a used one (or a whole M3 rear end). And FYI, e46s are DBW too.

Personally I couldn't keep my ZHP when I knew I'd be better off just getting an e36 m3, which is exactly what I did.

# ? Jul 18, 2013 21:46

ynotony: Apr 14, 2003; Yea...this is pretty much the smartest thing I have ever done.

Speaking of, I just read that an LSD is optional on the new 4 series. Pretty exciting.

http://www.f30post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=866546

# ? Jul 19, 2013 00:17

Stardotstar: Jun 2, 2012

Crustashio posted:

Since you're a fellow canadian, count on an LSD being expensive. Like 3k total investment unless you can find a used one (or a whole M3 rear end). And FYI, e46s are DBW too.

Personally I couldn't keep my ZHP when I knew I'd be better off just getting an e36 m3, which is exactly what I did.

To add a factory LSD to an E46 you're looking at differential, subframe, axles and maybe control arms. Or just add any of the diffsonline/Kaaz/Quaife/etc aftermarket units to the existing diff.

# ? Jul 19, 2013 01:19

wolrah: May 8, 2006; what?

Crustashio posted:

And FYI, e46s are DBW too.

I think DBW came with the M54s, so the earlier M52TU cars would be cable-operated.

# ? Jul 19, 2013 02:58

MrChips: Jun 10, 2005; FLIGHT SAFETY TIP: Fatties out first

wolrah posted:

I think DBW came with the M54s, so the earlier M52TU cars would be cable-operated.

The M52TU uses a hybrid cable/DBW system. The accelerator pedal is connected to the throttle body via a cable, but instead of directly actuating the butterfly, the cable actuates a potentiometer which in turn sends a signal to a motor which actuates the throttle butterfly. The funny thing is that if the motor fails, the cable will move the butterfly too.

Needless to say, the M54 did away with this crazy arrangement and went for a straight DBW system.

# ? Jul 19, 2013 03:21

thealphabetsez: Jun 1, 2004

Went to drop off the paint code and a tow hook cover to match with for the paint job on my wheels yesterday. I absolutely love these wheels (the we just stripped.)

# ? Jul 19, 2013 07:10

coolskillrex remix: Jan 1, 2007; gorsh

omgitstheinternet posted:

Well, I drove this home today:

And I've loved every loving second of it. It's the one that had an accident reported on carfax, listed as rear end collision. The salesman INSISTED that it was just a parking tap that the previous owner insisted on fixing through insurance. I brought it to the local BMW dealership for a PPI and they more or less agreed with that scenario. All they could find wrong with the car is the windshield cowl panel looks like poo poo and the oil pan gasket is very slowly seeping oil. In the end, I bought this car for a good $4k less than any other M Coupe for sale in pretty much the whole country. I think the accident on the carfax scared a lot of people away and they really had no choice but to drop the price. The car looks and drives like it's brand new. As soon as I'm done writing this post I'll be ordering a CDV delete and stubby antenna to make it even more wonderful. An E46 M3 would have been fun, but this is way more interesting, and I'm willing to sacrifice a back seat for something interesting.

One of the best looking bmws ever created in my opinion, and probably ridiculously fun to drive as well.

Being nosy, how much did you pay? How many miles? 3 years ago with 40k miles i saw some dealers selling these for as low as $25k, which i thought was amazing considering this was sort of a cayman S rival and those were going for $35k easily. Now they cost way more. :psyduck:

coolskillrex remix fucked around with this message at 08:33 on Jul 19, 2013

# ? Jul 19, 2013 08:28

Anza Borrego: Feb 11, 2005; Ovis canadensis nelsoni

thealphabetsez posted:

Went to drop off the paint code and a tow hook cover to match with for the paint job on my wheels yesterday. I absolutely love these wheels (the we just stripped.)

Which wheels are those?

# ? Jul 19, 2013 08:38

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# ? May 16, 2024 12:30

NitroSpazzz: Dec 9, 2006; You don't need style when you've got strength!

omgitstheinternet posted:

Well, I drove this home today:

An E46 M3 would have been fun, but this is way more interesting, and I'm willing to sacrifice a back seat for something interesting.

You made the right choice, love those goofy looking little things. First one I drove was a students car at a HPDE and was really impressed with how the car felt overall, the power...the sound :getin:

# ? Jul 19, 2013 14:15

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > BMW Thread: this is the bmw thread. we drive blue cars

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