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SiGmA_X posted:I don't think I saw anyone reply to your post. You need to loosen the brake line at the hard line to soft line connection, using flair nut wrenches to preventing strippage, and straighten the hose. Then tighten and bleed. Yeah, thanks, I figured in the end I needed to adjust the hard line ends. I was just trying to avoid touching them (and potentially loving up the hard line), but it's all fixed now.
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Oct 25, 2010 13:42
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BrokenKnucklez posted:Thanks for the advice on the steering rack, I will do that a little later as now my fuel pump died. I checked the voltage to the pump and its fine... I want to hug the guy who designed this car, I mean, an access cover under the back seat? So much better than GM-ilk, with the removing the tank and what not. Doh fuel pump! If you're going to be covering yourself in fuel, change the fuel filter while you're doing it. It's an easy thing to ignore when people stop doing regular maintenance on their old beater, so my guess is it was last done the last time a BMW dealer saw the car. Also cheap and easy, once you remove the years of mud and poo poo coating it and as long as the fuel line isn't rock-hard from age. I have no tips on breaking into your trunk, as mine is a Touring. The locks are a common failure point, for whatever reason. You get bonus concours points for a set of locks that all use the same key and all work with the central locking.
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Oct 25, 2010 13:53
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Hey guys, looking to pick up my first BMW. Needs some advice. Here is one: I couldn't say what it was, the model badges were gone. Manual, had 145k miles on it. I don't think its worth 3500 but I can negotiate. The sales staff didn't seem very interested in helping me out so I'm unsure on the year either. convertible 2-door if you couldn't tell. Paint has some small dings here and there, but overall it's straight and in decent shape. interior was good and the rag-top didn't have any tears or anything, but looked a bit faded. And sitting right next to it:  535i. I couldn't get the miles, the side windows are very tinted. Paint was in great condition. Something about the price makes me nervous, that and I've heard the price of parts spikes sharply going from a 3-series to a 5. I'd imagine it's got scads of miles. I've got a bit of mechanical know-how short of pulling a motor, I can deal with some work. I plan on swinging back by on Saturday and taking a more in depth look, but not before I get some idea what to look for on these, what potential/common/expensive problems they may have? Edit: sorry. fixed broken tables and obscenely large images. Willfrey fucked around with this message at 21:23 on Oct 25, 2010 |
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Oct 25, 2010 21:16
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Chances are neither of those is going to have any kind of service records available. Definitely take that into consideration before making a purchase. At the very least I would take either car to a reputable mechanic (preferably one that specializes in BMWs) to see if anything is of immediate concern.
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Oct 25, 2010 21:24
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CornHolio posted:Chances are neither of those is going to have any kind of service records available. Definitely take that into consideration before making a purchase. At the very least I would take either car to a reputable mechanic (preferably one that specializes in BMWs) to see if anything is of immediate concern. My co-worker's father owns a small shop I was thinking of taking it by. As for service records I beg to differ, the silver one has a Jiffy Lube sticker 
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Oct 25, 2010 22:26
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Willfrey posted:Hey guys, looking to pick up my first BMW. Needs some advice. Here is one: You want the 535i, especially if it's a 5 speed. Well, I mean, not for that price -- but 2k maybe depending on how it is mechanically. Moxie Omen fucked around with this message at 00:46 on Oct 26, 2010 |
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Oct 26, 2010 00:40
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Jorsh posted:You want the 535i, especially if it's a 5 speed. I have a E34 525i with a 5 speed and I can agree with this. Atrocious gas mileage on the 535i but with a five speed its just gotta be a ton of fun to throw around. My 525i feels very quick and the 535i has about 20hp on it. I'd say for that era the 3 and 5 series are pretty much even for parts prices. The E34 just loves to munch suspension parts though. Especially the ones with the heavier engines. Not sure if its a problem on the E30s.
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Oct 26, 2010 01:01
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I've driven more than a few miles in a '89 535i w/ a 5 speed and it's loving ridiculous how much that car will push you back into your seat when you stomp on it. M30's rule and the bottom ends are loving indestructible.
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Oct 26, 2010 01:03
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Jorsh posted:I've driven more than a few miles in a '89 535i w/ a 5 speed and it's loving ridiculous how much that car will push you back into your seat when you stomp on it. M30's rule and the bottom ends are loving indestructible. Going to chime in here as well -- since fuel economy isn't a huge concern (otherwise you'd be looking at the typical Honda/Toyota econo-snooze) I'd absolutely recommend the 535i. Bigger, quieter, torqier and nearly as capable in the handling dept as the (presumed) 325i.
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Oct 26, 2010 01:19
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Did north america ever get e34 535 tourings (with a 5speed)? I would push my e30 out into the street just to have an e34 wagon with some grunt.
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Oct 26, 2010 01:32
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So do the E30s eat suspension parts like the E34 does? My early impression of the E34 suspension is that its very impressive in both handling and comfort but they seem to have achieved it by using a assload of arms and bushings everywhere. Not that I mind too much. So far everything has been insanely easy to take apart. Its like they knew you'd be swapping out struts and arms all the time.
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Oct 26, 2010 03:54
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Willfrey posted:Something about the price makes me nervous, that and I've heard the price of parts spikes sharply going from a 3-series to a 5. Where did you hear that? There's really not much to it. The 535 is cool, good simple engine with a great sound and nice power.
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Oct 26, 2010 09:54
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Out of the two, definitely the 535. But don't buy a basket case just because it's there. Have you tried E30/E34/general BMW forums for private cars in your area?
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Oct 26, 2010 10:14
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http://jalopnik.com/5673591/how-fans-forced-bmw-to-fix-this-faulty-fuel-pump Apparently BMW is making some major announcement on this later today... my car is currently being put together in Munich. 
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Oct 26, 2010 16:22
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I definitely wish I'd gone for the 5 series instead of the 3 when I bought my car. I was afraid of the increased maintenance costs, but it turns out that there really isn't much difference. And the 525i has the same engine as my car anyway. 3500 is waaay too much for both of those cars though. I'd offer 1000-1500 for either, which you know the dealer will balk at. Which is why you don't buy these cars from a dealer.
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Oct 26, 2010 17:30
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My friend has a 2007 335i with 50k miles on it. He just got his HPFP replaced under warranty, along with the revised tune. He's experiencing abnormal lag still and the tech at the dealer that did the warranty work thinks it could be carbon build up on the intake valves. They're proposing to walnut-shell blasting things after taking the head off, for $650. My friend got another quote from a rival dealership to clean it with liquids sprayed down the throttle body (or somewhere upstream), for $370. This place mentioned they've seen cars come in at 40-50k intervals having build up. Does anyone have experience with the efficacy of either technique? Can shops confirm buildup with a fiber optic camera? It seems like if buildup is present in quantity, and the liquid approach was effective, then $370 would be worth it.
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Oct 26, 2010 19:41
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revmoo posted:I definitely wish I'd gone for the 5 series instead of the 3 when I bought my car. I was afraid of the increased maintenance costs, but it turns out that there really isn't much difference. And the 525i has the same engine as my car anyway. Yeah, point taken. Went there again today. Milage on the 5 series: 210k. It was an automatic. I heard it run and it had an obnoxious power-steering whine. Also the interior was kind of trashed in spite of their best efforts to spruce it up. I gave it a closer look and the body lines in it's hind didn't look very clean, possibly was rear end-ended at one point, and probably explains the fresh-looking paint. Again these bozos didn't seem too eager to help me out, I'm sure they'd of changed their attitude if they knew I had 2k in my back pocket. Thanks for the tips guys, I'll check for local clubs and craigslist, gold isn't my color anyways.
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Oct 26, 2010 21:09
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I pulled my blower fuse, put the same one back in, and now my blower works again. No funny noises or anything. I'll keep the cheap one I got off of ebay just in case...
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Oct 26, 2010 23:45
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Willfrey posted:Again these bozos didn't seem too eager to help me out, I'm sure they'd of changed their attitude if they knew I had 2k in my back pocket. No they wouldn't. See that phrase above the price? This is a tote the note car lot. I represent a bunch of these guys. Cash buyers are not their target audience. They get $500 down, something every week for a few weeks, repo the car and start all over again, again and again and again. When my 16 year old needed a car I thought I would find one of my clients with a tote your note lot and buy it from him for cash. He clued me in, "You do know I am in the finance business and not the sale business don't you."
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Oct 26, 2010 23:48
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How are high mileage BMWs? I'm eyeing a 2001 740i as my weekend/leisure vehicle but it has 145,000 miles. If the maintenance records checkout how likely is it that this will end up being a money pit? It is only $6,000 and just from eying it quickly looked to be in really good shape. Anything in particular to watch out for?
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Oct 27, 2010 00:18
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Suspension needs to have been replaced, cooling system (all of it), brake system+tires, and that block can be prone to oil leaks imo. You'd want to check all the electronics and windows as well. If all that checked out I'd consider buying it. At that kind of age these things should have been replaced once already.
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Oct 27, 2010 02:13
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kimbo305 posted:My friend has a 2007 335i with 50k miles on it. He just got his HPFP replaced under warranty, along with the revised tune. He's experiencing abnormal lag still and the tech at the dealer that did the warranty work thinks it could be carbon build up on the intake valves. They're proposing to walnut-shell blasting things after taking the head off, for $650. The "liquids sprayed down the throttle body" is just seafoaming the car. It is a good idea to do it since the engine is direct injection, but it won't help with the lag. The lag is caused by the new engine software, it is pretty well known on the e90/1addicts boards. There is even newer software that eliminates the lag, but it isn't out yet for all configurations as far as I know. The service receipt from the dealer should have the software revision on it, you can compare that with software revisions on the e90post boards to see if it is indeed the one that causes lag (99% sure it is). Definitely don't get the walnut blasting, that poo poo costs too much money and won't do poo poo for the lag. If he gets an aftermarket tune (jb3/proceed v4) then it will eliminate the lag as well, but he might want to wait until he is out of warranty.
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Oct 27, 2010 02:47
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I'm really loving torn whether or not I should take delivery of the car now. Nothing else drives like it with 2 Doors, AWD, and 6MT. But just ugh, why haven't the Germans figured out this whole reliability thing? Sure it's an N55 and not the N54, but it's basically the same loving pump, etc. The only major difference is twin scroll instead of twin turbo.
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Oct 27, 2010 03:06
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I was reading about that recall, and have BMW actually made a new pump to replace the old faulty one with? It seems that all they're doing is issuing a recall to all models, but people who complained and got it replaced previous to this recall have had the pump fail and need replacing multiple times.
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Oct 27, 2010 03:10
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Only thing different is you get a recall letter in the mail. The 933 pump has been out for a few months now. They might not even be replacing every pump, the letter says something like 'will replace the pump and/or upgrade the software based on the service records'. Which may mean that they will just update the software if you don't have any symptoms of a failing HPFP (long cranks, codes stored, CEL), which is what they have been doing for a while now. edit: 2ndclasscitizen posted:I was reading about that recall, and have BMW actually made a new pump to replace the old faulty one with? There have been like 3 different HPFP revisions, all of them have seen failures. But the newer pumps with updated software have seen a LOT fewer failures than the 2007 pump with 2007 software. It is getting a lot better, but there are still failures. The 2011s are starting to see a few now, they have used the 933 pump since they came out. doogle fucked around with this message at 03:28 on Oct 27, 2010 |
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Oct 27, 2010 03:24
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quote != edit
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Oct 27, 2010 03:28
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I think the pump problem has been hugely blown out of proportion by a combination of whiny bmw owners and the media. Yes, it's very annoying to have to get your pump replaced every 30,000~miles. Yes, there is a problem with the pump. However BMW was never hiding the fact, they increased the warranty on the pump and always replaced it free on N54 and 55. I assume if they didn't get this crappy press coverage they would have kept re-working the pumps until they got one that is fixed and THEN issued a recall. Now it's like they're just being forced because ABC and other news outlets are picking up on the story.
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Oct 27, 2010 03:29
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What's the low end for a CLEAN E36 these days in a major city (DALLAS)? 4 door, good paint, no collision damage, cold AC etc. Is $3600 really too low to ask for a clean E36 in this economy? That's a hefty chunk of change for a car with 180K miles, even if the cars are good for another 40-60k. Edit: asking what the city price is. I'm aware you can knock off $1000 if you're willing to drive 3 hours to the country to look at one.
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Oct 27, 2010 06:37
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Hadlock posted:What's the low end for a CLEAN E36 these days in a major city (DALLAS)? 4 door, good paint, no collision damage, cold AC etc. Is $3600 really too low to ask for a clean E36 in this economy? That's a hefty chunk of change for a car with 180K miles, even if the cars are good for another 40-60k. MY exGIRLFRIEND just bought a '94 325i in excellent condition with upgrades and a stack of maintenance records an inch thick. ~165K on the clock. Sedan, auto. $2800, Bay Area, CA. I personally think she could have bid him down to $2500, but the price was more than fair. I bought my '92 325i with 144K for $2K from a friend.
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Oct 27, 2010 06:47
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This is obscenely overpriced right? http://victoria.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-trucks-1987-BMW-3-Series-Sedan-W0QQAdIdZ237593242
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Oct 27, 2010 06:47
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The Amputee House posted:This is obscenely overpriced right? That's more than 3x the price I would expect to pay for it around here.
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Oct 27, 2010 06:48
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Time had come for the scheduled oil service (this is the simplest service for BMWs, the more thorough services are called Inspektion I and II respectively) and I picked it up from the BMW center yesterday. The price for an oil service these days (in Denmark)? 6750 DKK = 1,249.43 USD.
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Oct 27, 2010 15:01
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Rnr posted:1,249.43 USD. That is absolutely ridiculous for an oil service, even a full Inspection I should not cost anywhere near that... or your currency conversion is way off. I change my oil myself for only ~$70 USD, and that MAY be as high as $150 USD at a dealership...
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Oct 27, 2010 15:07
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Rnr posted:Time had come for the scheduled oil service (this is the simplest service for BMWs, the more thorough services are called Inspektion I and II respectively) and I picked it up from the BMW center yesterday. The price for an oil service these days (in Denmark)? 6750 DKK = 1,249.43 USD. I know the USD is junk right now, but holy poo poo
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Oct 27, 2010 16:30
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Do you have an extra 0 in there or something? $1300 to get your oil changed is something I'd expect on a Ferrari or Lamborghini not a BMW.
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Oct 27, 2010 16:32
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Rnr posted:Time had come for the scheduled oil service (this is the simplest service for BMWs, the more thorough services are called Inspektion I and II respectively) and I picked it up from the BMW center yesterday. The price for an oil service these days (in Denmark)? 6750 DKK = 1,249.43 USD. I paid 4600 NOK today for transmission oil, coolant, power steering fluid and a clutch flush on my 1995 323i. $780 USD 
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Oct 27, 2010 16:42
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Do you guys not have garages? That kind of money would pay for the supplies you need plus a round trip airfare to the US to buy them.
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Oct 27, 2010 16:57
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rscott posted:Do you have an extra 0 in there or something? $1300 to get your oil changed is something I'd expect on a Ferrari or Lamborghini not a BMW. $1300 is the amount I would expect on the loving Titanic. Seriously, modern cars haven't changed that much with respect to simple oil changes. I'm assuming that's the dollar equivalent and that I'm not missing anything. I always like to bring up the time a Mini dealership quoted me $1200 to do the brakes, but a $1300 oil change knocks that right out of the drat park.
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Oct 27, 2010 17:04
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Fermunky posted:That is absolutely ridiculous for an oil service, even a full Inspection I should not cost anywhere near that... or your currency conversion is way off. I change my oil myself for only ~$70 USD, and that MAY be as high as $150 USD at a dealership... Hell, I pay $80 at the local dealer when I don't have time to do it myself. If I didn't like working on cars I couldn't justify doing it myself since it ends up costing a bit over $70. I can't even comprehend the idea of paying more than $200 or so for an oil change, and that would be for a big engine that takes a lot of oil.
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Oct 27, 2010 17:06
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wolrah posted:Hell, I pay $80 at the local dealer when I don't have time to do it myself. If I didn't like working on cars I couldn't justify doing it myself since it ends up costing a bit over $70. I can't even comprehend the idea of paying more than $200 or so for an oil change, and that would be for a big engine that takes a lot of oil. That was my point. I've never even gone to a Jiffy Lube for an oil change, so I had no basis really on how much a dealership oil change costs. $1300 is roughly the cost of just removing the head from my car at a indy shop.
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Oct 27, 2010 18:11
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