[uucdigest] Monday, June 30 2003 Volume 03 : Number 6521
_________________________________________________________________ | | Search the ARCHIVES: | http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] | | Visit Richard Nott's Ultimate BMW Database: | http://www.bmwdatabase.com | | For all available Digest commands including unsubscribe/subscribe, | visit the BMW UUC Digest page: http://www.uucdigest.com | | Send SUBMISSIONS to [EMAIL PROTECTED] | Complaints? Send 'em to [EMAIL PROTECTED] if you must. | Technical Problems? Send 'em to [EMAIL PROTECTED] |__________________________________________________________________ In this BMW UUC Digest: RE: [uuc] RE: Finding an SUV [uuc] Re: Finding an SUV RE: [uuc] Re: Finding an SUV/pocono house for sale [uuc] Re: IS/T2 cooling system and misc RE: [uuc] Re: Finding an SUV Re: [uuc] Re: Strange brake pad wear [uuc] <E36> 97 M3 Clutch Replacement RE: [uuc] Change of plans...Maybe a new M3... Re: [uuc] Change of plans...Maybe a new M3... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2003 08:15:20 -0700 (PDT) From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: [uuc] RE: Finding an SUV My neighbor just picked up a 1993 with 120k on it for $8,500. He learned not to be intimidated by high miles on an M50 engine after living with me for 2 years and watching me track and drive my car... The E39s seem to be going for about $25000 for decent specimens. I'd think you can find a newer, lower mileage E34 wagon for less than 15k. Marc E36 325i, 214k Vienna, VA > On Mon, 30 Jun 2003 10:31:13 -0400, "Binder, Larry - Spine" wrote: > > That's a good idea. I'll look into them. Do you know about how much they > cost right now? > > Larry > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Monday, June 30, 2003 10:17 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [uuc] RE: Finding an SUV > > > Another alternative might be an E34 525 wagon. They hold a lot. They're > pretty cheap these days, and they run on the same inline 6 drivetrain you've > come to know if you're driving an E36, or similar car. I'm planning on that > (possibly an E39) as my family's domestic needs grow. > > > Marc Plante > E36 325i, 214k > Vienna, VA > > Marc Plante > [EMAIL PROTECTED] Marc Plante [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2003 08:30:24 -0700 (PDT) From: david kroth <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] Re: Finding an SUV Larry, > I understand this but we do really need an SUV (4wd > + lots of cargo space + > ground clearance). So where are you going in the SUV that you won't be going in the M3 (the ground clearance req.)? Many SUVs have little utility. If you really want cargo capacity you can't bet a minivan. Yes, a minivan. > I didn't mention it but we would also consider an Audi > wagon. I did the Audi wagon for a while. You'll get one because you think it has more space than a sedan. On paper that's true. But functionally its not much more. Some, but not much. The rear legroom in my Audi A6 was acceptable. But the E34 wagons I looked at were pretty tight. ===== David Kroth [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month! http://sbc.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2003 12:07:03 -0400 From: "Binder, Larry - Spine" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: RE: [uuc] Re: Finding an SUV/pocono house for sale I have a house in the Pocono's (PA) (more to come). When winter comes around and sometimes when trying to get onto some properties around there, the ground clearance will come in handy. Also, the cargo space needs to be big enough to carry stuff like doors, wood, etc... I am also considering getting a $1500 pickup truck to carry the really messy stuff (tools, chainsaws, gardening stuff). My Pocono house is actually for sale right now. It has 4 bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, laundry room, garage, fireplace, huge deck. Vaulted ceilings in living room and kitchen. Brand new carpets and paint throughout. Finished basement. 2 miles from Big Boulder Mountain. We are asking $124,900. Located in Penn Forest, Carbon County, PA. - -----Original Message----- From: david kroth [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, June 30, 2003 11:30 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [uuc] Re: Finding an SUV Larry, > I understand this but we do really need an SUV (4wd > + lots of cargo space + > ground clearance). So where are you going in the SUV that you won't be going in the M3 (the ground clearance req.)? Many SUVs have little utility. If you really want cargo capacity you can't bet a minivan. Yes, a minivan. > I didn't mention it but we would also consider an Audi > wagon. I did the Audi wagon for a while. You'll get one because you think it has more space than a sedan. On paper that's true. But functionally its not much more. Some, but not much. The rear legroom in my Audi A6 was acceptable. But the E34 wagons I looked at were pretty tight. ===== David Kroth [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month! http://sbc.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2003 11:10:34 -0500 From: Neil Maller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] Re: IS/T2 cooling system and misc on 6/30/03 8:57 AM, Donn Vickrey <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Just to clarify, I did run only water and water wetter and still had the > cooling issues. But, we have not yet replaced any cooling system > components. <much general Q&A snipped> Donn, Here are some things I think I know about E36 cooling systems: - - E36 thermostats can and do go bad. If you're in there, replace. - - Plastic thermostat housings occasionally crack. If you're in there, replace with metal version. - - BMW stopped using the original infamous plastic impeller water pump with approximately 6-96 production, replacing it with metal. However some newer replacement pumps are again plastic, but redesigned. The old version had a white plastic impeller, the newest are supposedly black (I haven't seen one myself). There's no way to tell which pump you have without removing it. - - At 98K miles, if yours is the original radiator, it's on borrowed time for a track car. Replace it immediately. Consider spending the extra, if class rules allow, for an all metal unit. See:<www.zionsvilleautosport.com> or <www.bimmerworld.com>. Your rad may also have interior corrosion which impairs its efficiency. - - There is a bleeding procedure. Fill with coolant to proper level, open air bleed screw next to radiator cap, run engine until level stabilizes and air is expelled. Expect to top up a few times. - - Neither a lower temp thermal switch (passenger side of radiator side tank, turns on aux electric fan), nor a lower temp coolant thermostat, will improve cooling under track conditions. There's a widespread misconception about this. Ultimate cooling capacity is determined by the design and condition of your cooling system. Diddling with the thermostats can initiate the cooling process sooner, but the end result will be the same for a track car unless the system's cooling ability is upgraded in some other way. - - While neither the aux electric fan or the engine driven one will much affect cooling once you're on track, they can be important on the grid. - - All the above parts are easy to change out yourself. Neil 96 M3 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2003 09:30:35 -0700 (PDT) From: Timothy Fries <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: RE: [uuc] Re: Finding an SUV I'm not quite sure where you get it that the LR Disco II is safe, reliable, German or Japanese, but without doing much research, I would not let my wife and child ride around in one. I will not even open up the debate of why you actually need an SUV. What would I recommend? The Acura MDX. Check out this link for safety info: http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/summary_midsuv.htm Plus Acura has a sweet pre-owned program. The problem? You're talking about $30 - 35 K. So you are probably still talking about looking for a 2001 MDX AND a 2001 330, but that's just what I would do. - --- "Binder, Larry - Spine" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I went to my local dealer this weekend and was > looking for a 325/330i. My > wife noticed a 2002 M3 on the way into the parking > lot and said to me, "Why > don't we just get the M3?" I told her because of > how much they cost (around > 50k). She told me that she would get a less > expensive car if we could get > the M3. And get this, she said that she would > prefer the manual > transmission. I still want her to have a safe > reliable SUV (we have a 5 > month old baby). So here is what I am looking for: > > 99 and up German, Japanese, SUV. They seem to be > the most reliable. How is > the LR Discovery II? > High mileage is OK (she drives about 6k per year) > Certified or extended warranty > Would like to spend around 15k but would go up to > 18k > > Thanks in advance!! > > Larry > Does anyone know if the M3 will get the coupe > headlight change? > Possible M3 in my future > > --- > You are currently subscribed to 3series as: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To unsubscribe send a blank email to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month! http://sbc.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2003 12:47:39 -0400 From: "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [uuc] Re: Strange brake pad wear Yup. Ditch AOL. ;-) ************ > This is a resend, since my first may have bounced due to the AOL 8.0 foolishness. > > In any case.... just removed Porterfield R pads after track event. At left rear, the outboard pad has 1/4" material left, but the inboard pad is down to the backing plate! Pads in other calipers wearing at same rate -- each with approx. 1/4" pad remaining. FWIW, I didn't detect any signs that the left rear caliper binding on guide bolts or otherwise not behaving properly. > > Advice/suggestions? > > Neil Simon > Wash, DC > 99 M Coupe > ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2003 11:52:40 -0500 From: "Paul Craven" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] <E36> 97 M3 Clutch Replacement Hi all, I am planning on doing a clutch job on my 97 M3 this weekend. I have done a few clutch jobs along the way, but though I would ask the collective wisdom for any gotchas or special tools I should have. Is there a consensus on which if any seals should be done while the transmission is out? The car has 97 K miles. Any helpful sites out there? As always, thanks for the help. Regards, Paul Craven 97 M3/4 soon to get some maintenance ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2003 13:15:02 -0400 From: "Robinson, Lee" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: RE: [uuc] Change of plans...Maybe a new M3... Larry, I would much rather consider an Audi wagon. Without blasting SUV's, I would think that your wife & child are MUCH safer in a well-engineered wagon than an SUV. The problem with SUVs in my opinion is that they compromise safety--in more than one way. There is the obvious, the rollover factor. Then there are some less obvious. SUVs are (or used to be anyway) classified as trucks, meaning that they aren't subjected to the same government safety standards as cars. I remember reading a couple of years back that it costs Ford more to make a Taurus (due to the engineering & testing to achieve their great 5-star safety rating) than either an Explorer or Expedition. The worst part is the physics involved in an accident. SUVs are usually built on the chassis of a company's existing vehicle. This results in SUVs being made out of chassis that were never designed to carry or manage such weight in a collision. FWIW, I think this is probably more constrained to the mini-SUVs which are 4000 lb cars built on a chassis originally designed for a 2600lb Focus or Civic. SUVs based on light pickups are also suspect. In your position I would think you can consider some alternatives.... E class wagon, I think you can even get the 4matic AWD. Does it get much safer than a Benz? I assume you need 4/AWD for inclement weather, but consider these. Saab 9-5 wagon & Volvo wagons. If they can drive these things in Sweden, you should be fine here. The Saab forums seem to be indicating that dealers are seriously flooded to over-capacity with lease return 9-5s....might swing a gem of a deal for a really good car. Now, if you WANT an SUV, that's a whole different story...... Lee > -----Original Message----- > From: Binder, Larry - Spine [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Monday, June 30, 2003 10:19 AM > To: '[EMAIL PROTECTED]' > Subject: RE: [uuc] Change of plans...Maybe a new M3... > > > I understand this but we do really need an SUV (4wd + lots of > cargo space + > ground clearance). So as far as SUV's go, it must be > reliable and safe. I > didn't mention it but we would also consider an Audi wagon. > > Thanks, > > Larry ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2003 14:08:32 -0400 From: ben keyes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [uuc] Change of plans...Maybe a new M3... Lee wrote: > SUVs are (or used to be anyway) classified as trucks are still. including "trucks" like the Subaru Forester & Chrysler Pacifica & PT Cruiser, which are trucks in gov't definition only. Minivans are also "trucks" for CAFE & safety purposes. > meaning that they aren't subjected to the same government safety standards > as cars. the crash rules are different, but I don't think they're so lax on trucks as to be the root of the problem in poor crash performance in some tests. > I remember reading a couple of years back that it costs Ford more > to make a Taurus (due to the engineering & testing to achieve their great > 5-star safety rating) than either an Explorer or Expedition. there's less overall engineered content (or at least used to be) in an SUV (especially one which shares a huge portion of it's engineering with an F-series or which is an updated older design) as compared to a Taurus, but the safety side of things isn't that huge a factor in the development cost. it's almost impossible to make apples-to-apples comparisons for the development cost of _any_ vehicle as compared to another, even within the same company withint the same timeframe due to the massive number of variables involved. if you start with an SUV & coupe & wagon & hatch & sedan based on the same platform - your Civic example for instance - there may be feature/content based differences which swing the development costs somewhat but the safety standards are not a significant contributor to the differences. > The worst part is the physics involved in an accident. SUVs are usually > built on the chassis of a company's existing vehicle. This results in SUVs > being made out of chassis that were never designed to carry or manage such > weight in a collision. FWIW, I think this is probably more constrained to > the mini-SUVs which are 4000 lb cars built on a chassis originally designed > for a 2600lb Focus or Civic. SUVs based on light pickups are also suspect. I think you're a bit offbase here. there are no longer any SUV's on the market which are just pick-ups with bodies on them, that's an early-90's situation. in the past decade, lots more money & resources have been put towards development of unique SUV platforms by all of the big 3, with the smaller (lower margin, lower volume) pickups lagging their SUV brothers to market by years. so we have completely purpose-built platforms for Explorers, Trailblazers & the like. the "real" Japanese SUV's - 4Runner/Pathfinder/Rodeo - are body-on-frame truck-based (originally) designs. I don't think you can argue that the car-based mini-SUV's are as much overweight as you think either. a quick search shows that the Escape (based on the old Contour/Mystique/Mondeo platform, not the Focus) is ~3,350, the CR-V (tall Civic) also ~3,350, the RAV4 (Corolla-based) a lightweight at ~2,900 but with the SUV-only Liberty a porky 4,100. it does look like you could push over a CR-V with a strong wind, but that's just because they look so spindly rather than any actual likelihood to tip over. > In your position I would think you can consider some alternatives.... > E class wagon, I think you can even get the 4matic AWD. > Does it get much safer than a Benz? if you don't understand the dynamics of the vehicle (not many people do) and don't drive as if your SUV grants you an exemption from the laws of physics (which many people do), I would argue that a large SUV - Sequoia/Expedition/Navigator/Yukon/Tundra/Land Cruiser - is going to be far safer in an accident than a low to the ground (and thus likely to get smashed by a high-riding SUV) wagon which loses out in many arguments merely by being 1000 or more lbs lighter. not a nice reality, but probably not far from the truth. > Now, if you WANT an SUV, that's a whole different story...... this is the crux of the situation. buy what _you_ (or your wife) want and do it for the criteria which are important to you. if these are perceived or actual fact-based criteria is up to you to decide, just make the most informed decision based on the available information. there's lots of it, just try not to get too caught up in the spin that everyone wants to place on it. if you fear the world & the people in it (with good or bad reasons) then you want the biggest thing you can get & you want to operate it in the most conservative way you can. if you're a bit more trusting (some would say naive) about the world you might be driving around in a sub-3,000 lb vehicle with no airbags & RWD :-) just because I find an X5/ML to be a waste of money, space & resources as compared to the equivalent (and just as roomy in many measures & much better performing) 5'er/E-class wagon doesn't mean I'm going to begrude others they're choice to drive them. Ben ------------------------------ End of [uucdigest] V3 #6521 *************************** | | In memory of Michel Potheau - friend, enthusiast, founder of the BMW CCA. |________________________________________ | Please visit these UUC-approved BMW parts vendors/service providers: | (listed alphabetically) | | Autoscope-Motorsports - http://www.autoscope-motorsports.com | |==================================================== | | Koala MotorSport . BMW technical information, special tool sales/rental | http://www.koalamotorsport.com | |==================================================== | | Taylor BMW - http://www.taylorbmw.com - Doc Bimmer! | |==================================================== | Turner Motorsport Inc . 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