The BMW UUC Digest Volume 2 : Issue 54 : "text" Format Messages in this Issue: doing struts Re: NYC Car Stuff Re: Knock Sensor - 1995 325is <E36> brake light switch Re: <E36> brake light switch Re: 303 Protectant <E38> Trans Fluid Change Question Re: <E38> Trans Fluid Change Question Re: <E38> Trans Fluid Change Question Re: [bmwuucdigest] digest(13 messages) For Sale: '95 M3 LTW in MD Stuck Transmission filling plug (e36) Dealers Price Going Up Dealers Price Going Up Re: E46 Suspension Info Needed
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2004 11:03:10 -0600 From: "Dan Hagrman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: doing struts Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hi Dave, my Fiat 124 didn't have struts.. <G> I too have done springs/struts, and probably would not attempt to compress the spring in a parking lot (big vice is recommended). removing the strut assembly is doable though. The hardest part is probably breaking the tie rod loose. dan in kc, e30s >> Dave Leonard >> done struts in BMW 2002, 1602, 325i, 735i, Honda Prelude, several VW >> Rabbits, a Dasher, and a Fiat 124 that I can recall... [Attachment of type application/ms-tnef removed.] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 01 Mar 2004 17:08:08 +0000 From: "Gilbert Hoffman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: NYC Car Stuff Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Chip wrote: >Missing those days... not - my 528e is more fun, at twice the MPG! No >respect in traffic though. But not as bad as an LBC (little british >car)... You must not have the right 528e... My 325e gets all kinds of respect in NYC traffic. People are afraid to mess with a car with softball sized dings in half the body panels. Steel wheels in the Winter help the cause. Everyone driving their own vehicle (and that includes SUVs) will back down from my eta when challenging for postion in traffic. A friend also noted that having a rollbar helps scare other traffic when he had 535is. A rollbar is a bit of an extreme measure for a winter beater. Dirt and dents go a long way. Gilbert _________________________________________________________________ Take off on a romantic weekend or a family adventure to these great U.S. locations. http://special.msn.com/local/hotdestinations.armx ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2004 12:30:16 -0500 (GMT-05:00) From: Brian Daley <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Knock Sensor - 1995 325is Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Henry, On your '95 the stomp test should work. You have to do it immediately after key-on. Key-on (to the run position) then press the accelerator pedal to the floor 5 times, about once per second. The timing is a little finicky, I thought it didn't work on my '94 until I got it right. Once you get it down it's easily repeatable. The code(s) will flash on the CE light and repeat. Bentley has a listing of what the codes mean. Brian '94 325ic -----Original Message----- From: henry butt <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Feb 27, 2004 7:00 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [UUC] Knock Sensor - 1995 325is Search the ARCHIVES:http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] Thanks Brett ! Yeah, the "Check Engine" light is on but the car runs fine except a bit of pinging under very hard acceleration. I'll send it in to have a code check. Cheers ! Henry ------------------------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2004 22:28:33 -0500 From: "Brett Anderson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "UUC Digest" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: E36 Knock Sensor Location The knock sensor should set a fault, and a check engine light, if it needs to be replaced. While it's possible that it can be bad without setting a fault, it's unlikely. I'd be looking at fuel quality, air leaks, carbon build up, etc, first. Besides, the knock sensors are a real pain in the arse to change on the M50/M52 engines. Come to think of it, they're nasty on all BMW engines. Brett Anderson KMS ______________________________________________________________________ Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca __________________________________________________________________________ In memory of Michel Potheau - friend, enthusiast, founder of the BMW CCA. UUC Motorwerks - BMW Performance Fine-tuning and home of the Ultimate Short Shifter - accept no substitutes! 908-874-9092 . http://www.uucmotorwerks.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2004 12:21:32 -0600 (CST) From: "Kevin Jay (Mr.Fabulous)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: <E36> brake light switch Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Looks like my brake light switch is failing. A quick peruse of alloembmwparts shows two switches for these cars: two pole, four pole. Is there any way of knowing which one I need (short of crawling under there). - Kevin Jay '96 328is, red/tan, usual H&R/Bilstein setup, "brake circuit failure" ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2004 13:00:08 -0600 From: "Malcolm Reitz" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: <E36> brake light switch Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> IIRC, if you have cruise control, you need the 4-pole switch. Malcolm '88 M5 '98 328i - new 4-pole brake switch last year -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kevin Jay (Mr.Fabulous) Sent: Monday, March 01, 2004 12:22 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [UUC] <E36> brake light switch Search the ARCHIVES:http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] Looks like my brake light switch is failing. A quick peruse of alloembmwparts shows two switches for these cars: two pole, four pole. Is there any way of knowing which one I need (short of crawling under there). - Kevin Jay '96 328is, red/tan, usual H&R/Bilstein setup, "brake circuit failure" ________________________________________________________________________ __ In memory of Michel Potheau - friend, enthusiast, founder of the BMW CCA. UUC Motorwerks - BMW Performance Fine-tuning and home of the Ultimate Short Shifter - accept no substitutes! 908-874-9092 . http://www.uucmotorwerks.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2004 13:33:16 -0500 From: "M540" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: 303 Protectant Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I've been using this for a year or more on my old P-car and our '95 M3 (non-lux) which has acres of plastic and couldn't be happier with the result. It is particularly nice on the textured BMW plastic as the smooth older P-car plastic picks up a slight shine. It is entirely non-greasy, doesn't attract dust, and doesn't impart that slick shine that you get from some vinyl sprays (though it does add a bit of a moister, newer look which is hard to describe but which I have come to like). My only complaint is that it's hard to find. I had to order it from some Jeep catalog or something. Kevin Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2004 09:42:25 -0500 From: "K.C. Boyce" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: 303 Protectant Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Gruppe, I've been using Vinylex to keep my plastic trim new looking since I've gotten my car. It looks good upon first application, but comes off when it gets wet, leaving a "streaky" look. I was browsing around my store the other day and noticed that 303 Protectant (which we sell to keep boats looking good) mentions automotive use. Has anyone used this on plastic or rubber trim? Results? TIA, KC Boyce '97 M3/4 E30 Eta Page: http://www.e30eta.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 01 Mar 2004 13:44:20 -0500 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: <E38> Trans Fluid Change Question Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I'm pretty sure that this has been covered before, but I really didn't pay attention because I don't have an E38. However, my boss now has one and I'm the *car guy* so he comes to me with questions. He asked the dealer to change his trans fluid as he has 100k miles on the 740i now. The dealer told him it was lifetime fluid (yep, I knew that) and that he should just replace the transmission when it goes bad. However, because they want to respond to customer requests, they quoted him $1800 (yes, that's right, $1800) to change out the fluid and filter. Now, I seem to remember that the fluid is expensive, but dang, that's steep! What is the recommended course of action short of finding a new boss? Cheers, Kirk Lachman Sin City Chapter ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2004 10:54:08 -0800 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: <E38> Trans Fluid Change Question Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I thought it was highly unrecommended to replace the fluid in cars with this many miles. I think this was covered in Roundel. > >I'm pretty sure that this has been covered before, but I really didn't pay >attention because I don't have an E38. However, my boss now has one and >I'm the *car guy* so he comes to me with questions. > >He asked the dealer to change his trans fluid as he has 100k miles on the >740i now. The dealer told him it was lifetime fluid (yep, I knew that) and >that he should just replace the transmission when it goes bad. However, >because they want to respond to customer requests, they quoted him $1800 >(yes, that's right, $1800) to change out the fluid and filter. Now, I seem >to remember that the fluid is expensive, but dang, that's steep! > >What is the recommended course of action short of finding a new boss? > >Cheers, > >Kirk Lachman >Sin City Chapter >__________________________________________________________________________ >In memory of Michel Potheau - friend, enthusiast, founder of the BMW CCA. > >UUC Motorwerks - BMW Performance Fine-tuning and home of the Ultimate >Short Shifter - accept no substitutes! >908-874-9092 . http://www.uucmotorwerks.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2004 14:19:49 -0500 From: "Robinson, Lee" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "'[EMAIL PROTECTED]'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: <E38> Trans Fluid Change Question Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> If I remember correctly, don't you have to flush the tranny with lots & lots of fluid? I'd say they are quoting a silly number to prevent anyone from making them service transmissions. This is actually funny. I'd forgotten about this, but Kirk reminded me. I was at the big BMW dealer in ATL on Saturday to order some brake booster parts & noticed something strange on the way out. Beside the parts shipping bay were 4 palettes (that I could see) each with 8 big boxes on them. I looked closely, well while driving by & they were E38/39 auto trannies. That's 32 transmissions! Probably all replacements for prematurely failed lifetime fluid holding trannies. What are those suckers, $3000+ each, plus install? Sounds like BMW's "lifetime fluid" is just a severe form of job security to me. This is pretty sad when there are a lot of BMWs & MBs (presumably similar) cars out there with 200, 300, 400k miles on them out there. Ya know, they could put water in them & call them "lifetime fluid." I would think that auto tranny fluid would need more attention than a manual. Manual gearboxes just splash the fluid all around for lubrication, whereas the auto trannies actually use fluid pressure in the torque converter to push the car foward. I'd think that the autos would have much more heat in the fluid & that rather than just a loss in lubriaction performance, you'd notice a loss in performance as well. Lee > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Monday, March 01, 2004 13:44 > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [UUC] <E38> Trans Fluid Change Question > > > Search the > ARCHIVES:http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > I'm pretty sure that this has been covered before, but I > really didn't pay attention because I don't have an E38. > However, my boss now has one and I'm the *car guy* so he > comes to me with questions. > > He asked the dealer to change his trans fluid as he has 100k > miles on the 740i now. The dealer told him it was lifetime > fluid (yep, I knew that) and that he should just replace the > transmission when it goes bad. However, because they want to > respond to customer requests, they quoted him $1800 (yes, > that's right, $1800) to change out the fluid and filter. > Now, I seem to remember that the fluid is expensive, but > dang, that's steep! > > What is the recommended course of action short of finding a new boss? > > Cheers, > > Kirk Lachman > Sin City Chapter > ______________________________________________________________ > ____________ > In memory of Michel Potheau - friend, enthusiast, founder of > the BMW CCA. > > UUC Motorwerks - BMW Performance Fine-tuning and home of the Ultimate > Short Shifter - accept no substitutes! > 908-874-9092 . http://www.uucmotorwerks.com > ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 01 Mar 2004 12:25:35 -0600 From: "Scott Staewen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [bmwuucdigest] digest(13 messages) Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ditto on that. I love 303, and buy it by the gallon. It's not real shiny, but rather gives rubber and vinyl a more natural look, IMO. rss > >The 303 protectant is highly regarded in the detailing circles. It is >probably the most recommended automotive vinyl protectant there is. I >have used Vinylex and 303-303 is the only thing I will use now. It is >not greasy and leaves a nice finish. It also is said to protect from UV >better than anything else. > >No affiliation, just a happy customer! > _________________________________________________________________ Watch high-quality video with fast playback at MSN Video. Free! http://click.atdmt.com/AVE/go/onm00200365ave/direct/01/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 01 Mar 2004 14:18:55 -0500 From: Rich Beebe <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: UUC Digest <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: For Sale: '95 M3 LTW in MD Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Due to unfortunate circumstances for the buyer of my LTW, the car is back up for sale again. I'm selling this car to raise funds for an upcoming house purchase. Please call/email with any questions. This is a very, very nice example at a fair price. Car is located near Westminster, MD (Baltimore). Rich Beebe 410.876.8786 ---- '95 BMW M3 LTW 56K miles 2nd owner car (1st owner in California) - New Kumho 712 tires (235/40-17 fronts, 245/40-17 rears), less than 100 miles. - Original forged LTW rims, staggered. - New OEM splitter, perfect condition. Original available. - New Motorsport strut brace. Originally ordered w/o brace. - New Rear Trailing Arm bushings with Ground Control shims. - New 96+ OEM swapped strut hats. - UUC short shift kit. - UUC Tranny mount enforcers (TMEs) - UUC Clutch stop. - JT Designs rear shock mounts. - New exhaust hangers, original muffler or UUC TSE. - Stock, Conforti and Dinan chips available. - Brand new BMW battery This car comes with a in-dash CD player installed (by original owner) and Clifford alarm. The original owner also opted against the GT/LTW oil pan, so the car does not come with that LTW item. The rear factory wing/spacers and front splitter are in place. The car can be bought with one of 2 suspensions or both. The car currently has a Koni Double Adjustable strut/H&R sport spring suspension on it. The car will also come with the complete original LTW suspension (specific LTW springs, boge struts & sways - front struts still complete). The car also has a new water pump, idler pulley, adjusting pulley, thermostat, thermostat housing, belts and plugs. An alignment was also recently done. Other than what is listed, this is a clean, stock LTW with complete records from the original owner on. All VIN stickers match and all paint, etc. is original. The car is 'tight' and runs great. Needs nothing. Many photos available, if interested. If you'd like to see specific shots, let me know and I will get them to you. Asking $29K or B/O. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2004 11:26:48 -0800 (PST) From: Mr <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Stuck Transmission filling plug (e36) Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Grettings all, I was trying to change the transmission fluid on my manual 95 325i this weekend and could not for the life of me remove the filling plug. I was using hand tools Wrench)and jack stands to lift the car. I don't remember it being this tough the last time I changed it and I know I didn't over tighten the plug since I can still see some threads portruding out. Drenched the plug in WD 40 and still nothing. Any tips or secrets on how to remove this thing?? I don't have air tools so I have to rely on hand tools wits. Any help would be greatly appreciated. TIA!! Manuel Paredes 95 325i lots o' mods L.A. BMWCCA __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Get better spam protection with Yahoo! Mail. http://antispam.yahoo.com/tools ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2004 14:28:36 -0500 From: "Dorffer, Rich" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Dealers Price Going Up Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Mark wrote > ...lot snipped.... > It kinda burns me a little when people that _haven't_ spent any time > learning to do stuff, researching things, buying tools, busting their > knuckles figuring out how to change a strut, etc. etc. bitch about what > some shop charges them. You have a very simple option here. Do the > research and figure out how much things should cost or shut the heck up > and pay for the convience you're getting. ...more snipped.... I couldn't agree with you more Mark and feel you made some very good points. I have spent a lot of time and money on tools, etc. in order to be able to do some things myself. That being said, a good, reliable independent mechanic is worth every penny they charge. I am fortunate to be able to do many things myself (sometimes at the urging of my mechanic) yet have someone to turn to for things that require additional expertise. Regards, Rich ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2004 14:31:25 -0500 From: "Dorffer, Rich" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Dealers Price Going Up Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Send a sample to an oil testing lab. Problem is it costs about the same for > a test as it does for a DIY oil change. You get great data back from the > lab, though. Wear metals, additive state, coolant or water, etc. If testing costs ~$20, and my M3 takes about 8 quarts, I would have to be spending about $2.50 a quart for this to be true. Mobil 1, Redline, Neo, Royal Purple, etc. all cost more than $2.50 a quart. The only synthetic oil close to that cost that I know of is the BMW Castrol brand which has limited viscosities available. Later, Rich - has experimented with some testing in my M3, my 325is and my wife's Accord... ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2004 11:37:52 -0800 (PST) From: Andre Yew <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: UUC Digest <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: E46 Suspension Info Needed Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> On Sun, 29 Feb 2004, Scott & Charlotte Miller wrote: > Rumor has it that the original U.S. E46 330i had a base suspension and > a sport package optional suspension, but that at some point the sport > suspension became standard on U.S. cars. Scott, All 2002+ 330s come with the sport suspension standard. It was an option in 2001, their first year. --Andre ------------------------------ End of [bmwuucdigest] digest(15 messages) **********
