BMW General thread

you can find e46s for cheap 330cis are nice coupes and they are quick and fun to drive. manuals are harder to come by but are worth the search. theres a huge modding opportunity behind e46s as well. It all really depends on your budget, as you will want to have some spare cash after your purchase for both upgrades and incase anything breaks. Minor things will go wrong after time but if you know what youre doing you can keep on top of them. All in all, amazing cars to drive and extremely fun to own.

While I do like the e36, there's something about the skirts that erk me.

Thought I guess with the money I could save by getting that instead of the e46 I could probably get some better ones.

I don't know if I'm remembering right but can't you put e46 skirts on an e36?

Can someone redpill me on the current gen BMW? I know everything has a turbo now but have they learned from their fuck ups on the E90 gen with the 335i?

I can't decide whether my next Bimmer should be an E46, E39 or just a better E34. My dream would be to find another E23, but I daily drove mine for three years and I couldn't do it again unless I found one in amazing condition which is stupidly unlikely.

An E34 would be excellent as long as you get the one with the M30 engine. The 520 and 525 are painfully underpowered. I'd almost recommend an E32 with the M30 but the rest of the car might be an issue since it's a 7 series.

>can't you put e46 skirts on an e36?
I don't think so, no.

There was something like turning them backwards or some shit made it work.

Either way as long as people can attest to them being reliable I don't give a damn about skirts.

My current E34 is a 525i and I've honestly fallen in love with the M50. It feels pretty much identical to my E23's M30B34, but I've found it to be much more reliable and much easier to work on (mostly because of a larger wealth of information). I actually almost bought an E32 735i5 instead but the owner started having second thoughts after the test drive, and I was honestly pretty inexperienced at driving manual at the time and would have faced a 3 hour trip home if I had bought it. I regret passing it up every day.

Anyway, I don't really want to go back to the M30. If I replaced my E34 with another E34, I'd probably want a 540i6.

I had one myself and I had a few friends that have had them, mostly 318s or 325s and they were solid cars. Just make sure the water pump isn't still the shitty one with the plastic impeller. Chances are it has been changed at some point though, the plastic ones didn't last long.

540 is also a good choice but most people seem to go with the 530 or 535. No matter the engine though, it's a great car.

dont 404 on me

As we speak of e34's... i had one too! M50B20 i fell in love with it, and its so good looking! I can agree that 2.0L was too little, but it was my first car and i had it for one winter, 28 years old 270k km and start every time, also nice to drift with!

Opportunity to buy a 97 528i 5 speed 145k miles. Lots of receipts. Radiator, water pump all done within 40k miles. Clutch done at 85k feels nice.

Only issue is the brake and asc lights are on constantly. Problem with abs module or wheel speed sensors or something. Wants 2800 gonna offer 2500. Good deal?

Bought this sight unseen for 750 eur as a project car. It's the e36 318is. No rust on the shell, the "bad interior" is already out. Next up: roll cage, brake/tire upgrade and a turbo. In that order. I have no experience working on cars what so ever but i have time, money (and this stuff is cheap here) and am in need of a hobby. It's going to be an interresting winter i guess..

Would an E30 be a good first fun car/test bed for learning to wrench? I've considered a Miata but I don't really want a tiny convertible.

Is this worth going to check out? Its got a shit ton of miles, but E30s are supposed to be reliable right?
kansascity.craigslist.org/cto/5873658678.html

check for rust. rust is your no. 1 enemy on these things. if it's rusty, dont buy it. it's a good starters car to wrench on as a lot of newer computer stuff did not exsist when it was built. No ABS, airbags, etc. (i believe) and that saves you a ton of needed specialistic knowledge to start.
parts are becoming harder to find but as this is a common racing platform a lot of after market stuff is available.

the one you linked has a nasty dent that can be a serious issue when the frame is bent as a whole. bring someone who can tell you if the structural integrity of the car is compromised. if it is structurally sound and has little to no rust it is a steal (so be carefull on this one).

if it's just the sensor on the ABS module (it's literally a per-wheel sensor) it will be an easy fix.

bring a OBDII reader and check for current and stored codes. if the abs module just says sensor it's ok. if it gives you all sorts of crap don't touch it. the computers in this car are horrible to debug/fix and expensive to replace and you can't really do this yourself

There are so many e36 performance parts on Bimmerforums for sale right now too. Never the ones I want at the times I want them though haha.

portland.craigslist.org/wsc/cto/5879326647.html

Sweet mother of god, hold me Veeky Forums before I do something stupid.

I'm having this problem - Driveshaft vibration damper/ I can't remove driveshaft
bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?662958-Vibration-damper-(just-so-I-m-clear)&p=14626614#post14626614

Bentley manual and e30 factory repair manual say something about being able to rotate the driveshaft vibration damper 60 deg, but when I try to move it it just spins the driveshaft.

I have the diff flange nuts off, CSB mount off, trans mounts off, exhaust out of the way. I cannot split the driveshaft at the splines by CSB. I can wiggle it kinda loose but the guibo gets stuck at an angle on the damper/bolt threads, and I cannot split the spline.

Apparently the one on mine is the harder of the two kinds that early e30s had. Some people on other forum posts mentioned punching the bolts of the guibo out, or dropping the diff to finish getting the drive shaft off. Idk what to do next.

The damper is attached to the trans flange and is removed after the driveshaft is off by using a 32 mm slim socket. So I guess I'm stuck until I drop the diff?

you crazy fool. e36 is the most generic looking, feeble, hard to work on and under powered of the lot. the e46 is newer, better looking and easy to work on. i am talking about //m cars natch, since any sub model bmw is not worth its weight in cheese, unless you are talking about an e30.

So what goes wrong on N54/N55 BMWs?

I see a bunch of automatic 335i/335xis with 90-140k miles going for under $10k already, with the 6 speed 335i/335xis/135is still hovering around $10-14k. Its only a matter a time before they depreciate below the $10k mark (probably when the next gen 3-Series comes out).

I already know about turbos/wastegates and high pressure fuel pumps, what else?

its damn hard to look at and is a 4 banger

If you aren't buying an M don't buy an e46 unless you are a ZHP guy.
This, trash. Then again so is almost every single new car. They are nice, but not for me
Nothing, and the wastegates and HPFP should have been fixed by BMW already. Otherwise they are solid as shit and easy to make fast.

Sorry I can't help but I'd try searching bimmerpost or starting a new thread. bimmforums is cancer.

Also that is called a guibo. Not sure if that will help you with your search but that is the normal term used.

Okay I see your issue after looking. Do you have an early e model? It may be worth spending $30 on a one day access to TIS, otherwise I'd drop that diff. Good luck user.

youtube.com/watch?v=idJuOAHNUXM
Dear lord man. That has to shake like hell

100% this requires a special BMW exclusive 90deg bent wrench to grab the back side of the nut. I'd take a dremel to the rubber or just rip that shit out.

Or cut the bolt heads off and slip it off. This had to require a special tool to assemble this.

bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2293829-Driveshaft-removal-help
bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?1791686-Guibo-replacement-question
pelicanparts.com/bmw/techarticles/E36-Guibo/E36-Guibo.htm

Try a bent wrench or dremel the shit out of the rubber guibo and replace it. They are cheap as shit and you may as well since you are digging in this deep already.

thanks for help guys. I'll see if my dad has some of those bent wrenches that i can use but the space is pretty tight. The car I'm removing it from is a 87 325i.

the weird thing is people on forums say this type of driveshaft vibration damper does nothing since the guibo eats up most of the vibration. thus many people don't run it (mostly because it's a pain in the ass). The car has a brand new driveshaft, guibo, and csb. so someone purposefully put it back. I had already ordered new guibo and other parts so idk

here's the diagram
realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=1113-USA-11-1987-E30-BMW-325i&diagId=26_0122
3 is the thing that I'm trying to remove just so we're all on the same page btw

If i can't get it off/ find those bent wrenches I'll just drop the diff. salt city euros have a vid, looks easy enough

probably the most annoying e30 job, 2nd being the intake bitch tube.

Def replace it with a new guibo. But yeah I'd take a dremel tool to the rubber and cut through it til I can grab the nuts. The new part is like $80.

Good luck man.

What I really wonder is how the hell did the germans put this together?

The E46 is painfully generic. You could slap a Kia badge on it and nobody would ever think twice.

livin dat SAV life

Would be nice if they were that low in California. Costs that much for a complete pile of trash. Are performance parts cheaper as well?

Are you keeping the engine for the turbo? Is it a good engine to turbo?

Are they any good for offroad? One of the better outcomes of the Bangle process.

picking this car up nov the 30th.

2007 335i sport package
100K miles
Steptronic
No oil cooler

What should i expect

thousand and thousands of dollars in repairs

I drove it harshly for half an hour and it was tip top

ah, then im sure itll be good for the next few years! have it inspected by an independent mechanic

okay

Okay, I need new carpets. Cosmos e36, black interior.

Shall I go anthracite or black? Currently have the regular black BMW carpets, not sure if anthracite might look cleaner by showing less debris but would it fit well?

ecstuning.com/b-genuine-bmw-parts/--m-carpeted-floor-mat-set-anthracite/82111469805/
ecstuning.com/b-genuine-bmw-parts/--m-carpeted-floor-mat-set-black/82111470393/

Also any recommendations for foam backed fabric to redo my interior? T-WRX used this for his M3...
amazon.com/gp/product/B00GFDC38I?psc=1

hey where's the general been?

i no longer own a bmw but i still like to circlejerk about them

they're alright

some have hill descent control, but that's about it. X drive can only get you so far.

Performance parts are cheap compared to other cars over here. I've never done a turbo so this will be my first try.

The 4cyl 318is has the 16 valve compared to the 318i (without s) that has 8 valves. And i'm going to turbo it.
I have no idea what the limit is to this as it already runs with a relatively high compression ratio. Don't know how far that can be streched. I'm starting with small boost increases until either my engine or clutch or whatever fails and upgrade from there. Another engine is about 400 eur, so when it blows (not "if" i guess) i will rebuild a new 4 cyl block to what i've learned from the blown block. I like the 4 cyl for it's location in the car and it's low weight and quick revs.

BMWs are fun to drive. Guaranteed that you'll have to spend $$$ after the 70k mark though

Can I get some advice on a first teen car? This is the best M3 I've seen, and I'm wondering if I'll be in over my head with maintenance. Well, I know I will, but I'm wondering if a teen would be able to handle it with a part time job.

photos: imgur.com/a/K6PCq

>325i
>M3

yeah i knew i was wrong by saying m3, its a 325i

>m3
>BMW with 153k on the clock for first car

Give up and just get a Civic for your first car like everyone else

>tfw finally get my oil pan baffle welded in 2 months later

fuck

dynoed at 355whp today. Thanks to black friday I'll be getting catless downpipes and a FMIC sooner than expected and for under $700 shipped. That and should put me over 400

Also picked up 17 gallons of e85 for $14 and started running a blend. JB4 map 5 a best

I think I'm in love with the M240i, help. Just everything about it rubs me the right way; buying an E92 very soon so that should at least hold me over for however long I plan on keeping it (5 years?) until the M240i price drops.

Shame the M2 looks so much better, though.

>buying an E92 very soon
335i*
>until the M240i price drops.
Used. Fuck I need sleep.

It's aight.

B58 >>> N55 anyways
bmwblog.com/2015/10/28/bmws-n55-engine-will-be-missed-but-the-new-b55-might-be-even-better/

Honestly I'm more concerned about driver feel than anything which I hear the M2 edges out the 240i in. More interested in straight line power, accessible torque and muh driver feel than overall performance, handling and tracking capabilities.

me here again

got 1 last diff bolt that I was struggling to break loose on the top of the sub frame. just cannot get enough leverage. feels bad because i prob can't get back to working on it until tuesday

Apparently the M2 is pretty close to the 240i because of pricing so I might just end up getting the former unless it costs a ton to own

52k vs 34k

I'd get the m240i since it has the better engine and I'd have a ton of money left over for all of the m2/m3/m4 suspension bits, nice coilovers, and tires. Literally with just a JB4 you'd shit on an m2 in a straight line.

Literally this is just the WRX vs STI debate.

>52k vs 34k
It's way closer when you find out what people were actually paying (10%-ish difference). Not really into modding so the appeal of significant upgrades falls flat on me Either way the M2 is likely switching to the B58 leaving the N55 models to crash in price so it is probably wise to avoid them for now, even if we're just talking value purposes.

The M name and looks are nice but as I said my main concern is muh driver feel. I'd argue the WRX vs STI shitstorms are different because the M# cars are great for DDing whereas STIs are obnoxiously annoying and abrasive; traits shared with their owners.

I really want a 135i but I know I shouldn't because most in my price range

I doubt they'll be switching to the B58 in the M2 very soon as they tend to stick with older/better known motors in their low end M cars. For example the 1M had an N54 when the N55 was new.

The M2 is a nice choice still though, I just know the potential these cars have in lower trim so I'd always go with that unless money really wasn't an issue. GL saving up.

There's one near me (North Jersey) for $10,000 with 110k miles.

Shop around. Major metro areas tend to have them cheap (NY/NJ/CT, Chicagoland, Miami/South Florida, Dallas, and SoCal).

My 135i had 62k when I got it for $16.8k. M sport, 6 speed with a very clean red interior like I wanted. You just have to be patient as they're rare so it's hard to find one you really one let alone at a good price.

>$16.8k. M sport, 6 speed
>red interior
damn that's pretty much how i'd want one too

i'm in houston texas, these are the options lel
autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/cars under 20000/BMW/135i/Stafford TX-77477?zip=77477&showcaseOwnerId=51349359&startYear=1981&endYear=2017&modelCodeList=135I&makeCodeList=BMW&transmissionCodes=MAN&sortBy=derivedpriceASC&maxPrice=20000&firstRecord=0&searchRadius=500&numRecords=25

santabarbara.craigslist.org/cto/5869436520.html

Fly over and drive back. I wouldn't hesitate to buy this, the Quaife would've costed you another $2000 to do yourself.

Not crazy about the white interior, but its nice.

All I know is there's a controversy over the power gap and the gap between M3s and the next 3 series down has been decreasing every generation (considering the 2 series part of the F30 for simplicity)

it's good on snow
don't want to take it mudding though

The M2 does look better, and I'd rather get that than the 235/240, but the lack of choices for the interior is a bit of a deal breaker - I loathe black interiors.

Thanks for bolting the pcv to the underside of the inlet manifold bmw...

Oh and making the 4 cyl pcv 3 times more expensive than the 6 cyl ones too.

At least it doesn't leak oil now.

So what would i be looking at around that point? Replacing injectors and maybe coils and plugs? Vacuum hoses?

bump

...

How much did you pay

Mildly battlewounded '97 e39 reporting in

Eurofag, so it's only a 520i because taxes, but I'm a eurofag so I get 95 or better
You know, swings 'n roundabouts

It's a pre facelift, and I genuienly love that m52b20, I wish it had an accessible penis sized hole somewhere in the block, because I would actually fuck it if I could
That's how much I love it

what makes you like the engine? genuinely curious

Mine's a 2 liter, so it isn't the most powerful thing in the world, 150HP when new, but it's plenty for everyday use. The thing is tho, forget the power. It's a bit of a pig when cold, it likes to stall and it feels quite temperamental in general, but once it is up to temp the engine is stupendously smooth.

It's actually like being between 2 naked completely hairless Asian masseuses covered in a mixture of baby oil, whipped cream and baileys.
quite often I'll be talking on the phone or changing the radio and all of the sudden I'm doing 5k revs without realizing it, because you just don't feel a single vibration coming from the engine.

Then you get to a b road and you wind the bastard out to 6 and a half
It never really surges or kicks you in the back, but there's a very nice continuous increase of power. I know a lot of words have been spilled over the bm's linear power band, but let me tell you, it really is a nice thing to have. You put your foot in it, feel it spooling up wait for it, going, going, yes it's stretching it's legs, starting to make some noise, still going, shouting.wav
by the end you're gripping the steering wheel harder then you have to, not because of the speed because that's not that high with 150 horse, but because of the way the power is continuously layered on

It's a bit like a very good butler that engine
You don't really notice it or think about what it does every time he does it, but at least once a week, out of nowhere you'll go "fuck me, I've actually got a really good butler"

And it's got 220k km on the clock (I guess that's about 130.000 miles), still runs like a champ, done the Nürburgring txice, hit it's actual top speed of 130Mph on the way there, and all it's had is a new waterpump because of a leaking seal, a fresh accessory belt, and some sparkplugs

keep it well-oiled and your straight 6 will basically outlast you

>M54B25 driver
>Can confirm

This. WTF bmw give me some damn color choices in the M2.

thanks for the detailed response

Mah nigga you know I ain't bullshitting bout that 6 naah'mean dawg

Hey don't mention it, I could talk about why I like my car for hours if people'd let me
I'll probably one day end up in the backyard of an old folks home, demented as shit, rambling on about why timing belts are for communists and how front wheel drive caused the downfall of western civilization, with "bayern knows best" carved into my forehead

Thoughts on this e34 540i?

They want $1800. Guess it "runs great" and was used as a daily driver till it was parked ~8 months ago.

Currently own an e46 325i, how expensive and hard to work on is the e34 in comparison?

diigo.com/item/pdf/5gt7b/51ie?k=a4565ff9d6057b176741152e66739a54

9900

oh wow 3 blue dots knob on ac vents bmw is really dumb, i almost spend $600+ for whole new heater core and evap, when knob at 3 blue dots it's blow flamethrower into my feet and windshield, some technician says it's works the way it is because yurop like to heat their feet with defroster on windshield and they like their face keep cool... pic related

yurop here
can confirm

What went so right with this general? Every single other one is just shitposting, cirlcejerking, blogging and whining about cars that aren't part of the brand.

wtf isn't that the temperature control for your center console?

i dont have a car but it that doesn't stop me from going on Veeky Forums to circlejerk

What do you think of this? It looks really clean. I'm kinda tempted to check it out. If it doesn't have rust and seems to run well, am I good to go?
If I buy it I'd obviously change all the fluid before beating on it, but is there any Achilles heel for those 3.0Ls?
tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/cto/5876832560.html

When the Ford Sierra came out in the UK in 1983 there was much made of the fact that you could have warm feet and a cool head