I just went through a similar mess with my insurance company and a bit of rearend damage (not my fault). I am still miffed about it as I had to put out $1800 more than the insurance gave me to get it back together and looking nice as it was to begin with. bob in Everett
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The problem with an old battery is that one cell will fail first and the alternator then over charges the others to try and maintain the proper voltage. This eventually overloads the diode pack in the alternator and it will fail.... The alternator might be replaced and the weak battery damage the new one before the problem is recognized as a dead cell in the battery. I have a long story explain
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I did not know that BMW made pickup trucks.... Bob in Everett
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I would recommend a used one for the best low cost option. Just get the whole strut and minimize the work of changing it. Bob in Everett
Forum: Technical Forum

One thing that is very difficult to diagnose is a failing ignition coil. When they get hot, the insulation breaks down and no longer will spark. Consequently, unburned fuel going out the back end. When cooled off, it works again. The failure will get more often as it get further along. It is a cheap fix. Bob in Everett
Forum: Technical Forum

Those over torqued bolts could have distorted the wheels too. I did that to myself once by lubricating the bolts a little too well and even the normal torque can deform the aluminum wheels. Bob in Everett
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Yes, have the upper strut bearings checked out. Bob in Everett
Forum: Technical Forum

Another alternative to the "special lube" is Armour All. Makes the rubber slippery for the install and then goes away. Bob in Everett
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One of my cars has the same problem. The light is on most of the time. Occasionally on the freeway, it goes out for a while. I should probably just take the bulb out too. Bob in Everett
Forum: Technical Forum

My cabrio got bumped into while I was stopped at a signal a couple months ago. My insurance company wants to total my car out for $2500 just because it has 197,000 miles on it. Otherwise it is in very nice condition, runs and handles better than when it was new as I have put upgraded shocks and ECU chip. Any comments on prices of nice undamaged cabrios in your area? I am going to have it
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One additional "feature" of buying on line is that when the tires need balancing sometime, the charge for it will exceed the savings from buying on line. I just had a set balanced and it cost $15 each. If I had bought the tires from the tire shop, it would have been "free." At Costco, the prices are good and rotations and balancing are free for the life of the tire. Sal
Forum: Technical Forum

Have changed my heater recently due to small leaks fogging my window more than the heat could evaporate. From BMW it is very pricey. Might want to try another source. There are two types depending upon model year. One has plastic tubes and the other, metal. The valve is removable from the radiator part and requires new seals to replace. The BMW flat rate book says 1.2 hours to R&R.
Forum: Technical Forum

I had a situation like this a few years ago. The problem was that it was winter and I would drive to work with the heater and the lights and wipers on, the battery would barely start the car after work. Driving home it would get charged up and start ok the next morning. After replacing the battery and having it fail in a few weeks it turned out to be the alternator that was only capable of ch
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One of the most successful fixes on mine was to clean the injectors. I also use injector cleaner in my fuel every month or two. Bob in Everett
Forum: Technical Forum

Fatigue damage is cumulative. A piece of metal can be stressed to ultimate strength only once. At loads less than ultimate the number of load cycles before it breaks increases the further you are away from that ultimate...hence the need to define a fatigue limit. At the load that survives 10,000,000 cycles we call that the fatigue limit. However the number of load cycles at 6000 rpm is 50 tim
Forum: Technical Forum

If the plug was not torqued correctly it can work its way out. Have had that happen on some farm equipment but not on my car. Usually the threads will survive but in an aluminum head there is more chance of damage to the head. What I do is put some anti-seize compound on the threads and torque them up close to the recommended. Never over torque plugs in aluminum heads. Bob in Everett
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I am with you on the frustration with all the interlocks and auto controls. I have a good time with my E-30 but my spousal units E-38 has lots of annoying automation. We got stuck in the snow trying to get into our drive way last Winter. Could not "rock" the car to get it moving. The brake has to be depressed to move the shift lever from N to either R or D. Finally had to get out
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Thanks Canada. It was a very neighborly treatment of all the surprise visitors. Bob in Everett
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I vote for the Michelin too. I have had no trouble with any of them over the past many years. Bob in Everett
Forum: Technical Forum

The spring quality and life get back to that RPM thing. As I pointed out previously, the high speed gets to the natural frequency of the springs and they "surge" which means there is a wave motion going back and forth at the same frequency as the rocker arm hits the end of it. This causes impact of the coils against each other and stress concentrations, then fracture. The shot peen t
Forum: Technical Forum

Yep, those high revs do have a price. The springs fatigue at high revs because the frequency of the valve action gets to the natural frequency of the spring and it surges making the coils touch each other. This causes a contact spot that starts a fatigue crack. New springs, both inner and outer for all valves is the answer. Not the cheap ones either. The better ones will be shot peen treated
Forum: Technical Forum

Yes, I understand the chemistry of the water and alcohol but in the fuel from the gas pump there must be some more to it. The station manager told me it was common with the alcohol to have some water accumulation problems. A dose of gas line antifreeze (methanol) seems to cure it. Must be a difference in solubility with temperature or something. Has happened to me a few times. Usually a few
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The only problem I have had is occasionally there will be some water in it and some gas line antifreeze or injector cleaner needed to clear it out. The gas station people said that the water is a common problem with the alcohol content. Bob in Everett
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Is the power steering reservoir full? Might be the pump ingesting air. Bob in Everett
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Sounds like the solution is to bring the car to Canada get licensed and then bring to US. I think for this car the changes would be minimal though. Head lights, windshield primarily. The speedometer may not be an issue but a complete cluster is available here for about 35 dollars from someone who has parted out a few of them. I paid 35$ for a used windshield that did not have any cracks or ro
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Kelly, Hope your battery tray is staying clean and dry these days. One thing I do every few months is to take my cabrio to the the car wash and give the engine compartment a bath, including the battery. I do not spray too close to electrical connectors but give them and the battery a good going over from about a foot away. This keeps dirt from accumulating and giving acid a place to seep in
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The measurement should be that the battery voltage while the engine is running is 13.7 to 14.2 volts. If it is more than that, the voltage regulator is not working correctly. Bob in Everett
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Often a battery will seep acid out the top if the covers are not tightly installed or poorly designed. This acid will wet the outside of the battery and corrode everything metal it touches. what you may have noticed when you washed the battery if you used any baking soda in the wash was a bubbling of the wash water as the acid was being neutralized by the soda. One word of warning too, do n
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With the price of houses these days, might just be able to get yourself one that has a two car garage of your very own. Bob in Everett
Forum: Technical Forum

This site is a remarkable resource for E-30 owners and has been a tremendous help to me in learning about my favorite car and keeping it running its best. Bob in Everett
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