Fortunately it looks way better overall than some of the photos I've posted. BMW seems to have done a good job of corrosion prevention. Also, there's lots of aluminum. There are plenty of uncoated things which have rusted, though, like fasteners, brake components, and brackets. I found one area of the floor where the undercoating seems to have failed and another part of the body with a half-dollar sized area of surface rust. I'll try to remember to take some pictures next time I'm under there.Fast_Ed wrote:How is the actual body for rust?
2001 BMW 325Ci - All the maintenance
Re: 2001 BMW 325Ci - All the maintenance
Re: 2001 BMW 325Ci - All the maintenance
To close out my thoughts on turning:
- You are likely to be damn near the minimum after turning, and that is if the rotor isn't that worn in the first place. You don't want to be at the minimum.
- The overall experience and result of a turned rotor depends ENTIRELY on the quality of the job, and based on my research, the quality of the job is incredibly variable (i.e. it is not foolproof). You would literally have to watch and ensure the job was done right (i.e. multiple passes, different speed at the end, etc.). In many cases, people have measured their post-turning run-out to be 6x worse than the spec (and most importantly, worse than it was before turning). A rusty rotor may be rusty at the hub which probably increases the likelihood of exacerbating a run-out condition on the lathe.
- Wire wheeling or light sanding is a fine option for some surface rust (and if the rust is light enough, I would just let the pads deal with it). But I stand by my creed: when in doubt, just replace the rotor. 15 years ago during the initial transition to Chinese rotors, I found quality to be all over the place (i.e. "I'd rather turn a good rotor, than buy a new, crappy rotor"). It seems much more consistent now.
As always, YMMV.
- You are likely to be damn near the minimum after turning, and that is if the rotor isn't that worn in the first place. You don't want to be at the minimum.
- The overall experience and result of a turned rotor depends ENTIRELY on the quality of the job, and based on my research, the quality of the job is incredibly variable (i.e. it is not foolproof). You would literally have to watch and ensure the job was done right (i.e. multiple passes, different speed at the end, etc.). In many cases, people have measured their post-turning run-out to be 6x worse than the spec (and most importantly, worse than it was before turning). A rusty rotor may be rusty at the hub which probably increases the likelihood of exacerbating a run-out condition on the lathe.
- Wire wheeling or light sanding is a fine option for some surface rust (and if the rust is light enough, I would just let the pads deal with it). But I stand by my creed: when in doubt, just replace the rotor. 15 years ago during the initial transition to Chinese rotors, I found quality to be all over the place (i.e. "I'd rather turn a good rotor, than buy a new, crappy rotor"). It seems much more consistent now.
As always, YMMV.
Re: 2001 BMW 325Ci - All the maintenance
Did various things. Here's a shot of the old and new license plate light/trunk handle assembly. 3/4 of the screw holes are like the broken one pictured here.
The new one actually comes with a primed trim piece for the outside. I'll just swap over the original one so I don't have to deal with paint. I'm sure it will just come right apart, it looks like the new cover just snaps on.
** Time passes**
Turns out the factory one is glued together in addition to the clips. I used a Dremel to cut away the old inner plastic assembly so I could then pry the adhesive apart. Finally apart. I broke 3 tabs on one side plus a tab on the other side. Not great. Check out how much adhesive is used. Rather than try to reassemble and end up with something that looks/feels as broken as the old one, I'm going to paint the new part and install it with all the functional clips. Now to decide if I want to paint it myself or take it to a body shop. Probably the former.
On to the mirror! As I mentioned before, I'm going to use screws to hold the body back together. Here's the two that go from the outside to the inside. View from the inside. You can see the inside to outside screw and the two outside screws protruding in. Foam reinstalled. Or course this mirror is filled with foam. So quiet. Back on the car. The alignment isn't perfect, but it's good enough. So many scratches! It'll buff out.
Turns out the factory one is glued together in addition to the clips. I used a Dremel to cut away the old inner plastic assembly so I could then pry the adhesive apart. Finally apart. I broke 3 tabs on one side plus a tab on the other side. Not great. Check out how much adhesive is used. Rather than try to reassemble and end up with something that looks/feels as broken as the old one, I'm going to paint the new part and install it with all the functional clips. Now to decide if I want to paint it myself or take it to a body shop. Probably the former.
On to the mirror! As I mentioned before, I'm going to use screws to hold the body back together. Here's the two that go from the outside to the inside. View from the inside. You can see the inside to outside screw and the two outside screws protruding in. Foam reinstalled. Or course this mirror is filled with foam. So quiet. Back on the car. The alignment isn't perfect, but it's good enough. So many scratches! It'll buff out.
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Re: 2001 BMW 325Ci - All the maintenance
I also removed the XM receiver and all the wiring. It was wired into an FM modulator which plugged inline with the antenna wire.
Also replaced the broken front bumper reflector because it was $2. Not sure if it would have affected the inspection, but it was $2.
Now to locate some affordable paint so I can reassemble the trunk handle/light thing. Still need to adjust the e-brake and drive it some so it runs better. And wash it. And get it registered and inspected. Then drive it.
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Re: 2001 BMW 325Ci - All the maintenance
Fun fact, the 'up' or '+' button on the radio doesn't work, so I can only turn things down, not up. Except for the volume. That's a knob.
Re: 2001 BMW 325Ci - All the maintenance
Almost forgot, I also need to replace the exhaust bracket.
Re: 2001 BMW 325Ci - All the maintenance
I replaced the exhaust bracket. It had still been running poorly on cold start. I decided to put the scan tool on it even though there was no CEL. Good thing, there was a P0102 MAF low voltage code pending. I bought the highest quality reman MAF available locally (the AutoZone-sourced A1 Cardone). Problem solved.
I registered it on Friday. I had to pay tax on a $4700 book value because of RI's stupid "Cars of Particular Interest" list.
http://www.dmv.ri.gov/documents/other/CPI_List.pdf
There is an appeal process that I might pursue. I'd need to submit receipts and fill out some forms...
I drove the car about 60 miles between Friday and today to shake out pre-inspection issues. The biggest one is the brakes. They sound terrible, but stop ok. However, if the brakes are quickly applied you can feel a sharp pull in the steering wheel briefly. It feels like one caliper applies faster than the other. If they are gently applied, it is fine. I plan to put some more miles on it before I get it inspected. Maybe I should just order all the brakes anyway...
I registered it on Friday. I had to pay tax on a $4700 book value because of RI's stupid "Cars of Particular Interest" list.
http://www.dmv.ri.gov/documents/other/CPI_List.pdf
There is an appeal process that I might pursue. I'd need to submit receipts and fill out some forms...
I drove the car about 60 miles between Friday and today to shake out pre-inspection issues. The biggest one is the brakes. They sound terrible, but stop ok. However, if the brakes are quickly applied you can feel a sharp pull in the steering wheel briefly. It feels like one caliper applies faster than the other. If they are gently applied, it is fine. I plan to put some more miles on it before I get it inspected. Maybe I should just order all the brakes anyway...
Re: 2001 BMW 325Ci - All the maintenance
Other stuff:
- Clutch grabs high.
- Shifting is clunky, I plan to change the fluid in the near future to see if that helps.
- Sometimes the left turn signal starts flashing quickly then goes back to the correct speed. Probably a marginal bulb somewhere.
- Still need to clean it.
I think this wraps up this thread. Future repairs will probably get their own thread. Unless I put them here.
- Clutch grabs high.
- Shifting is clunky, I plan to change the fluid in the near future to see if that helps.
- Sometimes the left turn signal starts flashing quickly then goes back to the correct speed. Probably a marginal bulb somewhere.
- Still need to clean it.
I think this wraps up this thread. Future repairs will probably get their own thread. Unless I put them here.
Re: 2001 BMW 325Ci - All the maintenance
Got it inspected. It needed 2 rear tires. They had BF Goodrich Advantage T/A Sport tires in stock so I got them. Now it's on the road!
So of course on the way home it started exhibiting some weird drivability issues. At low RPM with light throttle sometimes it feels like the throttle closes and the car goes into DFCO even though the pedal hasn't actually moved. Not sure if this is some e-Throttle nonsense or there is something else amiss. I'll add that to the list of things to address later.
So of course on the way home it started exhibiting some weird drivability issues. At low RPM with light throttle sometimes it feels like the throttle closes and the car goes into DFCO even though the pedal hasn't actually moved. Not sure if this is some e-Throttle nonsense or there is something else amiss. I'll add that to the list of things to address later.