BMW DIY advice, and the occasional critique of the company
This weekend was BimmerFest East, a huge meetup of BMW owners organized and sponsored by Turner Motorsports. These events have been going on for a few years on the west coast, and came east for the first time last year. Like last year, it was held at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen, MD. I caravaned up […]
My 13 year old M3 is approaching 60,000 miles. In BMW vernacular, that means the car should receive an Inspection II service. An Inspection II involves a large number of things getting inspected (hence the name), but when you look at the work actually done it boils down to a general tune-up. Spark plugs, air […]
Last week I described replacing most of the cooling system components in my M3. While doing that job, I also replaced my rear shock absorbers. My car only has 57,000 miles, but it is more than 13 years old. While replacing and reinforcing the rear shock mounts (RSMs) last year, I noticed the shocks were […]
This weekend I accomplished a preventative maintenance goal for my 1999 M3. With the help of a fellow enthusiast and E36 M3 owner, I replaced most of my cooling system with new parts. The cooling system on many modern BMWs is a known weak point. Most of the problems arise from using plastic where metal […]
Last year I wrote a post about a special warranty that covers what BMW calls Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicles, or SULEVs. These cars were built with a special, fully integrated fuel tank and fuel filter to reduce accidental emissions to the atmosphere, and can’t be repaired without huge expense. Here’s a service bulletin from […]
This weekend I replaced the sway bar links on my E39 M5. This is a well known issue with the M5, the links can break over time. Since I was replacing one, I went ahead and replaced both the left and right side links and the rubber bushings inside them. Sway bars reduce body roll […]
BMW of North America is having a strong sales year in 2012. The Year to Date (YTD) sales numbers are out and total sales of BMW cars and trucks (excluding Mini) are up 11.3 percent. Here’s all the detail from BMW Blog. This chart details sales by BMW model: These numbers provided me two takeaways. […]
This weekend I tackled a problem I’d put off addressing for some time. The cruise control had stopped working on my 1999 BMW M3 a few months ago, but it’s a feature I rarely use. The car doesn’t go on long trips, so this wasn’t an urgent DIY project. On the other hand, I want […]
It’s always fun reading positive reviews on the car you own. This is especially true if you’re a BMW enthusiast and M car owner. Usually you can be confident the reviews will be glowing, and your car judged superior to the competition. That was certainly the case back in 2000, when my E39 M5 model […]
When an issue pops up on an older BMW, there is no reason to be in the dark as to the cause. There are many resources to help you diagnose the problem on your car, and as the expression goes knowledge is power. Even if you don’t intend to try and fix the problem yourself, […]
My 1999 M3 turns 13 this April, one of the last E36 M3 coupes produced. I usually publish a post in April to acknowledge the birthday, starting with this one in 2008. It’s description of how I feel about the car is still accurate today. This year, I decided the car needed new wheels. Last […]
This weekend I changed the oil and filter in my 2002 M5. It’s a very basic procedure that requires little to no mechanical skill, but delivers a satisfying DIY feeling. All I had to do was follow this how-to complete with pictures from M5Board. The oil change itself was simple, but this being an E39 […]